Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Hiroko Numazu

Akihisa Kawamura

Masaharu Matsumoto

Mitsuhiko Serikawa

Mikio Oda

Ryou Tagami

Takeshi Norimatsu

Katsuaki Sato

Ryo Tagami

The apparatus of the invention calculates filter coefficients for controlling sound field and sound image, based on a plurality of first impulse response signals and a pair of second impulse response signals. The plurality of first impulse response signals indicate impulse responses from loudspeakers reproducing audio signals to both ears of a listener. The pair of second impulse response signals indicate impulse responses from a reference loudspeaker at a position at which a sound image is localized to both ears of the listener. The apparatus includes: a feature extracting section for receiving the pair of second impulse response signals, for extracting parameters representing features of the pair of second impulse response signals, and for outputting parameter signals; a signal adjusting section for adjusting at least one of the plurality of first impulse response signals based on the parameter signals, and for outputting a pair of third impulse response signals having the same features as the extracted features; and a coefficient calculating section for calculating the filter coefficients for controlling the sound field and sound image, based on the plurality of first impulse response signals and the pair of third impulse response signals applied from the signal adjusting means.

Sound field and sound image control apparatus and method

A sound reproduction system for automatically conducting a tone control for an audio signal according to the present invention includes: an input terminal for inputting an audio signal; a judgment circuit for determining a ratio between a stereophonic signal component and a monophonic signal component of the input audio signal and for outputting a judgment signal; a signal processing section for receiving the input audio signal and processing the input audio signal so as to generate an output signal having uniform transmission characteristics irrespective of the listening position; an adder for receiving the input audio signal and the output signal and for adding the input audio signal with the output signal at a certain addition ratio based on the judgment signal so as to generate an added signal; and a loudspeaker for receiving the added signal and for reproducing the added signal in a plurality of positions.

Sound reproduction system and a sound reproduction method

According the present invention, a sound field controller for reproducing a sound field with presence comprising; input terminals for inputting an audio signal having a first and a second channel signals, a signal extracting circuit for receiving and processing the audio signal, and producing an extracted signal of the audio signal, an operation circuit for receiving the extracted signal from the signal extracting circuit, performing the convolution on the extracted signal, and generating a convolution sum signal, a delay circuit for delaying the convolution sum signal by a predetermined time, and producing a delayed signal, an adding circuit for receiving the audio signal and the delayed signal, and adding the audio signal and the delayed signal with a predetermined summation ratio to produce a summed signal, and output terminals for reproducing the summed signal to localize a sound image in a desirable direction.

Sound field controller

A sound signal picked-up by a microphone is processed in a howl suppresser including a digital filter. A frequency analyzer performs frequency analysis of the picked-up sound signal. A howl detector detects a howl contained in the sound signal from a result of frequency analysis by the frequency analyzer. A coefficient calculator calculates coefficients to be input to the digital filter to suppress the howl according to a detection result by the howl detector, and a controller inputs the calculated coefficients to the digital filter. The howl detector judges that a maximum peak power level among power levels of the sound signal in a frequency region analyzed by the frequency analyzer is a howl component when a ratio of the maximum peak power level to a mean power level of the sound signal is larger than a predetermined threshold level, preferably for a predetermined threshold time. Also, a threshold controller is provided for controlling the threshold level and/or the threshold time so as to enhance the accuracy of the howl detection.

Sound amplifying apparatus with automatic howl-suppressing function

A sound field controller for generating apparent sound sources by adjusting the amplitude and delay time of a sound signal so that the sound will be perceived by plural listeners as sound coming from a location separated from the specific location of the front speakers, and for additionally controlling the effect of the apparent sound sources by evaluating the attributes of the source sound signal. The controller includes FIR filters for generating a left sound pattern signal, FIR filters for generating a right sound pattern signal, a first delay circuit for delaying the left and right sound pattern signals by a first predetermined time and applying the delayed left and right sound pattern signals to the left and right speakers, respectively, to introduce an apparent sound source located left rear of a center listener; and a second delay circuit for delaying the left and right sound pattern signals by a second predetermined time and applying the delayed left and right sound pattern signals to the right and left speakers, respectively, to introduce an apparent sound source located right rear of a center listener.

A music/voice discriminating apparatus is composed of a signal processing portion for effecting the signal processing upon input acoustic signals, a music/voice deciding portion for discriminating whether the input acoustic signals are music or voice, a first signal processing portion for optimally setting acoustic parameters for the signal processing respectively for music or voice, and a second signal processing portion for controlling the acoustic parameters of the first signal processing portion in accordance with the decision results of the music/voice deciding portion so that it may become a desirable value set in the second parameter setting portion.

Music/voice discriminating apparatus

A sound field is generated responsive to direct sound picked up by a direct-sound collecting microphone and indirect-sound picked up by an indirect-sound collecting microphone. Respective processing circuits are provided for signal processing the sound signals of the direct-sound collecting microphone and the indirect-sound collecting microphone. An adaptive filter is provided having a transfer function equal to a transfer function from a reproducing speaker to the indirect-sound collecting microphone. The output of the signal processing circuit associated with the indirect-sound collecting microphone is filtered by the adaptive filter, and the output of the adaptive filter is subtracted from the output of the indirect-sound collecting microphone. The output of the subtractor is then applied to the signal processing circuit associated with the indirect-sound collecting microphone for signal processing. The transfer function is initially set in the adaptive filter by applying an output of a signal generator thereto.

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Kadoma, Japan

Hiroko Numazu