JP2008113078A - Sound generation device and sound generation system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide technique for making a listener feel movements of a sound image in a wide area. <P>SOLUTION: An array speaker 20 comprises (n) speaker units 21 and is arranged in a direction wherein a sound is output toward a side wall 10a. A delay quantity correcting circuit 32 applies delay processing and gain control processing to a sound signal on the basis of supplied parameters and supplies the resulting signal to the (n) speaker units 21. In a delay parameter storage area 41, delay parameters are stored which indicates delay times for correcting differences among transfer characteristics of paths through which sound waves output from the plurality of speaker units 21 respectively reach a predetermined position nearby the side wall. A parameter supply unit 50 switches parameters at intervals of a unit time and supplies the parameters to the delay quantity correcting circuit. The array speaker 20 outputs a sound wave having the highest sound pressure at a predetermined position (focus) on the side wall and the focus moves on the side wall with the lapse of time. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sound generation device and a sound generation system.

The surround system emits sound from a plurality of speakers arranged in front of and behind the listener, thereby allowing the listener to feel the movement of the sound image and providing the listener with a sound that is rich in realism. In Patent Documents 1 and 2, an array speaker with sharp directivity is arranged in front of a listener, and an acoustic beam output from the array speaker is reflected by a wall of an acoustic space to reach the listener, and a rear speaker. The technique used instead of is disclosed.
JP-A-6-20596 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-179711

  However, in the conventional apparatus, since the surround effect is created by controlling the level balance of the acoustic signals of the respective channels supplied to each of the plurality of speakers, the area (position) where the surround effect can be obtained is limited. For this reason, it has been difficult to obtain a surround effect at a plurality of distant points with conventional devices.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described background, and even if the position of the listener is not constant, such as when there are a plurality of listeners or when the listener moves, the movement of the sound image is given to the listener. An object of the present invention is to provide a technique that can be felt and that can provide a sense of sound.

A sound generator according to a preferred aspect of the present invention is installed in a space constituted by a plurality of reflecting surfaces that form a plurality of propagation paths to a listener, and a plurality of sound waves according to a supplied acoustic signal A directivity controllable speaker that emits toward at least one of the reflective surfaces, directivity control means for controlling the directivity of the speaker, and at a predetermined position on the at least one reflective surface, Parameter storage means for storing a plurality of parameters for directivity in which sound waves emitted from a speaker increase in amplitude, each corresponding to a different predetermined position, and a plurality of parameters stored in the parameter storage means Parameter supply means for reading any one of them while switching them based on a predetermined algorithm and supplying them to the directivity control means It is characterized in Rukoto.
In addition, a sound generator according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention is installed in a space constituted by a plurality of reflecting surfaces that form a plurality of propagation paths to a listener, and a sound wave corresponding to a supplied acoustic signal. Directivity-controllable speakers having a plurality of speaker units that emit toward the at least one reflecting surface of the plurality of reflecting surfaces, and acoustic signals subjected to delay processing based on supplied parameters. A directivity control means to be supplied to each of the units, and a delay such that the sound waves emitted from each of the plurality of speaker units have a phase relationship in which the amplitudes are mutually increased at a predetermined position on the at least one reflecting surface Parameter storage means for storing a plurality of parameters indicating time and corresponding to different predetermined positions; and the parameters A plurality of parameters stored in 憶 means reads any one while switching on the basis of a predetermined algorithm, is characterized by comprising a parameter supply means for supplying to said directional control means.

In the above aspect, the plurality of speaker units may be arranged in one row.
In the above-described aspect, the plurality of speaker units may be arranged in a planar shape.
In the above-described aspect, the predetermined algorithm may be an algorithm that switches a parameter to be read from the storage unit every time a predetermined unit time elapses.
Further, in this aspect, the parameters are parameters indicating a delay time and a gain such that sound waves emitted from each of the plurality of speakers have a phase relationship in which amplitudes are increased at predetermined positions on the reflecting surface. The directivity control means performs delay processing on the acoustic signal based on the supplied parameter, amplifies the acoustic signal with a gain according to the supplied parameter, and supplies the amplified acoustic signal to each of the plurality of speakers. May be.

In addition, a sound generation system according to a preferred aspect of the present invention includes the above-described sound generation device and the reflection surface.
In this aspect, the reflection surface may include a reflection surface that reflects the sound wave reflected at the predetermined position toward the listener.

  Further, in the above-described aspect, the position information storage means for storing the reflection surface information indicating the size and shape of the reflection surface and the position information indicating the relative positional relationship between the speaker and the reflection surface in the space; You may comprise the parameter calculation means which calculates the said several parameter based on the reflective surface information and positional information which were memorize | stored in the memory | storage means.

The sound generation system according to a preferred aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of the sound generation devices according to any one of claims 1 to 6 arranged in at least one of a horizontal direction and a vertical direction, and the plurality of sounds. An acoustic signal supply means for supplying different acoustic signals to each of the generators is provided.
In this aspect, the reflective surface may be provided.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to make the listener feel the movement of the sound image even when the position of the listener is not constant, such as when there are a plurality of listeners or when the listener moves.

<Configuration>
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a sound generator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The sound generator 1 is a device that reproduces a one-channel audio signal (acoustic signal). In the figure, an array speaker 20 is an array speaker having a plurality of speaker units 211, 212,..., 21n that emit sound waves according to supplied audio signals (acoustic signals), and emits sound toward the side wall 10a. It is arranged in the space S in the direction. The array speaker 20 is configured by arranging a plurality of speaker units 211, 212,..., 21n side by side in the horizontal direction, and the delay time of an acoustic signal supplied to each of the speaker units 211, 212,. By adjusting, the directivity of the sound emission in the horizontal direction is controlled. The space S is a space having side walls 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d. The side walls 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d are formed of members that reflect sound.
In the following description, for convenience of description, when it is not necessary to distinguish the side walls 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d, these will be referred to as “side walls 10”. When there is no need to distinguish the speaker units 211, 212,..., 21n, these will be referred to as “speaker units 21”. In this embodiment, the number of speaker units 21 included in the array speaker 20 is described as “n”.

  In the space S, there are a plurality of listeners 2A, 2B, 2C (hereinafter referred to as “listener 2”), and sound waves radiated from the array speaker 20 are reflected by the side walls 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d. It reaches listener 2. Although FIG. 1 shows three listeners 2A, 2B, and 2C, the number of listeners is not limited to three and may be more or less than this.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the sound generator 1. In FIG. 2, the same components as those shown in FIG. In the figure, an amplifier 30 is a driving means for driving the speaker unit 21. The input I / F 31 is a device that receives an acoustic signal from a connected external device or the like. The delay amount correction circuit 32 performs delay processing and gain adjustment processing on the acoustic signal supplied from the input I / F 31 based on the supplied parameter, and supplies the directivity control means to each of the n speaker units 21. It is. The amplifiers 331, 332,..., 33 n each amplify the acoustic signal output from the delay amount correction circuit 32 to an appropriate level and supply it to the n speaker units 21.

  The storage unit 40 is a storage unit such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and has a delay parameter storage area 41. In the delay parameter storage area 41, a plurality of delay parameters indicating the delay time for the acoustic signal supplied to the speaker unit 21 are stored. More specifically, these delay parameters are parameters indicating a delay time such that the sound waves emitted from each of the plurality of speaker units 21 have a phase relationship in which the amplitude is increased at a predetermined position on the side wall 10a. is there. In addition, the plurality of delay parameters have different corresponding predetermined positions.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the contents of the delay parameter. In the example shown in FIG. 3, when the direction of directivity of the array speaker 20 is moved from −45 degrees to +45 degrees, the delay parameters P1 to P1 indicating the delay times of the plurality of speaker units 211, 212,. P91 is stored in units of 1 degree.

  Here, the contents of the delay parameter stored in the delay parameter storage area 41 will be described below with reference to FIG. 4, the delay parameter P1 shown in FIG. 3 has almost no difference in the transmission characteristics of the path until the sound wave emitted from each of the speaker units 211, 212,... 21n reaches the position p1 on the side wall 10a. Such a delay time is shown. As shown in FIG. 4, the respective path lengths d1, d2,... Dn until the sound waves radiated from the speaker units 211, 212,. In the delay parameter P1, a value for delaying the acoustic signal supplied to the speaker units 211, 212,... 21n is set by a delay time corresponding to the path length difference between the path lengths d1, d2,. Thus, in this embodiment, the sound wave emitted from the speaker unit 21 is transmitted to the predetermined position on the side wall 10a by performing the delay process on each of the acoustic signals supplied to the plurality of speaker units 21. Thus, there is almost no difference in transfer characteristics, and the phases are almost the same.

Specifically, for example, when the delay parameter P1 is supplied to the delay amount correction circuit 32, the delay amount correction circuit 32 performs delay processing on the acoustic signal based on the delay parameter P1, It supplies to each of the speaker units 21. Each of the plurality of speaker units 21 outputs an acoustic signal subjected to delay processing. As a result, sound waves emitted from the array speaker 20 have substantially the same phase at the position p1 on the side wall 10a. Thus, the sound pressure is highest at the position p1 on the side wall 10a.
Similarly, when the delay parameter P2 is supplied to the delay amount correction circuit 32, the sound wave emitted from the array speaker 20 has the highest sound pressure at the position p2 on the side wall 10a. When the delay parameter P3 is supplied to the delay amount correction circuit 32, the sound wave emitted from the array speaker 20 has the highest sound pressure at the position p3 on the side wall 10a.
In the following explanation, for convenience of explanation, the position where the sound pressure is highest is called the “focal point” of the sound.

  Returning to the description of FIG. The parameter supply unit 50 is a parameter supply unit that reads any one of the plurality of parameters P1 to P91 stored in the delay parameter storage area 41 and supplies the read parameter to the delay amount correction circuit 32. The parameter supply unit 50 switches the parameter to be read from the delay parameter storage area 41 every time a predetermined unit time elapses, based on a signal from a timer (not shown) that measures time. In this embodiment, the parameter supply unit 50 reads out the delay parameters P1 to P91 shown in FIG. 3 one by one and supplies them to the delay amount correction circuit 32 every time a predetermined unit time elapses. . As described above, the delay parameters P1 to P91 are values that form a focal point on the side wall 10a with a directivity of an angle from −45 degrees to +45 degrees, and thus the parameters to be supplied for each unit time are switched. As a result, the position where the focal point is formed moves once per unit time on the side wall 10a. That is, in this embodiment, the focal point of the sound emitted from the array speaker 20 continuously moves linearly on the side wall 10a.

<Operation>
The operation of this embodiment having the above-described configuration is as follows. When the acoustic signal is input to the input I / F 31, the input I / F 31 outputs the input acoustic signal to the delay amount correction circuit 32. In addition, the parameter supply unit 50 switches and reads the delay parameter stored in the delay parameter storage area 41 for each predetermined unit time, and outputs it to the delay amount correction circuit 32. Specifically, the parameter supply unit 50 shifts the delay parameter supplied to the delay amount correction circuit 32 once per unit time.

  The delay amount correction circuit 32 performs delay processing on the acoustic signal supplied from the input I / F 31 based on the delay parameter supplied from the parameter supply unit 50, and supplies it to the n amplifiers 331, 332,. To do. The acoustic signals output from the delay amount correction circuit 32 are amplified to appropriate levels by n amplifiers 331, 332,... 33n, and radiated as sound waves from the n speaker units 211, 212,.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the sound emitted from the array speaker 20 is reflected by the side wall 10 a and reaches the listener 2 in the space S. At this time, as shown in the drawing, the focal point of the sound is formed on the side wall 10a, and the sound is reflected from the focal point, so that an effect equivalent to that of the sound source in the focal point is obtained in the space S. That is, a focal point of sound is formed on the side wall 10a and sound is reflected from the focal point, so that a pseudo sound source (hereinafter referred to as “pseudo sound source”) is formed at the focal point position on the side wall 10a. For the listener 2 in S, the sound can be heard as if there is a sound source at the focal position on the side wall 10a.

As described above, since the parameter supply unit 50 switches the parameter supplied to the delay amount correction circuit 32 every unit time, the focal point of the sound emitted from the array speaker 20 is the side wall 10 as time elapses. Move up. For the listener 2, the sound can be heard as if the sound source is at the focal position on the side wall 10 a, so that the listener 2 can move the focal point of the sound over the side wall 10 a as time passes. It feels as if the sound source is moving on the side wall 10a. Thus, according to this embodiment, the surround effect of changing the position of the sound image can be produced by changing the directivity of the sound from the array speaker 20.
Specifically, for example, when an acoustic signal representing the chirping of a small bird is supplied to the sound generation device 1, the focal point of the sound moves on the side wall 10a, so that the small bird moves on the side wall 10a. It is possible to let the listener 2 hear the singing of a bird as if it were.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the side wall 10 reflects the sound emitted from the array speaker 20 at the focal point, and further reflects the sound reflected at the focal point in multiple reflections such as secondary reflection and tertiary reflection. . That is, a part of the reflected sound is reflected on the other side wall 10, the reflected sound is also reflected on the other side wall 10, and the reflected sound is repeatedly reflected on the side wall 10. By these reflected sounds, a sound field including a plurality of reflected sounds propagating in different directions is formed in the space S, and the listener 2 in the space S can obtain a sensation as if wrapped in sound. . Further, since the pseudo sound source (focal point) moves, the propagation directions of the plurality of reflected sounds propagating in the different directions change from moment to moment, and further propagate in different directions. For this reason, the listener 2 in the space S can obtain a sensation of being more strongly wrapped in sound. Further, in this configuration, the array speaker 20 is arranged to face the reflecting surface, and the direct sound does not reach the listener 2, so that the sound image is not localized to the array speaker 20, and the sensation of being wrapped in the sound described above. Generation can be promoted.

  Thus, in this embodiment, a reflected sound with a clear sense of direction and localization is reproduced from the primary reflection surface (side wall 10a) on which the pseudo sound source is located, but the reflection surface after the secondary reflection (side wall 10b). , 10c, 10d), a reflected sound that wraps around the listener 2 with no sense of direction or orientation is reproduced.

<Effect of embodiment>
According to this embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) According to this embodiment, the delay time is continuously controlled and the focal point of the sound is continuously moved on the side wall 10, so that a plurality of speakers are not installed at a plurality of points. By using only the speaker device (array speaker 20), the listener 2 in the space S can feel the movement of the sound image. In addition, by generating a plurality of reflected sounds from different directions from the reflecting surface, it is possible to give a surround effect wrapped in the sound, and there is no need to install a plurality of speakers. Of course, there is no need to move the speaker body in order to move the sound image.

(2) In the conventional surround system such as 5.1ch, the surround effect is applied by the level balance of the speakers installed at a plurality of points, so the position where the effect can be obtained is limited. On the other hand, according to this embodiment, since the surround effect is performed by moving the focus of the sound, the area where the effect wrapped in the sound is obtained is not limited. Since the sound image by the reflected sound is equivalent to the case where the pseudo sound source is on the corresponding reflecting surface, the sound image can be felt in a wide range where the reflected sound from the pseudo sound source can reach. Thereby, a surround effect can be acquired in a wide area. Specifically, for example, in the example shown in FIG. 5, a surround effect is obtained at each position of the listeners 2A, 2B, and 2C in the space S.
In particular, since the sound image in the front direction can be created using the reflected sound of the side wall 10, the sound image when the conventional stereo effect is used is wider than that between the left and right speakers. The movement of the position of the sound image can be realized in the listening area.

(3) In the conventional surround system, it is necessary to use sound signals of a plurality of channels to be supplied to each of a plurality of speakers in order to produce a surround effect. On the other hand, in this embodiment, it is only necessary to control the position of the pseudo sound source formed on the side wall 10a, and the input signal may be one channel, and a multi-channel acoustic signal is used for a plurality of channels. There is no need to control the level balance.

(4) In the conventional surround system, although the movement of the sound image can be felt, the range in which the sound image can be moved is limited to a part of the area surrounded by a plurality of speakers. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the position of the focal point on the side wall 10 can be changed on the side wall 10 by setting the delay parameter variously. It is possible to move.

(5) Moreover, in this embodiment, the sound reflected by the side wall 10 is further reflected multiple times as secondary reflection and tertiary reflection. In this way, since the sound is reflected by the side wall 10 a plurality of times, the listener 2 in the space S can obtain a feeling as if surrounded by the sound.
In particular, in this embodiment, by performing continuous delay control, the omnidirectional sound field is further spread after the secondary reflection, and an impression wrapped in sound can be created.

(6) In this embodiment, the sound emitted from the speaker unit 21 does not directly reach the listener 2, but only the reflected sound reflected by the side wall 10 reaches the listener 2. Disappears. This makes it possible to produce a fantastic space surrounded by sound without making the listener 2 feel the presence of the speaker.

<Modification>
Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various other forms. An example is shown below.
(1) In the embodiment described above, a parameter indicating a delay time is used such that sound waves emitted from each of the plurality of speaker units 21 have the same phase at a predetermined position on the side wall 10a. The sound wave emitted from each of the plurality of speaker units 21 does not have to be exactly in phase at a predetermined position on the side wall 10a, and may be configured to perform a delay process so as to compensate for the amplitude of the sound wave. . In short, the delay parameter only needs to be a parameter indicating a delay time such that the sound waves emitted from each of the plurality of speaker units 21 have a positional relationship in which the amplitudes are mutually increased at predetermined positions on the side wall 10a.

  In the above-described embodiment, the “predetermined position on the side wall 10a” where the focal point is formed is a position where the acoustic effect is obtained such that the focal point is substantially on the side wall 10a when viewed acoustically. Good. That is, the focal point does not need to be accurately formed on the side wall 10a, and may be a position in the vicinity of the side wall 10a so as to produce an acoustic effect that is substantially in focus.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the delay parameter indicating the delay time is set such that the sound waves emitted from the array speaker 20 have a phase relationship in which the amplitudes of the sound waves are increased at predetermined positions on the side wall 10a. In addition to this, the storage unit 40 stores a gain parameter indicating a gain that compensates for a difference in attenuation of sound waves due to a difference in distance from each of the plurality of speaker units 21 to a predetermined position on the side wall 10a. It is good. In this case, the parameter supply unit 50 reads the delay parameter and the gain parameter stored in the storage unit 40 one by one and supplies the read delay parameter and the gain parameter to the delay amount correction circuit 32. The delay amount correction circuit 32 performs a delay process on the acoustic signal based on the supplied delay parameter, amplifies the acoustic signal with a gain corresponding to the supplied gain parameter, and supplies the acoustic signal to each of the plurality of speaker units 21. To do. Specifically, for example, the gain may be increased as the distance to a predetermined position on the side wall 10a increases. Thereby, the difference in attenuation of the sound wave emitted from each of the plurality of speaker units 21 can be compensated, and the sound pressure at the focal point can be increased more suitably.

(3) In the above-described embodiment, the focal point is moved on the side wall 10a. The reflecting surface that forms the focal point is not limited to one side wall, and the focal point may be formed on a plurality of reflecting surfaces. Moreover, it is not limited to one array speaker. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 7A, four array speakers 20, 20, 20, and 20 are arranged in a rectangular shape in the space S, and a plurality of side walls 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d are arranged. It is good also as a structure which forms a focus in at least any one of these. Alternatively, the four array speakers may individually share the side walls 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d, and form a focal point that moves across the plurality of side walls. Further, as shown in FIG. 7 (b), three array speakers 20, 20, 20 are arranged in the space S, and the focus is on at least one of the plurality of side walls 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d. It is good also as a structure to form.

(4) In the above-described embodiment, a single channel acoustic signal is used. However, the number of channels is not limited to one. For example, a surround playback acoustic signal composed of a plurality of channels of acoustic signals such as three channels is used. It may be used.

(5) In the above-described embodiment, the four side walls 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d are used as reflecting surfaces. However, the number of reflecting surfaces is not limited to four, and more or less than this. Good. The shape of the reflecting surface is not limited to a flat surface, and may be, for example, an arc shape or a circular shape. Further, the reflecting surface is not limited to the side wall, and for example, a ceiling or a floor surface may be used as a reflecting surface for reflecting sound.

  Further, the reflective surface may have a concavo-convex shape having diffusivity as shown in FIG. By changing the shape and material of the reflective surface, the reflection characteristics (direction and level) of the reflected sound are controlled, and the sense of direction of the surround effect and the sense of distance (the balance between the primary reflected sound and other reflected sounds, Etc.) can be controlled in more detail.

(6) The installation mode of the array speaker is not limited to that described in the above-described embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 9A, the array speaker 20B may be suspended from the ceiling. Further, as shown in FIG. 9B, the array speaker 20C may be installed at a position where it cannot be seen by the listener. In this case, since the listener 2 cannot visually observe the array speaker 20B, the listener 2 does not feel the presence of the speaker, and the movement of the sound image can be produced more effectively.
For example, as shown in FIG. 10, you may comprise the lighting fixture 3 and the array speaker 20D as integral. In this way, the array speaker is less noticeable.

(7) In the above-described embodiment, the sound focus is moved in the horizontal direction. Instead, a sound image may be moved in the vertical direction by using an array speaker in which a plurality of speakers are arranged in the vertical direction and continuously changing the direction of directivity in the vertical direction. In this case, the array speaker used in the above-described embodiment may be installed and used in the vertical direction. In short, an array speaker in which a plurality of speaker units are arranged in a line may be used.
Further, the arrangement mode of the speaker units is not limited to one row, and an array speaker configured by arranging a plurality of speaker units in a planar shape (curved surface, flat surface, etc.) may be used.

(8) In the above-described embodiment, the case where one sound generator is used has been described. Instead of this, a configuration may be adopted in which a plurality of the sound generators described in the above-described embodiments are used. For example, the sound generator described above is arranged in at least one of the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, and a sound signal supply unit that supplies different sound signals to each of the plurality of sound generators is provided. Thus, the reproduction directions of the plurality of sound generators may be set to different horizontal directions or vertical directions. As a specific example in this case, an example using three sound generators (hereinafter referred to as “sound generators 1E, 1F, 1G”) will be described below with reference to FIG. The sound generators 1E, 1F, and 1G have the same configuration as that of the sound generator 1 described in the above-described embodiment, and a description thereof is omitted here. FIG. 11 shows an elevation view of the room in which the acoustic devices 1E, 1F, and 1G are installed.
In FIG. 11, the array speakers 20E, 20F, and 20G of the sound generators 1E, 1F, and 1G are arranged side by side in the vertical direction toward the side wall 10. The acoustic signal supply unit 60 supplies different acoustic signals to the acoustic generators 1E, 1F, and 1G. The sound generators 1E, 1F, and 1G emit sound while moving the focal point of the sound on the side wall 10 in accordance with the supplied sound signal.
For example, the acoustic signal supply unit 60 supplies the acoustic generator 1E with an acoustic signal representing a bird's roar, the acoustic generator 1F with an acoustic signal representing the leaves of trees, and the acoustic generator 1F with an Ogawa. It is assumed that an acoustic signal representing the noise is supplied and supplied to devices having different heights depending on the type of the signal. At this time, the sound generator 1E moves the focal point of the sound on the side wall 10 in the horizontal direction, so that the listener can feel as if the small bird is moving in the horizontal direction. Further, for example, if the sound generator 1F always moves the focal point of the sound from the right side of the space S to the left side of the drawing, the listener 2 in the space S can The stream of Ogawa can be perceived from left to right.
Further, the sound emitted from each of the array speakers 20E, 20F, and 20G is reflected at the side wall 10 by second-order reflection and third-order reflection, so that the space in which each of the array speakers 20E, 20F, and 20G is arranged is disposed. Different sound fields are formed in S11, S12, and S13. That is, the space can be divided into a plurality of layers, and the sound can be divided for each layer. Specifically, for example, in the space S11, a sound field of a bird's cry is formed, in the space S12 a sound of leaves of trees can be heard, and in the space S13, a sound field of a stream of a stream is formed. In this way, the sound field layers can be formed at different heights, and the listener can be given the impression of being surrounded by sound.

(9) Further, as shown in FIG. 12, two array speakers 20H and 20I may be used to cross two acoustic beams in different moving directions and move the focal point in the opposite direction. . According to this configuration, it is possible to generate a feeling wrapped in left and right sounds without the side wall 10c.

(10) In the above-described embodiment, the parameter supply unit 50 switches the delay parameter so as to shift the directivity angle by 1 degree in the range of −45 degrees to +45 degrees. The range of the directivity angle is not limited to this, and may be wider or narrower.
In the above-described embodiment, the parameter supply unit 50 linearly moves the focal point on the side wall 10a by switching the delay parameter so that the delay parameter supplied to the delay amount correction circuit 32 is shifted by 1 degree. However, the locus on which the focal point moves on the side wall 10a is not limited to a straight line. For example, it is good also as a structure which moves a focus so that a locus | trajectory of shapes, such as an ellipse, circle | round | yen, and a waveform, may draw a focus on the side wall 10a. In this case, directivity control in the vertical direction can be performed by using an array speaker in which speaker units are also arranged in the vertical direction.
Further, it is not necessary to move the focal point continuously on the side wall 10a, and the focal point may be moved discretely. In addition, for example, the focal point may be moved continuously or discretely depending on the time zone.
Note that how the focus is moved depends on the order in which the parameters to be supplied to the delay amount correction circuit 32 are supplied. It can be changed according to

  In the above-described embodiment, the parameter supply unit 50 switches the delay parameter supplied to the delay amount correction circuit 32 every time a predetermined unit time elapses. The mode of switching the delay parameter is not limited to this. For example, the time information indicating the time and the delay parameter may be stored in association with each other, and the parameter supply unit 50 may read the delay parameter corresponding to the time. Further, for example, an operation unit that outputs a signal according to the operation content of the operator is provided, and the delay parameter that the parameter supply unit 50 supplies to the delay amount correction circuit 32 according to the signal output from the operation unit is provided. It may be switched. In short, the parameter supply unit may switch the parameters read from the delay parameter storage area 41 based on a predetermined algorithm.

(11) In the embodiment described above, the parameter supply unit 50 moves the focal point of the sound by changing the delay parameter supplied to the delay amount correction circuit 32 in time series. The configuration for moving the focal point is not limited to this. For example, information indicating the position, size, and shape of the reflecting surface is stored in advance in the storage unit without being configured to store the delay parameter in advance, and is supplied to each speaker based on the stored information. A circuit for calculating the delay time of the acoustic signal to be performed may be provided.
In addition, for example, a position information storage unit that stores reflection surface information indicating the size and shape of the reflection surface and position information indicating the relative positional relationship between the array speaker and the reflection surface in space is provided, and the stored reflection surface A calculation unit that calculates a delay parameter to be supplied to the delay amount correction path based on the information and the position information may be provided.

(12) In the embodiment described above, the array speaker 20 and the amplifier 30 are used as the directivity-controllable speaker and directivity control means, but the directivity-controllable speaker and directivity control means are not limited thereto. For example, a plurality of speaker units are arranged in a concave shape so that a focal point is formed and sound is emitted, or, for example, a concave-shaped reflector having a focal point (for example, a parabolic curved surface, a spherical surface, etc.) It is possible to form a focal point at a predetermined position on the reflection surface (side wall 10a and the like) by means such as arranging a speaker toward the sound source and emitting sound. Further, the focal point can be moved on the reflection surface by rotating and moving the speaker unit or the speaker having the reflection surface by a moving means such as a motor. In this case, the parameter for increasing the directivity for increasing the amplitude includes control information for rotating and moving the movable means to a predetermined position.

It is a figure which shows an example of the installation aspect of a sound generator. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the electrical constitution of a sound generator. It is a figure which shows an example of the content of a delay parameter. It is a figure for demonstrating the content of a delay parameter. It is a figure for demonstrating reflection of the sound discharge | released from an array speaker. It is a figure for demonstrating a mode that the sound discharge | released from an array speaker carries out secondary reflection. It is a figure which shows an example of the installation mode of an array speaker. It is a figure which shows an example of the shape of a reflective surface. It is a figure which shows an example of the installation mode of an array speaker. It is a figure which shows an example of the installation mode of an array speaker. It is an elevation view which shows an example of the installation mode of an array speaker. It is a figure which shows an example of the installation mode of an array speaker.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Sound generator, 2, 2A, 2B, 2C ... Listener 3 ... Lighting equipment 10 ... Side wall 20 ... Array speaker 21, 21, 211, 212, ..., 21n ... Speaker unit, 30 ... Amplifier, 31 ... Input I / F, 32 ... delay amount correction circuit, 33, 331, 332, ..., 33n ... amplifier, 40 ... storage section, 41 ... delay parameter storage area, 50 ... parameter supply section, 60 ... acoustic signal supply section, 331 , 332,... 33n, amplifiers, P1, P2,..., P91, delay parameters, S, S11, S12, S13, space.

Claims (11)

Installed in a space composed of a plurality of reflection surfaces that form a plurality of propagation paths to the listener, and emits sound waves according to the supplied acoustic signals toward at least one of the plurality of reflection surfaces A directivity-controllable speaker,
Directivity control means for controlling the directivity of the speaker;
Parameter storage for storing a plurality of parameters for directivity in which sound waves emitted from the speakers increase in amplitude at a predetermined position on the at least one reflecting surface, each corresponding to a different predetermined position Means,
A parameter supply unit that reads out one of the plurality of parameters stored in the parameter storage unit based on a predetermined algorithm and supplies the parameter to the directivity control unit. . Installed in a space composed of a plurality of reflecting surfaces that form a plurality of propagation paths to the listener, and emits sound waves according to the supplied acoustic signals toward at least one of the plurality of reflecting surfaces A directivity-controllable speaker having a plurality of speaker units that
Directivity control means for supplying an acoustic signal subjected to delay processing based on the supplied parameters to each of the plurality of speaker units;
A parameter indicating a delay time at which a sound wave emitted from each of the plurality of speaker units has a phase relationship in which the amplitudes of the plurality of speaker units are increased at a predetermined position on the at least one reflecting surface; Parameter storage means for storing a plurality of parameters having different positions,
A parameter supply unit that reads out one of the plurality of parameters stored in the parameter storage unit based on a predetermined algorithm and supplies the parameter to the directivity control unit. .   The sound generator according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of speaker units are arranged in a line.   The sound generator according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of speaker units are arranged in a planar shape. The acoustic generator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the predetermined algorithm is an algorithm that switches a parameter to be read from the storage unit every time a predetermined unit time elapses. The parameter is a parameter indicating a delay time and a gain such that sound waves emitted from each of the plurality of speaker units have a phase relationship in which amplitudes are increased at predetermined positions on the reflection surface,
The directivity control means performs delay processing on the acoustic signal based on the supplied parameter, amplifies the acoustic signal with a gain according to the supplied parameter, and supplies the amplified acoustic signal to each of the plurality of speaker units. The sound generator according to any one of claims 2 to 4. The sound generator according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A sound generation system comprising: the reflection surface. The sound generation system according to claim 7, wherein the reflection surface includes a reflection surface that reflects the sound wave reflected at the predetermined position toward the listener. Position information storage means for storing reflection surface information indicating the size and shape of the reflection surface and position information indicating a relative positional relationship between the speaker and the reflection surface in the space;
7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: parameter calculation means for calculating the plurality of parameters based on reflection surface information and position information stored in the position information storage means. Sound generator. The sound generator according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the sound generators are disposed in at least one of the horizontal direction and the vertical direction;
An acoustic signal supply unit that supplies different acoustic signals to each of the plurality of acoustic generators. The sound generation system according to claim 10, comprising the reflective surface.

Images