JP2010136029A - Device and method of assigning area of responsibility to sound emission device, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively use a plurality of sound emission devices when providing acoustic services through the devices. <P>SOLUTION: In an acoustic space, arrangement positions of a plurality of sound emission devices and their target areas are configured, and the sound emission devices are grouped so as to be the same group with devices that are nearly arranged. Then, the target area is divided in the longitudinal direction, and sub-areas that are to be allocated to each group are generated. In this processing, the sub-area of a group to which more sound emission devices belong has a larger area. The sub-area of a group to which only one sound emission device belongs is assigned to the sound emission device as an area of responsibility. On the other hand, for the sub-area of a group to which a plurality of sound emission devices belong, the sub-area is divided in the widthwise direction of the target area, and each of them is assigned to the sound emission device that belongs to the group as an area of responsibility. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technology for supporting sound emission from a sound emitting device (hereinafter referred to as provision of an acoustic service) toward a target arrival area (hereinafter referred to as a target area) of a sound partitioned in an acoustic space.

As a sound emitting device suitable for providing such an acoustic service, a speaker array can be cited. This is because the loudspeaker array can control the sound emission direction and spread (hereinafter referred to as directivity control). For example, in the speaker array disclosed in Patent Document 1, a delay time difference between audio signals applied to each of a plurality of speaker units (that is, a time difference from when the speaker array receives an audio signal until the audio signal is applied to each speaker unit) ) Is appropriately adjusted to realize directivity control.
JP 2006-211230 A

By the way, a wide acoustic space such as a concert hall has a wide target area, and a single sound emitting device can provide a uniform acoustic service to the entire target area (that is, substantially the same in any location of the target area). It is difficult to listen to the sound pressure. Therefore, in such a case, a plurality of sound emitting devices are arranged in the acoustic space, and each area obtained by dividing the target area is set as a responsible area of each sound emitting device, and is uniform for each responsible area. It is conceivable to perform directivity control of each sound emitting device so that a sound service is provided. Thus, when providing a sound service over the entire target area using a plurality of sound emitting devices, a responsible area is assigned to each sound emitting device so that the plurality of sound emitting devices can be used without waste. Although it is desirable to assign, a technique that enables such a thing has not been proposed.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its purpose is to uniformly use a plurality of sound emitting devices without waste when providing a sound service using the plurality of sound emitting devices. It is to be able to provide acoustic services.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides an arrangement position in a sound space of a plurality of sound emitting devices each having one or a plurality of speakers, and a target arrival of sound radiated from each of the plurality of sound emitting devices. A rectangular target area that is a region, a setting unit that sets a group, a grouping unit that groups the plurality of sound emitting devices, and one direction of sides intersecting the target area as a first coordinate axis direction Means for dividing the target area into the first coordinate axis direction with the other direction as the second coordinate axis direction, and generating a rectangular subarea to be assigned to each of the groups obtained by the grouping means; An area dividing unit that divides the target area so that a sub-area assigned to a group to which many sound emitting devices belong has a larger area. For a subarea corresponding to a group to which only one sound emitting device belongs, the subarea is assigned to the sound emitting device as a responsible area that is a target arrival area of the emitted sound, while a plurality of sound emitting devices belong The sub-area corresponding to the group has an area allocating unit that divides the sub-area in the second axial direction and assigns each of the sub-areas to the sound emitting devices belonging to the group as the assigned area. There is provided a device for allocating a responsible area to a sound emitting device, a method having the process executed by each means as a constituent step, and a program for causing a computer device to function as each means.

  Here, various embodiments of grouping sound emitting devices are conceivable. For example, a mode of performing grouping according to the user's instruction content is conceivable, for example, sound emitting devices designated by a user (acoustic engineer or the like) of the device according to the present invention are grouped together. Moreover, the aspect which divides into a group except the thing which cannot radiate | emit sound toward a target area among several sound emission apparatuses is also considered. A sound emitting device that cannot emit sound toward a target area no matter how directivity control is performed will not contribute to the provision of acoustic services toward that target area. This is because the sound device should not belong to any group. Furthermore, each of the plurality of sound emitting devices is automatically grouped by those having the first coordinate axis component close to the arrangement position, and the first coordinate axis component of the arrangement position of the sound emitting devices belonging to each group is small. You may make it make the said division | segmentation means perform the process which allocates the said subarea in order.

  In a more preferable aspect, in any of the first case where one direction of the intersecting sides in the target area is the first coordinate axis direction and the second case where the other direction is the first coordinate axis direction. A means for determining whether or not the assigned area is preferably allocated, the distance between each sound emitting device and the point representing the assigned area in each of the first and second cases, or each sound emitting device Information indicating the determination result by determining that the smaller one of the maximum value of the steering angle or the maximum value of the directivity angle when emitting sound toward the assigned area It has the determination means to output, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. In general, since an allocation method with a small index is preferable, according to such an aspect, it is possible to allocate the assigned area of each sound emitting device in a more preferable aspect. For example, when the target area is rectangular, a mode in which the assigned area is assigned to each sound emitting device with the longitudinal direction as the first coordinate axis direction and the sound emitting device with the short direction as the first coordinate axis is assigned to each sound emitting device. Of the modes for assigning the assigned areas, the assigned areas for the sound emitting devices can be assigned in a more preferable manner.

  In another preferred aspect, the grouping means of the assigned area allocation device groups sound emitting devices in which the difference of the first coordinate axis components at the respective arrangement positions exceeds a predetermined threshold value into separate groups. , Means for determining which threshold value is preferable for grouping while changing the threshold value, and a variation in the distance between each sound emitting device and a point representing its assigned area, or from each sound emitting device Information indicating the determination result by determining at least one of the maximum value of the steering angle or the maximum value of the directivity angle as the index when emitting sound toward the assigned area, and determining that the smaller the index is, the better the grouping is It is characterized by having the determination means which outputs. Also according to such an aspect, it becomes possible to allocate the assigned area of each sound emitting device in a more preferable aspect.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
(A: Configuration)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a service area allocation apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the assigned area allocation device 10 divides a rectangular target area TA (rectangular in FIG. 2) defined in an acoustic space such as a concert hall, and outputs a sound emitting device 20-k ( The assigned area (that is, the target arrival area of the radiated sound of the sound emitting device 20-k) is assigned to each of k = 1 to 4). Each of the sound emitting devices 20-k shown in FIG. 2 is a so-called delay array type speaker array (see the above-mentioned Patent Document 1), and is adjusted by adjusting a delay time difference of a delayed audio signal applied to each of a plurality of speaker units. The directivity can be controlled. In the present embodiment, the case where the sound emitting device 20-k is a delay array type speaker array will be described. However, other types of speaker arrays such as a FIR (Finite impulse response) filter method may be used. This is because directivity can be controlled even with other types of speaker arrays.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the assigned area allocation device 10 includes a control unit 110, a display unit 120, an operation unit 130, a storage unit 140, and a bus 150 that mediates data exchange between these components. . The control unit 110 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 110 plays the role of the control center of the assigned area assignment device 10 by executing the control program stored in the storage unit 140. Details of the processing executed by the control unit 110 in accordance with this control program will be made clear later.

  The display unit 120 is, for example, a liquid crystal display and its drive circuit. Under the control of the control unit 110, the display unit 120 displays an image of a user interface screen that prompts the use of the assigned area assignment device 10 and an image showing an example of assigned assigned area. As an example of this user interface screen, information indicating the arrangement position of each sound emitting device 20-k in the acoustic space (for example, each sound emitting device in the three-dimensional coordinate space assumed in the acoustic space as shown in FIG. 2) A screen for allowing the user to input information defining the 20-k arrangement position) and information defining the rectangular target area TA (for example, the coordinate values of the four vertices of the rectangular target area TA) is considered. It is done.

  The operation unit 130 is, for example, a pointing device such as a mouse or a keyboard. The operation unit 130 detects a user operation (for example, drag-and-drop with a mouse or pressing a key), and delivers data corresponding to the detected content to the control unit 110. As a result, the content of the user operation performed on the operation unit 130 is transmitted to the control unit 110. The operation unit 130 is used when inputting an instruction to execute the control program and information defining the arrangement position of the sound emitting device 20-k and the target area TA.

  The storage unit 140 includes a volatile storage unit 141 and a nonvolatile storage unit 142 as shown in FIG. The volatile storage unit 141 is, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory). The volatile storage unit 141 is used by the control unit 110 as a work area when the control program is executed. The nonvolatile storage unit 142 is, for example, a hard disk. The nonvolatile storage unit 142 stores the control program. By executing this control program, the control unit 110 shows six processes of a setting process 142a, a coordinate conversion process 142b, a grouping process 142c, an area dividing process 142d, an area allocation process 142e, and a determination process 142f as shown in FIG. Execute according to the flowchart. The details of these six processes will be clarified later, but the outline is as follows.

  The setting process 142a is a process for causing the user to set information that defines the arrangement position of each sound emitting device 20-k and the target area TA. The present embodiment is characterized in that a suitable method for assigning the assigned area is calculated based on these information, and the calculation result is presented to the user. The coordinate conversion process 142b is a process for re-taking the coordinate system in order to simplify the calculation for assigning the assigned area. The grouping process 142c is a process of grouping the sound emitting devices 20-k according to a predetermined standard, and the area dividing process 142d is a process of dividing the target area TA into subareas corresponding to each group. . In the area allocation processing 142e, for each of the subareas allocated to each group in the area division processing 142d, if only one sound emitting device 20-k is included in the group, the subarea of the group is selected. When the sound emitting device 20-k is assigned to the area, and the group includes a plurality of sound emitting devices 20-k, the subarea is further divided and each of them is assigned to the sound emitting device. This is a process of assigning as an area. Then, the determination process 142f performs the grouping process 142c, the area division process 142d, and the area allocation process 142e with different grouping modes for the sound emitting device 20-k. This is a process for determining whether division is preferable. The control unit 110 outputs information indicating the allocation mode of the assigned area determined to be preferable by the determination process 142f. Here, the information indicating the allocation mode is, for example, information indicating the sound emitting device 20-k (information indicating the arrangement position of the sound emitting device 20-k, or an identifier for uniquely identifying the sound emitting device 20-k) ) And information (for example, coordinates of each vertex of the assigned area) indicating the assigned area assigned to the sound emitting device 20-k may be used.

  As described above, the configuration of the assigned area allocation device 10 according to the present embodiment is the same as the configuration of a general computer device such as a personal computer, and the features of the assigned area allocation device 10 according to the present embodiment are notable. The function shown is implemented in software. However, the setting means for executing the setting process 142a, the coordinate conversion means for executing the coordinate conversion process 142b, the grouping means for executing the grouping process 142c, the area dividing means for executing the area division process 142d, and the area allocation process 142e are executed. Of course, each of the area allocation means and the determination means for executing the determination process 142f may be configured by an electronic circuit, and the assigned area allocation device 10 may be configured by combining these means.

(B: Processing executed by the assigned area allocation device 10)
Next, details of the above six processes will be described in accordance with the operation of the assigned area allocation device 10.
When the control unit 110 is instructed to execute the control program by operating the operation unit 130, the control unit 110 reads the control program from the nonvolatile storage unit 142 to the volatile storage unit 141, and starts executing the control program. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of assigned area allocation support processing executed by the control unit 110 according to the control program. As shown in FIG. 4, in the assigned area allocation support process, first, a setting process 142a is executed (step SA100).

  In the setting process 142a, the control unit 110 causes the user of the assigned area assignment device 10 to set the arrangement position of each sound emitting device 20-k in the acoustic space, the orientation of the array surface, and the rectangular target area TA. Here, various modes are conceivable as specific modes of setting the position of each sound emitting device 20-k, the orientation of the array surface, and the target area TA. First, as shown in FIG. 2, the coordinate values indicating the arrangement positions of the sound emitting devices 20-k and the information indicating the orientation of the array surface when the three-dimensional coordinates are assumed in the acoustic space (the normal of the array surface) Each component of the vector) and the coordinate values of the four vertices of the target area TA are input with the keyboard. Second, an image corresponding to the three-dimensional coordinates is displayed on the display unit 120, and the respective placement positions and the positions of the four vertices of the target area TA are input by mouse clicks. In this mode, the direction of the array surface of the sound emitting device 20-k is input. When the data indicating the respective arrangement positions and the like are input in this way, the control unit 110 writes these data in the volatile storage unit 141.

  Next, the control unit 110 executes a coordinate conversion process 142b (step SA110). In the coordinate transformation process 142b, one direction of the intersecting sides in the target area is set as a first coordinate axis direction (in this embodiment, a new X-axis direction), and the other direction is set as a second coordinate axis direction (in this embodiment). Then, a process of performing coordinate transformation (for example, rotation around the vertex A of the target area TA in the example shown in FIG. 3) on the various data input in step SA100. is there. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the longitudinal direction (side AB direction) of the target area TA is the X-axis direction, and the short direction (side AD direction) is the new Y-axis direction. As described above, the coordinate transformation process 142b is for simplifying the calculations in the subsequent processes. Therefore, when the longitudinal direction of the target area TA is set parallel to the x axis, it is not necessary to perform this coordinate conversion processing 142b.

  In step SA120 following step SA110, no matter how the directivity control is performed among the sound emitting devices 20-k (k = 1 to 4) arranged in the acoustic space, the sound is directed toward the target area TA. Is specified from the arrangement position of the sound emitting device 20-k, the orientation of the array surface of the sound emitting device 20-k, and the arrangement position of the target area TA. Here, no matter how the directivity control is performed, the sound that cannot be emitted to the target area TA is, for example, the array surface facing the direction opposite to the target area TA (that is, the target area TA Can be considered). The processing of step SA120 is performed by the sound emitting device 20-k that cannot emit sound toward the target area TA regardless of how the directivity control is performed. It is necessary to exclude from the allocation of the assigned area. Therefore, sufficient consideration is given to the arrangement positions of the sound emitting devices 20-k and the orientation of the array surface so that all the sound emitting devices 20-k can emit sound toward the target area TA. In this case, it is not necessary to execute the process of step SA120.

  Next, the control unit 110 specifies the number of sound emitting devices 20-k that can provide acoustic services to the target area TA (that is, the total number of sound emitting devices 20-k arranged in the acoustic space in Step SA120). It is determined whether the value obtained by subtracting the number of sound emitting devices 20-k) is 0, 1 or 2 or more (step SA130). When the number of sound emitting devices 20-k that can provide the acoustic service is 0, the control unit 110 outputs an error message to the display unit 120 (step SA140), thereby each sound emitting device 20-k. The user is prompted to change the arrangement position or the orientation of the array surface, and the assigned area allocation support process is terminated. This is because the assigned area cannot be assigned if there is no sound emitting device 20-k that can emit sound toward the target area TA. When the number of sound emitting devices 20-k that can provide the sound service is 1, the control unit 110 assigns the entire target area TA as an area in charge of the sound emitting device 20-k (step SA150). Information indicating this is output (specifically, the information is displayed on the display unit 120) (step SA200), and the assigned area allocation support process is terminated.

  On the other hand, when the number of sound emitting devices 20-k that can provide the acoustic service is 2 or more, the control unit 110 executes the grouping process 142c (step SA160). As described above, when sufficient consideration is given to the arrangement position of the sound emitting device 20-k and the orientation of the array surface, it is not necessary to execute the process of step SA120. In this case, step SA130 is performed. It is not necessary to perform this determination, and the process of step SA160 may be executed subsequent to step SA110 (after the process of SA110 is executed, as described above, after SA100).

  In the grouping process of step 160, the control unit 110 groups the sound emitting devices 20-k so that those close to the arrangement position belong to the same group. More specifically, the control unit 110 assumes that the X-axis components at the arrangement positions of the sound emitting devices 20-k and 20-j (k ≠ j) are xk and xj (where xj> xk). ), If the difference Δxjk = xj−xk between the two is smaller than the predetermined threshold value Δxlim, the sound emitting device 20-j and the sound emitting device 20-k are in the same group. For example, when the grouping according to this aspect is applied to five sound emitting devices 20-k (k = 1 to 5) arranged as shown in FIG. 5, as shown in FIG. 5, Δx41 ≧ Δxlim, Δx24 ≧ Since it is Δxlim, the sound emitting device 20-1, the sound emitting device 20-4, and the sound emitting device 20-2 are each in different groups. Hereinafter, the group to which the sound emitting device 20-1 belongs is referred to as group 1, the group to which the sound emitting device 20-4 belongs is referred to as group 2, and the group to which the sound emitting device 20-2 belongs is referred to as group 3. As shown in FIG. 5, since Δx32 <Δxlim and Δx53 <Δxlim, the sound emitting device 20-5 is classified into the same group (that is, group 3) as the sound emitting device 20-2, and the sound emitting device. 20-3 is classified into the same group as the sound emitting device 20-5 (that is, group 3). As a result, the five sound emitting devices are grouped into three groups from group 1 to group 3.

  As described above, in step SA160, grouping is performed based on whether or not the difference Δxjk = xj−xk between the X-axis components of the arrangement positions of the sound emitting devices 20-j and 20-k is smaller than the predetermined threshold value Δxlim. However, various modes can be considered for determining the threshold value Δxlim. First, the user sets the value of Δxlim with reference to the arrangement of the sound emitting devices 20-j in the acoustic space. According to this aspect, it is possible to find an optimal grouping while appropriately adjusting Δxlim. Second, Δxlim is set according to the maximum value of Δxjk calculated from the arrangement position of each sound emitting device 20-k. For example, when the maximum value is Δxmax, it can be considered that Δxlim = Δxmax / 2 is set. According to this aspect, it is possible to group the sound emitting devices 20-k arranged in the acoustic space by relatively close ones. And a 3rd aspect is an aspect which sets (DELTA) xlim according to the average value (arithmetic mean or geometric mean) of (DELTA) xjk calculated from the arrangement position of each sound emission apparatus 20-k. For example, when the average value is Δxmea, it can be considered that Δxlim = 0.9 × Δxmea is set.

Next, the control unit 110 executes area division processing 142d (step SA170).
In the area division processing 142d, the control unit 110 first sets the target area TA to GN pieces in the first axial direction (X-axis direction) when the number of groups generated in the grouping processing 142c is GN. The sub-areas are divided into rectangular shapes, and each of these sub-areas is associated with each of the groups on a one-to-one basis. More specifically, the control unit 110 moves the target area TA along the X axis (that is, from the younger X-axis component), and the greater the number of sound emitting devices that belong to the group assigned to the sub area, the more Parallel to the Y axis so that the area of the area is wide (for example, the area ratio of each sub-area is the ratio of the number of sound emitting devices 20-k belonging to each group assigned to each sub-area). The target area TA is partitioned by line segments, and subareas such as subarea 1 corresponding to each group 1, subarea 2 corresponding to group 2, and so on are generated. For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, when four sound emitting devices 20-k (k = 1 to 4) arranged in an acoustic space are divided into three groups (group 1 and group 2). 1 includes one sound emitting device each, and group 3 includes two sound emitting devices), the target area TA is determined as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the area ratio is divided into sub-area 1, sub-area 2, and sub-area 3 having a 1: 1: 2 ratio along the X-axis.

  Next, the control unit 110 executes area allocation processing 142e (step SA180). In the area allocation processing 142e, the control unit 110 allocates the sub area corresponding to the group to which only one sound emitting device 20-k belongs to the sound emitting device 20-k as a responsible area, For subareas corresponding to a group to which a plurality of sound emitting devices 20-k belong, the subarea is divided in the Y-axis direction, and each of the subareas is assigned as a responsible area to the sound emitting devices 20-k belonging to the group. The case where a plurality of sound emitting devices 20-k belong to the group corresponding to the sub area will be described in further detail. The control unit 110 defines the sub area of the sound emitting device 20-k by a line segment parallel to the X axis. The plurality of sound emitting devices 20-j are divided into several equal parts, and each of the rectangular regions obtained by the division is arranged in ascending order of the Y-axis component of the coordinates of the point representing the region (for example, the center of gravity). Of these, the assigned area is unassigned and assigned as the assigned area to the one with the smallest Y-axis component at the arrangement position.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 6B, when the target area TA is divided into three subareas, each of the group 1 and the group 2 allocated to each of the subarea 1 and the subarea 2 includes a sound emitting device. Are included one by one, the control unit 110 assigns subarea 1 to the sound emitting device 20-1 belonging to group 1 as its assigned area (FIG. 6C: assigned area 1), and subarea 2 Are assigned to the sound emitting devices 20-4 belonging to group 2 as their assigned areas (FIG. 6C: assigned area 4). In contrast, for group 3 to which subarea 3 in FIG. 6B is assigned, control unit 110 bisects subarea 3 in the Y-axis direction as shown in FIG. Each of them is assigned to the sound emitting device 20-2 and the sound emitting device 3.

  Then, the control unit 110 writes the information indicating each of the sound emitting devices 20-k and the information indicating the assigned area assigned to the sound emitting device 20-k in association with each other and writes them in the volatile storage unit 141.

  By the processing from step SA160 to step SA180 described above, the sound emission devices 20-k are grouped and divided into areas with the longitudinal direction of the target area TA as the X axis (hereinafter referred to as the first case). The area in charge of the sound device 20-k is determined. Next, the control unit 110 executes the processing from step SA160 to step SA180 with the short direction of the target area TA as the X-axis. In this case (hereinafter, the second case), the assigned area allocation method and the first In this case, a determination process 142f for determining which method of allocation of the assigned area is preferable is executed (step SA190), the process of step SA200 described above is executed, and the assigned area allocation support process is terminated.

  More specifically, in this determination processing 142f, for each of the first case and the second case described above, the variation in the distance between each sound emitting device 20-k and the point representing the assigned area (the distances). The ratio of the longest to the shortest, or the standard deviation of the distance), the largest steering angle when sound is emitted from each sound emitting device toward its area, or the direction angle One of the largest ones is used as an index, and the smaller one is determined to be more preferable, and information indicating how to assign the one determined to be preferable is displayed on the display unit 120 (step SA200). Here, it is more preferable that the index is small, in general, the larger the variation in the distance between each sound emitting device 20-k and the point representing its assigned area, the greater the steering angle, and the pointing angle. This is because it is difficult to provide a uniform acoustic service to the area in charge. Note that it may be determined in advance which of the variations regarding the distance is used as the index. Further, in the present embodiment, the maximum value of the steering angle or the maximum value of the directivity angle is used as the index. However, the steering angle variation (the steering angle when the sound is emitted from each sound emitting device toward the assigned area) The ratio between the maximum value and the minimum value, or its standard deviation) may be used as an index, and of course, the variation in directivity angle may be used as an index.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the variation in distance between each sound emitting device 20-k and the point representing the area in charge, the steering angle, or the directivity angle is used as the index. Of course, two or all of the above may be used as the index. For example, when there is no difference greater than a predetermined threshold in the variation in distance, the steering angle is compared, and the maximum value of the steering angle is also not greater than a predetermined threshold (for example, 30 degrees). Compare the maximum values of the directivity angles. Then, if superiority or inferiority cannot be given using any of the variation in distance, steering angle, and directivity angle as an index, it may be determined that the first case (or the second case) is selected. In this embodiment, the assigned area is assigned in the first case and the second case, and it is determined which is preferable. However, only in the first case (or the second case). Of course, the assigned area may be allocated and information indicating the allocation result may be output.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, each sound emitting device 20-k is controlled by directivity control of each sound emitting device 20-k with reference to the information output in step SA200. It is possible to contribute evenly to the provision of acoustic services to the target area TA. In the present embodiment, since the sound emitting device 20-k is a so-called delay array type speaker array, each of the plurality of speaker units included in the sound emitting device 20-k corresponds to the sound emitting device 20-k. Adjust the delay amount of the delayed audio signal given to each speaker unit so as to contribute evenly to the emission of sound waves toward the area in charge (for example, the target arrival area of the sound radiated from each speaker unit is made uniform) The delay amount may be adjusted).

(C: deformation)
Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the following modifications may be added to the embodiment.
(1) In the above-described embodiment, the case where the sound emitting device 20-k is a speaker array has been described, but a single speaker may of course be used. Further, when the sound emitting device 20-k is a speaker array as in the above-described embodiment, the steering angle and the directivity angle at the time of radiating sound toward the assigned area, or the delay obtained from these steering angles, etc. Information indicating the traveling direction and spread of the sound radiated from the sound emitting device 20-k, such as a time difference, is calculated from the information indicating the above-described assignment mode, and is given to each sound emitting device 20-k to perform directivity control. You may make the control part 110 perform a process.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the grouping is performed based on one coordinate component of the arrangement position of the sound emitting device 20-k, but this grouping is performed by the user (for example, a plurality of sound emitting devices Of course, the user may designate the group to which the sound emitting device belongs to each of them). In the above-described embodiment, the case has been described in which the target rear TA is divided and assigned to each of the plurality of sound emitting devices 20-k. However, the entire target area for each of the plurality of sound emitting devices 20-k is described. As the area in charge thereof, the evaluation using the distance, directivity angle, and steering angle between each sound emitting device 20-k and the point representing the area in charge as an index (that is, for each sound emitting device 20-k, When sound waves are radiated to the entire target area TA, an operation mode for performing an evaluation on whether there is an excessively large distance, directivity angle, or steering angle may be provided.

  When sound waves are radiated toward the entire target area TA, those whose distance, directional angle, and steering angle are too large compared to other sound emitting devices 20-k are emitted toward the target area TA. Although it is not impossible to do this, it is not preferred. On the other hand, even with such a sound emitting device 20-k, there is a case where no inconvenience (such as each of the above indices becomes too large) may occur when a part of the target area TA is used as the responsible area. . Therefore, by providing an operation mode for performing the evaluation as described above, it is possible to identify a sound wave that is not necessarily suitable, although it is not impossible to radiate a sound wave toward the target area TA. When it becomes possible to identify an object that is not necessarily suitable for emitting a sound wave toward the target area TA, for example, it is possible to exclude such a sound emitting device 20-k and There are various ways of assigning assigned areas, such as assigning assigned areas and assigning assigned areas including such sound emitting devices 20-k, and determining which case is preferable. It becomes possible to increase.

(3) In the above-described embodiment, the target area TA is divided so that the areas of the assigned areas of the plurality of sound emitting devices 20-k are equal. However, a weighting factor is determined in advance for each of the plurality of sound emitting devices 20-k, and the weight ratio of the sounding device 20-k to which the area ratios of two different responsible areas are assigned to these areas is determined. The target area TA may be divided so as to have a ratio. According to such an aspect, the division of the target area TA is performed in each case where the combination of the weighting factors assigned to each sound emitting device 20-k is changed, and the division aspect of the better condition (for example, in the target area TA) It is possible to find a division mode in which the variation in the sound pressure distribution at the smallest is the smallest.

(4) In the above-described embodiment, grouping is performed by comparing the difference Δxjk between the X-axis components of the arrangement positions of the sound emitting devices 20-k and 20-j and the predetermined threshold value Δxlim. When determining whether or not a sound emitting device belongs to a group, the first sound emitting device 20-k of the group (in this embodiment, the X component of the arrangement position of the sound emitting devices belonging to the group is If the difference between the X component of the arrangement position of the smallest) and the X component of the arrangement position of the sound emitting device 20-j to be determined is smaller than the threshold value, it is determined that it belongs to the group, and it is equal to or greater than the threshold value. For example, it may be determined that it does not belong to the group.

  For example, when the grouping according to this aspect is applied to the sound emitting devices 20-k (k = 1 to 5) arranged as shown in FIG. 7A, the first sound emitting device 20-1 of group 1 is applied. When the difference Δx41 between the x components of the position coordinates of the sound emitting device 20-4 is equal to or greater than Δxlim, the sound emitting device 20-1 and the sound emitting device 20-4 are in different groups. Then, when the group to which the sound emitting device 20-4 belongs is set to group 2, and it is determined whether or not the sound emitting device 20-2 belongs to this group 2, since Δx24 ≧ Δxlim, the sound emitting device 20-2 is released. The sound device 20-4 belongs to a different group (group 3). Thereafter, if Δx32 <Δxlim, the sound emitting device 20-3 belongs to the same group as the sound emitting device 20-2 (that is, group 3), and if Δx52 ≧ Δxlim, the sound emitting device 20-5 is the sound emitting device 20. -4 is classified into a different group (group 4 in FIG. 7A). As a result, the five sound emitting devices 20-k are grouped into four groups from group 1 to group 4.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 7B, the sound emitting devices 20-1 to 20-4 are arranged at equal intervals in an oblique direction when viewed from the X axis, and the difference Δx between the X axis components at the respective arrangement positions. Is smaller than Δxlim (where 2 × Δx> Δxlim), the four sound emitting devices are classified into one group in the grouping aspect described in the above-described embodiment. As a result, the entire target area becomes a sub-area assigned to this group, and this sub-area is equally divided in the Y-axis direction so that the area in charge of each sound emitting device is determined. As shown in (), the strip shape is elongated along the X-axis direction. On the other hand, when the grouping according to this modification is applied, Δx21 = Δx <Δxlim, Δx31 = 2 × Δx> Δxlim, so that the four sound emitting devices are the sound emitting devices 20-1 and 20-20. -2 and group 2 consisting of sound emitting devices 20-3 and 20-4. Therefore, subarea 1 and subarea 2 obtained by equally dividing the target area into two in the X-axis direction are assigned to the above groups, and each of these subareas is equally divided in the Y-axis direction. A responsible area is determined (see FIG. 7D). As described above, according to the grouping according to the present modification, even if the sound emitting devices are arranged as shown in FIG. 7B, the target area is divided into a lattice shape and each sound emitting device is divided. It becomes possible to assign the area in charge. Therefore, it is preferable that the grouping mode described in the above embodiment and the mode according to this modification can be switched according to the arrangement mode of the sound emitting devices in the acoustic space.

(5) In the above-described embodiment, the assigned area is assigned by excluding the sound emitting device that cannot emit the sound wave toward the target area (for example, the sound emitting device having the back surface facing the target area). went. However, when each of the plurality of sound emitting devices is arranged in series so that the speaker surfaces face the same direction (see FIG. 8A, in FIG. 8, the direction of each sound emitting device is clearly indicated by an arrow) In addition, when the assigned area is assigned by the method of the above embodiment, there is a problem that no sound wave is emitted from any sound emitting device in the hatched area in FIG. Therefore, when a plurality of sound emitting devices are arranged in series with their speaker surfaces directed in the same direction, as shown in FIG. 8C, a serviceable boundary line SB20 for each sound emitting device 20-k. -K may be obtained, and the service area may be modified so that the serviceable boundary line becomes the boundary of the service area, as shown in FIG. As is apparent from a comparison between FIG. 8B and FIG. 8D, by performing such a modification of the assigned area, it is possible to reduce a region where no sound wave is emitted from any sound emitting device. .

(6) In the embodiment described above, a control program that causes the control unit 110 to execute each process characteristic of the present invention is stored in the nonvolatile storage unit 142 in advance. However, for example, the control program may be distributed by being written on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory), or the control program may be downloaded via a telecommunication line such as the Internet. May be distributed. By operating a general computer device (for example, a personal computer) according to the control program distributed in this way, the same function as the assigned area allocation device 10 can be given to the computer device.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the assigned area allocation apparatus 10 which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the target area TA where an acoustic service is provided by the sound emission apparatus 20-k (k = 1-4). It is a figure for demonstrating the coordinate transformation process 142b performed by step SA110 of the charge area allocation assistance process. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the charge area allocation assistance process which the charge area allocation apparatus 10 performs. It is a figure for demonstrating the grouping process 142c performed by step SA160 of the charge area allocation assistance process. It is a figure for demonstrating the area division | segmentation process 142d performed by step SA170 of the charge area allocation assistance process. It is a figure for demonstrating the grouping which concerns on a modification (4). It is a figure for demonstrating the change of the area boundary which concerns on a modification (5).

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Responsible area allocation apparatus, 110 ... Control part, 120 ... Display part, 130 ... Operation part, 140 ... Memory | storage part, 141 ... Volatile memory part, 142 ... Nonvolatile memory part, 150 ... Bus.

Claims (7)

A plurality of sound emitting devices each having one or a plurality of speakers are arranged in an acoustic space, and a rectangular target area that is a target arrival area of sound radiated from each of the plurality of sound emitting devices is set Setting means to
Grouping means for grouping the plurality of sound emitting devices;
The target area is divided in the first coordinate axis direction with one direction of intersecting sides in the target area as the first coordinate axis direction and the other direction as the second coordinate axis direction, and obtained by the grouping means. A means for generating a rectangular subarea to be assigned to each of the groups, and an area dividing means for dividing the target area so that the area of the subarea assigned to the group to which many sound emitting devices belong is larger.
For a subarea corresponding to a group to which only one sound emitting device belongs, the subarea is assigned to the sound emitting device as a responsible area that is a target arrival area of the radiated sound, while the subarea is assigned to a group to which a plurality of sound emitting devices belong. For the corresponding sub-area, an area allocating unit that divides the sub-area in the second axial direction and assigns each of the sub-areas to each of the sound emitting devices belonging to the group as its assigned area
A device for assigning a charge area to a sound emitting device.   A specifying unit that specifies a sound that cannot be emitted toward the target area among the plurality of sound emitting devices is provided, and the grouping unit performs grouping except for the sound emitting device specified by the specifying unit. The apparatus according to claim 1. The grouping means groups the sound emitting devices into groups of the arrangement positions set by the setting means that are close to each other in the first coordinate axis component,
The division means assigns the subarea for each group obtained by the grouping means in ascending order of the first coordinate axis component of the arrangement position of the sound emitting devices belonging to the group. The apparatus according to 1 or 2.   To each sound emitting device in the first case where one direction of the intersecting sides in the target area is the first coordinate axis direction and in the second case where the other direction is the first coordinate axis direction Variation in the distance between each sound emitting device and a point representing the assigned area in each of the first and second cases, or each sound emitting Information indicating the determination result when it is determined that the smaller value is preferable, with at least one of the maximum value of the steering angle or the maximum value of the directivity angle when sound is emitted from the device toward the area in charge. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a determination unit that outputs. The grouping means groups the sound emitting devices in which the difference between the first coordinate axis components at each arrangement position exceeds a predetermined threshold value into separate groups,
A means for determining which grouping is preferable based on which threshold value is changed while changing the threshold value, and a variation in the distance between each sound emitting device and a point representing the area in charge, or from each sound emitting device Information indicating the determination result by determining at least one of the maximum value of the steering angle or the maximum value of the directivity angle as the index when emitting sound toward the area, and determining that the smaller the index is, the better the grouping is 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising determination means for outputting. A plurality of sound emitting devices each having one or a plurality of speakers are arranged in an acoustic space, and a rectangular target area that is a target arrival area of sound radiated from each of the plurality of sound emitting devices is set A first step of
A second step of grouping the plurality of sound emitting devices;
The target area is divided in the first coordinate axis direction with one direction of intersecting sides in the target area as the first coordinate axis direction and the other direction as the second coordinate axis direction, and obtained by the grouping means. A step of generating a rectangular subarea to be assigned to each of the groups, the third step of dividing the target area so that the area of the subarea assigned to the group to which many sound emitting devices belong is larger;
For a subarea corresponding to a group to which only one sound emitting device belongs, the subarea is assigned to the sound emitting device as a responsible area that is a target arrival area of the radiated sound, while the subarea is assigned to a group to which a plurality of sound emitting devices belong. A corresponding sub-area comprising a fourth step of dividing the sub-area in the second axial direction and assigning each of the sub-areas to each sound emitting device belonging to the group as its assigned area; To assign the assigned area to the sound emitting device. Computer equipment,
A plurality of sound emitting devices each having one or a plurality of speakers are arranged in an acoustic space, and a rectangular target area that is a target arrival area of sound radiated from each of the plurality of sound emitting devices is set Setting means for
Grouping means for grouping the plurality of sound emitting devices;
The target area is divided in the first coordinate axis direction with one direction of intersecting sides in the target area as the first coordinate axis direction and the other direction as the second coordinate axis direction, and obtained by the grouping means. A means for generating a rectangular subarea to be assigned to each of the groups, and a dividing means for dividing the target area so that the area of the subarea assigned to the group to which many sound emitting devices belong is larger.
For a subarea corresponding to a group to which only one sound emitting device belongs, the subarea is assigned to the sound emitting device as a responsible area that is a target arrival area of the radiated sound, while the subarea is assigned to a group to which a plurality of sound emitting devices belong. With respect to the corresponding sub-area, the sub-area is divided in the second axial direction, and each sub-area is functioned as assigned area assigning means for assigning each of the sound emitting devices belonging to the group as the assigned area. Program to do.

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