JP2010268288A - Sound field controller - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sound field controller capable of changing sound fields following change of positions of listeners without performing troublesome setting. <P>SOLUTION: The sound field controller includes: a human body detection processing portion 40 which specifies the position of the listener by a signal from a human body detection portion 20; a sound field determination portion 50 which determines a sound field center position by the position of the listener specified by the human body detection processing portion 40; a phase adjustment portion 31 which adjusts delay time of sound from a plurality of speakers 10 so that sound emission arrival time from the speakers 10 become the same at the sound field center position; a sound pressure adjustment portion 32 which adjusts a sound pressure level of each speaker 10 so that volumes from the plurality of speakers 10 become the same at the sound field center position, wherein the phase adjustment portion 31 and the sound pressure adjustment portion 32 constitute a surround adjustment portion 30, and the sound field is controlled by the surround adjustment portion 30 by detecting the change of positions of the listeners by a plurality of thermopile elements 21, 22, 23, 24, 25. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sound field control device for enjoying surround audio in, for example, a general house space.

In recent years, with the spread of DVD and terrestrial waves, multi-channel surround playback can be easily enjoyed even in ordinary households. In particular, in 5.1ch surround playback, it is possible to represent a sound field in various spaces.
However, in order to listen to surround broadcasting in earnest, a home theater system and an AVR + speaker system are required in addition to television. In addition, if it is necessary to install a rear speaker, it is not suitable for a limited living space.
On the other hand, a pseudo surround function using only the front speakers is also widespread. However, even in the pseudo surround function, it is not possible to enjoy surround unless viewing is performed at the center of the left and right front speakers.
Under such circumstances, a method of forming an appropriate surround sound field according to the viewing position has been proposed (Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).
In Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, a surround sound field can be changed in accordance with a change in viewing position, and a full-scale surround sound field that takes reflected sound into consideration can be realized.

JP 2006-340302 A JP 2009-027603 A

However, in the method proposed in Patent Document 1, sound is collected by a microphone installed at the viewing position and the collected data is analyzed. While a full-scale surround sound field can be realized, The work associated with the change is a burdensome method and is difficult to handle in a general household.
Also, in Patent Document 2, although the labor for this resetting is reduced, a considerable burden is imposed on the initial setting.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a sound field control device that can change a sound field following a change in the position of a listener without performing troublesome settings.

The sound field control device according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a human body detection unit that detects the presence of a listener by a plurality of thermopile elements, and surround adjustment that controls the sound field according to the listener detected by the human body detection unit. A sound field control device for adjusting outputs of a plurality of speakers forming a surround sound field by the surround adjustment unit, wherein the position of the listener is specified by a signal from the human body detection unit The human body detection processing unit, the sound field determining unit that determines the sound field center position based on the position of the listener specified by the human body detection processing unit, and the sound emission arrival times from the plurality of speakers are the same at the sound field center position And a phase adjustment unit that adjusts the delay time of the sound from the speakers so that the sound pressure of each of the speakers is the same at the sound field center position. A sound pressure adjusting unit that adjusts a bell, and the phase adjusting unit and the sound pressure adjusting unit constitute the surround adjusting unit, and a plurality of the thermopile elements detect a change in the position of the listener. The sound field is controlled by the surround adjustment unit.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the sound field control device according to the first aspect, the human body detection processing unit determines a position of each of the plurality of listeners, and the sound field determination unit includes the human body. The sound field center position is determined according to each position of the listener determined by the detection processing unit.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the sound field control device according to the second aspect, in the human body detection unit, when the listener is detected in two adjacent detection areas, the sound field determination unit The position between two adjacent detection areas is determined as the sound field center position.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the sound field control device according to the first aspect, the human body detection processing unit determines a position of each of the plurality of listeners, and the human body detection processing unit determines the position. An optimum listening range determination unit that changes the width of the optimum listening range according to each position of the listener is provided, and an optimum listening range adjustment unit is provided as the surround adjustment unit, and the optimum listening range adjustment unit includes the optimum listening range adjustment unit. The sound emission from the speaker is adjusted such that the optimum listening range determined by the range determination unit is widened.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the sound field control device according to the fourth aspect, when the listener is detected in two adjacent detection areas in the human body detection unit, the optimum listening range determination unit. Then, the optimum listening range is made wider than in the case where there is one detection region.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the sound field control device according to the first aspect, the plurality of thermopile elements are arranged in a horizontal direction, the temperatures of the different positions are detected by the thermopile elements, and the listening is performed. The temperature of a region where a person exists is detected by a thermistor, and temperature correction for each of the thermopile elements is performed at room temperature detected by the thermistor.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the sound field control device according to the first aspect, a timer unit that counts a time during which no input from the human body detection unit is generated is provided, and the timer unit counts a predetermined time. The sound emission from the speaker is stopped or reduced.

  According to the present invention, the position of the listener is detected by the thermopile element, and the sound field is controlled by the surround adjustment unit according to the change of the position of the listener, so the surround sound field is continued even if the viewing location is changed. And enjoy it.

1 is a block diagram for realizing functions of a sound field control device in one embodiment of the present invention. The figure which shows the surround adjustment method in case any one thermopile element detects a listener The figure which shows the surround adjustment method at the time of detecting a listener in two adjacent area | regions The figure which shows the surround adjustment method at the time of detecting a listener in three adjacent area | regions The figure which shows the surround adjustment method at the time of detecting a listener in four adjacent areas | regions The figure which shows the surround adjustment method when a listener is detected in five adjacent areas. The figure which shows the surround adjustment method when a listener is detected in two areas which are not adjacent to each other The figure which shows the surround adjustment method at the time of detecting three persons as a listener The figure which shows the surround adjustment method at the time of detecting a listener in the area | region which left three areas adjacent to these three areas. The figure which shows the surround adjustment method in case all the thermopile elements do not detect a listener The figure which shows the adjustment method in the phase adjustment part and sound pressure adjustment part based on a sound field determination part

The sound field control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention uses a signal from a human body detection unit to specify a position of a listener and a human body detection processing unit, and a position of the listener specified by the human body detection processing unit. A sound field determination unit that determines the center position of the field, a phase adjustment unit that adjusts the delay time of the sound from the speaker so that the sound emission arrival times from the plurality of speakers are the same at the center position of the sound field, and a plurality of speakers A sound pressure adjustment unit that adjusts the sound pressure level of each speaker so that the volume from the sound field is the same at the center of the sound field, and the phase adjustment unit and the sound pressure adjustment unit constitute a surround adjustment unit. The thermopile element detects a change in the listener's position, and the surround adjustment unit controls the sound field. According to the present embodiment, the position of the listener is detected by the thermopile element, and the sound field is controlled by the surround adjustment unit according to the change of the position of the listener. Can continue to enjoy.
According to a second embodiment of the present invention, in the sound field control device according to the first embodiment, the human body detection processing unit determines the positions of a plurality of listeners, and the sound field determination unit detects the human body. The center position of the sound field is determined according to each position of the listener determined by the processing unit. According to the present embodiment, the surround sound field can be enjoyed even when there are a plurality of listeners.
In the sound field control apparatus according to the second embodiment, in the third embodiment of the present invention, when the human body detection unit detects a listener in two adjacent detection areas, the sound field determination unit The position between two adjacent detection areas is determined as the sound field center position. According to the present embodiment, surround adjustment can be realized by dividing the viewing area into more viewing areas than the number of thermopile elements to be installed.
According to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, in the sound field control apparatus according to the first embodiment, the human body detection processing unit determines the position of each of a plurality of listeners, and the listening detected by the human body detection processing unit. Provided with an optimum listening range determination unit that changes the width of the optimum listening range according to each position of the person, and equipped with an optimum listening range adjustment unit as a surround adjustment unit. In the optimum listening range adjustment unit, the optimum listening range determination unit The sound emission from the speaker is adjusted so that the determined optimum listening range is obtained. According to the present embodiment, by changing the width of the optimum listening range according to the positions of a plurality of listeners, a plurality of listeners can enjoy the surround sound field.
In the sound field control apparatus according to the fourth embodiment, the fifth embodiment of the present invention provides an optimal listening range determination unit when a human body detection unit detects a listener in two adjacent detection areas. Then, the optimum listening range is made wider than in the case where there is one detection region. According to the present embodiment, a surround sound field can be formed for two listeners.
According to a sixth embodiment of the present invention, in the sound field control apparatus according to the first embodiment, a plurality of thermopile elements are arranged in a horizontal direction, and temperatures at different positions are detected by the respective thermopile elements. The temperature of the region where the person exists is detected by a thermistor, and temperature correction for each thermopile element is performed at room temperature detected by the thermistor. According to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection due to a rise in room temperature by performing temperature correction by the thermistor.
According to a seventh embodiment of the present invention, in the sound field control apparatus according to the first embodiment, a timer unit that counts a time during which no input from the human body detection unit is provided is provided, and the timer unit counts a predetermined time. Then, sound emission from the speaker is stopped or reduced. According to the present embodiment, when the listener forgets to turn off the audio and leaves the room, it is possible to save power and to prevent noise by stopping or reducing sound emission from the speaker.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the sound field control device of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram for realizing the functions of a sound field control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
For example, in a listening area that is a room in a general home, a surround sound field is formed by a plurality of speakers 10. Here, there are at least two speakers 10 as shown in the figure, and the two speakers 10 are arranged at a predetermined interval. Note that three or more speakers 10 may be arranged on the front side, or the speakers 10 may be added on the rear side.
The sound field control apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a human body detection unit 20 that detects the presence of a listener, a surround adjustment unit 30 that controls outputs of a plurality of speakers 10 according to the listener detected by the human body detection unit, and a human body. A human body detection processing unit 40 that specifies the position of the listener based on a signal from the detection unit 20, and a sound field that determines the center position of the sound field so that the position of the listener specified by the human body detection processing unit 40 is the center of the sound field. A determination unit 50 and an optimal listening range determination unit 60 that changes the width of the optimal listening range according to each position of the listener determined by the human body detection processing unit 40 are provided.

  The human body detection unit 20 includes three or more thermopile elements 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25. In the case of illustration, five thermopile elements 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25 are arranged in the horizontal direction to constitute a unit. The thermopile element 21 is the A area of the viewing area, the thermopile element 22 is the B area of the viewing area, the thermopile element 23 is the C area of the viewing area, the thermopile element 24 is the D area of the viewing area, and the thermopile element 25 is The E area of the viewing area is set as each detection area. The detection area of each thermopile element 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 is set to be a different area. Each region is set in advance in the width direction at a distance of, for example, 3 m to 10 m from the united human body detection unit 20 assuming an environment to be used in advance. Each area may be set so as to partially overlap. In this embodiment, the areas are set so as not to overlap with each other, and an undetected area is provided between the areas. By providing such an undetected area, it is possible to prevent the listener from being detected across a plurality of areas even if there is only one listener.

The surround adjustment unit 30 controls the sound field in the viewing area by adjusting the signal output from the decoder 72 by the phase adjustment unit 31, the sound pressure adjustment unit 32, and the optimum listening range adjustment unit 33. The surround adjustment unit 30 stores data related to the position of each speaker 10 and the position of the human body detection unit 20 in advance. In addition, when the two speakers 10 and the human body detection unit 20 arranged at the front are unitized, and the human body detection unit 20 is arranged between the two speakers 10, the space between the two speakers 10 You only have to memorize the distance data.
The phase adjustment unit 31 adjusts the delay time of the sound from the speakers 10 so that the sound emission arrival times from the plurality of speakers 10 are the same. The sound pressure adjusting unit 32 adjusts the sound pressure level of each speaker 10 so that the sound volume from the plurality of speakers 10 is the same at the center of the sound field. The optimum listening range adjustment unit 33 adjusts the sound emission from the speaker 10 so that the optimum listening range is determined by the optimum listening range determination unit 60.
The surround audio input unit 71 inputs digital surround audio signals such as audio equipment and surround broadcasts, and the decoder 72 has a system in which the digital surround audio signals input by the surround audio input unit 71 are matched to the number of speakers 10. Decode into signal.

  The human body detection processing unit 40 can determine not only the position of a single listener but also the positions of a plurality of listeners. The human body detection processing unit 40 stores initial set values corresponding to the detection areas of the unitized human body detection unit 20. That is, data on the distances and directions from the human body detection unit 20 to the detection regions of the respective thermopile elements 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25 is stored.

  In the sound field determination unit 50, when the human body detection processing unit 40 detects one human body, that is, a human body in one detection region, the position set in advance for that region is determined as the sound field center position. . Further, when the listener is detected in two adjacent detection areas, the sound field determination unit 50 determines the position between the two adjacent detection areas as the sound field center position. Further, when the listener is detected in the adjacent three detection areas, the sound field determination unit 50 determines the position of the center detection area as the sound field center position.

  The optimum listening range determination unit 60 changes the width of the optimum listening range between when a human body is detected in one detection area and when a human body is detected in a plurality of detection areas. In addition, when the human body is detected in a plurality of detection areas, the optimal listening area determination unit 60 changes the width of the optimal listening area according to the positional relationship of each area. For example, when a listener is detected in two adjacent detection areas, the optimal listening range determination unit 60 sets the optimal listening range wider than that in the case of one detection area. Even when a listener is detected in two detection areas, the optimum listening range is set wider in the case of two detection areas that are not adjacent to each other than in the case of two adjacent detection areas.

The sound field control apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a timer unit 73 that counts a time during which no input from the human body detection unit 20 occurs. When the timer unit 73 counts a predetermined time, the device switch 74 is turned off. This stops the sound emission from the speaker 10. In addition, it may replace with the switch 74 of an apparatus and the volume reduction by a volume may be sufficient, and it is preferable to operate a mute function.
In addition, the sound field control apparatus in the present embodiment includes the thermistor 75 that detects the temperature of the viewing area, thereby performing temperature correction on the thermopile elements 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25, and erroneous detection due to an increase in room temperature or the like. Can be prevented.

Next, the surround adjustment method in the sound field control apparatus in the present embodiment will be described.
First, the determination method in the sound field determination part 50 and the optimal listening range determination part 60 is demonstrated using FIGS. 2-10. In the figure, “A” indicates the A region detected by the thermopile element 21, “B” indicates the B region detected by the thermopile element 22, and “C” indicates the C region detected by the thermopile element 23, “D”. "Indicates a D region detected by the thermopile element 24, and" E "indicates an E region detected by the thermopile element 25. “0” indicates that no listener is detected, and “1” indicates that a listener is detected. “Direction designation” represents the center position of the sound field determined by the sound field determination unit 50, and “Optimum listening range” represents the width of the optimum listening range determined by the optimal listening range determination unit 60. Here, “small”, “mid”, and “wide” in the “optimal listening range” indicate the width of the optimal listening range, where “small” is the narrowest optimal listening range, and “wide” is the widest optimal listening range, “Mid” is an optimum listening range between “small” and “wide”.

FIG. 2 shows a surround adjustment method when any one of the thermopile elements 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25 detects a listener. That is, this is the case where there is only one listener. In this case, the direction in which the listener exists is the center position of the sound field, and the optimum listening range is “small” which is the narrowest.
FIG. 3 shows a surround adjustment method when a listener is detected in two adjacent areas.
For example, when a listener in the D region is detected by the thermopile element 24 and a listener in the E region is detected by the thermopile element 25, the center position of the sound field is set between the D region and the E region. In addition, the optimum listening range is a range of “mid” which is wider than that of a single listener.
If there are listeners in the adjacent A area and B area, and in the adjacent D area and E area, the center area of the sound field is set as the central C area, and the optimum listening range is “ “Wide” range.
FIG. 4 shows a surround adjustment method when a listener is detected in three adjacent areas.
For example, when the thermopile element 23 detects a listener in the C region, the thermopile element 24 detects the listener in the D region, and the thermopile element 25 detects the listener in the E region, the center position of the sound field is set as the D region. The optimum listening range is the widest “wide” range.
FIG. 5 shows a surround adjustment method when a listener is detected in four adjacent areas.
For example, when a thermopile element 22 detects a listener in the B area, a thermopile element 23 detects a listener in the C area, a thermopile element 24 detects a listener in the D area, and a thermopile element 25 detects a listener in the E area. The sound field center position is set between the C region and the D region. The optimum listening range is the widest “wide” range.
FIG. 6 shows a surround adjustment method when a listener is detected in five adjacent areas.
In this case, the region C, which is the center of the five regions, is set as the sound field center position, and the optimum listening range is the widest “wide” range.

FIG. 7 shows a surround adjustment method when a listener is detected in two areas that are not adjacent to each other.
For example, when a listener in the C region is detected by the thermopile element 23 and a listener in the E region is detected by the thermopile element 25, the center position of the sound field is set as the D region between the C region and the E region. When the thermopile element 22 detects a listener in the B area and the thermopile element 25 detects a listener in the E area, the center position of the sound field is the C area or D area between the B area and the E area. To do. The optimum listening range is the “wide” range. In addition, it is good also as a range of "mid" wide compared with the case where a listener is one person.
FIG. 8 shows a sound adjustment method when three persons are detected.
If listeners are detected in two adjacent areas and areas that are separated from these two areas, the listeners in areas that are separated from these two adjacent areas are excluded, and determined by the two adjacent areas. To do.
For example, if a thermopile element 22 detects a listener in the B region, a thermopile element 24 detects a listener in the D region, and a thermopile element 25 detects a listener in the E region, the center position of the sound field is determined as the D region and the E region. Between. In addition, the optimum listening range is a range of “mid”.
When a listener is detected in three areas that are not adjacent to each other, for example, a listener in the A area is detected with the thermopile element 21, a listener in the C area is detected with the thermopile element 23, and a listener in the E area is detected with the thermopile element 25. When the person is detected, the center position of the sound field is set as the center C region, and the optimum listening range is set to the “wide” range.
FIG. 9 shows a surround adjustment method in the case where a listener is detected in three adjacent areas and an area away from these three areas. In this case, the listener in a region away from the three adjacent regions is excluded, and the center of the three adjacent regions is used.
For example, when a thermopile element 21 detects a listener in area A, a thermopile element 23 detects a listener in area C, a thermopile element 24 detects a listener in area D, and a thermopile element 25 detects a listener in the E area. The sound field center position is set as the D region, and the optimum listening range is set to the “wide” range.
For example, when a thermopile element 21 detects a listener in area A, a thermopile element 22 detects a listener in area B, a thermopile element 23 detects a listener in area C, and a thermopile element 25 detects a listener in area E. , The sound field center position is set as the B region, and the optimum listening range is set to the “wide” range.
FIG. 10 shows a case where all the thermopile elements 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 do not detect a listener, and this state is counted by the timer unit 73 for a predetermined time, thereby switching off the device. Reduce the volume of the volume.

The adjustment method in the phase adjustment unit 31 and the sound pressure adjustment unit 32 based on the sound field determination unit 50 will be described with reference to FIG.
The phase adjustment unit 31 adjusts the sound delay time (phase) due to the difference in distance between each speaker 10 and the listener.
Here, a case where two speakers 10 are used is shown, and the left speaker 10 is “L” and the right speaker 10 is “R”.
The difference between the position of the virtual listener at the center of the sound field determined by the sound field determination unit 50 and the left speaker 10 and the distance between the position of the virtual listener and the right speaker 10 is d. When the sound speed is v, d / v is the delay time (t) of the sound from the left and right speakers 10 caused by the position of the virtual listener. In the figure, the delay time when the position of the virtual listener is in the area A is “ta”, and the delay time when the position of the virtual listener is in the area B is “tb”. The delay when the position of the virtual listener is in the area D The time when the virtual listener is in the E region is represented by “te”. Further, the delay time when the position of the virtual listener is between the A area and the B area is represented as “t (a, b)”. When the position of the virtual listener is in the C region, there is no delay time because they are equidistant from the two speakers 10.
The volume (by the difference between the position of the virtual listener at the center position of the sound field determined by the sound field determination unit 50 and the left speaker 10 and the difference between the position of the virtual listener and the distance between the right speaker 10 ( The difference in sound pressure level is 1 dB. In the figure, the difference in sound pressure level when the position of the virtual listener is in the A region is “la”, and the difference in sound pressure level when the position of the virtual listener is in the B region is “lb”. The difference in sound pressure level in the case of the D region is represented by “ld”, and the difference in sound pressure level in the case where the virtual listener is in the E region is represented by “le”. Also, the difference in sound pressure level when the position of the virtual listener is between the A region and the B region is expressed as “l (a, b)”. When the position of the virtual listener is in the C region, there is no difference in sound pressure level because the two speakers 10 are equidistant.
In this embodiment, it has been described that it is effective to use three or more elements as a plurality of thermopile elements. However, substantially three viewing areas can be set using two thermopile elements. For example, two viewing areas can be detected by providing two thermopile elements each having a single detection area and a common detection area.
Moreover, although the present Example demonstrated using the thermopile element, other human sensors, such as another infrared sensor, can also be used. Furthermore, a human body recognition means for recognizing a viewer's face and the like by recognizing a characteristic contour, a human body part, and a color tone from image data may be used.

  The present invention can be used not only in general homes but also in areas such as meeting places and classrooms.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Speaker 20 Human body detection part 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 Thermopile element 30 Surround adjustment part 31 Phase adjustment part 32 Sound pressure adjustment part 33 Optimal listening range adjustment part 40 Human body detection process part 50 Sound field determination part 60 Optimal listening range Decision part 73 Timer part 75 Thermistor

Claims (7)

A human body detection unit that detects the presence of a listener by a plurality of thermopile elements; and a surround adjustment unit that controls a sound field according to the listener detected by the human body detection unit, and the surround sound field is generated by the surround adjustment unit. A sound field control device for adjusting the output of a plurality of speakers forming
A human body detection processing unit that identifies the position of the listener by a signal from the human body detection unit;
A sound field determination unit that determines the center position of the sound field according to the position of the listener specified by the human body detection processing unit;
A phase adjustment unit that adjusts the delay time of the sound from the speakers so that the sound emission arrival times from the plurality of speakers are the same at the center of the sound field;
A sound pressure adjustment unit that adjusts the sound pressure level of each of the speakers so that the sound volume from the plurality of speakers is the same at the center of the sound field,
The surround adjustment unit is configured by the phase adjustment unit and the sound pressure adjustment unit, and the sound adjustment is controlled by the surround adjustment unit when a plurality of the thermopile elements detect a change in the position of the listener. A sound field control device characterized by that. The human body detection processing unit determines the position of each of the plurality of listeners,
The sound field control device according to claim 1, wherein the sound field determination unit determines the sound field center position according to each position of the listener determined by the human body detection processing unit.   In the human body detection unit, when the listener is detected in two adjacent detection areas, the sound field determination unit determines a position between the two adjacent detection areas as the sound field center position. The sound field control device according to claim 2. The human body detection processing unit determines the position of each of the plurality of listeners,
An optimum listening range determination unit is provided that changes the width of the optimum listening range according to each position of the listener determined by the human body detection processing unit,
The optimum listening range adjustment unit as the surround adjustment unit,
2. The sound field according to claim 1, wherein the optimum listening range adjustment unit adjusts sound emission from the speaker so as to be a width of the optimum listening range determined by the optimum listening range determination unit. Control device.   In the human body detection unit, when the listener is detected in two adjacent detection areas, the optimal listening range determination unit widens the optimal listening range as compared to the case where there is one detection area. The sound field control device according to claim 4.   A plurality of the thermopile elements are arranged in a horizontal direction, each thermopile element detects the temperature at a different position, the temperature of the region where the listener is present is detected by a thermistor, and the temperature correction for each thermopile element The sound field control device according to claim 1, wherein the sound field control is performed at a room temperature detected by the thermistor.   The timer unit for counting a time during which no input from the human body detection unit is generated is provided, and when the predetermined time is counted in the timer unit, sound emission from the speaker is stopped or reduced. The described sound field control device.