JP2012010094A - On-vehicle sound field control apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide people in the cabin of a car with sound effects suitable for each seat position with reduced number of loudspeakers to be installed in the cabin.SOLUTION: Main loudspeakers 13a-13d are provided corresponding to each seat of the cabin. A right woofer 12a shared by two seats located on the right side with respect to the advance direction of the vehicle is installed under the front right seat. A left woofer 12a shared by two seats located on the left side with respect to the advance direction of the vehicle is installed under the front left seat.

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle sound field control device that controls a sound field in a passenger compartment, and in particular, provides a passenger with an acoustic effect suitable for each riding position while suppressing the number of speakers installed in the passenger compartment. The present invention relates to an on-vehicle sound field control device capable of

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a car audio system that reproduces various kinds of sound source information such as music and voice in a passenger compartment such as an automobile is known.

  In such a car audio system, it is common to install only one set of speaker sets consisting mainly of a main speaker that outputs mid to high range sounds and a woofer speaker that outputs low range sounds. Met. However, in recent years, it has been proposed to provide the above speaker set for each seat so that each passenger can hear an optimal sound.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a car audio system in which main speakers are provided on the left and right sides of the headrest of each seat and a woofer speaker is provided in the lower part of each seat.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-3994

  However, when the main speaker and the woofer speaker are installed in each seat as in the technique described in Patent Document 1, there is a problem that the cost increases. In particular, since the woofer speaker is more expensive than the main speaker, it is not preferable in terms of cost to provide such a woofer speaker in each seat. Moreover, since the woofer speaker is large-sized, if a large number of woofer speakers are installed in the passenger compartment, there is a problem that the passenger compartment becomes narrow.

  In recent years, an environment-friendly and fuel-efficient automobile is desired, and in order to realize this, the weight of the vehicle is being reduced. For this reason, an increase in the number of speakers installed in the passenger compartment is not preferable in terms of such weight reduction.

  From these facts, how to realize an in-vehicle sound field control device capable of giving a passenger a sound effect suitable for each riding position while suppressing the number of speakers installed in the passenger compartment is significant. It has become a challenge.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems caused by the prior art, and provides a passenger with an acoustic effect suitable for each boarding position while suppressing the number of speakers installed in the passenger compartment. It is an object of the present invention to provide an on-vehicle sound field control device that can be used.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides a vehicle-mounted sound that controls a sound field of a vehicle interior using a main speaker and a speaker that outputs a sound in a lower range than the main speaker. In the field control device, the main speaker is provided corresponding to each seat in the passenger compartment, and the speaker is provided at a position that is smaller than the number of seats and shared by a plurality of seats. It is characterized by.

  According to the present invention, the main speaker is provided corresponding to each seat in the passenger compartment, and the speaker is provided in a position that is smaller than the number of seats and shared by a plurality of seats. There is an effect that an acoustic effect suitable for each boarding position can be given to the rider while suppressing the number of speakers to be installed.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a sound field control method according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the on-vehicle sound field control apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement example of each speaker. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an operation example of the on / off control unit. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the in-vehicle sound field control device. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an operation example when the on / off control of each speaker is performed using a sound collecting microphone. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating another arrangement example of the woofer speaker. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement example of each speaker with respect to a three-row seat vehicle. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the orientation of the main speaker.

  Exemplary embodiments of a sound field control device according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, prior to detailed description of the embodiment, an outline of a sound field control method according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a sound field control method according to the present invention. In the following description, a “woofer speaker” will be described as an example of a speaker that outputs a sound in a lower frequency range than the main speaker.

  As shown in the figure, the sound field control method according to the present invention is a method for controlling the sound field of a passenger compartment using a main speaker and a woofer speaker, and in particular, a main speaker is provided corresponding to each seat. On the other hand, woofer speakers are shared by multiple seats.

  Specifically, the low-frequency sound output from the woofer speaker has lower directivity than the mid-high sound output from the main speaker. That is, it is difficult for the human auditory sense to capture the direction of the low-frequency sound source as compared to the mid-high frequency sound. For this reason, even if one woofer speaker is not installed in each seat, there is no sense of discomfort in hearing.

  On the other hand, since the mid-to-high range sound output from the main speaker has a relatively high directivity, the arrangement relationship of the sound images is easily specified. That is, it is easy to give the passenger an uncomfortable feeling that the sound image is shifted to the right or left, and the discomfort can be eliminated by providing the main speaker corresponding to each seat.

  Therefore, if a main speaker is provided corresponding to each seat in the passenger compartment, and the woofer speaker is shared by a plurality of seats, the number of speakers installed in the passenger compartment is suppressed, and an acoustic suitable for each riding position is provided. An effect can be given to a passenger.

  Furthermore, it is known that human hearing is less sensitive to a shift in the sound image in the front-rear direction than a shift in the sound image in the left-right direction with respect to the low-frequency sound output from the woofer speaker. In other words, even if the arrangement of the woofer speakers is shifted in the front-rear direction, the sense of discomfort in the sense of hearing is not more memorized than in the case where it is shifted in the left-right direction.

  Therefore, in the sound field control method according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, one woofer speaker is installed on each of the left and right sides of the traveling direction of the vehicle, and the woofer speakers installed on the right side are front and rear seats positioned on the right side. The woofer speaker installed on the left side is shared between the front and rear seats on the left side.

  For example, in the figure, the right woofer 12a is shared between two seats (driver seat and rear seat) located on the right side in the traveling direction, and two seats (passenger seat and rear seat) located on the left side in the traveling direction. The left woofer 12b is shared between the (part seats).

  In the sound field control method according to the present invention, the right woofer 12a is installed below the right front seat (driver seat), and the left woofer 12b is installed below the left front seat (passenger seat).

  This is because if the woofer speaker is installed near the passenger's ear, the low sound may be annoying, and it is preferable to install the woofer speaker at a low position from the viewpoint of hearing. This is also because the lower part of the seat is suitable as a place for installing a relatively large woofer speaker.

  Further, by installing the woofer speaker in the lower part of the seat, the woofer speaker is positioned on the median plane of the passenger sharing the woofer speaker. Here, the median plane refers to a plane that divides a living organism (human body) symmetrically, and it is said that when a sound source is arranged on such a median plane, it is difficult for a person to specify the position of the sound source.

  In other words, when sharing a woofer speaker between the front and rear seats, by installing the woofer speaker at the lower part of the seat, each occupant seated in the front and rear seats can use the woofer speaker without feeling uncomfortable. Can be shared.

  In addition, since a low sound is easy to diffract compared with a middle to high sound, even if there exists an obstruction like a lower part of a seat, it can fully reach a person's ear. Also from this point, it is preferable to provide the woofer speaker in the lower part of the seat. However, if there is not enough space to install the woofer speaker below the seat, the woofer speaker may be installed on the front row door as an alternative.

  In the sound field control method according to the present invention, detection means for detecting whether or not a passenger is seated in each seat is provided, and the woofer speaker and the main speaker are turned on and off based on the detection result from the detection means. Is going to control. This point will be described later in Examples.

  In the sound field control method according to the present invention, the main speakers 13a to 13d corresponding to each seat are installed in front of each seat. For example, the main speaker 13a corresponding to the driver seat is installed on an instrument panel (hereinafter referred to as “instrument panel”), and the main speaker 13b corresponding to the passenger seat is installed on a dashboard. The main speakers 13c and 13d corresponding to the rear seats are installed in the driver seat and the passenger seat, respectively.

  Here, basically, the main speakers 13a to 13d are arranged to face each occupant. For example, when the sound image is to be localized at a higher position, the main speakers 13a to 13d are installed with the speaker facing upward. Alternatively, when it is desired to provide a feeling of sound expansion, the speaker may be directed outward so that the reflected sound mainly from the side glass reaches the passenger.

  Below, the Example about the vehicle-mounted sound field control apparatus to which the sound field control method which concerns on this invention is applied is described in detail. In the following, a case where the vehicle-mounted sound field control device according to the present invention is applied to a vehicle having a total of four seats of two front rows and two rear rows will be described.

  First, the configuration of the in-vehicle sound field control device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the on-vehicle sound field control apparatus according to the present embodiment. In the figure, only components necessary for explaining the characteristics of the in-vehicle sound field control device 10 are shown, and descriptions of general components are omitted.

  As shown in the figure, the in-vehicle sound field control device 10 includes seating sensors 11a to 11d, a right woofer 12a, a left woofer 12b, main speakers 13a to 13d, and a control unit 14. In addition, the control unit 14 includes an on / off control unit 14a.

  The seating sensors 11a to 11d are sensors that detect whether or not a passenger is seated on each seat, and are provided on the seating surface of each seat. Specifically, the seating sensors 11a to 11d are switch type sensors (weight sensors) that are turned on when a predetermined pressing force is applied, and a detection signal when turned on (that is, when a passenger is seated). Is output to the on / off control unit 14a.

  Here, the seat sensors 11a to 11d are used to detect whether or not a passenger is seated in each seat, but instead of the seat sensors 11a to 11d, optical sensors, infrared sensors, or the like are used. It is also possible to detect whether the passenger is seated.

  The right woofer 12a and the left woofer 12b are woofer speakers in charge of sounds in the lower range than the main speakers 13a to 13d. The right woofer 12a and the left woofer 12b are shared between a certain seat and another seat located on a plane that divides the seat symmetrically.

  Specifically, the right woofer 12a is shared between two seats (driver seat and rear seat) located on the right side in the traveling direction of the vehicle, and the left woofer 12b is located 2 on the left side in the traveling direction of the vehicle. Shared between two seats (passenger seat and rear seat).

  Further, the right woofer 12a and the left woofer 12b are provided at any position between the seats sharing the woofer speaker. Specifically, the right woofer 12a is provided below the driver seat, and the left woofer 12b is provided below the passenger seat. A specific arrangement example of the right woofer 12a and the left woofer 12b will be described with reference to FIG. 3 together with an arrangement example of the main speakers 13a to 13d.

  The main speakers 13a to 13d are speakers in charge of mid to high range sounds, and are provided corresponding to the respective seats.

  Each of the main speakers 13a to 13d includes an Lch that outputs an L signal and an Rch that outputs an R signal. Specifically, the main speaker 13a includes an Lch 13aL and an Rch 13aR, and the main speaker 13b includes an Lch 13bL and an Rch 13bR. Similarly, the main speaker 13c includes an Lch 13cL and an Rch 13cR, and the main speaker 13d includes an Lch 13dL and an Rch 13dR.

  Here, the arrangement of the right woofer 12a, the left woofer 12b, and the main speakers 13a to 13d will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement example of each speaker. In addition, (A) of the same figure shows the example of arrangement | positioning of each speaker in the whole vehicle interior, (B) of the same figure shows the more detailed example of arrangement | positioning about the one side of a vehicle, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the right woofer 12a is installed at the lower part of the right seat (driver's seat) on the front seat, and the left woofer 12b is installed at the lower part of the left seat (passenger seat) on the front seat. Has been.

  Moreover, the main speaker 13a is installed in the upper part of the instrument panel in front of the driver seat, and the main speaker 13b is installed in the dashboard portion in front of the passenger seat. The main speaker 13c is installed in the headrest portion of the driver seat, and the main speaker 13d is installed in the headrest portion of the passenger seat.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 5B, the right woofer 12a is shared between the passenger 100a seated in the driver seat and the passenger 100b seated in the rear seat. The passenger 100a listens to the sound from the main speaker 13a and the right woofer 12a (see (B-1) in the figure), and the passenger 100b listens to the sound from the main speaker 13c and the right woofer 12b. (See (B-2) in the figure).

  As described above, in this embodiment, the woofer speaker is shared between one seat and another seat located on a plane that divides the one seat symmetrically. This is because human hearing is less sensitive to the shift in the sound image in the front-rear direction than the shift in the sound image in the left-right direction for the low-frequency sound output from the woofer speaker. That is, even if the woofer speaker is displaced in the front-rear direction, it is difficult for the passenger to feel uncomfortable in hearing, and this is suitable for sharing the woofer speaker among a plurality of seats.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, the right woofer 12a is installed at the lower part of the driver seat, particularly on the mid surface of the passengers 100a and 100b. In this way, by installing the woofer speaker at a position that uses the median plane of the shared passenger as an index, it is possible to prevent the passenger from feeling uncomfortable in hearing.

  Here, the right woofer 12a is installed at the lower part of the driver seat, but the present invention is not limited to this. The right woofer 12a may be installed at the lower part of the rear seat at the rear of the driver seat, or a footrest for the rear seat. It may be installed in a space. The same applies to the left woofer 12b. In this manner, the right woofer 12a and the left woofer 12b may be provided at any position between the shared seats as long as they are on the rider's midline.

  Also, the main speakers 13a to 13d can be positioned on the median plane of each passenger by installing Lch and Rch at positions where the left and right channels are symmetrical with respect to the passenger on each seat.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the control unit 14 will be described. The control unit 14 is a control unit that controls the in-vehicle sound field control device 10 as a whole, and includes an on / off control unit 14a. The on / off control unit 14a is a processing unit that starts or stops the output of the main speakers 13a to 13d or the woofer speakers 12a to 12b based on the detection results of the seating sensors 11a to 11d.

  Here, the on / off control processing of each speaker by the on / off control unit 14a will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an operation example of the on / off control unit 14a. In addition, (A) of the figure shows the seat name of each seat, and (B) of the figure shows the on / off states of the right woofer 12a and the left woofer 12b controlled by the on / off control unit 14a. .

  Here, in the following, as shown in FIG. 5A, the seat on the right side of the front row (driver seat) is the seat A, the seat on the left side of the front row (passenger seat) is the seat B, the seat on the right side of the back row is the seat C, The left seat in the rear row is referred to as a seat D. In addition, the seating sensors 11a to 11d are provided on the seating surfaces of the seats A to D, respectively.

  Further, here, it is assumed that a right-hand drive vehicle is assumed, and that a passenger is always seated in the seat A which is a driver seat.

  The on / off controller 14a turns on only the main speakers 13a to 13d corresponding to the seats on which the passenger is seated based on the detection signals from the seat sensors 11a to 11d. For example, when the detection signal is output only from the seating sensor 11a and the seating sensor 11b, the main speaker 13a corresponding to the seat A and the main speaker 13b corresponding to the seat B are turned on, and the seat C and the seat D are supported. The main speakers 13c and 13d are turned off.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5B, the on / off control unit 14a outputs only the detection signal from the seating sensor 11a when the passenger is seated only in the seat A (driver seat). If it is, only the right woofer 12a is turned on and the left woofer 12b is stopped (see (B-1) in the figure).

  Similarly, when the passenger is seated only in the seat A and the seat C, the on / off control unit 14a turns on only the right woofer 12a and stops the left woofer 12b ((B-2) in the figure). reference). In other cases, both the right woofer 12a and the left woofer 12b are turned on.

  In this manner, the on / off control unit 14a stops the output from the left woofer 12b when the seating sensors 11a to 11d specify that no passenger is seated in the left seat in the traveling direction.

  That is, the on / off control unit 14a starts output of the woofer speaker when the seating on any one of the seats sharing the woofer speaker is detected by the seating sensors 11a to 11d, and shares the woofer speaker. If no seating on any seat is detected, the output of the woofer speaker is stopped. Therefore, useless power consumption can be suppressed.

  Here, although it has been described that the passenger (driver) is always seated in the seat A, for example, it is also assumed that the driver goes out of the vehicle by temporarily stopping the vehicle. In such a case, if the passenger is not seated in the seat C, the on / off control unit 14a can turn off the right woofer 12a.

  Next, a specific operation of the in-vehicle sound field control device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the in-vehicle sound field control device 10. In the figure, the processing procedure from when the on / off control unit 14a receives the L signal and the R signal to when the on / off control of each speaker is performed is shown.

  As shown in the figure, upon receiving the L signal and the R signal, the on / off control unit 14a turns on the main speaker corresponding to the seated seat based on the detection results of the seating sensors 11a to 11d (step S101). .

  Subsequently, the on / off control unit 14a determines whether the seating pattern of the passenger is “sitting only on the seat A” or “sitting on the seat A and the seat C” based on the detection results of the seating sensors 11a to 11d. Determination is made (step S102).

  When the on / off control unit 14a determines that the seating pattern of the passenger is “sitting only in the seat A” or “sitting in the seat A and the seat C” (step S102, Yes), only the right woofer 12a is used. Is turned on (step S103), the process is terminated, and if it is another seating pattern (step S102, No), the right woofer 12a and the left woofer 12b are turned on (step S104), and the process is terminated. .

  As described above, in this embodiment, the main speaker is provided corresponding to each seat in the passenger compartment, and the right woofer 12a is provided on the right side in the traveling direction and the left woofer is provided on the left side as a woofer speaker shared by the front and rear seats. 12b was provided. Therefore, it is possible to give the passenger a sound effect suitable for each boarding position while suppressing the number of speakers installed in the passenger compartment.

  Further, in this embodiment, the right woofer 12a and the left woofer 12b are provided in the lower part of any seat sharing each woofer speaker, so that the boarding space is prevented from being narrowed by the right woofer 12a and the left woofer 12b. However, it is possible to make the low-frequency sound heard appropriately by the passenger.

  Further, by installing the woofer speaker in the lower part of the seat, the woofer speaker is positioned on the median plane of the passenger sharing the woofer speaker. In other words, when sharing a woofer speaker between the front and rear seats, by installing the woofer speaker at the lower part of the seat, each occupant seated in the front and rear seats can use the woofer speaker without feeling uncomfortable. Can be shared. In addition, bass sounds are more easily diffracted than medium to treble sounds, so that even if there are obstacles such as the lower part of the seat, they can reach a person's ears sufficiently. Also from this point, it is preferable to provide the woofer speaker in the lower part of the seat.

  By the way, although the case where on / off control of each speaker is controlled by the on / off control unit 14a has been described so far, the present invention is not limited to this, and each speaker can be turned on / off also by an operation of a vehicle-mounted device or the like by a passenger. May be controlled.

  Here, it is not preferable that the driver manually operates the in-vehicle device while driving because there is a risk of causing an accident. It is also difficult for a passenger seated in the rear seat to operate the in-vehicle device provided on the front seat side. Therefore, a sound collecting microphone that collects the voice of the passenger may be installed in the passenger compartment, and the on / off control of each speaker may be performed based on the content of the sound collected by the sound collecting microphone.

  Hereinafter, this point will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an operation example when the on / off control of each speaker is performed using a sound collecting microphone. As shown in the figure, a sound collecting microphone 15 is installed in the passenger compartment.

  In addition, the control unit 14 of the in-vehicle sound field control device 10 further includes a voice recognition unit (not shown). The voice recognition unit is a processing unit that recognizes the voice collected by the sound collection microphone 15 and notifies the on / off control unit 14a of the utterance content.

  The on / off control unit 14a controls on / off of each speaker in accordance with the utterance content received from the voice recognition unit.

  For example, as shown in the figure, if a passenger seated in the rear seat speaks, “Turn off the left woofer” (see (1) in the figure), the sound collecting microphone 15 collects the sound. The sound is recognized (see (2) in the figure), and the voice recognition unit recognizes the voice. Then, the left woofer 12b is turned off according to the utterance content recognized by the on / off control unit 14a (see (3) in the figure).

  Here, the case where the woofer speaker is turned off has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the woofer speaker can be turned on according to the content of the utterance from the rider, and the on / off of the main speakers 13a to 13d is controlled. It is also possible.

  As described above, the voice recognition unit recognizes the voice of the passenger, and the on / off control unit 14a determines whether the main speakers 13a to 13d or the woofer speakers (the right woofer 12a and the left) are based on the content of the voice recognized by the voice recognition unit. Since the output of the woofer 12b) is started or stopped, the rider can easily and safely turn on and off each speaker according to preference and situation.

  In the embodiment described above, the case where the right woofer 12a and the left woofer 12b are provided in the lower part of the front seat has been described as an example of the arrangement of the woofer speakers. However, the location of the woofer speakers is not limited to this. . Hereinafter, another arrangement example of the woofer speaker will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating another arrangement example of the woofer speaker.

  Since the woofer speaker is relatively large, depending on the vehicle, the woofer speaker may not fit under the seat. Therefore, in such a case, as shown in FIG. 5A, the right woofer 12c and the left woofer 12d may be provided at each door of the front seat. In this case, as in the above-described embodiments, the right woofer 12c is shared by the driver seat and the rear seat, and the left woofer 12b is shared by the passenger seat and the rear seat.

  In addition, one woofer speaker may be installed at the front and rear rather than the left and right with respect to the traveling direction. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5B, the front woofer 12e is installed between the driver seat and the passenger seat, and the rear woofer 12f is installed between the rear seats.

  In such a case, the front woofer 12e is shared between the driver seat and the passenger seat, and the rear woofer 12f is shared between the rear seats. The on / off control unit 14a turns off the rear woofer 12f when the seating detection sensors 11c and 11d detect that no one is sitting on the rear seat.

  Note that, as described above, human hearing is more sensitive to the shift in the left and right sound images than the shift in the front and rear direction to the low frequency sound output from the woofer speaker. As the arrangement, the arrangement shown in FIG. 3 is more preferable than the arrangement shown in FIG.

  Furthermore, only one woofer speaker may be installed in the center. Specifically, as shown in (C) of the figure, the central woofer 12g is installed between the driver seat and the front passenger seat or behind this. In such a case, the on / off control unit 14a keeps the central woofer 12g on as long as the passenger is seated on any seat in the passenger compartment. However, the central woofer 12g may be stopped when the vehicle is temporarily stopped and all the passengers go out of the vehicle.

  As described above, the main speaker is provided corresponding to each seat in the passenger compartment, and the woofer speaker is provided in a position that is smaller than the number of seats and shared by a plurality of seats. The acoustic effect suitable for each boarding position can be given to the rider while suppressing the number of cars.

  In the above-described embodiments, the case where the in-vehicle sound field control device according to the present invention is applied to a vehicle having a total of four seats of two front rows and two rear rows has been described. The in-vehicle sound field control device can be applied to other types of vehicles.

  Therefore, in the following, FIG. 8 shows a case where the vehicle-mounted sound field control device according to the present invention is applied to a three-row seat vehicle having a total of six seats of two front rows, two middle rows and two rear rows. It explains using. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement example of each speaker with respect to a three-row seat vehicle. In addition, (A) of the same figure shows the example of arrangement | positioning of each speaker, (B) of the same figure each shows the on-off state of each woofer speaker.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 6A, the right side of the front row is seat A, the left side of the front row is seat B, the right side of the middle row is seat C, the left side of the middle row is seat D, the right side of the rear row is seat E, and the left side of the rear row is Seat F. Further, it is assumed that main speakers 13a to 13f are provided in the passenger compartment corresponding to the respective seats A to F.

  In the three-row seat compartment, the first right woofer 12h is installed below the seat A, and the first left woofer 12i is installed below the seat B. Further, the second right woofer 12j is installed between the seat C and the seat E, and the second left woofer 12k is installed between the seat D and the seat F.

  Here, the first right woofer 12h is a woofer speaker shared between the seat A and the seat C, and the first left woofer 12i is a woofer speaker shared between the seat B and the seat D. The second right woofer 12j is a woofer speaker shared between the seat C and the seat E, and the second left woofer 12k is a woofer speaker shared between the seat D and the seat F.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the passenger is seated in the seat A and the seat C, the on / off control unit 14a turns on only the first right woofer 12h, and other woofers. Turn off the speaker. When the passenger is seated in the seat A and the seat E, or when the passenger is seated in the seat A, the seat C and the seat E, the first right woofer 12h and the second right woofer 12j Turn on only and turn off the other woofer speakers.

  For example, it is assumed that a seated person exists only in the seat D among the seat B, the seat D, and the seat F. In such a case, the seat D is a seat sharing the two woofer speakers of the first left woofer 12i and the second left woofer 12k. However, as an exception, only one of the woofer speakers may be output. Good.

  As described above, when the on / off control unit 14a detects the seating only in the seat sharing the two woofer speakers among the seat sharing the one woofer speaker and the seat sharing the other woofer speaker. In this case, if only one of the woofer speakers or the other woofer speaker is output, the power consumption can be further suppressed.

  By changing the direction of the main speakers 13a to 13d, the sound image can be localized at a higher position, or the sound can be spread out. Hereinafter, this point will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the orientations of the main speakers 13a to 13d.

  Here, (A) in the figure shows the normal orientation of the main speakers 13a to 13d, and (B) in the figure shows the orientation of the main speakers 13a to 13d when the sound image is localized at a higher position. (C) of the figure shows the directions of the main speakers 13a to 13d in the case where a sense of sound expansion is produced. Here, the direction of the main speaker 13a is shown as an example.

  As shown to (A) of the figure, the main speaker 13a is normally arrange | positioned toward a passenger so that a direct sound may reach a passenger (refer (A-1) of the figure). In addition to the direct sound from the main speaker 13a, the passenger also receives reflected sound that is output from the main speaker 13a and reflected by the side glasses 51b and 51c (see (A-2) in the figure). .

  However, since it is difficult to install the main speaker 13a at the height of the passenger's ear, the sound image is localized at a position lower than the passenger's ear. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the sound image is to be localized at a higher position, the main speaker 13a is installed upward, and the passenger reflects the reflected sound reflected by the windshield 51a. You may do it. In this way, the sound image can be localized at a position close to the passenger's ear.

  In addition, when it is desired to make the sound spread more than usual, as shown in (C) of the figure, the main speaker 13a faces outward, and the reflected sound mainly from the side glasses 51b and 51c is given to the passenger. You may make it reach.

  In the embodiment described above, a woofer speaker has been described as an example of a speaker that outputs a sound in a lower range than the main speaker. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a sound in a lower range than the main speaker is used. May be a speaker other than a woofer speaker.

  As described above, the in-vehicle sound field control device according to the present invention is useful when it is desired to give the passenger a sound effect suitable for each boarding position while suppressing the number of speakers installed in the passenger compartment. In particular, it is suitable for application to a small vehicle in which it is difficult to install a large number of woofer speakers.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vehicle-mounted sound field control apparatus 11a-11d Seat sensor 12a Right woofer 12b Left woofer 13a-13d Main speaker 14 Control part 14a On-off control part

Claims (6)

A vehicle-mounted sound field control device that controls a sound field in a vehicle using a main speaker and a speaker that outputs sound in a lower frequency range than the main speaker,
The main speaker is
Provided for each seat in the vehicle,
The speaker is
The on-vehicle sound field control device is provided at a position that is smaller than the number of seats and is shared by a plurality of seats. The speaker is
A position shared between one seat and another seat positioned on a plane that divides the one seat symmetrically, and any position between the one seat and the other seat The on-vehicle sound field control device according to claim 1, wherein the on-vehicle sound field control device is provided. The speaker is
The in-vehicle sound field control device according to claim 2, wherein the on-vehicle sound field control device is provided in a lower portion of the one seat or the other seat. Seating detection means for detecting whether a passenger is seated on the seat;
When seating on any one of the one seat and the other seat is detected by the seating detection means, output of the speaker is started, and either of the one seat or the other seat is started. 4. The vehicle-mounted sound field control device according to claim 2, further comprising: a control unit that stops the output of the speaker when the seating detection means is not detected by the seating detection unit. 5. A voice recognition means for recognizing human voice,
The control means includes
The in-vehicle sound field control device according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein the output of the speaker is started or stopped based on the content of the voice recognized by the voice recognition means. The speaker is
It is a woofer speaker, The vehicle-mounted sound field control apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-5 characterized by the above-mentioned.

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