JP2016136189A - Acoustic radiation device for consciousness control - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an acoustic radiation device for consciousness control capable of allowing a target sound to be easily heard (providing an environment that enables concentration on the target sound), in a case where the target sound and noise exist in the same space, by muffling the noise.SOLUTION: The acoustic radiation device comprises acoustic radiation means 32 for consciousness control that is disposed closer to a noise generation source side than a consciousness control area 23, which is an area that allows the target sound to be easily heard, and radiates a sound for consciousness control, and a control device 33 that comprises a noise detection part configured to detect the noise or the noise generation source, and controls the acoustic radiation means 32 for consciousness control. The control device 33 causes the acoustic radiation means 32 for consciousness control to radiate the sound for consciousness control according to the noise or the noise generation source that has detected by the noise detection part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a sound emission device for consciousness control for making a sound environment in a residential space comfortable.

  Conventionally, various techniques for preventing sound leakage using a masking effect have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). The masking effect means that when two kinds of sound signals are propagated in the same space, one of the sounds (noise) is drowned out by the other sound (masking sound) and the noise is difficult to hear. It is a phenomenon. Many of this type of technology emits a masking sound toward an area where a speaker that is a source of a target sound is present, and an area adjacent to the target sound through a wall or a partition. In addition, as a masking sound, a human voice, an air-conditioning sound, a natural sound (for example, a wind and a wave), etc. are used.

  For example, when a meeting is being held in a conference area in an environment where the work area and the conference area are adjacent to each other, in order to make it difficult to hear (mask) the voice (noise) of the conference person in the work area adjacent to the conference area. The sound (masking sound) is emitted. This is a technology based on the idea of speech privacy. By doing this, the voice of the conference person is propagated to the work area so that the person in the work area is not inconvenienced. Information is not leaked to people in the area.

Japanese Patent No. 5103953 JP 2012-194528 A

  However, in the conventional techniques as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, if the target sound that is the sound that you want to hear exists in the same space in addition to the noise that you do not want to hear, both sounds are masked. There is a problem that the target sound becomes difficult to hear due to masking.

  The above technology can also be applied to general households. However, if air conditioning sound is used as a masking sound to eliminate the sound of a ventilating fan in a general household, for example, it is possible to obtain a temporary effect on the sound of the ventilating fan. However, there is a problem that the masking sound is heard as noise due to the difference in frequency characteristics. In addition, when natural sounds are used as masking sounds, they are sounds that are not heard in ordinary households, so hearing such sounds gives an unnatural sense of hearing and is also psychologically psychological. There was also the problem of giving discomfort.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems. When the target sound is present in the same space in addition to the noise, the noise is not conspicuous and the target sound is easy to hear (concentrate on the target sound). It is an object of the present invention to provide a sound emission device for consciousness control that can be made into an environment capable of being used.

  The consciousness control sound emission device according to the present invention is arranged on the noise source side of the consciousness control area, which is an area that makes it easy to hear the target sound, and emits consciousness control sound, and noise Or a control device that controls the consciousness control sound radiating means, the control device according to the noise detected by the noise detection unit or the noise generation source. The consciousness control sound is emitted from the consciousness control sound radiating means.

  According to the sound emission device for consciousness control according to the present invention, a person in the consciousness control area is radiated from the same direction as the noise by emitting the consciousness control sound, which is a sound for urgent attention (human interest, etc.). Can recognize the noise and the sound for consciousness control as one sound, so that when the target sound is in the same living space in addition to the noise, the consciousness control sound of the person in the consciousness control area This makes it easier to hear the target sound, making the noise less noticeable.

It is a side view which shows the example of introduction of the sound emission apparatus for consciousness control which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the basic composition of the control apparatus of the sound emission apparatus for consciousness control which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a control flow figure of the sound radiating device for consciousness control concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a figure which shows the time-axis waveform measured with the sound measurement means of the sound emission apparatus for consciousness control which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the frequency characteristic which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the evaluation result by the presence or absence of radiation | emission of the sound for consciousness control in the sound radiating device for consciousness control which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. Moreover, in the following drawings, the relationship of the size of each component may be different from the actual one.

Embodiment.
FIG. 1 is a side view showing an introduction example of a sound control device for consciousness control according to an embodiment of the present invention.
In this embodiment, in order to make the sound environment in the living space 100 comfortable, the sound for consciousness control is used. FIG. 1 shows an example in which a consciousness control sound emitting device is introduced into a living space 100 of a general home. The living space 100 includes an open kitchen 10 and a living room 20 adjacent to each other, and these are counters 12. It is partitioned. A dotted line in FIG. 1 indicates a boundary line between the open kitchen 10 and the living room 20. In this embodiment, the case where the consciousness control sound emitting means 32 is 2 ch is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be 1 ch or 3 ch or more.

  The consciousness control sound radiating device according to the present embodiment radiates consciousness control sound, which is a sound urging human attention (such as interest), from the same direction as the noise. Then, let the listener recognize the noise and the consciousness control sound as one sound (sound together), and direct the listener's consciousness to the consciousness control sound that is not unpleasant sound, so that the noise that is unpleasant sound Make it inconspicuous. By doing so, it is easy to hear the target sound (to make it possible to concentrate on the target sound).

  In the present embodiment, the ventilation fan 11 in the open kitchen 10 is used as a noise generation source (hereinafter referred to as a noise generation source), and the TV 21 in the living room 20 is used as a target sound generation source (hereinafter referred to as a target sound generation source). Explained as an example. In addition, the viewer 40 who is sitting on the sofa 22 in the living room 20 and watching the TV 21 is set as the consciousness control sound target, and the sofa 22 and the viewer 40 are the noise generating source 11 and the target sound generating source. It is located in the consciousness control area 23 with the TV 21.

  Note that the consciousness control sound target person is a person who can easily hear the target sound by emitting the consciousness control sound, and the consciousness control area 23 is an area where the consciousness control sound target person is present. This is an area where the target sound can be easily heard by making the noise inconspicuous with the consciousness control sound.

  As the consciousness control sound, a sound having frequency characteristics different from the frequency characteristics of the noise and urging human attention (such as interest) is used in order to prevent the noise from being a concern. In the present embodiment, the fundamental frequency of musical tones (including overtones) determined to be unpleasant from the results of subjective evaluation experiments conducted in advance and physiological reaction experiments (such as heartbeats, brain waves, etc.) is used. Then, a “single sound” of a fundamental frequency of various musical instruments with little fluctuation in sound pressure level, a “vibrato sound” obtained by modulating a single sound of the fundamental frequency, a “chord” by a combination of two or more fundamental frequencies, and the like are used.

  As the types of musical tones, there are stringed instruments, wind instruments, percussion instruments, woodwind instruments, musical instruments having a resonance mechanism (such as harmonica), and keyboard instruments (such as a pipe organ) in which the resonance frequency is reproduced. Then, based on the results of the subjective evaluation experiment, physiological reaction evaluation experiment, etc., the type of musical sound according to the frequency characteristics of each noise, the single sound, the vibrato sound, the chord, etc. are selected and used as the consciousness control sound.

  In addition, there exist a dishwasher, an air-conditioner, a refrigerator, a microwave oven etc. as noise sources other than the ventilation fan 11, and there exist a radio, a component, a musical instrument etc. as another target sound generation source.

  When the cooker 41 in the open kitchen 10 operates the ventilation fan 11 for cooking, the sound of the ventilation fan 11 (hereinafter also referred to as noise) is generated in the living room 20 as indicated by the arrow 13 in FIG. It propagates to the viewer 40 who is watching. Therefore, it becomes difficult for the viewer 40 to hear the sound (target sound) propagated from the TV 21 as indicated by the arrow 24 shown in FIG.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the consciousness control sound is radiated from the same direction as the noise, and the consciousness control sound target is made to recognize the noise and the consciousness control sound as one sound (sound together), and consciousness control is performed. By making consciousness to the sound, the sound (noise) of the ventilation fan 11 is made inconspicuous, and the viewer 40 can easily hear the sound (target sound) of the TV 21.

  The consciousness control sound radiating device according to the present embodiment includes a sound measuring means 31, a consciousness control sound radiating means 32, and a control device 33.

  The sound measuring means 31 is composed of a microphone or the like, measures sound (sound wave) at an installation location (in this embodiment, the open kitchen 10), and is installed in the vicinity of the ventilation fan 11 that is a noise generation source. . The reason for this is to detect the acoustic characteristics of the noise as accurately as possible because the sound varies depending on the position in the same living space 100 and the acoustic characteristics (sound pressure level, frequency characteristics, etc.) also differ. This is because an accurate acoustic characteristic of noise is detected, an optimal consciousness control sound is selected based on the detected acoustic characteristic, and an optimal sound pressure level is adjusted.

The consciousness control sound radiating means 32 is configured by a speaker or the like, and radiates consciousness control sound, and is arranged closer to the ventilation fan 11 that is a noise generation source than the consciousness control area 23. This is because the consciousness control sound is radiated from the same direction as the noise so that the consciousness control sound subject recognizes the noise and the consciousness control sound as one sound.
Furthermore, the consciousness control sound radiation means 32 is disposed in the vicinity of the ventilation fan 11. Specifically, it may be arranged at a position within one wavelength of the maximum frequency component that the frequency characteristics of the sound of the ventilation fan 11 want to eliminate (the sound is not conspicuous).

  Here, the sound of the TV 21 is various media such as music, dramas, movies and news depending on the broadcast / reproduction medium, and it is difficult to say that the sound has a stationary acoustic characteristic. In addition, although there is a gender difference in the voice related to the person included in the broadcast, it has a characteristic having a characteristic amount in a frequency band from 500 Hz to around 3 kHz.

  As a human auditory characteristic, 1 kHz has a characteristic that is most easily audible, as can be seen in a known Zicker loudness curve (not shown), and the auditory response is low at low frequencies. Further, it is known that the frequency band up to around 3 kHz is the most easily audible frequency band in consideration of the age as well as the high frequency.

  Actually, the frequency characteristic of the sound propagated from the TV 21 or the like propagates the sound that can be explained in the frequency band of 500 Hz to 3 kHz. Therefore, in order to make it easy to hear the sound from the TV 21 or the like, it is important that the sound in the band of 500 Hz to 3 kHz can be heard reliably.

For this reason, the frequency component to be eliminated (in the frequency characteristic of noise) is one or more peak frequency components that give audible discomfort in the frequency characteristic of noise existing in the band of 500 Hz to 3 kHz. The maximum frequency component to be erased is the highest frequency component among the peak frequency components.
The band of 500 Hz to 3 kHz corresponds to the “specific frequency band” of the present invention.

  For example, when the noise source is the device A and the maximum frequency component f = 1 kHz to be eliminated in the frequency characteristics of the noise of the device A, assuming that the sound velocity c = 340 m / s, the one wavelength λ = c / f Since = 340/1000 = 0.34 m, the consciousness control sound radiating means 32 is disposed at a position within 0.34 m from the device A.

  In the frequency characteristics of the sound of the ventilation fan 11, the maximum frequency component to be erased is “within one wavelength” in order to make the consciousness control sound subject recognize the consciousness control sound and noise as one sound. The reason why the frequency characteristic of the sound of the ventilation fan 11 is within one wavelength of the “maximum” frequency component to be erased is to prevent the phase of the consciousness control sound from deviating from the phase of the noise.

  Here, the consciousness control sound radiating means 32 is disposed at a position opposite to the ventilation fan 11 with respect to the consciousness control area 23, or is disposed at a position farther than one wavelength of the maximum frequency component to be erased of the ventilation fan 11. Then, the consciousness control sound target person recognizes the consciousness control sound and the noise as separate sounds. In that case, the noise for the consciousness control sound is recognized as one sound by the target person, and the consciousness control sound that is not unpleasant is directed toward the consciousness control sound, so that the unpleasant noise is conspicuous. It becomes impossible to lose. Moreover, if the phase of the consciousness control sound deviates from the phase of the noise, those sounds become unpleasant sounds for the consciousness control sound subject.

  Further, when there are a plurality of noise generation sources, the noise generation source that generates the noise having the highest maximum frequency component to be deleted may be arranged at a position within one wavelength of the maximum frequency component to be deleted.

  For example, there are three noise generation sources, device A, device B, and device C, the maximum frequency component f = 1 kHz to be erased in the frequency characteristics of the noise of device A, and the maximum frequency to be erased in the frequency characteristics of the noise of device B. When the frequency component f = 1.5 kHz and the maximum frequency component f = 2 kHz to be eliminated in the frequency characteristics of the noise of the device C, it is the device C that generates the noise having the highest maximum frequency component. Since one wavelength λ = c / f = 340/2000 = 0.17 m, the consciousness control sound radiating means 32 is disposed within 0.17 m from the device C.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the sound measuring means 31 and the consciousness control sound emitting means 32 are installed on the ceiling, but the present invention is not limited to this.
Further, the positions of the sound measuring means 31 and the consciousness control sound emitting means 32 may be reversed.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of the control device 33 of the consciousness control sound emitting device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
The control device 33 selects the consciousness control sound in accordance with the noise (the operating state of the noise generation source), adjusts the sound pressure level, and then reproduces the consciousness control sound (from the consciousness control sound radiating means 32 to the consciousness control). For example, a CPU and a memory. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 2, the sound detection part 33a, the operation | movement detection part 33b, the sound processing part 33c for consciousness control, and the memory | storage part 33d are provided.

  The sound detection unit 33a detects the sound characteristics (sound pressure level, frequency characteristics, etc.) of the noise based on the sound (analog signal) measured by the sound measuring means 31. Specifically, after converting an analog signal into a digital signal by an A / D conversion unit (not shown) composed of an A / D converter or the like, a fast Fourier transform (FFT) process is performed, so that acoustic characteristics of noise are obtained. (Sound pressure level, frequency characteristics, etc.) can be detected.

The operation detection unit 33b detects the operation state of the noise generation source (the presence / absence of the operation and the intensity of the operation (weak, medium, strong, etc.)).
Note that the sound environment in an ordinary home changes depending on the arrangement of furniture in the living space 100, but once the installation of the rough furniture is completed, the furniture in the room is not changed or the installation location is not changed by a pattern change or the like. Generally, it does not change as much as possible. Therefore, if the acoustic characteristics in each operation state of each noise generation source are first detected and stored in the storage unit 33d, the operation state of the noise generation source can be obtained without actually measuring sound from the next time. It is possible to detect the acoustic characteristics of noise generated from the sound.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the operation state of the noise source is detected by detecting the state of the switch 34 of the noise source. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a HEMS (Home Energy Management System) is introduced. In an environment where the noise is generated, the operation state of the noise generation source may be detected based on information obtained from the HEMS.

  The consciousness control sound processing unit 33c selects the consciousness control sound according to the acoustic characteristics of the noise detected by the acoustic detection unit 33a or the operation state of the noise source detected by the motion detection unit 33b, and the sound pressure level is selected. Make adjustments and play consciousness control sounds.

  Here, the sound for consciousness control (single sound, chord, vibrato sound, etc.) that is most effective for each noise (and its intensity) is determined in advance based on the results of subjective evaluation experiments, physiological reaction evaluation experiments, etc. The information regarding the combination of the acoustic characteristics of the noise (or the operating state of the noise generating source) and the consciousness control sound and the information regarding the acoustic characteristics of each consciousness control sound are stored in the storage unit 33d in advance. And the sound for consciousness control according to the acoustic characteristic (operation state of a noise generation source) of the detected noise is selected based on the information of the memory | storage part 33d.

  Further, the sound pressure level of the consciousness control sound is adjusted according to the detected sound pressure level of the noise (the intensity of the operation of the noise generating source). The adjustment of the sound pressure level of the consciousness control sound is performed so that the average sound pressure level of the peak in the frequency characteristic of the consciousness control sound is about 3 dB lower than the average sound pressure level of the peak in the frequency characteristic of the noise. It is good to do. The reason for adjusting the sound pressure level in this way is that the highest effect was obtained from the evaluation result described later.

  As described above, the consciousness control sound that is most effective for the detected noise can be reproduced.

  Regarding the determination of the consciousness control sound that is most effective for each noise, the sound having the frequency characteristic in which the peak exists in a band other than the frequency band in which the peak in the frequency characteristic of the noise exists is referred to as the consciousness control sound. Good. The purpose of doing so is to make the consciousness control sound subject to the consciousness control sound and to make the consciousness control sound less noticeable. Therefore, the noise can be made inconspicuous by matching the peak of the consciousness control sound to a band other than the frequency band where the peak, which is a characteristic frequency characteristic of noise, exists.

In this embodiment, both the sound measurement means 31, the sound detection unit 33a, and the operation detection unit 33b are provided, but at least one of them is provided, and noise (the operation state of the noise generation source) is provided. It only has to be detected.
In the present embodiment, the storage unit 33d is provided in the control device 33. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration provided outside the control device 33 may be employed.

  The acoustic detection unit 33a and the motion detection unit 33b correspond to the “noise detection unit” of the present invention.

  FIG. 3 is a control flow diagram of the consciousness control sound radiating device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a time measured by the sound measuring means 31 of the consciousness control sound radiating device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an axial waveform, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing frequency characteristics according to the embodiment of the present invention. 4, the horizontal axis indicates time (mS), the vertical axis indicates output voltage (V), the horizontal axis in FIG. 5 indicates frequency (Hz), and the vertical axis indicates amplitude (dB). ing. 4A shows the time axis waveform (analog signal) of the ventilation fan 11, and FIG. 4B shows the time axis waveform (analog signal) of the TV 21.

Hereinafter, the operation of the consciousness control sound emitting apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the control flow of FIG.
First, the sound measurement means 31 measures the sound of the place where it is installed (open kitchen 10), and the sound detection unit 33a measures the sound characteristics (sound pressure level, frequency characteristics, etc.) of the sound of the ventilation fan 11 (noise). Is detected (step S1a). At this time, when the power of the TV 21 is turned off, the sound of the TV 21 is not mixed with the sound measured by the sound measuring means 31, so that the acoustic characteristics of the sound of the ventilation fan 11 can be easily detected.

  After the time axis waveform (analog signal) of the ventilation fan 11 shown in FIG. 4A measured by the sound measuring means 31 is converted into a digital signal, fast Fourier transform (FFT) processing is performed, whereby the ventilation fan 11 shown in FIG. Frequency characteristics can be obtained.

  As shown in FIG. 4, since the analog signal of the ventilation fan 11 has a periodic change in output voltage with respect to time, the ventilation fan 11 continues to emit sound having the frequency characteristics shown in FIG. 5. On the other hand, since the analog signal of the TV 21 has a non-periodic change in output voltage with respect to time, sound having different frequency characteristics is radiated with time. Therefore, using these characteristics, even if the sound of the ventilation fan 11 and the sound of the TV 21 are mixed, those sounds can be discriminated.

  Next, if it is detected whether or not noise has been generated based on the acoustic characteristics of the sound of the ventilation fan 11 detected as described above, or if the previous generation of noise has been detected, the noise level is changed. It is detected whether it has been performed (step S2). The result measured by the sound measuring means 31 is stored in the storage unit 33d or the like. By doing so, it is possible to detect whether noise is newly generated and whether the noise level has been changed when the sound is next measured.

  Here, detection of whether or not noise is generated by the sound detection unit 33a is performed based on whether or not the sound pressure level detected by the sound detection unit 33a is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. Also, whether or not the noise level has been changed is determined by whether or not the sound pressure level detected by the sound detection unit 33a has changed by a predetermined value or more compared to the previous time.

  Alternatively, the operation detection unit 33b detects the operating state of the ventilation fan 11 (noise generation source) (step S1b), and whether the ventilation fan 11 is operating, that is, whether noise is generated or whether the previous noise is generated. If it is detected that the operation is being performed, it is detected whether the intensity of the operation has been changed, that is, whether the noise level has been changed (step S2). The result of detecting the operation state of the noise generation source by the operation detection unit 33b is stored in the storage unit 33d or the like. By doing so, it is possible to detect whether noise is newly generated and whether the noise level is changed when the operating state of the noise source is next detected.

  Here, the detection of whether or not noise is generated by the motion detection unit 33b is performed based on whether or not the power is turned on according to the operation state of the noise generation source detected by the motion detection unit 33b. Whether or not the noise level has been changed is determined by whether or not the operation intensity (weak, medium, strong, etc.) has been changed according to the operation state of the noise generation source detected by the operation detection unit 33b.

  If it is detected that the noise is generated or the noise level is changed (Yes in step S2), the consciousness control sound processing unit 33c detects the acoustic characteristics of the noise detected by the acoustic detection unit 33a, Or the sound for consciousness control is selected according to the operation state of the noise generation source detected by the operation detection unit 33b, and the sound pressure level is adjusted (step S3).

  At this time, a consciousness control sound having frequency characteristics as shown in FIG. 5 is selected as the consciousness control sound corresponding to the ventilation fan 11. This sound for consciousness control is a chord of violin vibrato, cello, and bassoon, and is a sound having a frequency characteristic in which a peak exists in a band other than the frequency band in which the peak in the frequency characteristic of the ventilation fan 11 exists.

  For noise having the frequency characteristics of the ventilation fan 11 shown in FIG. 5, information on the combination of noise and consciousness control sound so that the vibrato, cello, and bassoon chords shown in FIG. Information on the acoustic characteristics of each consciousness control sound is stored in the storage unit 33d. Further, the sound pressure level is adjusted so that the average sound pressure level of the peak in the frequency characteristic of the consciousness control sound is about 3 dB lower than the average sound pressure level of the peak in the frequency characteristic of the noise.

  When the consciousness control sound is selected and the sound pressure level is adjusted, the consciousness control sound processing unit 33c reproduces the consciousness control sound (the consciousness control sound emitting means 32 emits the consciousness control sound) ( Step S4).

  Thereafter, the acoustic characteristics (sound pressure level, frequency characteristics, etc.) are detected again by the acoustic detector 33a (step S1a), or the operation state of the noise generating source is detected by the motion detector 33b (step S1b). If the characteristic (the operating state of the noise source) has changed, the consciousness control sound is also changed accordingly.

  As described above, according to the sound emission device for consciousness control according to the present embodiment, the acoustic characteristic of noise (or the operating state of the noise generation source) is detected, and the acoustic characteristic of the detected noise (or the noise generation source) The consciousness control sound is selected according to the operating state, the sound pressure level is adjusted, and the consciousness control sound is radiated from the same direction as the noise. Then, the consciousness control sound target person is made to recognize the noise and the consciousness control sound as one sound (sound together), and the consciousness control sound object that is not unpleasant sound is directed to the consciousness control sound target person's consciousness. By making it, the noise that is an unpleasant sound becomes inconspicuous. By doing so, when the target sound is present in the same space in addition to the noise, the target sound can be easily heard (the environment can be concentrated on the target sound).

  In the present embodiment, the sound detection unit 33a or the motion detection unit 33b detects that noise is generated or the noise level is changed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It may be detected by By doing so, it is possible to detect that noise is generated more accurately or that the noise level is changed.

  Alternatively, the consciousness control sound may be selected and the sound pressure level may be manually adjusted by the consciousness control sound subject using a remote controller (not shown). Then, by storing the information (hereinafter referred to as manual setting information) together with the noise information at that time in the storage unit 33d or the like, the next time the noise is detected, the preference of the consciousness control sound subject The consciousness control sound can be selected and the sound pressure level can be adjusted in consideration of the above.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an evaluation result based on whether or not the consciousness control sound is emitted in the consciousness control sound radiating device according to the embodiment of the present invention. In addition, (a) is an auditory response to the sound (noise) of the ventilation fan 11 by the presence or absence of the consciousness control sound, and (b) is the sound of the TV 21 (target sound) by the presence or absence of the consciousness control sound. As for the sensitivity of hearing, the results of subjective evaluation on a seven-step semantic scale using adjective pairs for 50 normal hearing persons sitting on the sofa 22 of the living room 20 shown in FIG. 1 are shown.

  In FIG. 6, ■ indicates that the consciousness control sound is not emitted, ○ indicates that the consciousness control sound (A type) is emitted, and △ indicates the result that the consciousness control sound (B type) is emitted. Between ♦, ○, and △ between ◆ and ◆ indicates the deviation range by 50 people. Note that the consciousness control sound (A type) is a consciousness control sound in which the average sound pressure level of the peak in the frequency characteristic is equivalent to the average sound pressure level of the peak in the frequency characteristic of the noise. The control sound (B type) is a consciousness control sound whose average sound pressure level of the peak in the frequency characteristic is 3 dB lower than the average sound pressure level of the peak in the frequency characteristic of noise.

  As shown in FIG. 6 (a), according to a normal hearing person sitting on the sofa 22 in the living room 20, there is a large proportion of feeling that the sound of the ventilation fan 11 is "uncomfortable" without radiating the consciousness control sound. However, with the presence of consciousness control sound (A type), the percentage of people who feel “neither” increases, and with the presence of consciousness control sound (type B), the percentage of feeling “not uncomfortable”. You can see that it is increasing. That is, it can be confirmed that the sound of the ventilation fan 11 has become difficult to hear by emitting the consciousness control sound (the noise has become inconspicuous), and the consciousness control sound (type B) feels most uncomfortable. Can be confirmed. This is because when the consciousness control sound and noise are played back at the same sound pressure level, various sounds will appear to be generated at random, and the consciousness control sound will be used to raise the consciousness of a normal hearing person. It is because it cannot be made to disappear.

  Therefore, various sounds seem to be generated randomly by lowering the average sound pressure level of the peak in the frequency characteristic of the consciousness control sound relative to the average sound pressure level of the peak in the frequency characteristic of the noise. Can be suppressed, and the consciousness control sound can be directed to the normal hearing person. And, the most comfortable feeling from the evaluation result is when the average sound pressure level of the peak in the frequency characteristic of the consciousness control sound is lowered by about 3 dB at maximum with respect to the average sound pressure level of the peak in the frequency characteristic of the noise. It is.

  In addition, if the average sound pressure level of the peak in the frequency characteristic of the consciousness control sound is lower than 3 dB with respect to the average sound pressure level of the peak in the frequency characteristic of the noise, the consciousness control sound gradually increases. However, the noise will be noticeable and it will make you feel uncomfortable. Therefore, it is preferable that the average sound pressure level of the peak in the frequency characteristic of the consciousness control sound is within 5 dB at the maximum with respect to the average sound pressure level of the peak in the frequency characteristic of the noise.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, according to the hearing normal person sitting on the sofa 22 in the living room 20, there is a high ratio that the sound of the TV 21 feels “difficult to hear” without radiation of the consciousness control sound. , When there is radiation of consciousness control sound (A type), the rate of feeling “Neither” increases, and when consciousness control sound (Type B) is radiated, the rate of feeling “sufficiently heard” increases. I understand that. That is, it can be confirmed that the sound of the TV 21 is easily heard by emitting the consciousness control sound (the environment where the target sound can be concentrated). Furthermore, it can be confirmed that the consciousness control sound (B type) is most effective.

  In the present embodiment, the example in which the consciousness control sound emitting device is introduced into the living space 100 including the open kitchen 10 and the living room 20, which is a relatively narrow space, is illustrated. It may be introduced into the space. In that case, the acoustic characteristics of the sound propagating in a wide space can be obtained by installing the sound measuring means 31 at a plurality of locations and measuring in the same manner. In addition, when there are a plurality of noise generating sources, the sound emission means 32 for consciousness control is installed in the vicinity of each noise, so that the noise is not conspicuous over a wide range and the target sound can be easily heard (in an environment where the target sound can be concentrated). can do.

  Moreover, although this embodiment demonstrated the case where a noise generation source was the ventilation fan 11, it is not limited to it, Other noise generation sources may be sufficient, and this invention is applied also when there are multiple noise generation sources. Can do.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Open kitchen, 11 Exhaust fan, 12 Counter, 13 Arrow, 20 Living, 21 TV, 22 Sofa, 23 Consciousness control area, 24 arrow, 31 Sound measurement means, 32 Consciousness control sound emission means, 33 Control device, 33a Sound detection Part, 33b motion detection part, 33c sound processing part for consciousness control, 33d storage part, 34 switch, 40 viewers, 41 cook, 100 living space.

In addition, ■ in FIG. 6 indicates that the consciousness control sound is not emitted, △ indicates that the consciousness control sound (A type) is emitted, and ○ indicates that the consciousness control sound (B type) is emitted. Between ♦, ○, and △ between ◆ and ◆ indicates the deviation range by 50 people. Note that the consciousness control sound (A type) is a consciousness control sound in which the average sound pressure level of the peak in the frequency characteristic is equivalent to the average sound pressure level of the peak in the frequency characteristic of the noise. The control sound (B type) is a consciousness control sound whose average sound pressure level of the peak in the frequency characteristic is 3 dB lower than the average sound pressure level of the peak in the frequency characteristic of noise.

Claims (9)

A sound emission means for consciousness control that is arranged closer to the noise source than the consciousness control area, which is an area that makes it easy to hear the target sound, and radiates the sound for consciousness control;
A noise detection unit for detecting noise or a noise generation source, and a control device for controlling the consciousness control sound emitting means,
The control device includes:
A consciousness control sound emitting device, wherein the consciousness control sound is radiated from the consciousness control sound radiating means in accordance with the noise detected by the noise detector or a noise generation source. The control device includes:
The consciousness control sound emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the consciousness control sound is selected according to an operation state of the noise generation source detected by the noise detection unit. A storage unit storing information about the combination of the operating state of the noise source and the sound for consciousness control;
The control device includes:
The consciousness control sound emitting device according to claim 2, wherein the consciousness control sound is selected from information stored in the storage unit. It is arranged on the noise generation source side from the consciousness control area, and comprises sound measuring means for measuring sound,
The control device includes:
The noise detection unit detects an acoustic characteristic of noise based on the analog signal measured by the sound measuring unit, and selects the consciousness control sound according to the acoustic characteristic of the noise. The sound emission device for consciousness control according to claim 1. A storage unit storing information on the combination of the acoustic characteristics of the noise and the sound for consciousness control;
The control device includes:
The sound emission device for consciousness control according to claim 4, wherein the consciousness control sound is selected from information in the storage unit. The control device includes:
The sound pressure level is adjusted so that the average sound pressure level of the peak in the frequency characteristic of the consciousness control sound is 0 to 5 dB lower than the average sound pressure level of the peak in the frequency characteristic of the noise. The consciousness control sound radiating device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The consciousness control sound emitting means includes
It is arrange | positioned in the position within one wavelength of the highest frequency component among the peaks in the frequency characteristic of the noise which exists in a specific frequency band from the said noise generation source. The sound emission device for consciousness control according to claim 1. The fundamental frequency of a musical tone is used for the consciousness control sound. The consciousness control sound radiating device according to any one of claims 1 to 7. The consciousness control sound is
The sound emission device for consciousness control according to any one of claims 1 to 8, which has a frequency characteristic in which a peak exists in a band other than a frequency band in which a peak in the frequency characteristic of noise exists.

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