JP2017224996A - Converter, method thereof, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a converter which can change physical relationship of multiple conversion units capable of converting a wave into a signal in certain constraints, can be used by a user for uses other than those intended by a manufacturer, and the like, and can be used without requiring any special operation for the user, and to provide a method and a program thereof.SOLUTION: A converter 100 includes M m-th conversion units capable of converting a wave into a signal, where M is an integer of 2 or more, and m=1, 2, ..., M, and a support 102 for changing physical relationship of the M m-th conversion units by deforming while supporting. The support 102 consists of one or more members, and when consisting of two or more members, certain member is connected with at least one other member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a conversion technique for converting a wave into a signal or a signal into a wave. Here, the wave includes a sound wave, an electromagnetic wave and the like. The sound wave has a frequency of about 20 to 20 kHz. The electromagnetic wave includes a light wave, a radio wave, and the like. The light wave is an electromagnetic wave having a wavelength of about 400 to 750 nm (frequency is 750 THz to 400 THz), and the radio wave is an electromagnetic wave having a frequency of about 3 THz or less. Further, the signal here is a signal encoded and encoded for transmitting information, and the medium may be electricity, sound, light, radio wave, or the like.

  There is a microphone as a conversion means for converting a sound wave into an electric signal, and signal processing using an output signal of a microphone array composed of a plurality of microphones has been studied for many years. There are various techniques for increasing the sensitivity of sound in the direction in which sound is desired to be collected by directivity control using signal processing. A typical example is a delay sum array. However, in these techniques, the position of the microphone is basically fixed, and various parameters and filter coefficients are designed on the assumption that they are known. When the position of the microphone is unknown, it is difficult to apply a process for enhancing sound in a desired direction.

  There are two conventional approaches to solving such problems. The first is a method of completely fixing the microphone so that the position of the microphone does not change. This method is used when a microphone is mounted on the terminal.

  The second method is to estimate the parameters by measuring the system even if the microphone is located at an unknown location. For example, a technique is known in which a known signal is sounded in advance from a speaker or the like to measure characteristics between a sound source and a microphone (see Non-Patent Document 1).

Asano, “Sound Array Signal Processing”, Corona, pp. 22-23, 2011.

  However, in the first approach, there arises a problem that the user can use the microphone only for the intended use intended by the manufacturer or the like who developed the terminal.

  Further, in the case of the second approach, the above-described advance preparation is necessary, and the hurdle is high for general users to perform. Also, in the case of a system that requires preparation from the user, extra hardware and computational resources are required to operate algorithms for measurement and estimation, so it can be said that it is not desirable to install them on terminals with limited resources. .

  The present invention makes it possible to change the positional relationship of a plurality of conversion units capable of converting a wave into a signal within a predetermined constraint, and can be used by a user other than the intended use intended by a manufacturer or the like. It is an object of the present invention to provide a conversion device, method and program that can be used without requiring a simple operation.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, according to one aspect of the present invention, the conversion device can convert M into any signal, where M is any integer of 2 or more, and m = 1, 2,. The M m-th conversion unit and a support unit that changes the positional relationship of the M m-th conversion unit by deforming while supporting the M m-th conversion unit, and the support unit is 1 When the support portion is composed of two or more members, a certain member is connected to at least one other member.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, according to another aspect of the present invention, the conversion device converts M into a signal, where M is any integer greater than or equal to 2, m = 1, 2,. Position where M possible m-th conversion units and change in positional relationship between M m-th conversion units are dynamically detected, and the dynamically changing positional relationship of M-th m-th conversion units is acquired. And a relationship acquisition unit.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, according to another aspect of the present invention, the conversion device converts M into a signal, where M is any integer greater than or equal to 2, m = 1, 2,. Calculate a filter obtained from a parameter indicating a relationship between a predetermined position or direction in the space and the M m-th conversion units based on a dynamically changing positional relationship among possible M m-th conversion units or A parameter changing unit to be selected; and a filter unit that uses a filter to change the characteristics of a signal obtained by converting waves emitted from a predetermined position or direction in space in the M m-th conversion units.

  In order to solve the above problem, according to another aspect of the present invention, the conversion method is such that M is any integer greater than or equal to 2, m = 1, 2,..., M, and the parameter changing unit is Based on the dynamically changing positional relationship of the M m-th converters that can convert a wave into a signal, it is obtained from a parameter indicating the relationship between a predetermined position or direction in space and the M m-th converters. The parameter changing step for calculating or selecting the filter to be used differs from the characteristics of the signal obtained by converting the wave emitted from a predetermined position or direction in the space in the M-th m-th conversion unit using the filter. Including a filtering step.

  According to the present invention, the positional relationship between a plurality of conversion units capable of converting a wave into a signal can be changed within a predetermined constraint, and the user can use it for purposes other than the intended use of the manufacturer. There is an effect that it can be used without requiring a special operation.

The functional block diagram of the converter concerning a first embodiment. The figure which shows the example of the processing flow of the converter which concerns on 1st embodiment. 1 is an external view of a conversion device according to a first embodiment. The figure which shows the structure of the microphone movable part of the converter which concerns on 1st embodiment. The figure for demonstrating the method in which a support part changes the positional relationship of a conversion part. The functional block diagram of the parameter change part which concerns on 1st embodiment. The figure which shows the structure of the microphone movable part of the converter which concerns on 1st embodiment. FIG. 8A is a diagram showing a configuration of a microphone movable portion of the conversion device according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 8B is a diagram for explaining a method in which the support portion changes the positional relationship of the conversion portion. The figure which shows the structure of the microphone movable part of the converter which concerns on 3rd embodiment. The figure for demonstrating the method in which a support part changes the positional relationship of a conversion part. The figure which shows the structure of the microphone movable part of the converter which concerns on 4th embodiment. The figure for demonstrating the method in which a support part changes the positional relationship of a conversion part. The figure for demonstrating the method in which a support part changes the positional relationship of a conversion part. The figure which shows the structure of the microphone movable part of the converter which concerns on 5th embodiment. The figure for demonstrating the method in which a support part changes the positional relationship of a conversion part. The figure for demonstrating the method in which a support part changes the positional relationship of a conversion part. The figure which shows the structure of the microphone movable part of the converter which concerns on 6th embodiment. The figure which shows the structural example of the deformation amount acquisition part which concerns on 7th embodiment. The figure which shows the structural example of the deformation amount acquisition part which concerns on 7th embodiment. The functional block diagram of the parameter change part which concerns on 8th embodiment. The functional block diagram of the parameter change part which concerns on 9th embodiment. The functional block diagram of the parameter change part which concerns on 10th embodiment. The functional block diagram of the converter concerning a 12th embodiment. The figure which shows the structure of the microphone movable part of the converter which concerns on 13th embodiment. The figure for demonstrating the method in which a support part changes the positional relationship of a conversion part. The figure which shows the example of a mechanism of a rotation part. The figure which shows the structure of the conversion apparatus which concerns on 14th embodiment. The functional block diagram of the converter concerning a 15th embodiment. The figure which shows the example of the processing flow of the converter which concerns on 15th embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. In the drawings used for the following description, constituent parts having the same function and steps for performing the same process are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. In the following explanation, the symbols “^”, “ ^→ ”, etc. used in the text should be described immediately above the character immediately before, but are described immediately after the character due to restrictions on text notation. . In the formula, these symbols are written in their original positions. Further, the processing performed for each element of a vector or matrix is applied to all elements of the vector or matrix unless otherwise specified.

<First embodiment>
When the user freely changes the arrangement of the microphone array, it is necessary to estimate and change the microphone position or parameter each time. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a loose physical restriction is given to the positional relationship of the conversion unit such as a microphone, and the positional relationship of the conversion unit is specified only by obtaining minimum information. With such a configuration, it is possible to change the shape of the conversion device including the conversion unit without incurring costs for estimating the position of the conversion unit. In addition, by loosely applying physical constraints, it is possible to fix the portions that do not want to be changed by the user, such as the interval between the conversion portions, and the degree of freedom for the user regarding the arrangement of the conversion portions in the entire conversion device. Will be able to give.

  FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of the conversion apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a processing flow thereof, and FIG. 3 is an external view.

The conversion apparatus 100 includes M microphones 101-m, a support unit 102, a deformation amount acquisition unit 103, a parameter change unit 110, a filter unit 120, an AD conversion unit 107, a frequency domain conversion unit 108, and a time domain conversion unit 109. . However, M is an integer of 2 or more, and m = 1, 2,. The conversion device 100 collects sound with M microphones 101-m, and performs a filtering process on the collected signals z ₁ , z ₂ ,..., Z _M so as to enhance sound coming from a predetermined direction. The filtered signal s ₁ (t) is output.

  FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the microphone movable portion (the configuration inside the broken line in FIG. 1) including the M microphones 101-m and the support portion 102.

  The conversion device 100 is installed on a cylindrical object (for example, a rod).

<M microphones 101-m, support section 102>
Sound is collected using M microphones 101-m (s <b> 3), and an analog signal (sound collection signal) is output to the AD conversion unit 107. It is assumed that M microphones 101-m are arranged at equal intervals. However, the following can be implemented if the microphone interval is known individually even if the interval is not equal.

  The M microphones 101-m are supported by the support unit 102.

  The support unit 102 changes the positional relationship of the M m-th conversion units by deforming in a state where the M microphones 101-m are supported.

  Here, the support part 102 which fixes M microphone 101-m of FIG. 4 consists of one member in this embodiment, consists of a circumferential elastic body, and becomes the radius of a column-shaped installation target object. Accordingly, it is elastically deformed to change the positional relationship of the M m-th converters. For this reason, the radius of the circle in a state where no force is applied to the support portion 102 is assumed to be smaller than the radius of the installation target. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the radius of the circle can be changed by elastic deformation. For example, if the user wants to use the microphone array attached to various things, the attached objects (pillars, bars, etc.) are not necessarily the same size, so this function can be used to accommodate various sizes. Prepare. Since the M microphones 101-m are fixed to the circumferential support portion 102, they are arranged in a circle and function as a circular array. Further, the circumferential elastic body overlaps with a part of the circumference, and an overlapping portion in a state where no force is applied to the support portion 102 is indicated by a broken line in FIG.

<Deformation amount acquisition unit 103>
The deformation amount acquisition unit 103 acquires the deformation amount l of the support unit 102 (S 1) and outputs it to the parameter change unit 110. In the present embodiment, the change in the circumference of the support portion 102 is used as information for knowing the radius of the circle formed by the support portion 102 during elastic deformation. Here, as an example, a resistance value detector is used as the deformation amount acquisition unit 103. The support portion 102 is made of a material having electrical resistance (at least a material having electrical resistance is used or a material having electrical resistance is attached to the broken line portion in FIGS. 4 and 5). It is assumed that the resistance detectors are connected at two locations, and the resistance value between the two points is measured via the contact (band fixing portion 103-1) at the fixing portion of the support portion 102. When the circumference of the circle formed by the support portion 102 is changed, the position of the band fixing portion 103-1 is changed, so that the detected resistance value is changed, and the length of the circle circumference formed by the support portion 102 is changed ( The deformation amount l) can be calculated. When the support portion 102 is attached to the installation object, elastically deforms, and the circumference of the circle formed by the support portion 102 increases, the distance between the two points decreases and the resistance value decreases. Since the resistance value decreases as the circumference of the circle formed by the support portion 102 increases, the deformation amount l can be obtained from the resistance value. From the state in which no force is applied to the support portion 102, elastic deformation is possible until one end point connected to the resistance detector reaches the band fixing portion 103-1, and the deformation amount l is limited. Yes, continuous value. For this reason, the positional relationship among the M microphones has a restriction that the M microphones are fixed to the support unit 102, and further has a restriction based on the restriction on the deformation amount l.

<Parameter changing unit 110>
The parameter changing unit 110 includes a parameter calculating unit 111 (see FIG. 6). The parameter calculating unit 111 receives the deformation amount l and inputs a space based on the dynamically changing positional relationship of the M microphones 101-m. A filter obtained from a parameter indicating the relationship between the predetermined position or direction above and the M microphones 101-m is calculated (S2), and is output to the filter unit 120. “Dynamically changing” means changing every time the conversion device is used or during use. In the prior art, the positional relationship between microphones in the microphone array is determined at the time of manufacturing the microphone array and cannot be changed dynamically. Even if the positional relationship can be changed, it is necessary to measure a characteristic between the sound source and the microphone by sounding a known signal from a speaker or the like in advance every time the conversion device is used. In this embodiment, since a gentle physical restriction is imposed on the positional relationship of the microphones, the filter can be easily calculated from the deformation amount l.

  For example, an array manifold vector is used as a parameter indicating the relationship between a predetermined position or direction in space and the M microphones 101-m. The array manifold vector a representing the characteristics of the microphone array is

It can be expressed as. A ^T is the transpose of A, r is the radius of the circle formed by the circular array, λ is the wavelength of the target sound, θ _s is the incident angle of the target sound, θ _d is the angle between the microphones as viewed from the center of the circle , a _m is an element of the array manifold vectors of the m-th microphone 101-m. It is assumed that the sound wave distance attenuation and the plane wave approximation error are negligibly small.

  Assuming that the support portion 102 maintains a circular shape, the radius r 'of the circle when the position of the band fixing portion 103-1 is shifted by the deformation amount l is

Since the distance between the microphones is the same, the angle θ ′ _d between the transformed microphones is

It can be expressed. In this case, θ _d is the angle between the microphones as viewed from the center of the circle formed by the support portion 102 in a state where no force is applied. Also, here, for the sake of description, it is assumed that the angle of the first microphone from the circle center is fixed and the angles of the second and subsequent microphones are changed. Thus, the array manifold vector a can be calculated from the equations (1) and (2-1) only by observing the deformation amount l.

Using the array manifold vector a, a steering vector (hereinafter also referred to as a filter) w corresponding to a certain angle θ _s can be designed by the same method as in the prior art. For example, <1> Filter design method based on S / N ratio maximization criteria described in Reference 1, <2> Filter design method based on Power Inversion, <3> One or more blind spots (noise (4) Filter design method based on the minimum variance distortionless response method with the constraint that the gain is suppressed), <4> Filter design method based on the delay-and-sum beam forming method, and <5> Maximum likelihood method. The filter w can be designed by a filter design method, an <6> AMNOR (Adaptive Microphone-array for Noise Reduction) method, or the like.
[Reference 1] Pamphlet of International Publication No. WO2012 / 086834

  For example, when the delay sum method is used as a base, the filter w is calculated by the following equation and output to the filter unit 120.

Where A ^H represents A's Lumito transpose. For example, in equation (5), when the array manifold vector a can be prepared in advance as a transfer characteristic a (θ) that depends on the direction θ, the filter W (θ) is calculated using a (θ), The filter unit 120 can perform signal processing in a specific direction θ _s . In addition, when the array manifold vector a can be prepared in advance as a transfer characteristic a (θ, D) depending on the direction θ and the distance D, the filter W (θ, D) can be obtained using the transfer characteristic a (θ, D). ) And the filter unit 120 can perform signal processing at a specific position (a position specified by a specific direction θ _s and a distance _DH ).

<AD converter 107>
AD conversion unit 107, M number of analog signal z ₁ picked up by the M microphones 101-m, ..., z _M digital signals _{z (t) = [z 1} (t), ..., z M ( t)] is converted into ^T, and is output to the frequency domain transform unit 108 (s4). t represents a discrete time index.

<Frequency domain converter 108>
First, the frequency domain conversion unit 108 receives the digital signal z (t) = [z ₁ (t),..., Z _M (t)] ^T output from the AD conversion unit 107, and buffers N samples for each channel. To generate a digital signal z (τ) = [z ₁ (τ),..., Z _M (τ)] ^T in units of frames. τ is an index of the frame number. z _m (τ) = [z _m ((τ−1) N + 1),..., z _m (τN)] (1 ≦ m ≦ M). N depends on the sampling frequency, but in the case of 48 kHz sampling, around 2048 points is reasonable. Next, the frequency domain transform unit 108 converts the digital signal z (τ) of each frame into a frequency domain signal z (ω, τ) = [z ₁ (ω, τ),..., Z _M (ω, τ)]. Convert to ^T (s5) and output. ω is an index of discrete frequency. One method for converting a time domain signal to a frequency domain signal is a fast discrete Fourier transform, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other methods for converting to a frequency domain signal may be used. The frequency domain signal z (ω, τ) is output for each frequency ω and frame τ, and the following processing is performed for each frame τ. In the following description, the frame index τ is omitted.

<Filter unit 120>
The filter unit 120 receives the filter w from the parameter change unit 110 in advance, and receives the frequency domain signal z (ω) = [z ₁ (ω),..., Z _M (ω)] ^T from the frequency domain conversion unit 108. . The filter unit 120 calculates the frequency domain signal s ₁ (ω) using the filter w according to the following equation and outputs the signal s ₁ (ω) to the time domain transform unit 109.
s ₁ (ω) = w ^H z (ω)

<Time domain conversion unit 109>
The time domain conversion unit 109 converts the output signal s ₁ (ω) of each frequency ω∈Ω of the τ-th frame into the time domain (s ₇ ), and converts the frame unit time domain signal s ₁ (τ) of the τ-th frame. Then, the obtained frame unit time domain signal s ₁ (τ) is connected in the order of the frame number index to output the time domain signal s ₁ (t). The method for converting the frequency domain signal into the time domain signal is an inverse transform corresponding to the transform method used in the processing of s5, for example, a fast discrete inverse Fourier transform.

<Effect>
With the above configuration, there is an effect that the user can use it for purposes other than the intended use of the manufacturer or the like, and can be used without requiring a special operation from the user.

  Further, in the related art, even if the position of the microphone can be estimated correctly, if the position is unsuitable for signal processing, there is a possibility that the performance of processing that emphasizes sound in a desired direction may not be obtained. For example, when the distance between two microphones is very long with respect to the wavelength of sound, a spatial aliasing distortion occurs widely in the sound band, and desired directivity cannot be obtained. In the conversion device of this embodiment, such a problem is difficult to occur because a gentle physical restriction is imposed on the positional relationship of the conversion units.

<Modification>
In this embodiment, a sound wave is used as a wave, but a radio wave or a light wave may be used, or an electromagnetic wave in another band may be used. In that case, a receiving antenna, a light receiving element, or the like can be used instead of the microphone. In short, it may be a plurality of conversion units capable of converting the same type of wave into a signal. In other words, the waves converted in the M conversion units may be the same type of waves.

  In the present embodiment, the support portion 102 is formed of a circumferential elastic body and is elastically deformed. However, the support portion 102 is in a columnar shape in a state in which M microphones 101-m are supported. Any one may be used as long as it is deformed according to the radius of the installation object and changes the positional relationship of the M m-th conversion units. For example, it may be made of a material with some plasticity, deformed according to the radius of the cylindrical installation target, and change the positional relationship of the M m-th converters.

<Second embodiment>
A description will be given centering on differences from the first embodiment. The configuration of the support unit 102, the processing content of the deformation amount acquisition unit 103, and the parameter change unit 110 are different from the first embodiment.

<Supporting part 102>
7 is a front view of a microphone movable portion (configuration inside the broken line in FIG. 1) including M microphones 101-m and a support portion 102, FIG. 8A is a plan view of the microphone movable portion, and FIG. 8B is a movable method. It is a figure for demonstrating.

  Here, the support unit 102 that fixes the M microphones 101-m in FIG. 7 includes a movable part, and the positional relationship of the M microphones 101-m is changed by the movement of the movable part.

  The support unit 102 has a tripod-like structure, and the M microphones 101-m are attached to the legs of the tripod, and the M microphones 101-m are arranged in a circle (see FIG. 8A). . Here, when moving the foot of the tripod to change the height or width of the foot, an engagement mechanism like a gear is inserted between the foot and the central shaft so that the three feet move in synchronization. When is moved, the three are operated equally (see FIG. 8B).

<Deformation amount acquisition unit 103>
The deformation amount acquisition unit 103 acquires the deformation amount l of the support unit 102 and outputs it to the parameter change unit 110. In the present embodiment, the movement amount of the central axis is acquired as the deformation amount l. The detection method is the same as in the first embodiment. For example, a resistance value detector is used as the deformation amount acquisition unit 103. The shaft and gear of the center of the support portion 102 are made of a material having electrical resistance, and the resistance detector is connected to the lower end of the shaft and the center of the gear. The resistance value shall be measured. When the shaft at the center of the support portion 102 moves, the position of the lower end of the shaft changes, and the distance between the lower end of the shaft and the center of the gear changes, so the detected resistance value changes, and the amount of movement of the shaft (deformation amount l ) Can be calculated. When the axis moves upward, the distance between the two points becomes shorter and the resistance value becomes smaller. Since the resistance value decreases as the axis moves upward, the deformation amount l can be obtained from the resistance value. Further, for example, the amount of rotation of the gear may be detected by a built-in angular position sensor (such as a rotary encoder), and the amount of movement of the central shaft may be calculated from the rotation angle.

<Parameter changing unit 110>
The parameter changing unit 110 includes a parameter calculating unit 111 (see FIG. 6). The parameter calculating unit 111 receives the deformation amount l, calculates a filter w (S2), and outputs it to the filter unit 120.

  When the radius of the gear portion is r2, the angle of the tripod is changed by l / r2 with respect to the deformation amount l. The changed radius of the circular array seen from above is

It is obtained. Here, r1 is the distance from the center of the gear to the shaft, r3 is the distance from the center of the gear to the position of the microphone 101-m, θ _d is the initial value of the angle of the tripod, The tripod angle θ _r is θ _r = (θ _d + l / r 2). If the radius r ′ of the circular array is known, the filter w can be obtained from the equations (4), (1), (2-1), (5) by the same method as in the first embodiment.

<Effect>
By setting it as such a structure, the effect similar to 1st embodiment can be acquired.

<Third embodiment>
A description will be given centering on differences from the first embodiment. The configuration of the support unit 102, the processing content of the deformation amount acquisition unit 103, and the parameter change unit 110 are different from the first embodiment.

<Supporting part 102>
FIG. 9 shows an external view of the conversion device 100. FIG. 10 shows the configuration of the microphone movable portion (the configuration inside the broken line in FIG. 1) including the M microphones 101-m and the support portion 102. As shown in FIG. 9, the conversion device 100 is attached to an installation object having a flat surface.

  The support unit 102 includes two or more members (linear objects), and a certain linear object is connected to at least one other linear object. The support unit 102 has a structure in which a plurality of linear objects are connected as shown in FIG. In other words, the support portion 102 includes a so-called magic hand structure, and includes a plurality of pairs of linear objects that are connected to each other so as to be relatively rotatable at intersection positions (contact points) that intersect substantially in an X shape. The linear object has contacts (three contacts in total) near both ends and at the center.

  In the present embodiment, the M microphones 101-m are arranged on the contact point at the center of the linear object, and the M microphones 101-m are arranged linearly. When the magic hand structure of the support part 102 expands and contracts (the magic hand structure corresponds to a movable part, and the expansion and contraction corresponds to movement), the distance between the microphones changes and the positional relationship changes. Note that the wirings of the M microphones 101-m are gathered at one place through the back side of the linear object.

<Deformation amount acquisition unit 103>
The deformation amount acquisition unit 103 acquires the rotation amount of the linear object included in the magic hand structure as the deformation amount l. For example, at least one of the contacts includes a mechanism for detecting rotation (a rotation amount detector, corresponding to the deformation amount acquisition unit 103). In the example of FIG. 10, it is installed on the back side of the microphone 101-1. Let r be the distance between the contact point at the center of the straight object and the contact point near the end. As in the first embodiment, since the shape is physically restricted, the positional relationship of the microphones can be understood if the rotation amount detected by the deformation amount acquisition unit 103 is known. For example, in the example of FIG. 10, the distance between the microphones increases as the angle θ formed by the two intersecting linear objects decreases. The amount of rotation of a linear object is limited and is a continuous value. The deformation amount acquisition unit 103 may directly calculate the angle θ, or may calculate it by adding the deformation amount l to the angle θ _d formed by two intersecting linear objects.

  By doing so, the shape of the linear array can be maintained, and the distance between the microphones can be measured only by measuring the rotation amount.

<Parameter changing unit 110>
The parameter changing unit 110 includes a parameter calculating unit 111 (see FIG. 6). The parameter calculating unit 111 receives the deformation amount l, calculates a filter w (S2), and outputs it to the filter unit 120.

  If the angle formed by two linear objects detected by the deformation amount acquisition unit 103 is θ, the distance between the microphones is

It is obtained. The array manifold vector a of the linear array is based on the microphone 101-1.

Thus, the filter w can be obtained from the equations (1) and (5) by the same method as in the first embodiment.

<Effect>
With such a configuration, the present invention can be applied to a linear microphone array, and the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

<Fourth embodiment>
A description will be given centering on differences from the third embodiment. The configuration of the support unit 102 and the processing content of the parameter changing unit 110 are different from those of the first embodiment.

<Supporting part 102>
FIG. 11 shows an external view of the conversion device 100. FIG. 12 shows the configuration of the microphone movable portion (the configuration inside the broken line in FIG. 1) including the M microphones 101-m and the support portion 102. As shown in FIG. 11, the conversion device 100 is attached to an installation target having a flat surface. As shown in FIG. 12, the connection of the third embodiment is increased, and a structure in which M microphones 101-m are two-dimensionally arranged. The support unit 102 includes two or more members (linear objects), and a certain linear object is connected to at least one other linear object.

  The support unit 102 has a structure in which a plurality of linear objects are connected as shown in FIG. In other words, the support portion 102 includes a so-called magic hand structure, and includes a plurality of pairs of linear objects that are connected to each other at mutually intersecting positions (contact points) so as to be relatively rotatable.

  The magic hand structure of the third embodiment is connected in the y-axis direction of FIG. Therefore, the linear object has a contact other than the vicinity of the both ends and the center. The distance between the contacts of the linear object is r, and the linear object is provided with a contact at every distance r from the end.

  In the present embodiment, the M microphones 101-m are arranged on contact points other than the ends of the linear object, and the M microphones 101-m are arranged in a planar shape. In FIG. 12, they are arranged on the xy plane. When the magic hand structure of the support portion 102 expands and contracts, the distance between the microphones changes and the positional relationship changes.

  In the case of the example in FIG. 12, when the horizontal row (column in the x-axis direction) where the microphones 101-1 are arranged is the first row and the next lower row is the second row, the odd rows There are T microphones in the eyes and T-1 microphones in the even columns. Here, T is an integer of 2 or more. However, other arrangement methods may be used.

<Parameter changing unit 110>
The parameter changing unit 110 includes a parameter calculating unit 111 (see FIG. 6). The parameter calculating unit 111 receives the deformation amount l, calculates a filter w (S2), and outputs it to the filter unit 120.

The angle formed by the two linear objects detected by the deformation amount acquisition unit 103 is θ (= deformation amount l), and the horizontal and vertical coordinates of the microphone 101-1 are (x ₁ , y ₁ ) = (0 , 0), the coordinates of the microphone 101-m are m = (2T-1) (p-1) + n (where p is an integer greater than or equal to 1, n is 1 ≦ n <2T-1, P, n are uniquely specified)

It is. If the horizontal component of the direction of arrival of the sound wave is θ _sh and the vertical component is θ _sv (see FIG. 13), the delay time τ _m when the sound wave reaches the microphone 101- _m is based on the microphone 101-1.

It is. Here, c is the speed of sound, and θ _sh > 0 and θ _sv > 0. The array manifold vector a _m is
a _m = exp <-jωτ _m > (43)
The filter w can be obtained from the equations (1) and (5).

<Effect>
With such a configuration, the present invention can be applied to a planar microphone array, and the same effects as in the third embodiment can be obtained.

<Fifth embodiment>
A description will be given centering on differences from the first embodiment. The configuration of the support unit 102, the processing content of the deformation amount acquisition unit 103, and the parameter change unit 110 are different from the first embodiment.

<Supporting part 102>
FIG. 14 is an external view of a microphone movable portion (a configuration inside a broken line in FIG. 1) including M microphones 101-m and a support portion 102, and FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining a movable method.

The support portion 102 has a structure like a telescopic baton and includes J jth telescopic portions. The support part 102 is made up of two or more members (jth stretchable part), and a certain jth stretchable part is connected to at least one other jth stretchable part. The total number of microphones attached from the first extendable part to the jth extendable part is M _j, and the total number of microphones attached to the jth extendable part is M _j −M _j−1 . However, j is an integer of 1 ≦ j ≦ J, and M ₀ = 0. The M microphones 101-m are arranged together with the wiring between the storage portions of the adjacent expansion / contraction portions so that the expansion / contraction mechanism is not affected.

  The entire support portion 102 is contracted when the jth expansion / contraction portion of the support portion 102 enters the j-1 expansion / contraction portion, and the entire support portion 102 is expanded when the jth expansion / contraction portion of the support portion 102 exits the j-1 expansion / contraction portion. extend. When the support part 102 expands and contracts (the telescopic structure corresponds to the movable part, and the expansion and contraction corresponds to the movable part), the distance between the microphones changes and the positional relationship changes.

<Deformation amount acquisition unit 103>
The deformation amount acquisition unit 103 acquires the deformation amount l of the support unit 102 (S 1) and outputs it to the parameter change unit 110. Here, a length of the j extensible portion coming out of the j-1 stretch unit as the amount of deformation l _j. As an example, a resistance value detector is used as the deformation amount acquisition unit 103. The support portion 102 is made of a material having electrical resistance, and the resistance detector is connected to the end on the tip side of the j-1 stretchable portion and the end on the root side of the jth stretchable portion. (Refer to FIG. 15), the resistance value between two points shall be measured. Since the distance between the two points changes and the resistance value changes as the jth expansion / contraction part enters the j-1 expansion / contraction part or the jth expansion / contraction part exits the j-1 expansion / contraction part, the storage part Can be calculated, and the length of the jth expansion / contraction part protruding from the j-1 expansion / contraction part can be obtained. In this case, with the J-1 single resistor detector for measuring the resistance value between the first j-1 stretch unit and the j extensible portion acquires J-1 or amount of deformation l _j. Each deformation amount l _j is limited and is a continuous value.

<Parameter changing unit 110>
The parameter changing unit 110 includes a parameter calculating unit 111 (see FIG. 6), and the parameter calculating unit 111 calculates the filter w (S2) and outputs it to the filter unit 120.

The delay time τ _m for the sound wave to reach the microphone for the microphone arranged at the jth expansion / contraction section, that is, the m-th microphone 101-m satisfying M _j−1 + 1 ≦ m ≦ M _j is As standard

It becomes. However, placement of d _j is the end of the distal side of the j extensible portion, shows the distance to the j extensible portion microphone 101-M _j arranged closest to the tip side of the j-th stretching unit with the d _x are shown the distance between adjacent microphones, d _y denotes a microphone which is arranged in the j extensible portion, the radial distance between the microphone disposed in the j-1 stretch unit. If l _j (2 ≦ j ≦ n) except for l ₁ which is a fixed value is detected by the deformation amount acquisition unit 103, this equation can be calculated. The array manifold vector a _m from the delay time tau _m can be found from Equation (43), Equation (1) can be obtained filter w (5).
a _m = exp <-jωτ _m > (43)

Incidentally, in this embodiment, when obtained by stretching, l _j is shortened, there is a microphone hidden in the housing as shown in Figure 16. Therefore, S _j is defined by the following equation.

Note that floor (A) is a function that returns the maximum integer that does not exceed the value A, and MAX (A, B) is a function that returns a larger value of either A or B. α is the length of the margin to adjust so that the microphone is not hidden or too close to the wall. Here, when S _j ≧ 1, there is one or more microphones that are hidden behind the casing, so that the microphone 101- (M _j−1 +1) to the microphone 101- (M _j−1 ) at the jth expansion / contraction part. The process of not using the output signal of + S _j ) is performed.

<Effect>
With such a configuration, the present invention can be applied to a linear microphone array, and the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

<Sixth embodiment>
A description will be given centering on differences from the first embodiment. The configuration of the support unit 102, the processing content of the deformation amount acquisition unit 103, and the parameter change unit 110 are different from the first embodiment.

<Supporting part 102>
FIG. 17 is an external view of a microphone movable portion (a configuration inside a broken line in FIG. 1) including M microphones 101-m and a support portion 102. FIG.

The support portion 102 includes two or more members (jth straight portion), and a certain jth straight portion is connected to at least one other jth straight portion. The support part 102 has a structure in which the jth straight part, which is n straight objects, is connected by n−1 jth rotation parts. The j-th straight portion and the j-th straight portion are connected by the j-1 rotation portion. The total number of microphones attached from the first straight part to the jth straight part is M _j, and the total number of microphones attached to the jth straight part is M _j −M _j−1 . However, j is an integer of 1 ≦ j ≦ n, and M ₀ = 0. The positional relationship between the microphone attached to the jth linear portion and the microphone attached to the other j ′ (j ≠ j ′) linear portion by rotating the jth linear portion around the jth rotating portion. change.

<Deformation amount acquisition unit 103>
The deformation amount acquisition unit 103 acquires the deformation amount l of the support unit 102 and outputs it to the parameter change unit 110. In the present embodiment, the rotation amount of the (n−1) th j rotation units is acquired as the deformation amount l _j . For example, each of the (n−1) -th j-th rotation units includes a mechanism for detecting rotation (a rotation amount detector, which corresponds to the deformation amount acquisition unit 103). As in the first embodiment, since the shape is physically restricted, the positional relationship of the microphones can be understood if the rotation amount detected by the deformation amount acquisition unit 103 is known. By doing so, the positional relationship between the microphones can be measured simply by measuring the rotation amount.

<Parameter changing unit 110>
The parameter changing unit 110 includes a parameter calculating unit 111 (see FIG. 6). The parameter calculating unit 111 receives the deformation amount l _j as input, calculates the filter w (S2), and outputs it to the filter unit 120.

The coordinates (x _m , y _m ) of the microphone 101-m arranged at the j-th straight line portion, that is, the microphone 101-m satisfying M _j−1 + 1 ≦ m ≦ M _j are based on the microphone 101-1. ,

It becomes. However, L _j represents the length of the j linear portion, theta _j represents the angle formed between the j-th straight line portion and the j-1 linear portion, and fixed at θ ₁ = 0, d _m microphones 101- m and the distance to the base end of the jth straight line portion to which the microphone 101-m is attached. The delay time τ _m for the sound wave to reach the microphone 101-m is based on the microphone 101-1.

This equation can be calculated by detecting θ _j (2 ≦ j ≦ n) excluding the fixed value θ ₁ by the rotation amount detection unit provided in the j-th rotation unit. The array manifold vector a _m from the delay time tau _m can be found from Equation (43), Equation (1) can be obtained filter w (5).
a _m = exp <-jωτ _m > (43)

In this structure, if the amount of rotation is large, the direction of the microphone will not face the sound source.

等の制約のもとで回転するようにする。

Rotate under the constraints such as.

<Seventh embodiment>
A description will be given centering on differences from the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, the deformation amount of the support unit 102 acquired by the deformation amount acquisition unit 103 is a continuous value. However, in the present embodiment, the deformation amount is a discrete value. At this time, the support unit 102 may discretely change the positional relationship between the M microphones 101-m. For example, M microphones 101-m are fixed at some predetermined positions (so that the deformation of the support portion 102 is fixed), and the discrete positions (discrete positions) are set. May be detected and passed to the parameter changing unit 110. For example, as shown in FIG. 18, it is possible to detect the resistance value by discretely arranging resistors between the contacts, or to detect only the conductive wires by wiring for each contact as shown in FIG. With such a configuration, it is not necessary to detect a continuous value, and a discrete value is detected, so that mounting is easier.

  In addition, you may combine this embodiment and 2nd embodiment-6th embodiment.

<Eighth embodiment>
A description will be given centering on differences from the seventh embodiment.

  FIG. 20 shows a functional block diagram of the parameter changing unit 110. The parameter changing unit 110 includes a parameter storage unit 112. The parameter storage unit 112 stores a combination of the discrete deformation amount l and the filter w obtained from the deformation amount l.

  The parameter changing unit 110 of the present embodiment does not calculate the filter w corresponding to the received discrete deformation amount l, but has a configuration as shown in FIG. 20 and is stored in the parameter storage unit 112 in advance. The filter w corresponding to the general deformation amount l is taken out and output to the filter unit 120. In this configuration, although a memory area is used, there is an advantage that the calculation resources can be further reduced.

<Ninth embodiment>
A description will be given centering on differences from the first embodiment.

  The parameter changing unit 110 of this embodiment does not use the received deformation amount l as it is for calculation, but provides a detection / selection unit 113 as shown in FIG. 21 to convert it into discrete values. For example, in the case of the first embodiment, for the input r ′,

Find r ^. As in the eighth embodiment, the parameter changing unit 110 according to the present embodiment extracts the filter w corresponding to the discrete deformation amount r ′ from the parameter storage unit 112 and outputs the filter w to the filter unit 120. By setting it as such a structure, the effect similar to 8th embodiment can be acquired, without acquiring the deformation amount of the support part 102 as a discrete value.

  In addition, you may combine this embodiment and 2nd embodiment-6th embodiment.

<Tenth embodiment>
In the first to sixth embodiments, the parameter change unit 110 does not use the value for the calculation as it is for the deformation amount l sent from the deformation amount acquisition unit 103 such as the detected circumference length. Instead, as shown in FIG. 22, a detection value selection unit 113 is provided to detect a section of discrete values. For example, in the case of the first embodiment, for input r ′

A set r ^ of two deformation amounts r ′ _q−1 and r ′ _q is obtained. However, q is an integer from 1 to p, and when q = 1 or q = p, r ^ = (r ′ _q , r ′ _q ). Note that p is the number of thresholds, and in this case, it is an integer of 2 or more. The parameter changing unit 110 according to the present modification includes a set w ^ of filters w _q-1 and w _q corresponding to a set r ^ of two discrete deformation amounts r ′ _q−1 and r ′ _q from the parameter storage unit 112. Is output to the parameter correction unit 114. However, when q = 1 or q = p, only w _q is output. The parameter correction unit 114 applies the output to the two filters w _q−1 , w _q (one filter w _q when q = 1 or q = p).

The filter is corrected as described above, and the corrected filter w is output as the output value of the parameter changing unit 110. However, other threshold setting methods may be used. The parameter storage unit 112 operates in the same manner as in the eighth embodiment.

<Eleventh embodiment>
A description will be given centering on differences from the eighth embodiment.

  In the eighth embodiment, the steering vector stored in the parameter storage unit 112 is not an analytically calculated value but a value obtained by measurement. Specifically, a speaker is arranged in a desired directivity direction, a TSP signal (Time Stretched Pulse) is reproduced and recorded by M microphones 101-m, and a transfer function up to each microphone 101-m. To obtain an array manifold vector. Other operations are the same as in the eighth embodiment. In the case of this embodiment, it takes time to perform measurement once, but since the relationship between the position of the microphone 101-m and the detection value (filter obtained from the transfer characteristics) is one-to-one, measurement is performed each time the position is changed. The need to do so remains a merit.

  Further, with such a configuration, it is possible to obtain a filter even when “the pattern of the positional relationship of the microphones can be detected, but the position of the microphones themselves is unknown”. For example, in the first embodiment, the microphone is fixed on the band, and the position of the microphone is uniquely determined with respect to the radius r, but the support portion 102 is not an accurate arc shape and the positional relationship cannot be calculated analytically. Even in this case, processing is possible.

  In addition, you may combine this embodiment and 9th embodiment.

<Modification>
The parameter changing unit 110 calculates a filter that can be calculated, and obtains a filter corresponding to each positional relationship that dynamically changes in advance for a filter that cannot be calculated, based on the deformation amount. A configuration may be selected.

<Twelfth embodiment>
A description will be given centering on differences from the first embodiment.

In the first embodiment, the output w ₁ to w corresponding to the plurality of steering directions θ _{s1 to} θ _sX (x is an integer _{equal to} or greater than 2) is used instead of a single steering direction. _The filter unit 120 changes to _X and outputs X signals s ₁ (ω) to s _X (ω) corresponding to X filters w _x (x = 1, 2,..., X) (FIG. 23). reference). As a result, multi-channel sound with directivity directed in a plurality of directions can be obtained at the same time.

  In addition, you may combine this embodiment and 2nd embodiment-11th embodiment.

<Thirteenth embodiment>
In the twelfth embodiment, an example in which the filters w _{1 to} w _X to be used are switched between two values will be described. FIG. 24 shows an apparatus in which three microphones 101-m are installed on a regular triangular plate-like object (supporting part 102). The location of the microphone 101-m is as shown in FIG. The support unit 102 includes two members (a regular triangular plate-shaped object and a trapezoidal plate-shaped object), and the regular triangular plate-shaped object and the trapezoidal plate-shaped object are connected to each other. Further, the support portion 102 has a rotation portion on the right side, and can rotate the upper portion of the triangle to make a straight line as shown in FIG. An example of the structure of the rotating part is shown in FIG. At both ends of the rotation, there are switches (SWs in FIGS. 24 and 25), which shape is used and detected and passed to the parameter changing unit 110. That is, this switch corresponds to the deformation amount acquisition unit 103. The switch is a contact switch, for example, and only the switch on which the housing is touched is turned on. As the operation of the parameter changing unit 110, the filter to be used is switched between a circular array of three microphones having a radius r (FIG. 24) and a linear array of three microphones having a distance between microphones √3r (FIG. 25). Thereby, the user can use the microphone suitable for the scene without being aware of the change in the positional relationship of the microphone. For example, in the state of a triangle, directing two directivities to the left and right of the triangle, outputting sound with two outputs, changing to a straight line, directing one directivity in the linear direction, outputting sound with one output, etc. The operation can be changed intuitively without the user explicitly specifying the operation change.

  Note that the structure of the rotating part is not limited to that shown in FIG.

<14th embodiment>
In the first embodiment to the thirteenth embodiment, the microphone is fixed to the support portion 102 made of a rigid body, an elastic body, or a plastic body, and the positional relationship of the microphone is calculated by acquiring the deformation amount of the support portion 102. However, as shown in FIG. 27, a configuration may be used in which a plurality of devices each including the microphone 101-m and the position sensor 130-m are set. Therefore, the conversion apparatus 100 of this embodiment does not include the support unit 102 and the deformation amount acquisition unit 103, but includes a position sensor 130-m instead. The position sensor 130-m performs distance measurement using, for example, an infrared sensor or Wi-Fi, and outputs information about the positional relationship of the obtained microphone to the parameter changing unit 110. Other operations are the same as those in the other embodiments.

  The M position sensors 130-m dynamically detect a change in the positional relationship of the M microphones 101-m, and acquire the dynamically changing positional relationship of the M microphones 101-m. Therefore, it is also called a positional relationship acquisition unit. In the first embodiment to the thirteenth embodiment, by combining the support unit 102, the deformation amount acquiring unit 103, and the parameter changing unit 110, positions of the M microphones 101-m that change dynamically. In order to acquire the relationship, a combination of the support unit 102, the deformation amount acquisition unit 103, and the parameter change unit 110 may be referred to as a positional relationship acquisition unit.

<Fifteenth embodiment>
A description will be given centering on differences from the first embodiment.

  In this embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a conversion technique for converting a signal into a wave will be described. Examples of conversion techniques for converting signals into waves include the following techniques. There are (i) a technique for converting electrical signals into sound waves, and (ii) a technique for converting electrical signals into electromagnetic waves. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and (iii) a technique for converting an optical signal into a sound wave may be used. There is a speaker as a device for realizing (i). A device that implements (ii) is a transmission antenna. Further, if there is hardware that can directly realize (iii), it may be used.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, a case will be described in which sound waves are used as waves, and a plurality of speakers (speaker arrays) that convert electric signals into sound waves are used as a plurality of conversion units instead of a microphone array including a plurality of microphones. .

[Signal Processing of Conversion Device 200]
Consider performing directional control that is emphasized at control point D using M (≧ 2) speakers.

  The functional configuration and processing flow of the conversion apparatus 200 according to the fifteenth embodiment are shown in FIGS. The conversion apparatus 200 according to the fifteenth embodiment includes M speakers 201-m, a frequency domain conversion unit 209, a filter unit 220, a time domain conversion unit 208, a parameter change unit 210, and a deformation amount acquisition unit 203. m = 1, 2,..., M, and M ≧ 2.

  The signal source 205 outputs a sound source signal s (t). In this embodiment, it is assumed that the sound source signal s (t) from the signal source 205 is a digital signal. However, when an analog signal is used as the sound source signal, an AD conversion unit that performs AD conversion of the analog signal into the digital signal s (t) may be provided.

<Frequency domain transform unit 209>
First, the frequency domain transform unit 209 receives a digital signal s (t), stores N samples in a buffer, and outputs a digital signal s (τ) in units of frames. Next, the frequency domain transform unit 209 converts the digital signal s (τ) of each frame into a frequency domain signal S (ω, τ) (S203) and outputs it. In the following description, the frame index τ is omitted and described as S (ω).

<Supporting portion 202>
The support unit 202 changes the positional relationship of the M m-th conversion units by being deformed while supporting the M speakers 201-m. The configuration of the support unit 202 is the same as that of the support unit 102 of the first embodiment, and supports M speakers 201-m instead of the M microphones 101-m.

<Deformation amount acquisition unit 203>
The deformation amount acquisition unit 203 acquires the deformation amount l of the support unit 202 (S201) and outputs it to the parameter change unit 210. The configuration and processing contents of the deformation amount acquisition unit 203 are the same as those of the deformation amount acquisition unit 103 of the first embodiment.

<Parameter changing unit 210>
The parameter changing unit 210 includes a parameter calculating unit 111 (see FIG. 6). The parameter calculating unit 111 receives the deformation amount l as an input, and based on the dynamically changing positional relationship of the M speakers 201-m, the space is changed. A filter obtained from a parameter indicating the relationship between the predetermined position or direction above and the M speakers 201-m is calculated (S 202) and output to the filter unit 120. The processing content of the parameter changing unit 210 is the same as that of the parameter changing unit 110 of the first embodiment.

For example, the filter w is calculated by the method described in Reference 2 and output to the filter unit 220. For example, the filter w used for signal processing for suppressing an acoustic signal at a specific position or direction is calculated.
[Reference 2] Yoichi Haneda, Akitoshi Kataoka, “Real-space performance of small speaker array based on multipoint control using free space transfer function”, Proc.

<Filter unit 220>
The filter unit 220 receives the filter w from the parameter changing unit 210 in advance and receives the frequency domain signal S (ω). For each frame ω, for each frequency ωεΩ, the filter unit 220 converts the filter w to the frequency domain signal S (ω). Is applied (see the following equation, S204), and the output signal Z ^→ (ω) = [Z ₁ (ω),..., Z _M (ω)] is output.

For example, the filter unit 220 only needs to change the reproduction characteristics of signals before being converted by the M speakers 201-m into sound waves emitted to at least a plurality of positions or directions in space. “Different playback characteristics” means, for example, that an acoustic signal is locally reproduced at a specific position so that the acoustic signal is not reproduced at other positions as much as possible, and conversely, an acoustic signal is not reproduced at a specific position. This means that the sound signal is reproduced only at other positions.

<Time domain conversion unit 208>
The time domain conversion unit 208 converts the reproduction signal Z ^→ (ω) = [Z ₁ (ω),..., Z _M (ω)] of each frequency ω∈Ω of the τ-th frame into the time domain (S205). , The frame unit time domain signal z ^→ (τ) = [z ₁ (τ),..., Z _M (τ)] of the τ th frame, and the obtained frame unit time domain signal z ^→ (τ) = [Z ₁ (τ), ..., z _M (τ)] in the order of the frame number index, the time domain signal z ^→ (t) = [z ₁ (t), ..., z _M (t )] Is output. The method of converting the frequency domain signal into the time domain signal is an inverse transform corresponding to the transform method used in the process of S203, for example, a fast discrete inverse Fourier transform.

<Speaker 201-m>
The time domain signals z ₁ (t),..., Z _M (t) of the M channel are reproduced by the speaker corresponding to the channel among the M speakers 201 constituting the speaker array (S206).

<Effect>
With such a configuration, the speaker array that reproduces sound in a specific direction can be used by the user other than the intended use intended by the manufacturer, and can be used without requiring a special operation from the user.

<Modification>
It should be noted that the present invention is applied to a conversion technique for converting a signal into a wave in the same manner for the modification of the first embodiment, the second embodiment to the fourteenth embodiment, and the modification by using a speaker instead of the microphone. Can be applied. The configuration and processing contents of the support unit 202, the deformation amount acquisition unit 203, and the parameter change unit 210 are the modification examples of the first embodiment, the second embodiment to the fourteenth embodiment, and the support unit 102 described in the modification examples. Methods for the deformation amount acquisition unit 103 and the parameter change unit 110 can be used, and the configurations and processing contents of the frequency domain conversion unit 209, the filter unit 220, the time domain conversion unit 208, and the speaker 201-m have been described in this embodiment. The method can be used.

  As in the first embodiment, sound waves are used as waves, but radio waves and light waves may be used, and electromagnetic waves in other bands may be used. In that case, a transmitting antenna, a light emitting element, or the like can be used instead of the speaker. In short, it may be a plurality of conversion units capable of converting a signal into the same kind of wave. Note that the conversion unit may be called a transmission unit in the sense that a wave can be transmitted. Note that the reception unit and the transmission unit described in the modification of the first embodiment may be collectively referred to as a transmission / reception unit.

<Other variations>
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications. For example, the various processes described above are not only executed in time series according to the description, but may also be executed in parallel or individually as required by the processing capability of the apparatus that executes the processes. In addition, it can change suitably in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention.

<Program and recording medium>
In addition, various processing functions in each device described in the above embodiments and modifications may be realized by a computer. In that case, the processing contents of the functions that each device should have are described by a program. Then, by executing this program on a computer, various processing functions in each of the above devices are realized on the computer.

  The program describing the processing contents can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. As the computer-readable recording medium, for example, any recording medium such as a magnetic recording device, an optical disk, a magneto-optical recording medium, and a semiconductor memory may be used.

  The program is distributed by selling, transferring, or lending a portable recording medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM in which the program is recorded. Further, the program may be distributed by storing the program in a storage device of the server computer and transferring the program from the server computer to another computer via a network.

  A computer that executes such a program first stores, for example, a program recorded on a portable recording medium or a program transferred from a server computer in its storage unit. When executing the process, this computer reads the program stored in its own storage unit and executes the process according to the read program. As another embodiment of this program, a computer may read a program directly from a portable recording medium and execute processing according to the program. Further, each time a program is transferred from the server computer to the computer, processing according to the received program may be executed sequentially. Also, the program is not transferred from the server computer to the computer, and the above-described processing is executed by a so-called ASP (Application Service Provider) type service that realizes the processing function only by the execution instruction and result acquisition. It is good. Note that the program includes information provided for processing by the electronic computer and equivalent to the program (data that is not a direct command to the computer but has a property that defines the processing of the computer).

  In addition, although each device is configured by executing a predetermined program on a computer, at least a part of these processing contents may be realized by hardware.

Claims (12)

M is any integer greater than or equal to 2, m = 1, 2,..., M, and M number of m conversion units capable of converting a wave into a signal;
By deforming in a state of supporting the M number of m conversion units, including a support unit that changes the positional relationship of the M number of m conversion units,
The support portion is composed of one or more members, and when the support portion is composed of two or more members, a certain member is connected to at least one other member,
Conversion device. The conversion device according to claim 1,
The amount of deformation of the support part is limited, and the amount of deformation of the support part is a discrete value,
The support unit discretely changes the positional relationship of the M m-th conversion units.
Conversion device. The conversion device according to claim 1,
The support portion includes an elastic body, and changes a positional relationship of the M m-th conversion portions by elastic deformation of the elastic body.
Conversion device. The conversion device according to claim 1,
The support part includes a movable part, and the positional relationship of the M m-th conversion parts is changed by the movement of the movable part included in the support part.
Conversion device. M is any integer greater than or equal to 2, m = 1, 2,..., M, and M number of m conversion units capable of converting a wave into a signal;
A positional relationship acquisition unit that dynamically detects a change in the positional relationship of the M m-th conversion units, and acquires a dynamically changing positional relationship of the M m-th conversion units;
Conversion device. M is any integer of 2 or more, m = 1, 2,..., M, and based on the dynamically changing positional relationship of M m-th conversion units capable of converting waves into signals, A parameter changing unit that calculates or selects a filter obtained from a parameter indicating a relationship between a predetermined position or direction of the M number of mth conversion units;
A filter unit that uses the filter to change the characteristics of a signal obtained by converting a wave emitted from a predetermined position or direction in space in the M m-th conversion units,
Conversion device. The conversion device according to claim 6,
The parameter changing unit calculates a parameter that can be calculated.
Conversion device. The conversion device according to claim 6,
The parameter changing unit acquires a filter corresponding to each positional relationship that dynamically changes in advance, and a filter corresponding to a parameter that cannot be calculated is selected from filters acquired in advance.
Conversion device. The conversion device according to claim 6,
The predetermined position or direction on the space is one,
Conversion device. The conversion device according to claim 6,
The predetermined position or direction on the space is plural.
Conversion device. M is any integer of 2 or more, m = 1, 2,..., M, and the parameter changing unit dynamically changes the positional relationship of the m-th m-th converting units that can convert waves into signals. A parameter changing step for calculating or selecting a filter obtained from a parameter indicating a relationship between a predetermined position or direction in space and the M number of mth transform units,
A filter unit that uses the filter to change the characteristics of a signal obtained by converting a wave emitted from a predetermined position or direction in space in the M-th m-th conversion unit,
Conversion method.   A program for causing a computer to function as the conversion device according to claim 6.

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