JP2005176053A - Multi-channel audio system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a user to enjoy a home theater at an arbitrary place. <P>SOLUTION: This system is provided with a virtualizer 16 for processing an input signal so that a virtual sound source can be obtained at an arbitrary place. The system consists of a reproducing apparatus 1 for reproducing a multichannel signal; a first speaker 4 or 50 provided in the vicinity of a TV 10, and reproducing a multichannel signal; a second speaker 40 or 70 capable of being provided at an arbitrary place near a listener, and reproducing a multichannel signal; and switching means 2, 8 or 48, 66, 68 for selectively switching between the first and second speakers. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a 5.1-channel multi-channel audio apparatus, and more particularly to a multi-channel audio apparatus in which a listening position is not limited by preparing a subsystem separately from a main system.

  A so-called home theater system that reproduces a multi-channel surround signal such as 5.1 channel or 6.1 channel is widely used in general households. This system basically reproduces each channel signal by an independent speaker for each channel. Therefore, in the case of 5.1 channel reproduction, it is necessary to arrange three speakers for the front L channel, front center channel, and front R channel in the front, and two speakers for the rear L channel and rear R channel in the rear. . In addition, a subwoofer is required in most cases for bass reproduction.

  However, it is very difficult and cumbersome to arrange a total of six speakers in the room around the listener and to wire these six speakers. In recent years, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-37134 has proposed a three-dimensional sound image technique that uses a head-related transfer function to stop a sound image behind a listener using only a speaker installed in front of the listener. This technique virtually adjusts the sound image by adjusting the filter constant of the head-related transfer function on the assumption that the listener is located at a specific position. Therefore, since the sound image cannot be localized beside or behind the listener other than this specific position, the listening area is limited to a very narrow range, and must be listened to at this specific position to enjoy the home theater. There was a constraint that it had to be.

  Of course, the listening point can be set at an arbitrary position by the filter constant of the head related transfer function, but cannot be changed at any time by the listener. Therefore, when enjoying the home theater, the listener has to move in advance to the listening point determined by the filter constant of the head-related transfer function.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention includes a virtualizer 16 that processes an input signal so that a virtual sound source can be obtained at an arbitrary position, and is installed in the vicinity of a reproduction apparatus 1 that reproduces a multichannel signal and a television 10 The first speakers 4 and 50 for reproducing the multi-channel signal, the second speakers 40 and 70 for reproducing the multi-channel signal, which can be installed at any place near the listener, and the first and second speakers It comprises switching means 2, 8, 48, 66, 68 for selectively switching speakers.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to enjoy the home theater at a favorite place by installing the second speaker at an arbitrary position according to the listening position of the listener.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  The first embodiment of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an installation state of the system of the present invention. Connectors 2 and 3 indicated by dotted lines are provided on the rear panel of the DVD receiver 1 capable of reproducing a DVD disc, and the connector 8 and the subwoofer 5 provided at the tip of the speaker cable 6 of the front speaker 4 which is the first speaker, respectively. It is connected to a connector 5 provided at the tip of the speaker cable 7. In the illustrated embodiment, the front speaker 4 is installed on the television 10.

  2 to 4 are a front view, a right side view, and a top view of the front speaker 4. The front speaker 4 is integrally provided with three sealed enclosures 12 to 14. The enclosures 12, 13, and 14 are provided with a center channel speaker driver 15, an L channel speaker driver 16, and an R channel speaker driver 17. Are provided. The center channel speaker driver 15 is arranged to face the listener 18. On the other hand, the vibration axes of the L-channel speaker driver 16 and the R-channel speaker driver 17 are arranged back-to-back so that the left and right angles are 90 degrees with respect to the vibration axis of the center-channel speaker driver 15.

  Accordingly, since the vibration axes of the L-channel speaker driver 16 and the R-channel speaker driver 17 are at an angle of 180 degrees, the reproduced sounds from the speaker drivers 16 and 17 are radiated into the space in opposite directions. The Therefore, this angular arrangement has the same effect as a state in which the speaker drivers 16 and 17 are arranged at a large interval. Of course, because of this angular arrangement, the vibration axes of the speaker drivers 16 and 17 are not directly facing the listener, so depending on the speaker driver to be used, there may be a drawback that the frequency characteristics of the high frequency range are particularly deteriorated. What is necessary is just to compensate the high region attenuate | damped with the known equalizer circuit. Reference numerals 18 and 19 denote partition walls for separating the enclosures 12, 13 and 14.

  FIG. 5 is a circuit block diagram of a home theater system including an amplifier which is incorporated in the DVD receiver 1 and drives the speaker drivers 15 to 17 described above. Digital data from a DVD drive 20 having a mechanical section such as an optical pickup and a turntable, various servo circuits and a data demodulating circuit is input to a 5.1 channel decoder 21, and the front L, front center, front R, rear L, rear Each of the R channel and subwoofer channel signals is decoded. Each digital signal of the front L, front R, and front center channels is input to one input terminal of the adders 22, 23, and 24.

  On the other hand, the rear L and rear R channel signals are input to the virtualizer 26. For example, the virtualizer 26 includes a filter having a filter characteristic that provides an impulse response so that a reproduced sound can be heard from the rear left side of the listener even when the rear L channel signal is reproduced by a speaker installed on the front side of the listener. is there. Generally, this filter coefficient is called a head related transfer function (HRTF), and the input signal has position information by performing a convolution calculation process. Since the configuration of the virtualizer itself is well known in the art and is not directly related to the present application, its detailed description is omitted.

  When the output of the virtualizer 26 is input to the other input terminals of the adders 22 and 23, the front L channel signal and the output of the virtualizer 26 are added by the adder 22, and this added signal is input to the digital amplifier 25. Is done. Similarly, the adder 23 adds the front R channel signal and the output of the virtualizer 26, and this added signal is input to the digital amplifier 25.

  On the other hand, the front L channel signal and the front R channel signal are added by an adder 27, and then a band pass filter (hereinafter referred to as BPF) that passes a signal in a frequency band of 300 Hz to 2 KHz through an attenuator R1 for gain adjustment. ) 28. The output of the BPF 28 is input to an inverter 29 that rotates the phase by 180 degrees. The front L + front R signal whose phase is inverted by 180 degrees and having a frequency band of 300 Hz to 2 KHz is input to the other input terminal of the adder 24, added to the front center channel signal, and input to the digital amplifier 25.

  During playback of the CD, the 5.1 channel decoder 11 outputs the L channel signal to the terminal that output the front L channel signal and the R channel signal to the terminal that outputs the front R channel signal.

  The front L channel signal converted to a PWM signal by the digital amplifier 25 and one output of the virtualizer 16 are passed through a low pass filter (hereinafter referred to as LPF) 31 to be converted into an analog signal, and then to the L channel speaker driver 16. Entered. Similarly, the front R channel signal converted to a PWM signal by the digital amplifier 25 and the other output of the virtualizer 16 are converted to an analog signal by the LPF 31 and then input to the R channel speaker driver 17. Further, the phase of the front center channel signal converted into an analog signal by the LPF 31 is inverted by 180 degrees, and an addition signal of the front L + front R signal having a frequency band of 300 Hz to 2 KHz is input to the center channel speaker driver 15.

  The 5.1 channel decoder 21 outputs a subwoofer output. This signal is also converted into a PWM signal by the digital amplifier 25 and then converted into an analog signal by the LPF 31 to drive the subwoofer 32. The DVD drive 10 and the 5.1 channel decoder 11 are controlled by the microcomputer 30.

  With the above configuration, when the 5.1 channel signal is reproduced, the L channel signal is output from the L channel speaker driver 16 and the R channel signal is output from the R channel speaker driver 17, and the radiation direction is 180 degrees. A stereo image with Further, since a center channel signal to be localized at the center, such as a speech line, is output from the center channel speaker driver 15, there is no void.

  Further, an L-phase signal having a reverse phase is output from the center channel speaker unit 15, and this reverse-phase component cancels the L channel signal around the right ear of the listener more than around the left ear. Accordingly, the level of the L channel signal around the listener's right ear is lowered, and the listener hears that the L channel signal comes from the left side as a result of the L channel signal being heard strongly by the left ear. As a result, the stereo separation is improved in combination with the arrangement of the speaker drivers. Of course, the R channel signal also produces the same effect.

  On the other hand, the −L channel signal and the −R channel signal output from the center channel speaker unit 15 are the anti-phase component of the sum signal of the L channel signal and the R channel signal, that is, the monaural component anti-phase signal. Accordingly, since the inverted monaural component is output from the center channel speaker driver 5 even during the reproduction of the two-channel signal, it is possible to prevent the hollow-out, similarly to the function of the center channel signal in the case of the 5.1-channel signal. .

In the above-described embodiment, the -L channel signal and the -R channel signal are output from the center channel speaker unit 15, but the L channel speaker driver 16 and the R channel speaker are used for the purpose of improving the stereo separation. In the case where importance is attached to the purpose of preventing voids that occur when the distance to the driver 17 is large, an in-phase signal obtained by simply adding the L channel signal and the R channel signal may be output.

The 5.1 channel reproduced sound from the front speaker 4 described above has various filter characteristics of the head-related transfer function assuming that the head of the listener 11 exists at a location 2 m away from the front speaker 4. Therefore, when the listener 11 sits on the sofa 33, the position of the sofa 33 is determined so that the distance from the front speaker 4 to the ear of the listener 11 is 2 m. Therefore, when the listener 11 enjoys the home theater system, it is necessary to sit on the sofa 33 and be located at a position 2 m from the front speaker 4. Therefore, there is a drawback that the listening position is fixed.

Therefore, in this system, it is possible to prepare a portable type satellite speaker 40 as a second speaker separately from the front speaker 4 and to move and set the satellite speaker 40 according to the seating position of the listener. It was.

6 to 9 show a top view, a right side view, a perspective view, and a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 7, respectively. The speaker configuration of the satellite speaker 40 is the same as that of the front speaker 4, but the mounting angles of the respective speaker drivers are different, the center channel speaker driver 41 is mounted on the top surface of the satellite speaker 40, and the vibration axis thereof extends upward. It is suitable. The L-channel speaker driver 42 and the R-channel speaker driver 43 are attached to a slope having an inclination angle of 45 degrees with an angle of 180 degrees, and their vibration axes are 180 degrees in the horizontal direction and vertical axes in the vertical direction. Have an angle of 45 degrees to each other. Further, the enclosures 44 to 46 for the speaker drivers 41 to 43 are provided independently of each other.

When the satellite speaker 40 is used, the connector 8 provided at the tip of the speaker cable 6 of the front speaker 4 is first removed in FIG. 1, and the connector 48 provided at the tip of the speaker cable 47 of the satellite speaker 40 is connected to the DVD receiver. 1 to the connector 2. Next, in this embodiment, the satellite speaker 40 is placed on the floor approximately 50 cm away from the front of the seat 49 where the listener sits. Although the installation position of the satellite speaker 40 is lower than that of the listener 18, since the vibration axes of the speaker drivers 41 to 43 are all upward, the sound image is formed above the satellite speaker 40, and the satellite speaker 40 is installed at the installation position of the satellite speaker 40. A sound image is not formed at the foot of a listener 18. Further, since the vibration axes of the L channel speaker driver 42 and the R channel speaker driver 43 are at an angle of 180 degrees with each other and the radiated sound is in a direction away from each other, the distance between the speaker drivers 42 and 43 is short. However, the stereo image is not narrowed.

The substantially semicircular satellite speaker 40 is small and lightweight with a diameter of about 28 cm in the embodiment, so that it can be easily carried. Therefore, the listener can freely move the satellite speaker 40 according to the place where he / she sits and can easily install it in front of the listening position. There are two types of playback sound from the speaker: direct sound that directly enters the listener's ear and reflected sound that enters after being reflected by the wall or ceiling. Become clear. However, since the satellite speaker 40 is installed in the immediate vicinity of the listener, the ratio of direct sound entering the listener's ears increases, resulting in a clear sound image localization.

In the above embodiment, the rear L channel signal and the rear R channel signal output from the virtualizer 16 are supplied from the L channel speaker driver 6 together with the front L channel signal and from the rear L channel signal output from the virtualizer 16. The rear R channel signal is output from the R channel speaker driver 7 together with the front R channel signal. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, two independent speaker drivers can be provided in the front speaker 4 in order to reproduce the output of the virtualizer 16. In this case, the satellite speaker 40 is similarly provided with five speaker drivers.

  10 to 12 are a front view, a right side view, and a top view of a front speaker 50 serving as a first speaker in the second embodiment. The front speaker 50 is integrally provided with five sealed enclosures 51 to 55. The center channel speaker driver 56 is provided in the enclosure 51 so as to face the listener. On the other hand, the vibration axes of the front L-channel speaker driver 57 and the R-channel speaker driver 58 are back-to-back with the enclosures 54, 55 so that the left and right angles are 90 degrees with respect to the vibration axis of the center channel speaker driver 56. Is provided. Accordingly, since the vibration axes of the front L channel speaker driver 57 and the front R channel speaker driver 58 are at an angle of 180 degrees, reproduced sounds from the speaker drivers 57 and 58 are placed in a space in opposite directions. Radiated.

  The first and second virtualizer speakers 59 and 60 for reproducing the rear L channel signal and the rear R channel signal are 30 with respect to the vibration axes of the front L channel speaker driver 57 and the front R channel speaker driver 58, respectively. It is provided in the enclosures 52 and 53 in a state directed to the listener side. Reference numerals 61 to 64 denote partition walls for separating the enclosures 51 to 55.

  FIG. 13 is a circuit block diagram of a home theater system including an amplifier that drives the speaker drivers 56 to 60 described above. Components identical to those in the first embodiment shown in FIG. The description thereof is omitted.

  The output of the virtualizer 26 is input to the digital amplifier 25 and then converted into an analog signal by the LPF 31 and input to the first and second virtualizer speaker drivers 59 and 60. Therefore, the output of the virtualizer 16 is output from the speaker drivers 59 and 60 separately from the other signals, so that a clearer rear surround image can be generated without unnecessary modulation. .

  Similarly to the front speaker 50, the satellite speaker 70 as the second speaker in the second embodiment also has five speaker drivers 71 to 75. FIGS. 14 to 17 are a top view, a right side view, and a perspective view. And the BB sectional view taken on the line in FIG. Of course, the enclosures 76 to 80 for the speaker drivers 71 to 75 are provided independently of each other as shown in FIG. When the satellite speaker 70 is used, the connector 66 provided at the tip of the speaker cable 65 of the front speaker 50 is removed from the connector 2 of the DVD receiver 1 and is instead provided at the tip of the speaker cable 67 of the satellite speaker 70. The connector 68 is inserted into the connector 2. Thereafter, the satellite speaker 70 is installed immediately in front of the position where the listener sits.

  In the above-described embodiment, the front speakers 4, 50 as the first speaker and the satellite speakers 40, 70 as the second speaker are switched by replacing the connectors. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Without being limited, it is also possible to realize switching by providing a switch in the DVD receiver 1 and operating it.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can take various forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

The figure which shows the installation state of the system of this invention. The left view of the speaker box 1. FIG. The top view of the speaker box 1. FIG. The circuit block diagram in the 1st example. The circuit block diagram in the 1st example. The top view of the satellite speaker 40. FIG. The right view of the satellite speaker 40. FIG. The perspective view of the satellite speaker 40. FIG. BB sectional drawing in FIG. The front view of the front speaker 50. FIG. The right view of the front speaker 501. FIG. The top view of the front speaker 50. FIG. The circuit block diagram in a 2nd Example. The top view of the satellite speaker 70. FIG. The diagonal right view of the front speaker 70. FIG. The perspective view of the front speaker 70. FIG. BB sectional drawing in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 DVD receiver 2, 8, 48, 66, 68 Connector 4, 50 Front speaker 40, 70 Satellite speakers 15-17, 41-43, 56-60, 71-75 Speaker driver 25 Digital amplifier 26 Virtualizer 30 Microcomputer 32 Subwoofer

Claims (4)

A playback device 1 that includes a virtualizer 16 that processes an input signal so that a virtual sound source can be obtained at an arbitrary position, and plays back a multi-channel signal;
First speakers 4, 50 installed near the television 10 for reproducing the multi-channel signal;
A second speaker 40, 70 that can be installed at any location near the listener and reproduces the multi-channel signal;
A multi-channel signal reproducing apparatus comprising switching means 2, 8, 48, 66, 68 for selectively switching the first and second speakers.   The first and second speakers 4 and 40 are center channel speaker drivers 15 and 41 for reproducing front center channel signals, and L channel speaker drivers 16 and 42 for reproducing front L channel signals and rear channel signals, The multi-channel signal reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising R channel speaker drivers (17, 43) for reproducing a front R channel signal and a rear channel signal.   The first and second speakers 50 and 70 are center channel speaker drivers 56 and 71 for reproducing front center channel signals, L channel speaker drivers 57 and 72 for reproducing front L channel signals, and front R channel signals. 2. R channel speaker drivers 58 and 73 for reproducing the output signal, and first and second virtualizer speakers 59, 60, 74 and 75 for reproducing the output signal of the virtualizer 16. A multi-channel signal reproducing device according to claim 1.   The multi-channel signal reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vibration axes of the center channel speakers 41 and 71 in the second speakers 40 and 70 face upward.

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