# US 2013/0170655 A1 · Audio output device and audio output method

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- Number: US 2013/0170655 A1
- Document ID: US20130170655A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/822,045
- Filed: 2011-09-27
- Published: 2013-07-04
- Earliest claimed: 2010-09-28
- Assignees: Yamaha Corporation
- Inventors: Kazuhiro Satoyoshi; Kosuke Saito
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130170655A1

## CPC

- G10K 11/002: {Devices for damping, suppressing, obstructing or conducting sound in acoustic devices (G10K1/06 - G10K1/10 take precedence; for electro-mechanical transducers for communication H04R3/002)}
- G10K 11/1754: {Speech masking}
- H04K 3/43: {characterized by the control of the jamming power, signal-to-noise ratio or geographic coverage area}
- H04K 3/45: {characterized by including monitoring of the target or target signal, e.g. in reactive jammers or follower jammers for example by means of an alternation of jamming phases and monitoring phases, called "look-through mode"}
- H04K 3/825: {by jamming}
- H04K 3/84: {related to preventing electromagnetic interference in petrol station, hospital, plane or cinema}
- H04S 7/30: {Control circuits for electronic adaptation of the sound field}
- H04S 7/303: {Tracking of listener position or orientation}
- H04K 2203/12: for acoustic communication
- H04K 2203/34: involving multiple cooperating jammers
- H04R 1/403: {loud-speakers}
- H04R 1/406: {microphones}
- H04R 3/005: {for combining the signals of two or more microphones (specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407)}
- H04R 3/12: for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers {(specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407)}
- H04S 2400/11: Positioning of individual sound objects, e.g. moving airplane, within a sound field (H04S2420/13 takes precedence)
- H04S 2400/15: Aspects of sound capture and related signal processing for recording or reproduction
- G10K: SOUND-PRODUCING DEVICES; METHODS OR DEVICES FOR PROTECTING AGAINST, OR FOR DAMPING, NOISE OR OTHER ACOUSTIC WAVES IN GENERAL; ACOUSTICS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H04K: SECRET COMMUNICATION; JAMMING OF COMMUNICATION
- H04S: STEREOPHONIC SYSTEMS
- H04R: LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS (producing sounds with frequency not determined by supply frequency G10K)

## Abstract

A audio output device includes: a speaker position detecting unit which detects the position of a speaker; a masking sound producing section which produces a masking sound; a plurality of loudspeakers which output the masking sound; and a localization controlling section which controls a localization position of the masking sound based on the speaker position detected by the speaker position detecting unit, and which supplies a sound signal relating to the masking sound to at least one of the plurality of loudspeakers.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An audio output device comprising:
a speaker position detecting section adapted to detect a position of a speaker;
a masking sound producing section adapted to produce a masking sound;
a plurality of loudspeakers adapted to output the masking sound; and
a localization controlling section adapted to control a localization position of the masking sound based on the speaker position detected by the speaker position detecting section, and supply a sound signal relating to the masking sound to at least one of the plurality of loudspeakers.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The audio output device according to claim 1, wherein the localization controlling section sets the localization position of the masking sound to the speaker position detected by the speaker position detecting section.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The audio output device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a microphone array in which a plurality of microphones that pick up a sound are arranged,
wherein the speaker position detecting section detects the speaker position based on a phase difference of sounds picked up by the plurality of microphones.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The audio output device according to claim 1, wherein the masking sound producing section sets a level of the masking sound to a high level in a case where the speaker position detected by the speaker position detecting section is changed.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The audio output device according to claim 1, wherein the speaker position detecting section sets a position of a microphone in which a volume level of a picked-up sound is highest, as the speaker position; and
wherein the localization controlling section supplies the sound signal relating to the masking sound, to a loudspeaker that is closest to the microphone in which the volume level of the picked-up sound is highest.

### Claim 6

An audio output device comprising:
a plurality of microphones adapted to pick up a sound;
a masking sound producing section adapted to produce a masking sound;
a plurality of loudspeakers to which a sound signal relating to the masking sound is supplied, and adapted to emit the masking sound; and
a localization controlling section adapted to control a gain of the sound signal relating to the masking sound to be supplied to the plurality of loudspeakers,
wherein the localization controlling section multiplies levels of picked-up sound signals of the plurality of microphones with a gain setting coefficient having a value which becomes smaller as distances between the plurality of microphones and the plurality of loudspeakers are larger, to adjust the gain of the sound signal relating to the masking sound to be supplied to the plurality of loudspeakers.

### Claim 7

An audio output method comprising the steps of:
detecting a position of a speaker;
producing a masking sound;
outputting the masking sound from at least one of a plurality of loudspeakers; and
controlling a localization position of a virtual sound source of the masking sound so that a position of the virtual sound source is placed at or in a vicinity of the speaker position detected in the speaker position detecting step, and supplying a sound signal relating to the masking sound to at least one of the plurality of loudspeakers.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The audio output method according to claim 7, wherein in the localization controlling step, the localization position of the masking sound is se to the speaker position detected in the speaker position detecting step.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The audio output method according to claim 7, further comprising:
a step of picking up a sound by a microphone array in which a plurality of microphones are arranged,
wherein in the speaker position detecting step, the speaker position is detected based on a phase difference of sounds picked up by the plurality of microphones.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The audio output method according to claim 7, wherein, in a case where the speaker position detected in the speaker position detecting step is changed, in the masking sound producing step, a level of the masking sound is set to a high level.

### Claim 11 (depends on 7)

The audio output method according to claim 7, wherein in the speaker position detecting step, a position of a microphone in which a volume level of a picked-up sound is highest is set as the speaker position; and
wherein in the localization controlling step, the sound signal relating to the masking sound is supplied to a loudspeaker that is closest to the microphone in which the volume level of the picked-up sound is highest.

### Claim 12

An audio output method comprising the steps of:
picking up a sound by a plurality of microphones;
producing a masking sound;
supplying a sound signal relating to the masking sound to a plurality of loudspeakers, and emitting the masking sound by the plurality of loudspeakers; and
controlling a gain of the sound signal relating to the masking sound which is to be supplied to the plurality of loudspeakers,
wherein in the localization controlling step, levels of picked-up sound signals of the plurality of microphones are multiplied with a gain setting coefficient having a value which becomes smaller as a distance between the plurality of microphones and the plurality of loudspeakers is larger, to adjust the gain of the sound signal relating to the masking sound to be supplied to the plurality of loudspeakers.