Speaker array apparatus and method for setting audio beams of speaker array apparatus

A speaker array apparatus comprising:

• a speaker array that has a plurality of speakers for outputting audio beams based on a test audio signal;
• a test sound sweep portion that sweeps with the audio beams;
• a microphone that is placed in a listening position and collects a test sound including direct sounds and reflected sounds of the audio beams output from the speaker array;
• a storage portion that stores a signal level of the test sound collected by the microphone, and sweep angles with which audio beams corresponding to the test sound are output;
• a selection portion that selects a plurality of peaks of the signal level based on the signal level of the test sound stored in the storage portion;
• and
• a beam setting portion that sets the sweep angles of the selected plurality of peaks as beam output angles which are angles to output audio beams of channels of a multi-channel surround-sound respectively;
• wherein when the number of peaks selected from the signal level of the test sound stored in the storage portion is smaller than the number of channels of the multi-channel surround-sound, the beam setting portion sets the sweep angles of the selected peaks as beam output angles of one or more channels of the multi-channel surround-sound, and sets sounds of channels other than the channels for which the beam output angles are set, as direct sounds to be output to be propagated directly to the listening position.

A speaker array apparatus comprising:

• a speaker array that has a plurality of speakers for outputting audio beams based on a test audio signal;
• a test sound sweep portion that sweeps with the audio beams;
• a microphone that is placed in a listening position and collects a test sound including direct sounds and reflected sounds of the audio beams output from the speaker array;
• a storage portion that stores a signal level of the test sound collected by the microphone, and sweep angles with which audio beams corresponding to the test sound are output;
• a selection portion that selects a plurality of peaks of the signal level based on the signal level of the test sound stored in the storage portion;
• a beam setting portion that sets the sweep angles of the selected plurality of peaks as beam output angles which are angles to output audio beams of channels of a multi-channel surround-sound respectively;
• and
• an input portion that accepts an input of installation position information of a body of the speaker array apparatus;
• wherein the beam setting portion selects a plurality of peaks from the signal level of the test sound stored in the storage portion based on the installation position information of the body.

A speaker array apparatus comprising:

• a speaker array that has a plurality of speakers for outputting audio beams based on a test audio signal;
• a test sound sweep portion that sweeps with the audio beams;
• a microphone that is placed in a listening position and collects a test sound including direct sounds and reflected sounds of the audio beams output from the speaker array;
• a storage portion that stores a signal level of the test sound collected by the microphone, and sweep angles with which audio beams corresponding to the test sound are output;
• a selection portion that selects a plurality of peaks of the signal level based on the signal level of the test sound stored in the storage portion;
• and
• a beam setting portion that sets the sweep angles of the selected plurality of peaks as beam output angles which are angles to output audio beams of channels of a multi-channel surround-sound respectively;
• wherein the test sound sweep portion modulates the signal level of the test sound with an envelope having a maximum at the center of a sweep range of the audio beams.