Patent ID: 9264812
Filing Date: 2016-02-16
CPC Classification: H04R,H04S

Claim Text:
1. An apparatus for localizing a sound image, comprising: a storage unit to store a plurality of acoustic transfer characteristics corresponding to respective different combinations of a sound image direction and an emphasis degree of feeling of localization, the emphasis degree representing a change amount of a sound pressure level of a virtual sound heard along the sound image direction if the sound image direction changes; an input unit that receives direction indication information and emphasis degree indication information from a listener; a selection unit that selects a suitable acoustic transfer characteristic from the plurality of acoustic transfer characteristics, the suitable acoustic transfer characteristic being determined by the selection unit to be most matched with the sound image direction indicated by the direction indication information and the emphasis degree indicated by the emphasis degree indication information; a first operation unit that convolutes the suitable acoustic transfer characteristic with a first audio signal to obtain a second audio signal; a second operation unit that calculates a phase difference and a level difference by using distance indication information to indicate a distance of the sound image, and obtains a third audio signal and a fourth audio signal by assigning the phase difference and the level difference to the second audio signal; and an output unit that outputs the third audio signal and the fourth audio signal.