Patent ID: 7974424
Filing Date: 2011-07-05
Classification: H04R,H04S

Abstract:
1. A speaker array system comprising: a speaker array comprising a plurality of speaker units arranged in an array; a delay unit adapted to add delays respectively corresponding to the speaker units to an input audio signal to generate delayed audio signals corresponding in number to the speaker units and adapted to supply the delayed audio signals to the speaker units; an input unit adapted for inputting area information representing a target area to which an acoustic service is to be provided using an acoustic beam generated by acoustic waves output from the speaker units, the target area having a normal line extending in a direction different from a normal direction of a speaker surface of said speaker array; and a control unit adapted to provide the delays to said delay unit based on positions of the speaker units in said speaker array and the area information, wherein said control unit controls the delays to allow an envelope of wavefronts of the acoustic waves output from the speaker units to have an aspherical configuration, to allow the acoustic waves output from adjacent ones of the speaker units in said speaker array toward the target area to be coincident in phase with each other, and to allow the envelope to become more aspherical, to face the target area, as the envelope propagates closer to the target area.