Patent ID: 8363851
Filing Date: 2013-01-29
Classification: H04R,H04S

Abstract:
1. A speaker array apparatus comprising: a speaker array having a plurality of speaker units arranged in an array; a storage section that stores installation position information of the speaker array, the installation position information indicating a size of a room where the speaker array is installed and a distance from a wall of the room to the speaker array; a position detecting section that detects a listening position of a listener; a phase controlling section that controls phases of sounds to be emitted from the speaker units so that the speaker array emits sound beams of a plurality of channels, wherein the phase controlling section controls the phases of the sounds to be emitted from the speaker units on the basis of the installation position information and the listening position of the listener so that the speaker array emits the sound beams of the plurality of channels to form a surround sound field at the listening position of the listener; an operating section that receives an initial setting operation; a test sound outputting section that outputs a test sound signal and a phase control signal for controlling phases of the sounds emitted from the speaker units so that the speaker array emits a test sound beam while sweeping the test sound beam, when the operating section receives the initial setting operation; a microphone that is locatable at a default listening position, and that picks up a sound of the test sound beam; and a controlling section that analyzes picked-up data of the test sound beam picked up by the microphone, calculates the size of the room and the distance from the wall of the room to the speaker array using a result of the analysis of the picked-up data and the listening position information indicating the listening position of the listener detected by the position detecting section, and stores the size of the room and the distance from the wall of the room to the speaker array into the storage section, wherein the operating section receives an operation for changing the listening position, wherein the controlling section controls the position detecting section to output the changed listening position when the operating section receives the operation for changing the listening position, and wherein the phase controlling section calculates to control the phases of the sounds emitted from the speaker units on the basis of the listening position information indicating the changed listening position, the size of the room, and the distance from the wall of the room to the speaker array stored in the storage section so that the phase controlling section controls the speaker array to emit sound beams of a plurality of channels to the changed listening position, and conducts a process to output a calculation result for controlling the phase of the sounds.