Patent ID: 8170246

Claim:
An apparatus for reproducing a surround wave field for a loudspeaker array confined to a narrow space, the apparatus comprising: an audio signal analyzer that analyzes a received multi-channel audio signal to check the number of audio signal channels, and extracts a sound source signal for each checked channel from the multi-channel audio signal; a wave field synthesis renderer that receives loudspeaker arrangement information about the loudspeaker array and localizes the extracted sound source signal for each channel at a virtual sound image outside the narrow space using wave field synthesis, based upon the number of the checked audio signal channels, and wherein the wave field synthesis renderer localizes the extracted sound source signal by: obtaining, from the loudspeaker arrangement information, a distance and an angle between each loudspeaker in the loudspeaker array and a sound source position, applying the obtained distance and angle between each loudspeaker and the sound source position to a loudspeaker driving function to obtain a sound pressure signal of an impulse response type, performing Fourier transform on the obtained sound pressure signal of the impulse response type, and performing convolution on the extracted sound source signal for each channel and the Fourier-transformed sound pressure signal of the impulse response type to calculate a driving signal of each loudspeaker; and an audio reproducer that reproduces the localized virtual sound source signal.