Patents by Inventor Kohei Asada

Kohei Asada has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20230007389
    Abstract: This speaker system includes: a speaker device that is disposed outside a region of a projection surface on which a display surface of a display is projected, the speaker device functioning as a real sound source; and a reflector that has a reflection surface reflecting a sound output from the speaker device, the reflector localizing a sound image of a virtual sound source within the region of the projection surface. The reflector has an elliptical reflection surface in at least a part of the reflection surface. With this configuration, the sound output from the speaker device disposed outside the region of the projection surface is reflected on the reflector, and a sound image thereof is localized within the region of the projection surface, whereby it is possible to bring a display position of a video into alignment with an output position of the sound. Thus, a comfortable viewing state can be ensured for a viewer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2020
    Publication date: January 5, 2023
    Applicant: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventors: Kazunobu Ookuri, Kohei Asada, Masaki Kamata, Hiroyuki Shirakawa
  • Patent number: 11543521
    Abstract: To provide a mechanism for selectively taking an external sound from an appropriate sound source into an internal space of a moving object. An information processing apparatus including an acquisition unit configured to acquire an audio signal from a sound source existing outside a moving object, a generation unit configured to generate an audio signal from a target sound source at a distance from the moving object, the distance being a distance according to a speed of the moving object, of the sound sources, on the basis of the audio signal acquired by the acquisition unit, and an output control unit configured to output the audio signal generated by the generation unit toward an internal space of the moving object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Keiichi Osako, Kohei Asada, Tetsunori Itabashi, Kazuma Yoshii, Kenichi Makino, Yasunobu Murata, Shigetoshi Hayashi
  • Patent number: 11445289
    Abstract: [Problem] To propose a mechanism capable of performing a noise cancellation process in an ear hole opening type audio processing device. [Solution] An audio processing device including: an audio information acquisition unit that acquires audio information; a holding unit that abuts on a cavum concha or an inner wall of an ear canal and holds the audio information acquisition unit in a space closer to an eardrum side than a tragus, in a state of being worn by a user; an opening portion that opens an ear hole to an outside; and a signal processing unit that generates a noise cancellation signal based on the audio information acquired by the audio information acquisition unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Go Igarashi, Shigetoshi Hayashi, Naoki Shinmen, Kohei Asada
  • Publication number: 20220267360
    Abstract: A metal complex (1) is useful for producing a light emitting device having excellent external quantum efficiency. M represents Ir; n1 is 1 or more; n1+n2 is 3; E1 and E2 are nitrogen or carbon atoms; Ring L1 represents an aromatic hetero ring; Ring L2 represents an aromatic hydrocarbon or an aromatic hetero ring; A1-G1-A2 represents an anionic bidentate ligand, and Ring L1 or Ring L2 has a group (2). R3 represents an alkyl group; R4 to R8 are each a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group; X represents an arylene group; k1 represents 0 to 3. When (1) has only one type of (2), (i) is satisfied: (i) Ring L1 is a monocyclic 5-membered aromatic hetero ring; and at least one Ring L2 has formula (2) where R3 is a phenyl group, R4 is a hydrogen atom, and R3 and R4 are combined to form a fluorene ring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2019
    Publication date: August 25, 2022
    Inventors: Mayu YOSHIOKA, Kohei ASADA
  • Publication number: 20220254329
    Abstract: Provided is a speaker unit that constitutes a sound system that reduces noise in an open space, including: a housing; a driver; and a microphone, in which the microphone and the driver are provided in the housing such that sensitivity of the microphone to a signal output from the driver is lower.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2020
    Publication date: August 11, 2022
    Inventors: SHIGETOSHI HAYASHI, TETSUNORI ITABASHI, KOHEI ASADA, KENICHI MAKINO
  • Patent number: 11405712
    Abstract: Provided is a sound output apparatus that is used by being worn in the vicinity of the ear of a listener and is capable of outputting sound over a wide frequency band. The sound output apparatus includes: a first sound generation unit configured to generate a low frequency band; a sound guiding unit with a hollow structure, having one end coupled to the first sound generation unit, and the other end as a sound emission unit including an open end; and a second sound generation unit that is disposed at a place closer to the sound emission unit than the first sound generation unit and generates a high frequency band. It is preferable that the sound guiding unit have a joint unit that takes in the sound from the second sound generation unit and a section from the joint unit to the sound emission unit have a low impedance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Naoki Shinmen, Go Igarashi, Kohei Asada
  • Patent number: 11358514
    Abstract: There is provided a mobile object including an imaging unit configured to capture a perimeter of the mobile object, a speaker configured to be capable of controlling directivity, a determination unit configured to determine whether the mobile object is in a driving mode, and a speaker control unit configured to control the speaker in the driving mode in a manner that predetermined audio is output toward a warning target that is recognized based on a captured image captured by the imaging unit, and to control the speaker in a non-driving mode in a manner that the predetermined audio is output in a non-directional way.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoichiro Sako, Hiroshi Okada, Kazuhiro Watanabe, Kazuyuki Sakoda, Hirofumi Yuchi, Kohei Asada
  • Patent number: 11350203
    Abstract: Provided is a headphone device including a housing, an audio input unit that is arranged to be separated from the housing and collects audio to generate an audio signal, a holding unit that abuts on a cavum concha or an inner wall of an ear canal of a user and holds the audio input unit in a space closer to an eardrum side than a tragus, in a state of being worn by the user, a wired connection unit that connects the housing and the audio input unit in a wired manner, a signal processing unit that generates a noise cancellation signal for an external sound based on the audio signal generated by the audio input unit, and generates an output signal based on the generated noise cancellation signal, and an audio output unit that outputs audio based on the output signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoki Shinmen, Kohei Asada, Shigetoshi Hayashi, Go Igarashi
  • Publication number: 20220139366
    Abstract: There is provided a mechanism that enables cooperation of a plurality of audio processing devices. An earphone device includes a sensor unit that detects an overlapping state of the earphone device and a headphone device and a wireless communication unit that wirelessly communicates with the headphone device which is worn to overlap an outer side of the earphone device worn by a user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2022
    Publication date: May 5, 2022
    Inventors: KOHEI ASADA, GO IGARASHI, NAOKI SHINMEN, SHIGETOSHI HAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20220130364
    Abstract: The present technology relates to a noise cancellation signal generation device, method, and program capable of improving noise reduction performance. A noise cancellation signal generation device includes: a reference sensor; a speaker that outputs sound based on a noise cancellation signal; a memory that records second information for obtaining a filter coefficient of a noise cancellation filter calculated on the basis of first information obtained in consideration of a change in a relative position between the speaker and a noise cancellation point; and a noise cancellation processor that acquires the second information from the memory using a signal acquired by a sensor, and generates the noise cancellation signal on the basis of the filter coefficient obtained from the acquired second information and a reference signal acquired by the reference sensor. The present technology can be applied to an ANC system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2020
    Publication date: April 28, 2022
    Inventors: KENICHI MAKINO, KOHEI ASADA, TETSUNORI ITABASHI
  • Publication number: 20220103936
    Abstract: The present technique relates to an earhole-wearable sound collection device, a signal processing device, and a sound collection method for realizing sound collection at a high S/N ratio, with noise influence being reduced not by a noise reduction process. In the earhole-wearable sound collection device, a microphone that collects emitted speech voice is provided in a space that is substantially sealed off from outside and connects to an ear canal of the wearer (the speaker). With the microphone being located in the space sealed off from outside, emitted speech voice that propagates through the ear canal of the wearer is collected. In a sound collection signal obtained through the ear canal, the emitted speech voice component is dominant over the noise component particularly at low frequencies. Therefore, the S/N ratio of an emitted speech voice collection signal can be improved by extracting the low-frequency component of the sound collection signal with the use of a LPF, for example.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2021
    Publication date: March 31, 2022
    Inventors: KOHEI ASADA, SHINPEI TSUCHIYA, DAIZEN KOBAYASHI, KOJI NAGENO
  • Publication number: 20220095033
    Abstract: Provided is an acoustic device worn on a listener's ear to be used that performs noise cancellation. An acoustic device is provided with a sound insulation unit that engages with the ear canal and insulates ambient sound, a sound production unit that is arranged closer to the eardrum than the sound insulation unit and outputs an acoustic signal, a sound collection unit that is arranged in the vicinity of a sound insulation position in which the sound insulation unit insulates the ambient sound and collects the ambient sound, a processing unit that processes the acoustic signal according to the ambient sound collected by the sound collection unit, and a housing that accommodates the sound production unit, the sound collection unit, and the processing unit. The sound insulation unit includes an earpiece that supports the housing in the vicinity of an entrance of the ear canal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2019
    Publication date: March 24, 2022
    Applicant: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventors: Naoki Shinmen, Yushi Yamabe, Kohei Asada
  • Patent number: 11257476
    Abstract: Provided is a signal processing apparatus of a plurality of signal processing apparatuses that includes a noise canceling processing unit capable of connecting one or more input portions and one or more output portions, and performs a noise canceling processing. Signal processing apparatuses of the plurality of signal processing apparatuses are connected to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shigetoshi Hayashi, Kohei Asada, Shinpei Tsuchiya, Kazunobu Ookuri
  • Patent number: 11200880
    Abstract: Provided is an information processor including a signal processing section that acquires a first signal to be detected by an acoustic input section of a first unit including the acoustic input section disposed within a predetermined distance from one ear hole of a user in a state of being worn by the user, acquires a second signal, which indicates a noise generated from a noise source, to be acquired by a second unit, and generates a noise cancellation signal directed to the noise on the basis of the first signal and the second signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenichi Makino, Kohei Asada, Tetsunori Itabashi, Shigetoshi Hayashi, Go Igarashi
  • Publication number: 20210377643
    Abstract: There is provided a sound device used while being worn on the listener's ears. The sound device includes a main body installed on a medial surface of an auricle, a holding portion having an annular hollow structure arranged to be coupled to an intertragic notch of an ear near an entrance of an ear canal, a sound guide portion formed as a pipe structure having one end communicating with the main body and another end communicating with the holding portion, an open/close operation unit configured to open or close an earhole, and a control unit configured to control driving of the open/close operation unit. The earhole open/close state is set for each user. The earhole open/close state can be switched depending on the type of application or content to be played, ambient noise level, user behavior, position information, or the like.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2019
    Publication date: December 2, 2021
    Inventors: GO IGARASHI, NAOKI SHINMEN, KOHEI ASADA
  • Publication number: 20210345057
    Abstract: Provided is an information processing apparatus that carries out a process of deriving a head related transfer function. The information processing apparatus includes a detection unit that detects a position of a head of a user, a storage unit that stores a head related transfer function of the user, a determination unit that determines a position of a sound source for measuring the head related transfer function of the user based on the position of the head detected by the detection unit and information stored in the storage unit, a control unit that controls the sound source to output measurement signal sound from the position determined by the determination unit, and a calculation unit that calculates the head related transfer function of the user based on collected sound data obtained by collecting, at the position of the head, the measurement signal sound output from the sound source.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2019
    Publication date: November 4, 2021
    Inventors: GO IGARASHI, NAOKI SHINMEN, KOHEI ASADA, CHISATA NUMAOKA, YOSHIYUKI KURODA
  • Publication number: 20210337302
    Abstract: Disclosed is a signal processing apparatus including a surrounding sound signal acquisition unit, a NC (Noise Canceling) signal generation part, a cooped-up feeling elimination signal generation part, and an addition part. The surrounding sound signal acquisition unit collects a surrounding sound to generate a surrounding sound signal. The NC signal generation part generates a noise canceling signal from the surrounding sound signal. The cooped-up feeling elimination signal generation part generates a cooped-up feeling elimination signal from the surrounding sound signal. The addition part adds together the generated noise canceling signal and the cooped-up feeling elimination signal at a prescribed ratio.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2021
    Publication date: October 28, 2021
    Inventors: YASUNOBU MURATA, KOHEI ASADA, YUSHI YAMABE
  • Patent number: 11159905
    Abstract: The present technology relates to a signal processing apparatus and method that are capable of reproducing sound at an optional listening position with a high sense of reality. The signal processing apparatus includes a rendering unit that generates reproduction data of sound at an optional listening position in a target space on the basis of recording signals of microphones attached to a plurality of moving bodies in the target space. The present technology can be applied to a reproduction apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryuichi Namba, Masashi Fujihara, Makoto Akune, Koyuru Okimoto, Toru Chinen, Kohei Asada, Kazunobu Ookuri, Masayoshi Noguchi, Minoru Tsuji
  • Patent number: 11146877
    Abstract: A sound output device includes a sound generating portion that generates a sound, a sound guiding portion that takes in the sound generated in the sound generating portion from one end, and a holding portion that holds the sound guiding portion in the vicinity of the other end. The holding portion is engaged with an intertragic notch, and supports the sound guiding portion such that a sound output hole of the other end of the sound guiding portion to face a depth side of an ear canal. Even in a state where the listener wears the sound output device, the sound output device does not block an ear cavity of the listener, and the listener can listen to the ambient sound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Go Igarashi, Satoshi Suzuki, Kohei Asada, Koji Nageno
  • Publication number: 20210286073
    Abstract: To provide a mechanism for selectively taking an external sound from an appropriate sound source into an internal space of a moving object. An information processing apparatus including an acquisition unit configured to acquire an audio signal from a sound source existing outside a moving object, a generation unit configured to generate an audio signal from a target sound source at a distance from the moving object, the distance being a distance according to a speed of the moving object, of the sound sources, on the basis of the audio signal acquired by the acquisition unit, and an output control unit configured to output the audio signal generated by the generation unit toward an internal space of the moving object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2017
    Publication date: September 16, 2021
    Inventors: KEIICHI OSAKO, KOHEI ASADA, TETSUNORI ITABASHI, KAZUMA YOSHII, KENICHI MAKINO, YASUNOBU MURATA, SHIGETOSHI HAYASHI