JP2010099197A - Desk - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique capable of creating an acoustic space without impairing convenience to a user as compared with the conventional art, in a desk for creating a zoned acoustic space. <P>SOLUTION: The desk 1 includes: a top plate part 11 forming a top plate surface 11a; and a leg 12 fitted to the top plate part 11 to support it. The outer peripheral edge part of the top plate part 11 is provided with a flat speaker 13. The flat speaker 13 is fitted to the top plate part 11 to be embedded therein with the upside of the top plate surface 11a is defined as the sound emitting direction, and installed without a difference in level from the desk surface part. A control part of the desk 1 supplies a voice signal input to an input terminal to the flat speaker 13, and the voice signal is output as sound from the flat speaker 13. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a desk.

  In recent years, various apparatuses for creating an acoustic space have been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a desk that can easily create a zoned acoustic space without attaching an instrument or the like to the body. In the desk described in Patent Document 1, the speaker unit is arranged on the counter-use end side of the top plate portion so as to face the seating position of the user and close to the top plate surface, and on the back side of the speaker unit on the top plate portion. An acoustic tube is provided for guiding the sound wave to the use end side of the top plate portion.

JP 2003-144234 A

However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, since the speaker is fixed to the top of the top plate, the speaker may be in the way for the user. In addition, the desk described in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that the acoustic tube is attached to the position of the drawer on the front side of the desk, and therefore the drawer cannot be provided on the desk, which is not convenient for the user. In the technique described in Patent Document 1, since the length of the acoustic tube is fixed, only the predetermined frequency can be amplified.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described background, and in a desk for creating a zoned acoustic space, a technology capable of creating an acoustic space without impairing convenience for the user as compared with the conventional art. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a top panel, a flat speaker provided at an edge of the top panel with a sound emitting direction above the top surface formed by the top panel, and an audio signal. Is provided, and a signal supply unit that supplies the flat speaker with the audio signal input to the input unit through signal processing.

  In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the apparatus includes a plurality of the planar speakers, a selection unit that selects a planar speaker to be driven from the plurality of the planar speakers, and the signal supply unit is a plane selected by the selection unit. A sound signal input to the input means may be processed and supplied to a speaker.

  Further, in a further preferred aspect of the present invention, the sound supply means provided in the vicinity of the flat speaker in association with the flat speaker, and the signal supply means based on the audio signal output from the sound pickup means. Processing content setting means for setting processing content of signal processing may be provided.

  Further, in a further preferred aspect of the present invention, a sensor for detecting the presence / absence of a user is provided, and the selecting means selects a flat speaker to be driven from the plurality of flat speakers in accordance with a signal output from the sensor. You may choose.

  Further, in another preferred aspect of the present invention, there is provided an operation unit that is operated by a user and outputs an operation signal corresponding to the operated content, and the selection unit is in response to a signal output from the operation unit. A planar speaker to be driven may be selected from the plurality of planar speakers.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, in the desk which creates the zoned acoustic space, compared with the past, an acoustic space can be created, without impairing the convenience with respect to a user.

<Configuration>
FIG. 1 is a side view of a desk 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a top view of the desk 1. The desk 1 is a desk used in an environment such as an office or a classroom. As illustrated, the desk 1 includes a top plate portion 11 that forms a top plate surface 11a, and legs 12 that are attached to the top plate portion 11 and support it. The top plate portion 11 has a circular planar contour shape, and flat speakers 13a, 13b,..., Microphones 14a, 14b,. , 15b,... Are provided. In the following description, when it is not necessary to distinguish the flat speakers 13a, 13b,... For convenience of explanation, these will be referred to as “flat speakers 13”. Similarly, when there is no need to distinguish between the microphones 14a, 14b,..., These will be referred to as “microphones 14”. Further, when it is not necessary to distinguish between the individual sensors 15a, 15b,..., These will be referred to as “personal sensors 15” and described.

  A plurality of flat speakers 13 are arranged along the outer peripheral edge of the top plate 11 of the desk. The flat speaker 13 is attached upward so as to be embedded in the top plate portion 11 and is installed so as not to be stepped from the desk surface portion. The planar speaker 13 is a speaker that outputs a plane wave sound wave, and outputs a plane wave sound wave in the direction of arrow A (that is, above the top surface 11a) in the drawing. The flat speaker 13 is, for example, an electrostatic speaker. This electrostatic speaker is composed of two electrodes facing each other at an interval, and a conductive sheet-like vibrating body inserted between the two electrodes. When a predetermined bias voltage is applied to the vibrating body and the voltage applied to the electrode is changed, the electrostatic force acting on the vibrating body is changed, and thereby the vibrating body is displaced. If this applied voltage is changed according to the input acoustic signal, the vibrating body repeats displacement (that is, vibrates) according to the change of the acoustic signal, and sound corresponding to the acoustic signal is generated from the speaker. In this embodiment, an electrostatic speaker is used as the planar speaker. However, the planar speaker is not limited to the electrostatic speaker, and may be another type of speaker such as an electromagnetic speaker.

  A plurality of chairs 2a, 2b,... Are provided around the desk 1, as shown in FIG. The user uses the desk 1 while sitting on one of the chairs 2a, 2b,. It is also possible to move the positions of the chairs 2a, 2b,..., And the user can use the desk 1 while sitting at the desired position by moving the chairs 2a, 2b,. can do. In the following description, for convenience of description, when it is not necessary to distinguish the chairs 2a, 2b,..., These will be referred to as “chair 2”.

  The microphone 14 provided on the desk 1 is sound collection means for collecting sound and outputting a sound signal representing the collected sound. The microphone 14 is provided in association with the flat speaker 13 at a position close to the flat speaker 13. The microphone 14 plays a role of monitoring the acoustic space provided by the flat speaker 13.

  The interpersonal sensor 15 is a sensor that is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the desk 1 and detects the presence or absence of a user who uses the desk 1. Here, an infrared sensor is used as the interpersonal sensor 15. The interpersonal sensor 15 is not limited to an infrared sensor, and may be, for example, an optical sensor, a heat detection sensor, or a combination of these sensors. In short, the sensor 15 can detect the presence or absence of a user who uses the desk 1. Anything is acceptable. A plurality of interpersonal sensors 15 are installed around the desk 1 at predetermined intervals. The interpersonal sensor 15 detects at which position of the desk 1 or at what interval (in the arrangement) the user is sitting.

  Next, the functional configuration of the desk 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the desk 1. In the figure, audio data representing audio is input to the input terminal 21. The input terminal 21 may be connected to a personal computer, for example, so that voice data is input from the personal computer. For example, a microphone that collects sound is connected, and voice data is input from the connected microphone. In short, any audio data may be input.

  The control unit 22 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like, and controls each unit of the desk 1. The control unit 22 performs signal processing and supplies the audio signal input to the input terminal 21 to the flat speaker 13. Here, the control unit 22 supplies the audio data input to the input terminal 21 to the D (digital) / A (Analog) conversion unit 23. The D / A converter 23 converts the digital audio data supplied from the controller 22 into an analog signal and supplies the analog signal to the LPF 24. The LPF 24 performs low-pass filter processing on the audio signal converted into an analog signal by the D / A converter 23 and outputs the result to the AMP 25. The AMP 25 amplifies the audio signal output from the LPF 24 and outputs it to the flat speaker 13. The flat speaker 13 emits sound with an intensity corresponding to the audio signal output from the AMP 25. Thus, a signal corresponding to the audio signal input to the input terminal 21 is output to the flat speaker 13 and emitted from the flat speaker 13 toward the ceiling. The user listens to the sound emitted from the flat speaker 13 while sitting on the chair 2.

  Now, the sound wave output from the flat speaker 13 is reflected by the ceiling. The microphone 14 collects sound reflected by the ceiling and ambient sound and outputs an audio signal representing the collected sound. The AMP 26 amplifies the audio signal output from the microphone 14 and outputs it to the LPF 27. The LPF 27 performs low-pass filter processing on the audio signal output from the AMP 26 and outputs the result to the S / H unit 28. The S / H unit 28 performs a sampling hold process on the signal output from the LPF 27 and supplies the signal to the A / D conversion unit 29. The A / D conversion unit 29 converts the analog signal output from the S / H unit 28 into digital audio data and outputs it to the control unit 22.

  The control unit 22 receives the audio data input to the input terminal 21 (hereinafter referred to as “first audio data”) and the audio data supplied from the A / D conversion unit 29 (hereinafter referred to as “second audio data”). The difference between them is detected and the first audio data is corrected according to the detection result. The control unit 22 supplies the corrected audio data to the D / A conversion unit 23 and outputs it as sound from the flat speaker 13. As described above, in the present embodiment, the control unit 22 compares the first audio data and the second audio data, and corrects the first audio data according to the difference between the first audio data and the user's listening. Adjust the acoustic characteristics at the position and automatically adjust to the optimal sound field.

  The interpersonal sensor 15 detects the presence or absence of a user and outputs a signal indicating the detection result to the AMP 30. The AMP 30 amplifies the signal from the interpersonal sensor 15 and outputs the amplified signal to the LPF 31. The LPF 31 performs low-pass filter processing on the signal from the AMP 30 and outputs it to the S / H unit 32. The S / H unit 32 performs a sampling hold process on the signal output from the LPF 31 and outputs the signal to the A / D conversion unit 33. The A / D converter 33 performs A / D conversion on the supplied signal and outputs the signal to the controller 22.

  The control unit 22 analyzes the signal supplied from the A / D conversion unit 33, and selects the planar speaker 13 to be driven from the plurality of planar speakers 13 according to the analysis result. That is, the control unit 22 selects the planar speaker 13 to be driven from the plurality of planar speakers 13 according to the detection result of the interpersonal sensor 15. Here, a table showing the correspondence between the interpersonal sensor 15 and one or a plurality of flat speakers 13 provided in the vicinity of the interpersonal sensor 15 is stored in advance in the memory of the control unit 22. The flat speaker 13 corresponding to the interpersonal sensor 15 detected as having a user is selected with reference to the table stored in the memory. The control unit 22 supplies the audio signal input to the input terminal 21 to the selected flat speaker 13. By doing in this way, the sound according to the audio | voice signal supplied from the planar speaker 13 selected by the control part 22 is emitted.

<Operation>
Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The user S sits on a chair 2 installed around the desk 1. When the user S sits on the chair 2, the interpersonal sensor 15 of the desk 1 detects the user S and outputs a signal indicating the detection result, as shown in FIG. The control unit 22 receives a signal output from the interpersonal sensor 15 via the AMP 30, the LPF 31, etc., and selects the planar speaker 13 to be driven from the plurality of planar speakers 13 according to the received signal. Here, the control unit 22 selects the planar speaker 13 to be driven with reference to a table stored in the memory. As described above, since one or a plurality of flat speakers 13 provided close to the personal sensor 15 are stored in the memory in association with each other, the user is detected. A flat speaker 13 provided close to the interpersonal sensor 15 is selected. Specifically, for example, in the example shown in FIG. 1, when the human sensor 15a detects a user, the flat speaker 13a provided in the vicinity of the human sensor 15a is selected.

  The control unit 22 supplies the audio signal input to the input terminal to the selected flat speaker 13 via the D / A conversion unit 23, the LPF 24, and the like. Thereby, the sound according to the supplied audio signal is emitted from the flat speaker 13 selected by the control unit 22. Since the flat speaker 13 provided on the desk 1 emits a plane wave, the sound emitted from the flat speaker 13 may leak outside the position of the flat speaker 13 (that is, the position where the user is seated). Few. Therefore, a zoned acoustic space can be created without providing a partition or the like.

  As described above, the sound wave output from the flat speaker 13 is reflected from the ceiling. As shown in FIG. 5, the microphone 14 collects sound reflected by the ceiling T and ambient sound, and outputs a sound signal representing the collected sound. The control unit 22 receives audio data (second audio data) representing audio collected by the microphone 14 via the AMP 26, the LPF 27, and the like, and receives the audio data (first audio data) input to the input terminal 21. ) And the second audio data, the processing content of the signal processing is set, the first audio data is signal-processed with the set processing content, and output to the D / A converter 23. The audio data output to the D / A conversion unit 23 (that is, the audio data subjected to signal processing by the control unit 22) is output as sound from the flat speaker 13 via the LPF 24 and the AMP 25. As described above, the control unit 22 corrects the first audio data, so that the acoustic characteristics at the listening position of the user can be adjusted.

  Next, a case where a plurality of users use the desk 1 will be described. When a plurality of users use the desk 1, the interpersonal sensor 15 provided at each position of the plurality of users detects the user and outputs a signal indicating the detection result. The control unit 22 is a flat speaker provided at a position corresponding to each position of a plurality of users (a position of the user or a position close to the position of the user) based on a signal output from the interpersonal sensor 15. 13 is selected. The control unit 22 supplies an audio signal to the selected flat speaker 13. Specifically, for example, in the example shown in FIG. 2, when the three human sensors 15a, 15d, and 15f detect the user, the flat speakers corresponding to the human sensors 15a, 15d, and 15f, respectively. 13a, 13d, and 13f are selected, and sound is emitted from the selected flat speakers 13a, 13d, and 13f. At this time, the selected flat speakers 13 each output a plane wave having directivity upward, so that there is little sound leakage to the surroundings. Therefore, according to this embodiment, a comfortable acoustic space can be simultaneously provided to a plurality of users in an open space that does not use partitions such as partitions.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the flat speaker 13 is attached so as to be embedded in the top plate portion 11 of the desk 1 and is installed so as not to be stepped from the desk surface portion. Therefore, the speaker interferes with the user. It will never become. In addition, since a flat speaker is used, it is not necessary to attach an acoustic tube to the desk 1, and it is possible to take various shapes such as providing a drawer on the front surface, and to provide a desk that is highly convenient for the user. Can do. Moreover, in this embodiment, since it is not necessary to attach an acoustic tube, the frequency of a sound wave is not limited.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a comfortable acoustic space in an open space that does not use a partition such as a partition without giving a user a load such as wearing a speaker or a microphone. .

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the flat speaker 13 faces upward, a standing wave may be generated between the ceiling and the top plate portion 11, but the difference in the audio signal due to the microphone 14 being arranged. Thus, the acoustic characteristics at the listening position can be automatically adjusted. By doing so, sound leakage can be reduced even though there is no partition such as a partition.

<Modification>
As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, It can implement with another various form. An example is shown below. In addition, you may combine each following aspect suitably.
(1) In the above-described embodiment, the desk 1 having a circular planar profile of the top board is used. However, the desk shape is not limited to a circular shape, and may be, for example, a rectangular shape. It may be anything. Moreover, although the above-mentioned embodiment demonstrated the desk 1 which comprises the one leg 12, the number of legs may be plural.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the desk 1 in which a plurality of planar speakers 13, microphones 14, and interpersonal sensors 15 are provided is illustrated, but the number of the planar speakers 13, microphones 14, and interpersonal sensors 15 is illustrated. Is not limited to a plurality and may be one. In short, the desk 1 may be provided with one or a plurality of flat speakers 13, microphones 14 and interpersonal sensors 15.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 22 selects the planar speaker 13 to be driven by referring to the table stored in the memory. However, the selection process is not limited to this. The information indicating the position of the sensor 15 and the information indicating the position of each flat speaker 13 are stored in advance in the memory of the control unit 22, and the control unit 22 detects the person sensor 15 detected that there is a user. With reference to the position information, one or a plurality of flat speakers 13 provided at positions close to the interpersonal sensor 15 may be selected.

  In the above-described embodiment, the user in the seat is detected by the interpersonal sensor 15, and the control unit 22 selects one or a plurality of planar speakers 13 to be used according to the detection result. The selection mode of 13 is not limited to this. For example, a configuration including an operation unit operated by a user is selected, and the control unit 22 selects a planar speaker to be driven according to a signal output from the operation unit. May be. In this case, an operation unit such as a button or a switch that is operated by the user and outputs a signal corresponding to the operated content is provided on the desk 1. When the operation unit is operated by the user, the control unit 22 selects the flat speaker 13 according to a signal output from the operation unit.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the selection process of the planar speaker 13 to be driven may not be performed. In this case, the interpersonal sensor 15 may not be provided. In this case, the control unit 22 supplies an audio signal to the flat speaker 13 provided on the desk 1 without performing the selection process of the flat speaker 13 to be driven. For example, when using a desk provided with a single flat speaker 13 instead of a plurality, the control unit 22 does not need to perform a selection process. Moreover, you may make it the control part 22 supply an audio | voice signal with respect to all the several flat speakers 13 provided in the desk about the desk provided with the several flat speakers 13. FIG.

(3) The input terminal 21 in the above-described embodiment may be provided, for example, on the top plate portion 11a of the desk 1, or may be provided, for example, on the leg 12 of the desk 1. In the above-described embodiment, a plurality of input terminals 21 may be provided on the desk 1. In this case, a plurality of users can listen to their desired music and voice. In this case, the correspondence relationship between the input terminal 21 and the flat speaker 13 is stored in advance in a memory or the like, and an audio signal input to the input terminal 21 is transmitted to the flat speaker 13 corresponding to the input terminal 21. May be output.

  In the above-described embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the flat speaker 13 is arranged so as to cover the outer peripheral edge of the desk 1, but the arrangement of the flat speaker 13 is not limited to this, for example, The two flat speakers 13 may be assigned as Rch and Lch for each seat, and various arrangements of the flat speakers 13 can be used. In short, the flat speaker 13 only needs to be attached so as to be embedded in the top plate portion 11 of the desk 1.

(4) In the above-described embodiment, the planar speaker 13 and the microphone 14 are provided in association with each other. The number of the flat speakers 13 and the number of the microphones 14 may be the same or different. In short, the microphone 14 may be provided in association with the flat speaker 13.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, a call function for performing a voice call may be provided, and the microphone 14 and the flat speaker 13 provided on the desk 1 may be used when performing a voice call.
Further, personal information may be specified by attaching an ID authentication function to the interpersonal sensor. In this case, when interpreting is necessary based on personal information, the language is specified, and a voice interpreting function is provided in the control unit 22 to automatically select a language so that a voice call can be made in the translated language. Good.

  Moreover, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the structure in which the microphone 14 is not provided may be sufficient. In this case, the desk 1 outputs sound waves from the flat speaker 13 and does not perform the sound collection by the microphone 14 and the acoustic characteristic adjustment processing by the control unit 22, but even in this case, the same as in the above-described embodiment. In addition, an individual acoustic space can be provided to the user in an open space that does not use partitions such as partitions.

It is a side view which shows an example of a desk. It is a top view which shows an example of a desk. It is a figure which shows an example of the functional structure of a desk. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation | movement of this embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation | movement of this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Desk, 2 ... Chair, 11 ... Top plate part, 12 ... Leg, 13 ... Planar speaker, 14 ... Microphone, 15 ... Interpersonal sensor, 21 ... Input terminal, 22 ... Control part, 23 ... D / A conversion part, 24, 27, 31 ... LPF, 25, 26, 30 ... AMP, 28, 32 ... S / H section, 29, 33 ... A / D conversion section.

Claims (5)

With the top plate,
A flat speaker provided at the edge of the top plate with the sound emission direction above the top surface formed by the top plate;
An input means for inputting an audio signal;
And a signal supply unit that supplies the flat speaker with the audio signal input to the input unit after signal processing. A plurality of the flat speakers,
Selecting means for selecting a planar speaker to be driven from the plurality of planar speakers;
2. The desk according to claim 1, wherein the signal supply means supplies the audio signal input to the input means to the flat speaker selected by the selection means after signal processing. 3. Sound collecting means provided in the vicinity of the flat speaker in association with the flat speaker;
The desk according to claim 1, further comprising: a processing content setting unit that sets a processing content of signal processing by the signal supply unit based on an audio signal output from the sound collecting unit. It has a sensor that detects the presence or absence of a user,
The desk according to claim 2, wherein the selection unit selects a flat speaker to be driven from the plurality of flat speakers in accordance with a signal output from the sensor. An operation means that is operated by the user and outputs an operation signal corresponding to the operated content,
The desk according to claim 2, wherein the selection unit selects a flat speaker to be driven from the plurality of flat speakers in accordance with a signal output from the operation unit.

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