Outdoor sound input device

Abstract

To provide an outdoor sound intake device which prevents a person in a building room to fall into cooped-up feeling and isolated feeling.SOLUTION: An outdoor sound intake device 10 for taking-in outdoor sound into the inside 2 of a room of a building 1 includes a damper 11 constituted so as to open and close a communication hole 5 which communicates the outside 3 of the room and the inside 2 of the room of the building 1, an actuator (15) which drives opening / closing of the damper 11, an outdoor sound sensor 28 which detects outdoor sound, and a control device 30 which controls the actuator (15) based on detection result of the outdoor sound sensor 28. The control device 30 controls the actuator (15) in accordance with sound quality of an outdoor sound detected by the outdoor sound sensor 28 and intakes an environmental sound of outdoor sound 3 of such a sound quality as to prevent a person in the inside 2 of the room to fall into unpleasant feeling, into the inside 2 of the room of the building 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an outdoor sound intake device for taking outdoor sound into a building interior.

Background Art

[0002] As a device that can enhance the comfort of the interior of a building, an air conditioner with a ventilation function is known. Patent Document 1 discloses an air conditioner with a ventilation function that includes a ventilation fan for taking in outdoor air inside the air conditioner and introduces outdoor air into the room when the indoor temperature or indoor humidity rises too much in winter. According to this air conditioner, problems such as leakage of indoor sound to the outside and intrusion of outdoor sound into the room, as in the case of opening a window of the room to introduce outdoor air into the room for cooling and dehumidification, can be solved.

[0003] Also, as a countermeasure against noise caused by outdoor sound entering the room through the ventilation opening simultaneously with air during ventilation, setting a sound-absorbing material in the ventilation structure has been carried out to obtain sound absorption performance (see, for example, Patent Documents 2 to 4).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] On the one hand, for example, in a situation where the time spent at home is prolonged due to restrictions on going out, it may be beneficial for the people staying indoors to introduce a predetermined external sound into the room. For example, it may be possible to eliminate the sense of confinement or isolation in the indoor environment that the occupants feel. However, in the field of architecture, the technological development has been focused on improving sound insulation performance, and there has been no technology for actively introducing outdoor sound into the room.

[0006] In view of the above background, an object of the present invention is to eliminate the sense of confinement or isolation in the indoor environment that the people staying indoors of a building feel.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0007] One aspect of the present invention for solving the above problem is an outdoor sound intake device (10) for introducing outdoor sound into the indoor space (2) of a building (1), comprising a damper (11) configured to open and close a communication hole (5) that communicates the outdoor space (3) and the indoor space of the building, an actuator (15) for driving the damper to open and close, an outdoor sound sensor (28) for detecting the outdoor sound, and a control device (30) for controlling the actuator based on the detection result of the outdoor sound sensor. The control device controls the actuator according to the sound quality of the outdoor sound detected by the outdoor sound sensor.

[0008] According to this aspect, by the control device controlling the actuator according to the sound quality of the outdoor sound, it is possible to introduce the environmental sound of the outdoor with a sound quality that does not make the people staying indoors uncomfortable into the indoor space of the building. Thereby, it is possible to eliminate the sense of confinement or isolation in the indoor environment that the people staying indoors of the building feel.

[0009] In the above aspect, it is preferable that the control device controls the actuator so as to open the communication hole as the sound quality of the outdoor sound is closer to a predetermined sound quality.

[0010] According to this aspect, the amount of environmental sound introduced into the indoor space can be increased as it is closer to a predetermined sound quality that does not make the people staying indoors uncomfortable.

[0011] In the above aspect, it is preferable that the predetermined sound quality is a predetermined frequency band.

[0012] According to this aspect, a predetermined sound quality that does not make a person indoors feel uncomfortable can be easily specified by frequency.

[0013] In the above aspect, it is preferable that the outdoor sound intake device further includes a sound absorption material (26) provided in the communication hole and absorbing sound in a frequency band different from the predetermined frequency band.

[0014] According to this aspect, when the damper is open, it is possible to suppress the intrusion of sound in a frequency band that makes a person indoors feel uncomfortable and is different from the predetermined frequency band into the room.

[0015] In the above aspect, it is preferable that the control device controls the actuator so as to close the communication hole as the sound pressure of the outdoor sound increases.

[0016] According to this aspect, it is possible to prevent the sound pressure of the environmental sound taken into the room from becoming excessively large.

[0017] In the above aspect, it is preferable to further include a speaker controlled by the control device, and the control device controls the speaker so as to generate the outdoor sound of the predetermined sound quality detected by the outdoor sound sensor.

[0018] According to this aspect, when a sound of a predetermined sound quality that does not make a person indoors feel uncomfortable is included in the outdoor sound but its sound pressure is small, the speaker generates an outdoor sound of the predetermined sound quality, making the outdoor sound of that sound quality more audible to the person indoors.

Advantages of the Invention

[0019] According to the above aspects, it is possible to eliminate the sense of occlusion and isolation of the indoor environment felt by the occupants of the room.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0022] ≪First Embodiment≫ With reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a plan sectional view of the outdoor sound pickup device 10 according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a front view of the outdoor sound pickup device 10 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the outdoor sound pickup device 10 is provided on a wall 4 that separates the indoor 2 and the outdoor 3 of the building 1.

[0023] In this embodiment, the building 1 is an apartment house made of reinforced concrete. In other examples, the building 1 may have any structure such as a steel frame structure, a steel-reinforced concrete structure, or a wooden structure. Further, the building 1 may be used for any purpose such as a detached house, an office, or a store.

[0024] In FIG. 1, the lower part of the wall 4 is a living room that is the indoor 2, and the upper part of the wall 4 is the outside (outdoor) of the building that is the outdoor 3. That is, the wall 4 is an outer peripheral wall arranged on the outer peripheral part of the building 1. In other examples, the outdoor 3 above the wall 4 may be another living room inside the building. That is, the wall 4 may be a partition wall that divides the inside of the building. Note that the front view of the outdoor sound pickup device 10 in FIG. 2 is a view seen from the outdoor 3.

[0025] A communication hole 5 formed of a through hole is formed in the wall 4. The communication hole 5 has a circular cross section and communicates the outdoor 3 and the indoor 2 of the building 1. The outdoor sound intake device 10 is a device for taking in outdoor sound into the indoor 2 of the building 1, and is provided so as to block the communication hole 5. The outdoor sound intake device 10 has a damper 11 for opening and closing the communication hole 5 and a housing 12 that supports the damper 11 and is attached to the communication hole 5. The damper 11 is constituted by a pair of opening and closing plates 14 that are rotatably provided around a rotation shaft 13 extending in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the communication hole 5 at the center of the communication hole 5.

[0026] The rotation shaft 13 has a double-tube structure, and each tube supports the corresponding opening and closing plate 14. Each opening and closing plate 14 is provided so as to be rotationally displaceable between a closed position shown by a solid line in FIG. 1 for closing the communication hole 5 and an open position shown by an imaginary line in FIG. 1 for opening the communication hole 5. A motor 15 that rotationally drives the double tubes in opposite directions is connected to the rotation shaft 13. The motor 15 may be directly connected to the rotation shaft 13 or may be connected via a speed reducer.

[0027] The pair of opening and closing plates 14 are provided symmetrically about the rotation shaft 13 and are substantially square (rectangular) in front view. The housing 12 has a cylindrical outer cylinder wall 21, and an outer end wall 22 and an inner end wall 23 provided at the outer end and the inner end of the outer cylinder wall 21 and having openings slightly smaller than the outer contour of the opening and closing plate 14 in the closed position. An inner cylinder wall 24 extending inward along the opening is connected to the outer end wall 22. The inner cylinder wall 24 is a short square cylinder compared to the outer cylinder wall 21, and the outer surface of the opening and closing plate 14 in the closed position abuts on the inner edge of the inner cylinder wall 24.

[0028] A sound absorbing material 26 is provided inside the outer cylinder wall 21. The sound absorbing material 26 has an outer contour of a cylinder and an inner contour of a square cylinder, and defines an internally a communication passage having a square cross section connecting the opening of the outer end wall 22 and the opening of the inner end wall 23.

[0029] On the peripheral edge of the outer end wall 22 (outside the opening), an outdoor sound sensor 28 (microphone) for detecting outdoor sound is provided. The outdoor sound sensor 28 is connected to the control device 30 by a signal line, and the detection result of the outdoor sound sensor 28 is input to the control device 30. The control device 30 controls the operation of the motor 15 based on the detection result of the outdoor sound sensor 28 input thereto. The motor 15 constitutes an actuator that opens and closes a pair of opening and closing plates 14 via a rotating shaft 13.

[0030] The control device 30 and the motor 15 are arranged inside the sound absorption material 26 in the example of FIG. 2. In other examples, at least one of the control device 30 and the motor 15 may be provided outside the housing 12, for example, on the indoor 2 side of the wall 4. Electric power is supplied to the control device 30 from a power line (not shown). The control device 30 supplies power to the outdoor sound sensor 28 and operates the outdoor sound sensor 28 to receive the detection result of the outdoor sound. Further, the control device 30 supplies power to the motor 15 and controls the motor 15 so that the angular position (opening / closing degree) of the opening and closing plate 14 becomes a desired value.

[0031] Specifically, the control device 30 controls the motor 15 according to the sound quality of the outdoor sound detected by the outdoor sound sensor 28. The control device 30 controls the actuator so as to open the communication hole 5 as the sound quality of the outdoor sound is closer to a predetermined sound quality. Here, the predetermined sound quality is defined as a predetermined frequency band. That is, the control device 30 controls the actuator so as to open the communication hole 5 as the sound quality of the outdoor sound is closer to a predetermined frequency band.

[0032] The predetermined frequency band is preset as sound that does not make the person in the indoor 2 feel uncomfortable among the environmental sounds outside the room 3, that is, comfortable sound that is actively to be taken into the indoor 2. This predetermined frequency band (hereinafter referred to as a comfortable frequency band) may have a predetermined width. Thereby, the sound quality that does not make the person in the indoor 2 feel uncomfortable can be easily specified by frequency, and the environmental sound in a specific frequency band can be taken into the indoor 2.

[0033] The control device 30 decomposes the outdoor sound detected by the outdoor sound sensor 28 into a plurality of frequency bands including the comfortable frequency band, and measures the sound pressure of each frequency band. For example, when the sound pressure in the comfortable frequency band is greater than that in all other frequency bands, the control device 30 controls the motor 15 so that the damper 11 opens the communication hole 5. Further, the control device 30 controls the motor 15 so that the degree of opening of the communication hole 5 increases as the sound pressure in the comfortable frequency band becomes greater than the sound pressure in all other frequency bands. That is, the control device 30 controls the motor 15 to open the communication hole 5 as the sound quality of the outdoor sound approaches the sound quality of the comfortable frequency band. As a result, the amount of environmental sound taken into the room 2 increases as the sound quality approaches the comfortable frequency band that does not discomfort the people in the room 2.

[0034] FIG. 3 is an operation explanatory diagram of the outdoor sound intake device 10 according to the first embodiment. When the outdoor sound has a sound quality in which the sound pressure in other frequency bands is greater than the sound pressure in the comfortable frequency band, as shown in FIG. 3(A), the control device 30 drives the opening / closing plate 14 to the closed position and controls the motor 15 to close the communication hole 5. In this state, the outdoor sound is blocked from entering the communication hole 5 by the damper 11.

[0035] When the sound pressure in the comfortable frequency band becomes greater than the sound pressure in all other frequency bands, as shown in FIG. 3(B), the control device 30 controls the motor 15 so that the damper 11 slightly opens the communication hole 5. In this state, most of the outdoor sound is blocked from entering the communication hole 5 by the damper 11, but a part of the outdoor sound passes through the damper 11 and enters the room 2 through the communication hole 5.

[0036] When the sound pressure in the comfortable frequency band becomes even greater than the sound pressure in all other frequency bands, that is, when the ratio of the sound pressure in the comfortable frequency band in the outdoor sound increases, as shown in FIG. 3(C), the control device 30 controls the motor 15 so that the damper 11 further opens the communication hole 5. In this state, most of the outdoor sound passes through the damper 11 and enters the room 2 through the communication hole 5, and a part of the outdoor sound is blocked from entering the communication hole 5 by the damper 11.

[0037] When the ratio of the sound pressure in the comfortable frequency band in the outdoor sound becomes larger than a predetermined ratio, as shown in FIG. 3(D), the control device 30 controls the motor 15 so as to drive the opening / closing plate 14 to the open position and fully open the communication hole 5. In this state, substantially all of the outdoor sound passes through the damper 11 and enters the interior 2 through the communication hole 5.

[0038] The sound-absorbing material 26 that defines a communication path inside the communication hole 5 is adjusted to absorb sounds in a frequency band different from the predetermined comfortable frequency band. Thereby, when the damper 11 is open, the intrusion of sounds in a frequency band that makes the people in the interior 2 uncomfortable, which is different from the predetermined comfortable frequency band, into the interior 2 is suppressed.

[0039] Note that the frequency characteristics of the sound passing through the communication hole 5 are also related to the size of the opening area (gap) according to the opening state of the damper 11. That is, the frequency of the sound passing through the communication hole 5 changes according to the size of the opening. For example, when the gap is narrow, only sounds in a high-frequency band (with a short wavelength) can pass through the communication hole 5, but as the gap becomes larger, sounds in a lower-frequency band (with a long wavelength) can also pass through.

[0040] In this way, by the control device 30 controlling the motor 15 according to the sound quality of the outdoor sound detected by the outdoor sound sensor 28, the environmental sound of the outdoor 3 with a sound quality that does not make the people in the interior 2 uncomfortable can be taken into the interior 2 of the building 1. Thereby, the sense of occlusion and isolation of the interior environment felt by the people in the interior 2 of the building 1 can be eliminated.

[0041] On the other hand, the control device 30 controls the motor 15 so as to close the communication hole 5 with the damper 11 as the sound pressure of the outdoor sound increases. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the sound pressure of the environmental sound taken into the interior 2 from becoming excessively large.

[0042] <<Second Embodiment>> Next, with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Hereinafter, points different from the first embodiment will be described, and overlapping descriptions will be omitted.

[0043] FIG. 4 is a plan sectional view of the outdoor sound intake device 10 according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, also in this embodiment, the housing 12 has a cylindrical outer cylinder wall 21, an outer end wall 22 provided at the outer end of the outer cylinder wall 21, and an angular cylinder-shaped inner cylinder wall 24 extending inward from the outer end wall 22. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the housing 12 further has a slide cylinder wall 41 disposed inside the pair of opening / closing plates 14 and movable in the inner / outer direction, and a guide cylinder wall 42 for guiding the slide cylinder wall 41 in the inner / outer direction. The outer end of the slide cylinder wall 41 and the free end of the opening / closing plate 14 are configured to attract each other, for example, by providing a magnet on one of them and making the other of them made of a ferromagnetic material.

[0044] FIG. 5 is an operation explanatory view of the outdoor sound intake device 10 according to the second embodiment. When the outdoor sound has a sound quality in which the sound pressure in other frequency bands is greater than the sound pressure in the comfortable frequency band, as shown in FIG. 5(A), the control device 30 controls the motor 15 to drive the opening / closing plate 14 to the closed position and close the communication hole 5. In this state, the outdoor sound is blocked from entering the communication hole 5 by the damper 11. The slide cylinder wall 41 is in contact with the inner surface of the opening / closing plate 14.

[0045] When the sound pressure in the comfortable frequency band becomes greater than the sound pressure in all other frequency bands, as shown in FIG. 5(B), the control device 30 controls the motor 15 to slightly open the communication hole 5 by the damper 11. In this state, most of the outdoor sound is blocked from entering the communication hole 5 by the damper 11, but a part of the outdoor sound enters the room 2 through the space formed between the outer cylinder wall 21 formed on the side of the pair of opening / closing plates 14, the slide cylinder wall 41, and the guide cylinder wall 42. This space extends along the sound-absorbing material 26. Therefore, among the outdoor sounds passing through this space, the sounds in the frequency bands different from the predetermined comfortable frequency band are effectively absorbed.

[0046] When the sound pressure in the comfortable frequency band becomes even greater compared to the sound pressure in all other frequency bands, that is, when the ratio of the sound pressure in the comfortable frequency band in the outdoor sound increases, as shown in Fig. 5(C), the control device 30 controls the motor 15 to further open the communication hole 5 by the damper 11. In this state, most of the outdoor sound passes through the space formed along the sound-absorbing material 26 on both sides of the damper 11 and enters the interior 2, and a part of the outdoor sound is blocked from entering the communication hole 5 by the damper 11.

[0047] When the ratio of the sound pressure in the comfortable frequency band in the outdoor sound becomes larger than a predetermined ratio, as shown in Fig. 5(D), the control device 30 controls the motor 15 to drive the opening / closing plate 14 to the open position to fully open the communication hole 5. In this state, substantially all of the outdoor sound passes through the damper 11 and enters the interior 2 through the communication hole 5.

[0048] Also in this embodiment, the same operational effects as those of the first embodiment are achieved. Further, in this embodiment, when in the states shown in Figs. 5(B) and 5(C) where the degree of opening of the communication hole 5 is small, the outdoor sound passes through the space formed along the sound-absorbing material 26 on both sides of the damper 11 and enters the interior 2. Therefore, the sound in the frequency band different from the predetermined comfortable frequency band is effectively absorbed.

[0049] ≪Third Embodiment≫ Next, with reference to Fig. 6, the third embodiment of the present invention will be described. Hereinafter, the differences from the first embodiment will be described, and duplicate descriptions will be omitted.

[0050] Fig. 6 is a plan sectional view of the outdoor sound intake device 10 according to the third embodiment. As shown in Fig. 6, in this embodiment, the outdoor sound intake device 10 further includes a speaker 50 controlled by a control device 30. The speaker 50 is disposed on the indoor side of the damper 11 within the communication hole 5 in this embodiment. In other embodiments, the speaker 50 may be disposed in the interior 2 outside the communication hole 5 (for example, on a wall surface or the like).

[0051] When the outdoor sound detected by the outdoor sound sensor 28 contains environmental sound in the comfortable frequency band and the sound pressure in the comfortable frequency band is smaller than a predetermined value, the control device 30 controls the speaker 50 to generate the detected outdoor sound in the comfortable frequency band. That is, when the sound pressure of the outdoor sound in the comfortable frequency band taken into the room 2 is not sufficient only by opening the communication hole 5 by the damper 11, the control device 30 amplifies the outdoor sound in the comfortable frequency band by generating it with the speaker 50.

[0052] In this way, the control device 30 controls the speaker 50 to generate the outdoor sound with a predetermined sound quality detected by the outdoor sound sensor 28. As a result, when the sound with a predetermined sound quality that does not make the person in the room 2 uncomfortable is included in the outdoor sound but the sound pressure is small, the speaker 50 generates the outdoor sound with a predetermined sound quality. Therefore, the outdoor sound with that sound quality becomes easier for the person in the room 2 to hear.

[0053] With the above, the description of the specific embodiment is completed. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and modification examples, and can be widely modified and implemented. For example, in the above embodiment, the pair of opening and closing plates 14 are rectangular in a front view, but in other embodiments, they may have any shape such as circular, elliptical, oval, polygonal, etc. Note that the pair of opening and closing plates 14 may have a symmetrical shape left and right or up and down. Thereby, the shapes of the respective opening and closing plates 14 can be made common to achieve commonization of members. The specific configuration, arrangement, quantity, angle, material, etc. of each member and part can be appropriately changed as long as they do not deviate from the gist of the present invention. Also, the configurations of the above embodiments can be combined with each other. On the other hand, not all of the components shown in the above embodiments are necessarily essential, and can be appropriately selected.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0054] 1: Building 2: Room 3: Outdoor 4: Wall 5: Communication Hole 10: Outdoor Sound Intake Device 11: Damper 12: Housing 13: Rotating shaft 14: Opening / closing plate 15: Motor (actuator) 26: Sound-absorbing material 28: Outdoor sound sensor 30: Control device 50: Speaker

Claims

1. An outdoor sound intake device for taking outdoor sound into a building interior, comprising: a damper configured to open and close a communication hole that communicates between the outside and the inside of the building; an actuator that drives the damper to open and close; an outdoor sound sensor that detects the outdoor sound; a control device that controls the actuator based on a detection result of the outdoor sound sensor; The control device is an outdoor sound intake device that controls the actuator so as to open the communication hole as the sound quality of the outdoor sound detected by the outdoor sound sensor approaches a predetermined sound quality.

2. The outdoor sound intake device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined sound quality is a comfortable frequency band preset as comfortable sound that does not make people uncomfortable.

3. The outdoor sound intake device according to claim 2, further comprising a sound-absorbing material provided in the communication hole and absorbing sound in a frequency band different from the comfortable frequency band.

4. The outdoor sound intake device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control device controls the actuator so as to close the communication hole as the sound pressure of the outdoor sound is greater.

5. further comprising a speaker controlled by the control device; The outdoor sound intake device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control device controls the speaker so as to generate the outdoor sound of the predetermined sound quality detected by the outdoor sound sensor to be amplified.

Images