Generation of Private Sound With a Circular Loudspeaker Array and the Weighted Pressure Matching Method

In this paper, we propose a system for private sound which is based on the weighted pressure matching method (WPMM). The aim is to design the input signals to an array of loudspeakers that allow for the synthesis of a target field defined with large amplitude variations between the so-called dark points and the listener's position. The system enables listeners to control the trade-off between directivity performance and the accuracy of reproduction of the target field at the listening position when the input energy to the array is limited. This is achieved by calculating the WPMM weight in the dark zone based on a constraint on the characteristics of the sound field in the listening zone. The system is validated for a number of predefined use-case scenarios. The results of the experiments in an anechoic environment with a circular array prototype show that listeners can control the performance trade-off in a wide frequency range. In the second part of the paper, algorithms are presented for the fast update of the input signals when the user selects a new value of the performance constraint.