JP7733764B1 - Sound environment improvement evaluation method - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide information that allows easy evaluation of improvements in the sound environment resulting from structural modification. [Solution] The system includes the steps of: inputting pre-modification structural information, which indicates at least the shape of the interior space and the configuration of the partition walls before the structural modification, into a computer (#1); setting a virtual sound source within the interior space and inputting the information into the computer (#3); outputting pre-modification sound environment information, which indicates the sound environment in the interior space before the structural modification, from the computer based on the pre-modification structural information and the virtual sound source (#4); inputting structural modification information, which specifies the details of the structural modification, into the computer (#2); and outputting post-modification sound environment information, which indicates the sound environment in the interior space after the structural modification, from the computer based on the structural modification information and the virtual sound source (#4), wherein the pre-modification sound environment information and the post-modification sound environment information are output in a visually displayed format. [Selected Figure] Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a sound environment improvement evaluation method for evaluating the improvement of the sound environment in the indoor space of a building following structural modifications.

In buildings such as office buildings and rental buildings, the interior is divided into various shapes and sizes and rented out as multiple offices or tenants. Each office or tenant has walls, doors, etc. installed or modified to create an interior space tailored to the user's needs before they move in.

For example, in an office, the space is divided into office areas where employees and other personnel work, conference rooms, and private rooms such as the president's office.

Indoor spaces such as offices have sound environment restrictions depending on the use of the indoor space or section. For example, sound leakage from conference rooms and private rooms must be kept below a certain level, while office areas must be quieter than a certain level.

It is preferable to completely improve the sound environment of the indoor space before occupancy, but it is not easy to improve the sound environment at the time of occupancy, so in many cases the sound environment of the indoor space is improved through renovation work (structural changes) after occupancy.

As disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is possible to simulate noise by inputting the walls, floors, etc. that will be used, but it is not possible to evaluate the improvement in the sound environment that will accompany renovation work, making it difficult to evaluate the optimal way to carry out renovation work during the design stage of the renovation work.

In addition, costs and restrictions on use of indoor spaces during construction vary depending on the content (construction level) of the renovation work, so it is appropriate to determine the most efficient content of the renovation work (structural changes) by taking into account the level of construction and the degree of improvement to the sound environment. For example, construction that renovates the ceiling can be expected to have a significant effect on improving the sound environment compared to construction that does not renovate the ceiling, but tends to be significantly more expensive. In addition, various alarms, sprinklers, air conditioning equipment, etc. may be installed on the ceiling, making the office (indoor space) unusable during the ceiling renovation. Furthermore, if the construction extends from the ceiling to the slab of the upper floor, even greater improvements to the sound environment can be expected, but costs will be higher and the period during which the indoor space cannot be used will be longer.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-161147

The purpose of this invention is to provide information that allows for easy evaluation of improvements in the sound environment that accompany structural changes.

To achieve the above object, a sound environment improvement evaluation method according to one embodiment of the present invention is a sound environment improvement evaluation method for evaluating improvements in the sound environment of an indoor space resulting from structural modification, and includes the steps of: inputting pre-modification structural information indicating at least the shape and partition configuration of the indoor space before the structural modification into a computer; setting a virtual sound source inside the indoor space and inputting the information into the computer; causing the computer to output pre-modification sound environment information indicating the sound environment in the indoor space before the structural modification based on the pre-modification structural information and the virtual sound source; inputting structural modification information specifying the details of the structural modification into the computer; and causing the computer to output post-modification sound environment information indicating the sound environment in the indoor space after the structural modification based on the structural modification information and the virtual sound source, wherein the pre-modification sound environment information and the post-modification sound environment information are output in a visually displayed manner.

With the above configuration, the sound environment after the structural change is visually displayed, making it easy to confirm the effect of the structural change on the sound environment. As a result, it is easy to evaluate the improvement in the sound environment that accompanies the structural change.

The method may further include a step of setting measurement points within the indoor space and inputting the measurement points into the computer, and the pre-change sound environment information and the post-change sound environment information may include sound pressure levels at the measurement points when sound is generated from the virtual sound source.

A typical example of a sound environment is the sound pressure level, which serves as an indicator of the pitch (loudness) of sound. With the above configuration, sound pressure levels, which serve as a guide to the state of the sound environment, can be easily confirmed, making it easy to evaluate improvements to the sound environment resulting from structural changes.

Furthermore, the pre-change sound environment information and the post-change sound environment information may include a distribution of sound pressure levels in the indoor space of the sound generated by the virtual sound source.

With the above configuration, it is possible to visually and easily confirm the sound pressure level distribution that will result from sounds generated by a virtual sound source in the interior space after the structural modification, as the sound environment after the structural modification. As a result, it is easy to evaluate the improvement in the sound environment that accompanies the structural modification.

Furthermore, the pre-change sound environment information and the post-change sound environment information may be contour diagrams of the sound pressure levels.

This configuration allows you to intuitively check the distribution of sound pressure levels, making it easier to evaluate improvements to the sound environment that accompany structural changes.

The method may further include a step of setting measurement points within the indoor space and inputting the measurement points into the computer, and the pre-change sound environment information and the post-change sound environment information may include the reverberation time of the sound at the measurement points when the sound is generated from the virtual sound source.

With the above configuration, it is possible to output the reverberation time at any position in an indoor space before and after a structural change, making it easy to confirm changes in the sound environment at a specific position. As a result, it is possible to easily confirm improvements to the sound environment at positions that are particularly important in improving the sound environment, and to efficiently evaluate improvements to the sound environment resulting from a structural change.

Furthermore, multiple pieces of structural modification information can be input, and the post-modification sound environment information may be output in association with each piece of structural modification information input.

With the above configuration, it is easy to confirm what structural changes will improve the sound environment and to what extent. As a result, it is easy to evaluate the improvement in the sound environment that comes with structural changes.

Furthermore, the pre-change sound environment information and the post-change sound environment information may be output in a manner that allows comparison.

With the above configuration, the improvement in the sound environment can be compared and output in response to structural changes, making it easier to evaluate the improvement in the sound environment that accompanies structural changes.

The structural changes may also include at least one of changing the shape of the interior space, changing the height, position, or shape of a partition wall, extending the partition wall to a slab, changing the shape of a door, changing the shape of a ceiling, adding soundproof building materials, removing the soundproof building materials, and changing the shape of a floor.
A sound environment improvement evaluation method according to one embodiment of the present invention is a sound environment improvement evaluation method for evaluating the improvement of the sound environment of an indoor space due to structural modification, and includes the steps of: inputting pre-modification structural information indicating at least the shape of the indoor space and the form of a partition wall before the structural modification is performed into a computer; setting a virtual sound source inside the indoor space and inputting the information into the computer; causing the computer to output pre-modification sound environment information indicating the sound environment in the indoor space before the structural modification is performed based on the pre-modification structural information and the virtual sound source; inputting structural modification information that specifies the content of the structural modification into the computer; and causing the computer to output post-modification sound environment information indicating the sound environment in the indoor space after the structural modification is performed based on the structural modification information and the virtual sound source, wherein the pre-modification sound environment information and the post-modification sound environment information are output in a visually displayed manner, and the structural modification includes at least one of a change in the shape of the indoor space, a change in the height of a partition wall, a change in the position of a partition wall, and an extension of a partition wall to a slab.

The sound environment changes depending on the shape of the interior space, the condition of the partition walls, the condition of the doors, ceiling, and floor, the soundproofing materials used, and other factors. With the above configuration, it is possible to output the sound environment after various structural changes have been made. As a result, information is provided for evaluating the improvement in the sound environment that accompanies various structural changes, making it easy to evaluate the improvement in the sound environment that accompanies structural changes.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an office section. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of walls, ceilings, doors, etc. in an office. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a sound environment improvement evaluation device. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a flow of a sound environment improvement evaluation method. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of visually outputting sound leakage, which is sound environment information. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of improvement of reverberation time, which is sound environment information. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of auditory output of sound leakage, which is sound environment information.

Buildings such as office buildings and tenant buildings are rented out as multiple offices (equivalent to indoor spaces). Office tenants divide the rented office into spaces of a specified shape and size for use.

As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the office is divided into various spaces such as office space 2, conference room 3, and president's office 4 for use. Each space is separated by walls 6, and doors 7 are installed on the walls 6 as needed. The office has a ceiling 9, on which various alarm devices 11, lighting, sprinklers, etc. are installed. Various wiring 13 and piping are installed in the space between the ceiling 9 and the slab 12 (floor) on the upper floor, and the alarm devices 11, lighting, sprinklers, etc. are connected to the wiring 13 and piping.

The required acoustic environment differs for each section, making it difficult to divide offices (through construction work at the time of occupancy) so that each section has an appropriate acoustic environment. For this reason, offices may undergo structural changes (renovations and remodeling) after occupancy to improve the acoustic environment in each section.

The acoustic environment in an office depends on the soundproofing performance of the walls 6, floor, ceiling 9, doors 7, etc., the presence and size of gaps between the walls 6 and ceiling 9, and the presence and size of gaps between the doors 7 and floor. Soundproofing performance includes sound insulation, sound absorption, and vibration control/isolation. The acoustic environment is expressed in terms of sound pressure level and reverberation time. Sound pressure level is the loudness of sound. For example, it represents the loudness of sound generated by a sound source that penetrates the walls 6 and leaks to a specified measurement point 39 (see Figure 3), and is highly dependent on the soundproofing performance of the walls 6, etc. Reverberation time is the time a generated sound remains after reflecting off the walls 6, etc., and depends on the sound absorption performance of the walls 6, etc. Here, reverberation time is defined as the time it takes for a generated sound to repeatedly reflect off the walls 6, etc. and decay to 60 dB. A long reverberation time can cause feedback due to insufficient sound absorption in the walls 6, etc., making it difficult for people to hear each other's voices when conversing in the room. Additionally, since it is expected that there will be a certain level of background noise in the office, such as the operating noise of air conditioning and ventilation equipment, the sound environment information may take into account the influence of background noise. In other words, the sound environment information may be the ratio of the sound occurring at measurement point 39 to a predetermined background noise at measurement point 39.

Structural changes are made at various levels of construction, such as changing the materials of floors and ceilings 9, adding, removing, or changing the materials of walls 6, adding, removing, or changing the materials of doors 7, and adding, removing, or changing soundproofing building materials 15. Soundproofing building materials 15 are made, for example, from sound-absorbing materials, and can suppress sound reverberations by absorbing sound.

Construction levels vary in difficulty, ranging from simple work such as installing doors 7 and soundproofing materials 15 to modifying walls 6, floors, and ceilings 9, or adding walls 6. For example, the difficulty level varies depending on whether the work extends to the ceiling 9. Compared to work that does not modify the ceiling 9, work that modifies the ceiling 9 tends to be more complex, labor-intensive, and costly. Furthermore, work extending beyond the ceiling 9 to the slab 12 often requires modifications to wiring 13 and piping, which tends to be even more complex, labor-intensive, and costly. Therefore, in the case of work involving walls 6, the construction level varies significantly depending on whether the wall 6 extends to the ceiling 9 or further to the slab 12. Therefore, work on the wall 6 extending to the slab 12 cannot be easily carried out as a structural modification. Note that in Figure 2, the height of the wall 6 is indicated by an arrow, showing its relationship to the ceiling 9 and the slab 12. Walls 6 that do not reach the ceiling 9 are shown with solid lines, walls 6 that reach the ceiling 9 are shown with dashed lines, and walls 6 that reach the slab 12 are shown with dashed lines.

In other words, the content of structural changes must be judged comprehensively, taking into account the level of construction and the level of improvement to the sound environment that results from the structural changes.

The sound environment improvement evaluation method according to this embodiment therefore outputs the sound environment (sound environment information) before and after the structural change. The sound environment improvement evaluation method outputs pre-change sound environment information 41 (see Figure 3), which is the sound environment information before the structural change, as well as post-change sound environment information 42 (see Figure 3), which is the sound environment information after the structural change. This makes it possible to easily evaluate the improvement in the sound environment associated with the structural change during the design stage of renovation work.

The sound environment information is the sound environment before and after a structural change, based on the sound generated by a virtual sound source set at an arbitrary position inside the office. To output the sound environment before and after the structural change, the sound environment improvement evaluation method inputs pre-change structural information 35 (see Figure 3) and structural change information 36 (see Figure 3), which are structural information indicating the state of the office before and after the structural change. Pre-change structural information 35 indicates at least the shape and partition wall configuration of the office before the structural change. Structural change information 36 indicates at least the shape and partition wall configuration of the office after the structural change, and is information that identifies the content of the structural change.

For example, structural changes include at least one of the following: shape changes including repositioning of office sections; changes to the height, position, or shape of partition walls (walls 6); changes to the scope of construction (work) such as extending partition walls (walls 6) to the slab 12; changes to the shape of doors 7; changes to the shape of ceilings 9; adding soundproofing materials 15; removing soundproofing materials 15; and changing the shape of floors.

The sound environment information is output as pre-change sound environment information 41, which indicates the sound environment in the office before the structural change, and post-change sound environment information 42, which indicates the sound environment in the office after the structural change. The pre-change sound environment information 41 and post-change sound environment information 42 are displayed simultaneously or alternately. The sound environment information is output as sound pressure level, reverberation time, etc. at a specified position for sound generated from an arbitrarily set virtual sound source.

In this way, the sound environment improvement evaluation method according to this embodiment can output both pre-change sound environment information 41 and post-change sound environment information 42 before and after the structural change when pre-change structural information 35 and structural change information 36 are input, making it easy to check the improvement status of the sound environment in relation to the structural change. As a result, it is easy to evaluate the improvement in the sound environment associated with the structural change during the design stage of renovation work.

[Sound environment improvement evaluation]
Next, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a configuration for evaluating improvement in a sound environment using the sound environment improvement evaluation device (sound environment improvement evaluation method) will be described using FIGS. 3 to 5.

The sound environment improvement evaluation device includes a control unit 18 and is connected to a display unit 19 and an input operation unit 21. The control unit 18 is configured as a computer equipped with a processor such as a CPU, and the functional blocks of the control unit 18 operate under the control of the processor. The control unit 18 simulates (calculates) and outputs the sound environment in accordance with the input information. Specifically, the control unit 18 receives input of the office conditions before and after structural changes, and outputs the sound environment before and after the structural changes. By the sound environment improvement evaluation device outputting both the sound environment before and after structural changes, information is provided for evaluating the improvement in the sound environment due to structural changes, making it easy to evaluate the improvement in the sound environment due to structural changes during the design stage of renovation work.

The display unit 19 is a display device such as an LCD panel or display, and displays various information and images such as drawings showing the configuration and layout of the office. The input operation unit 21 accepts various manual operations. The display unit 19 may be a touch panel, in which case the input operation unit 21 may be configured to be operated via the display unit 19.

The control unit 18 includes, as example functional blocks, a structural information input unit 25, a sound source setting unit 26, a measurement point input unit 28, a sound environment calculation unit 29, an output control unit 31, and a memory unit 33.

The structural information input unit 25 accepts input of structural information, which is the state of the office before and after the structural change. The structural information is manually entered via the input operation unit 21 and input to the structural information input unit 25. The structural information consists of pre-change structural information 35, which indicates at least the shape and partition configuration of the office before the structural change, and structural change information 36, which specifies the content of the structural change.

The sound source setting unit 26 accepts input of the sound source position 38 of the virtual sound source, which is manually input via the input operation unit 21.

The measurement point input unit 28 accepts setting input for a measurement point 39, which corresponds to the observation position of sound environment information for a virtual sound source. The sound pressure level and reverberation time of the sound generated by the virtual sound source at the measurement point 39 become the sound environment information at the measurement point 39.

The sound environment calculation unit 29 simulates (calculates) the sound environment based on the input information. In other words, the sound environment calculation unit 29 calculates the sound environment at the measurement point 39 based on the structural information and the sound source position 38 of the virtual sound source.

The output control unit 31 controls the output method of sound environment information, which is the sound environment calculated by the sound environment calculation unit 29.

The memory unit 33 stores various types of information. For example, the memory unit 33 stores input pre-change structural information 35, structural change information 36, sound source position 38, and measurement point 39. The memory unit 33 also stores pre-change sound environment information 41 and post-change sound environment information 42, which correspond to the sound environment information calculated by the sound environment calculation unit 29.

In a sound environment improvement evaluation method using such a sound environment improvement evaluation device, first, the input operation unit 21 is operated to input pre-alteration structural information 35 via the structural information input unit 25 (step (process) #1 in Figure 4). The structural information input unit 25 stores the input pre-alteration structural information 35 in the memory unit 33. When the sound environment improvement evaluation method is executed, various information such as office drawings is displayed on the display unit 19. Various information such as pre-alteration structural information 35 may be input using the input operation unit 21 and display unit 19, etc., while referring to the information displayed on the display unit 19.

The pre-change structural information 35 is the state of the office before the structural change (remodeling) and includes at least the shape of the office, including the layout of sections, and the form of partitions such as the walls 6 and ceiling 9. It can also include information such as the position of the doors 7, the presence or absence of gaps, the presence and type of soundproof building materials 15, and the soundproofing, sound-blocking, sound-absorbing, and vibration-damping performance of the walls 6, ceiling 9, floor, doors 7, soundproof building materials 15, etc.

Next, the input operation unit 21 is operated to input the sound source position 38 of the virtual sound source via the sound source setting unit 26 (step (process) #2 in FIG. 4). The sound source position 38 of the virtual sound source may be input using the input operation unit 21 and the display unit 19, etc., while referring to the information displayed on the display unit 19. For example, the sound source position 38 may be set by directly touching the display unit 19 on a drawing of the office (output image) displayed on the display unit 19 as shown in FIG. 5. The sound source setting unit 26 stores the input sound source position 38 of the virtual sound source in the memory unit 33. The sound source position 38 of the virtual sound source is the position of a virtual sound source that is arbitrarily set inside the office.

Next, the sound environment calculation unit 29 calculates the sound environment in the office before the structural change based on the pre-change structural information 35 and the virtual sound source (sound source position 38) stored in the memory unit 33 (step (process) #3 in Figure 4), and outputs this as pre-change sound environment information 41.

Next, the input operation unit 21 is operated to input structural change information 36 via the structural information input unit 25 (step (process) #4 in FIG. 4). The structural information input unit 25 stores the input structural change information 36 in the memory unit 33. The structural change information 36 may be input using the input operation unit 21, the display unit 19, etc., while referring to the information displayed on the display unit 19.

Structural change information 36 is information indicating the details of structural changes (renovation work/remodeling). Structural change information 36 includes information such as changes to the shape of the office after the changes, changes to the height, position, and shape of partition walls (walls 6), extension of partition walls (walls 6) to slabs 12, changes to the shape of doors 7, changes to the shape of ceilings 9, addition of soundproofing building materials 15, removal of soundproofing building materials 15, and changes to the shape of floors, and includes at least one of these. Furthermore, structural change information 36 can include information such as the position of doors 7 and the presence or absence of gaps, the presence and type of soundproofing building materials 15, and the soundproofing, sound-blocking, sound-absorbing, and vibration-damping performance of the changed walls 6, ceilings 9, floors, doors 7, soundproofing building materials 15, etc.

Next, the sound environment calculation unit 29 calculates the sound environment in the office after the structural change has been made based on the structural change information 36 and the virtual sound source (sound source position 38) stored in the memory unit 33 (step (process) #5 in Figure 4).

Then, the calculated pre-change sound environment information 41 and post-change sound environment information 42 are output as sound environment information before and after the structural change (step (process) #6 in Figure 4). The pre-change sound environment information 41 and post-change sound environment information 42 are displayed (output) on the display unit 19 simultaneously or alternately.

Note that the order in which the pre-change structural information 35, the sound source position 38 of the virtual sound source, and the structural change information 36 are input is arbitrary, and the post-change sound environment information 42 may be calculated before the pre-change sound environment information 41 or simultaneously with the pre-change sound environment information 41.

The sound environment information (at least one of the pre-change sound environment information 41 and the post-change sound environment information 42) is the sound pressure level of the sound generated at the sound source position 38, and may also be the predicted reverberation time.

For example, the pre-change sound environment information 41 and the post-change sound environment information 42 are visually output and displayed on the display unit 19 as a contour diagram of the office drawing, as shown in FIG. 5. The office drawing is an output image showing the office and the positions of measurement points 39 within the office. The sound pressure level is highest at sound source position 38 and decreases with increasing distance from sound source position 38. Furthermore, the sound pressure level decreases with each passage through a wall 6, etc., depending on the sound insulation performance of the wall 6, etc. In other words, the sound pressure level changes depending on the distance from sound source position 38, the presence or absence of walls 6, doors 7, etc., and their sound insulation performance. The contour diagram can visually display the change (distribution) of the sound pressure level. The sound pressure level distribution can be expressed using differences in color, shading, glass, etc. Furthermore, numerical values indicating the sound pressure level may be displayed at multiple locations on the office drawing as the sound pressure level distribution or sound pressure level. Furthermore, the pre-change sound environment information 41 and post-change sound environment information 42, which are sound environment information, may not correspond to a blueprint of the office, but may be displayed visually so that the correspondence between positions in the office and sound environment information such as sound pressure levels can be visually understood.

In this way, by outputting specific sound environment information before and after a structural change, it is possible to easily confirm and evaluate the improvement in the sound environment due to the structural change during the design stage of the renovation work. Furthermore, since the post-change sound environment information 42 is output based on the structural change information 36, which is the specific content of the structural change, it is possible to confirm the extent to which the sound environment will be improved depending on what structural change is made, making it easier to confirm and evaluate the improvement in the sound environment due to the structural change. Furthermore, by visually displaying the sound environment information, it is easy to confirm the improvement in the sound environment, making it easier to evaluate the improvement in the sound environment due to the structural change.

[Another embodiment]
(1) In the above embodiment, the sound environment information (at least one of the pre-change sound environment information 41 and the post-change sound environment information 42) is not limited to the distribution of sound pressure levels. It may be sound environment information that takes into account the predicted value of the sound pressure level at a predetermined measurement point 39, the reverberation time at the predetermined measurement point 39, or background noise previously set at the measurement point 39 (sound environment information corresponding to background noise), or may include a combination of these. Note that the background noise is input via the input operation unit 21 and stored in the memory unit 33 before the sound environment is calculated by the sound environment calculation unit 29.

For example, the output control unit 31 causes the display unit 19 to display, as sound environment information, the reverberation time of sound at a set measurement point 39 when sound is generated from the sound source position 38 of a virtual sound source. As shown in FIG. 6, pre-change sound environment information 41 and post-change sound environment information 42 are displayed simultaneously or alternately as sound environment information. Pre-change sound environment information 41 is a diagram showing the reverberation time for each frequency in the office before structural change (current state), and post-change sound environment information 42 is a diagram showing the reverberation time for each frequency in the office after a specified structural change has been made.

As shown in Figure 6, it is preferable that a reference value for reverberation time be added to the sound environment information related to reverberation time. For example, the following reference values may be added: a reference line indicating reference value A, which is the minimum reverberation required for everyday conversation without hindrance; a reference line indicating reference value B, which is recommended for rooms such as ordinary classrooms and conference rooms where reverberation should be reduced to a certain extent; and a reference line indicating reference value C, which is recommended for rooms such as auditoriums and nurseries where ease of hearing is important.

In this way, by displaying various types of sound environment information for which improvements are to be confirmed, it is possible to display information that corresponds to the sound environment that requires improvement, making it possible to easily and efficiently evaluate the improvement in the sound environment due to structural changes during the design stage of renovation work.

(2) In each of the above embodiments, the sound environment information may be displayed auditorily. In this case, the control unit 18 is connected to the headphones 23. When the sound environment calculation unit 29 calculates the sound environment, the output control unit 31 causes the headphones 23 to emit sound generated at the measurement point 39 input by the measurement point input unit 28 when sound (an image sound source such as a voice) is generated from a virtual sound source (sound source position 38). When the sound environment information is generated as actual sound from the headphones 23, the sound environment calculation unit 29 calculates the sound that is heard at the position input as the measurement point 39 from the sound source position 38, and the output control unit 31 generates the calculated sound from the headphones 23. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7 , the output control unit 31 may display the position of the measurement point 39 on a drawing (output image) of the office while generating sound emanating from the measurement point 39 from the headphones 23. Alternatively, sound may be generated from speakers instead of the headphones 23.

In this way, by generating the calculated sound from headphones 23, it is possible to directly audibly check the sound environment before and after the structural change, making it easy to evaluate the improvement in the sound environment due to the structural change during the design stage of the renovation work. This allows sound pressure levels to be confirmed not only visually but also audibly.

In addition, instead of generating the sound pressure level from the headphones 23, or in addition to generating the sound pressure level from the headphones 23, the output control unit 31 may display the sound pressure level values at measurement points 39 on the office drawing. In this case, if multiple measurement points 39 are set, the sound pressure levels at each measurement point 39 may be displayed simultaneously. This makes it easy to see how sound leaks within the office.

(3) In each of the above embodiments, it is preferable that the pre-change sound environment information 41 and the post-change sound environment information 42 are output in a manner that allows for comparison. In other words, it is preferable that the sound environment information is displayed in a manner that allows for a distinction between before and after the structural change. This makes it easier to evaluate the improvement in the sound environment due to the structural change.

(4) In each of the above embodiments, it is preferable that the pre-change sound environment information 41 is output in association with the pre-change structural information 35, and it is preferable that the post-change sound environment information 42 is output in association with the structural change information 36 for each input structural change information 36. This makes it easier to confirm the relationship between the office situation and the sound environment, and makes it easier to evaluate the improvement in the sound environment due to structural changes.

(5) In each of the above other embodiments, the measurement points 39 may not be input, and in this case, the control unit 18 may not be equipped with the measurement point input unit 28. For example, if sound environment information is output as a contour diagram, the sound environment calculation unit 29 calculates the sound pressure level at each position throughout the office for sound generated at the sound source position 38, and outputs the distribution of sound pressure levels throughout the office. Therefore, specific measurement points 39 are not required. By configuring in this way, the relationship between the office situation and the sound environment can be provided while optimizing the configuration of the control unit 18, making it easier to evaluate the extent to which the sound environment has been improved by structural changes.

(6) In each of the above other embodiments, the sound environment information is not limited to the sound environment at measurement point 39 of sound generated by a virtual sound source (sound source position 38), but may be information relating to the sound environment under any conditions, regardless of the virtual sound source or measurement point 39. This makes it possible to evaluate the improvement status of the sound environment by taking into account the sound environment caused by various sounds.

(7) In each of the above other embodiments, the sound generated from the virtual sound source (sound source position 38) may be a single sound or a continuous sound. When the virtual sound source is a single sound, the pre-change sound environment information 41 and post-change sound environment information 42 represent the sound environment a predetermined time after the single sound is generated. When the virtual sound source is a continuous sound, the pre-change sound environment information 41 and post-change sound environment information 42 represent the sound environment in a state where the continuous sound has reached equilibrium. With this configuration, the sound environment can be evaluated using types of sound that correspond to the sound environment to be checked and the office situation (structure), and the improvement of the sound environment due to structural changes can be accurately evaluated.

(8) In each of the above other embodiments, the sound environment information, i.e., the pre-change sound environment information 41 and the post-change sound environment information 42, may include an expected sound that is expected to be heard at the measurement point 39 if the pseudo sound is generated from a virtual sound source (sound source position 38).

(9) The input of various information such as the pre-change structural information 35 is not limited to being performed via the input operation unit 21, but may be performed by any method such as data transfer. This makes it easier to evaluate the sound environment improvement.

(10) In each of the above embodiments, the sound environment improvement evaluation method is not limited to being implemented by a sound environment improvement evaluation device, but may be implemented by any device. Furthermore, the sound environment improvement evaluation device (control unit 18) is not limited to being configured with the functional blocks described above, but may be configured with any functional blocks. For example, each functional block of the control unit 18 may be further subdivided, or conversely, some or all of the functional blocks may be combined. Furthermore, the sound environment improvement evaluation method is not limited to being implemented using the sound environment improvement evaluation device described above, and some or all of the functions of the control unit 18 may be implemented by software. A program related to the software is stored in any storage device, such as the memory unit 33, and executed by a processor, such as a CPU, included in the control unit 18, or a separately provided processor.

(11) In each of the above-described embodiments, the sound environment improvement evaluation is not limited to the sound environment of an office, but can be performed on the sound environment of any area in a building, such as a tenant building.

This invention can be applied to evaluating the sound environment in buildings such as offices.

18 Control unit (computer)
19 Display unit 21 Input operation unit 25 Structural information input unit 26 Sound source setting unit 28 Measurement point input unit 29 Sound environment calculation unit 31 Output control unit 33 Storage unit 35 Pre-change structural information 36 Structural change information 38 Sound source position 39 Measurement point 41 Pre-change sound environment information 42 Post-change sound environment information

Claims (7)

A sound environment improvement evaluation method for evaluating the improvement of the sound environment of an indoor space due to a structural change,
inputting pre-modification structural information indicating at least the shape of the interior space and the partition wall configuration before the structural modification into a computer;
a step of setting a virtual sound source inside the indoor space and inputting the virtual sound source into the computer;
a step of causing the computer to output pre-change sound environment information indicating the sound environment in the indoor space before the structural change is performed, based on the pre-change structural information and the virtual sound source;
inputting structural modification information specifying the content of the structural modification into the computer;
and outputting, based on the structural modification information and the virtual sound source, post-modification sound environment information indicating the sound environment in the indoor space after the structural modification is performed, from the computer;
the pre-change sound environment information and the post-change sound environment information are output in a visually displayed manner ;
The sound environment improvement evaluation method , wherein the structural change includes at least one of changing the shape of the indoor space, changing the height of a partition wall, changing the position of a partition wall, and extending a partition wall to a slab. further comprising a step of setting measurement points within the indoor space and inputting the measurement points into the computer;
The sound environment improvement evaluation method according to claim 1 , wherein the pre-change sound environment information and the post-change sound environment information include a sound pressure level at the measurement point when a sound is generated from the virtual sound source. The sound environment improvement evaluation method of claim 1, wherein the pre-change sound environment information and the post-change sound environment information include a distribution of sound pressure levels in the indoor space of sounds generated by the virtual sound source. The sound environment improvement evaluation method described in claim 3, wherein the pre-change sound environment information and the post-change sound environment information are contour diagrams of the sound pressure levels. further comprising a step of setting measurement points within the indoor space and inputting the measurement points into the computer;
The sound environment improvement evaluation method according to claim 1 , wherein the pre-change sound environment information and the post-change sound environment information include a reverberation time of the sound at the measurement point when the sound is generated from the virtual sound source. A plurality of pieces of structural modification information can be input,
The sound environment improvement evaluation method according to claim 1 , wherein the post-change sound environment information is output in association with each of the inputted structural change information. The sound environment improvement evaluation method according to claim 1, wherein the pre-change sound environment information and the post-change sound environment information are output in a manner that allows comparison.