Updated on 2024/03/19

写真a

 
KURAKATA, Kenji
 
Affiliation
Faculty of Human Sciences, School of Human Sciences
Job title
Professor
Degree
Ph. D. ( 1994.03 Osaka University )

Research Experience

  • 2017.04
    -
    Now

    Waseda University   Faculty of Human Sciences   Professor

  • 2016.10
    -
    2017.03

    National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology   Human Informatics Research Institute, Department of Information Technology and Human Factors   Principal Research Manager

  • 2007.10
    -
    2017.03

    Sophia University   Graduate School of Science and Technology   Guest Professor

  • 2015.04
    -
    2016.09

    National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology   Intellectual Property and Standardization Promotion Division   Councilor

  • 2014.10
    -
    2015.03

    National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)   Research and Innovation Promotion Headquarters   Manager, Standards Planning Office

  • 2014.10
    -
    2015.03

    National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)   Innovation Promotion Headquarters

  • 2010.04
    -
    2014.09

    National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)   Human Technology Research Institute   Research Group Leader

  • 2007.04
    -
    2010.03

    National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)   Institute for Human Science and Biomedical Engineering   Research Group Leader

  • 2001.04
    -
    2007.03

    National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)   Institute for Human Science and Biomedical Engineering   Senior Researcher

  • 1998.04
    -
    2001.03

    Natl. Inst. of Bioscience and Human‐Technology, Agency of Industrial Science and Technology   Senior Researcher

  • 1996.04
    -
    1998.03

    Natl. Inst. of Bioscience and Human‐Technology, Agency of Industrial Science and Technology   Researcher

  • 1994.04
    -
    1996.03

    Research Fellowships for Young Scientists - PD, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)   Osaka University, NAIST

  • 1992.01
    -
    1994.03

    Research Fellowships for Young Scientists -DC1, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)   Osaka Univerity

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Education Background

  • 1989.04
    -
    1994.03

    Osaka University   Graduate School of Human Sciences  

  • 1985.04
    -
    1989.03

    Waseda University   Faculty of Literature  

  • 1982.04
    -
    1985.03

    Waseda University Senior High School  

Committee Memberships

  • 2024.01
    -
    Now

    補聴器 JIS 原案作成委員会  委員

  • 2023.02
    -
    Now

    日本産業標準調査会 標準第一部会  委員

  • 2023.02
    -
    Now

    日本産業標準調査会 高齢者・障害者支援専門委員会  委員長

  • 2022.06
    -
    Now

    埼玉県大規模小売店舗立地審議会  委員(騒音担当)

  • 2020.06
    -
    Now

    日本音響学会音響規格委員会 ISO/TC43専門委員会  委員長

  • 2019.01
    -
    Now

    ISO/TC 173/SC 7, Assistive products for persons with impaired sensory functions  Chair

  • 2015.06
    -
    Now

    日本音響学会  評議員・元理事

  • 2014.06
    -
    Now

    日本騒音制御工学会  元評議員

  • 2012.10
    -
    Now

    基本(量及び単位)分野JIS原案作成委員会  委員

  • 2012.10
    -
    Now

    ISO/TC 12 国内委員会  委員

  • 2010.10
    -
    Now

    総務省 公害等調整委員会  専門委員

  • 2004.04
    -
    Now

    ISO/TC159国内対策委員会  委員

  • 2004.03
    -
    Now

    ISO/TC 159/WG 2, Ergonomics for people with special requirements  Secretary

  •  
    -
    Now

    「人間生活工学」編集委員会  委員

  •  
    -
    Now

    人間生活工学製品機能認証  認証審査委員

  •  
    -
    Now

    日本音響学会編集委員会  査読委員

  • 2021.08
    -
    2023.10

    ISO/TC 314/WG 5, Home care  Convenor

  • 2010.06
    -
    2023.01

    日本産業標準調査会 高齢者・障害者支援専門委員会  臨時委員

  • 2010.10
    -
    2021.10

    ISO/TC 159/SC 4/WG 10, Accessible design for consumer products  Convenor

  • 2016.06
    -
    2020.05

    日本騒音制御工学会 低周波音分科会  主査

  • 2019.02
    -
    2020.03

    聴覚検査機器-第 1 部:純音オージオメータ JIS 原案作成委員会  委員長

  • 2013.01
    -
    2018.11

    ISO/TC 43/WG 1, Threshold of hearing  Convenor

  • 2006.10
    -
    2015.10

    ISO/TC 159/SC 5/WG 5, Physical environments for people with special requirements  Convenor

  • 2011.06
    -
    2015.05

    日本音響学会  理事

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Professional Memberships

  •  
     
     

    THE JAPANESE PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

  •  
     
     

    日本騒音制御工学会

  •  
     
     

    日本人間工学会

  •  
     
     

    日本音響学会

  •  
     
     

    JAPAN AUDIOLOGICAL SOCIETY

Research Areas

  • Human interface and interaction / Otorhinolaryngology / Experimental psychology / Rehabilitation science

Research Interests

  • 騒音

  • 公共空間

  • ユニバーサルデザイン

  • 視覚障害者

  • 残響

  • 高齢者

  • 音案内

  • 誘導鈴

  • 音響案内

  • デザイン

  • 聴覚情報

  • 不快度

  • 音声情報

  • 音環境

  • 障害者

  • 聴覚心理学 高齢者 報知音 音質評価 騒音

  • psychology of music

  • human interfaces

  • evaluation of timbre

  • auditory signals

  • elderly people

  • psychology of hearing

▼display all

Awards

  • Prize for distinguished achievements or books in noise control (2016)

    2016.05   INCE/J  

    Winner: FUNABA Hisao, OTA Atsushi, KURAKATA Kenji, TAKEDA Masaki

  • 平成20年度工業標準化事業表彰 産業技術環境局長表彰

    2008.10   経済産業省   (貢献者表彰)

    Winner: 倉片 憲治

  • Sato Prize

    2007.03   The Acoustical Society of Japan  

    Winner: K. Ashihara, K. Kurakata, T. Mizunami, and K. Matsushita,

  • Awaya Award

    1996.03   The Acoustical Society of Japan  

    Winner: KURAKATA Kenji

 

Papers

  • Which is more intelligible, female or male speech?

      79 ( 2 ) 85 - 93  2023.02  [Refereed]

    Authorship:Corresponding author

    DOI

  • Re-estimated normal hearing threshold levels for pure tones using the calculation procedure of ISO 7029:2017

    Kenji Kurakata

    International Journal of Audiology   62 ( 8 ) 720 - 728  2022.06  [Refereed]  [International journal]

    Authorship:Lead author

     View Summary

    OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were (1) to re-calculate hearing threshold levels (HTLs) for pure tones as described in an international standard, ISO 7029:2017, and (2) to explain the procedure of how HTLs in the standard had been derived. DESIGN: Pure-tone hearing threshold data used for developing ISO 7029:2017 and additional data sets were combined to re-estimate median HTLs and the distribution of individual HTLs around the median. The calculation was done for audiometric frequencies from 125 Hz to 8000 Hz and extended high frequencies from 9000 Hz to 12,500 Hz for ages from 18 to 80 years. STUDY SAMPLE: Approximately 9000 men and 20,000 women employed in 15 studies in nine countries. They had been rigorously screened for hearing abnormalities. RESULTS: A new set of median HTLs and distribution around the median was obtained as a function of age for males and females separately and compared with the estimates in ISO 7029. The differences among these threshold values were discussed. CONCLUSIONS: The calculation procedure described would help understand how the normative HTLs in ISO 7029:2017 had been obtained. Re-calculated HTLs could serve as a basis for the next edition of the standard that covers a wider range of population.

    DOI PubMed

    Scopus

    2
    Citation
    (Scopus)
  • Loudness estimation of sounds perceived by older adults based on their equal-loudness-level characteristics

    Kurakata Kenji, Mizunami Tazu

    Acoustical Science and Technology   40 ( 4 ) 283 - 284  2019  [Refereed]

    Authorship:Lead author

    DOI

    Scopus

  • Comparison of equal-loudness-level contours between otologically normal young and older adults

    Kenji Kurakata, Tazu Mizunami

    Acoustical Science and Technology   35 ( 5 ) 243 - 250  2014  [Refereed]

     View Summary

    To investigate the effects of aging on loudness perception, equal-loudness-level contours were derived from loudness estimates for pure tones with various combinations of frequency and sound pressure level. The listeners were young and older adults who had otologically normal hearing. Comparison of the contours between listener groups revealed a large difference at frequencies higher than 1,000 Hz, indicating that substantial effects of age and gender existed: older listeners were less sensitive to high-frequency tones than young listeners. In addition, older males were even less sensitive to those tones than older females. Recruitment of loudness was also observable for older listeners at high frequencies. These findings suggest that the use of frequency-weighting A, which is based on the hearing characteristics of young people, in noise evaluation is questionable when senior citizens are assumed to be the listeners. Another method that takes the effects of aging into account should be developed to estimate the loudness of sounds perceived by older listeners more accurately.

    DOI

    Scopus

    3
    Citation
    (Scopus)
  • How large is the individual difference in hearing sensitivity?: Establishment of ISO 28961 on the statistical distribution of hearing thresholds of otologically normal young persons

    Kenji Kurakata, Tazu Mizunami, Kazuma Matsushita

    Acoustical Science and Technology   34 ( 1 ) 42 - 47  2013  [Refereed]

     View Summary

    ISO 28961, which describes the statistical distribution of hearing thresholds of otologically normal young persons, was established in 2012. The thresholds are those for pure tones of frontal incidence under binaural listening conditions in a free field. Percentiles of the threshold distribution are calculable as a function of frequency from 20 Hz to 16,000 Hz. This international standard is based on the study results of the present authors, who estimated the form of individual distribution using threshold data in their experiments and those in literature adopted in ISO 226 and ISO 389-7. However, because the results were published separately in four journal papers, users of the standard may encounter difficulty in understanding the process of how the threshold data have been integrated and how the threshold distribution has been determined. Therefore, the authors summarize them in this review paper and present an outline of the threshold distribution estimation so that the standard will be understood correctly and used widely. © 2013 The Acoustical Society of Japan.

    DOI

    Scopus

    2
    Citation
    (Scopus)
  • Sensory unpleasantness of high-frequency sounds

    Kenji Kurakata, Tazu Mizunami, Kazuma Matsushita

    Acoustical Science and Technology   34 ( 1 ) 26 - 33  2013  [Refereed]

     View Summary

    The sensory unpleasantness of high-frequency sounds of 1 kHz and higher was investigated in psychoacoustic experiments in which young listeners with normal hearing participated. Sensory unpleasantness was defined as a perceptual impression of sounds and was differentiated from annoyance, which implies a subjective relation to the sound source. Listeners evaluated the degree of unpleasantness of high-frequency pure tones and narrow-band noise (NBN) by the magnitude estimation method. Estimates were analyzed in terms of the relationship with sharpness and loudness. Results of analyses revealed that the sensory unpleasantness of pure tones was a different auditory impression from sharpness
    the unpleasantness was more level dependent but less frequency dependent than sharpness. Furthermore, the unpleasantness increased at a higher rate than loudness did as the sound pressure level (SPL) became higher. Equal-unpleasantness-level contours, which define the combinations of SPL and frequency of tone having the same degree of unpleasantness, were drawn to display the frequency dependence of unpleasantness more clearly. Unpleasantness of NBN was weaker than that of pure tones, although those sounds were expected to have the same loudness as pure tones. These findings can serve as a basis for evaluating the sound quality of machinery noise that includes strong discrete components at high frequencies. © 2013 The Acoustical Society of Japan.

    DOI

    Scopus

    9
    Citation
    (Scopus)
  • 耳載せ形イヤホンと耳覆い形イヤホンで測定した純音聴覚閾値レベルの比較

    倉片憲治

    日本音響学会誌   68 ( 1 ) 3 - 10  2012.01  [Refereed]

    DOI CiNii

  • Hearing thresholds for low-frequency complex tones of less than 150 Hz

    Jongkwan Ryu, Hiroshi Sato, Kenji Kurakata, Yukio Inukai

    Journal of Low Frequency Noise Vibration and Active Control   30 ( 1 ) 21 - 30  2011.03  [Refereed]

     View Summary

    Hearing thresholds for low-frequency complex tones were measured to investigate effects of intensity and frequency differences between components and effects of the number of components on the detection of complexes. Complex tones comprised two tones, geometrically centered at 60 Hz, with frequency differences of 30, 60, 90, or 120 Hz. Sound pressure levels of the two tones were set to equal intensity or to equal sensation level. Additional threshold measurements were conducted for complex tones comprising 2-6 components at 25-145 Hz. A complex signal with multiple tones was detectable even if the levels of individual components were below the threshold. The improvement of complex signal detection varied greatly with the level difference and number of tones. Threshold levels for complex tones (in terms of level per component) decreased as the number of tones increased. Complex tones whose components have mutually similar frequencies were more detectable than those with separated components.

    DOI

    Scopus

    6
    Citation
    (Scopus)
  • Air conduction hearing thresholds of young and older Japanese adults for pure tones from 125 Hz to 16 kHz

    Kenji Kurakata, Tazu Mizunami, Kazuma Matsushita, Kimio Shiraishi

    Acoustical Science and Technology   32 ( 1 ) 16 - 22  2011  [Refereed]

     View Summary

    This Technical Report presents air conduction hearing thresholds measured for pure tones at conventional audiometric frequencies (CAFs) from 125 Hz to 8 kHz and extended high frequencies (EHFs) from 8 kHz to 16 kHz, using apparatus and procedures in accordance with relevant ISO and IEC standards. The subjects were 490 otologically normal Japanese adults aged 18-83 years. Descriptive statistics of their threshold levels are presented in graphical and tabular forms to show the age-related decline of hearing sensitivity and its individual differences. The change in hearing sensitivity of older adults at CAFs was smaller, in general, than the standard values according to ISO 7029:2000, in which the amount of hearing sensitivity decline is estimated as a function of age. The threshold data presented in this report may serve as a basis for revising the international standard. In addition, measurement results at EHFs revealed that the responses of older subjects could be unreliable at the highest frequencies because of an unwanted sound in a lower frequency region generated with test tone presentation. Threshold values at extended high frequencies should be treated with caution. ©2011 The Acoustical Society of Japan.

    DOI

    Scopus

    9
    Citation
    (Scopus)
  • Unwanted sounds generated with test tone presentation can spoil extended high-frequency audiometry

    Kenji Kurakata, Tazu Mizunami, Kazuma Matsushita, Kimio Shiraishi

    Journal of the Acoustical Society of America   128 ( 4 ) E157 - E162  2010.10  [Refereed]

    Authorship:Lead author

     View Summary

    Unwanted sounds from a commercially available audiometer were evaluated in terms of their effects on extended high-frequency (EHF) audiometry. Although the manufacturer reported that the audiometer conformed to relevant International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards, the audiograms obtained using the audiometer were erroneous because the subjects had responded falsely to noise generated with the test tone presentation before detecting the test tone. Analyses of acoustic and electric output signals revealed that the audiometer generated most of the unwanted sounds, not the earphones that were used. Based on the measurement results, clinical implications of the measurement results are discussed for conducting more reliable EHF audiometry. (C) 2010 Acoustical Society of America

    DOI

    Scopus

    1
    Citation
    (Scopus)
  • Pure-tone air conduction thresholds of Japanese high-school students

    Kenji Kurakata, Tazu Mizunami, Kazuma Matsushita

    Acoustical Science and Technology   31 ( 6 ) 403 - 407  2010  [Refereed]

     View Summary

    This Technical Report describes air conduction hearing thresholds measured for pure tones at conventional audiometric frequencies and extended high frequencies using apparatus and procedure in accordance with relevant ISO and IEC standards. The subjects were otologically normal Japanese high-school students aged 15-17 years. Descriptive statistics of their threshold levels are presented in graphical and tabular forms. Analyses of the measured data showed that the median threshold levels did not significantly deviate from the reference level of 0 dB and that they differed depending on the earphones used: supra-aural or circumaural earphones. These measurement results might be used effectively for revision of ISO 7029:2000, which describes the method for calculating the estimated hearing sensitivity decline as a function of age. © 2010 The Acoustical Society of Japan.

    DOI

    Scopus

    6
    Citation
    (Scopus)
  • Audibility of pure tones presented against domestic sounds: Comparison of ratings between young and older adults for auditory-signal design

    Kenji Kurakata, Tazu Mizunami, Kazuma Matsushita

    Acoustical Science and Technology   31 ( 3 ) 239 - 247  2010  [Refereed]

     View Summary

    The audibility of pure tones presented against typical domestic sounds was investigated in a psychoacoustic experiment conducted with young and older listeners. The sound pressure levels of pure tones were varied at several signal-to-noise ratios to find a range of auditory signals that are audible and comfortably loud in noisy conditions. Ratings of the listeners were analyzed in terms of A- weighted sound pressure levels and 1/3 octave band levels of the target tones and background noises. The results revealed that both listener groups assigned similar ratings to various combinations of pure tones and domestic sounds. However, when the tone frequency was 2,000 Hz or higher, older listeners needed a higher tone level to attain a certain level of audibility. On the basis of the results, the authors propose sound-level ranges of auditory signals for consumer products intended for users of various ages and for users who might have age-related hearing loss. © 2010 The Acoustical Society of Japan.

    DOI

    Scopus

    2
    Citation
    (Scopus)
  • Temporal patterns of auditory signals for electric consumer products: Comparison of judgments by young and older adults in four countries

    Kenji Kurakata, Tazu Mizunami, Daryle J. Gardner-Bonneau, Se Jin Park, Klaus-Peter Wegge

    Acoustical Science and Technology   30 ( 3 ) 209 - 215  2009  [Refereed]

     View Summary

    Auditory signals are often used in human-machine interfaces of electric consumer products to inform the user of the state of operation. The signals are expected to enhance the usability of products, especially for older adults who are not accustomed to using such products. Kurakata et al. [Acoust. Sci. and Tech., 29, 176-184 (2008)] reported experimental results related to temporal patterns of auditory signals for electric home appliances on which a Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS S 0013:2002) was based. However, all participants in their experiment were residents of Japan. Therefore, it remains unclear whether the information that the auditory-signal patterns convey can be understood unambiguously by people in other countries who have different cultural backgrounds and who use products that have different interface designs from those sold on the Japanese market. This paper presents results of an experiment in which American, German, and Korean listeners participated and evaluated auditory signals, employing a similar procedure to that of the study by Kurakata et al. By comparing their judgments to those by Japanese listeners, internationally acceptable temporal patterns of auditory signals are proposed. ©2009 The Acoustical Society of Japan.

    DOI

    Scopus

    1
    Citation
    (Scopus)
  • Statistical distribution of normal hearing thresholds for high-frequency tones

    Kenji Kurakata, Tazu Mizunami

    Acoustical Science and Technology   29 ( 6 ) 378 - 380  2008  [Refereed]

     View Summary

    A re-examination of the hearing-threshold distribution is reported through statistical distribution method to show a more precise profile of auditory sensitivity at high frequencies. A mathematical transformation of threshold to improve the fitness of individual thresholds to a normal distribution is also proposed. Selected percentiles of threshold distribution that are estimated using the transformation are presented in a tabular and graphical form. It is found that for frequencies of 10 kHz and higher, the threshold distribution fits a normal distribution after a power-transformation of individual thresholds and is estimated more accurate. It is found that the percentile thresholds reported should be consulted for those frequencies when the hearing sensitivity of a person is examined in composition to the general population.

    DOI

    Scopus

    2
    Citation
    (Scopus)
  • Effect of ageing on hearing thresholds in the low frequency region

    Kenji Kurakata, Tazu Mizunami, Hiroshi Sato, Yukio Inukai

    Journal of Low Frequency Noise Vibration and Active Control   27 ( 3 ) 175 - 184  2008  [Refereed]

    Authorship:Lead author

     View Summary

    The hearing threshold for low frequency (LF) tones was measured in a pressure field to investigate the effects of ageing on hearing sensitivity. Participants were young adults around 20 years old and older adults over 60. Measurement results showed that the older listeners had a higher threshold, on average, than the young listeners. The difference of median thresholds between these two groups was about 10 dB at every measurement frequency. Furthermore, hearing abnormalities other than age-related hearing loss showed no great effect upon the LF thresholds. Comparison of LF thresholds and audiograms (i.e. mid and high frequency hearing) of the older listeners revealed only moderate correlation between them. These results suggest that older people retain good hearing sensitivity in the LF region, in contrast to their often-degraded sensitivity at higher frequencies. Therefore, in LF noise evaluation, we should carefully regard the possibility that older listeners can perceive a low level LF noise.

    DOI

    Scopus

    11
    Citation
    (Scopus)
  • The statistical distribution of normal hearing thresholds for low-frequency tones

    Kenji Kurakata, Tazu Mizunami

    Journal of Low Frequency Noise Vibration and Active Control   27 ( 2 ) 97 - 104  2008  [Refereed]

     View Summary

    The statistical distribution of normal hearing thresholds for pure tones in the low-frequency (LF) region was estimated as a function of frequency, using a similar procedure to that used in an earlier work by the authors Kurakata et al., [3]. First, the distribution of individual LF thresholds was investigated using threshold measurement data. Results indicated that the threshold variation among individuals can be approximated using a normal distribution. Second, under the assumption of normality, standard deviations (SDs) of hearing threshold distributions were calculated. For that calculation, the measurement data of different studies were integrated to enhance the estimation accuracy. Finally, using the obtained SDs, the threshold distribution around the average value was presented graphically. These results illustrate the profile of our auditory sensitivity at LFs more accurately and are useful for evaluating the audibility of LF noises because they incorporate individual differences.

    DOI

    Scopus

    9
    Citation
    (Scopus)
  • Guidelines on the temporal patterns of auditory signals for electric home appliances: Report of the Association for Electric Home Appliances

    Kenji Kurakata, Tazu Mizunami, Hiroshi Yomogida

    Acoustical Science and Technology   29 ( 2 ) 176 - 184  2008  [Refereed]

     View Summary

    Consumer products that are currently available on the market, such as electric home appliances, often adopt auditory signals in their user interfaces. The signals are expected to improve the usability of such appliances for all users, including elderly people and visually impaired people. The Association for Electric Home Appliances (AEHA) established guidelines for auditory signals in 1999, which recommended temporal patterns of auditory signals for electric home appliances. The AEHA Guidelines were adopted later as a Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS S 0013:2002) without any major changes, but embracing a wider range of consumer products. For users, it is desirable that the specifications related to auditory signals in the standard be accepted widely internationally and that they be applied to every product. In this Technical Report, we translate and summarize the AEHA Report written in Japanese, on which the AEHA Guidelines and the JIS are based, in the hope that the JIS will become the foundation of an international standard on the auditory signals of consumer products. © 2008 The Acoustical Society of Japan.

    DOI

    Scopus

    3
    Citation
    (Scopus)
  • Hearing threshold for pure tones above 20 kHz

    Kaoru Ashihara, Kenji Kurakata, Tazu Mizunami, Kazuma Matsushita

    Acoustical Science and Technology   27 ( 1 ) 12 - 19  2006  [Refereed]

     View Summary

    Hearing thresholds for pure tones from 2 kHz to 28 kHz were measured. A 2AFC procedure combined with a 3-down 1-up transformed up-down method was employed to obtain threshold values that were less affected by listener's criterion of judgment. From some listeners, threshold values of 88 dB SPL or higher were obtained for a tone at 24 kHz, whereas thresholds could not be obtained from all participants at 26 kHz and above. Furthermore, thresholds were also measured under masking by a noise low-pass filtered at 20 kHz. At frequencies above 20 kHz, the difference of threshold values between with and without the masking noise was a few decibels, indicating that the tone detection was not affected by subharmonic components that might have appeared in the lower frequency regions. The results of measurement also showed that the threshold increased rather gradually for tones from 20 to 24 kHz whereas it increased sharply from 14 to 20 kHz.

    DOI

    Scopus

    45
    Citation
    (Scopus)
  • Pure-tone audiometric thresholds of young and older adults

    Kenji Kurakata, Tazu Mizunami, Kazuma Matsushita

    Acoustical Science and Technology   27 ( 2 ) 114 - 116  2006  [Refereed]

     View Summary

    Hearing sensitivity of otologically normal persons declines with their age. The pure-tone audiometric threshold of hearing of different age group of people is described. ISO 7029 reveals hearing sensitivity declines as a deviation from the threshold of 18-year-people. The average threshold value agreed well in this studies for young people of 20 years old and old people of 60 years old. In the physchoacoustic experiment the monaural air-condition threshold was measured with a pure-tone audiometer in a sound proof room excluding certain audiological abnormalities. The study confirms that people in recent years have a different auditory profile with better hearing ability at higher frequencies and the it is prominent particularly in case of males.

    DOI

    Scopus

    10
    Citation
    (Scopus)
  • Reexamination of the age-related sensitivity decrease in ISO 7029: Do the Japanese have better hearing sensitivity?

    Kenji Kurakata, Tazu Mizunami

    Acoustical Science and Technology   26 ( 4 ) 381 - 383  2005.07  [Refereed]

     View Summary

    The ISO threshold values of different ages were reviewed. The ISO threshold values were compared with Japanese data published after the Robinson and Sutton survey. The results indicated that the Japanese people showed, on average, a smaller age-related decrease in hearing sensitivity than people did more than 30 years ago. The higher thresholds in the ISO standard seem to be influenced by noise-induced hearing loss, possibly because of noise exposure in the workplace.

    DOI

    Scopus

    6
    Citation
    (Scopus)
  • Percentiles of normal hearing-threshold distribution under free-field listening conditions in numerical form

    Kenji Kurakata, Tazu Mizunami, Kazuma Matsushita

    Acoustical Science and Technology   26 ( 5 ) 447 - 449  2005  [Refereed]

     View Summary

    The use of representative percentiles of normal hearing-threshold distribution in a tabular form are discussed. The researchers calculate the standard deviation (SD) of hearing thresholds as a function of frequency from 25Hz to 18Hz. Using the SDs and normative threshold values of the ISO standard, the normal threshold distribution profile could determine the entire range of audible frequencies. Thus it can be concluded that a table of representative values of threshold distributions can be more convenient to use than the mean and SD values.

    DOI

    Scopus

    14
    Citation
    (Scopus)
  • Statistical distribution of normal hearing thresholds under free-field listening conditions

    Kenji Kurakata, Tazu Mizunami, Kazuma Matsushita, Kaoru Ashihara

    Acoustical Science and Technology   26 ( 5 ) 440 - 446  2005  [Refereed]

     View Summary

    The statistical distribution of normal hearing thresholds for pure tones of frontal incidence under binaural, free-field listening conditions was estimated as a function of frequency. First, the form of threshold distribution was investigated with threshold measurement data of the present study and those of other studies. Analytical results indicate that the threshold distribution has a form of normal distribution for the frequency range from 25 Hz to 16 kHz. Second, under the assumption of normality, standard deviations of thresholds were calculated for the frequency range from 25 Hz to 18 kHz by combining available threshold data of different studies. A supplementary experiment showed that thresholds at frequencies above 16 kHz were measurable with high reliability. These results illustrate the profile of our auditory sensitivity more accurately because they account for individual differences.

    DOI

    Scopus

    16
    Citation
    (Scopus)
  • Further examination of ON/OFF temporal patterns of auditory signals (completion signals and attention signals) recommended in JIS S 0013

    MIZUNAMI Tazu, KURAKATA Kenji, SHIMOSAKO Haruka, MATSUSHITA Kazuma

    JES Ergonomics   40 ( 5 ) 264 - 271  2004  [Refereed]

     View Summary

    JIS S 0013, a guideline on auditory signals of consumer products, recommends ON/OFF temporal patterns to be used for auditory signals. In this guideline, ON/OFF patterns are determined according to the function of auditory signals, e. g. completion signals and attention signals. Therefore, when both completion and attention signal (s) are used, or more than one completion signal or attention signal is used in the same appliance, the following two problems arise: (1) the user of the appliance may not be able to distinguish among different auditory signals; and (2) the designer of the auditory signals has difficulty choosing the most appropriate signals from the recommended ones. To solve these problems, the authors conducted psychoacoustic experiments in which listeners judged dissimilarity and evaluated impressions of the auditory signals prescribed in the JIS. Based on the experimental results, the authors determined an attention signal that might be confused with completion signals and ON/OFF patterns of auditory signals to be selected when more than one signal is used in a single appliance.

    DOI CiNii

  • Threshold of hearing in free field for high-frequency tones from 1 to 20 kHz

    Kenji Kurakata, Kaoru Ashihara, Kazuma Matsushita, Hideki Tamai, Yoshiyuki Ihara

    Acoustical Science and Technology   24 ( 6 ) 398 - 399  2003.11  [Refereed]

     View Summary

    Binaural hearing thresholds in free field were measured for pure tones to obtain threshold values in the high-frequency region. Measurement was conducted in an anechoic room of 4.35m (W) × 6.00m (D) × 2.95 m (H). Sound level deviations from the reference point met the sound field requirements of the preferred test conditions and more than ±1 dB were observed at 1 and 4kHz. The result illustrated the high-frequency region threshold curve.

    DOI

    Scopus

    8
    Citation
    (Scopus)
  • Measurements for the Hitting Sound of Golf Clubs with Metal Heads

    KURAKATA Kenji

    Journal of INCE/Japan   26 ( 1 ) 60 - 63  2002  [Refereed]

     View Summary

    The hitting sound of golf clubs with metal heads and of a club with a wood head were measured to investigate differences in their acoustic properties. Hitting was executed either by a swing machine or a human player. The results of analysis showed that the clubs with metal heads generated sounds around 100dB (LpA, Fmax). This level was 5-15dB higher than that of the club with a wood head. The sounds of the metal-head clubs had relatively larger power in the high-frequency region of 4kHz and above compared to the wood-head club, which increased the overall levels. It would be desirable to develop a metal head with pleasant sound qualities, keeping the sound level lower in order to minimize damage to hearing.

    DOI CiNii

  • Relationship between hearing levels of the elderly and preferred volume levels of television.

    KURAKATA Kenji, KUBA Yasuyoshi, KIZUKA Tomohiro, KUCHINOMACHI Yasuo

    JES Ergonomics   35 ( 3 ) 169 - 176  1999  [Refereed]

     View Summary

    The preferred volume levels of 16 television programs were investigated in psychoacoustic experiments with younger and older adults. The results revealed the following four points: (1) Older adults really tend to set the television volume louder than younger adults. (2) There is no significant difference in preferred volume levels between male and female subjects. (3) The preferred volume levels differ among television programs. This difference is not related to the contents of the programs, but rather their relative sound pressure levels when broadcast; Loud programs tended to be set to higher volume levels. (4) The preferred volume levels correlate significantly with the hearing levels of subjects. As the average hearing levels of seven frequencies from 125Hz to 8000Hz increase by 10dB, the preferred volume levels become higher by 3.4dB. These results might well serve as basic data to make indoor sound environments more comfortable for both young adults and senior citizens.

    DOI CiNii

  • 家電製品の報知音の計測 −高齢者の聴覚特性に基づく検討・第2報ー

    倉片憲治

    日本人間工学会誌   35 ( 4 ) 277 - 285  1999  [Refereed]

    DOI CiNii

  • Perception of two crossing frequency glides

    Michinao Matsui, Kenji Kurakata, Atsushi Nishimura

    Journal of the Acoustical Society of Japan (E) (English translation of Nippon Onkyo Gakkaishi)   19 ( 4 ) 293 - 296  1998  [Refereed]

     View Summary

    An experiment was conducted to study the interaction of the extrapolation mechanism with the effect of frequency proximity. The stimuli consisted of two sinusoidal glides with logarithmically changing frequency. Results show that when two gliding tones cross each other, they can create a crossing percept, as well as the bouncing percept. This effect could be observed when the glide durations were as short as 100 ms. The frequency changes of the glides were traced when they did not change in opposite directions, and a crossing perception could be elicited.

    DOI

    Scopus

  • Journal of the Acoustical Society of Japan (E)

    K. Kurakata

    Journal of the Acoustical Society of Japan (E)   17 ( 6 ) 327 - 329  1996.12  [Refereed]

  • Factors determining the impression of the equality of intensity in piano performance.

    Kurakata Kenji, Kuwano Sonoko, Namba Seiichiro

    Acoustical Science and Technology   14 ( 6 ) 441 - 447  1993  [Refereed]

    Authorship:Lead author

     View Summary

    Performances of two skilled amateur pianists were analyzed to investigate factors deter mining the impression of the equality of intensity in piano music. The results of the analysis showed that although the pianists tried to play every tone as equally as possible, not all the tones were played in equal intensity. The following two features were found in the performances:(1) The pattern of fluctuation was regularly repeated throughout the performance.(2) The peak level of each "playing unit" was remarkably kept constant compared with the fluctuation of each tone. The same tendency was also found in the performances of professional pianists. The results of the psychoacoustical experiment showed that when these features were destroyed, the impression of equality was degraded. These findings suggest that skilled pianists can maintain the impression of the equality of intensity by making good use of the characteristics of our auditory perception.

    DOI CiNii

    Scopus

    4
    Citation
    (Scopus)
  • Program for calculating loudness according to DIN 45631 (ISO 532B)

    Eberhard Zwicker, Hugo Fastl, Ulrich Widmann, Kenji Kurakata, Sonoko Kuwano, Seiichiro Namba

    Journal of the Acoustical Society of Japan (E)   12 ( 1 ) 39 - 42  1991.01  [Refereed]

     View Summary

    The method for calculating loudness level proposed by Zwicker is standardized in ISO 532B. This is a graphical procedure and it can be tedious to calculate loudness level by this procedure. Recently, DIN 45631 has been revised including a computer program for calculating loudness level in BASIC which runs on IBM-compatible PC's. Since the NEC PC-9801 series computers are popular in Japan, the program has been modified for the NEC PC-9801 series computers and is introduced in this paper.

    DOI CiNii

    Scopus

    115
    Citation
    (Scopus)
  • Accessible-Design Standards for Consumer Products Developed in ISO/TC 159/SC 4/WG 10

    Kurakata Kenji

    Proceedings of the 20th Congress of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA 2018), Vol VII: Ergonomics in Design, Design for All, Activity Theories for Work Analysis and Design, Affective Design   824   1553 - 1557  2019  [Refereed]

    Authorship:Lead author

    DOI

    Scopus

  • Development of an on-site system for measuring the low-frequency noise and complainant's responses

    Sato Hiroshi, Ryu Jongkwan, Kurakata Kenji

    Journal of Low Frequency Noise Vibration and Active Control   37 ( 2 ) 373 - 384  2018.06  [Refereed]

    DOI

    Scopus

    2
    Citation
    (Scopus)
  • Time reduction design method for cognitive assist technology

    Junji Ohyama, Nana Itoh, Kenji Kurakata, Ken Sagawa

    Human Aspects of IT for the Aged Population. Design for Aging   9193   94 - 103  2015  [Refereed]

    DOI

    Scopus

    3
    Citation
    (Scopus)
  • Database of sensory characteristics of older persons and persons with disabilities

    K. Kurakata, N. Itoh, J. Ohyama, H. Sato, K. Sagawa

    Gerontechnology   13 ( 2 ) 126 - 127  2014  [Refereed]

    Authorship:Lead author

     View Summary

    Purpose: It has long been common practice to design consumer products, living spaces, services, etc., with the assumption that the main users are healthy young people. However, when products are designed for older persons or persons with disabilities, the designers need to consider the sensory characteristics and abilities of these groups of users. The authors have constructed the 'Database of sensory characteristics of older persons and persons with disabilities'. Referring to the database will make it easier for designers to design products that accommodate various people who differ in their sensory characteristics and abilities&lt
    sup&gt
    1&lt
    /sup&gt
    . Method: The database displays sensory characteristics of vision, hearing, and touch measured at Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan, by the authors from more than 3,000 young and older persons as well as persons with disabilities. These data for sensory characteristics have been adopted for establishing the Japanese Industrial Standards (JISs) 'Guidelines for older persons and persons with disabilities'. The database graphically presents the JIS contents described by equations and tables. Results &amp
    Discussion Japanese and English versions of the database have been released on the web free of charge to the public (Figure 3). Anyone can access and use the data as long as they comply with the terms of use. In addition to contact information, the database has a questionnaire page to gather opinions and requests from users. Data released at this time are limited to 16 items, but the authors plan further expansion, including refinement of unreleased data and addition of new items in response to feedback from users through the questionnaires.

    DOI

    Scopus

    1
    Citation
    (Scopus)
  • Noise evaluation based on loudness-perception characteristics of older adults

    Kurakata K, Mizunami T

    Inter-Noise 2014 - 43rd International Congress on Noise Control Engineering: Improving the World Through Noise Control    2014  [Refereed]

  • Use of autocorrelation analysis to characterize audibility of low-frequency tonal signals

    Jongkwan Ryu, Hiroshi Sato, Kenji Kurakata

    Journal of Sound and Vibration   330 ( 21 ) 5210 - 5222  2011.10  [Refereed]

     View Summary

    Autocorrelation function (ACF) parameters were used to identify low-frequency tonal sound detected in actual living environments. Five houses whose residents had made complaints for unidentified noise were selected as measurement sites. The sounds and the residents' detection responses were recorded simultaneously inside a room in each house. When they heard the suspected noise, the participants pushed a response button on a portable recording device as the sound was recorded. Results showed that tonal components in the low-frequency range were highly correlated with the sound detection. This study suggests that autocorrelation analysis can reveal the human detection of low-frequency tonal signals. Low-frequency tonal components were identified and quantified using ACF parameters: the delay time and amplitude of the ACFs first dominant peak. The amplitude was useful to describe the detection and prominence of low-frequency tonal components in noise. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

    DOI

    Scopus

    4
    Citation
    (Scopus)
  • Guiding open house visitors using acoustic signals – An experiment at AIST Open-Lab 2010 –

    K. Kurakata, H. Sato, Y. Seki, N. Itoh, T. Mizunami, T. Sato

    Journal of human life engineering   12 ( 2 ) 57 - 64  2011.09  [Refereed]  [Domestic journal]

    Authorship:Lead author

    CiNii J-GLOBAL

  • Relation between annoyance and single-number quantities for rating heavy-weight floor impact sound insulation in wooden houses

    Jongkwan Ryu, Hiroshi Sato, Kenji Kurakata, Atsuo Hiramitsu, Manabu Tanaka, Tomohito Hirota

    Journal of the Acoustical Society of America   129 ( 5 ) 3047 - 3055  2011.05  [Refereed]

     View Summary

    This study investigated the relation between annoyance and single-number quantities to rate heavyweight floor impact sound insulation. Laboratory experiments were conducted to evaluate the subjective response of annoyance resulting from heavy-weight floor impact sounds recorded in wooden houses. Stimuli had two typical spectra and their modified versions, which simulate the precise change in frequency response resulting from insulation treatments. Results of the first experiment showed that the Zwicker's percentile loudness (N(5)) was the quantity to rate most well annoyance of heavy-weight impact sound over a wide sound level range. The second experiment revealed that arithmetic average (L(iFavg,Fmax)) of octave-band sound pressure levels measured using the time constant "fast" and Zwicker's percentile loudness (N(5)) much better described annoyance by the precise change in the sound spectrum attributable to insulation treatments than Japanese standardized single-number quantities (L(i,Fmax,r), L(iA,Fmax), and L(i,Fmax,Aw)) do. Japanese standardized single-number quantities using the A-weighting curve as a rating curve were found to be excessively influenced by the 63 Hz octave-band sound level and have the great sound level-dependences in the relation with subjective ratings. (C) 2011 Acoustical Society of America. [DOI:10.1121/1.3561660]

    DOI

    Scopus

    58
    Citation
    (Scopus)
  • Audibility evaluation of triangle-wave tones presented against domestic sounds: Comparison with the audibility of pure tones

    Kenji Kurakata, Tazu Mizunami

    Acoustical Science and Technology   32 ( 4 ) 158 - 160  2011  [Refereed]

     View Summary

    A study was conducted to examine the effect of multiplicity of frequency components on the audibility of tone presented against interfering noise. The measurement method was essentially identical to that of an earlier study, but triangle-wave tones were used instead as an example of complex tones. The background noise and the target tones were reproduced by a personal computer. They were amplified using a power amplifier and presented to the listener through a loudspeaker in a soundproof room. The listener's chair was set at a distance of 2.5m from the loudspeaker, while the frequency characteristic of the sound reproduction system was corrected to be substantially flat at the listener's position using an equalizer. All the listeners performed pure-tone audiometry and tympanometry and completed a questionnaire concerning hearing difficulties before participating in the experiment to confirm that they had normal hearing for their age.

    DOI

    Scopus

  • Subjective ratings of heavy-weight floor impact sounds in wood frame construction

    Jongkwan Ryu, Hiroshi Sato, Kenji Kurakata, Atsuo Hiramitsu, Manabu Tanaka, Tomohito Hirota

    Acoustical Science and Technology   31 ( 5 ) 371 - 375  2010  [Refereed]

     View Summary

    The subjective ratings of heavy-weight floor impact sounds in wood frame construction were examined. Heavy-weight floor impact sounds were recorded in a mock-up building, which had four floors and two rooms each floor. The different insulation treatments were installed in the floors of each room and walls separating rooms. The stimuli consisted of 48 sounds (4 types × 2 receiver positions × 6 rooms) recorded in the mock-up building, which had 49-78 dB in the single number rating index (Lii,Fmax,r). Low pass filter with cutoff frequency 1.5 kHz was applied to remove electrical noise components in higher frequency range. The pink noise was produced from 8 loud speakers at every each 45 degree at the 1.75 m from subject and at the height of subject's ear positions. The results showed that sound insulations in higher frequency octave bands are more effective to decrease annoyance than those in lower frequency octave bands for the heavy-weight impact sound.

    DOI

    Scopus

    7
    Citation
    (Scopus)
  • Auditory signals for consumer electronics: Accessible-design approach and international standardization

    Kenji Kurakata, Tazu Mizunami, Kazuma Matsushita

    Digest of Technical Papers - IEEE International Conference on Consumer Electronics     241 - 243  2009  [Refereed]

    Authorship:Lead author

     View Summary

    Auditory signals are often used in human-machine interface of consumer electronics. Those signals are expected to improve the usability and accessibility of such products. This paper reviews accessibility-related standards on auditory signals for consumer products that were established by the Japan Industrial Standards Committee and are being drafted in a Technical Committee of the International Organization for Standardization, ISO/TC 159 "Ergonomics". ©2009 IEEE.

    DOI

    Scopus

  • Equal-loudness-level contours of older adults measured by magnitude estimation method: A preliminary study

    Kenji Kurakata

    Acoustical Science and Technology   30 ( 6 ) 446 - 447  2009  [Refereed]

     View Summary

    A preliminary study reported the results of equal-loudness-level contours (ELLC) of older adults, which was measured by magnitude estimation (ME) method. The geometrical mean of the two numbers assigned to each stimulus was first calculated to obtain a magnitude estimate of individual listeners. ME method was produced ELLCs efficiently with precision comparable to those of other psychophysical methods, such as the method of constant stimuli and the bracketing method. The results of the study indicated that the ME method was able to yield ELLCs comparable to those in the ISO standard obtained with other measurement methods. ELLCs for numerous older adults were obtained in a short time using the ME method.

    DOI

    Scopus

    3
    Citation
    (Scopus)
  • Development and standardization of accessible design technologies that address the needs of senior citizens

    Kenji Kurakata, Ken Sagawa

    Synthesiology   1 ( 1 ) 15 - 23  2008  [Refereed]  [Invited]

     View Summary

    With the recent trend of decreased birthrate and increased aging population, design that can be used by as many people as possible including the elderly, or accessible design, has been incorporated in consumer product designs. The authors have developed and propagated accessible design technology through the establishment of Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) based on auditory and visual functions of elderly people. This paper uses JIS S 0014, a standard for adjustment method of sound volume of auditory signals, to describe the research process that leads to the standardization of accessible design from the perspective of Full Research.

    DOI CiNii

    Scopus

    3
    Citation
    (Scopus)
  • 音情報の理解過程を考慮した分かりやすいサイン音の設計試論

    水浪田鶴, 倉片憲治

    サウンドスケープ   5   23 - 26  2003  [Refereed]  [Invited]

    CiNii

  • Database of domestic sounds for evaluation of auditory-signal audibility: JIS/TR S 0001

    Kenji Kurakata, Kazuma Matsushita, Yasuo Kuchinomachi

    Acoustical Science and Technology   24 ( 1 ) 23 - 26  2003.01  [Refereed]

     View Summary

    A new Technical Report of Japanese Industrial Standard, JIS/TR S 0001, was made public in January 2002. This JIS/TR is a database for determining the acoustic properties of auditory signals used in consumer products
    it consists of (1) graphical data of the frequency characteristics of domestic sounds, and (2) a library of recorded sounds on compact disc. The former can be used to graphically determine combinations of frequency and sound pressure level of auditory signals that are audible against domestic sounds. The latter is intended for use in a psychoacoustic experiment in which auditory signals are presented along with domestic sound(s) of the library
    listeners are asked then to judge how they perceive the signals. The experiment can be carried out using either a loudspeaker or headphones. This JIS/TR will facilitate the development of suitable auditory signals for domestic appliances used under various noisy conditions and by a variety of users, including the elderly.

    DOI

    Scopus

    7
    Citation
    (Scopus)
  • 家電製品の報知音の計測・第3報 −発音パターンの分析−

    倉片憲治

    日本人間工学会誌   36 ( 3 ) 147 - 153  2000  [Refereed]

    DOI

  • Audio signals in electric home appliances evaluated in terms of the hearing ability of older adults

    KURAKATA Kenji, KUBA Yasuyoshi, KUCHINOMACHI Yasuo, MATSUSHITA Kazuma

    The Japanese journal of ergonomics   34 ( 4 ) 215 - 222  1998  [Refereed]

    DOI CiNii

  • Evaluation of broad-band noise mixed with amplitude-modulated sounds.

    Kuwano Sonoko, Namba Seiichiro, Kurakata Kenji, Kikuchi Yoshimasa

    Acoustical Science and Technology   15 ( 3 ) 131 - 142  1994  [Refereed]

     View Summary

    A series of experiments was conducted concerning the effect of amplitude-modulated (AM) sounds on the impression of broad-band noise. The following results were found:(1) AM sounds in broad-band noise were detected when S/N was around zero (S: the level of AM sound, N: 1/3 octave band level of broad-band noise with center frequency corresponding to the carrier frequency of AM sounds). Close examination showed that carrier frequency, modulation frequency and modulation depth had a systematic effect on the detection of AM sounds.(2) The loudness of broad-band noise mixed with AM sounds could be approximately evaluated by loudness level based on ISO 532B (LLz).(3) The timbre of broad-band noise mixed with AM sounds was judged to be more metallic as the carrier frequency of AM sounds became higher and to be more clamorous as the carrier frequency became lower. This suggests that the timbre is deteriorated when AM sounds are mixed with broad-band noise. The three factors were extracted by the factor analysis: they were "metallic" or "unpleasant, " "powerful" and "rough."

    DOI CiNii

  • ピアノ演奏における"粒の揃った"との印象を決定する要因 : 演奏音の強さの分析(VI.第12回大会発表要旨)

    難波 精一郎, 倉片 憲治, 桑野 園子

    基礎心理学研究   12 ( 1 ) 60 - 60  1993

    DOI CiNii

  • Loudness and timbre of broad-band noise mixed with frequency-modulated sounds

    Seiichiro Namba, Sonoko Kuwano, Kanjiro Kinoshita, Kenji Kurakata

    Journal of the Acoustical Society of Japan (E)   13 ( 1 ) 49 - 58  1992.01  [Refereed]

    CiNii

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Books and Other Publications

▼display all

Works

▼display all

Research Projects

  • Research on Information Accessibility and History of Science, Technology and Society Concerning the Concept of Universal Design in Japan

    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science  Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

    Project Year :

    2022.04
    -
    2025.03
     

  • 拡張高周波聴力検査法の改良によるイヤホン難聴の早期発見とリスク要因の同定

    日本学術振興会  科研費

    Project Year :

    2018.04
    -
    2024.03
     

    倉片 憲治

  • Development of an on-site evaluation tool for auditory guide signal in public spaces

    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science  Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)

    Project Year :

    2013.04
    -
    2017.03
     

    SATO Hiroshi

     View Summary

    This study was consisted of measurement of sound localization performance of listers in experimental rooms, and in-situ measurement of physical properties of acoustical environment. The relationship between both measurement results enabled to realize a measurement tool for sound localization performance of auditory guide signals in public spaces. Results of a measurement is presented on a screen of tablet PC with numerical values and graphical presentation of estimated sound localization from acoustical input to both ears of a listener. The presented result of the measurement tool is well correlated with sound localization of listener on horizontal plane but not well estimate on vertical plane. It was more difficult to obtain accurate sound localization of listeners on vertical plane than horizontal plane with visual attention measurement, which was used to confirm sound localization of listers with gaze measurement.

  • Effects of aging on absolute pitch perception: Psychophysical experiments and computational models

    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science  Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)

    Project Year :

    2012.05
    -
    2017.03
     

    Tsuzaki Minoru, OHGUSHI Kengo, KATO Hiroaki, KENJI Kurakata, MATSUI Toshie

     View Summary

    The purpose of the current study was phenomenal, psychophysical and physiological observations for effects of aging on hearing. The focus of the research was the age-induced pitch shift, which had not been investigated systematically. Experimental data have been collected sufficiently large number of listeners whose age ranged from 20s to 50s. The correlation analyses between the pitch shifts, the hearing level, the level of otoacoustic emissions, and the frequency following responses of EEGs were performed. With several basic experiments on the reduction of the compressive characteristics of the peripheral auditory mechanism, and on the deterioration of the phase locking of the neural activities, it was concluded that the pitch shift was difficult to be explained by these well-known factors, and a new computational model for pitch coding was proposed.

  • アクセシブルデザイン(AD)製品及びその認証に関する国際標準化・普及基盤構築

    経済産業省  工業標準化推進事業委託費

    Project Year :

    2014.06
    -
    2017.03
     

    倉片 憲治

  • アクセシブルデザイン(AD)に関するJIS開発

    経済産業省  高機能JIS等整備事業 「安全・安心な社会形成に資するJIS開発」

    Project Year :

    2014.05
    -
    2017.02
     

    倉片 憲治

  • 加齢変化を考慮した騒音評価方法の開発に向けた聴覚モデルの構築

    日本学術振興会  科研費

    Project Year :

    2012.04
    -
    2015.03
     

    倉片 憲治

  • アクセシブルデザイン及びその適合性評価に関する国際標準化

    経済産業省  工業標準化推進事業委託費

    Project Year :

    2012.07
    -
    2014.03
     

    倉片 憲治

  • アクセシブルデザイン(AD)の体系的技術に関する標準化

    経済産業省  工業標準化推進事業委託費

    Project Year :

    2009.07
    -
    2012.03
     

    倉片 憲治

  • New design method for auditory signal to present direction to a destination point in public space

    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science  Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)

    Project Year :

    2009
    -
    2011
     

    SATO Hiroshi, SEKI Yoshikazu, KURAKAT Kenj, MORIMOTO Masayuk, SATO Hayat, FUKUNAGA Yoshik

     View Summary

    The result of this project revealed how to realize the role of acoustic guide signals, that is to lead visually impaired persons to their destination points, without discomfort to public with consideration to older listeners.

  • Evaluation n method of aural environment and development of method for presentation of auditory signals for older persons and persons with disabilities

    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science  Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)

    Project Year :

    2005
    -
    2007
     

    SATO Hiroshi, KURAKATA Kenji, MORIMOTO Masayuki, SATO Hayato

     View Summary

    The following three summery were achieved;
    1. The effect of aging on speech perception This study clearly found two factors related to speech recognition and their aging effect. One is that speech recognition performance can be predicted by signal-to-noise ratio and pure-tone averaged hearing level in noisy environment. The other is that cognitive factors. Speaking rate and number of key words were investigated and found that too slow speaking rate gives listening difficulty and doesn't improve speach intelligibility scores both for young and older listeners. The maximum number of key words which should be in memory for a while should be less than three. The maximum presentation level of spoken announcements was obtained and there is no difference of maximum presentation level between young and older listener.
    2. Prediction of speech transmission performance of acoustical conditions in rooms and case study of evaluation at railway stations and airports This study presents two indices to predict speech transmission performance in rooms. One is Speech Transmission Index and the other is Useful-to Detrimental ratio. Calculation methods and accuracy of predictions were clearly presented. The examples of sound environment in public spaces are evaluated.
    3. Auditory signals presenting directions and locations to support activities especially for visually impaired persons in public spaces This study presents the effect of noise and reverberation on sound localization of auditory signals. Some of bird's songs presented better accuracy of sound localization than "Pinpon" sound in noise. However, it was found that the key factor of designing auditory signals is time series of signal. As a result of listening tests, head movement is very important to localize a sound and there is not significant difference of accuracy of sound localization between normal person and person with visual impairment.

  • マイクロホンアレイと確率モデルの合成による音声認識アルゴリズムの研究

    日本学術振興会  科学研究費助成事業 重点領域研究

    Project Year :

    1995
     
     
     

    鹿野 清宏, 倉片 憲治, 伊勢 史郎, 中村 哲, 杉山 雅英, 伊達 玄

     View Summary

    音声によるインタフェースは、人間同志の通信に通常使用されているという意味で最も自然で使いやすいインタフェースである。マルチモーダルインタフェースにおいても、音声情報はそれらの情報の要として極めて重要となる。しかしながら、音声認識合成は今だ性能的に不十分で上記の使用のための性能を満たしていない。実環境で使用するためには、次の点が重要となる。
    (1)マイクロホンから離れての発声、(2)動きながらの発声、(3)他人の声を含む雑音源のある環境での発声、(4)使用者が発声しているかどうかの判断
    我々は、これらの問題に対する鍵は、マイクロホンを意識せずにマイクロホンから離れて発声した音声の認識を可能にすることであると考えている。本研究ではマイクロホンの存在を話者に意識させない、ハンズフリーフリーのより自然な対話音声入力方式の確率を目指して対話音声認識系の入力系および音声処理系における堅牢性の向上について検討を行なうことを目的にしている。
    マイクロホンアレイおよび距離依存感度マイクロホンを用いて複数音源から生成される信号を空間的に分析し、さらに複数音源に対する生成源である音源の確率モデル(HMM)を推定し、対象とする音源モデルの強調処理を行ない認識対象とする音声の認識性能、特に堅牢性を向上させることによりハンズフリーの音声インタフェースを実現を試みた。まず、直線型マイクロホンアレーを入力系とする音声認識系の構築、雑音および部屋の伝達関数のHMM合成による実環境における認識系の堅牢性の向上の評価の基礎検討および距離依存感度マイクロホンの改良を行なった。さらに、マイクロホンアレーに関しては、実環境における評価を目指したデータベース構築の準備も行なった。また、アクティブノイズコントロールの検討を行なった。

  • Psychology of hearing

    Ordinary Research

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Misc

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Industrial Property Rights

  • 聴覚障害を考慮した音の測定方法およびシステム

    特許第3448586号

    倉片 憲治, 口ノ町康夫

    Patent

Other

  • 共生社会コミュニケーション検定,合格

  • 日本語教育能力検定試験,合格

  • 色彩検定,UC級

  • 心理学検定,特1級

  • 環境計量士(騒音・振動関係)(第2176号)

  • 騒音関係公害防止管理者(第45895号)

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Syllabus

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Teaching Experience

  • 障がいの理解と支援

    早稲田大学グローバルエデュケーションセンター  

  • 加齢人間工学

    早稲田大学 人間科学学術院  

  • 人間特性の計測と応用

    東京大学 文学部  

  • 福祉情報学

    上智大学大学院 理工学研究科  

 

Sub-affiliation

  • Affiliated organization   Global Education Center

  • Faculty of Human Sciences   Graduate School of Human Sciences

  • Faculty of Human Sciences   School of Human Sciences (Online Degree Program)

Internal Special Research Projects

  • 高齢者の感覚・身体特性データ及び製品等の改善ニーズの体系的収集

    2017  

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    The aim of this study was to collect literature data on various human abilities for young and older adults. The human abilities here included sensory (e.g., seeing, hearing, and touching), physical (both static and dynamic characteristics), and cognitive ones (e.g., memory, attention, and reaction time). After being sorted and organized properly, the collected data will be used effectively by designers when they design products, services, and environments that are suitable for all people including senior citizens. Part of the study will continue another five years, supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research, JSPS.