Market Context — Why This Technology, Why Now

The global shift towards smart environments and human-centric design is accelerating, making acoustic comfort a critical factor in commercial, industrial, and residential sectors. Regulatory pressures for occupational safety and health, coupled with competitive dynamics in automotive and consumer electronics, are driving demand for advanced noise mitigation solutions. This technology provides a scalable, software-driven approach to meet these evolving market needs, offering a distinct advantage over traditional passive methods.

Key Competitive Advantages
01

Optimizes acoustic environments across continuous spaces by adaptively minimizing sound pressure throughout an entire area, leveraging error microphones, speakers, and time-domain interpolation filter matrices.

02

Offers high uniqueness and adaptability with only 3 prior art references, combining adaptive filters and interpolation filter matrices for stable performance in diverse noise environments.

03

Provides broadband and dynamic noise control by continuously minimizing sound pressure across an entire target area, potentially offering superior acoustic comfort for wide-band noise.

Market Opportunity
Office Environment Enhancement
$300M–$350M globally (AI est.)
Increasing demand for improved employee concentration, reduced stress, and greater flexibility in office design drives the need for advanced noise control solutions.
Commercial real estate developers Office furniture and acoustics manufacturers Corporate facility management providers
Manufacturing (Factory Environment)
$450M–$500M globally (AI est.)
Factory noise poses significant occupational safety and health challenges, leading to reduced work efficiency and increased defect rates, making noise countermeasures a critical priority.
Industrial automation solution providers Heavy machinery manufacturers Occupational safety equipment suppliers
Automotive and Transportation
$150M–$200M globally (AI est.)
The proliferation of electric vehicles (EVs) eliminates engine noise, highlighting an emerging need for enhanced cabin quietness to address road and wind noise.
Automotive OEMs Aerospace manufacturers Rail system integrators
IP Defensibility — Why Competitors Can't Replicate This
What This Patent Covers

This patent protects a signal processing device, method, and program for active noise control across continuous spaces, specifically detailing the use of adaptive filters and time-domain interpolation filter matrices to minimize sound pressure. The robust claims, developed with expert legal counsel through two office actions, suggest a strong, difficult-to-invalidate intellectual property asset.

Competitive White Space

This patent focuses on signal processing for active noise control in continuous spaces. White space exists in integrating this core technology with specific sensor fusion techniques (e.g., visual or thermal data for noise source identification) or developing novel hardware implementations beyond standard microphones and speakers.

Economic Impact
~$150K/year estimated noise countermeasure cost reduction per facility (est.)
estimated ROI · USD · AI analysis
ROI Calculation Logic

Implementing this technology could improve employee concentration in offices, reduce noise-induced defect rates in factories, and lower external noise leakage costs. For example, assuming an average factory incurs $350K/year (AI est.) in noise-related costs (e.g., reduced work efficiency, health impact, complaint handling), this technology could reduce those costs by 50%, yielding an estimated $150K/year (AI est.) economic benefit.

Speed to Market
4× faster than in-house development
This technology is a research outcome from a national university, with established fundamental algorithms for active noise control. The patent clearly describes the signal processing device, method, and program, enabling implementation by integrating with existing acoustic equipment. The adaptive control based on time-domain interpolation filter matrices has theoretical backing, and some empirical data is expected to be available. This could shorten development time by approximately 2.5 years compared to in-house development.
Competitive Positioning

X: Continuous Space Noise Control Precision
Y: Environmental Adaptability & Ease of Integration

Business Models & Applications
🏢 Technology Licensing Model
License the signal processing device, method, and program to companies managing large spaces like offices, factories, and commercial facilities. This enables licensees to integrate the technology into their products and services, offering high-value solutions.
🚅 Transportation System Integration
Provide integrated systems incorporating this technology to transportation manufacturers (e.g., rail, aerospace, automotive) for enhanced cabin quietness. This could improve passenger comfort, elevate brand value, and differentiate products from competitors.
🏡 Building Materials & Smart Home Co-Development
Collaborate with smart home device and building material manufacturers to integrate this technology from the design phase of residential and commercial facilities. This could promote overall quietening of living spaces, creating new value and market opportunities.
Adjacent Application Opportunities
🏥 Medical & Elder Care
Quiet Space Provision in Healthcare & Elder Care
Actively controlling noise in hospitals and elder care facilities, including nurse stations, patient rooms, and common areas, could improve patient recovery environments and reduce healthcare worker stress. This has the potential to enhance sleep quality and maintain concentration for occupants.
🎮 Entertainment & VR/AR
Enhancing Immersion in VR/AR Environments
Real-time removal of real-world noise during VR/AR content experiences could significantly boost user immersion. This enhances the quality of virtual experiences requiring high concentration, such as gaming, training simulations, and remote conferences.
🏙️ Smart City & Smart Home
Urban & Residential Environment Quietening
Detecting and controlling ambient noise levels in public spaces (e.g., stations, plazas, commercial areas) within smart city initiatives, as well as in smart homes, could contribute to improved citizen well-being and enhanced quality of life.
Integration Roadmap — Estimated 12-Month Deployment
Phase 1: Technical Validation & Requirements
Duration: 3 months
Verify the core signal processing algorithms of this technology and its compatibility with the licensee's existing acoustic equipment (microphones, speakers). Evaluate the acoustic characteristics of the deployment environment and conduct initial control parameter design.
Phase 2: System Development & Optimization
Duration: 6 months
Based on verification results, integrate the signal processing program into the licensee's system, implementing adaptive filters and interpolation filter matrices. Conduct trial operations in the target space, measure initial noise reduction effects, and perform adjustments.
Phase 3: Pilot Deployment & Operationalization
Duration: 3 months
Initiate full-scale operation in a real environment, conducting long-term effect measurement and feedback collection. This completes fine-tuning of system performance and integration into the licensee's standard operational processes.
Technical Feasibility
This technology, centered on a signal processing device, method, and program, can be realized by combining existing error microphones, speakers, and adaptive filters. It enables rapid, low-cost system construction through software algorithm integration and interoperability with existing acoustic equipment, rather than requiring extensive hardware changes. Its compatibility with general-purpose hardware allows for high-affinity as an add-on to existing infrastructure.
Success Scenario
Implementing this technology in continuous spaces like factories or open-plan offices could optimize sound pressure across the entire area, not just specific noise sources, potentially improving employee concentration. This could lead to an estimated average 15% increase in work efficiency and a 1.15x expansion in annual production volume. Additionally, reduced noise leakage to surrounding areas could decrease neighbor complaints by an estimated 20% annually.
Patent Record
APPLICATION NO.
特願2021-078704
REGISTRATION NO.
7732661
FILING DATE
2021年05月06日
GRANT DATE
2025年08月25日
EXPIRATION DATE
2041年05月06日
PATENT HOLDER
国立大学法人　東京大学
Examination History
2024年04月30日
出願審査請求書
2025年02月14日
拒絶理由通知書
2025年04月15日
意見書
2025年04月15日
手続補正書（自発・内容）
2025年05月08日
拒絶理由通知書
2025年07月04日
手続補正書（自発・内容）
2025年07月04日
意見書
2025年07月17日
特許査定