JP2005341426A - Audiovisual system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an "audiovisual system", which changes automatically the sound field formed by sound outputted from a speaker, in response to a situation whether the passenger at a rear seat in a vehicle is using a headphone. <P>SOLUTION: When a passenger at a rear seat connects a headphone 7 to a rear operation unit 30, a signal indicative of using of the headphone is outputted from the rear operation unit 30 to a front operation unit 10. According to the signal, a signal for directing switch-over to the sound field of preferred front seat is outputted from the a front operation unit 10 to an amplifier unit 50. According to the signal, a built-in sound field processing portion in the amplifier unit 50 changes over the sound field pattern used for sound field processing and conducts sound field processing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an audio / visual system having a sound field control device for controlling a sound field formed by sound output from a speaker, for example, music and video mounted on a vehicle and different on a front seat side and a rear seat side. It is related with the audio visual system which can be viewed.

  2. Description of the Related Art Recently, vehicles are equipped with AV systems that allow AV (audio / visual) devices such as FM / AM radio receivers, CD players, DVD players, and TV (TV) receivers to be operated with a single operation unit. It became so. Some in-vehicle AV systems of this type are provided with a sound field control device that controls a sound field formed by sounds output from a plurality of speakers arranged in the passenger compartment. Several sound field patterns are registered in advance in the sound field control device, and signal processing according to the designated sound field pattern is performed. By switching the sound field pattern, sound localization, sound quality, stereoscopic effect, and the like change. The sound field control device incorporated in the in-vehicle AV system includes, for example, a sound field pattern that provides the best sound quality when listening at the front seat, and a sound field pattern that can be heard in the same manner at the front and rear seats. Is prepared. The user switches the sound field pattern depending on the situation, such as when the occupant is only in the front seat or when the occupant is also in the rear seat.

  Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-231878 (Patent Document 1) discloses a sound field for switching a sound field pattern group (sound field processing method) that can be used according to the type of sound output device (built-in speaker, external speaker, and headphones). A processing device is disclosed.

In recent years, an in-vehicle AV system (rear entertainment system) that allows users to enjoy different music and video on the front seat side and the rear seat side has been developed and put into practical use. In such an in-vehicle AV system, an operation unit and a display unit are provided on the front seat side and the rear seat side, respectively, and the occupant on the rear seat side uses headphones to play music and video different from those on the front seat side. Can be watched. This type of in-vehicle AV system also incorporates a sound field control device. Normally, when the passengers on the front and rear seats view the same music and video, a sound field pattern that can be heard in the same way on the front and rear seats is used, and the passenger on the rear seat uses headphones When viewing music or video that is different from the seat side, a sound field pattern that emphasizes the sound quality when listening at the front seat is used.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-231878

  However, the inventors of the present application consider that the above-described conventional in-vehicle AV system has the following problems. That is, in the conventional in-vehicle AV system, the sound field pattern is manually switched depending on whether or not the passenger on the rear seat side uses headphones.

  For example, when a broadcast received by a radio receiver is output from the speaker to the passenger compartment and the front seat occupant and the rear seat occupant are listening to the same broadcast, they can be heard in the same way on the front seat side and the rear seat side. Select the sound field pattern. In this state, when the rear passengers listen to music played on the CD player using headphones, if the sound field pattern remains the same, the sound output from the speakers will be in the way even if they are wearing headphones. There is. Since the rear seats do not listen to radio broadcasts, switching to the sound field pattern optimized for the front seats allows the front seat passengers to listen to music with better sound quality. Therefore, as described above, the passenger on the front seat side switches the sound field pattern by operating the sound field control device according to whether or not the passenger on the rear seat side uses the headphones, which is complicated. .

  As described above, an object of the present invention is to provide an audio / visual system that automatically switches a sound field formed by sound output from a speaker according to whether or not a passenger on the rear seat side uses headphones. That is.

  The above-described problems include: an AV device that outputs at least an audio signal; a first operation unit that is disposed in a first space and sends a signal corresponding to an operation to the AV device to control the AV device; and a headphone connection A second operation unit that is arranged in a second space and sends a signal according to an operation to the AV device to control the AV device, and an audio signal output from the AV device is input. A sound field control device that performs signal processing according to a sound field pattern and uses a sound field formed by sound output from a speaker as a sound field according to the sound field pattern. When one of the second operation units detects the use of headphones in the second space, it instructs the change of the sound field pattern used in the sound field control device to form a specific sound field. Special It is solved by the audio-visual system to be.

  The specific sound field is, for example, a sound field optimized for the first space. In addition, the sound field control device may determine the specific sound field based on a signal output from the second operation unit when a headphone is connected to the headphone connection portion of the second operation unit, for example. The signal processing to be formed is performed.

  The AV device, the first operation unit, the second operation unit, and the sound field control device are connected to a common bus line, for example. For example, the first operation unit is disposed on the front seat side in the vehicle interior, and the second operation unit is disposed on the rear seat side in the vehicle interior, for example.

  In the present invention, for example, when a user in the second space (for example, the rear seat side of the vehicle) connects headphones to the headphone connection portion of the second operation unit, the signal that notifies the use of the headphones from the second operation unit. Is transmitted to the first operating unit. Upon receiving this signal, the first operation unit transmits a signal instructing the sound field control device to change the sound field pattern. And the sound field control device changes the sound field pattern used at the time of signal processing by the signal from the first operation unit, for example, the position of the user in the first space (for example, the front seat side of the vehicle). Signal processing is performed so as to obtain a sound field optimized for.

  As a result, the user in the second space can listen to the music output from the headphones without being disturbed by the sound output from the speaker, and the user in the first space has better sound quality. You can listen to music output from speakers.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an AV system (vehicle-mounted AV system) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The AV system of the present embodiment is arranged on the front seat side (first space) with AV devices such as a CD player 2, a DVD player 3, an FM / AM radio receiver 4 and a TV receiver 5 mounted on a vehicle. Front operation unit (first operation unit) 10 and front display unit 20, rear operation unit (second operation unit) 30 disposed on the rear seat side (second space), and rear The display unit 40 and an amplifier unit (sound field control device) 50 are configured.

  These CD player 2, DVD player 3, FM / AM radio receiver 4, TV receiver 5, front operation unit 10, front display unit 20, rear operation unit 30, rear display unit 40 and amplifier unit 50 Are connected to the bus line 6. The bus line 6 includes a control signal transmission path for transmitting digital control signals, an analog audio signal transmission path for transmitting analog audio signals, a digital audio signal transmission path for transmitting digital audio signals, and a video signal. And a video signal transmission path through which the signal is transmitted. The control signal transmission path is commonly connected to each device (including each unit), and the device that inputs and outputs analog audio signals is connected to the analog audio signal transmission route, and the device that inputs and outputs digital audio signals is the digital audio signal. A device connected to the transmission path for inputting / outputting a video signal is connected to the video signal transmission path.

  The front operation unit 10 and the rear operation unit 30 transmit control signals to the CD player 2, DVD player 3, FM / AM radio receiver 4, TV receiver 5, and amplifier unit 50 via the bus line 6. Thus, the operation of these devices can be controlled. Also, analog or digital audio signals output from the CD player 2, DVD player 3, FM / AM radio receiver 4 and TV receiver 5 are sent to the rear operation unit 30 and the amplifier unit 50 via the bus line 6. Communicated. Furthermore, video signals output from video equipment such as the DVD player 3 and the TV receiver 5 are transmitted to the front display unit 20 and the rear display unit 40 via the bus line 6.

  The front operation unit 10 and the front display unit 20 are disposed at a predetermined position (for example, a dash panel) on the front seat side in the vehicle interior. Further, the rear operation unit 30 and the rear display unit 40 are disposed at a predetermined position on the rear seat side (for example, the back surface of the front seat).

  The rear operation unit 30 is provided with a headphone jack for connecting the headphones 7. The amplifier unit 50 inputs an audio signal from an AV device such as a CD player 2, a DVD player 3, an FM / AM radio receiver 4, and a TV receiver 5 via a bus line 6, performs signal amplification, and performs, for example, front reception. Two front speakers 8a attached to the left and right doors on the seat side and two rear speakers 8b attached to the left and right sides on the rear seat side are driven. Further, as will be described later, the amplifier unit 50 has a built-in sound field processing section, and can change the sound field formed by the sound output from the speakers 8a and 8b.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the front operation unit 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the front operation unit 10 includes a control unit 11 and an operation unit 12. The operation unit 12 is provided with operation buttons used when operating the CD player 2, DVD player 3, radio receiver 4, TV receiver 5, front display unit 20 and amplifier unit 50. The control unit 11 receives a signal indicating an operation state from another device via the bus line 6, and sends a predetermined signal to the bus line 6 according to the signal output from the operation unit 12 or the operation state of the other device. Output.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the rear operation unit 30. As shown in FIG. 3, the rear operation unit 30 includes a control unit 31, an operation unit 32, an amplifier 33, and a headphone connection unit 34. The operation unit 32 is provided with operation buttons used when operating the CD player 2, DVD player 3, radio receiver 4, TV receiver 5, rear display unit 40 and amplifier unit 50. The control unit 31 receives a signal indicating an operation state from another device via the bus line 6, and sends a predetermined signal to the bus line 6 according to the signal output from the operation unit 32 or the operation state of the other device. Output. The amplifier 33 performs signal processing on the audio signal input via the bus line 6, amplifies the audio signal with an amplification factor according to the signal from the control unit 31, and outputs the amplified audio signal. The headphone connector 34 is provided with a headphone jack for connecting the headphone 7. When the plug of the headphone 7 is connected to the headphone jack, a signal indicating the connection of the headphone 7 from the headphone connector 34 to the control unit 31. Is output.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the amplifier unit 50. As shown in FIG. 4, the amplifier unit 50 includes a control unit 51, an analog audio signal input unit 52a, a digital audio signal input unit 52b, a sound field processing unit 53, and an output unit 54. The analog audio signal input unit 52 a performs A / D (analog / digital) conversion on the analog audio signal input from the bus line 6 to obtain a digital audio signal, and outputs the digital audio signal to the sound field processing unit 53. The digital audio signal input unit 52 b demodulates the digital audio signal input from the bus line 6 and outputs it to the sound field processing unit 53.

  A plurality of sound field patterns are registered in the sound field processing unit 53 in advance, and sound field processing is performed on the input digital audio signal using the sound field pattern specified by the signal from the control unit 51. . That is, the values of a plurality of parameters used during signal processing (sound field processing) are set for each sound field pattern, and the sound field processing unit 53 executes signal processing using the values of these parameters.

  The output unit 54 converts the digital audio signal output from the sound field processing unit 53 into an analog audio signal, and then amplifies the digital audio signal with an amplification factor according to the signal from the control unit 51, and thereby the front speaker 8a and the rear speaker 8b. Are supplied with audio signals, and the speakers 8a and 8b are driven to output sound into the passenger compartment to form a sound field.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation when a rear seat user uses headphones in the AV system of the present embodiment.

  First, in step S11, it is assumed that the front seat side passenger and the rear seat side passenger both listen to the broadcast received by the radio receiver 4 (or music or the like output from other sound sources). In addition, the front seat side passenger or the rear seat side passenger controls the amplifier unit 50 by the front operation unit 10 or the rear operation unit 30 so that music or the like has the same sound quality on the front seat side and the rear seat side. It is assumed that a sound field pattern that can be heard is selected.

  FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram showing a sound field formed in the vehicle at this time. Thus, when the front seat side and rear seat occupants are listening to the same music, etc., the front seat occupant and the rear seat occupant can play music with the same sound quality based on the selected sound field pattern. A sound field that can be heard is formed.

  Next, in step S12, the control unit 31 of the rear operation unit 30 monitors whether or not the plug of the headphone 7 is inserted into the headphone jack. When the plug of the headphone 7 is inserted into the rear operation unit 30, the process proceeds to step S13, and a signal notifying the use of the headphones is output from the rear operation unit 30 to the front operation unit 10 via the bus line 6. Is done.

  Next, in step S14, when the control unit 11 of the front operation unit 10 inputs a signal notifying the use of headphones from the rear operation unit 30, the sound field pattern is transmitted to the amplifier unit 50 via the bus line 6 in front. A signal instructing to change the seat to a pattern giving priority is output. As a result, the control unit 51 of the amplifier unit 50 outputs a signal instructing the sound field processing unit 53 to change the sound field pattern to a pattern that prioritizes the front seat. The sound field processing unit 53 changes the parameter value during signal processing based on the sound field pattern giving priority to the front seat, and performs signal processing (sound field processing) on the input audio signal. The audio signal output from the sound field processing unit 53 is amplified by the output unit 54 and then supplied to the speakers 8a and 8b to form a sound field that gives priority to the front seat in the vehicle interior.

  FIG. 6B is a schematic diagram showing a sound field formed in the vehicle interior at this time. As shown in FIG. 6 (b), the sound field formed by the speakers 8a and 8b emphasizes the front seat side. That is, the sound output from the speakers 8a and 8b is optimized for the front seat and is difficult for the passenger on the rear seat side to hear.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the passenger in the rear seat simply inserts the plug of the headphone 7 into the headphone jack of the rear operation unit 30, and the sound field formed by the outputs of the speakers 8a and 8b is changed to the front seat. Automatically change to the preferred sound field. As a result, the passenger on the rear seat side is less likely to be disturbed by the sound output from the speakers 8a and 8b when listening to favorite music through headphones, and the passenger on the front seat side can enjoy music with better sound quality. You can enjoy etc. In the present embodiment, there is no need to manually switch the sound field depending on whether or not the rear seat occupant uses the headphones 7, and there is an effect that usability is improved as compared with the conventional case.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the front seat side is switched to the sound field with priority when the plug of the headphone 7 is connected to the headphone connection portion 34 of the rear operation unit 30 has been described. It is not limited. For example, the sound field pattern may be automatically switched when use of an AV device different from the front seat side is selected in the rear operation unit 30. When wireless headphones are used instead of normal headphones, the sound field pattern may be automatically switched when the rear operation unit 30 receives a connection request signal from the wireless headphones.

  Further, in the above embodiment, a signal instructing switching of the sound field pattern is output from the front operation unit 20 to the amplifier unit 50. However, the sound field pattern is directly switched from the rear operation unit 30 to the amplifier unit 50. A signal instructing may be output.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an AV system (vehicle-mounted AV system) according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the front operation unit. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the rear operation unit. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the amplifier unit. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation when the user at the rear seat uses the headphones in the AV system according to the embodiment. FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram showing a sound field formed in the passenger compartment when a sound field pattern in which music or the like can be heard with the same sound quality on the front seat side and the rear seat side is selected. (B) is a schematic diagram showing a sound field formed in the passenger compartment when the front seat is switched to a priority pattern.

Explanation of symbols

2 ... CD player,
3 ... DVD player,
4 ... FM / AM radio receiver,
5 ... TV receiver,
6 ... Bus line,
7… Headphones
8a, 8b ... speakers,
10: Front operation unit,
11 ... Control unit of front operation unit,
12 ... operation part of the front operation unit,
20 ... front display unit 30 ... rear operation unit,
31 ... Control unit of rear operation unit,
32 ... the operation part of the rear operation unit,
33 ... Rear operation unit amplifier,
34 ... Headphone connection part of rear operation unit,
40: Rear display unit,
50 ... Amplifier unit,
51. Control unit of the amplifier unit,
52a: Analog audio signal input section of the amplifier unit,
52b: Digital audio signal input section of the amplifier unit,
53. Sound field processing section of the amplifier unit,
54: Output section of the amplifier unit.

Claims (5)

An AV device that outputs at least an audio signal;
A first operation unit arranged in a first space to control the AV device by sending a signal corresponding to the operation to the AV device;
A second operation unit which has a headphone connection unit and is arranged in the second space and controls the AV device by sending a signal corresponding to the operation to the AV device;
An audio signal output from the AV device is input, signal processing according to a sound field pattern is performed, and a sound field formed by sound output from a speaker is used as a sound field according to the sound field pattern Field control device,
When one of the first and second operation units detects the use of headphones in the second space, it instructs to change the sound field pattern used in the sound field control device, and the specific sound field An audio-visual system characterized by forming   The audio / visual system according to claim 1, wherein the specific sound field is a sound field optimized for the first space.   The sound field control device is a signal that forms the specific sound field based on a signal output from the second operation unit when a headphone is connected to the headphone connection portion of the second operation unit. 3. The audio / visual system according to claim 1, wherein processing is performed.   4. The AV device, the first operation unit, the second operation unit, and the sound field control device are connected to a common bus line, according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The audio-visual system described.   5. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the first space is a space on the front seat side in the vehicle interior, and the second space is a space on the rear seat side in the vehicle interior. The audio-visual system described.

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