JP2007250053A - Contents reproducing device and contents reproducing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reappear listening experience of music contents relating to walking and running of an other user. <P>SOLUTION: A user of a music player 3 listens music contents walking and running. For example, a tempo log in which walking tempo of an other user is recorded with time information and a music selection log in which a play list selected by the time information recorded in the tempo log and reproduced music contents are recorded are recorded in a log data base 38. A tempo being almost same as walking tempo detected by a walking tempo detecting part 40 is read out from the tempo log, the time information corresponding to the read out tempo log is obtained. Music contents corresponding to the obtained time information is discriminated from the music selection log, the discriminated music contents is reproduced from a headphone 47. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a content reproduction apparatus and a content reproduction method for creating a tempo log and a music selection log according to a user's walking tempo.

  In recent years, an apparatus has been proposed in which a predetermined music content is automatically selected from a plurality of music contents in accordance with the movement of the user's body, and the selected music content is provided to the user. For example, Patent Literature 1 below describes an exercise assisting device that calculates an exerciser's walking pitch and presents the athlete with music data having a tempo that substantially matches the calculated walking pitch. In this exercise assisting device, the tempo of the music data selected by the exerciser is changed so as to match the walking pitch.

JP 2004-113552 A

  Patent Document 2 below describes a music data distribution device. In the music data distribution device described in Patent Literature 2, the user's exercise intensity, walking tempo, and heart rate are measured, and music content that gives the user an optimal exercise load is selected based on the measured heart rate and the like. The selected music content is distributed to the user via the network.

JP 2003-108154 A

  For example, in a playback device that plays back music content, music content having a tempo that approximately matches the tempo of the user's walking or running is selected, and the selected music content is played back. Normally, the music content to be played is mechanically selected from a plurality of music contents owned by the user according to the tempo of walking or running. For this reason, even when walking or exercising at the same tempo, the music content that the user listens to differs depending on the music content that is owned.

  By the way, whether or not the music content mechanically selected according to the walking tempo or the like is suitable as music content to be reproduced when walking or running differs slightly depending on the sensitivity of the user. For this reason, for example, if it is possible to know what kind of music content is being listened to when another person is walking or running at the same tempo, music content linked to walking or running by another person with different sensibility You can relive the listening experience. In addition, through such a pursuit experience, new music content corresponding to a certain tempo can be known and added to the music content owned by the user. However, conventionally, other users cannot know what music content the user is listening to while walking or running at a certain tempo.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a content reproduction device and a content reproduction method for enabling a user to relive the listening experience of another user using a music selection log and a tempo log. Another object of the present invention is to provide a content reproduction apparatus and a content reproduction method for reproducing content and reproducing the listening experience of other users.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides:
Content playback means for playing back content;
Content providing means for providing content;
Playlist storage means for storing a plurality of playlists created by sorting contents according to tempo information;
Tempo detection means for detecting the user's exercise tempo;
Log storage means for storing logs;
Control means for controlling content reproduction means, content providing means, playlist storage means, tempo detection means and log storage means,
The control means creates a tempo log in which a plurality of exercise tempos detected by the tempo detection means are recorded, the created tempo log is stored in the log storage means, and the selected play is selected according to the exercise tempo recorded in the tempo log. A content playback apparatus that generates a music selection log corresponding to a list and a selected playlist and recorded information about the content reproduced by the content reproduction means, and stores the created music selection log in the log storage means. .

In addition, this invention
An exercise tempo detection step for detecting the user's exercise tempo;
A tempo log acquisition step for acquiring a tempo log in which a plurality of exercise tempos are recorded together with time information;
A music selection log acquisition step for acquiring a music selection log in which the playlist selected according to the exercise tempo recorded in the tempo log and the information of the reproduced content corresponding to the selected playlist are recorded together with the time information; ,
A tempo substantially equal to the exercise tempo detected in the exercise tempo detection step is read from the tempo log, time information corresponding to the read tempo is acquired, and a play corresponding to the time information acquired from the music selection log acquired in the music selection log acquisition step This is a content reproduction method including content information corresponding to a list and a playlist, and a content reproduction step of reproducing content corresponding to the acquired content information.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to know a listening experience as to what kind of music content other users were listening to while walking or exercising at a certain tempo speed. Also, it is possible to reproduce the listening experience of other users by reproducing the content. Furthermore, the user's own listening experience can be output to a device owned by another user using the tempo log and the music selection log.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present specification, the term “walking tempo” is not limited to walking, but is used as a term meaning an exercise tempo of the user's overall exercise such as a stopped state or a running state. In addition to the user's own exercise, a tempo by vibrations given from a vehicle or the like may be included.

  FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The information processing system includes an information processing device 1, a walking tempo recording device 2, and a portable music content playback device (hereinafter simply referred to as a music player) 3.

  The information processing apparatus 1 is realized by a personal computer, for example. A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 12, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 13, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 14, a music content database (database is abbreviated as DB in the figure) 16, a play A list database 17, a log database 18, a recording device interface 19, a network interface 20, a player interface 21, a display unit 22, operation keys, a user interface 23 such as a GUI (Graphical User Interface), a timing unit 24, and a power supply unit 25 are connected. ing.

  The recording device interface 19 and the player interface 21 are not limited to a wired interface such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus), but also a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) or Bluetooth that conforms to the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 system. A wireless interface such as IrDA (Infrared Data Association) can be used.

  The information processing apparatus 1 will be described in more detail. The CPU 12 controls each unit of the information processing apparatus 1 by executing a program stored in the ROM 13. The RAM 14 is used as a work area when the CPU 12 executes a program, and is also used as a means for temporarily storing data generated during each process.

  The music content database 16 stores a plurality of music contents in association with meta information. Here, the meta information is data describing the attributes of each music content, and is, for example, the tempo, the music title of the music content, the number of times of reproduction, the genre, the performance time, the performer, and the like. The music content database 16 is a database that outputs an identifier of content included in a certain tempo range when it is searched.

  In addition to the actual music content data, the music content database 16 also stores an identifier of the music content that can be obtained by accessing the content distribution server 25, for example. For example, the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the content distribution server 25 is stored.

  The playlist database 17 stores a plurality of playlists created by the control of the CPU 12. The playlist is divided by, for example, tempo information.

  In the log database 18, a plurality of tempo logs and music selection logs created under the control of the CPU 12 are recorded. Details of the playlist stored in the playlist database 17 and the tempo log and music selection log stored in the log database 18 will be described later.

  The music content database 16, the playlist database 17, and the log database 18 are preferably configured by a non-volatile memory such as a hard disk. The storage area of one hard disk is not limited to a plurality of hard disks, and music contents, playlists, tempo logs, and music selection logs may be stored respectively.

  The music content database 16 is not limited to a hard disk built in the information processing apparatus 1, and may be, for example, a semiconductor memory or an optical disk that is detachable from the information processing apparatus 1. Further, the music content database 16 is not limited to the one stored in the hard disk or the like built in the information processing apparatus 1, but the music content database 16 stored in the content distribution server 25 that can be connected via the network interface 20. To be included. For example, a list of contents provided by the music distribution service can be acquired from the content distribution server 25 without being limited to contents purchased by the user. This list is stored in the music content database 16. Based on this list, the user can determine whether or not to purchase music content from the music content distribution server 25.

  The walking tempo recording device 2 has a digital pedometer configuration having an interface with the information processing device 1 and is attached to, for example, a waist portion of a user, and detects movement during walking by an acceleration sensor. The walking tempo detection device 2 discretely detects the walking tempo of the user at a predetermined sampling interval. The walking tempo is defined by the number of steps in which the time interval T from the landing of one foot to the landing of the other foot is present on average for a predetermined time, for example, one minute, in other words, the number of steps per minute. Therefore, when exercising such as walking and running at a high speed, the number of steps per minute is large. Since the music player 3 is also provided with a tempo detection unit, as will be described later, the walking tempo detection unit of the music player 3 and the walking tempo recording device 2 may be combined.

  For example, in the case of an adult male, when walking at a moderate pace, it is 105 to 110 steps per minute, and when walking at a fast pace, it is about 120 to 125 steps per minute. The experiment shows that the human exercise tempo is about 60 to 250 (steps / minute), and the tempo in the unconscious walking state falls within a range of variation of about 2%. Furthermore, it is known that there is a difference of about 70 in the exercise tempo between normal walking and full power running. These numerical values are established for the same user, differ depending on the user's age, sex, etc., and there are tempo numbers unique to each user.

In music content, the tempo is the length of a beat, that is, the speed of a syllable. Here, the beat means a basic rhythm that is struck at equal intervals in the music content, and the beat means each time unit. The length of the beat varies depending on the music content, and may change within the same music content. In this specification, a unit BPM (Beat Per Minute) indicating how many quarter notes are included in one minute on average is used as a tempo unit. Further, in this specification, the walking tempo unit (steps / minute) and the BPM are made to correspond one-to-one, and in the following description, the BPM is used as a unit without particularly distinguishing between the two. To. However, this relationship is not essential, and for example, a value obtained by multiplying (step / min) by a coefficient may be handled as a value corresponding to BPM.

  Note that the walking tempo recording device 2 is not limited to an acceleration sensor, and other speed sensors, pressure sensors, body motion acceleration sensors, position sensors, and the like can be used. Alternatively, biological information such as the user's pulse, skin perspiration, skin resistance, myoelectric potential, and body surface temperature may be detected so that the tempo associated with the user's exercise can be detected from the biological information.

  The network interface 20 has an interface function for connection with the content distribution server 25. Communication is performed by connecting to the content distribution server 25 via the Internet 26, and music content is downloaded from the content distribution server 25. The downloaded music content is subjected to file conversion processing and encoding processing as necessary, and the processed music content is stored in the music content database 16 and registered. In addition, music content ripped from a recording medium such as an optical disk can be registered in the music content database 16 by a disk drive (not shown).

  The player interface 21 has a function of setting an interface for connection with the music player 3, and performs a format conversion process on the data transmitted to the music player 3 and the data acquired from the music player 3. The information processing apparatus 1 can exchange various data with the music player 3 via the player interface 21. For example, the information processing apparatus 1 sends a plurality of playlists stored in the playlist database 17, a tempo log and a song selection log stored in the log database 18 to the music player 3 via the player interface 21. it can. Also, a plurality of playlists, tempo logs, music selection logs, etc. can be acquired from the music player 3.

  The display unit 22 is configured by, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). Various types of information associated with the operation of the information processing apparatus 1 are displayed on the display unit 22.

  The user interface 23 is a key provided on the housing of the information processing apparatus 1, an input device connected to the information processing apparatus 1 through wireless or wired connection, and the like. A user instruction can be input to the information processing apparatus 1 by operating the user interface 23. Note that the above-described display unit 22 may be configured as a touch panel to be a user interface.

  The timer unit 24 includes a clock circuit built in the information processing apparatus 1 and measures the current time. In this embodiment, the timer 24 measures the current time in units of year, month, day, hour, minute, and second. The current time measured by the timer unit 24 is supplied to the CPU 12 and the like as necessary.

  The power supply unit 25 is configured by, for example, a secondary battery and supplies power to each unit of the information processing apparatus 1.

  Next, the music player 3 connected to the information processing apparatus 1 will be described.

  FIG. 2 shows a configuration of the music player 3 according to the embodiment of the present invention. For the bus 31 of the music player 3, the CPU 32, ROM 33, RAM 34, music content database 36, playlist database 37, log database 38, external interface 39, walking tempo detection unit 40, display unit 41, operation input unit 42, timing A unit 43, an audio signal generation unit 44, a decoder / amplifier unit 45, and a network interface 46 are connected. The user can use the music player 3 to listen to music content while walking, running, gymnastics, driving a vehicle, and the like.

  Each part of the music player 3 will be described in detail. The CPU 32, which is an example of a control unit, controls each unit of the music player 3 by executing a program stored in the ROM 33. The RAM 34 is used as a work area when the CPU 32 executes a program, and is also used as a means for temporarily storing data generated during each process.

  A music content database 36, which is an example of content providing means, stores a plurality of music contents in association with meta information. Here, the meta information is data describing the attributes of each music content, and is, for example, the tempo, the music title of the music content, the number of times of reproduction, the genre, the performance time, the performer, and the like. The music content database 36 is a database that outputs an identifier of content included in a certain tempo range when it is searched.

  In addition to the actual music content data, the music content database 36 also stores, for example, identifiers of music content that can be obtained by accessing the content distribution server 49. For example, the URL of the content distribution server 49 is stored.

  A playlist database 37, which is an example of a playlist storage unit, stores a plurality of playlists created under the control of the CPU 32. The playlist is divided by, for example, tempo information.

  In the log database 38, which is an example of the log storage means, a plurality of tempo logs and music selection logs created under the control of the CPU 32 are recorded. Details of the playlist stored in the playlist database 37, the tempo log and the music selection log stored in the log database 38 will be described later.

  The music content database 36, the playlist database 37, and the log database 38 are preferably configured by a nonvolatile memory such as a hard disk. The storage area of one hard disk is not limited to a plurality of hard disks, and music contents, playlists, tempo logs, and music selection logs may be stored respectively.

  The music content database 36 is not limited to a hard disk built in the music player 3, and may be, for example, a semiconductor memory or an optical disk that is detachable from the music player 3. Further, the music content database 36 is not limited to a data stored in a hard disk or the like built in the music player 3, and includes a music content database stored in a content distribution server 49 that can be connected via the network interface 46. It is made like. For example, a list of contents provided by the music distribution service can be acquired from the content distribution server 49 without being limited to contents purchased by the user. This list is stored in the music content database 36. Based on this list, the user can determine whether or not to purchase music content from the music content distribution server 49.

  The external interface 39, which is an example of interface means, has a function of providing an interface for connection with the information processing apparatus 1 and other music players described above. The external interface 39 performs a format conversion process on the data transmitted from the music player 3 and the data acquired from the information processing apparatus 1 or another music player. The music player 3 can exchange various data with the information processing apparatus 1 and other music players via the external interface 39. For example, the music player 3 uses the Internet 26 to process a plurality of playlists stored in the playlist database 37 via the external interface 39, tempo logs and music selection logs stored in the log database 38, and the like. It can be sent to the device 1 and other music players. Also, a playlist, tempo log, music selection log, and the like can be acquired from the information processing apparatus 1 and other music players. The external interface 39 is not limited to a wired interface, and a wireless interface can also be used.

  The walking tempo detection unit 40, which is an example of tempo detection means, has the same configuration as the walking tempo recording device 2 in the information processing apparatus 1 described above. That is, the walking tempo detection unit 40 is configured by, for example, an acceleration sensor attached to the user's waist, and measures the tempo accompanying the user's stop, walking, running state, and the like. The measured tempo is appropriately corrected to the tempo in BPM. This correction process may be performed by the CPU 32. The walking tempo measured by the tempo detection unit 40 is supplied to the CPU 32. The CPU 32 performs a process of selecting a predetermined playlist from the playlist database 37 according to the supplied tempo.

  The display unit 41 is composed of, for example, an LCD, and displays various types of information accompanying the operation of the music player 3. The display unit 41 displays, for example, a music content title, music content playback position information, and the like.

  The operation input unit 42 is a key, a remote control key, a button, a dial, or the like provided in the music player 3. When the user operates the operation input unit 42, the music content can be reproduced, fast forwarded, rewound, and the like. It is also possible to switch and select music content. The display unit 41 described above may be a touch panel and may be an operation input unit.

  The clock unit 43 includes a clock circuit built in the music player 3 and clocks the current time. The clock unit 43 in this embodiment counts the current time in units of year, month, day, hour, minute, and second. The current time measured by the timer unit 43 is supplied to the CPU 32 as necessary.

  The audio signal generation unit 44, which is an example of an audio generation unit, includes, for example, a MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) sound source unit and a voice synthesis unit. The MIDI sound source section has a plurality of, for example, 16 MIDI channels that can be played by MIDI data independently. The MIDI sound source unit outputs a digital audio signal for each channel based on the supplied MIDI data. For example, the MIDI tone generator generates an electronic sound or a footstep simulated sound having the same BPM tempo as the tempo supplied by the control of the CPU 32. The electronic sound or the like generated in the MIDI sound source unit is synthesized with the music content data to be reproduced in the voice synthesis unit. The synthesized data is output from the audio signal generator 44. Note that the processing in the audio signal generation unit 44 described here may be configured as a program executed in the CPU 32.

  The decoder / amplifier unit 45, which is an example of the content reproduction means, decodes the music content data supplied from the music content database 36 and performs D / A (Digital to Analog) conversion on the decoded music content data. Do. Normally, the music content stored in the music content database 36 is compressed by a predetermined compression encoding method (for example, MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer III) method). Therefore, the decoder / amplifier unit 45 performs a decoding (decompression) process. The music content data that has been decoded and converted into an analog signal is amplified and supplied to the headphones 47. Then, music content is reproduced from the headphones 47. In the decoder / amplifier unit 45, the music content data supplied from the audio signal generator 44 is subjected to processing such as A / D conversion, and the processed analog audio signal is supplied to the headphones 47. The Then, the music content on which the electronic sound of the same BPM as the tempo is superimposed is reproduced from the headphones 47.

  The network interface 46 has a function of taking an interface for connection with a content distribution server 49 which is an example of content providing means. Communication is performed by connecting to the content distribution server 49 via the Internet 26, and music content is downloaded from the content distribution server 49. The downloaded music content is subjected to file conversion processing and encoding processing as necessary, and the processed music content is stored in the music content database 36 and registered. Further, the music content ripped from the recording medium such as an optical disk may be registered in the music content database 36 by a disk drive (not shown). A connection screen when the music player 3 communicates with the content distribution server 49 is displayed on the display unit 41. The external interface 39 and the network interface 46 can be configured as one interface means.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of a plurality of playlists stored in the playlist database 37 of the music player 3. For example, the playlist database 37 stores playlists 1 to 5 divided approximately every 10 BPM. Each playlist is assigned music content in a tempo range that characterizes the playlist. In the following description, the playlists 1 to 5 are collectively referred to as a playlist 51.

  For example, music content having a tempo ranging from 0 to 100 BPM is allocated to the playlist 1. In the example shown in FIG. 3, music contents (shown as “Song” in the figure) 11 to 16 are allocated to the playlist 1. The playlist 2 is assigned music contents 21 to 28 (the description is simplified in FIG. 3) having a tempo ranging from 101 to 110 BPM. The playlist 3 is assigned music contents 31 and 32 having a tempo ranging from 111 to 120 BPM. The playlist 4 is assigned music contents 41 to 43 having a tempo ranging from 121 to 130 BPM. The playlist 5 is assigned music contents 51 to 54 having a tempo in the range of 131 to 140 BPM. In FIG. 3, for example, Song 11 is information including the title, artist name, etc. of the music content 11, and is information uniquely assigned to each music content.

  Also, meta information for identifying each playlist is added to each playlist. For example, meta information is added to each playlist, such as TP 100 for playlist 1, TP 110 for playlist 2, TP 120 for playlist 3, TP 130 for playlist 4, and TP 140 for playlist 5.

  An example of the playback function of the music player 3 as described below can be realized using the above-described playlist for each tempo. The walking tempo detected by the walking tempo detection unit 40 of the music player 3 is supplied to the CPU 32. The CPU 32 selects a playlist according to the supplied walking tempo. For example, when the tempo information of 108 BPM is supplied from the walking tempo detection unit 40 to the CPU 32, the CPU 32 selects the playlist 2 to which 108 BPM belongs. Under the control of the CPU 32, the music contents 21 to 28 corresponding to the playlist 2 are sequentially supplied from the music content database 36 to the decoder / amplifier unit 45, and the music contents 21 to 28 are reproduced from the headphones 47.

  At this time, for example, when the walking tempo detected by the tempo detection unit 40 after the reproduction of the music content 21 is outside the range of 101 to 110 BPM, the playlist is selected based on the newly detected tempo. Processing is performed. Then, music content corresponding to the newly selected playlist is played from the headphones 47. Note that the music content may be switched by crossfading. Further, the music content to be played back may be switched when the walking tempo detected by the tempo detection unit 40 changes by a certain threshold value or more.

  In this way, the user can listen to music content having a tempo substantially equal to the tempo of his / her walking and running. Note that the playback order of the music content corresponding to each playlist may be, for example, the order registered in the music content database 36. Further, music content having a tempo closer to the walking tempo detected by the walking tempo detection unit 40 may be preferentially reproduced. Furthermore, the playback order of music content may be specified by the user.

  FIG. 4 shows the tempo log 1 stored in the log database 38 in this embodiment. The tempo log 1 is created under the control of the CPU 32 when music content is being reproduced in the walking music selection mode that can be set for the music player 3.

  An example of a method for creating a tempo log will be described. When the music selection mode is set by the user's operation and the music content reproduction process is performed, the CPU 32 acquires time information from the time measuring unit 43. The acquired time information is recorded as time information for creating the tempo log. The time information is a collective term for year, month, date, hour, minute, and second, and does not necessarily include all information. For example, in the tempo log 1 illustrated in FIG. 4, December 28, 2005 is recorded as the created time information.

  Subsequently, the CPU 32 records the walking tempo at regular intervals. For example, assuming that the time when the reproduction of music content is started in the walking music selection mode is 14:15:20, the walking tempo is recorded every 5 seconds from that time. In this embodiment, the walking tempo detection unit 40 detects 98 BPM as the walking tempo at the time 14:15:20. In addition, at walking time 14:15:25, the walking tempo detection unit 40 detects 112 BPM as the walking tempo. Thereafter, the walking tempo is detected by the tempo detection unit 40 in the same manner every 5 seconds. A plurality of walking tempos detected in this manner every 5 seconds are recorded in the log database 38 in association with time information, and a tempo log 1 is created. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the music content has been played until 14:52:30 with the walking music selection mode set.

  When the storage capacity of the log database 38 is limited, a limit is set such as several tens of minutes or several hours. When the tempo information is added when exceeding the limit, the data recorded in the past May be deleted. In addition, since a plurality of tempo logs can be stored in the log database 38, index numbers for the user to identify tempo logs such as tempo log 1, tempo log 2, and tempo log 3 may be added. The user can identify each tempo log based on the date when the tempo log is created and the index number added to each tempo log, and can delete unnecessary tempo logs.

  FIG. 5 shows the music selection log 1 stored in the log database 38 in this embodiment. Similar to the tempo log 1, the music selection log 1 is created under the control of the CPU 32 when music content is being played in the walking music selection mode that can be set for the music player 3.

  An example of a method for creating a music selection log will be described. When the music selection mode is set by the user's operation and the music content reproduction process is performed, the CPU 32 acquires time information from the time measuring unit 43. The acquired time information is recorded as time information for creating the tempo log. In the music selection log 1, December 28, 2005 is recorded as the created time information.

  Subsequently, the playlist selected at a certain time and the music content reproduced from the headphones 47 corresponding to the playlist are recorded in association with the time information. For example, in the music selection log 1, it is recorded that the playlist 1 is selected at 14:15:20 and the music content 13 in the music content corresponding to the playlist 1 is being played.

  New data is added to the music selection log 1 every time the music content to be reproduced is switched. For example, assume that the walking tempo detection unit 40 detects a walking tempo of 115 BPM at 14:18:35 when the reproduction of the music content 13 is finished. At this time, the play list 3 corresponding to 115 BPM is selected by the CPU 32. Then, music content 32 is reproduced as music content corresponding to the playlist 3. In the music selection log 1, 14:18:35 is recorded as time information when the music content to be reproduced is switched. Also, playlist 3 is recorded as the playlist selected at 14:18:35. Furthermore, music content 32 reproduced as music content corresponding to the playlist 3 is recorded. In this way, new data is added each time the music content reproduced in the music player 3 is switched, and the music selection log 1 is created.

  The music player 3 can output the playlist 51, the tempo log 1, and the music selection log 1 created as described above to the information processing apparatus 1 and other music players via the external interface 39.

  It should be noted that a plurality of playlists, tempo logs, and music selection logs created for each tempo created as described above can be created in the same manner in the information processing apparatus 1. Therefore, the music player 3 can acquire a plurality of playlists, tempo logs, and music selection logs for each tempo created in the information processing apparatus 1 via the external interface 39. Further, a plurality of playlists, tempo logs, and music selection logs created not only by the information processing apparatus 1 but also by other music players can be acquired. A plurality of playlists acquired by the music player 3 are stored in the playlist database 37. In addition, the tempo log and music selection log acquired by the music player 3 are stored in the log database 38.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for creating a tempo log and music selection log of the music player 3 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The processing described below is executed by software processing using a program in the CPU 32 provided in the music player 3, for example.

  In step S1, it is determined whether or not the music content is being reproduced with the music selection mode set for the music player 3. In step S1, when the walking music selection mode is not set, the process returns to step S1, and it is determined again whether or not the walking music selection mode is set. If the walking music selection mode is set and the music content is being reproduced, the process proceeds to step S2.

  In step S2, a music selection log file is opened. A music selection log is created by writing predetermined data in the music selection log file. Subsequently, the process proceeds to step S3.

  In step S3, time information is written in the music selection log file opened in step S2. The time information written in step S3 indicates the time information when the music selection log is created, and for example, year / month / day information is written. Subsequently, the process proceeds to step S4.

  In step S4, the tempo log file is opened. A tempo log is created by writing predetermined data to the tempo log file. Subsequently, the process proceeds to step S5.

  In step S5, time information is written to the tempo log opened in step S4. The time information written in step S5 indicates the time information when the tempo log is created, and for example, year / month / day information is written. Subsequently, the process proceeds to step S6.

  In step S6, the variable song defined on the program is set to the id of the music content being played back. This variable song is set to the id of the switched music content when the music content to be played is switched. Subsequently, the process proceeds to step S7.

  In step S7, the variable time defined on the program is set to the current time information. At this time, the current hour / minute / second is set as the time information in the variable time. Subsequently, the process proceeds to step S8.

  In step S8, it is determined whether or not the variable song is the id of the music content being played back. If the variable song = id, the process proceeds to step S11. If the variable song is not the id of the music content being played back, the process proceeds to step S9.

  When the process proceeds to step S9, it means that the variable song is not id, in other words, the music content to be played has been switched. Therefore, in step S9, the time information, the newly selected playlist, and the id of the newly played music content are written in the music selection log file. Subsequently, the process proceeds to step S10.

  In step S10, the variable song is updated to the id of the music content that is being newly reproduced. Then, the process proceeds to step S11.

  In step S11, it is determined whether or not 5 seconds or more have elapsed from the time set in the variable time in step S7. If 5 seconds or more have not elapsed, the process proceeds to step S14. If 5 seconds or more have elapsed, the process proceeds to step S12.

  In step S12, the current hour / minute / second is written in the tempo log file as the time information determined in step S11. Corresponding to the written time information, the walking tempo detected by the tempo detection unit 40 is written in the tempo log file. Subsequently, the process proceeds to step S13.

  In step S13, the variable time is updated to the time information written in step S12. Subsequently, the process proceeds to step S14.

  In step S14, it is determined whether or not the walking music selection mode is continued. When the walking music selection mode is continued in step S14, the process returns to step S8 and the determination process in step S8 is performed. If the variable song and variable time are updated in step S10 and step S13, the updated variable song and variable time are used in the processing in step S8 and step S11. In step S14, when the walking music selection mode ends, the process proceeds to step S15.

  In step S15, a music selection log file is closed (closed). Then, the process proceeds to step S16.

  In step S16, processing for closing the tempo log file is performed. In this way, processing for creating a tempo log and a music selection log is performed. Note that the processes for creating the tempo log and the music selection log described above may be performed in parallel.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing performed in the music player 3 when a playlist is acquired from the information processing apparatus 1 via the external interface 39. In the music player 3 according to this embodiment, when a plurality of playlists are acquired from the information processing apparatus 1 or another music player, music contents corresponding to the acquired plurality of playlists exist in the music content database 36. It can be determined whether or not. Furthermore, when the music content corresponding to the acquired plurality of playlists does not exist in the music content database 36, it is presented that the user can acquire music content that does not exist in the music content database 36 by connecting to the content distribution server. The processing described below is executed by software processing using a program in the CPU 32 provided in the music player 3, for example.

  In step S21, a playlist acquisition instruction is given to the music player 3. The playlist acquisition instruction is an instruction for acquiring a playlist from another device such as the information processing apparatus 1 via the external interface 39. The playlist acquisition instruction is performed by operating the operation input unit 42 by the user. When a playlist acquisition instruction is given, the process proceeds to step S22.

  In step S22, since a playlist acquisition instruction has been made, for example, a playlist is acquired from another device via the Internet. The playlist acquired at this time is, for example, a plurality of playlists by tempo described with reference to FIG. When the playlist is acquired, the process proceeds to step S23.

  In step S23, a variable num defined on the program is set to the number of songs in the playlist. That is, processing for setting the variable num to the total number of music contents included in the plurality of playlists acquired in step S22 is performed. Subsequently, the process proceeds to step S24.

  In step S24, a variable num_ack defined on the program is set to zero. Subsequently, the process proceeds to step S25.

  In step S25, it is determined whether or not Song [i] is included in the music content owned by the user. Here, Song [i] indicates a unique identifier added to each music content corresponding to the plurality of playlists acquired in step S22. Any value from 1 to the total number of music contents set in the variable num is assigned to i of Song [i], so that each music content can be identified.

  In step S25, when the music content corresponding to Song [i] exists in the music content database 36, the process proceeds to step S28. If the music content corresponding to Song [i] does not exist in the music content database 36, the process proceeds to step S26.

  In step S26, a non-owned music list is created. The non-owned music list is created when music content corresponding to a plurality of playlists acquired by the music player 3 does not exist in the music content database 36. In step S26, a non-owned music list is created, and Song [i] is added to the created non-owned music list. Song [i] added to the non-owned song list is an identifier indicating the music content determined not to exist in the music content database 36 in step S25. When an unowned music list is created and music content not owned by the user is added, the process proceeds to step S27.

  In step S27, a process of incrementing the variable num_lac is performed. Subsequently, the process proceeds to step S28.

  In step S28, it is determined whether i = num. In this step S28, if i = num, it indicates that the determination as to whether or not the user has all the music contents corresponding to the playlist acquired by the music player 3 has been completed. Advances to step S28. If i = num is not satisfied, the process returns to step S25 to determine whether or not the user owns other music content.

  In step S29, it is determined whether or not the variable num_ack = 0. In step S29, the variable num_ack = 0 indicates that the user owns all the music contents corresponding to the playlist acquired in step S1. Therefore, since it is not necessary to newly acquire music content, the process ends. If the variable num_lack = 0 is not satisfied in step S29, it indicates that there is music content not owned by the user among the music content corresponding to the playlist acquired in step S1. If the variable num_ack is not 0, the process proceeds to step S30.

  In step S30, the non-owned list is displayed on the display unit 41 provided in the music player 3. On the display unit 41, for example, the title and artist name of the music content corresponding to the identifier Song [i] registered in the non-owned song list in step S26 are displayed. Subsequently, the process proceeds to step S31.

  In step S31, the music player 3 is connected to the content distribution server via the network interface 46. At this time, the content distribution server connected to the music player 3 may be a content distribution server registered in advance by the user, or may be selected for each process. When the music player 3 connects to the content distribution server content, the music player 3 transmits the music content data registered in the non-owned music list to the content distribution server. Then, the process proceeds to step S32.

  In step S32, a response request is made from the content distribution server to the music player 3 as to whether or not to purchase the music content registered in the non-owned song list, and a response request message is displayed on the display unit 41. . The user determines the music content to be downloaded from the content distribution server for each music content from the non-owned music list.

  In step S32, when the user purchases music content, the process proceeds to step S34. In step S34, the music content corresponding to the designated identifier Song [i] is downloaded from the content distribution server. In step S32, if the music content is not purchased, for example, a non-purchase mark is entered in the non-owned song list. The music content in which the non-purchase mark is written is not downloaded from the content distribution server. Then, the process proceeds to step S35.

  In step S35, it is determined whether or not the purchase by the user has been determined for all the music contents registered in the non-owned song list. In step S35, if there is a music content whose purchase has not been determined, the process returns to step S32, and the purchase is determined. When it is determined whether or not the user has purchased all the music contents registered in the non-owned music list, the process ends. Note that it is also possible to use a non-owned song list to determine whether or not to purchase, and to download the music content to be purchased from the content distribution server in a batch.

  As described above, in the music player 3 according to this embodiment, when a playlist is acquired from the information processing apparatus 1 or another music player, the user owns the music content corresponding to the acquired playlist. It can be determined whether or not. When the user does not own the music content, the corresponding music content can be acquired from the content distribution server or the like.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of music content reproduction processing controlled by the CPU 32 of the music player 3 when a plurality of playlists, tempo logs, and music selection logs are acquired. In the following description, the acquired plurality of playlists, tempo logs, and music selection logs will be described as the playlist 51, tempo log 1, and music selection log 1 described above.

  In step S41, the user's walking and running are started. The user plays music content using the music player 3 while walking, running, and stopping. Subsequently, the process proceeds to step S42.

  In step S42, the walking tempo detection unit 40 of the music player 3 detects the walking tempo of the user. Here, as an example, it is assumed that the walking tempo 116 BPM is detected in the walking tempo detection unit 40. The detected walking tempo is supplied to the CPU 32. Next, the process proceeds to step S43.

  In step S43, the CPU 32 determines whether the detected user walking tempo 116BPM is recorded in the tempo log 1. In the tempo log 1, the walking tempo 116 BPM is recorded in association with the time information 14:15:40. At this time, the CPU 32 reads the walking tempo 116 BPM and acquires time information 14:15:40 corresponding to the read walking tempo. When there are a plurality of walking tempos 116 BPM in the tempo log 1, for example, the most recently recorded time information is recorded. When no walking tempo exists in the tempo log 1, a walking tempo that is substantially the same, for example, 116 BPM is selected. Next, the process proceeds to step S44.

  In step S <b> 44, the CPU 32 acquires music content from the music selection log 1. That is, when the time information is 14:15:40, the CPU 32 uses the music selection log 1 to determine which playlist and which music content has been played.

  In the music selection log 1, it is recorded that the playlist 1 is selected and the music content 13 is reproduced at the time corresponding to the time information 14:15:40. Therefore, the music content 13 is acquired as information on the music content being played. Next, the process proceeds to step S45.

  In step S45, it is determined whether or not the music content 13 corresponding to the music content information acquired in step S44 exists in the music content database 36 as an owned song. If the song is not owned, the process proceeds to step S47.

  In step S 47, a message indicating that the music content 13 does not exist in the music content database 36 is displayed on the display unit 41. Note that the music player 3 may vibrate or an LED (Light Emitting Diode) provided in the music player 3 blinks to notify the user that the music content 13 does not exist. In step S47, a message is displayed and the process ends.

  In step S45, when the music content 13 is a possessed song, the process proceeds to step S46.

  In step S 46, the music content 13 is read from the music content database 36 under the control of the CPU 32, and the read music content 13 is supplied to the decoder / amplifier unit 45. Decoding processing or the like is performed on the supplied music content 13, and the music content 13 is reproduced from the headphones 47.

  In this way, the user of the music player 3 can relive the listening experience of another user who was listening to the music content 13 when the walking tempo was 116 BPM. In recent years, scenes where prominent athletes and entertainers are exercising using headphones (earphones) have been broadcast on television, but according to the present invention, what kind of walking such prominent athletes and entertainers do? You can relive what kind of music you were listening to at the tempo. Of course, a plurality of playlists, tempo logs, and song selection logs can be exchanged not only with famous athletes and entertainers, but also with family members and friends. As described above, according to the present invention, a new listening style of sharing a listening experience of music contents accompanying walking and running can be provided to the user.

  In addition, a new training support system that combines music and exercise is provided by distributing tempo logs recorded by running at a planned pace for training and health to other users along with playlists and music selection logs. Can be provided.

  Note that the playback operation of the music player 3 described above can be modified as follows. An offset can be set to the walking tempo detected by the tempo detection unit 40 of the music player 3. For example, in a tempo log recorded during walking and running of a famous athlete, it is assumed that the recorded tempo is dispersed in the range of 150 BPM to 220 BPM of walking. Actually, since it is difficult for a general user to run at a tempo near 200 BPM, there is a possibility that music content selected according to the user's walking or running tempo may be reduced. Therefore, for example, 40 BPM may be added as an offset to the tempo detected by the walking tempo detection unit 40. The tempo detected by the walking tempo detection unit 40 may be corrected by multiplying the tempo detected by the walking tempo detection unit 40 by 1.2.

  It is also possible to play the playlist and music content recorded in the music selection log in the order recorded in the music selection log. In other words, regardless of the walking tempo, it is possible to relive the music listening experience of prominent athletes and entertainers.

  In addition, an electronic sound or footstep having the same tempo as the walking tempo recorded in the tempo log is generated in the audio signal generation unit 44, and the generated electronic sound or footstep is superimposed on the selected music content and reproduced. Also good. For example, the tempo of the music content 13 selected in the example described with reference to FIG. 8 is 98 BPM. Therefore, the audio signal generation unit 44 generates a 98 BPM electronic sound or a footstep simulated sound. The generated electronic sound or simulated footstep sound is superimposed on the music content 13 and reproduced.

  Listening / listening experience of walking / running and music content experienced by the user who created the tempo log by walking / running the user himself / herself according to the tempo of the electronic sound or footstep simulated sound superimposed on the music content Can be experienced more intuitively. In addition, it is possible to obtain a feeling of listening to music content while walking or running with the user who created the tempo log.

  Although one embodiment of the present invention has been specifically described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications based on the technical idea of the present invention are possible. .

  Multiple playlists, tempo logs, and song selection logs created as described above are stored in a storage (recording) medium such as a semiconductor memory or an optical disk, and distributed to other users or acquired from other users without going through the Internet. You may be made to do.

  The time information may not be recorded in the tempo log or the music selection log. FIG. 9A shows a tempo log 2 that is a modification of the tempo log, and FIG. 9B shows a music selection log 2 that is a modification of the music selection log. In the music selection log 2 and the tempo log 2, index numbers are used instead of time information.

  Assume that the tempo detection unit 40 detects a walking tempo of 112 BPM, for example, while listening to music content using the music player 3 while walking or running. At this time, the CPU 32 refers to the tempo log 2 shown in FIG. 9A and acquires an index number 1 that is an index number corresponding to 112 BPM. Next, the music selection log 2 is referred to, and the playlist corresponding to the index number 1 and the information of the reproduced music content are acquired. In this example, since the selected playlist is the playlist 3 and the reproduced music content is the music content 32, the music content 32 is supplied from the music content database 36 to the decoder / amplifier unit 45. . Then, the music content 32 that has been subjected to the decoding process or the like is reproduced from the headphones 47.

  In the above-described embodiment, the music content is used as an example of content. However, the present invention can be applied to content such as video content.

  Also, each means constituting the content reproduction apparatus according to the present invention can be constituted by a dedicated hardware circuit, or can be realized by a method or a programmed computer. The program describing the processing contents can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a magnetic recording device, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory.

It is a block diagram which shows the information processing system in one embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the music player in one embodiment of this invention. It is an approximate line figure showing a plurality of play lists in one embodiment of this invention. It is a basic diagram which shows the tempo log in one embodiment of this invention. It is a basic diagram which shows the music selection log in one embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of creation of the walk log and music selection log in a music player. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process performed when a play list is acquired in a music player. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the content reproduction | regeneration processing using the tempo log in a music player, music selection log, etc. It is a basic diagram which shows the other example of a tempo log and a music selection log.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Information processing apparatus 2 Walking tempo recording apparatus 3 Music player 12, 32 CPU
16, 36 Music content database 17, 37 Playlist database 18, 38 Log database 20, 46 Network interface 24, 43 Timekeeping unit 25, 49 Content distribution server 40 Walking tempo detection unit 44 Audio signal generation unit

Claims (10)

Content playback means for playing back content;
Content providing means for providing content;
Playlist storage means for storing a plurality of playlists created by sorting the content according to tempo information;
Tempo detection means for detecting the user's exercise tempo;
Log storage means for storing logs;
Control means for controlling the content reproduction means, content providing means, playlist storage means, tempo detection means and log storage means,
The control means creates a tempo log in which a plurality of exercise tempos detected by the tempo detection means are recorded, the created tempo log is stored in the log storage means, and corresponds to the exercise tempo recorded in the tempo log. The music selection log corresponding to the selected playlist and the information of the content reproduced by the content reproduction means is created, and the created music selection log is stored in the log storage means. Content playback device stored in The content playback apparatus according to claim 1,
The content playback apparatus further includes time information in which each of the plurality of exercise tempos is recorded in the tempo log, and time information in which the playlist is selected is recorded in the music selection log. The content playback apparatus according to claim 1,
Furthermore, an interface means for connecting to another device is provided,
A content reproduction apparatus for outputting the plurality of playlists, tempo logs, and music selection logs via the interface means. The content playback apparatus according to claim 1,
Furthermore, an interface means for connecting to another device is provided,
A content reproduction apparatus that acquires a plurality of playlists, tempo logs, and music selection logs created in another apparatus via the interface means. The content playback apparatus according to claim 1,
The content providing means is a content reproduction apparatus which is at least one of content storage means and a content distribution server connectable via a network. The content playback apparatus according to claim 5, wherein
When content corresponding to the plurality of playlists acquired from the other device is not held in the content storage means, it is indicated that the content can be acquired by connecting to the content distribution server Content playback apparatus. The content playback apparatus according to claim 4, wherein
The control means reads from the tempo log acquired from the other device a tempo substantially equal to the tempo detected by the tempo detection unit, acquires time information corresponding to the read tempo,
Further, the playlist corresponding to the acquired time information and the information of the content corresponding to the playlist are acquired from the music selection log,
A content playback apparatus for playing back content corresponding to the content information by the content playback means. The content playback apparatus according to claim 4, wherein
Furthermore, a tempo in which the tempo detected by the tempo detection means is corrected is formed,
The control means reads a tempo substantially equal to the corrected tempo from the tempo log acquired from the other device, acquires time information corresponding to the read tempo,
Further, the playlist corresponding to the acquired time information and the information of the content corresponding to the playlist are acquired from the music selection log,
A content playback apparatus for playing back content corresponding to the content information by the content playback means. In the content reproduction apparatus of Claim 7 or Claim 8,
Furthermore, the sound generating means for generating sound having a predetermined tempo is provided,
The content playback device, wherein the content playback means plays back the generated sound superimposed on the content corresponding to the content information. An exercise tempo detection step for detecting the user's exercise tempo;
A tempo log acquisition step for acquiring a tempo log in which a plurality of exercise tempos are recorded together with time information;
Song selection log acquisition for acquiring a song selection log in which the playlist selected according to the exercise tempo recorded in the tempo log and the information of the reproduced content corresponding to the selected playlist are recorded together with the time information Steps,
The time information acquired from the music selection log acquired in the music selection log acquisition step is obtained by reading from the tempo log a tempo substantially equal to the exercise tempo detected in the exercise tempo detection step. A content reproduction method comprising: a playlist corresponding to the content information of the content corresponding to the playlist, and a content reproduction step of reproducing the content corresponding to the acquired content information.

Images