JP2007335006A - Content reproducing device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a content reproducing device for a vehicle in which safe driving by a driver and amusing a moving image content are compatible appropriately. <P>SOLUTION: The content reproducing device for a vehicle is mounted on a vehicle and reproduces moving image contents, and in moving image content reproduction during running of a self-vehicle, for the such prescribed kinds of moving image contents (for example, music promotion video or the like) that a user can amuse the content of moving image without video output, reproduction is continued in a form in which video is not display-output but only a voice is output. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention generally relates to a vehicular content playback apparatus that is mounted on a vehicle and plays back video content, and in particular, a vehicular content playback apparatus that appropriately achieves safe driving by a vehicle driver and enjoyment of video content. About.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a vehicular content reproduction device that is mounted on a vehicle and reproduces moving image content is known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3).

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 discloses an apparatus that switches to a still image and reproduces only by audio output when a vehicle starts running during reproduction of moving image content.

  Patent Document 2 discloses an in-vehicle video playback device that plays back video and audio while the vehicle is stopped and outputs text data (caption data) in the video data while running.

  In Patent Document 3, it is determined whether or not the data includes moving image in the disc type determination unit. In the case of data including moving image, reproduction is prohibited only while the vehicle is stopped, and reproduction is prohibited while the vehicle is running. In the case of data that does not include data, an apparatus that reproduces data regardless of whether the vehicle is stopped or traveling is disclosed.

Patent Document 4 discloses a device that plays DVD movies while the vehicle is stopped, prohibits playback of DVD movies while the vehicle is running, and automatically switches to music media when the DVD playback prohibition time exceeds a predetermined time. .
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-257993 JP 2001-225702 A JP 2002-42406 A JP 2005-167880 A

  In any of the conventional devices described in Patent Documents 1 to 4, when a moving image is reproduced while the vehicle is running, the driver's attention is drawn to the screen display of the moving image, which may reduce the attention to driving operation. From the viewpoint that there is a motion picture, a moving image is not displayed on the screen while the vehicle is traveling so that a safe driving operation is performed.

  Certainly, for video content of a type that cannot be fully enjoyed without watching the video, such as a movie or a drama, playback should be paused while the vehicle is running. Can be said to be preferable.

  However, although it is a moving image content including video data and audio data, such as a so-called promotion video of music music, for example, the reproduction of audio data (music music) is the main purpose depending on the user, There is also a type of moving image content that can be enjoyed sufficiently if audio (music) is output even if it is not displayed on the screen.

  In other words, if the video content playback is uniformly prohibited while the vehicle is traveling without considering the type and content of the video content, the user may be deprived of more enjoyment of video content playback than necessary.

  Conversely, as in the device disclosed in Patent Document 1 above, assuming that the playback of video content is to be continued with only audio output while the vehicle is traveling without considering the type and content of the video content, for example, Audio-only playback of video content, such as movies, dramas, documentary programs, sports games, etc. that cannot be understood without viewing the video or that the user is looking forward to watching the video rather than listening to the audio Because content playback proceeds in an inadequate state, the user may need to go through the trouble of rewinding the part that was played back only by sound when watching the video, etc. There is.

  The present invention is intended to solve such problems, and a main object of the present invention is to provide a vehicular content reproduction apparatus that appropriately achieves both safe driving by a vehicle driver and enjoying moving image content.

  One aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object is a vehicular content playback apparatus that is mounted on a vehicle and plays back video content. When playing back video content while the host vehicle is running, This is a vehicle content playback apparatus that does not display and output video.

  In the above aspect, in other words, when the reproduction operation of the predetermined type of moving image content is performed while the host vehicle is traveling, the reproduction of the moving image content is started in such a manner that only the audio is output without outputting the video. When the vehicle starts running during normal playback of the predetermined type of moving image content, video output is stopped and only audio output is performed.

  In the above aspect, the predetermined type of moving image content is typically moving image content including a predetermined type of audio information that allows the user to enjoy the content of the moving image content without video output. is there.

  The predetermined type of audio information that allows the user to enjoy the content of the moving image content only by audio output is, for example, 1) audio information that is determined to be more important than the video output when the user reproduces the moving image content Or 2) audio information including a description of the content of video information included in the moving image content.

  Typical examples of moving image content including audio information as in 1) above are, for example, a so-called music music promotion video and a video recording a concert / live pattern (if used within the scope of listening to music) You don't necessarily need to watch the video) or language learning videos (you don't need to watch the video if you use it for the purpose of listening training to listen to native pronunciation) , Etc.

  A typical example of audio information as in 2) above is a video commentary voice (for example, the character of a character) that is inserted in a movie or drama in the form of, for example, secondary audio, especially for visually impaired people. In addition to speaking lines and narration, audio information that includes audio described in the video such as “XX enters the room where XX is. The clock is pointing at what time”. It is.

  According to the above aspect, for a predetermined type of video content that allows the driver to enjoy the content of the video content only by audio output even when there is no video output while the vehicle is traveling, the driving operation of the driver is performed. The audio output is output in the same way as during normal playback, while preventing the video from being displayed and output so as not to hinder the concentration of traffic, so that safe driving and vehicle drivers can enjoy video content properly at the same time Can do.

  In the above aspect, it is preferable to prohibit the reproduction of moving image content other than the predetermined type during traveling of the host vehicle as in the past. That is, if a playback operation for moving image content other than the predetermined type is performed during traveling of the host vehicle, playback is not permitted, and the host vehicle starts to travel during normal playback of moving image content other than the predetermined type. , Playback is paused at that time. In either case, it is possible to configure so that the reproduction is automatically started or resumed when the host vehicle stops.

  In the above aspect, the determination as to whether or not the moving image content is the predetermined type of moving image content can be made by, for example, A) If information related to the content type is written in the header of the moving image content, Or B) content identification information included in the header information may be obtained by referring to a database in a remote server using, for example, wireless communication, or information on the type of the moving image content may be acquired; C) The content of the moving image content may be analyzed and analyzed to determine whether or not it can be said that the predetermined type of moving image content.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicular content reproduction device that appropriately achieves both safe driving by a vehicle driver and enjoying moving image content.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the main hardware configuration and operating principle of the vehicle content playback apparatus for playing back video content in the vehicle are known to those skilled in the art, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  A vehicle content playback apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  The vehicular content playback apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is generally configured not to allow playback of moving image content as usual, so that the driver pays sufficient attention to the driving operation in principle while the host vehicle is traveling. However, as an exception, for certain types of video content, playback is allowed to output only audio, and the driver is allowed to enjoy only the audio portion of the video content. .

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicular content reproduction apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment.

  The vehicle content playback apparatus 100 generally selects a content storage unit 101 that stores and holds video content, a content playback unit 102 that plays back video content, and a video content that a user plays back, or a selected video content. A user input unit 103 that accepts user input for performing operations such as playback and pause, and control for controlling the content storage unit 101 and the content playback unit 102 according to the user operation input to the user input unit 103 Part 104. Here, the control unit 104 is, for example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit).

  The content storage unit 101 is configured and set to be able to transmit and receive information to and from a predetermined communication station (center) (not shown) outside the vehicle, and downloaded from the center via the communication unit 105. And a storage unit 106 for storing and holding the moving image content.

  The communication between the communication unit 105 and the center may be in any form such as inter-vehicle communication, road-to-vehicle communication, and / or satellite communication, and may include a wired communication portion. Further, any communication standard / protocol may be adopted. The storage unit 106 may be any storage medium, for example, a hard disk.

  The content storage unit 101 further includes a removable media drive device 107 which is a drive device for a removable storage medium (removable media) 107a. The removable medium 107a used here may be of any standard, such as a DVD, CD, MO, magnetic tape, floppy (registered trademark) disk, memory card, or the like. In FIG. 1, the circular disk-shaped removable medium is only an example.

  The content reproduction unit 102 includes a display unit 108 that displays video output of moving image content to the vehicle occupant, and an audio output unit 109 that outputs audio of moving image content to the vehicle occupant.

  The display unit 108 may be any type of in-vehicle display device such as a liquid crystal display or a head-up display (HUD), and may also be used as a display device of another in-vehicle system (for example, a navigation system).

  The audio output unit 109 may be an arbitrary speaker provided in the vehicle interior, and may also be used as a speaker of another in-vehicle system (for example, a navigation system).

  By the way, the user input unit 103 may include input means such as a keypad and a voice recognition function. However, from the viewpoint of user convenience, for example, an operation menu or a removable device is displayed on a touch panel display (not shown). A list of moving image contents stored in the removable medium 107a inserted in the media drive device 107 or the storage unit 106 is presented, and a user can perform desired operations or content reproduction by touching these operation menus or moving image contents. It is preferable to adopt a configuration that makes it easy for the user to perform an input operation. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, when the touch panel type is used, the display unit 108 may be integrated.

  In the present embodiment, vehicle speed information is input to the control unit 104. The vehicle speed of the host vehicle is detected by a wheel speed sensor (not shown), for example. Alternatively, the vehicle speed information may be acquired from the navigation system. The navigation system can calculate the vehicle speed of the host vehicle from the time change of the detected host vehicle position.

  In the vehicular content reproduction apparatus 100 having such a configuration, the user receives the moving image content stored in the storage unit 106 through the user input unit 103 or the moving image content stored in the removable media 107 a attached to the removable media drive device 107. Play and enjoy in the car.

  However, the reproduction of such moving image content is limited according to the vehicle speed and the type of moving image content so that the driver's attention to driving operation does not decrease.

  Hereinafter, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 2, the flow of the moving image content reproduction process by the vehicle content reproduction apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described.

  When reproduction of moving image content is instructed by the user through the user input unit 103, the control unit 104 first determines whether or not the host vehicle is traveling from the input vehicle speed information (S201).

  When it is determined that the vehicle speed is zero and the host vehicle is stopped (“NO” in S201), the control unit 104 operates even if the moving image content is played back normally, that is, in the form of video + audio. The video signal and audio signal of the moving image content specified by the user through the user input unit 103 are output from the content storage unit 101 to the content reproduction unit 102 based on the determination that the attention to the driving operation of the user is not reduced. Is visually presented to the user by the display unit 108, and the audio signal is audibly presented to the user by the audio output unit 109, and normal video content reproduction is permitted and executed (S203).

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the vehicle speed is greater than zero and the host vehicle is traveling (“YES” in S201), the control unit 104 then outputs the video content instructed to be played by the user to be output without video. In step S202, it is determined whether or not the content is a predetermined type of moving image content that can be enjoyed sufficiently (or to some extent) by the audio output alone (or that the user is allowed to reproduce only the audio output).

  Here, the predetermined type of moving image content that can be enjoyed only by audio output without video output is a predetermined type that allows the user to enjoy the content of the moving image content without video output. For example, 1) audio information that is determined to be more important than the video output when the user reproduces the video content, or 2) the content of the video information included in the video content It is the moving image content including the audio information including the description.

  Typical examples of video content including audio information as in 1) above are, for example, 1a) so-called music music promotion videos (PV), videos that include concert / live patterns, 1b) language learning videos, etc. It is.

  In the case of the former 1a), if it is used within the range of the purpose of listening to a music piece instead of a music CD, it is considered that the user does not necessarily need to see the video, so that only the audio output can be reproduced. It is estimated to be. In the case of the latter 1b), it is considered that the user does not necessarily need to watch the video if it is used within the range of the purpose of listening training to listen to native pronunciation. It is estimated that it can be done.

  A typical example of audio information as in 2) above is audio information that includes video commentary audio, especially for visually impaired people, inserted in movies and dramas in the form of, for example, secondary audio. It is.

  Here, for example, in addition to the speech and narration spoken by the characters, the commentary voice is described by a video such as “XX enters the room where XX is. The clock is pointing at what time”. It is a sound that explains the contents.

  If audio information including audio that explains such video is output, the user can follow the story development of movies and dramas with the help of explanatory audio without watching the video output, and what video Since it is possible to recognize whether the depiction is made, it is estimated that the content of the moving image content can be enjoyed to some extent only by audio output.

  It is considered that the video content instructed to be played by the user can be enjoyed sufficiently or to some extent by the audio output alone without the video output as described above, or the user is allowed to play only the audio output. If it is determined that the video content is a predetermined type of video content (“YES” in S202), the control unit 104 causes the audio output unit 109 to output only the audio signal of the video content, and causes the display unit 108 to output the video signal. The moving image content is reproduced in the form of prohibiting screen display output (S204).

  By not outputting the video in this manner, it is possible to avoid the driver from being deprived of attention during the driving operation and reducing the attention to the driving operation. However, the content of the moving image content can be enjoyed, and safe driving and the vehicle driver can enjoy the moving image content appropriately.

  On the other hand, the video content instructed to be played by the user can be enjoyed sufficiently or to some extent by the audio output alone without the video output as described above, or the user is allowed to play only the audio output. If it is determined that the content is not a predetermined type of moving image content (“NO” in S202), the control unit 104 prohibits video output so that the driver's attention during driving is not deprived of the video output. At the same time, audio output is also prohibited because it is determined that the user cannot enjoy the contents of the moving image content only by audio output. That is, the reproduction of the moving image content itself is prohibited / stopped.

  More specifically, a) if the playback of the video content is instructed while the vehicle is running, the start of playback is prohibited, and b) if the vehicle starts running during the playback of the video content. The reproduction of the moving image content is paused so that it can be continuously reproduced when the vehicle is next stopped (S205).

  In the case of the former a), it is also possible to configure that the reproduction of the moving image content is started immediately when the vehicle is next stopped, assuming that the reproduction instruction of the moving image content from the user is effectively accepted. In the case of the latter a), it is also possible to automatically switch to audio output from a medium that is originally scheduled for audio output such as AM / FM radio and music CD.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, while the vehicle is traveling, in principle, the reproduction of the moving image content is not permitted as in the past, and the user can sufficiently or without the content of the moving image content even if only the audio output is performed. For video content of a type that is judged to be enjoyable to some extent, by allowing only the audio output while the vehicle is running, the driver's attention to driving is not reduced while the vehicle is running, Can be enjoyed properly.

  In the above-described embodiment, the moving image content instructed to be played by the user is considered to be sufficiently or somewhat enjoyable by the user even with only the audio output without the video output as described above, or only the audio output. For example, a determination as to whether or not the video content is of a predetermined type that the user is allowed to reproduce can be made from the header information if information on such content type is written in the header of the video content. Alternatively, it is possible to determine the content identification information included in the header information by, for example, obtaining information on the type of the moving image content by referring to the database in the remote server through the communication unit 105 and determining from the acquired information. Or, you can analyze the content of the video content and analyze Whether or not it can be said that the content may be determined. Of course, it is also possible for the user to specify handling during vehicle travel through the user input unit 103.

  In the above embodiment, the control unit 104 acquires vehicle speed information and determines that the host vehicle is not running when the vehicle speed is zero, and allows normal video content playback. The invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, instead of or in addition to the vehicle speed, the normal playback of video content based on vehicle conditions estimated from various parameters such as accelerator pedal stroke amount / angle, longitudinal / lateral acceleration, steering angle, etc. It may be determined whether the vehicle state is such that (video output + audio output) is allowed, or whether playback is prohibited or the vehicle state should be only audio output depending on the type of moving image content. .

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, as an example, as shown in FIG. 2 in particular, it is first determined whether or not the host vehicle is running when an instruction to reproduce video content is given by the user (S201). ), When the vehicle is running, it is determined whether the video content is the predetermined type (S202). However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. These determination orders may be reversed. That is, whether or not the moving image content is the predetermined type of moving image content is first determined when the reproduction instruction of the moving image content is instructed by the user regardless of whether the vehicle is running or stopped. Also good.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used in a vehicle content playback apparatus that is mounted on a vehicle and plays back video content. The power source type, fuel type, appearance design, weight, size, running performance, etc. of the vehicle to be controlled are all unquestioned.

It is a schematic block diagram of the content reproduction apparatus for vehicles which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process by the content reproduction apparatus for vehicles which concerns on one Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Vehicle content reproduction apparatus 101 Content storage part 102 Content reproduction part 103 User input part 104 Control part 105 Communication part 106 Storage part 107 Removable media drive apparatus 107a Removable media 108 Display part 109 Audio | voice output part

Claims (6)

A vehicle content playback device that is mounted on a vehicle and plays back video content,
An apparatus for reproducing content for a vehicle, characterized in that in reproducing moving image content while the host vehicle is running, no video is displayed and output for a predetermined type of moving image content. The vehicle content playback device according to claim 1,
The vehicular content reproduction apparatus, wherein the predetermined type of moving image content is a moving image content including a predetermined type of audio information. The vehicle content playback device according to claim 2,
The vehicle content reproduction apparatus, wherein the predetermined type of audio information is audio information that is determined to be more important than a video output when the user reproduces the moving image content. The vehicle content playback device according to claim 2,
The predetermined type of audio information is audio information including a description of the content of video information included in the moving image content. The vehicle content playback device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A vehicular content reproduction apparatus, wherein whether or not the moving image content is the predetermined type of moving image content is determined from header information of the moving image content. The vehicle content playback device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A vehicular content reproduction apparatus characterized in that it is determined whether or not the video content is the predetermined type of video content by analyzing the content of the video content.

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