JP2000132951A - Reproduction device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve an operation property as a learning device for reproducing teaching materials or the like. SOLUTION: When a flag setting operation for a program is made by a manipulating means, processing for setting a skip flag corresponding to the program is made. Then, in reproduction, reproduction is executed for a program where the skip flag has not been set. More specifically, reproduction is advanced while the program where the skip flag has been set is omitted.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a reproducing apparatus suitable as, for example, a learning system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, as a language learning system, there is a system in which a voice (conversation voice) serving as a teaching material is reproduced so that a user can learn. As an example, there is a device capable of reproducing English conversation voice or the like for each sentence, such as one sentence, or repeatedly listening to a certain sentence in response to a user operation.

[0003]

However, when a reproducing apparatus is used for such learning, there are the following inconveniences. For example, consider a teaching material for reproducing a series of English conversation sounds for each sentence. If this teaching material is composed of the first sentence to the tenth sentence,
The user plays back the first sentence in order and listens to the conversation voice. However, as the user's learning progresses, for example, the first sentence, the fourth sentence, the fifth sentence, or the like, the specific sentence is remembered and need not be listened, or the user does not want to play the specific sentence for learning. In such a case, it is necessary for the user to perform a fast forward operation or the like when the sentence is reproduced. The necessity of such an extra operation is one of the reasons that the user cannot concentrate on learning, and is unsuitable as a learning system.

When a sentence that does not need to be listened to is generated, it is conceivable that the voice stored as the sentence is erased. In that case, however, it becomes impossible to listen later. This is also not suitable.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide, for example, a reproducing apparatus capable of performing effective learning with simpler operations.

For this purpose, the following storage means, reproduction processing means, operation means, flag control means and reproduction control means are provided as a reproduction apparatus. The storage unit is managed and stored as a program (for example, a sentence as a conversation voice) in which main data is a unit of reproduction. The reproduction processing means reproduces and outputs the program stored in the storage means. The operation means enables a flag setting operation corresponding to each program stored in the storage means and a reproduction operation for each program to be performed.
The flag control means performs a process of setting a skip flag corresponding to the program when a flag setting operation is performed for a certain program by the operation means. The reproduction control means causes the reproduction processing means to perform processing for executing reproduction of a program for which a skip flag is not set, when a reproduction operation is performed by the operation means.

The operation means can perform a flag clear operation, and the flag control means performs a process of clearing a set skip flag when the flag clear operation is performed.

That is, when a user performs a flag setting operation on a certain program, the program is automatically skipped (reproduction is omitted), so that the program is not reproduced without performing a fast forward operation or the like. To be able to In addition, the skip flag set for the program as described above can be cleared according to the operation, so that the program can be returned to a state where it is reproduced later.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, as a reproducing apparatus of the present invention,
For example, an embodiment suitable for use as a learning device for English conversation or the like will be described. Embodiment 3
Examples of the types will be given, and each will be described sequentially.

[First Embodiment] A reproducing apparatus according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows an example of the appearance of the reproducing apparatus of this embodiment. The illustrated reproducing apparatus 1 is, for example, a small and lightweight apparatus suitable for carrying, and has a structure in which a user connects a headphone 20 to listen to reproduced sound.

A display unit 2 formed of, for example, a liquid crystal panel is provided on a housing of the reproducing apparatus 1. The display unit 2 displays an operation mode, an operation state, a number of a segment to be reproduced, characters corresponding to a reproduced sound as the segment, and the like. Note that a segment is a playback unit that is divided for every one sentence of a conversation voice, for example, and corresponds to a program according to the present invention. As will be described later, the internal storage means (memory 26) manages and stores voices as teaching materials such as conversation voices in segment units. Further, a volume knob 3 is provided so that the user can adjust the volume of the reproduced sound output from the headphones.

On the housing of the reproducing apparatus 1, there are provided operators for the user to perform reproduction and other various operations. That is, there are a play / pause key 4, a stop key 5, a fast rewind key 6, a fast forward key 7, a repeat key 8, a display mode key 9, a skip key 10, a clear key 11, and the like.

The playback / pause key 4 is a key for instructing playback of a segment. Play / pause key 4 during playback
When is pressed, it means a playback pause operation. During playback pause, play / pause key 4
The reproduction is resumed when is pressed. The reproduction operation is performed in segment units, and at the end of the reproduction of the segment, the reproduction is automatically paused. For example, when the play / pause key 4 is pressed, the first segment is played, and is paused at the end of the playback. If the play / pause key 4 is pressed again at that time, the second segment is played and paused at the end of the playback. As described above, the reproduction proceeds in accordance with the pressing of the reproduction / pause key 4 in segment units, so that the user can proceed with the reproduction while confirming / considering the sound as each segment at his own pace. The play / pause key 4 also functions as a power key. When the play / pause key 4 is pressed from the power-off state, the power is turned on and the reproduction is started. Stop key 5
Are operation keys for stopping reproduction. When a predetermined time has elapsed after the reproduction operation is stopped, the power is automatically turned off.

The fast rewind key 6 and the fast forward key 7 are operation keys for performing a forward operation with respect to a segment-by-segment reproducing operation. For example, each time the fast-forward key 7 is pressed, the reproduction proceeds to the segment of the next number. When the fast-reverse key 6 is pressed, the playback position is returned to the head position of the segment currently being played back, and when operated continuously, the segment to be played back is moved backward to the segment of the previous number.

The repeat key 8 is an operation key for repetitively reproducing the segment reproduced immediately before.
That is, when the repeat key 8 is pressed, the reproduction is performed from the head of the segment reproduced immediately before. Note that the immediately preceding segment may be played back an unlimited number of times in response to the operation of the repeat key 8. However, in this example, the repeat playback is performed only once, and after the repeat playback, the repeat key 8 is pressed again. If so, the process proceeds to the reproduction of the next segment. For example, assuming that the repeat key 8 is continuously operated immediately after the reproduction of the first segment, the reproduction operation is as follows: the reproduction of the first segment → the reproduction of the second segment → the reproduction of the second segment → the reproduction of the third segment Reproduction proceeds as reproduction → repeat reproduction of the third segment →.

The display mode key 9 is an operation key for switching a display state on the display unit 2. The skip key 10 and the clear key 11 are operators for setting and canceling a skip flag described later.

The configuration of such various controls is merely an example. It is needless to say that controls having other operation contents may be formed, or controls having different structures (for example, dial-type controls) may be provided. . Alternatively, a specific operation may be substituted by another operation element. For example, if the skip key 10 is not provided and the stop key 5 and the display mode key 9 are pressed at the same time, the operation is to set a skip flag.

The headphone jack 14 is connected to the headphone 2
0 is a part to be connected. That is, when the plug 21 of the headphone 20 is connected to the headphone jack 14, a stereo or monaural analog reproduced audio signal is supplied to the headphone 20 and output as audio.

FIG. 2 shows the internal configuration of the reproducing apparatus 1. The control unit 21 is formed by a microcomputer, and serves as a part that controls the operation of the entire apparatus. The operation unit 22 corresponds to the above-mentioned various operators (4 to 11), and operation information when these operators are operated is supplied to the control unit 21. Control unit 21
Performs a required control operation according to the input operation information and the operation program stored in the internal ROM. That is, the reproduction operation and the display operation on the display unit 2 are executed.

The memory 26 is formed, for example, as a semiconductor memory, and its storage area stores audio data, such as English conversation teaching materials, which are managed in units of segments. Also, management information for managing these audio data is stored.

When performing a reproducing operation, the control section 21 reads out audio data as a predetermined segment from the memory 26 with reference to the management information in the memory 26. In this example, it is assumed that the audio data in the memory 26 is stored after being subjected to a predetermined compression encoding process. For this reason, the read audio data is decoded by the decoder 31 for compression. Then, the decoded data is supplied to the D / A converter 24 and converted into an analog audio signal. D /
The audio signal output from the A converter 24 is subjected to amplification, impedance adjustment, level adjustment, and the like in the audio circuit 25, and is supplied to the headphone jack 14. As a result, reproduced sound is output from the headphones 20 connected to the headphone jack 14. Audio circuit 2
The level adjustment in 5 is performed by the volume knob 3 being constituted by a variable resistor.

When the power is on, the control section 21 causes the display section 2 to execute display in accordance with an operation state such as a reproducing operation, and supplies display data to the display drive section 23 for this purpose. The display drive unit 23 drives the display unit 2 according to the supplied display data, and displays an operation mode, a segment number being reproduced, and the like.

FIG. 3 shows a data storage form in the memory 26.
Shown in FIG. 3A schematically shows the storage area of the memory 26 as addresses A0 to An2. First, a specific area, for example, an area starting with address A0 is set as a management area, and management information is stored. You. After the management area, the audio data serving as main data is segment SG.
# 1 to SG # n are stored. One segment is, for example, audio data corresponding to one sentence constituting a conversation. And for example, segment SG # 1
~ SG # n, one conversational teaching material is formed. The memory 26 has a capacity of, for example, 1 Mbyte (8 Mbits), and stores voice data in a predetermined compression method, so that main data (segment SG # 1 to SG # 1) can be used as conversational teaching materials.
As SG # n), for example, about three minutes of audio can be stored as monaural audio data.

FIG. 3B shows an example of management information stored in the management area. In this management information, a skip flag, a start address, an end address, and character data are stored corresponding to each segment number. First, the storage location of the segment is managed by the start address and the end address. For example, the first segment SG # 1 is stored in the addresses A11 to A12 as shown in FIG. 3A, and this is stored in the first segment SG # 1 as shown in the management information of FIG. 3B. Are managed as A11 and the end address as A12.
The same applies to other segments. That is, the control unit 21 can recognize the start address and the end address of each segment by referring to the management information, and can execute the operation of reading / reproducing the required segment from the memory 26.

In this example, character data corresponding to the sound of each segment is stored in the management information. When the character data is stored in this manner, the control unit 21 reads out the character data corresponding to the segment and supplies it to the display drive unit 23 at the time of reproduction of the segment, so that the display unit 2 supports the reproduction sound. Characters can be displayed. When character data corresponding to a segment is not stored, a segment number or the like may be displayed during reproduction as described above.

In the management information, an area as a skip flag is prepared for each segment. In this example, the initial state of this skip flag is “1”,
On the other hand, when the flag setting operation is performed, it is set to “0”. That is, “0” indicates that the skip flag is set. The skip flag is set in response to the operation of the skip key 10 when the user determines that reproduction of a certain segment is unnecessary.

For example, in the initial state (when the skip flag = 1 for all segments), each time the play / pause key 4 is pressed, segment reproduction and automatic pause are performed as described above. That is, the user can sequentially play the segments by pressing the play / pause key 4. This operation is illustrated in FIG.
Is shown schematically in FIG. FIG. 4A shows a case where the user has performed a reproduction operation (arrow PB) when the skip flag is “1” for all the segments, that is, when the skip flag is not set. Playback operation PB
1, the segment SG # 1 is reproduced, and the reproduction is temporarily stopped at the end of the reproduction. Then, the user performs the playback operation PB
When Step 2 is performed, the next segment SG # 2 is reproduced, and the reproduction is similarly paused at the end of the reproduction. Thereafter, similarly, the segments are sequentially reproduced in accordance with the reproduction operations PB3, PB4,.

However, when the user enters the segment SG #
If it is assumed that reproduction is unnecessary for SG # 4 and SG # 5, for example, because they have already sufficiently learned, the user can select a skip key corresponding to the segments SG # 2, SG # 4 and SG # 5. Perform 10 operations. Then, FIG.
As shown in (b), the segments SG # 2, SG # 4,
The skip flag is set for SG # 5 (= “0”).

FIG. 4B shows the operation when the reproduction operation is performed at this time. First, the segment SG # 1 is reproduced by the first reproduction operation PB1, and the reproduction is temporarily stopped at the end of the reproduction. Is done. Subsequently, when the user performs the reproduction operation PB2, since the skip flag is set for the next segment SG # 2, the segment SG # 2 is skipped and the segment SG # 3 is reproduced, and reproduced at the end of reproduction. Will be suspended. Further, when the user performs the reproduction operation PB3, the next segment SG #
4, and the skip flag is set for the next segment SG # 5.
4. SG # 5 is skipped and segment SG # 6 is reproduced, and the reproduction is paused at the end of the reproduction. As described above, when the skip flag in the management information is set according to the operation of the skip key 10 by the user, the reproduction of the segment is skipped during reproduction.

The processing of the control unit 21 for realizing the above operation will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 shows processing when the play / pause key 4 is operated from the power-off state, and thereafter, the play / pause key 4 or the repeat key 8 is operated. When the playback / pause key 4 is pressed from the power-off state, the control unit 21 advances the process from step F101 to F102, performs power-on processing, and sets a variable m = 1 indicating a segment to be played back in step F103. I do. The value of this variable m corresponds to the segment number.

The process first proceeds to the reproduction of the first segment SG # 1. First, in step F104, the skip flag of the segment SG # m is confirmed. Since the variable m = 1, it is determined whether or not the skip flag is set for the segment SG # 1. If the skip flag = 1, that is, if the flag is not set,
Proceeding to step F105, the segment SG # m is reproduced. When the reproduction of the segment is completed, the process is temporarily stopped in step F106. By the processing so far, the segment SG # 1 has been reproduced first.

At the time when the reproduction is temporarily stopped, step F
The operation of the playback / pause key 4 and the operation of the repeat key 8 are monitored in the loop of 107 and F108. When the play / pause key 4 is pressed, the variable m is incremented in step F110, and the process returns to step F104. That is, the skip flag is checked for the next segment as the segment SG # m, and if the flag is not set, the reproduction of that segment is executed in step F105.

For example, the reproduction operation at the time when the skip flag is not set for all the segments as shown in FIG. 4A is repeated and executed.

However, in the state where the skip flag is set for a certain segment as shown in FIG. 4B, at a certain time (when the value of m becomes the number of the segment for which the skip flag is set) Then, step F
At 104, it is determined that the skip flag is set. In that case, the process proceeds to step F110, the variable m is incremented, and the check in step F104 is performed again. That is, for the segment for which the skip flag is set, the variable m is updated to the next segment number without proceeding to step F105. Therefore, it is not reproduced.

Therefore, when the skip flag is set for the segments SG # 2, SG # 4, and SG # 5 as shown in FIG. 4B, the value of the variable m is m = 2, 4,
At the point of time 5, the process does not proceed to step F105, and the segment SG # 1 → SG # 3 → SG # 6... In accordance with the operation of the play / pause key 4 as described above.
It will be played back in the order: As the playback proceeds, segments for which the user has determined that playback is unnecessary and for which the skip flag has been set are automatically omitted without any special operation by the user (for those segments for which no segment exists). ), And the operation of the user is greatly simplified.

When the operation of the repeat key 8 is detected in the loop of steps F107 and F108, it is determined in step F109 whether or not the operation time is immediately after the repeat reproduction. If it is not immediately after the repeat reproduction, the process returns to step F105 and returns to the segment S
G # m is reproduced. That is, the segment SG # m reproduced immediately before is repeated and reproduced. On the other hand, if it is immediately after the repeat reproduction, the variable m is incremented in Step F110, and Step F1
After the determination in step 04 (the variable m is further incremented depending on the skip flag), the process proceeds to step F105. Therefore, the next segment (the segment for which the skip flag is not set) is reproduced.

By this processing, as described above, if the repeat key 8 is continuously operated after the reproduction of a certain segment, the repeat reproduction of the current segment → the reproduction of the next segment → the repeat reproduction → Reproduction proceeds in the order of reproduction of the next segment → repeat reproduction →. Even in the case where the segment reproduction is progressed by the repeat operation, the segment for which the skip flag is set is determined in step F10.
4, reproduction is omitted by the processing of F110.

Although not shown in this flowchart, at the time when the reproduction has progressed and the reproduction of the last segment has been completed (after the variable m has become the last segment number), the reproduction operation is thereafter performed. If we do, the variable m
= 1, the reproduction may be shifted to the reproduction of the first segment, or the reproduction operation may be invalidated when the reproduction is completed. Also, during the reproduction process, the stop key 5
Is operated, the reproduction is terminated and the power is turned off. Furthermore, during playback in step F105, playback /
When the pause key 4 is pressed, the reproduction is paused, and when the reproduction / pause key 4 is pressed again, the paused reproduction is resumed.

Incidentally, it is necessary for the user to operate the skip key 10 in order to set the skip flag. For example, the user operates the skip key 10 when a certain segment is reproduced and it is determined that the segment does not need to be reproduced in the future. When the skip key 10 is operated in such a case, the processing of the control unit 21 proceeds from step F201 to F202 in FIG. 6, and first checks whether or not a certain segment is selected. The state in which a segment is selected is, for example, a point in time when a certain segment SG # m is being reproduced by the above-described variable m, or a point in time when reproduction has been completed and is temporarily stopped in the processing in step F106. If the segment is selected, the operation of the skip key 10 is validated, and the process proceeds to step F203 to select the selected segment SG # m.
, The skip flag is set to “0” on the management information. In this way, the skip flag described above is set in the management information.

The user can clear all the set skip flags by pressing the clear key 11. When the clear key 11 is pressed, the process of the control unit 21 proceeds from step F301 to F302 in FIG. 7, and initializes all skip flags in the management information. Thus, for example, even if the skip flag is set for a certain segment as in the example of FIG. 4B, it is possible to return to the state of FIG. 4A (all skip flags = 1). That is, a segment that has been set so as not to be reproduced can be returned to a state in which it is reproduced again.

Steps F105 and F105 in FIG.
During playback at 106 and during pause, the user may operate the fast forward key 7 or the fast reverse key 6. First, the processing of the control unit 21 when the fast-forward key 7 is operated is shown in FIG.
Will be described.

When the fast-forward key 7 is operated, the control section 21 advances the process from step F401 to F402 in FIG.
At 403, a skip flag is checked for the segment SG # m. If the skip flag has not been set for the segment SG # m, the process proceeds to step F404.
Then, if the fast-forward key 7 is not operated again during this time, the process proceeds to step F105 in FIG. 5 to reproduce the segment SG # m. Therefore, for example, when the fast forward key 7 is operated once during reproduction or pause of the segment SG # 1 in a state where the skip flag is not set for all the segments as shown in FIG.
The process will proceed to # 2 reproduction. However, fast forward key 7
May be operated continuously, in which case the fast-forward operation is detected again in step F405 within the waiting time in step F404, and the increment of the variable m and the skip flag confirmation processing in step F403 are performed again in step F402. Then, the process proceeds to step F404. Therefore, for example, if the fast-forward key 7 is continuously operated three times during playback or pause of the segment SG # 1,
The process proceeds to reproduction of the segment SG # 4.

On the other hand, when the skip flag is set for a certain segment as shown in FIG. 4B, when the variable m becomes the segment number, the process does not proceed from step F403 to step F404, but proceeds to step F404. F
At 402, the variable m is incremented again. Therefore,
Regarding the fast-forward operation, the segment for which the skip flag is set will be omitted. For example, if the fast-forward key 7 is operated once while the segment SG # 1 is being reproduced or paused in FIG. , Segment SG # 3. Further, for example, when the fast forward key 7 is continuously operated twice during reproduction or pause of the segment SG # 1, the segment SG # 1
The process proceeds to the reproduction of # 6.

Next, step F10 of FIG.
The process of the control unit 21 when the fast-return key 6 is operated during the reproduction or the pause in F106 will be described with reference to FIG. When the fast-return key 6 is operated, the control unit 21 advances the process from step F501 to F502 in FIG. 9, and firstly, for a predetermined time (for example, for checking whether or not the fast-return key operation is performed continuously) (for example, If the fast-return key 6 is not operated again during that time, the process proceeds to step F105 in FIG. 5 to reproduce the segment SG # m.
In other words, in this case, the segment that is currently being played back or has been paused after the playback has been completed is played back from its head position.

When the fast-return key is operated a plurality of times in succession, the process is repeated every time the operation is performed.
Proceeding to 504, the variable m is decremented. Then, in step F505, the skip flag is checked for the segment SG # m. If the skip flag has not been set for the segment SG # m, the process proceeds to step F50.
If the fast-forward key 7 is not operated again during the predetermined time in step 2, the process proceeds to step F105 in FIG. 5 to reproduce the segment SG # m. Therefore, for example, FIG.
In the state where the skip flag is not set for all the segments as described above, if the fast reverse key 6 is continuously operated three times during the reproduction or the pause of the segment SG # 3, the reproduction of the segment SG # 1 is performed. Will go on.

On the other hand, when the skip flag is set for a certain segment as shown in FIG. 4B, when the variable m becomes the segment number, the process does not proceed from step F505 to step F502, but proceeds to step F502. F
At 504, the variable m is decremented again. Accordingly, the segment for which the skip flag is set is also omitted in the fast-return operation.
In (b), if the fast reverse key 6 is operated twice consecutively while the segment SG # 6 is being reproduced or paused, the process proceeds to the reproduction of the segment SG # 1.

As described above, in the case of fast-forward and fast-reverse, the segment for which the skip flag is set is treated as having no segment, thereby simplifying the operation of the user.

In this example, in the case of a fast-forward or fast-reverse operation, the operation shifts to the reproduction of the segment corresponding to the number of operations. For example, the fast-forward or fast-reverse operation is performed during a playback pause. In such a case, only increment or decrement of the variable m is performed as processing,
The playback may actually be started after the playback / pause key 4 is pressed. For example, by updating the segment number displayed on the display unit 2 in accordance with the increment / decrement of the variable m, the user can confirm the transition of the segment by the fast-forward or fast-reverse operation. This is a method in which a reproduction operation is performed in a state where the display is performed.

[Second Embodiment] Next, an example of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the description of the first embodiment, the updating of the segment data in the memory 26 is not described. However, if there is no means for writing the segment data in the memory 26, the segment data as the teaching material is Only one type can be offered. If the memory 26 can be configured with a very large capacity and can store a large number of teaching materials, there is no particular problem, but since the user actually wants to select and play the teaching materials, If the playback device 1
It is necessary to store data as teaching materials in the memory 26 when using the. For this reason, although not described, it is necessary to be able to load the teaching material data into the memory 26 by some interface means.

On the other hand, in the example of the second embodiment, the user can select his or her favorite teaching material by forming a portion corresponding to the memory 26 with a removable memory card 50 as shown in FIG. It is like that. In other words, as the memory card 50, a variety of teaching materials such as English conversation beginner, English conversation intermediate, English conversation advanced, German conversation, etc. are prepared, and the user obtains a memory card containing the learning materials that he / she wants to study. , Loaded in the playback device 1A. For this purpose, as shown in FIG.
Is formed with a memory slot 15 into which a memory card 50 is inserted and mounted.

FIG. 11 shows an example of the internal structure. The difference from FIG. 2 is that a memory card drive 27 is provided.
The only difference is that the memory card 50 mounted in the memory slot 15 can be accessed.

The detailed description of the operation is the same as that of the first embodiment, and will not be repeated. However, since the management information and the segment are stored in the memory card 50 as shown in FIG. Is a process that enables reproduction of each segment, sets a skip flag for a certain segment in response to the operation of the skip key 10 by the user, and omits reproduction of a segment for which the skip flag is set at the time of reproduction or the like. Becomes possible. Therefore, in the reproducing apparatus 1A of the second embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained, and the teaching material can be changed only by replacing the memory card 50, which is convenient. Becomes

[Third Embodiment] Next, a reproducing apparatus 1B according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In this example, by connecting to an external playback device (for example, a mini-disc player: hereinafter referred to as an MD player), it is possible to rewrite the segment data as teaching materials stored in the memory 26 inside the playback device 1B. ing. That is, for example, MD (mini disk)
Media with audio for teaching materials is provided as
The user records the teaching material recorded on the MD in the memory 26 inside the playback device 1B so that the playback device 1B can learn the teaching material.

In this reproducing apparatus 1B, as shown in FIG. 12, in addition to those described in FIG.
A recording key 12 and an operation mode key 13 are prepared. The recording key 12 is a key for performing an operation of instructing recording of a voice such as a teaching material from the MD player 80, and the operation mode key 13 is a key for switching an operation mode between a reproduction mode and a recording mode.

A connection cord 70 is prepared for connection with the MD player 80. Both ends of the connection cord 70 are a connector 71 having an audio terminal 72 and a control terminal 73 formed thereon. And the playback device 1B
Is formed with a connector jack 16 for connecting the connector portion 71. On the MD player 80 side, the connector section 71 is connected to a so-called headphone remote control terminal, and the audio terminal section 72 is supplied with an analog audio signal that is reproduced by the MD player 80 and normally output through headphones. Control terminal 7
At 3, the control signal can be exchanged with the reproducing apparatus 1B. Specifically, the control terminal section includes a power terminal, a ground terminal, a display data terminal, and a command terminal.

FIG. 13 shows the internal structure of the reproducing apparatus 1B.
Note that the same parts as those in FIG.
This example differs from the example of FIG. 2 in that a recording system and a command interface system for audio signals from the MD player 80 are formed.

As described above, the MD player 80 is connected to the connector jack 16 via the connection cord 70.
The audio terminal section 72 supplies the L and R stereo analog audio signals (AA (L) and AA (R)) reproduced by the MD player 80.
When the playback device 1B is in the recording mode, the playback is performed by the MD player 80 and the connector jack 1
6, analog audio signals AA (L), AA
(R) is converted into digital audio data by an A / D converter 29 and then subjected to a predetermined compression process in a compression encoder 28. The compressed data is supplied to the control unit 21 as recording data DREC, and is stored in the memory 2.
6 is written as segment data.
Also, the analog audio signal AA (R) of the R channel is
The operation is supplied to the partition detection unit 30 and a detection operation of a partition signal described later is performed. The detection result is notified to the control unit 21.

The control section 21 and the MD player 80 (M
The controller in the D player 80)
, The transmission and reception of commands and display data. For example, in the recording mode, the information on the track number reproduced by the MD player 80 is transmitted as display data to be displayed on the display unit 2, and the control unit 21 transmits the information to the MD player 80 on the MD player 80 side. The command CMD for instructing the reproducing operation is transmitted.

Here, the MD reproduced by the MD player 80
(Optical disk or magneto-optical disk called mini disk) will be described. Usually, music and the like are recorded on the MD in units of “tracks”. That is, in the case of music, one song is managed and recorded as one track. For example, as shown in FIG. 14A, tracks TK # 1 to TK # 6
Considering the MD on which this track is recorded, this track TK #
1 to TK # 6 each constitute one piece of music. Of course, the present invention is not limited to music. For example, a series of conversation sounds may be recorded as one track as English conversation teaching materials. In any case, in a normal MD, each track records stereo audio data such as L channel and R channel, such as music and conversation voice, as shown in FIG.

On the other hand, in the reproducing apparatus 1B of the present embodiment, the audio data recorded in the memory 26 is reproduced in segment units, similarly to the reproducing apparatus 1 of the first embodiment. The capacity of the memory 26 is, for example, about 3 minutes for compressed audio data (monaural), and thus one segment is a data unit having a very short reproduction time length. For example, assuming that one sentence and one segment of a conversation voice are, the reproduction time of one segment is about several seconds to about ten and several seconds. For this reason, it is not impossible to make one track of the MD correspond to one segment, but it is not practically appropriate.

In consideration of such points, a dedicated MD (dedicated disk) for recording a teaching material to the reproducing apparatus 1B is prepared. In the case of this dedicated disk, for example, as shown in FIG.
It is assumed that a conversation voice is recorded on a channel, and a separation signal Q is recorded on an R channel in order to set the separation of the conversation voice. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, the sine wave signal of 10 KHz
Signal (audio signal) recorded three times at msec intervals
And is inserted at a timing immediately before one sentence as a conversation in the L channel is started.

That is, the delimiter signal Q is the L of the dedicated disk.
When recording the teaching material voice recorded in the channel in the memory 26 in the playback device 1B, the timing indicates the segment break timing, and the control unit 21 performs the segment split for the voice to be recorded at the timing when the break signal is obtained. In this state, management information is generated in segment units as shown in FIG. Note that the delimiter signal Q
May be special audio data that is considered to be hardly generated in normal music or audio, and is not limited to audio signals as shown in FIG.

As described above, the dedicated disc is a disc in which the teaching material audio is recorded on the L channel and the delimiter signal Q is recorded on the R channel, and one track forms one teaching material. For example, the track TK # 1 of the dedicated disc has an English conversation beginner course, the track TK # 2 is an intermediate English conversation course, and the like.
Recording is performed in the memory 26 of the playback device 1B. Of course, the reproduction time of one track is set to a length that can be stored in the memory 26 (for example, within 3 minutes). For example, when recording a track TK # 1 (English conversation beginner course), the recorded data is divided into segments at the timing determined by the delimiter signal Q recorded on the R channel of the track. Become.

As described above, the gist of the present invention is that a skip flag can be set so that a segment determined to be unnecessary by the user is not played back. Therefore, unless the data of a certain track recorded from the MD is divided into segments in the memory 26 (although it is possible to reproduce the entire track continuously), the skip flag of the present invention is set. The effect of the setting cannot be enjoyed. For this reason, in a dedicated disk, the segmentation is performed as shown in FIG.
It is assumed that audio data is recorded in a form as shown in FIG.

Here, the MD loaded in the MD player 80
FIG. 16 shows an example of the processing performed by the control unit 21 when the sound used as the teaching material is reproduced and recorded in the memory 26.
When the playback device 1B is connected to the MD player 80 with the connection cord 70 and the user sets the recording mode with the operation mode key 13, the playback and playback with the MD player 80 are performed according to the operation of the recording key 12 by the user. Device 1B
The recording process is started. In this recording process, the control unit 21 controls the operation of the MD player 80, so that the user only needs to perform operations on the playback device 1B side.

That is, in the recording mode, the recording key 12
When the operation is detected, the control unit 21 proceeds to step F6.
From 01 to F602, a command CMD is first issued to cause the MD player 80 to set the output level to a predetermined level. That is, recording is performed on an analog audio signal output as headphone output audio from the MD player 80. Therefore, if the headphone output volume is set to zero or a small level on the MD player side, good recording cannot be performed. . Therefore, at the time of the recording process, the output level is first specified.

Next, in step F603, the MD player 80 is made to access the head of the track to be reproduced. Note that the track to be reproduced on the MD player side is selected by the user before operating the recording key 12. This selection operation can be performed using the fast forward key 7 and the fast reverse key 6 of the playback device 1B. That is, the control unit 21 controls the fast forward key 7 and the fast rewind key 6 in the recording mode.
Is operated, it is regarded as a track selection operation on the MD player 80 side, and a command for instructing the MD player 80 to increment or decrement the track number to be reproduced is issued.

Subsequently, in step F604, a command is issued to the MD player to start reproduction of the designated track. In response, the MD player 80 starts a reproducing operation, and the reproduced L and R stereo audio signals are input from the connector jack 16. Here, first, the control unit 21 confirms the detection result of the partition detection unit 30,
At the time of starting the reproduction, it is confirmed whether or not the division signal Q is detected from the R channel audio signal. Assuming that a dedicated disc is being reproduced by the MD player 80, FIG.
Since the delimiter signal Q is recorded at each head position of the segment as shown in the above, if the delimiter signal Q is not detected within a few seconds at the start of reproduction, for example, a general disc which is not a dedicated disc is being reproduced. Can be determined.

In this example, if it is determined that a general disc is being reproduced, the process proceeds to step F606 to stop the recording process. That is, the recording is permitted only for the dedicated disk. In the case of recording a track from a general disk, the appropriate segmentation cannot be performed because the delimiter signal Q does not exist, so that it is impossible to record appropriate data as a teaching material, and the recording is disabled.

If the delimiter signal Q is detected immediately after the start of reproduction by the MD player 80, the reproduced M
Since D is a dedicated disk, the process proceeds to step F607 to start the recording process of the sound input as the L channel. That is, A /
After being converted into digital data by the D converter 29, compression processing is performed by the compression encoder 28 and stored in the memory 26.

When the recording process is started in this manner, in step F608, the end of the reproduction of the track on the MD player 80 is waited, and in step F609, the R channel delimiter signal Q is monitored. If the delimiter signal Q is detected, the process proceeds to step F610, and the process is performed on the assumption that the audio signal input immediately after that point is the head point of the segment. That is, the detection timing of the separation signal Q is held as the timing of the segment separation point.

If it is detected that the reproduction of the track has been completed, the process proceeds to step F611 to terminate the recording process of the L-channel audio signal, and then generates management information in step F612. That is, management information as shown in FIG. 3B is generated such that the audio data for one track recorded in the memory 26 is segmented at the division timing held in step 610. . Specifically, the address where the audio data input immediately after the timing at which the delimiter signal Q is detected is set as the start address of each segment. Of course, the end address is the address immediately before the start address of the next segment. At this time, the skip flag for each segment is set to the initial state (= "1").

By performing the recording process as described above, the MD
As in the case of the example of the first embodiment, a track as a teaching material recorded from is recorded in the memory 26 in a segmented state. (FIG. 3
(A state like (a)) Therefore, during the operation in the reproduction mode, the processing of FIGS. 5 to 9 is performed by the control unit 21 so that the reproduction is performed in segment units as in the example of the first embodiment. , The reproduction of the segment for which the skip flag is set is omitted, and a reproduction operation suitable for the user can be provided.

In the case of the third embodiment, if the user purchases a dedicated disk containing a large number of teaching materials as tracks TK # 1 to TK # n, the user selects the learning material desired to learn and reproduces the material. 1B and the playback device 1
You will be able to learn using B. If one teaching material (track) is about 3 minutes long, the MD has 74
Minutes of audio can be recorded, so that one dedicated disc can record, for example, about 25 teaching materials, so that users can obtain a variety of learning just by obtaining one dedicated disc. Become.

By the way, in the processing example shown in FIG. 16, only the dedicated disk can be recorded. However, the sound may be recorded even in the case of a general disk. However, in such a case, as described above, one track is recorded without being divided into segments. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a means for dividing into segments in order to use it as a teaching material. For this purpose, it is conceivable to provide, for example, a silence detecting unit, and determine a segment where no sound is input for a predetermined period of time (for example, about 2 to 5 seconds) as a segment division point to perform segment division. Alternatively, an operator for instructing segment division by a user is provided, and the user presses the operator at a required timing while monitoring an audio signal during recording. Then, the control unit 21 may recognize the operation timing as a segment division point for the data to be recorded, and may segment the recorded data.

Note that these segment divisions are for making the skip flag function effective, and there is no need to perform the segment division when the skip flag function is not used. For example, if a track playback sound as a music piece is recorded in the memory 26 and the playback apparatus 1B wants to listen to the music piece repeatedly, there is no need to perform segment division.

Although various embodiments have been described above, it goes without saying that various modifications are possible for the configuration and processing example of the playback apparatus of the present invention. In particular, various skip flag setting operation methods and operation methods for clearing the skip flag can be considered. In the above example, when the clear operation is performed, the skip flag for all the segments is cleared. However, for example, when the clear operation is performed with the segment specified, the skip for the segment is performed. A process in which only the flag is cleared may be performed. In the third embodiment, an example in which the teaching material is recorded from the MD player has been described. However, a configuration in which the teaching material is recorded on another type of media such as a CD (compact disc) and recording is performed from the recording material is also considered. Can be

[0078]

As described above, according to the reproducing apparatus of the present invention, when a flag setting operation is performed on a certain program (for example, the segment) by the operating means, the skip flag corresponding to the program is set. Is performed. At the time of reproduction, reproduction is executed for a program for which the skip flag is not set.
That is, the reproduction is made to proceed in a state where the program for which the skip flag is set is omitted. Therefore, if the user performs a flag setting operation on a program that does not need to be played back, the program can be prevented from being played back without performing a fast forward operation or the like at the playback timing of the program. It is simplified and allows the user to concentrate on the reproduced sound.
Therefore, it is very suitable for a learning device.

The skip flag set for the program as described above can be cleared according to the operation.
That is, a program that has been set so as not to be reproduced once can be returned to a state in which it is reproduced later. Therefore, the program once set to the reproduction skip state can be reproduced even if it is desired to reproduce it later. For example, as a learning device, it is also possible to reconfirm the sentence remembered. Also, being able to return to a state in which playback is easily performed as a clear operation in this way means that it is possible to easily set a skip flag. A variety of programs that are not reproduced in accordance with the conditions can be freely set, and meaningful learning can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an appearance of a playback device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a playback device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of segment data and management information stored in a memory according to the embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a reproducing operation according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a process at the time of a reproduction operation according to the embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a process at the time of a skip operation according to the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a process at the time of a clear operation according to the embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a process at the time of a fast-forward operation of the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a process at the time of a fast-return operation according to the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of an appearance of a playback device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a playback device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of an appearance of a playback device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a playback device according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a dedicated disk and a general disk used in the third embodiment.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of a partition signal of a dedicated disk used in the third embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart of a recording process according to the third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 1A, 1B playback device, 2 display unit, 4 play / pause key, 6 fast rewind key, 7 fast forward key, 8 repeat key, 10 skip key, 11 clear key, 1
2 Recording key, 21 control unit, 22 operation unit, 24 D
/ A converter, 25 audio circuit section, 26 memory,
27 memory card, 28 compression encoder, 29 A
/ D converter, 30 division detection unit

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A storage unit in which main data is managed and stored as a program serving as a reproduction unit, a reproduction processing unit capable of reproducing and outputting the program stored in the storage unit, and the storage unit A flag setting operation corresponding to each program stored in, and operation means capable of performing a reproduction operation for each of the programs, and when the flag setting operation is performed for a certain program by the operation means, A flag control unit for performing a process of setting a skip flag corresponding to the program; and when the reproduction operation is performed by the operation unit, the reproduction processing unit reproduces the program for which the skip flag is not set. A playback control means for performing a process of executing the playback device. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation unit is configured to perform a flag clear operation, and the flag control unit performs a process of clearing a set skip flag when the flag clear operation is performed. The playback device according to claim 1, wherein: