JP2001136094A - On-vehicle audio device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an on-vehicle audio unit by which a user can stably use a headphone system even when the user is apart from a vehicle. SOLUTION: When a headphone device is in use, a control section 1' control an antenna changeover section 16 to throw connection of an antenna 12 to a position of a transmission section 11 and transmits an instruction of revision of a length of the antenna 12 to a power antenna control section 13. The power antenna control section 13 controls a motor (not shown) to set the length of the antenna 12 to a length suitable for the transmission, an audio processor 8 inputs an audio signal to be outputted from a loud speaker 10 to an amplifier 9 and allows the loud speaker 10 to output it, input the audio signal to a transmission section 11, which modulates the audio signal to a transmission signal and transmits the resulting signal to the headphone system 15.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an in-vehicle audio device, and more particularly to an in-vehicle audio device capable of transmitting to a headphone device a sound of a source different from a sound output from a speaker of a vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Audio devices mounted on vehicles include:
Various playback units such as a CD, an MD, a cassette tape, and a radio are connected, and a user operates an operation unit to play back a desired source and output sound from a speaker. Recently, there has been proposed a device in which a headphone device can be used to enjoy a sound of a source different from a source sound output from a speaker in a vehicle using a headphone device. Each is designed to be enjoyable. The transmission of the audio signal to the headphone device is not limited to wire transmission, and there is also a device in which a receiving device is built in the headphone device and transmitted wirelessly. In this case, the audio signal to be transmitted to the headphones is 900, for example.
It modulates to a transmission signal of MHz, demodulates a signal received by the receiving device on the headphone side, and outputs an audio signal from a speaker of the headphone.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a configuration of an on-vehicle audio device using a headphone for a rear seat. In the figure,
1 is a control unit for controlling the entire audio apparatus, 2 is an operation unit for selecting a source and adjusting the volume, 3 is a CD playback unit for playing a CD, 4 is a tape playback unit for playing a cassette tape, and 5 is an MD. An MD reproducing unit for reproducing, a CD changer unit for selecting and reproducing a plurality of CDs, and a radio receiving unit for receiving a radio broadcast. Reference numeral 8 denotes a source audio signal which performs various kinds of signal processing on audio signals input from the CD reproducing unit 3, the tape reproducing unit 4, the MD reproducing unit 5, the CD changer unit 6, and the radio receiving unit 7, and outputs from a speaker in the vehicle. , An audio processor that outputs a source audio signal output from a headphone device to a transmission unit described below, an amplifier 9 that amplifies an audio signal input from the audio processor 8, and a speaker 10. .

A transmitting unit 11 modulates an audio signal input from the audio processor 8 to a transmission frequency and transmits the modulated signal.
Reference numeral 12 denotes a transmission antenna built in the audio device main body, which is an antenna for transmitting to the rear seat headphone device. Reference numeral 13 denotes a power antenna control unit that controls expansion and contraction of the antenna in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 1. Reference numeral 14 denotes a radio broadcast receiving antenna installed outside the vehicle.
Reference numeral 5 denotes a headphone device having a built-in receiving unit (not shown).

For example, when audio of a CD is output from the speaker 10 in the vehicle and audio of a cassette tape is output from the headphone device 15, the control unit 1 controls the CD reproduction unit 3 to reproduce the CD, The tape playback unit 4 is controlled to play back the cassette tape. The CD reproducing unit 3 and the tape reproducing unit 4 input the reproduced audio signals to the audio processor 8, respectively. The audio processor 8 processes the input CD playback audio signal and tape playback audio signal, and outputs the CD audio signal to the amplifier 9 and the tape audio signal to the transmission unit 11.

The amplifier 9 amplifies the CD audio signal input from the audio processor 8 and outputs the amplified audio signal from the speaker 10. The transmitter 11 modulates the tape audio signal input from the audio processor 8 into, for example, a 900 MHz transmission signal. The headphone device 15 demodulates the received signal into an audio signal and outputs it.

[0007] By doing so, the sound of a source different from the sound output from the speaker in the vehicle is output using the headphone device for the rear seat, and the person in the rear seat is output from the speaker in the vehicle. It allows you to enjoy a different sound than the one that sounds.

[0008] It is also desired that the headphone device can be used not only inside a vehicle but also outside the vehicle. For example, there may be cases in which reading is performed while listening to music on a bench remote from the vehicle position, or fishing is enjoyed while listening to music on a river slightly away from the vehicle position. Even in such a case, an audio signal is wirelessly transmitted from a built-in antenna of the audio device body mounted on the vehicle to a headphone device outside the vehicle, received by the headphone device, demodulated and output as an audio signal, and output from the vehicle. The music can be enjoyed even at the location.

[0009]

By the way, when an internal antenna is used for an audio device installed in a vehicle,
The body of the vehicle acts as a shield, which limits the reach of signals from the transmitter. As shown in FIG. 3A, there is a problem that the range in which radio waves can reach differs depending on the direction of the vehicle depending on the body shape of the vehicle, and the range in which the headphone device can be used is limited by the direction from the vehicle.

When the headphone device is used at a position distant from the vehicle, it is desirable that the setting of the reproducing unit such as a CD is set to repeat setting, and the reproduction is repeated from the beginning when the reproduction is completed. That is, if the reproduction is not set, the user needs to return to the vehicle and perform the reproduction operation when the reproduction of the source is completed using the headphone device outside the vehicle. It is only necessary to set the reproduction to be repeated. However, if the user forgets to set the reproduction, the user must return to the vehicle and set each time, which is inconvenient.

From the above, it is an object of the present invention to use a radio broadcast receiving antenna also as a transmitting antenna to a headphone device, set an antenna length suitable for radio receiving at the time of radio broadcasting receiving, and set an antenna length suitable for radio receiving at the time of transmitting to a headphone. An object of the present invention is to provide an in-vehicle audio device that sets an antenna length suitable for transmission.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an in-vehicle audio apparatus which automatically sets a source output from a headphone to repetitive reproduction when the headphone apparatus operates.

[0013]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, an audio signal of a source selected from a plurality of audio sources is output from a speaker in a vehicle, and the same or a different source as the selected source is output. An expandable antenna installed in a vehicle, an antenna control means for controlling expansion and contraction of the antenna, and a radio broadcast reception for receiving a radio broadcast. Means, a transmitting means for transmitting an audio signal to a headphone device, an antenna switching means for switching and connecting the antenna to the radio broadcast receiving means and the transmitting means, and an antenna switching means for receiving a radio broadcast. By connecting the antenna to the radio broadcast receiving means, , The length of the antenna is set to suitable radio receiver length by the antenna length control means,
When transmitting to the headphone device, the antenna switching means sets the connection of the antenna to the transmitting means side, and the antenna length control means sets a length of the antenna to a length suitable for transmission. This is achieved by an in-vehicle audio device provided.

That is, with the above-described configuration, the headphone device can be used in a wide range outside the vehicle by using the radio receiving antenna installed in the vehicle as a transmission antenna to the headphone device.

Further, according to the present invention, the above object is attained by a vehicle-mounted audio device that sets the reproduction of an audio source transmitted to the headphone device to repetitive reproduction at the time of transmission to the headphone device.

That is, with the above-described configuration, during transmission to the headphone device, the setting of the reproducing section for the headphone output can be automatically set to the repetitive reproduction setting.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (a) Configuration of a vehicle-mounted audio device FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle-mounted audio device of the present invention.
1 'is a control unit for controlling the entire in-vehicle audio device, 2 is an operation unit for selecting a source to be reproduced and adjusting the volume, and 3 is a C unit.
CD playback section for playing back D; 4 for tape playback section for playing back cassette tape; 5 for MD playback section for playing back MD; 6 for CD changer section for selecting and playing one of a plurality of CDs; Is a radio receiving unit for receiving a radio broadcast.

Reference numeral 8 denotes a CD reproducing unit 3, a tape reproducing unit 4, an MD
An audio processor that adjusts the volume of the audio signal input from the reproducing unit 5, the CD changer unit 6, and the radio receiving unit 7; an amplifier 9 that amplifies the audio signal input from the audio processor 8;
A transmission unit 11 modulates an audio signal input from the audio processor 8 into a signal for transmission and transmits the signal. 13
Is a power antenna control unit that controls expansion and contraction of the antenna in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 1 ', 14 is a telescopic antenna installed outside the vehicle, and 15 is a headphone device with a built-in receiving unit (not shown). In response to an instruction from the control unit 1 ′, the connection of the antenna is performed by the radio reception unit 7 and the transmission unit 11.
This is an antenna switching unit that switches between.

The user operates the operation unit 2 to select a source, adjust a volume, select a music, select a radio station, etc., select a source to be output from a speaker in the vehicle, and turn on a headphone device. , Off, or select the source output from the headphone device.

When the radio mode is selected by the operation unit 2, the control unit 1 ′ controls the antenna switching unit 16 to connect the antenna to the radio receiving unit 7,
An instruction to extend the antenna is sent to the power antenna control unit 13. The power antenna control unit 13 controls a motor (not shown) to extend the antenna 14 according to an instruction from the control unit 1 '. Then, the radio receiving unit 7 is transmitted through the antenna 14.
Receives a broadcast of a desired broadcast station and inputs the broadcast to the audio processor 8. The audio processor 8 performs volume adjustment processing and the like on a radio audio signal input from the radio receiving unit 7, amplifies the signal with an amplifier 9, and outputs the amplified signal from a speaker 10.

On the other hand, when the headphone device is used, the control unit 1 ′ controls the antenna switching unit 16 to switch the connection of the antenna to the transmission unit 11, and the power antenna control unit 13 transmits the antenna length to the power antenna control unit 13. Instructing the change, the power antenna control unit 13 controls a motor (not shown) to set the length of the antenna 14 to a length suitable for the transmission frequency to the headphone device. Then, the audio processor 8 sends an audio signal to be output from the speaker 10 in the vehicle to the amplifier 9 and outputs the audio signal from the speaker, and inputs an audio signal to be output from the headphone device 15 to the transmitting unit 11. The signal is modulated into a transmission signal and transmitted to the headphone device 15. Then, the headphone device 15 demodulates the received signal into an audio signal and outputs it.

(B) Description of the state of expansion and contraction of the antenna FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the antenna in the on-vehicle audio device of the present invention. FIG. 2 (a) is an explanatory diagram at the time of radio reception, and FIG. It is an explanatory diagram at the time of transmission,
CAR is a vehicle, and ANT is an antenna.

When a radio broadcast is received by the on-vehicle audio device, as shown in FIG.
Is set to L1, which is a length suitable for radio reception,
When the headphone device operates, as shown in FIG. 2B, the length of the antenna ANT is set to L which is a length suitable for transmission.
Make 2 That is, when receiving a radio broadcast, the antenna A
The length of NT is L1 which is a length suitable for the wavelength of radio broadcasting.
On the other hand, when a signal is transmitted to the headphone device, the length of the antenna ANT is set to L2, which is a length suitable for transmission, so that the transmission signal reaches a wide area outside the vehicle.

(C) Description of Transmission Range FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the transmission range of the transmission antenna built in the on-vehicle audio device and the transmission range of the antenna attached to the vehicle, where CAR is the vehicle and AS is the audio. The apparatus main body, ANT is an antenna, and HF is headphones. In the figure, an area surrounded by a dotted line is an area that can be received by headphones.

FIG. 3 (a) shows a vehicle-mounted audio device main unit AS.
3 shows a transmission possible range of an antenna built in the antenna. As shown in the figure, since the antenna is surrounded by the body of the vehicle and the effect of the shield is generated, the distance that the transmission radio wave reaches varies depending on the direction from the vehicle. On the other hand, FIG. 3 (b) shows a transmittable range of an antenna mounted on a vehicle. As shown in the figure, since the antenna is mounted so as to go out of the vehicle, the headphone device can receive radio waves over a wide area having a substantially circular shape without being electromagnetically shielded.

(C) Operation Flow FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an operation flow of the on-vehicle audio device of the present invention. First, the control unit 1 'determines whether the mode is the radio reception mode (step S101). If the mode is the radio reception mode, the switch of the antenna switching unit 16 is switched to the radio reception unit 7 (step S102). ),
Instruct the power antenna control unit 13 to set the antenna length to a length L1 (see FIG. 2) suitable for receiving radio broadcasts,
The power antenna control unit 13 controls a motor (not shown) based on an antenna length change instruction input from the control unit 1 '.
To set the length of the antenna 14 to L1 (step S103).

The control section 1 'receives a desired radio broadcast by the radio receiving section 7, performs signal processing by the audio processor 8, and converts the processed audio signal into an amplifier 9
And output from the speaker 10 (step S1).
04).

In step S102, if the mode is not the radio reception mode, the control unit 1 'determines whether or not the user operates the operation unit 2 to set the use of the headphone device (step S105). If not used, the process directly exits.

If it is determined in step S105 that the headphone device is used, the control unit 1 'repeatedly sets the reproduction unit to be output from the headphone device 16 to the reproduction setting (step S106).

Then, the control section 1 '
Switch to the transmission unit 11 side (step S10).
7) Length L2 suitable for transmitting the antenna length to headphone device 15 to power antenna control unit 13 (see FIG. 2)
The power antenna control unit 13 controls the motor (not shown) according to the antenna length change instruction input from the control unit 1 ′, and controls the motor 14 (not shown) so that the antenna 14 has a length suitable for transmission to the headphone device 15. Is set to L2 (step S108).

Thereafter, the audio processor 8 inputs the audio signal to be output from the speaker 10 in the vehicle to the amplifier 9 and outputs the audio signal from the speaker 10, and also inputs the audio signal to be output from the headphone device 15 to the transmitting unit 11. The transmission unit 11 modulates the input audio signal into a transmission signal and transmits the signal from the antenna 14 (step S109).

In this manner, the sound of one source can be output from the speaker in the vehicle, and the sound of another source can be transmitted and output to the headphone device. When the headphone device is used, the reproduction of the source to be output from the headphone device can be automatically set to the repetitive reproduction.

In the description of the above embodiment, the headphone device cannot be used when the sound source output from the in-vehicle speaker is radio, but when the headphone device is used, the in-vehicle device is forcibly forced. The audio output from the speaker may be different from the radio.

The present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments.
The present invention can be variously modified in accordance with the gist of the present invention described in the claims, and the present invention does not exclude these.

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention, an antenna for receiving a radio broadcast and a transmitting antenna for a headphone device are used in common, and the length of the antenna is changed between when receiving a radio broadcast and when transmitting from a headphone device. Accordingly, when the headphone device is used outside the vehicle, the transmission range from the vehicle can be widened.

According to the present invention, when the headphone device is used, the reproduction of the source output from the headphone device is automatically set to the repetitive reproduction, so that the reproduction of the source output from the headphone device ends. The user does not need to return to the vehicle each time, which is convenient.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an in-vehicle audio device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an antenna of the in-vehicle audio device.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a transmission range.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an operation flow of the in-vehicle audio device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a conventional in-vehicle audio device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 '... Control unit 2 ... Operation unit 3 ... CD playback unit 4 ... Tape playback unit 5 ... MD playback unit 6 ... CD changer unit 7 ... Radio reception unit 8. ..Audio processor 9 ... Amplifier 10 ... Speaker 11 ... Transmission unit 13 ... Power antenna control unit 14 ... Antenna 15 ... Headphone device 16 ... Antenna switching unit

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An audio signal of a source selected from a plurality of audio sources is output from a speaker in a vehicle, and an audio signal of the same or another source as the selected source is wirelessly transmitted to a headphone device. A vehicle-mounted audio device, comprising: a telescopic antenna installed in a vehicle; an antenna control means for controlling expansion and contraction of the antenna; a radio broadcast receiving means for receiving a radio broadcast; and a transmitting means for transmitting an audio signal to a headphone device. Antenna switching means for switching the antenna between the radio broadcast receiving means and the transmitting means for connection; and when receiving a radio broadcast, the antenna switching means sets the antenna connection to the radio broadcast receiving means side. The antenna length control means. The length of the antenna is set to a length suitable for radio reception, and at the time of transmission to the headphone device, the connection of the antenna is set to the transmission unit side by the antenna switching unit, and the antenna length is controlled by the antenna length control unit. A vehicle-mounted audio device comprising: a control unit that sets a length suitable for transmission. 2. When transmitting to the headphone device,
2. The in-vehicle audio device according to claim 1, wherein the reproduction of the audio source transmitted to the headphone device is set to the repetitive reproduction.