JP2002369279A - Audio equipment and audio system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an audio system which can drive speakers set in a plurality of rooms with high convenience and can be constructed with ease. SOLUTION: An audio system 1 comprises a switching device 2 which is connected to a speaker set 6 via a speaker code 11 and is connected to a speaker set 7 via a speaker code 12; and the switching device 2 performs sound reproduction by using the speaker sets 6 and 7, based on a sound source specified from sound sources of a tape recorder 3, a CD player 4, and a tuner 5 through the operation of a key operation part 23. Further, in the switching device 2, an sound signal is transmitted by radio through a radio transmitting section 24. Thus, the radio signal is received by a radio receiving section 8, so that sound reproduction can be made by the speaker set 7, even without providing the speaker code 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an audio device having a plurality of output systems, and an audio system including the audio device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, some audio amplifiers and receivers of an audio system can output a plurality of speakers. When these devices are used, not only can a surround sound field be reproduced, but if the speaker cord is extended, sound can be output in a plurality of rooms using a single device. In a plurality of rooms, installing audio equipment in each room requires a large amount of cost.However, if the above equipment is used, only one device is required, so that an audio system can be easily constructed in a plurality of rooms. did it.

[0003]

However, it is wasteful to output audio signals to a plurality of speaker outputs at all times. Therefore, in an audio system using the above-described device, a device having a speaker output needs to output each speaker output. ON / OFF was being switched. Therefore, no matter which speaker output is used, it is necessary to always turn on the speaker output of the device. That is, when using a speaker in a room where the device is not installed, it is necessary to go to the room where the device is installed and switch the speaker output to ON.

As described above, even if an audio system is configured to drive speakers installed in a plurality of rooms by one device, the convenience is lower than when an audio system is configured for each room. was there.

[0005] Further, when the room in which the above-mentioned equipment is installed is separated from the room in which the speaker is installed, the cost and labor for arranging the speaker cords are large.
There was a problem that simplicity was impaired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an audio system which can drive speakers installed in a plurality of rooms, is highly convenient, and can be easily constructed.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, an input terminal connected to an external device and a voice signal connected to a speaker through a wire and input from the input terminal are provided. It is characterized by comprising a wired output means for outputting to the speaker and a transmission means for wirelessly transmitting the audio signal input from the input terminal.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an audio apparatus for outputting sound from a speaker based on audio signals input from a plurality of input systems, wherein any one of the audio signals input from the plurality of input systems is provided. Selecting means, a wired output means for outputting the audio signal selected by the selecting means to the speaker, and a transmitting means for wirelessly transmitting the audio signal selected by the selecting means, I have.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2,
The configuration and operation of an audio system according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described.

First, the configuration will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the audio system 1. As shown in FIG. 1, an audio system 1 includes a switching device 2, a tape recorder 3 connected to the switching device 2, and a CD (Compac
t Disk) It is composed of a player 4, a tuner 5, and speaker sets 6, 7 connected to the switching device 2 via speaker cords 11, 12, respectively.

Here, the switching device 2 corresponds to the audio device described in the claims, the radio transmission unit 24 corresponds to the transmission means in the claims, and the radio reception unit 8 corresponds to the reception device in the claims. Corresponding to In addition, switches SW1 and S
W2 and SW3 correspond to the selecting means described in the claims, wherein the switch SW1 corresponds to the first selecting unit, the switches SW2 and SW3 correspond to the second selecting unit, and the switch SW4
Corresponds to the wired output means described in the claims.

In the audio system 1 shown in FIG. 1, description of an amplifier is omitted for convenience of explanation. The sound source connected to the switching device 2 is an analog record player or an MD (Mini Disk).
) A player or the like can also be connected, and in the present embodiment, the tape recorder 3,
The figure shows a case where a CD player 4 and a tuner 5 are connected.

The switching device 2 is connected to a tape recorder 3, a CD player 4 and a tuner 5 as sound sources, and performs sound reproduction by the speaker sets 6 and 7 using a sound source designated by the user among these sound sources. Is what you do.

The speaker sets 6 and 7 are installed in different rooms, respectively. The speaker set 6 is composed of a pair of speakers 61 and 62 and is connected to the switching device 2 via the speaker cord 11. And
The speakers 61 and 62 are driven based on the audio signal input from the switching device 2 via the speaker cord 11, and perform sound reproduction.

On the other hand, the speaker set 7 includes a pair of speakers 71 and 72 and a radio receiver 8. The speakers 71, 72 are connected to the switching device 2 via the speaker cord 12, while being connected to the wireless receiving unit 8.

The radio receiving section 8 has a built-in antenna, demodulation circuit and the like (not shown). I do. Note that the wireless receiving unit 8
It operates by a power supply (not shown) independent of the switching device 2.

Accordingly, the speakers 71 and 72 are driven based on the audio signal input from the switching device 2 via the speaker cord 12 and the audio signal input from the wireless reception unit 8 to reproduce sound.

The switching device 2 includes switches SW1 to SW5, a control unit 21, a memory 22, and a key operation unit 2.
3 and a wireless transmission unit 24. The control unit 21
The switches W1 to SW5, the key operation unit 23, and the wireless transmission unit 24 are connected via a control bus indicated by a broken line in FIG.

The control unit 21 has a built-in memory 22 and operates the switch SW by operating the key operation unit 23.
When the switching of 1 to SW5 is instructed, the contents of the instruction are stored in the memory 22. Further, the control unit 21 includes a switch SW
1 to SW5, and connected to the memory 22.
Switches SW1-S based on the instruction contents stored in
W5 switching control is performed.

The key operation unit 23 includes switches SW1 to SW
Various keys for instructing ON / OFF switching in 5 are provided. When these keys are operated, an operation signal corresponding to the operated key is generated and output to the control unit 21.

The switch SW1 provided in the switching device 2 includes a switch SW1- having an input terminal connected to the tape recorder 3.
1. Switch S whose input terminal is connected to CD player 4
It comprises three switches W1-2 and a switch SW1-3 whose input end is connected to the tuner 5.

At the output terminal of the switch SW1, the output terminals of the switches SW1-1, SW1-2 and SW1-3 are set to 1
Are grouped into one signal line. Therefore, in the switch SW1, the switches SW1-1 and SW1-
2 and SW1-3, only one of the switches is ON, and an audio signal from a sound source connected to the input terminal of the ON switch is output from the output terminal of the switch SW1. You.

The switches SW1-1, SW1-2,
In SW1-3, ON / OFF by the control unit 21
The switching control by the control unit 21 is performed by the switches SW1-1, SW1-2, and SW1-2.
This is performed so that only one of the switches 1-3 is turned on.

The output terminal of the switch SW1 is connected to the input terminals of a switch SW3-1 of the switch SW3 and a switch SW4-1 of the switch SW4 described later.

As described above, the switch SW1 is connected to the control unit 2
1, one of the sound sources of the tape recorder 3, the CD player 4, and the tuner 5 is selected, and the switch SW3-1 and the switch SW3 are selected.
This is a switch for outputting to 4-1.

The switch SW2 included in the switching device 2 is a switch SW2- having an input terminal connected to the tape recorder 3.
1. Switch S whose input terminal is connected to CD player 4
W2-2 and a switch SW2-3 whose input terminal is connected to the tuner 5 are provided.

At the output terminal of the switch SW2, as in the case of the switch SW1, the switches SW2-1 and SW2-
2, the output terminals of SW2-3 are combined into one signal line. Therefore, in the switch SW2, only one of the switches SW2-1, SW2-2, and SW2-3 is ON, and the sound source connected to the input terminal of the ON switch. Is output from the output terminal of the switch SW2.

The switches SW2-1, SW2-2,
In SW2-3, ON / OFF by the control unit 21
Of the switches SW2-1, SW2-2, and SW2.
This is performed so that only one switch out of -3 is turned on. Then, by the switching control by the control unit 21,
Tape recorder 3, CD player 4 and tuner 5
, One of the sound sources is selected.

The switch S2 is connected to the output terminal of the switch SW2.
The input terminal of the switch SW3-2 included in W3 is connected.

As described above, the switch SW2 is connected to the control unit 2
This switch selects one of the sound sources of the tape recorder 3, the CD player 4, and the tuner 5 by the switching control of No. 1 and outputs the selected sound source to the switch SW3-2.

The switch SW3 includes two switches, a switch SW3-1 and a switch SW3-2. The switches SW3-1 and SW3-2 control ON / OFF switching by the control unit 21.

The output terminals of the switches SW3-1 and SW3-2 are both connected to the switch SW4-2. That is, in the switch SW3, the switch SW3-
One of SW1 and SW3-2 is ON
The audio signal from the sound source connected to the input terminal of the switch that is ON is output to the switch SW4-2. Therefore, the switch SW3 by the control unit 21
Is controlled so that both the switches SW3-1 and SW3-2 are not turned on. It is possible to turn off both the switches SW3-1 and SW3-2.

The input terminal of the switch SW3-1 is connected to the output terminal of the switch SW1.
Is ON, an audio signal from a sound source connected to the switch that is ON in the switch SW1 is output to the switch SW4-2. On the other hand, the switch SW3
The output terminal of the switch SW2 is connected to the input terminal of the switch SW2. When the switch SW3-2 is ON, the audio signal from the sound source selected by the switch SW2 is transmitted to the switch S2.
Output to W4-2.

The switch SW4-2 is operated as described below.
A switch for switching ON / OFF of the sound output of the speaker set 7. Therefore, the switch SW3 is a switch that selects an audio signal from one of the sound source selected by the switch SW1 and the sound source selected by the switch SW2, and outputs the selected sound signal to the speaker set 7.

Further, in the switch SW3, only the switch SW3-2 has an output terminal connected to the switch SW5. Only when the switch SW3-2 is ON, the audio signal from the sound source selected by the switch SW2 is output to the switch SW5.

The switch SW4 includes two switches, a switch SW4-1 and a switch SW4-2. The switches SW4-1 and SW4-2 are respectively
Speaker cord 11 connected to speaker set 6
And the speaker cord 12 connected to the speaker set 7 are connected. That is, the switch SW4 is
This is a switch for switching ON / OFF of the output from the speaker sets 6 and 7.

In the switches SW4-1 and SW4-2, the control section 21 controls ON / OFF switching. The switching control by the control unit 21 is performed independently for the switches SW4-1 and SW4-2.

The input terminal of the switch SW4-1 is connected to the output terminal of the switch SW1, and the output terminal is connected to the speaker set 6 via the speaker cord 11. Therefore, when the switch SW4-1 is ON, an audio signal from the sound source selected by the switch SW1 is output to the speaker set 6.

On the other hand, the input terminal of the switch SW4-2 has
Output terminals of the switches SW3-1 and SW3-2 are connected, and a speaker set 7 is connected to the output terminals via a speaker cord 12. Therefore, the switch S
While W4-2 is in the ON state, the switch SW3
The audio signal input through the switch set to N is output from the speaker code 12 to the speaker set 7.

The wireless transmission section 24 is connected to the switch SW5 connected to the output terminal of the switch SW3-2. The audio signal input from the switch SW3-2 to the switch SW5 is output to the wireless transmission unit 24 when the switch SW5 is ON.

The wireless transmission unit 24 includes an antenna, an oscillation circuit, a modulation circuit, and the like (not shown), and transmits an audio signal input via the switch SW5 as a wireless signal.

Therefore, in the audio system 1, when the switch SW4-1 is ON, the switch SW1
The sound is reproduced from the speaker set 6 on the basis of the sound source selected by the user, and when the switch SW4-2 is ON, the sound is reproduced from the speaker set 7 on the basis of the sound source selected by the switch SW3. Furthermore, switch SW
Even when 4-2 is OFF, the switch SW5 is turned off.
In the state of N, the audio signal from the sound source selected by the switch SW2 is transmitted from the wireless transmission unit 24 to the wireless reception unit 8, and the sound is reproduced from the speaker set 7.

In the audio system 1 configured as described above, sound reproduction is performed by the speaker sets 6 and 7 under the control of the control unit 21. here,
The switching control of the switches SW1 to SW5 by the control unit 21 will be described.

FIG. 2 shows a switch SW1 by the control unit 21.
9 is a table illustrating an example of switching control of SW5. 3A shows an example in which sound reproduction is performed only from the speaker set 6, FIG. 4B shows an example in which sound reproduction based on the same sound source is performed from the speaker sets 6 and 7, and FIG. 6 and 7 show an example of performing sound reproduction based on another sound source, (d) shows an example of performing sound reproduction based on the same sound source from speaker sets 6 and 7, and (e) shows an example of performing sound reproduction based on the same sound source. An example of performing sound reproduction based on the sound source of FIG.

When sound reproduction is performed only from the speaker set 6 and the speaker set 7 is not used, the control unit 2
1 controls each switch as shown in FIG. That is, when the switch SW4-1 is turned on, sound reproduction is performed from the speaker set 6, and the switch S4-1 is turned on.
If W4-2 is turned off, the sound reproduction from the speaker set 7 is not performed. Note that the switch SW4-2 is set to O
Since they are FFs, the switches SW3-1 and SW3-2 are O
Since it is meaningless even if it is N, it is turned OFF.

When performing sound reproduction based on the same sound source from both of the speaker sets 6 and 7, the control unit 21 controls each switch as shown in FIG. 2B.
That is, when both the switches SW4-1 and SW4-2 are turned on and the switch SW3-1 is turned on, the switch S4-1 is set by both the speaker sets 6 and 7.
Sound reproduction based on the sound source selected in W1 is performed. Since the switch SW3-1 is turned on, the switch SW3-2 is turned off.

Further, when performing sound reproduction based on different sound sources from the speaker sets 6 and 7, after turning on both the switches SW4-1 and SW4-2, as shown in FIG. Further, the switch SW3-2 is turned on. Thereby, sound reproduction based on the sound source selected by the switch SW2 is performed from the speaker set 7.

In the above example, the switch SW4-2 is turned on in order to reproduce sound from the speaker set 7. However, according to the audio system 1 to which the present invention is applied, sound reproduction by the speaker set 7 is possible without turning on the switch SW4-2.

As shown in FIG. 2D, the switch SW4
When -1 is turned on, sound reproduction from the speaker set 6 is performed. Here, even if the switch SW4-2 is turned off, if the switch SW3-1 is turned on and the switch SW5 is turned on, a radio signal is transmitted from the radio transmission unit 24 (FIG. 1). The sound is reproduced by the speaker set 7 based on the same sound source as the speaker set 6 by receiving the signal by the wireless receiving unit 8 (FIG. 1).

As shown in FIG. 2 (e), after the switch SW4-1 is turned on to reproduce sound from the speaker set 6, the switch SW3-2 is turned on, and the switch SW5 is turned on. For example, a wireless signal is transmitted from the wireless transmitting unit 24 (FIG. 1), and the wireless signal is received by the wireless receiving unit 8 (FIG. 1), so that the speaker set 7 controls the sound based on the sound source selected by the switch SW2. Playback is performed.

That is, according to the audio system 1,
Even if the switch SW4-2 is turned off, the sound reproduction by the speaker set 7 becomes possible. Therefore, even if the speaker cords 12 shown in FIG. 1 are not connected, the speaker set 7 can be used.

For example, the switching device 2 and the speaker set 6
When only the speaker set 7 is installed in a room away from the room where the is installed, arranging the speaker cords 12 is burdensome both in terms of cost and labor. According to the audio system 1, sound can be reproduced by the speaker set 7 without arranging the speaker cords 12, so that the audio system 1 with high convenience at the time of installation can be constructed.

Thus, for example, when sound output with normal sound quality can be satisfied, such as when used for BGM purposes,
The audio system 1 can be easily constructed without disposing the speaker cords 12. In addition, a user who wants a higher-quality sound output can use a high-quality speaker cord 1.
2, the switching device 2 and the speaker set 7 may be connected. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide the audio system 1 that is highly convenient and can satisfy various users.

In addition, power consumption when transmitting a radio signal that can be received within the same building is generally very small. For this reason, even if the wireless signal is always transmitted from the wireless transmission unit 24, there is no possibility that a large waste will occur. Therefore, the control unit 21 controls the switch SW4-2.
If the control is performed such that the switch SW5 is always turned on in the state where is turned off, sound output from the speaker set 7 can be performed only by turning on the power of the wireless receiving unit 8. In this case, the user can turn on / off the sound reproduction by the speaker set 7 without going to the room where the switching device 2 is installed. As described above, the convenience of the audio system 1 can be further improved by appropriately switching the state of the switch.

In the above embodiment, the switch SW
5, the output terminal of the switch SW3-2 is connected to the input terminal. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, both output terminals of the switches SW3-1 and SW3-2 are connected. It may be configured to be connected to the input terminal of the switch SW5. In this case, the sound reproduction based on the same sound source as the speaker set 6 can be performed from the speaker set 7 only by the operation on the speaker set 7 side, and the convenience can be further improved.

Further, the control unit 21 controls the switch S
If control is performed so that one of W3-1 and SW3-2 is always turned on, the wireless receiver 8 is operated, and the sound source selected by the switch SW1 and the switch S
Either one of the sound sources selected in W2 can be output as sound. That is, it is always possible to perform some kind of sound output only by the operation on the speaker set 7 side.

The description in the above embodiment is a preferred example of the audio system according to the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this. For example,
In the present embodiment, the description regarding the amplifier is omitted, and the switching device 2 is described as a device different from the amplifier. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the switching device 2 may be configured to be built in the amplifier. The actual form of the device is arbitrary.

The specific shape and the like of the key operation unit 23 are also arbitrary, and it is needless to say that other detailed configurations and the like can be appropriately changed.

[0059]

According to the present invention, it is possible to construct an audio system including a speaker connected by a speaker cord and a speaker capable of reproducing sound without disposing the speaker cord. Therefore, an audio system that reproduces sound from a plurality of speakers arranged in a plurality of rooms can be more easily constructed. Further, in a state in which the audio signal is wirelessly transmitted by the transmission means, ON / OFF of the sound reproduction can be switched only by ON / OFF operation of the receiving device, and a highly convenient audio system can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an audio system 1 according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 shows switches SW1 to SW by a control unit 21 in FIG.
5 is a chart showing an example of switching control of No. 5, (a) shows an example of performing sound reproduction only from the speaker set 6,
(B) shows an example of performing sound reproduction based on the same sound source from the speaker sets 6 and 7, (c) shows an example of performing sound reproduction based on another sound source from the speaker sets 6 and 7,
(D) shows an example in which sound reproduction based on the same sound source is performed from the speaker sets 6 and 7, and (e) shows an example in which sound reproduction based on another sound source is performed from the speaker sets 6 and 7.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Audio system 11, 12 Speaker code 2 Switching device 21 Control part 22 Memory 23 Key operation part 24 Radio transmission part 3 Tape recorder 4 CD player 5 Tuner 6, 7 Speaker set 61, 62, 71, 72 Speaker 8 Radio reception part SW1 , SW2, SW3, SW4, SW5 switch

Claims (4)

[Claims] An input terminal connected to an external device; a wired output device connected to a speaker by wire and outputting an audio signal input from the input terminal to the speaker; and an audio signal input from the input terminal. An audio apparatus, comprising: a transmission unit that wirelessly transmits the audio signal. 2. An audio apparatus for outputting sound from a speaker based on audio signals input from a plurality of input systems, and selecting means for selecting one of the audio signals input from the plurality of input systems. An audio apparatus comprising: a wired output unit that outputs an audio signal selected by the selection unit to the speaker; and a transmission unit that wirelessly transmits the audio signal selected by the selection unit. 3. The first selection unit, which selects one of the audio signals input from the plurality of input systems and outputs the selected audio signal to the wired output unit, and an input from the plurality of input systems. And a second selector for selecting any one of the audio signals to be output to the transmitting unit, wherein the first selector and the second selector independently select the audio signal. The audio device according to claim 2, wherein 4. An audio device according to claim 1, further comprising: a receiving device that receives an audio signal wirelessly transmitted by a transmitting unit of the audio device and outputs the audio signal to a speaker. A distinctive audio system.