JP2007271975A - Karaoke device which disables performance discontinuing operation during singing - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a karaoke device which prevents forced discontinuance of performance of a musical piece due to an erroneous operation. <P>SOLUTION: The karaoke device comprises a performance means, a volume measuring means, and a control means; the performance means performs a musical piece based on a karaoke data according to the control by the control means, and the karaoke device is so arranged that: the volume measuring means outputs a voice volume value input to a microphone; the control means carries out performance discontinuance processing, voice input judgment processing, and performance continuation processing; the performance discontinuance processing, when making the karaoke performance means carry out the musical piece performance, discontinues the performance at the time of receiving a predetermined user input; singing voice continuation recognition processing, when making the karaoke performance means carry out the musical piece performance, recognizes whether or not the singing is being continued based on the volume value from the volume measuring means; and the performance continuation processing does not perform the performance discontinuance processing when recognizing that the singing is being continued in the voice input judgment processing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a karaoke apparatus capable of playing karaoke music based on karaoke data and stopping music playing in response to a predetermined operation input.

  The karaoke device can accept a predetermined operation input and cancel the performance of a song when the singer fails to start singing, or when it becomes difficult to continue singing, for example, when the scale is greatly removed during singing. A performance stop function is provided. However, the karaoke apparatus can accept a performance reservation at any time even during performance, and a person other than the singer may mistakenly perform the performance stop operation.

  Corresponding to such a case, in the karaoke device described in Japanese Patent No. 3734697, when an ID is included in the performance stop command from the remote control device, after receiving the command, If a performance stop command including the same ID is received again within the time, the performance is stopped. If a performance stop command not including the same ID is received twice, the performance is stopped only after a performance stop command is received within a predetermined time.

  In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-292222, a well-known singing scoring function in a karaoke device is utilized, and if the elapsed score during performance is equal to or higher than a reference value, the performance stop command is not accepted and the singing is performed well. It describes a technique that prevents a performance from being stopped by mistake when it is being made.

=== Purpose of invention ===
The karaoke is an entertainment that enjoys singing aloud regardless of the singing ability of the singer, and during the performance of the karaoke music, the performance is stopped as long as the singer is willing to continue singing. I thought it shouldn't be. The karaoke apparatus thought that it should be determined whether or not to accept the performance stop command based on the most basic principle that “the singer is speaking as long as there is a will to continue singing”. Further, it was determined whether the voice was a singing voice or another utterance, and if it was not a singing voice, it would be more preferable to accept a performance stop command. The present invention has been created based on such an idea.

=== Summary of Invention ===
The present invention is specified by the following items (1) to (7).
(1) A karaoke apparatus that includes a performance means, a volume measurement means, and a control means, and prevents the performance from being stopped due to an erroneous operation. (2) The performance means plays music based on karaoke data in accordance with the control of the control means. (3) The sound volume measurement means outputs the sound volume value of the sound input to the microphone. (4) The control means executes performance stop processing, sound input determination processing, and performance continuation processing. The performance canceling process cancels the performance when a predetermined user input is made while the karaoke performance means performs the music performance. (6) The voice input determination process causes the karaoke performance means to perform the music performance. (7) The performance continuation process recognizes that the singing is being continued in the voice input determination process, based on the volume value from the volume measuring means. That you do not run the play stop processing is to come

In addition to the above items (1) to (6), the present invention may satisfy either of the following items (21) or (22).
(21) When the karaoke performance means is performing the music performance, the control means determines whether or not the current performance time is a singing section based on the karaoke data of the music, During the performance of the singing section, do not execute the performance stop process when recognizing that the singing is ongoing. Lyric display means for displaying the output in an identifiable manner, and the performance continuation processing does not execute the performance stop processing when recognizing that the singing is being continued during the display and output of the lyrics characters at the time of singing

=== Basic configuration and operation of karaoke apparatus ===
FIG. 1 shows a functional block configuration of a karaoke apparatus in an embodiment of the present invention. The hardware configuration of the karaoke apparatus 1 is a computer with an enhanced music performance function, and a central control unit 11 including a CPU, a RAM, and a ROM controls various components of the karaoke apparatus 1. The hard disk device 12 includes accompaniment music data such as MIDI data and compression-encoded audio data (for example, MP3 format) and lyric rendering data (lyric character strings, singing) that are the origin of the generation of lyric images for a large number of karaoke songs. Karaoke data including a character string display sequence, singing timing of each lyric character, and the like are accumulated. In addition, table of contents information such as song titles and artist names, video data for a long time in a predetermined format, and script data that defines the video data processing sequence (storage location and processing order of video data to be processed, etc.) are also stored. Has been. Then, the karaoke data, table of contents information, and script data of each song are associated with the song number, and the central control unit 11 identifies the data to be processed by the song number.

  The karaoke apparatus 1 includes a tablet computer (operation terminal) that functions as a user interface, and the operation terminal 30 includes a wireless LAN interface and is connected to the LAN 100 via the wireless access point 40. The central control unit 11 receives operation information input by the user at the operation terminal 30 via the network interface 22. Alternatively, operation information corresponding to user input on the operation panel 14 is received via the operation control unit 13.

  When the central control unit 11 receives a performance reservation command including a music number from the operation terminal via the network interface 22 or receives a music number input to the operation panel 14 via the operation control unit 13, the central control unit 11 Are stored in an internal RAM and managed in a performance processing queue. Then, the music numbers are sequentially extracted from the queue, the corresponding karaoke data is read from the hard disk device 12, and the accompaniment music data in the karaoke data is transferred to the music generation unit 18. The music generation unit 18 includes a synthesizer, a decoding circuit for compression-encoded audio data, and the like, and processes the transferred accompaniment music data to generate and output an audio signal of karaoke accompaniment music.

  In addition, the lyric rendering data is processed, and the lyric image in which the portion to be sung in synchronism with the accompaniment music is sequentially bitmap-developed in the video RAM 15, and the predetermined moving image data is converted into the predetermined order based on the script data. Then, the image data is sequentially transferred to the video controller 16 to decode the background moving image of the lyrics image.

  The audio amplifier 19 mixes and amplifies the accompaniment music and the singing voice input to the microphone 21 and outputs the sound from the speaker 20. The video control unit 16 superimposes the lyric image on the decoded moving image and displays it on the display 17.

=== Continuation function ===
The karaoke apparatus 1 of the present embodiment has a function of accepting a predetermined operation input during music performance and stopping the music performance. Moreover, when the singing voice is input, it is determined whether or not the singer continues to sing according to whether or not the singing voice is input to the microphone so that the music performance is not forcibly terminated due to an erroneous operation. A performance continuation function is provided that does not forcibly end the performance even when a performance cancellation operation is accepted.

  FIG. 2 shows the processing flow of the performance continuation function. The karaoke apparatus 1 includes a volume measuring unit 23 as a configuration for realizing a performance continuation function. The volume measuring unit 23 measures the intensity of the singing voice signal from the microphone 21 and outputs a volume measurement value corresponding to the intensity. The central control unit 11 acquires volume measurement values sequentially transferred from the volume detection unit 23 during the performance of the music (s1, s2 → s3), and the acquired volume measurement value and its own ROM or hard disk device 12 in advance. Is compared with the reference value stored and set in the memory, and based on the comparison, it is determined whether or not a voice is input, and based on this determination, it is recognized whether or not the singing continuation state is established (s4, s4). s5). When the performance stop operation is received while the voice input determination process (s5) recognizes that “singing is continuing”, the performance stop process is not executed and the performance process is continued (s6 → s7 → s1). If a performance stop operation is performed while recognizing that “singing is not continued”, the performance is stopped (s6 → s7 → s8).

  It should be noted that if the performance is canceled accidentally within a very short time, such as breathing, the singer is willing to sing, but it is judged that the singing is not continued, and the performance is stopped. There is. Therefore, “Singing is not continued” only when the volume measurement value is below the reference value for a relatively long period of time (several seconds) before the operation input for stopping the performance is received. The performance may be stopped in response to the operation for stopping the performance. Comparing the average value of the volume measurement values acquired within a predetermined time until the time when the performance stop operation is received with the reference value, it is judged whether or not the singing is ongoing, and the volume measurement value within the predetermined time It may be determined according to the proportion of time during which is less than or equal to the reference value.

  Also, if the standard value is uniformly defined for all songs or for the entire performance time of one song, “singing is continued” even when the voice is intentionally whispered as a singing technique. It is judged that there is no. Therefore, data that associates the music with the reference value is prepared, or data that associates the performance time series with the reference value so as to increase or decrease the reference value in one music is prepared. It is also conceivable to set an appropriate reference value for each piece of music or an appropriate reference value that increases or decreases within the performance time of one piece of music.

=== About singing continuation state recognition processing ===
During music performance, there are performance parts to be sung (singing section) and performance parts (non-singing section) that are not singing sections such as preludes and interludes. And it is normal that the volume measurement value in a non-singing area is less than a reference value. Therefore, in the flow of processing related to the performance continuation function of the above embodiment, when the performance stop operation is performed during the performance of the non-singing section, the voice continues to be sung even if another chat that is not a singing voice is performed. It will be recognized as being inside and the performance cannot be stopped. Therefore, it is more preferable that the performance continuation function is effective only in the singing section.

  As is well known, a karaoke data in MIDI format is accompanied by a flag indicating that it is a singing section, and the central control unit 11 detects this flag during the performance process so that the current performance point is sung. It can be determined whether or not it is a section. Therefore, the performance continuation process may be activated when the singing section is recognized based on the flag described in the karaoke data. In addition, when processing karaoke data originating from recorded voices such as MP3 format, data in which performance time series and singing sections are associated with each other is prepared, and the central control unit 11 performs data of the association. And whether or not the current performance time point is a singing section based on the elapsed time from the performance start time point.

  It is also possible to recognize the singing section using the lyrics rendering data. The central control unit 11 processes the lyric rendering data to display and output the lyric character string on the display 17 and gradually changes the color of the character at the time of singing. Even during pre-playing or inter-playing, a lyric character string may be displayed, but the color of the character will not change. Therefore, it can be determined that the lyric character is in the singing section while the color of the lyric character is changing, and the central control unit 11 may activate the performance continuation process while the lyric character color changing process is being executed.

  In addition, about the non-singing section, the function of preventing erroneous operation will not work. Therefore, it is sufficient not to accept the performance stop operation. Alternatively, in the same manner as the karaoke apparatus described in Japanese Patent No. 3734697, the performance may be stopped when the performance stop operation is received twice within a predetermined time for the non-singing section. In any case, in the singing section, whether or not the singing is continued is judged based on the volume of the singing voice, and the performance is performed in response to the performance stop operation when it is recognized that the singing is not continued. It only has to be forcibly terminated.

It is a functional block block diagram of the karaoke apparatus in the Example of this invention. It is a flowchart of the performance continuation process in the said karaoke apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Karaoke apparatus 11 Central control part 12 Hard disk drive 14 Operation panel 18 Music generation part 23 Volume measurement part 30 Operation terminal

Claims (3)

A karaoke apparatus comprising a performance means, a sound volume measurement means, and a control means, and prevents performance stoppage due to erroneous operation,
The performance means plays the music based on the karaoke data according to the control of the control means,
The volume measuring means outputs the volume value of the sound input to the microphone,
The control means executes a performance stop process, a voice input determination process, and a performance continuation process,
The performance canceling process cancels the performance when there is a predetermined user input when the karaoke performance means is performing the music performance.
The voice input determination process recognizes whether or not the singing is continued based on the volume value from the volume measuring means when the karaoke performance means is performing the music performance,
In the karaoke apparatus, the performance continuation process does not execute the performance stop process when the voice input determination process recognizes that the singing is being continued.   The control means according to claim 1, wherein when the karaoke performance means is performing the music performance, the control means determines whether or not the current performance time is a singing section based on the karaoke data of the music, and continues the performance. The karaoke apparatus is characterized in that during the performance of the singing section, the performance stop processing is not executed when it is recognized that the singing is being continued. The lyric display unit according to claim 1, further comprising: a lyric rendering unit that displays and outputs a lyric character in a singing timing based on karaoke data of a musical piece being played according to control by the control unit. A karaoke apparatus characterized by not performing a performance stop process when recognizing that singing is being continued during character display output.

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