JP2007310236A - Application control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an application control device capable of setting a sound field of sound associated with application, according to a display form of the application. <P>SOLUTION: The application control device 1 which displays the application and which outputs voice associated with the application, includes: a display means 12 for displaying the application; and a voice output means 80 for outputting voice by composing the sound field. The voice output means 80 sets the sound field of the voice associated with the application, according to the display form of the application in the display means 12. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an application control apparatus that displays an application and outputs a sound accompanying the application.

Conventionally, as a device that outputs this kind of image and sound, a sound field schematic diagram simulating a sound field is displayed on the display, and the sound field can be visually set on this sound field schematic diagram An apparatus is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-69279

  In recent years, various applications for outputting images and accompanying sounds have been widely used on hardware such as computers. However, the conventional apparatus does not associate the sound field setting with such an application. Therefore, it is not possible to perform control such as setting the sound field according to the display mode of the application.

  The present invention is for solving such problems, and a main object of the present invention is to provide an application control apparatus capable of setting a sound field of a sound accompanying the application according to a display mode of the application. And

  In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention is an application control apparatus that displays an application and outputs sound accompanying the application, and includes display means for displaying the application, and a sound field that constitutes the sound. Voice output means for outputting, and the voice output means sets the sound field of the voice accompanying the application according to the display mode of the application on the display means.

  According to this aspect of the present invention, since the sound field of the sound accompanying the application is set according to the display mode such as the display position and display size of the application, the sound field can be set by an intuitive operation. it can. As a result, especially when a plurality of applications are displayed on the same display screen, it is possible to easily perform control such as displaying a highly important application large and increasing the volume of sound accompanying the application. Become.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the display means is preferably means for displaying the application on a background simulating a three-dimensional space.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the audio output unit preferably changes the volume of the audio accompanying the application in accordance with the display size of the application on the display unit.

  In one aspect of the present invention, preferably, the audio output means is configured such that when the display position of the application on the display means is outside the predetermined area, compared to when the display position of the application is within the predetermined area, The audio accompanying the application is output small.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the display means is preferably means for displaying the display image for an application having a display image, and displaying an assigned predetermined image for an application not having the display image. is there.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the display means is a means for displaying an application on a background simulating a viewing space, and the sound output means is a sound associated with the application according to the display position of the application on the display means. Set the sound field. In this case, the viewing space is, for example, a vehicle interior space. Further, the display means is preferably means capable of changing the viewpoint with respect to the viewing space.

  One embodiment of the present invention is, for example, an application control apparatus capable of simultaneously controlling a plurality of applications, wherein the display means is a means for simultaneously displaying the plurality of applications, and the audio output means is a display for each application. It is a means for synthesizing the sound field of the sound accompanying each application, set according to the mode, and outputting the sound.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the application control apparatus which can set the sound field of the sound accompanying the said application according to the display mode of an application can be provided.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of an application control apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of an application control apparatus 1 mounted on a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. The application control device 1 includes, as main components, a multi-display 10, a navigation device 20, a DVD changer / tuner 30, a radio antenna 40, a steering switch 50 as an input means, a rear controller 60, and an audio input unit 70. And a speaker unit 80. In addition, the thick line arrow in a figure represents the flow of information communication.

  The multi-display 10 includes, for example, a display panel 12, a panel switch 14 installed around the display panel 12, and a main computer 16 that determines display contents of the display panel 12 and a sound output mode from the speaker unit 80. Prepare.

  The display panel 12 is a display device that employs a VGA (Video Graphics Array) as a graphic system to display an image including a moving image and allows a user to perform various input operations as a touch panel. The display panel 12 detects a change in voltage caused by a user touching the surface of the display panel 12 and recognizes a position where the touch operation is performed. Input operations performed on the display panel 12 and the panel switch 14 are transmitted to the main computer 16.

  The main computer 16 is a computer unit in which, for example, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like are connected via a bus, and includes a timer, a counter, a communication port, and the like. The main computer 16 controls both the display image displayed on the display panel 12 and the sound output from the speaker unit 80. Details will be described later.

  The navigation device 20 includes, for example, a map database 22 that holds map data on a storage medium such as a hard disk, a DVD, or a CD-ROM, an integrated antenna 24, an optical beacon antenna 26, and a navigation computer that controls the entire navigation device 20. 28.

  The integrated antenna 24 is, for example, an antenna unit disposed on the back side of the center of the instrument panel and integrated with a GPS antenna, a VICS radio beacon antenna, and an ECT antenna. The optical beacon antenna 26 is disposed, for example, on the upper left side of the instrument panel, and receives traffic information (VICS information in Japan) from an optical beacon antenna road device. Various signals received by the integrated antenna 24 and the optical beacon antenna 26 are transmitted to the navigation computer 28.

  The navigation computer 28 is a computer unit having a hardware configuration similar to that of the main computer 16, for example. The navigation computer 28 is connected to the main computer 16 through a communication line such as an AVC-LAN, and navigation is performed by input operations performed on the display panel 12, the panel switch 14, the steering switch 40, the rear controller 50, and the voice input unit 60. The display image as the device 20 (destination search display, destination setting display, route guidance display including current position display, traffic information display, etc.) and accompanying sound are determined and transmitted to the main computer 16 To do.

  The DVD changer / tuner 30 includes, for example, a deck unit that reproduces a DVD or CD and a tuner unit that generates audio output information from a received wave received by the radio antenna 40. The radio antenna 40 is an antenna printed on a back window glass, for example, and receives AM radio waves and FM radio waves. The DVD changer / tuner 30 transmits the playback image of the DVD and the accompanying sound, the playback sound of the CD, and the sound of the radio to the main computer 16.

  The steering switch 50 is disposed, for example, on a part of the steering pad, and enables adjustment of volume and switching of various modes. The rear controller 60 is disposed, for example, on the rear center armrest, and enables volume adjustment and tuning operation of the DVD changer / tuner 30. The voice input unit 70 is composed of, for example, a talk switch arranged on a part of the steering pad and a voice recognition microphone arranged on the ceiling of the passenger compartment, and the voice input is performed by operating the talk switch. The mode is switched to enable an input operation to a device such as the navigation device 20. By these input means, various input operations by the user are possible.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the speaker unit 80 includes, for example, a power amplifier 81, a center speaker 82 disposed in the central portion of the upper surface of the instrument panel, a woofer 83 disposed in the rear central portion of the rear seat, A right tweeter 84a and a left tweeter 84b disposed on the left and right ends of the top surface of the instrument panel, a right front speaker 85a and a left front speaker 85b disposed near the bases of the left and right front doors, and the bases of the left and right rear doors, respectively. A right rear speaker 86a and a left rear speaker 86b. The speaker unit 80 can form a three-dimensional (front / rear / left / right / height) sound field by using the speakers arranged around the passenger seat in this way (originally two-dimensional ( It is also possible to construct a sound field of front / rear / left / right).

  The characteristic display image and audio control of the present invention executed by the main computer 16 on the premise of such a hardware configuration will be described below.

  The main computer 16 is a source of a displayed image or sound (for example, route guidance by the navigation device 20 or DVD by the DVD changer / tuner 30) by switching the full screen display as is normally done in the vehicle-mounted device having such a configuration. In addition to having a function of changing the reproduction of a CD or a radio broadcast), each source is handled as an application and a window is provided on a part of the screen, and the application is executed in the window (hereinafter, referred to as “application”). A control mode in which this function is executed is referred to as an application control mode). In this application control mode, the sound volume and sound field associated with the application are set according to the display mode (for example, display position and display size) of the application in the background space that simulates the interior space of the vehicle. In the application control mode, it is possible to simultaneously execute a plurality of applications, for example, to superimpose and display an image and output a superimposed sound. As shown in FIG. 3, the main functional blocks realized by the main computer 16 for executing the application control mode are a spatial information setting unit 16A, a scaling parameter conversion unit 16B, and a volume / sound field parameter conversion unit 16C. It consists of. The main computer 16 holds 3D object information 16D on a storage medium such as a ROM.

  The spatial information setting unit 16A sets the coordinates and size of each application in the background space based on the input operation performed on each input unit. Then, the setting information is provided to the scaling parameter conversion unit 16B and the volume / sound field parameter conversion unit 16C. Note that the viewpoint of the background space can be changed by a user input operation, and the background space viewed from a plurality of viewpoints is stored in the 3D object information 16D.

  The scaling parameter conversion unit 16B determines the display position and display size of each application on the display panel 12 based on the setting information of the spatial information setting unit 16A, and displays the display panel 12 so that each application is displayed according to the display position. Control. In the present embodiment, control is performed so that an application having a large display size is displayed preferentially (in front) in a portion where the display of the application overlaps.

  The sound volume / sound field parameter conversion unit 16C determines the sound volume and sound field associated with each application based on the setting information of the spatial information setting unit 16A, and outputs the synthesized sound. Control 80 speakers. Various methods are already known for determining and synthesizing the sound field, and detailed description thereof is omitted.For example, a virtual sound source that is localized at the position of the application in the background space imitating the vehicle interior space is set, According to this, it can be performed by a technique such as summing up the sounds to be output for each speaker.

  Next, a typical process flow in the application control mode will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an initial screen when the application control mode is selected. As shown in the drawing, a region A that simulates the interior space of the vehicle is displayed as a background space, and an icon that enables activation of each application is displayed outside the region A. Each application is started by touching this icon twice, for example.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which an application relating to DVD playback is activated. As shown in the figure, the application is first activated outside the area A, and at this stage, the sound related to the application is not output. (In addition, it is not limited to starting without a sound, you may perform control which outputs a comparatively small audio | voice.)
Then, when the activated application is moved to the area A by some input operation, a sound field corresponding to the position is formed, and sound accompanying the application is output. An example of this scene is shown in FIG. As shown in the drawing, since the application is moved to the vicinity of the passenger seat, the volume / sound field parameter conversion unit 16C outputs the sound related to the application centered on the left tweeter 84b and the left front speaker 85b. To control. Further, when the display window of the application is enlarged / reduced by another operation, the volume is adjusted accordingly. Note that the movement and enlargement / reduction of the application are not limited to activation, and can be performed at an arbitrary timing. It is also possible to move the application out of region A. By doing so, it is possible to use the application in such a way that the display content of the application is checked in a silent state (for example, when an advertisement related to DVD playback is skipped by fast-forwarding).

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a scene in which a plurality of applications are activated simultaneously. As shown in the figure, a route guidance screen by the navigation device 20 is displayed near the driver seat in the area A, a DVD playback screen is displayed near the passenger seat, and an FM icon is displayed near the rear seat. Therefore, the voice related to the route guidance by the navigation device 20 is output mainly from the right tweeter 84a and the right front speaker 85a, and the sound related to DVD playback is output mainly from the left tweeter 84b and the left front speaker 85b. The sound of FM broadcast is controlled so as to be output mainly by the right rear speaker 86a and the left rear speaker 86b. The volume is adjusted according to the display size. Note that since there is no image for CD and AM / FM broadcasting, the icon itself is also displayed in the area A by enlarging / reducing it.

  Thus, in the application control mode, the sound field and volume of the sound accompanying the application are set according to the display mode of the application in the background space. Accordingly, it is possible to set and change the image display and the sound output mode at the same time based on an intuitive operation by the user. In addition, since a plurality of applications are activated and displayed at the same time, and a sound field of sound set for each application is synthesized and output simultaneously, the user's needs can be met as in the usage illustrated in FIG. Accordingly, it becomes possible to view a plurality of applications simultaneously.

  In addition, the viewpoint of the background space can be changed. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8, a background space in which the vehicle interior is viewed from above may be used. By doing this, in addition to the sound field settings for the front and rear and left and right sides of the vehicle interior space exemplified above, it is also possible to set the sound field in the vertical (height) direction. At this time, as described above, information stored in the 3D object information 16D is used.

  In addition, the route guidance, DVD playback, CD playback, and AM / FM broadcast illustrated in the embodiment as examples of applications to be controlled are merely examples. Applications may be added. Some of these may be controlled as an application.

  As mentioned above, although the best mode for carrying out the present invention has been described using one embodiment, the present invention is not limited to such one embodiment, and within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention, Various modifications and substitutions can be made to the above-described embodiment.

  For example, although the above-described embodiment has been exemplified as one that is mounted on a vehicle and controls an in-vehicle application, it is originally realized by a simpler configuration. That is, it can be realized if there is a display device such as a liquid crystal display or a hologram, speakers (which may be plural or single) that can form a sound field, and an integrated control device such as a computer.

  In this case, the background space in the display device may not be a vehicle interior space as in the above embodiment. For example, it may be a space that simulates a listening room, or a sphere that represents the sound field.

  Further, although an example in which an application having a large display size is displayed on the front is illustrated, the front / back display may be automatically switched based on the importance of the application. For example, the screen of the navigation device 20 may be controlled so that it is displayed on the front (or the display size is automatically enlarged) only when voice guidance for the route is performed.

  The present invention can be used for an apparatus that controls an application accompanied by at least sound.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of an application control apparatus 1 mounted on a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the arrangement of speakers and the like constituting the speaker unit 80. It is a figure which shows an example of the main functional blocks implement | achieved by the main computer 16 in order to perform application control mode. It is a figure which shows an example of the initial screen when application control mode is selected. It is a figure which shows a mode that the application which concerns on DVD reproduction | regeneration was started. It is a figure which shows an example of the scene where the sound field according to the position of the started application is comprised and the sound accompanying an application is output. It is a figure which shows an example of the scene which started the some application simultaneously. It is a figure which occupies a mode that the background space which looked at the vehicle interior from a bird's-eye view was used.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Application control apparatus 10 Multi display 12 Display panel 14 Panel switch 16 Main computer 16A Spatial information setting part 16B Scaling parameter conversion part 16C Volume | volume / sound field parameter conversion part 16D 3D object information 20 Navigation apparatus 22 Map database 24 Integrated antenna 26 Optical beacon Antenna 28 Navigation computer 30 DVD changer / tuner 40 Radio antenna 50 Steering switch 60 Rear controller 70 Audio input unit 80 Speaker unit 81 Power amplifier 82 Center speaker 83 Woofer 84a Right tweeter 84b Left tweeter 85a Right front speaker 85b Left front speaker 86 Right rear speaker 86b left rear speaker

Claims (9)

An application control apparatus that displays an application and outputs a sound accompanying the application,
Display means for displaying the application;
Voice output means for configuring the sound field and outputting the voice,
The sound output means sets a sound field of sound accompanying the application according to a display mode of the application on the display means.
An application control apparatus characterized by the above. The application control device according to claim 1,
The display means is means for displaying the application on a background simulating a three-dimensional space.
Application control device. The application control device according to claim 1 or 2,
The sound output means changes the volume of sound accompanying the application according to the display size of the application on the display means.
An application control apparatus characterized by the above. The application control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
When the display position of the application on the display means is outside the predetermined area, the sound output means reduces the sound accompanying the application as compared with the case where the display position of the application is within the predetermined area. Output,
An application control apparatus characterized by the above. The application control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The display means is means for displaying the display image for an application having a display image, and displaying a predetermined image assigned to the application not having the display image for an application having no display image.
Application control device. An application control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The display means is means for displaying the application on a background simulating a viewing space,
The sound output means sets a sound field of sound accompanying the application according to a display position of the application on the display means.
An application control apparatus characterized by the above. The application control device according to claim 6 mounted on a vehicle,
The viewing space is a vehicle interior space.
Application control device. The application control device according to claim 6 or 7,
The display means is means capable of changing a viewpoint with respect to the viewing space.
Application control device. The application control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, capable of simultaneously controlling a plurality of applications,
The display means is means for simultaneously displaying the plurality of applications,
The sound output means is means for outputting sound by synthesizing a sound field of sound attached to each application, which is set according to the display mode of each application.
Application control device.

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