JP2008236316A - Radio broadcast receiver - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a radio broadcast receiver which allows a user to listen to desired radio broadcasting without needing a complicated operation. <P>SOLUTION: The radio broadcast receiver is provided with: a receiving part for selectively receiving a radio broadcast signal provided from a broadcasting entrepreneur; a storing part for storing sound information included in the radio broadcast signal in a prescribed format in accordance with the start of receiving the radio broadcast signal in the receiving part; a sound outputting part capable of outputting sound on the basis of sound information included in a currently received radio broadcast signal in the receiving part or sound information stored in the storing part; an operating part for indicating a sound output based on the sound information stored in the storing part; and a control part for interrupting storing of the sound information to the storing part on the basis of an operation signal from the operating part and outputting sound based on the sound information stored in the storing part, to the sound outputting part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a radio broadcast receiving apparatus, and more particularly to a technique useful when applied to an in-vehicle radio broadcast receiving apparatus.

  Conventionally, in home / vehicle radio broadcast receivers, for example, a radio broadcast signal provided by a broadcaster is received by a tuner (receiver), and audio is generated based on audio information included in the radio broadcast signal. Is output. In other words, radio broadcasts are provided by broadcasters.

  For this reason, when a user who is watching a radio broadcast recognizes that the radio broadcast currently being watched is useful information, the user has already passed the information and missed the necessary information. May end up. For example, when a user misses necessary information while listening to a radio broadcast such as traffic information, weather forecast, music introduction MC, news, etc. in an in-vehicle radio broadcast receiver, the broadcast You will wait for the next information provided by the operator.

  Alternatively, in the case of information provided from a plurality of broadcasters such as traffic information and weather forecasts, an action of zapping radio broadcasts of other stations is taken. Thus, although there is a desire to listen again to the radio broadcast that has been missed, it is practically impossible to re-view the radio broadcast that has been missed.

Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses that a certain amount of information is continuously stored in real time during the viewing of a radio broadcast so that the stored data can be reproduced when the user wants to listen again. A radio broadcast real-time recording / playback apparatus with improved convenience in use of a radio broadcast receiving apparatus is disclosed.
JP 2001-285100 A

  However, as shown in FIG. 7, the technique described in Patent Document 1 includes a tuner button B1, a forward movement (fast forward) button B2, a backward movement (fast reverse) button B3, a playback button B4, a recording button B5, and a power button. It is equipped with an operation panel C on which a plurality of operation buttons such as B6 are arranged, and a complicated operation is required for the user to obtain necessary information. Specifically, it is necessary to start storage of the radio broadcast by operating the recording button B5, and to operate the playback button B4 when viewing the radio broadcast missed. Furthermore, in order to move the reproduction position, the forward / reverse movement buttons B2 and B3 must be operated.

  In particular, in an in-vehicle radio broadcast receiving apparatus, a complicated operation causes a decrease in safety during driving, and thus the above-described technique is unsuitable.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a radio broadcast receiving apparatus capable of re-viewing a desired radio broadcast without requiring a complicated operation.

  To achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a receiving unit capable of selectively receiving a radio broadcast signal provided by a broadcaster, and reception of the radio broadcast signal is started in the receiving unit. Accordingly, a storage unit that stores audio information included in the radio broadcast signal in a predetermined format (for example, PCM format or AAC format), and audio information included in the radio broadcast signal being received by the reception unit or An audio output unit capable of outputting audio based on audio information stored in the storage unit, an operation unit capable of instructing audio output based on audio information stored in the storage unit, and an operation signal from the operation unit And a control unit for interrupting the storage of the audio information in the storage unit and outputting the audio based on the audio information stored in the storage unit to the audio output unit. It is set to.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the radio broadcast receiver according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit has a predetermined capacity (for example, a capacity capable of storing audio information of about 1 to 2 minutes), When the volume of the stored audio information reaches the predetermined capacity, the stored audio information is erased from the oldest and the audio information included in the radio broadcast signal newly received by the receiving unit is Based on an operation signal from the operation unit, the control unit causes the audio output unit to output audio based on the audio information stored in the storage unit in chronological order. .

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the radio broadcast receiving apparatus according to the second aspect, the control unit transmits a sound based on the sound information stored in the storage unit from a predetermined time before (for example, one minute). It is characterized in that the audio output unit sequentially outputs.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the radio broadcast receiving apparatus according to the third aspect, the control unit can change the predetermined time.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the radio broadcast receiving apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the control unit stores the operation signal in the storage unit after an operation signal is input from the operation unit. Based on the audio information included in the radio broadcast signal being received in the receiving unit, the audio output unit repeatedly outputs the audio based on the audio information and the operation signal is input again from the operation unit. The voice is output to the voice output unit and the storage of the voice information in the storage unit is restarted.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the radio broadcast receiving apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the operation unit instructs a voice output based on the voice information stored in the storage unit. This is a dedicated operation button.

  According to the present invention, the storage unit that stores the audio information included in the radio broadcast signal received by the receiving unit, and the operation unit for instructing the audio output based on the audio information stored in the storage unit, Since it is provided, the radio broadcast missed can be re-viewed by a simple operation.

  In particular, according to the in-vehicle radio broadcast receiving apparatus to which the present invention is applied, it is possible to avoid a drastic decrease in safety during driving due to a re-viewing operation of a radio broadcast that has been missed.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an in-vehicle AVN (audio / visual navigation) apparatus as an example of a radio broadcast receiving apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view showing the appearance of the in-vehicle AVN apparatus. is there.
The in-vehicle AVN device 100 is of a 2DIN type, for example, and is installed in a predetermined mounting space of the dashboard.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the in-vehicle AVN apparatus 100 includes a receiving unit (tuner) 10, a signal processing unit 20, a display unit 30, an audio output unit 40, an operation unit 50, a storage unit 60, and a control. Unit 70.

  The receiving unit 10 selectively receives a digital / analog radio broadcast signal provided from a broadcaster via the antenna A, and amplifies and demodulates the received radio broadcast signal.

  The signal processing unit 20 decompresses audio information included in the digital radio broadcast signal received by the receiving unit 10 and audio information (for example, digital audio information in PCM format or AAC format) stored in the storage unit 60 described later.・ Decrypt. In addition, the audio information is compressed and encoded in order to store the audio information included in the digital / analog radio broadcast signal received by the receiving unit 10 in the storage unit 60 described later.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the display unit 30 is provided in a substantially central portion of the front surface of the AVN device 100 main body, and is configured by a liquid crystal display (LCD) with a touch panel, for example. On the display unit 30, various displays corresponding to usage modes (for example, a radio mode, an audio mode, a video mode, a navigation mode, etc.) of the AVN device 100 are performed.

  The display unit 30 employs a touch panel, and the operation button group 50b arranged in the lower area of the display unit 30 constitutes a part of the operation unit 20 described later. The configuration of the LCD with a touch panel as the display unit 30 is not particularly limited, and various methods such as an analog capacitive coupling method, a resistance film method, and an optical image sensor method can be used.

  The audio output unit 40 analog-converts the digital audio information expanded / decoded by the signal processing unit 20 and amplifies it to output an analog audio signal to a speaker (not shown). In the case of analog radio broadcasting, the audio output unit 40 amplifies the analog audio signal received and demodulated by the receiving unit 10 and outputs the amplified signal to a speaker or the like (not shown).

  The operation unit 50 includes various operation buttons such as a power button, a volume button, and an operation button corresponding to a use mode. In the present embodiment, the operation unit 50 includes an operation panel 50a provided at the lower part of the frame of the AVN apparatus 100 main body and an operation button group 50b disposed on an LCD with a touch panel as the display unit 30 (FIG. 2). reference). When the user operates the operation unit 50, an operation signal is output to the control unit 70, and the control unit 70 controls the operation of each block based on the operation signal.

  On the operation panel 50a, for example, operation buttons for increasing / decreasing the volume, selecting a use mode, turning on / off the power, and the like are arranged. These operation buttons basically execute predetermined processing regardless of the use mode. However, different functions may be assigned depending on the use mode.

  On the other hand, the operation button group 50b arranged on the display unit 30 can be freely changed according to the use mode. FIG. 2 shows an example of a group of operation buttons 50 b that can be used in the radio mode. A tuner button B 11 and a radio repeat button (R-REP button) B 12 are arranged in the lower area of the display unit 30. The user can select a radio broadcast to be received by pressing the tuner button B11 arranged on the display unit 30, and re-view the radio broadcast received a predetermined time before by pressing the R-REP button B12. be able to.

  That is, in this embodiment, the R-REP button B12 is provided as a dedicated operation button for instructing voice output based on voice information stored in the storage unit 60 described later. Since the R-REP button B12 is newly installed using a touch panel, the apparatus configuration does not become complicated with the addition of operation buttons.

  Note that the form of the operation buttons constituting the operation unit 50 described above is an example, and the type, position, size, function, and the like are not limited thereto, and can be variously changed.

  The storage unit 60 is composed of a semiconductor memory or the like, and has a predetermined capacity capable of storing audio information for about 1 to 2 minutes. The storage unit 60 also stores audio information included in the radio broadcast signal received by the receiving unit 10 in a predetermined format (for example, PCM format or AAC format).

  At this time, when the capacity of the voice information stored in the storage unit 60 reaches the upper limit of the storage capacity of the storage unit 60, for example, the stored voice information is erased from the oldest and the reception unit 10 The audio information included in the received radio broadcast signal is stored in the erasure area.

  The control unit 70 includes a CPU 71, a ROM 72, and a RAM 73. The CPU 71 executes, for example, a control program stored in the ROM 72 to drive and control each block of the in-vehicle AVN device 100.

  Specifically, when an operation signal is input from the operation unit 50 in response to a user's operation, the CPU 71 reads out various control programs and application programs for the audio player recorded in the ROM 72 and stores the programs in the RAM 73. Expand to the area and execute various processes. Various data generated during this processing is temporarily stored in a work area (data storage area) formed in the RAM 73.

  In the present embodiment, when the R-REP button B12 is operated, the control unit 70 interrupts the storage of the sound information in the storage unit 60 and outputs the sound based on the sound information stored in the storage unit 60. Let Specifically, for example, the audio information stored in the storage unit 60 in the signal processing unit 20 is decompressed and decoded, the audio output unit 40 converts the digital audio information to analog and amplifies the analog audio signal, and the like Control to output to.

  Next, storage control processing when a radio broadcast signal is received using the AVN device 100 of the present embodiment will be described. This storage control process is executed by the control unit 70.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the storage control process executed by the AVN apparatus 100.
First, in step S101, it is determined whether the receiving unit 10 is receiving a radio broadcast signal. If it is determined that the radio broadcast signal is being received, the process proceeds to step S102. If it is determined that the radio broadcast signal is not being received, the process ends.

  In step S102, it is determined whether the radio broadcast being received by the receiving unit 10 is output from the audio output unit 40 as it is. That is, it is determined whether the sound output from the sound output unit 40 is sound based on the sound information included in the radio broadcast signal being received by the receiving unit 10 or sound based on the sound information stored in the storage unit 60. .

  When it is determined in step S102 that the radio broadcast being received is being output from the audio output unit 40 as it is, that is, the audio output based on the audio information included in the radio broadcast signal being received by the receiving unit 10 Shifts to step S103. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S102 that the radio broadcast being received is not being output from the audio output unit 40 as it is, that is, the audio output is based on the audio information stored in the storage unit 60, the process proceeds to step S101. The audio information included in the radio broadcast signal being received is not stored in the storage unit 60.

  In step S103, the audio information included in the radio broadcast signal being received by the receiving unit 10 is converted into a predetermined format and stored in the storage unit 60, and then the process proceeds to step S101 to repeat the above-described processing. That is, as the R-REP button B12 is pressed, the storage of the sound information in the storage unit 60 is interrupted, and the sound output based on the sound information stored in the storage unit 60 is performed.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, as the reception unit 10 starts receiving a radio broadcast signal, the audio information included in the radio broadcast signal is stored in the storage unit 60 in a predetermined format. At this time, since a special operation for storing the audio information included in the radio broadcast signal is not necessary, the user must be aware that the radio broadcast must be recorded in order to re-view the necessary information. Also good. That is, compared with the technique described in Patent Document 1, an operation for re-viewing a radio broadcast is simplified.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration example of the audio information stored in the storage unit 60.
For example, when reception of a radio broadcast signal is started in the reception unit 10, audio information AD <b> 1 included in this radio broadcast signal is stored in the storage unit 60. It is assumed that previously stored audio information has been erased when reception of radio broadcast signals is stopped.

  And when the capacity | capacitance of audio | voice information AD1 memorize | stored in the memory | storage part 60 reaches the upper limit of the memory | storage capacity | capacitance of the memory | storage part 60, audio | voice information AD1 is erase | eliminated in an old order and the radio broadcast signal newly received in the receiving part 10 is received. Is stored in this erasure area. Alternatively, in the storage unit 60, the audio information AD2 may be overwritten and stored in the audio information AD1.

  Furthermore, when the capacity of the audio information AD2 stored in the storage unit 60 reaches the upper limit of the storage capacity of the storage unit 60, the audio information AD2 is erased from the oldest and the radio broadcast signal newly received by the receiving unit 10 is received. Is stored in this erasure area. When the R-REP button B12 is pressed while the audio information AD3 is being stored (timing T), the storage of the audio information AD3 in the storage unit 60 is interrupted.

  At this time, the storage unit 60 stores the latter half of the voice information AD2 in which the first half is erased (overwritten) and the voice information AD3. As described above, the storage unit 60 stores audio information for a substantially constant time (for example, 1 to 2 minutes) (it is not always fixed time depending on the compression rate of the audio information).

  Next, an audio output control process when a radio broadcast signal is received using the AVN apparatus 100 of the present embodiment will be described. This audio output control process is executed by the control unit 70.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an audio output control process executed by the AVN apparatus 100.
First, in step S201, it is determined whether the receiving unit 10 is receiving a radio broadcast signal. If it is determined that the radio broadcast signal is being received, the process proceeds to step S202. If it is determined that the radio broadcast signal is not being received, the process ends.

  In step S202, it is determined whether or not the R-REP button B12 that instructs voice output based on the voice information stored in the storage unit 60 has been operated. When it is determined that the R-REP button B12 has been operated, the process proceeds to step S203, and when it is determined that the R-REP button B12 has not been operated, the process proceeds to step S207.

  In step S203, the audio information stored in the storage unit 60 is acquired. In step S204, the audio information acquired from the storage unit 60 is subjected to predetermined signal processing (for example, expansion / decoding processing) in the signal processing unit 20, and D / A conversion processing is performed in the audio output unit 40. . In step S205, the D / A converted analog audio signal is output to a speaker or the like.

  At this time, the audio information stored in the storage unit 60 is read out in the oldest order, and audio based on this is output. For example, in the case where one minute of voice information can be stored in the storage unit 60, when the R-REP button B12 is operated, the voice information stored one minute before is sequentially read, and the voice ( Radio broadcast one minute ago) will be output. As a result, the user can easily and surely re-view the missed information.

  In step S <b> 206, it is determined whether the R-REP button B <b> 12 has been operated when outputting sound based on the sound information stored in the storage unit 60. When it is determined that the R-REP button B12 has been operated, the process proceeds to step S201, and when it is determined that the R-REP button B12 has not been operated, the process proceeds to step S203.

  That is, the sound output based on the sound information stored in the storage unit 60 is repeated unless the R-REP button B12 is operated again when the sound is output based on the sound information stored in the storage unit 60. Become. As a result, the user can easily reconfirm the radio broadcast that has been viewed again.

  Note that while the processing of steps S203 to S206 is being performed, the storage of audio information in the storage unit 60 is interrupted, but the reception unit 10 is assumed to continue receiving radio broadcast signals.

  On the other hand, in step S207, the receiving unit 10 performs demodulation processing or the like on the radio broadcast signal being received, and acquires audio information included in the radio broadcast signal. In step S208, the signal processing unit 20 performs predetermined signal processing (for example, expansion / decoding processing) on the audio information acquired from the receiving unit 10, and the audio output unit 40 performs D / A conversion processing. . In step S205, the D / A converted analog audio signal is output to a speaker or the like, and then the process proceeds to step S201. In the case of analog radio broadcasting, the process of step S208 is omitted.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an audio output form in the audio output unit 40. As described with reference to FIG. 4, the radio broadcast signal received by the receiving unit 10 includes audio information AD1, AD2, and AD3 in order, and R-REP is received during reception of the radio broadcast signal including the audio information AD3 (timing T). The case where the button B12 is operated is shown.

  First, when reception of the radio broadcast signal is started in the receiving unit 10, the audio output unit 40 outputs audio based on the audio information AD1 output from the receiving unit 10, and subsequently outputs audio based on the audio information AD2. To do.

  Next, the audio output unit 40 outputs audio based on the audio information AD3 from the receiving unit 10, and stops the audio output based on the audio information AD3 from the receiving unit 10 when the R-REP button B12 is operated. At the same time, after outputting the sound based on the sound information AD2 stored in the storage unit 60 and having the first half erased (overwritten with the sound information AD3), the sound based on the sound information AD3 is output. The voice information AD2 and AD3 from the storage unit 60 are repeatedly output until the R-REP button B12 is pressed again.

  Thus, in this embodiment, the radio broadcast missed can be re-viewed only by operating the R-REP button B12. In particular, according to the in-vehicle radio broadcast receiving apparatus, it is possible to avoid a drastic reduction in safety during driving due to a re-viewing operation of a radio broadcast missed.

  As mentioned above, although the invention made by this inventor was concretely demonstrated based on embodiment, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, It can change in the range which does not deviate from the summary.

  In the above embodiment, when the R-REP button B12 is operated, the sound information stored in the storage unit 60 is read out in order from the oldest (stored time is the earliest), and the sound is output. However, the audio information stored in a predetermined time before may be sequentially read out and output as audio. That is, when the voice information for one minute is stored in the storage unit 60, the voice information stored one minute before is not read out and output, but, for example, from the voice information stored 30 seconds ago. It can also be read out and output as audio.

  In addition, it is desirable that the predetermined time can be freely changed by an input from the operation unit 50, for example, so that it can correspond to the viewing mode of the user. For example, if a user who misses listening to an introduction of a song title because the sound is unclear, a user who requests re-viewing may set the setting time relatively short (for example, 10 seconds), and provide traffic information, weather forecasts, etc. A user who requests re-viewing when he / she misses listening may inadvertently set the set time relatively long (for example, 1 minute).

  Alternatively, the audio information stored in the storage unit 60 may be analyzed to detect the start point of the broadcast content currently being broadcast, and the audio may be output based on the audio information after the start point. For example, the boundary of the broadcast content can be detected by detecting a silent portion of audio information or a change in frequency.

  At this time, for example, one program may be regarded as one broadcast content, and CM, MC, music, etc. in the same program are each regarded as one broadcast content so that a shorter broadcast content can be repeatedly re-viewed. Also good.

  This makes it possible to efficiently re-view information that the user has missed. For example, when an English conversation by radio broadcasting is viewed, if one sentence of the English conversation is regarded as one broadcast content, it is possible to repeatedly view one sentence.

  In the above embodiment, the R-REP button B12 is newly provided by using the touch panel of the display unit 30. However, the R-REP button B12 is provided by using an existing operation button that is generally provided in a radio broadcast receiving apparatus. The function of the REP button can also be realized.

  Further, the present invention may be applicable not only to a radio broadcast receiving apparatus that can receive a radio broadcast signal, but also to a television broadcast signal receiving apparatus that can receive a television broadcast signal.

1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of an in-vehicle AVN (audio / visual navigation) apparatus as an example of a radio broadcast receiving apparatus according to the present invention. It is a front view which shows the external appearance of a vehicle-mounted AVN apparatus. 4 is a flowchart showing storage control processing executed by the AVN apparatus 100. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration example of audio information stored in a storage unit 60. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing audio output control processing executed by the AVN apparatus 100. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the audio | voice output form in the audio | voice output part. It is a front view which shows the external appearance of the operation panel in the conventional radio broadcast receiver.

Explanation of symbols

10 Receiver (tuner)
20 Signal processor (decoder)
30 Display Unit 40 Audio Output Unit 50 Operation Unit B2 Radio Repeat (R-REP) Button 60 Storage Unit 70 Control Unit 71 CPU
72 ROM
73 RAM
100 AVN device for vehicle installation A Antenna

Claims (6)

A receiver that can selectively receive a radio broadcast signal provided by a broadcaster;
A storage unit that stores audio information included in the radio broadcast signal in a predetermined format when the reception unit starts receiving the radio broadcast signal;
An audio output unit capable of outputting audio based on audio information included in a radio broadcast signal being received in the receiving unit or audio information stored in the storage unit;
An operation unit capable of instructing voice output based on the voice information stored in the storage unit;
Based on the operation signal from the operation unit, the control unit that interrupts the storage of the sound information in the storage unit and outputs the sound based on the sound information stored in the storage unit to the sound output unit; A radio broadcast receiving apparatus comprising: The storage unit has a predetermined capacity, and when the volume of the stored voice information reaches the predetermined capacity, the stored voice information is erased from the oldest and is newly received by the receiving unit. Audio information included in the broadcast radio signal is stored in the erase area,
The said control part makes the said audio | voice output part output the audio | voice based on the audio | voice information memorize | stored in the said memory | storage part to the said audio | voice output part in an old order based on the operation signal from the said operation part. Radio broadcast receiver.   The radio broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit causes the audio output unit to output audio based on audio information stored in the storage unit in order from a predetermined time.   The radio broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control unit can change the predetermined time. The controller is
After an operation signal is input from the operation unit, a sound based on the sound information stored in the storage unit is repeatedly output to the sound output unit,
When the operation signal is input again from the operation unit, the audio output unit outputs audio based on audio information included in the radio broadcast signal being received by the reception unit, and audio to the storage unit 5. The radio broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein information storage is resumed.   6. The radio broadcast reception according to claim 1, wherein the operation unit is a dedicated operation button for instructing audio output based on audio information stored in the storage unit. apparatus.

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