JP2010136034A - Sound reproduction device and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sound reproduction device, and program, which changes a volume of output sound without complex operation, by combining a plurality of determinations of external environments, which are not limited by environmental sounds. <P>SOLUTION: A digital camera 100 has: a directional microphone 300 which collects environmental sounds; a speaker 320 which outputs sound; a position measurement means 104 for acquiring a position of the digital camera 100; and a sound controller 116 which controls the volume of sounds output from the speaker 320, based on the volume of environmental sounds collected by the directional microphone 300 and the position acquired by the position measurement means 104. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an audio reproducing apparatus capable of adjusting a volume and a program readable by such an audio reproducing apparatus.

  The volume of electronic devices that emit sound such as sound effects and moving images with sound, such as digital cameras and mobile phones (hereinafter referred to as “sound playback devices”), must be adjusted according to the location so as not to disturb others. is there. However, it is not always possible to reduce the volume in consideration of the environment, and such an operation is complicated.

For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a digital imaging device that acquires the magnitude of environmental sound with a microphone, compares the magnitude of the environmental sound with a threshold value, and controls the sound effect to an appropriate volume. According to such a technique, the volume is automatically reduced according to the environmental sound in a quiet environment.
JP 2004-96635 A

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, since the volume of the sound effect is determined based on the volume of the environmental sound collected by the microphone, if exceptional noise occurs in a quiet place, the noise Due to this, the sound effect becomes large.

  In view of such a problem, the present invention is not limited to environmental sound, and is capable of changing sound volume to be output without complicated operations by combining judgments of a plurality of external environments. The object is to provide a device and a program.

  In order to solve the above problems, a typical configuration of an audio reproduction device according to the present invention is to acquire a sound collection unit that collects environmental sounds, an audio output unit that outputs audio, and a position of the audio reproduction device. And a sound control unit for controlling the volume of the sound output from the sound output unit based on the volume of the environmental sound collected by the sound collection unit and the position acquired by the positioning unit. It is characterized by providing.

  According to the above configuration, the volume of sound to be output is controlled based not only on the environmental sound but also on the current position of the sound reproduction device, so that it is possible to control the volume in consideration of the environment. Here, “volume control” is not limited to reducing the volume, but includes maintaining the volume and increasing the volume.

  When the volume of the environmental sound collected by the sound collection unit is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold, or when the position of the sound reproduction device is included in a predetermined area, the sound output from the audio output unit The volume may be reduced to a predetermined level or less.

  According to the above configuration, the volume of the sound output by the audio playback device is reduced in places where quietness is required, such as hospitals and libraries, regardless of the volume of the environmental sound, without causing trouble to the surroundings. I'm sorry.

  On the other hand, in places where it is not necessary to maintain quietness, the sound volume may be automatically adjusted according to the volume of the environmental sound, or the sound volume may not be reduced regardless of the volume of the environmental sound. It is also possible to do.

  The positioning means includes a wireless communication unit that establishes wireless communication to an access point, a position specifying information acquisition unit that acquires position specifying information including position information of the access point and a distance from the access point by wireless communication, May be included.

  According to the above configuration, since wireless communication is used as a means for acquiring its own position, there is an advantage that the position can be acquired even if there is an access point even indoors where it is difficult to capture GPS satellites.

  The position specifying information acquisition unit may acquire the distance from the access point based on the radio wave output of the radio wave received by the wireless communication unit from the access point. This is because if the distance from the access point is known, the current position of the audio playback device can be measured.

  The wireless communication unit further accesses a server on the communication network via any of the access points, transmits position specifying information to the server, and the voice control unit includes a map that differentiates a predetermined area The server may acquire information indicating whether or not the position of the audio reproduction device is included in a predetermined area, which is returned based on the position specifying information. This is to acquire information on whether or not the user is in an area where it is necessary to keep quiet.

  In order to solve the above problems, a typical configuration of a program according to the present invention includes a computer, a sound collection unit that collects environmental sounds, a sound output unit that outputs sound, and a positioning that acquires the position of the computer. And a sound reproduction device as a sound control unit for controlling the sound volume output from the sound output unit based on the volume of the environmental sound collected by the sound collecting unit and the position acquired by the positioning unit. It is made to function.

  The components corresponding to the technical idea of the above-described audio reproduction device and the description thereof can be applied to the program.

  According to the present invention, the volume of sound to be output is controlled not only based on the environmental sound but also based on the current position of the sound reproduction device, so that it is possible to control the volume in consideration of the environment. For example, in a place where quietness is required, such as a hospital or a library, regardless of the volume of the environmental sound, the volume of the sound output by the sound playback device is reduced, and the surroundings are not disturbed.

  On the other hand, in places where it is not necessary to maintain quietness, the sound volume may be automatically adjusted according to the volume of the environmental sound, or the sound volume may not be reduced regardless of the volume of the environmental sound. It is also possible to do.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific numerical values shown in the embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In the present specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same function and configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not illustrated. To do. Further, signals and currents are expressed by the codes of the lines through which they pass.

(Position estimation system)
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a position estimation system 102 based on a wireless LAN technique, which is used by a digital camera 100 that is an embodiment of an audio playback apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the digital camera 100 of FIG.

(Positioning means)
The digital camera 100 includes positioning means 104 that acquires its own position. The positioning unit 104 establishes wireless communication to the wireless LAN access points 106A, 106B, 106C, that is, the wireless LAN interface 108, the location information of the access points 106A, 106B, 106C, and the access points 106A, 106B, 106C. A position specifying information acquisition unit 110 that acquires position specifying information including distances D1, D2, and D3 (see FIG. 3).

  For example, Wi-Fi may be used as the standard of the wireless LAN interface 108. The wireless LAN interface 108 searches for nearby access points and receives beacon signals from these access points.

(Principle of position estimation)
FIG. 3 is a principle diagram showing the principle that the digital camera of FIG. 1 performs position estimation. The position specifying information acquisition unit 110 can acquire the distances D1, D2, and D3 from the access points 106A, 106B, and 106C based on the radio wave output of the radio waves received by the wireless LAN interface 108 from the access points 106A, 106B, and 106C. is there.

  Even if the distances D1, D2, and D3 from the access points 106A, 106B, and 106C are not calculated, if the radio wave outputs are compared, the access points 106A, 106B, and 106C can be ranked in the order of proximity (eg, access points). 106B, 106C, 106A in this order). As a result, the three access points 106A, 106B, and 106C at the shortest distance are identified. If the radio wave information W1, W2, W3 of the beacon signal from these closest access points is received, the digital camera 100 is located in a triangular area surrounded by these three access points 106A, 106B, 106C. It turns out that the possibility is high. The number of access points with which wireless communication is established is preferably three or more in order to improve positioning accuracy, but may be two or one. If wireless communication with at least one access point is established, it can be seen that the digital camera 100 is located in a substantially circular area centered on the access point and having a radius from the access point. is there.

  Here, the “radio wave information” is identification information unique to the access point obtained from the beacon signal, and is represented by an enumeration of numbers such as “425656.456289”. By making an inquiry to the server 114 described later, the absolute position information of the access point such as longitude and latitude can be obtained.

  The current position P of the digital camera 100 can be specified by using the position information (corresponding to the radio wave information W1, W2, and W3) of each access point 106A, 106B, and 106C and the distances D1, D2, and D3.

  As described above, if a wireless LAN is used as a means for acquiring the current position of the user, there is an advantage that the user's position can be acquired even if the access point is present even in an indoor place where GPS satellites are difficult to capture.

(map)
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a map used by the digital camera of FIG. 1 to determine whether or not to reduce the volume of sound.

  The wireless LAN interface 108 further accesses the server 114 on a communication network such as the Internet 112 via any of the access points 106A, 106B, and 106C, and transmits location specifying information to the server 114.

  Strictly speaking, the position specifying information includes position information (corresponding to radio wave information W1, W2, and W3) of the access points 106A, 106B, and 106C and distances D1, D2, and D3 from the access points 106A, 106B, and 106C. However, at least the location information of the closest access points 106A, 106B, 106C need only be transmitted to the server. This is because there is a high possibility that the digital camera 100 is located in a triangular area surrounded by the three access points 106A, 106B, and 106C, and an approximate position can be estimated.

  The digital camera 100 includes an audio control unit 116 that controls the volume of audio output from the speaker 320 via an audio processing unit 310 described later.

  In the server 114, a map 120 in which a volume adjustment area 118 that needs to be kept quiet is set in advance. The volume adjustment area 118 may be determined based on the position of the hospital 121 or the library 123, for example.

  The sound control unit 116 returns information on whether or not the current position P of the digital camera 100 is included in the sound adjustment area 118, which is returned by the server 114 including the map 120 based on the position specifying information from the digital camera 100. get. Acquisition of such information is continued at regular intervals.

  As will be described later, the sound control unit 116 also has a function of controlling the sound volume according to the collected environmental sound. Here, “environmental sound” means a sound that can be heard around a specific object or a specific image. In addition to a person's voice, a car's sound, a construction sound, a wind or an animal's sound, etc. Point to. However, regardless of the volume of the collected environmental sound, when the current position P of the digital camera 100 is included in the sound adjustment area 118, the volume of the sound output from the sound output unit (the speaker 320 in this embodiment). Is reduced below a predetermined level.

  According to the above configuration, the sound volume of the digital camera 100 is reduced in the sound adjustment area 118 that requires silence, such as the hospital 121 and the library 123, regardless of the volume of the environmental sound, and the surroundings are disturbed. I don't have to spend it. At this time, the sound may be muted.

  On the other hand, in places where it is not necessary to maintain quietness, the volume of the sound may be automatically adjusted according to the volume of the environmental sound as will be described later. It is also possible to set so as not to narrow down.

  As described above, the voice control unit 116 controls the volume of the voice output from the speaker 320 based on both the volume of the collected environmental sound and the position acquired by the positioning unit 104. Here, “volume control” is not limited to reducing the volume, but includes maintaining the volume and increasing the volume.

  Note that not only the audio adjustment area 118 but also various position information can be acquired from the map 120. For example, when shooting in a museum, it is possible to control functions other than voice, such as disabling the flash 390 or shooting in the sea mode when it is determined that the current position is the sea so as not to disturb the surroundings. .

(Environmental sound)
Refer to FIG. 2 again. The digital camera 100 includes a sound collection unit (directive microphone 300 in the present embodiment) that collects environmental sounds and a speaker 320 that outputs sound. The sound control unit 116 also outputs sound output from the speaker 320 when the volume of the collected environmental sound is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold value or when the position of the digital camera 100 is included in the sound adjustment area 118. Is reduced to a predetermined level or less.

  In the present embodiment, the reference volume level can be selected from “level 3”, “level 2”, “level 1”, and “level 0”. Here, the level n (n = 0 to 3) indicates the volume, and the volume increases as n increases. Level 0 indicates that there is no sound, that is, no sound is output.

  When the volume is reduced, the volume that was level 2 or level 3 is reduced to level 1. That is, the “predetermined level” is set to level 1.

(Digital camera configuration)
The other configuration of the digital camera will be described below with reference to FIG. The imaging unit 220 may be a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) and is an imaging unit that captures an object scene and generates an electronic image signal, and has, for example, 1600 × 1200 pixels. The imaging unit 220 converts the light image of the subject formed by the imaging lens 210 into image signals of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) color components for each pixel (pixels received by each pixel). A signal comprising a signal sequence of signals) and output.

  An image signal (analog signal) obtained from the imaging unit 220 is given to the analog signal processing circuit 230. The analog signal processing circuit 230 is a circuit that performs predetermined analog signal processing on the image signal. The analog signal processing circuit 230 includes at least a correlated double sampling circuit (Correlated Double Sampling: CDS, not shown) and an auto gain control (Auto Gain Controlled: AGC, not shown) circuit. Noise reduction processing of the image signal is performed by the correlated double sampling circuit, and the level of the image signal is adjusted by adjusting the gain by the auto gain control circuit.

  The A / D converter 240 converts each pixel signal of the image signal into, for example, a 12-bit digital signal. The converted digital signal is supplied to a central processing unit (CPU) 250 and temporarily stored in a RAM (Random Access Memory) 260 as image data. The image data stored in the RAM 260 is subjected to color correction processing or the like by the image processing unit 280 and then subjected to compression processing or the like by the compression / decompression unit 290.

  An audio signal such as an environmental sound obtained from the directional microphone 300 is input to the audio processing unit 310. The audio signal input to the audio processing unit 310 is converted into a digital signal by an A / D converter (not shown) provided in the audio processing unit 310 and temporarily stored in the RAM 260. The digitized audio signal is sent again to the audio processing unit 310 and can be reproduced from the speaker 320.

  The operation unit 330 includes a power button 330 </ b> A, various operation buttons 330 </ b> B, a shutter release button 330 </ b> C, and the like, and is used when the user changes the setting of the digital camera 100 or performs an imaging operation.

  The power supply device 340 is a power supply source for the digital camera 100. For this, a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery may be used.

  The CPU 250 comprehensively controls the above-described units by executing predetermined programs recorded in a RAM 260 and a ROM (Read Only Memory) 350. The RAM 260 is a high-speed accessible semiconductor memory, and the ROM 350 is configured as a non-volatile semiconductor memory (for example, a flash ROM) that cannot be electrically rewritten. A part of the area in the RAM 260 functions as a temporary storage buffer area, and temporarily stores image data and audio data.

  Each processing unit 280, 290, 310 of the CPU 250 is a functional part realized by the microcomputer executing a predetermined program.

  The image processing unit 280 is a processing unit that performs various digital image processing such as WB (white balance) processing and γ correction processing. The WB process is a process of adjusting the color balance by performing level conversion of each of R, G, and B color components, and the γ correction process is a process of correcting the gradation of the pixel data. The compression / decompression unit 290 further compresses the image data that has been subjected to color correction processing and the like by the image processing unit 280. As the compression method, for example, a JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) method or the like is adopted. The audio processing unit 310 is a processing unit that performs various digital processes on audio data.

  The CPU 250 having such a configuration performs processing in an imaging mode and a reproduction mode. For example, in the imaging mode, first, the imaging unit 220 is set to an operation mode for viewfinder (LCD 380) image output, imaging is performed at a predetermined cycle (for example, 30 frames / second), and image data corresponding to the imaging is sequentially obtained. Output (preliminary imaging). The image data output from the imaging unit 220 is displayed as a viewfinder image on the LCD 380 via the analog signal processing circuit 230, the A / D converter 240, and the image processing unit 280. In this state, when the shutter release button 330C is half-pressed (S1 state) by the user, the CPU 250 determines the AE (Auto Exposure) evaluation value and the AF (Auto (Auto Exposure) evaluation value) based on the preliminary image data input from the imaging unit 220. Focus) Find the evaluation value. The CPU 250 obtains the in-focus position based on the AF evaluation value by a known hill-climbing method, for example, and moves the imaging lens 210 to the in-focus position using the AE / AF unit 360. Further, the CPU 250 determines the shutter speed (charge accumulation time in the imaging unit 220) at the time of actual imaging, the aperture value of the imaging lens 210, and the gain value of auto gain control in the analog signal processing circuit 230 based on the AE evaluation value.

  When the shutter release button 330C is fully pressed (S2 state) in the imaging mode, the CPU 250 sets the operation mode of the imaging unit 220 to the operation mode for main imaging, captures the subject, and is acquired by the imaging unit 220. A compression / decompression unit 290 generates a compressed image based on the captured image data. The compressed high resolution image data is recorded on the recording medium 370. The recording medium 370 may be, for example, an SD card (registered trademark).

  Further, the CPU 250 can fetch a program that operates on the digital camera 100 from the recording medium 370. For example, the control program recorded on the recording medium 370 can be taken into the RAM 260 or the ROM 350. Thereby, the control program can be updated.

  An LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 380 is a display device that displays an object scene, displays various menus for the user, and provides information for operation. The flash 390 is a light-emitting device that emits photographing auxiliary light and irradiates a subject while light emission is permitted.

(program)
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing of the program according to the present embodiment. The program is recorded on a recording medium 370, read into a RAM (Random Access Memory) 260, and executed by the CPU 250.

  According to the operation of the program, first, the CPU 250 causes the directional microphone 300 to collect environmental sounds (step S500). Next, the CPU 250 determines whether or not the volume of the environmental sound collected by the directional microphone 300 is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold (step S502). Then, the volume of the sound output from the speaker 320 is reduced to a predetermined level or less (step S504). If the environmental sound is greater than the threshold value, the CPU 250 causes the positioning unit 104 to acquire the current position P of the digital camera 100 (step S506). The CPU 250 determines whether or not the acquired position of the digital camera 100 is included in the audio adjustment area 118 (step S508). If included, the volume of the environmental sound collected by the audio control unit 116 is included. Regardless of this, the volume of the sound output from the speaker 320 is reduced to a predetermined level or less (step S510). Assuming the movement of the user carrying the digital camera 100, this program may be repeatedly executed at a constant cycle as in the present embodiment.

As a result of the above program operation, the sound volume is controlled as follows.
Ambient sound: Low, within sound adjustment area 118 → Volume reduction Ambient sound: High, within sound adjustment area 118 → Volume reduction (previously not reduced)
Ambient sound: Small, outside the audio adjustment area 118 → volume reduction

Ambient sound: loud, outside the sound adjustment area 118 → volume is not reduced Note that the steps in the program of this specification do not necessarily have to be processed in time series in the order described in the flowchart, but in parallel or by a subroutine Processing may be included.

  For example, in the flowchart of FIG. 5, it is first determined whether or not the volume of the environmental sound is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold (step S500), but is the position of the digital camera 100 included in the audio adjustment area 118? The determination of whether or not (step S508) may be performed in advance. In any case, if it is determined that the sound volume is to be reduced as a result of the determination performed in advance, the determination performed later is not necessary.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described referring an accompanying drawing, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to the example which concerns. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and these are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. Understood.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for an audio playback device that can adjust the volume and a program that can be read by the audio playback device.

1 is a schematic diagram of a position estimation system based on a wireless LAN technology used by a digital camera that is an embodiment of an audio playback device according to the present invention. It is a block diagram of the digital camera of FIG. FIG. 2 is a principle diagram illustrating a principle of position estimation by the digital camera of FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows an example of the map utilized in order to judge whether the digital camera of FIG. 1 reduces the sound volume. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the program concerning this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Digital camera 102 ... Position estimation system 104 ... Positioning means 106A, 106B, 106C ... Access point 108 ... Wireless LAN interface 110 ... Position specification information acquisition part 112 ... Internet 114 ... Server 116 ... Voice control part 118 ... Voice adjustment area 120 … Map 121… Hospital 123… Library 260… RAM
300 ... Directional microphone 310 ... Audio processing unit 320 ... Speaker 370 ... Recording medium

Claims (6)

A sound collection unit that collects environmental sounds;
An audio output unit for outputting audio;
Positioning means for acquiring the position of the audio reproduction device;
A sound control unit that controls the sound volume output from the sound output unit based on the volume of the environmental sound collected by the sound collection unit and the position acquired by the positioning unit;
An audio reproducing apparatus comprising: The audio playback device according to claim 1, wherein the audio control unit includes:
Audio output from the audio output unit when the volume of the environmental sound collected by the sound collection unit is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold or when the position of the audio reproduction device is included in a predetermined area A sound reproducing device characterized in that the sound volume is reduced to a predetermined level or less. The sound reproducing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the positioning means is
A wireless communication unit for establishing wireless communication to the access point;
A position specifying information acquisition unit for acquiring position specifying information including position information of the access point and a distance from the access point by the wireless communication;
A sound reproducing device comprising: The audio playback device according to claim 3,
The position specifying information acquisition unit acquires a distance from the access point based on a radio wave output of a radio wave received by the wireless communication unit from the access point. The sound reproducing device according to claim 3 or 4,
The wireless communication unit further accesses a server on a communication network via any of the access points, and transmits the position specifying information to the server,
The audio control unit determines whether or not the position of the audio playback device included in the predetermined area is returned by the server including a map that differentiates the predetermined area based on the position specifying information. An audio reproducing apparatus characterized by acquiring information. Computer
A sound collection unit that collects environmental sounds;
An audio output unit for outputting audio;
Positioning means for obtaining the position of the computer;
The sound control unit that controls the volume of the sound output from the sound output unit based on the volume of the environmental sound collected by the sound collection unit and the position acquired by the positioning unit. A program for causing an audio playback device to function.