JP2018184052A - Sound reproduction system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a new welcome function when riding in a vehicle.SOLUTION: This sound reproduction system comprises: a first sound reproduction part 32 which executes output of a reproduction sound, for example, as a welcome sound from an external speaker 51 which is so located as to emit a sound to the exterior of a vehicle body of a vehicle; a second sound reproduction part 42 which executes output of a reproduction sound, similarly, as a welcome sound from an internal speaker 50 which is so located as to emit a sound in a cabin of the vehicle; and a control part 31. The control part so controls the first sound reproduction part and the second sound reproduction part as to reach takeover output of a prescribed sound from the internal speaker by the second sound reproduction part from reproduction output start of a prescribed sound from the external speaker by the first sound reproduction part according to a detection state of a behavior of a crewman from approaching the vehicle and riding in the vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a sound reproduction system mounted on a vehicle, for example, a sound reproduction system that realizes a welcome function or the like.

  As a vehicle welcome function, a function attached to a keyless system is known. For example, use of a headlight system that announces the parking position of a vehicle using a hazard lamp or horn, which is performed when a car user has instructed to unlock the vehicle with a remote controller for a keyless system (hereinafter also referred to as a “keyless controller”). There is lighting of the feet that did.

The following Patent Document 1 discloses a technique related to AVAS (Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System), and describes that an AVAS speaker is used for sound output of a keyless system.
Patent Document 2 below describes the use of a keyless entry as a content reproduction trigger.

JP 2014-144729 A Special table 2007-507378

In vehicles such as automobiles, one of the challenges is to guide the boarding by the welcome function, improve the satisfaction of the user who is an occupant, and exhibit entertainment properties.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a comfortable and interesting sound environment as an output of a welcome sound or the like for a rider.

An audio reproduction system according to the present invention emits sound into a vehicle interior of a vehicle, and a first audio reproduction unit that executes output of reproduced audio from an external speaker arranged to emit sound outside the vehicle body of the vehicle. A second audio reproduction unit that executes output of reproduced audio from an internal speaker arranged in the vehicle, and the external by the first audio reproduction unit according to a detection state of a behavior from the approach of the occupant to the vehicle with respect to the vehicle The first audio reproduction unit and the second audio reproduction unit are configured so as to reach a predetermined output of the predetermined audio from the internal speaker by the second audio reproduction unit from the start of reproduction output of the predetermined audio from the speaker. A control unit for controlling.
For example, a predetermined sound (for example, welcome music) is output from an external speaker according to the approach of the passenger. Then, when the passenger opens the door and enters the vehicle, the output from the internal speaker is taken over, and when the passenger gets on and closes the door, only the internal speaker is output.

In the voice reproduction system described above, the control unit detects that the occupant is approaching when the unlocking instruction signal is received, and detects that the occupant is in the boarding process based on detection information indicating that the door is opened. It is conceivable to detect that an occupant has boarded the vehicle based on detection information indicating that the door has been closed.
For example, if there is an unlocking instruction for a unit as a keyless entry system by communication from a keyless controller owned by the user, the control unit starts the welcome function assuming that the user has approached. Also, the user's behavior is detected by the open / closed state of the door.

In the audio reproduction system described above, the predetermined audio is reproduced at a predetermined volume by the first audio reproduction unit and the silence or low volume by the second audio reproduction unit in response to detection of the approach of the occupant to the vehicle. The reproduction of the predetermined sound at the same time is started at the same time, and the reproduction by the first sound reproduction unit is stopped and the reproduction sound by the second sound reproduction unit is predetermined according to the detection of the occupant's boarding It can be considered that the volume is set.
In response to the occupant's approach, the first and second sound reproduction units simultaneously start reproduction of a predetermined sound such as a welcome sound, for example. Then, the volume is changed according to the occupant's boarding.

In the above-described sound reproduction system, in response to detection of the approach of the occupant to the vehicle, reproduction of the predetermined sound at a predetermined volume is started by the first sound reproduction unit, and in response to detection of the passenger's boarding process or boarding The second audio output unit starts the reproduction synchronized with the reproduction by the first audio reproduction unit by instructing the reproduction position and reproduction start timing of the predetermined audio to the second audio reproduction unit. It is possible.
For example, if time synchronization is established between the control unit and the first and second audio reproduction units, the control unit can grasp the reproduction position in the first audio reproduction unit when starting the takeover reproduction. . Therefore, it is possible to instruct the second audio playback unit from which playback position to start playback.

In the audio reproduction system described above, the volume of the reproduced audio by the first audio reproducing unit is gradually decreased, and the volume of the reproduced audio by the second audio reproducing unit is gradually increased, so that the first It is conceivable that the reproduction output from the external speaker by one audio reproduction unit is taken over by the reproduction output from the internal speaker by the second audio reproduction unit.
When the playback audio is synchronized in the first and second audio playback units, the playback output from the external speaker is taken over by the playback output from the internal speaker by the so-called cross fade process. Can do.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a welcome sound that is seamlessly transferred from the outside of the vehicle to the vehicle interior in accordance with the behavior of the occupant when getting on, and can realize a welcome function with entertainment and comfort.

It is a block diagram of the audio | voice reproduction | regeneration system of embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of the welcome process of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the clock adjustment process of 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the welcome process of 2nd Embodiment.

<Configuration of audio playback system>
FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of an audio reproduction system 1 mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile.
The sound reproduction system 1 includes a keyless system 10, a door lock system 20, an AVAS unit 30, an audio system 40, an internal speaker 50, an external speaker 51, an in-vehicle antenna 52, and an external antenna 53. A user who is an occupant has a keyless controller 60.

Note that the interior and exterior of the vehicle are indicated by a one-dot chain line RM. In the audio reproduction system, each part excluding the external speaker 51 and the vehicle exterior antenna 53 is disposed within the alternate long and short dash line RM, that is, in the vehicle interior. In addition, the vehicle interior here does not necessarily mean a position where an occupant can visually recognize, but means the inside of the vehicle body.
The external speaker 51 is arranged at a predetermined position of the vehicle body so that sound can be emitted toward the outside of the vehicle. The vehicle exterior antenna 53 is an antenna for communicating with the keyless controller 60 outside the vehicle, and is disposed at a predetermined position on the vehicle body.

  The keyless system 10, the door lock system 20, the AVAS unit 30, and the audio system 40 are independent devices, for example, and can communicate with each other via an in-vehicle LAN (Local Area Network) 2. For example, CAN (Controller Area Network) or Time Triggered CAN is used as the in-vehicle LAN 2.

The keyless system 10 is a control unit that realizes a function as a keyless entry. As is well known, the keyless entry is a system that allows a passenger user to lock and unlock a door using a keyless controller 60 that is a portable device.
The keyless system 10 performs communication processing with the control unit 11 including a microcomputer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the keyless controller 60. Part 12.
The communication unit 12 can communicate with the keyless controller 60 possessed by a user outside the vehicle via the vehicle outside antenna 53. When the user is in the vehicle, the communication unit 12 can communicate with the keyless controller 60 via the in-vehicle antenna 52.
The control unit 11 of the keyless system 10 detects the unlocking instruction and the locking instruction transmitted from the keyless controller 60 and instructs the door lock system 20, or the keyless controller 60 using the vehicle interior antenna 52 and the vehicle exterior antenna 53. It is possible to determine whether the user is in the vehicle interior or the outside of the vehicle by comparing the electric field strength of the communication radio wave. The control unit 11 can give various instructions to other units (the door lock system 20, the AVAS unit 30, and the audio system 40) through communication via the in-vehicle LAN 2.

The door lock system 20 is a system that locks / unlocks the door, and includes a control unit 21 configured by a microcomputer having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, a door lock actuator 22 that drives a door lock mechanism, and a vehicle An open / close sensor 23 for detecting the open / close state of the door is included.
For example, when there is an unlocking instruction from the keyless system 10, the control unit 21 of the door lock system 20 controls the door lock actuator 22 to execute the unlocking operation. When there is a locking instruction from the keyless system 10, the door lock actuator 22 is controlled to execute the locking operation. In addition, the control unit 21 transmits information detected by the open / close sensor 23 to the keyless system 10.

The AVAS unit 30 is a sound reproduction unit for making a vehicle approach report to a pedestrian outside the vehicle. The AVAS unit 30 includes a control unit 31 configured by a microcomputer having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a reproduction unit 32 that performs reproduction output processing of an approach notification sound, and a storage unit that stores digital audio data of the approach notification sound 33 etc.
When reproducing the approach notification sound, the control unit 31 controls the reproduction unit 32 to execute reproduction processing. That is, the playback unit 32 reads the digital audio data of the approach notification sound stored in the storage unit 33, performs conversion to an analog signal, volume adjustment processing, power amplifier amplification processing, etc., and supplies the audio signal to the external speaker 51. Then, the sound output of the approach notification sound is executed from the external speaker 51.
In the case of the present embodiment, the storage unit 33 also stores digital audio data as a welcome sound. The control unit 31 can cause the reproduction unit 32 to reproduce the welcome sound when detecting the approach of the occupant to the vehicle.

The audio system 40 is a sound reproduction unit for the user to listen to music, listen to radio, listen to navigation sound, and the like. The audio system 40 includes a control unit 41 configured by a microcomputer having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a reproduction unit 42 that performs reproduction output processing of music, a storage unit 43 that stores music and other digital audio data, and the like. . When playing back music or the like, the control unit 41 controls the playback unit 42 to execute playback processing. That is, the reproduction unit 42 reads out digital audio data such as music stored in the storage unit 43, performs conversion to an analog signal, volume adjustment processing, sound quality adjustment processing, power amplifier amplification processing, and the like, and outputs the audio signal to the internal speaker 50. To output audio such as music from the internal speaker 50.
In the case of the present embodiment, the storage unit 43 also stores digital audio data as a welcome sound. This is digital sound data that is the same sound as the welcome sound stored in the storage unit 33 of the AVAS unit 30. For example, if the welcome sound is a certain musical piece, the storage units 33 and 43 store the same musical piece and audio data having the same reproduction speed.
For example, based on information from the AVAS unit 30, the control unit 41 can cause the reproduction unit 42 to reproduce the welcome sound.

A synchronization line 3 is indicated by a broken line between the AVAS unit 30 and the audio system 40. In the first embodiment described later, the in-vehicle LAN 2 is an asynchronous communication line such as CAN, and the AVAS unit 30 can send synchronization information to the audio system 40 through the synchronization line 3.
In the second embodiment to be described later, the in-vehicle LAN 2 is Time Triggered CAN, and the synchronization line 3 is unnecessary.

<First Embodiment>
The operation of the above-described audio reproduction system 1 as the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
This embodiment provides a welcome sound according to the behavior of the user when riding. Specifically, using the voice sound generation function of the AVAS unit 30 to the outside of the vehicle and the voice sound function of the audio system 40 to the inside of the vehicle, the welcome sound is triggered by the unlocking instruction of the keyless system 10 as a trigger. Will be transferred seamlessly from the outside of the vehicle to the passenger compartment in synchronism with the passenger's riding action.

FIG. 2 shows processes of the control units 11, 21, 31, and 41 in the keyless system 10, the door lock system 20, the AVAS unit 30, and the audio system 40. Here, the process in the case of waiting for an unlocking instruction from the keyless controller 60 possessed by the user outside the vehicle is shown. Each control unit 11, 21, 31, 41 is in a state of waiting for an activation trigger during sleep.
In the example of FIG. 2 to be described below, immediately after the unlocking control by the keyless system 10, the AVAS unit 30 proceeds with the welcome sound reproduction process as a master unit, but this is only an example.

  The keyless system 10 (control unit 11) confirms whether or not an unlocking instruction from the keyless controller 60 is received in step S101. If there is no unlocking instruction, the process proceeds to another waiting process.

When the unlocking instruction is received from the keyless controller 60, the process of the keyless system 10 proceeds from step S101 to S102, and the control unit 11 performs its own startup process.
Subsequently, the keyless system 10 activates the in-vehicle LAN 2 in step S103, and transmits an activation instruction to the door lock system 20, the AVAS unit 30, and the audio system 40 via the in-vehicle LAN 2.
In response to this, the control unit 21 of the door lock system 20, the control unit 31 of the AVAS unit 30, and the control unit 41 of the audio system 40 perform activation processing (S201, S301, S401).

Next, the keyless system 10 (control unit 11) transmits an unlocking instruction to the door lock system 20 in step S104.
The door lock system 20 (control unit 21) drives and controls the door lock actuator 22 in response to reception of the unlock instruction to unlock the door. As a result, the door unlocking requested by the keyless controller 60 is performed.

On the other hand, the AVAS unit 30 (control unit 31) activates a welcome function in response to activation by a trigger from the keyless system 10. First, the AVAS unit 30 (control unit 31) notifies the door lock system 20 and the audio system 40 of the start of the welcome function in step S302.
The notification of the start of the welcome function includes information as a door opening / closing information notification request for the door lock system 20 and information as a reproduction standby instruction for the audio system 40.

  Furthermore, the AVAS unit 30 (control unit 31) transmits synchronization information to the audio system 40 via the synchronization line 3 in step S303. This synchronization information is information specifying the welcome sound and specifying the reproduction start timing. In other words, it includes identification information (music number, etc.) of digital audio data as a welcome sound and reproduction timing information such as “after 2 seconds”.

Then, the AVAS unit 30 (control unit 31) causes the reproduction unit 32 to reproduce the welcome sound at a timing designated by itself (S304).
The audio system 40 (control unit 41) also causes the playback unit 42 to play back the welcome sound at the designated timing (S402). However, in this case, the control unit 41 causes the reproduction unit 42 to perform reproduction at a volume of zero. Therefore, the welcome sound does not flow from the internal speaker 50 at this time.

The instruction to start playback at zero volume is included in the synchronization information by the control unit 31 of the AVAS unit 30, and the control unit 41 of the audio system 40 causes the playback unit 42 to execute playback at zero volume accordingly. Can be considered.
Alternatively, at step S302, the AVAS unit 30 instructs the audio system 40 to set the volume to zero, and then the control unit 41 of the audio system 40 is instructed first at a timing based on the synchronization information instructed from the AVAS unit 30. It is also possible to start playback at zero volume.

By the processing so far, the reproduction of the welcome sound is started from the external speaker 51 toward the outside of the vehicle, and the welcome sound is heard by the approaching user.
Subsequently, the user performs an operation of opening the door of the vehicle. In the door lock system 20, the opening / closing sensor 23 detects that the door has been opened. In this case, the door lock system 20 (control unit 21) proceeds from step S203 to S204, and notifies the AVAS unit 30 of detection information that the door has been opened.

When the AVAS unit 30 (control unit 31) receives the detection information indicating that the door has been opened, the AVAS unit 30 (control unit 31) issues a fade instruction to the audio system 40 in step S305. Specifically, it instructs the audio system 40 to fade in (increase the playback volume gradually).
In response to this, the audio system 40 (control unit 41) instructs the playback unit 42 to fade in, and starts a gradual volume increase (S403).
Also, the AVAS unit 30 (control unit 31) causes the reproduction unit 32 to execute fade-out in step S306, and starts a gradual decrease in volume.
As a result, the user feels that the welcome sound is gradually heard from the inside of the vehicle when the door is opened.

  Thereafter, the user who gets into the vehicle interior closes the door. In the door lock system 20, the opening / closing sensor 23 detects that the door is closed. In this case, the door lock system 20 (control unit 21) proceeds from step S205 to S206, and notifies the AVAS unit 30 of detection information that the door has been closed.

When the AVAS unit 30 (control unit 31) receives the detection information indicating that the door is closed, the AVAS unit 30 (control unit 31) instructs the audio system 40 to switch in step S307. Specifically, the audio system 40 is instructed to reproduce at a predetermined volume.
In response to this, the audio system 40 (control unit 41) instructs the reproduction unit 42 to perform reproduction at a predetermined volume in step S404 and continues reproduction output.
In step S308, the AVAS unit 30 (control unit 31) instructs the playback unit 32 to stop playback and stops playback audio output.
Accordingly, the welcome sound cannot be heard outside the vehicle, and the passenger sound in the passenger compartment can still hear the welcome sound.

Note that, due to the fade-in in step S403, the predetermined volume may be reached before the door is closed. In this case, the audio system 40 may end the fade-in when the predetermined volume is reached, and continue the reproduction at the predetermined volume.
On the other hand, if the door is closed immediately when the fade-in has not progressed so much, it may be possible to increase the speed of the volume to reach a predetermined volume in step S404.

Thereafter, when the playback as the welcome sound is finished, the audio system 40 (control unit 41) performs a playback end process (S405).
With the above processing, a welcome function is realized in which the welcome sound is seamlessly transferred from the outside of the vehicle to the vehicle interior as the user rides.

<Second Embodiment>
An example of processing according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. This is an example of a case where each unit can be time synchronized by setting the in-vehicle LAN 2 to Time Triggered CAN.
FIG. 3 shows a time adjustment process performed periodically. For example, it is assumed that the AVAS unit 30 is a master.
The AVAS unit 30 (control unit 31) performs time notification at predetermined intervals as a timer interrupt process or the like. That is, when the time notification timing comes, the process proceeds from step S310 to S311 and current time information is transmitted to each of the keyless system 10, the door lock system 20, and the audio system 40.

In response to this, the control unit 11 of the keyless system 10, the control unit 21 of the door lock system 20, and the control unit 41 of the audio system 40 respectively perform internal clock correction processing (S110, S210, S410).
By this processing, the internal clocks of the keyless system 10, the door lock system 20, the AVAS unit 30, and the audio system 40 are matched, and the time is synchronized. Then, by executing this process periodically, a time synchronized state is maintained.

The process of FIG. 4 is performed on the assumption that the above time synchronization is taken. Note that the same steps as those in FIG. 2 are given the same step numbers to avoid redundant description.
The processing similar to FIG. 2 includes steps S101 to S104 of the keyless system 10 (control unit 11), steps S201 to S206 of the door lock system 20 (control unit 21), and steps S301 of the AVAS unit 30 (control unit 31). S306 to S308, steps S401, S404, and S405 of the audio system 40 (control unit 41).

The keyless system 10 performs an unlocking process (S104) in response to receiving an unlocking instruction from the user's keyless controller 60. The AVAS unit 30 (control unit 31) activated in response to reception of the unlocking instruction by the keyless system 10 instructs the door lock system 20 and the audio system 40 to start the welcome function in step S302.
Then, the AVAS unit 30 (control unit 31) starts the reproduction of the welcome sound by the reproduction unit 32 (S320).
In this case, the audio system 40 side has not started reproduction yet.

  When it is detected by the notification from the door lock system 20 that the user has opened the door, the AVAS unit 30 (control unit 31) transmits a reproduction instruction to the audio system 40 in step S321. In this case, the AVAS unit 30 (control unit 31) notifies the audio system 40 of the playback position and playback start time of the welcome sound.

As is well known, digital audio data (music track data) is added with a time code (hour / minute / second / frame), and the playback position can be managed by the time code.
The control unit 31 of the AVAS unit 30 can grasp how far the reproduction has progressed (time code of the current reproduction position) at the time of step S321 in the reproduction operation of the reproduction unit 32 managed by the AVAS unit 30.
Therefore, for example, the control unit 31 sets a time code after a predetermined time (for example, 3 seconds) after the current reproduction position as the reproduction start position. A time after a predetermined time (for example, 3 seconds) after the current time is set as a reproduction start timing. The reproduction instruction is transmitted to the audio system 40 with this information added.
In this case, the reproduction instruction includes a fade-in instruction.

  In response to this playback instruction, the audio system 40 (control unit 41) performs playback start processing. That is, the playback unit 42 is notified of the time code as the playback start position, and fade-in playback is started from the designated time. Since the internal clock of each unit is time synchronized, the time code of the playback position matches the time code of the playback position of the welcome sound played back by the AVAS unit 30. In this state, the welcome sound fades in the passenger compartment.

  On the other hand, the AVAS unit 30 (control unit 31) issues a fade-out instruction to the playback unit 32 in step S306. As a result, on the AVAS unit 30 side, the volume of the welcome sound that is currently being reproduced by the reproduction unit 32 is gradually lowered.

Thereafter, when the AVAS unit 30 (control unit 31) receives detection information from the door lock system 20 that the door has been closed by the user who has entered the vehicle interior, the AVAS unit 30 (control unit 31) instructs the audio system 40 to switch in step S307. Thereafter, the playback is the same as in FIG. 2, and the playback from the AVAS unit 30 is finished. In the audio system 40, the playback is continued at a predetermined volume until the welcome sound is finished.
With the above processing, a welcome function is realized in which the welcome sound is handed over from the outside of the vehicle to the vehicle interior as the user rides.

<Summary and modification>
As described above, the following effects can be obtained in the embodiment.
The audio reproduction system 1 according to the first and second embodiments includes a first audio reproduction unit (AVAS unit) for executing reproduction audio output from an external speaker 51 arranged to emit sound outside the vehicle body of the vehicle. 30 reproduction unit 32) and a second audio reproduction unit (reproduction unit 32 of audio system 40) for executing reproduction of reproduction audio from 50 from an internal speaker arranged to emit sound into the vehicle interior of the vehicle. Prepare. Also, from the start of the welcome sound reproduction output from the external speaker 51 by the reproduction unit 32 to the inheritance output of the welcome sound from the internal speaker 50 by the reproduction unit 42 according to the detection state of the behavior from the approach of the passenger to the vehicle. The control part (For example, the control part 31 of the AVAS unit 30) which controls is provided.
As a result, a comfortable welcome sound can be provided to the user in the process from approaching to the vehicle. In addition, entertainment can be realized and provided as a new welcome function.
In addition, by using the AVAS unit 30 mounted in the vehicle and the in-vehicle audio system 40, it is possible to provide the user with a sound reproduction environment that is seamlessly transferred from the outside of the vehicle to the vehicle interior using the existing system. .

  Various unit configurations of the audio reproduction system 1 can be considered. For example, the keyless system 10 and the door lock system 20 may be integrated, or another unit not shown in FIG. 1 may be provided. In recent years, various devices are installed inside and outside the vehicle, and they can also exchange information via the in-vehicle LAN 2. By seamlessly linking them, it is possible to realize characteristic new added value of the vehicle. I can expect.

2 and 4, the AVAS unit 30 (control unit 31) performs the process of managing the progress of the welcome function. However, another unit may proceed the process related to the welcome sound. For example, any of the control unit 11 of the keyless system 10, the control unit 21 of the door lock system 20, and the control unit 41 of the audio system 40 may perform processing for managing the progress of the welcome function. In that sense, not only the control unit 31, but also any of the control units 11, 21, and 41 can correspond to the control unit in the claims.
In addition, a plurality of the control units 11, 21, 31, and 41 may correspond to the control unit described in the claims. For example, the processing of the instruction to reproduce the welcome sound may be shared by the control unit 11 of the keyless system 10 and the control unit 21 of the door lock system 20.
From the above, for example, in FIG. 2, the fading instruction in step S305 and the switching instruction in step S307 can be performed by the control unit 11 of the keyless system 10 or the control unit 21 of the door lock system 20 or can be performed in a shared manner. Conceivable. In that case, a fade instruction and a switching instruction are given to both the AVAS unit 30 and the audio system 40.
Further, another ECU (Electronic Control Unit) may function as the control unit described in the claims.
Further, the first and second sound reproducing units are not limited to the reproducing unit 32 of the AVAS unit 30 and the reproducing unit 42 of the audio system 40. Other audio output units may be provided.

In the first and second embodiments, the control unit 11 performs a process of instructing unlocking of the door lock mechanism of the vehicle in response to reception of the unlocking instruction signal from the keyless controller 60 and the occupant. An example of detecting the approach of the passenger, detecting that the passenger is in the boarding process based on the detection information that the door has been opened, and detecting that the passenger has boarded the vehicle based on the detection information that the door has been closed It was.
By making a judgment based on the event of receiving the unlocking instruction signal by the keyless entry system, it is possible to reliably detect the approach of the user who is an occupant. Therefore, the welcome function can be appropriately started.
In addition, the user's behavior (boarding operation) can be easily detected by opening and closing the door immediately after that. As a result, appropriate handover control of the welcome sound can be easily performed.

In the first embodiment, in response to detection of an approach of a passenger to the vehicle (for example, unlocking instruction by the keyless controller 60), the welcome sound is reproduced at a predetermined volume by the AVAS unit 30, and the audio system 40 is silent. The welcome sound is played back at the same time. As a result, the AVAS unit 30 and the audio system 40 perform music reproduction while being synchronized with each other. This is because the AVAS unit 30 and the audio system 40 each reproduce sound source data as predetermined sound at the same speed. When the keyless system 10 detects the approach of the user using the keyless entry, the AVAS unit 30 initially emits a welcome sound from the external speaker 51.
Further, in response to the detection of the occupant's boarding (door closing), the reproduction by the AVAS unit 30 is stopped and the reproduction sound by the audio system 40 is set to a predetermined volume. That is, in the state where the user gets on, unnecessary reproduction to the outside by the AVAS unit 30 is ended. On the other hand, since the reproduced sound by the audio system 40 is synchronized with the reproduced sound of the AVAS unit 30, the user can listen to the welcome sound handed over from the outside of the vehicle to the vehicle interior as a natural feeling.
In particular, the AVAS unit 30 and the audio system 40 are separate units. However, when simultaneous playback is started, playback synchronization can be easily achieved, and appropriate takeover playback can be performed.

A method that does not use the synchronization line 3 is also conceivable for the simultaneous playback start. For example, the keyless system 10 transmits synchronization information indicating that playback is started, for example, “after 2 seconds”, to both the AVAS unit 30 and the audio system 40. Then, in the AVAS unit 30 and the audio system 40, the playback of the welcome sound is started simultaneously at the designated timing.
In addition, the audio system 40 starts playback at no volume at the start of playback, but may not necessarily be in a completely muted state. For example, playback may be started at a low volume.

In the second embodiment, the playback of the welcome sound at a predetermined volume from the AVAS unit 30 is started in response to detection of the approach of the occupant to the vehicle. Then, the audio system 40 is instructed about the playback position and playback start timing of the welcome sound according to the passenger's boarding process or boarding detection, so that playback synchronized with the AVAS unit 30 by the audio system 40 is started. Yes.
The AVAS unit 30 and the audio system 40 are time-synchronized by periodically performing the process of FIG. Therefore, the AVAS unit 30 can instruct the playback start position and the playback start timing so that the playback sound is synchronized with the audio system 40 when, for example, the door opening is detected. As a result, the audio system 40 starts to reproduce the welcome sound synchronized with the AVAS unit 30. For the user, when getting into the vehicle interior, the welcome sound that has been heard outside is taken over into the vehicle interior and can be heard.

In the processing example of FIG. 4, since the AVAS unit 30 is the master, it is assumed that the AVAS unit 30 can grasp the current playback position (time code) in the playback unit 31 at the time of step S321. For example, the operation of the second embodiment can be realized even when the keyless system 10 or the door lock system 20 is a master.
For example, when the keyless system 10 is the master, the AVAS unit 30 is instructed to start playback in response to the approach of the passenger, and the playback position and playback timing are notified to the audio system 40 by opening the door. Here, the keyless system 10, the AVAS unit 30, and the audio system 40 are time-synchronized by the processing of FIG. Therefore, in this case, the keyless system 10 (the control unit 11) calculates how far the playback in the AVAS unit 30 has progressed based on the time when the AVAS unit 30 is instructed to start playback and the time when the door is opened. Can be sought.
Therefore, the current playback position (time code) of the AVAS unit 30 at the time of door opening detection is obtained, and the time code after a predetermined time (for example, 3 seconds) is set as the playback start position in the audio system 40, for example. A time after a predetermined time (for example, 3 seconds) after the current time is set as the reproduction start timing. The reproduction instruction is transmitted to the audio system 40 with this information added. In this way, even when the AVAS unit 30 is not the master, the processing of the second embodiment can be executed.

In the first and second embodiments, the volume of the reproduced sound by the AVAS unit 30 is gradually lowered, and the volume of the reproduced sound by the audio system 40 is gradually increased, whereby the reproduction output from the external speaker 51 is performed. Is carried over to the reproduction output from the internal speaker 50.
Thus, it is possible to perform takeover reproduction with a natural audibility. For example, the crossfade is performed after detecting that the door is opened. Thereby, in the process in which the user gets into the vehicle, the sound from the external speaker 51 gradually decreases and the sound from the internal speaker 50 increases. The user can enjoy an environment where the welcome sound is naturally transferred from the outside of the vehicle to the vehicle interior.

The present invention can assume various modifications regardless of the above-described embodiment and the modifications described above.
For example, in the embodiment, the process of taking over the welcome sound is performed by the cross-fade process, but the following example is also conceivable as the volume control for taking over.
-The output is instantaneously switched from the output of the external speaker 51 to the output of the internal speaker 50 at a predetermined timing such as opening the door or closing the door.
-At the door opening timing, the output volume of the internal speaker 50 is gradually increased (fade in) without changing the output volume of the external speaker 51.
The internal speaker 50 is set to a predetermined volume without changing the output volume of the external speaker 51 at the door opening timing.
-At the door opening timing, the output volume of the external speaker 51 is decreased and the output volume of the internal speaker 50 is increased, but both are set to substantially the same volume.

In addition to the unlocking instruction by the keyless controller 60, the following example is conceivable for detecting the approach of the user who is an occupant.
For example, it is possible to perform communication for exploring surroundings using the antenna 53 outside the vehicle, and detect the approach of the user who is the occupant based on the response of the keyless controller 60. That is, even when the user does not perform the unlocking operation of the keyless controller 60, the welcome sound can be started to be reproduced.
In the case of a system equipped with a peripheral monitoring camera, it is possible to determine the approach of a user as a regular user by performing face recognition / individual determination processing of a captured image.

The detection that the occupant has entered the boarding behavior can be made not only by opening the door, but also by analyzing the user's motion using the peripheral monitoring camera. Alternatively, the position of the keyless controller 60 may be determined to detect the approach to the door.
Further, the difference in electric field strength between the outside antenna 53 and the inside antenna 52 may be monitored, and the opening of the door or the riding behavior may be detected by the change in the difference in electric field strength.

The passenger boarding may be detected not only by closing the door, but also by using information from a load sensor provided on the seat, or by detecting a boarding state based on a difference in electric field strength between the outside antenna 53 and the inside antenna 52.
In addition, when a vehicle interior camera is mounted, it is possible to determine boarding by analyzing captured images of the vehicle interior camera.

In the embodiment, the welcome sound is reproduced as the predetermined sound. However, the welcome sound is not limited to sound effects, music, and the like.
Also, a plurality of welcome sounds may be prepared so that the user can select them, or the audio reproduction system 1 may automatically select and reproduce them. Naturally, the AVAS unit 30 and the audio system 40 reproduce the same voice / music.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Voice reproduction system, 2 ... In-vehicle LAN, 3 ... Synchronization line, 10 ... Keyless system, 11, 21, 31, 41 ... Control part, 20 ... Door lock system, 22 ... Door lock actuator, 23 ... Opening / closing sensor, 30 ... AVAS unit, 32,42 ... reproducing unit, 33,43 ... storage unit, 40 ... audio system, 50 ... internal speaker, 51 ... external speaker, 52 ... in-vehicle antenna, 53 ... outside antenna, 60 ... keyless controller

Claims (5)

A first audio reproduction unit that executes output of reproduced audio from an external speaker arranged to emit sound outside the vehicle body;
A second sound reproduction unit for executing reproduction sound output from an internal speaker arranged to emit sound in a vehicle interior of the vehicle;
From the start of reproduction output of a predetermined sound from the external speaker by the first sound reproduction unit from the internal speaker by the second sound reproduction unit according to the detection state of the behavior from the approach of the occupant to the vehicle And a control unit that controls the first audio reproduction unit and the second audio reproduction unit so as to reach the predetermined audio takeover output. The controller is
Detecting the approach of the passenger by receiving the unlocking instruction signal,
By detecting that the door has been opened, it is detected that the passenger is in the boarding process,
The sound reproduction system according to claim 1, wherein it is detected that an occupant gets on the basis of detection information indicating that the door is closed. In response to detection of the approach of an occupant to the vehicle, reproduction of the predetermined sound at a predetermined volume by the first sound reproduction unit and reproduction of the predetermined sound at silence or low volume by the second sound reproduction unit; Are started at the same time,
The reproduction by the first audio reproduction unit is stopped and the reproduction audio by the second audio reproduction unit is set to a predetermined volume according to the detection of the occupant's boarding. Audio playback system. In response to the detection of the approach of the occupant to the vehicle, reproduction of the predetermined sound at a predetermined volume by the first sound reproduction unit is started,
The second audio output unit is instructed by the second audio reproduction unit in response to the boarding process of the occupant or boarding, and the second audio output unit instructs the second audio output unit to reproduce the first audio. The audio reproduction system according to claim 1, wherein reproduction synchronized with reproduction by the unit is started. The volume of the reproduced sound by the first sound reproducing unit is gradually lowered, and the volume of the reproduced sound by the second sound reproducing unit is gradually increased, so that the external sound by the first sound reproducing unit is increased. The audio reproduction system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein reproduction output from a speaker is succeeded to reproduction output from the internal speaker by the second audio reproduction unit.

Images