JP2021190827A - Listening device and listening method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a listening device and a listening method that can appropriately control external sound capturing.SOLUTION: A listening device according to an embodiment includes left and right output units that are attached to the left and right ears of a user U and output a playback sound, an optical sensor 12 provided in the output unit to detect ambient light, a volume control unit 21 that controls the volume of the playback sound output from the output unit according to the detection result of the optical sensor, an external sound capturing microphone 13 provided in the output unit, and an external sound capturing control unit 22 that outputs external sound captured by the external sound capturing microphone 13 from the output unit according to the detection result of the optical sensor 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present disclosure relates to a listening device and a listening method.

The electronic device disclosed in Patent Document 1 controls the volume generated from a sound generating unit from a speaker or the like according to the illuminance of the surrounding environment. Patent Document 2 discloses headphones capable of listening to a ringing tone of a telephone issued from the outside.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-110044 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-30254

By the way, with the spread of smart phones, an increasing number of people walk outside while wearing earphones or headphones (hereinafter collectively referred to as earphones or the like). When wearing earphones or the like, the user is less likely to notice changes in the surrounding conditions. Especially in a quiet and dark state such as late at night, it is difficult to notice any abnormalities in the surroundings. In addition, electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and the like have very low running noise, and are difficult for the user to hear.

The present embodiment has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a listening device and a listening method capable of appropriately controlling the acquisition of external sound according to the surrounding conditions.

The listening device according to the present embodiment includes left and right output units that are attached to the left and right ears of the user and output reproduced sound, an optical sensor provided in the output unit so as to detect ambient light, and the above. A volume control unit that controls the volume of the reproduced sound output from the output unit according to the detection result of the optical sensor, an external sound capture microphone provided in the output unit, and a detection result of the optical sensor. It is provided with an external sound capture control unit that outputs the external sound captured by the external sound capture microphone from the output unit.

The listening method according to the present embodiment is a step of outputting a reproduced sound from the left and right output units attached to the left and right ears of the user, and a step of detecting ambient light by an optical sensor provided in the output unit. A step of controlling the volume of the reproduced sound output from the output unit according to the detection result of the optical sensor, a step of capturing the external sound with the external sound capture microphone provided in the output unit, and the light. It includes a step of outputting the external sound captured by the external sound capturing microphone from the output unit according to the detection result of the sensor.

According to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a listening device and a listening method capable of appropriately controlling the acquisition of external sound according to the surrounding conditions.

It is a figure which shows typically the state which the user wears the earphone which is a listening device. It is a block diagram which shows the control system of the listening device which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the listening method which concerns on Embodiment 1. It is a block diagram which shows the control system of the listening device which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the listening method which concerns on Embodiment 2. It is a block diagram which shows the control system of the listening device which concerns on Embodiment 3. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the listening method which concerns on Embodiment 3.

Embodiment 1.
The listening device 100 according to the present embodiment is composed of earphones or headphones. FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a state in which the user U wears the earphone 10 which is the listening device 100. Although the earphone 10 is used as the listening device 100 in FIG. 1, headphones may constitute the listening device 100.

User U is wearing the earphone 10. The earphone 10 is connected to the reproduction terminal 30. The earphone 10 includes left and right output units 10L and 10R. The output unit 10L is attached to the left ear 9L of the user U, and the output unit 10R is attached to the right ear 9R. The output unit 10L outputs the reproduced sound to the left ear 9L. The output unit 10R outputs the reproduced sound to the right ear 9R. The left and right output units 10L and 10R each have a driver or the like for outputting the reproduced sound.

The earphone 10 is connected to the playback terminal 30 by wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). The earphone 10 may be a left-right separated type (completely wireless type) in which the left and right output units 10L and 10R are independent. The earphone 10 may be a left-right integrated type such as a neckband type to which the left and right output units 10L and 10R are connected. The earphone 10 may be an ear hook type or a canal type. Of course, the shape of the earphone 10 is not limited to the above example. Further, the earphone 10 has a built-in battery.

The earphone 10 may have a charging case 10B with a built-in battery. The charging case 10B with a built-in battery has a battery and a USB interface for charging the earphone 10.

The earphone 10 has an external sound capture function. Here, the external sound capture microphone 13 is provided in the left output unit 10L. The external sound capture microphone 13 detects external sound generated around the user U. The external sound capture microphone 13 is arranged so as to face the outside, that is, the side opposite to the head of the user U.

Further, the output unit 10R on the right is provided with an optical sensor 12. The optical sensor 12 detects ambient light from the surroundings of the user U. The optical sensor 12 is arranged so as to face the outside, that is, the side opposite to the head of the user U.

The reproduction process in the listening device according to the present embodiment is executed by the reproduction terminal 30 such as an mp3 (MPEG Audio Layer-3) player, a smart phone, and a tablet terminal. The playback terminal 30 is an information processing device having processing means such as a processor, storage means such as a memory and SSD (Solid State Drive), display means such as a liquid crystal monitor, and input means such as a touch panel, a button, a keyboard, and a mouse. The reproduction terminal 30 has a communication function for transmitting and receiving data. Specifically, the reproduction terminal 30 has a wireless communication function such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). The connection between the playback terminal 30 and the earphone 10 is not limited to a wireless connection, and may be a wired connection.

The listening device 100 plays music to the user U who wears the earphone 10. Therefore, the reproduction terminal 30 outputs Lch and Rch stereo signals. The Lch stereo signal is reproduced from the output unit 10L, and the Rch stereo signal is reproduced from the output unit 10R.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the listening device 100. The earphone 10 includes drivers 11L and 11R. Further, the earphone 10 includes an optical sensor 12, an external sound capture microphone 13, a battery 14, a wireless communication unit 15, a volume control unit 21, and an external sound capture control unit 22.

Drivers 11L and 11R are provided on the left and right output units 10L and 10R, respectively. The drivers 11L and 11R convert the electric signal into vibration. For example, the drivers 11L and 11R each have a voice coil, a diaphragm, and the like. The left driver 11L is built in the left output unit 10L. The right driver 11R is built in the right output unit 10R. The drivers 11L and 11R output the reproduction signal transmitted from the reproduction terminal 30 to the user U. As a result, the user U can listen to the played music.

The optical sensor 12 detects ambient light from the outside. The optical sensor 12 has a photodiode and the like. The optical sensor 12 outputs a detection signal corresponding to the detected ambient light to the external sound capture control unit 22. The detection signal indicates a value according to the amount of ambient light. Therefore, the optical sensor 12 can detect the brightness of the surroundings.

The wireless communication unit 15 communicates with the reproduction terminal 30. For example, the wireless communication unit 15 has a Bluetooth® communication function. The wireless communication unit 15 receives the reproduction signal from the paired reproduction terminal 30.

The volume control unit 21 controls the volume of the reproduced sound from the drivers 11L and 11R. For example, the volume control unit 21 may have a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), a DAC (Digital to Analog Converter), an amplifier, or the like. The volume control unit 21 controls the volume according to the detection signal from the optical sensor.

The external sound capture microphone 13 collects external sound generated outside. The external sound capture control unit 22 controls the external sound acquisition by the external sound capture microphone 13. Specifically, the external sound capture control unit 22 controls the external sound capture function on and off according to the detection signal from the optical sensor 12. When the external sound capture is on, the external sound capture microphone 13 is operated. When the external sound capture is off, the operation of the external sound capture microphone 13 is stopped.

The battery 14 supplies power to each component. That is, the drivers 11L, 11R, the optical sensor 12, and the external sound capturing microphone 13 are operated by the power supply voltage from the battery 14. Further, the battery 14 supplies power to the volume control unit 21 and the external sound capture control unit 22. The volume control unit 21 and the external sound capture control unit 22 are operated by the power supply voltage from the battery 14. The battery 14 is charged, for example, by a USB interface.

The reproduction terminal 30 has a sound source 31, a terminal-side communication unit 32, and a terminal control unit 33. The sound source 31 has a memory and the like, and stores data of the music to be played. Alternatively, the sound source 31 may reproduce the music by streaming. When the user U operates the reproduction terminal 30 to start music reproduction, the sound source 31 generates a reproduction signal corresponding to the reproduced music. The terminal-side communication unit 32 transmits a reproduction signal to the earphone 10 by Bluetooth communication.

The terminal control unit 33 has a processor, a memory, and the like, and controls the entire reproduction terminal 30. That is, the terminal control unit 33 controls the music reproduction function and other functions. Since the functions other than the music reproduction of the reproduction terminal 30 are known, detailed description thereof will be omitted. For example, when the reproduction terminal 30 is a smart phone, the reproduction terminal 30 has a display, a microphone, a touch panel, a camera, and the like, as described above. For example, when a processor executes a program, various functions are realized.

Hereinafter, a specific example of capturing external sound will be described. The external sound capture control unit 22 controls the external sound capture function on and off. When the external sound capture function is on, the external sound picked up by the external sound capture microphone 13 is superimposed on the reproduction signal. That is, the drivers 11L and 11R output the reproduction signal on which the external sound is superimposed. When the external sound acquisition is on, at least one of the driver 11L or the driver 11R may output the external sound. On the other hand, when the external sound capture function is off, the external sound picked up by the external sound capture microphone 13 is not superimposed on the reproduction signal. That is, the drivers 11L and 11R output the reproduction signal as it is.

In the present embodiment, the external sound capture control unit 22 controls the external sound capture according to the detection result of the optical sensor 12. For example, the external sound capture control unit 22 determines whether the surroundings are bright or dark based on the amount of light detected by the optical sensor 12. When it is determined that the surroundings are dark, the external sound acquisition control unit 22 turns on the external sound acquisition. When it is determined that the surroundings are bright, the external sound acquisition control unit 22 turns off the external sound acquisition. By doing so, crime prevention can be improved.

The threshold value for determining whether or not the surroundings are bright may be set at the start of use of the earphone 10. That is, when the user U who purchased the earphone 10 first turns on the earphone 10, the threshold value is set. As a result, the threshold value corresponding to the user U who used the earphone 10 is set. Then, the external sound capture control unit 22 determines whether it is bright or dark by comparing the value of the detection signal of the optical sensor 12 with the threshold value.

The volume control unit 21 controls the volume of the reproduced sound output from the driver according to the detection result of the optical sensor 12. For example, here, the volume control unit 21 controls the volume depending on whether or not the surroundings are bright. When it is determined that the surroundings are dark, the volume control unit 21 adjusts the volume to lower the volume. When it is determined that the surroundings are bright, the volume control unit 21 adjusts the volume to increase the volume. That is, when the external sound acquisition is on, the volume control unit 21 lowers the volume.

The volume control of the volume control unit 21 is linked to the on / off of external sound capture. When the external sound acquisition is off, the volume control unit 21 raises the volume. In this way, the volume control unit 21 adjusts the volume of the reproduced sound according to the on / off of the external sound capture. The external sound capture control unit 22 may output the brightness determination result to the volume control unit 21.

In the listening method in the listening device according to the present embodiment, the reproduced sound is output from the left and right output units 10L and 10R attached to the left and right ears of the user U. Ambient light is detected by the optical sensor 12 provided on the output units 10L and 10R. The volume of the reproduced sound output from the output units 10L and 10R is controlled according to the detection result of the optical sensor 12. External sound is captured by the external sound capture microphone provided in the output unit 10L. According to the detection result of the optical sensor 12, the external sound captured by the external sound capturing microphone 13 is output from the output units 10L and 10R. By doing so, it is possible to appropriately control the intake of external sound.

In the above description, the optical sensor 12 is mounted on the output unit 10R and the external sound capture microphone 13 is mounted on the output unit 10L, but the optical sensor 12 and the external sound capture microphone 13 are the output units 10L and 10R. It may be installed in either. For example, the optical sensor 12 may be mounted on the output unit 10R, and the external sound capture microphone 13 may be mounted on the output unit 10R. Further, the external sound capturing microphone 13 and the optical sensor 12 may be mounted on the reproduction terminal 30 or may be mounted on the battery built-in charging case 10B.

An example of the listening method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a listening method according to the present embodiment.

First, the user U turns on the power of the earphone 10 (S101). It is determined whether or not the external sound capture control unit 22 is the first power-on (S102). When the power is turned on for the first time (YES in S102), the threshold value of the optical sensor 12 is set (S103). Here, the threshold value is set based on the detection signal detected by the optical sensor 12. For example, the optical sensor 12 detects ambient light while the user U wears the earphone 10 indoors. Then, the threshold value is set according to the amount of ambient light, that is, the brightness of the room. By doing so, an appropriate threshold value can be set for each user U. As a result, on / off control of external sound capture can be appropriately performed. When the power is not turned on for the first time (NO in S102), since the threshold value has already been set, S103 is omitted and the process proceeds to S104.

Next, the optical sensor 12 detects ambient light from the surroundings (S104). That is, the optical sensor 12 detects the brightness of the surrounding environment. The external sound capture control unit 22 determines whether or not the place is dark by comparing the detected signal with the threshold value (S105). If it is not a dark place (NO in S105), the process returns to S104. That is, since the detection signal is equal to or higher than the threshold value, it is determined that the place is bright. In a bright place, the output units 10L and 10R output the reproduction signal at the volume as normally set.

In the case of a dark place (YES in S105), the volume control unit 21 adjusts the volume, and the external sound capture control unit 22 starts external sound acquisition (S106). That is, since the surroundings are dark, the external sound capture control unit 22 turns on the external sound capture microphone 13 to capture external sound. Further, the volume control unit 21 lowers the volume of the reproduced sound.

Then, the output units 10L and 10R superimpose the external sound on the reproduced sound and output it. That is, the external sound is superimposed on the reproduced sound being reproduced at a volume lowered from the default volume. By doing so, the user U can hear the outside sound while listening to the reproduced sound. That is, the user U can confirm the surrounding situation in a dark place. Therefore, safety can be improved. Further, the user U can recognize the approach of the vehicle even if the vehicle has a low running noise.

Next, similarly to S104, the optical sensor 12 detects the ambient light (S107). The external sound capture control unit 22 determines whether or not the surroundings are bright by comparing the detection signal with the threshold value (S108). If it is not a bright place (NO in S108), the process returns to S107. That is, since it is a dark place, the earphone 10 captures the external sound with the volume of the reproduced sound lowered. By doing so, the user U can hear the outside sound while listening to the reproduced sound.

When the place is bright (YES in S108), the volume control unit 21 adjusts the volume, and the external sound acquisition control unit 22 ends the external sound acquisition (S109). That is, the volume control unit 21 raises the volume and returns it to the default volume. Then, the external sound capture control unit 22 turns off the external sound capture microphone 13 to stop the external sound capture. As a result, the user U can hear only the reproduced sound at a desired volume.

Next, the external sound capture control unit 22 determines whether or not the power is turned off (S110). If the power is not turned off (NO in S110), the process returns to S104 and the above process is repeated. When the power is turned off (YES in S110), the power is turned off (S111). Then, the process is terminated.

By doing so, it is possible to appropriately control the intake of external sound. That is, in a dark environment, the volume control unit 21 lowers the volume and the external sound capture control unit 22 captures the external sound. By doing so, the user U can hear the external sound generated in the surroundings in a dark environment. Therefore, the user U can notice the abnormality in a state where the surroundings are quiet late at night. Crime prevention can be improved. When the surroundings are bright, the user U can hear the reproduced sound at a desired volume. That is, the output units 10L and 10R output the reproduction signal at the volume as normally set. External sound capture can be appropriately controlled according to the surrounding conditions.

In addition, measurements are being made to set the threshold when the power is turned on for the first time. That is, the threshold value is set while the user U is wearing the earphone 10. As a result, the optimum threshold value can be set for each user U. For example, the amount of light detected by the optical sensor 12 in the worn state changes according to the length of the hair of the user U and the like. Therefore, by setting the threshold value for each user U, the ambient brightness can be detected more accurately. User U can properly hear outside sounds.

Of course, the timing for setting the threshold value is not limited to the time when the power is first turned on. For example, the user U may operate the playback terminal 30 or the earphone 10 to measure the ambient light for setting the threshold value. Specifically, by operating a button provided on the earphone 10, ambient light measurement for setting a threshold value is performed. Alternatively, the playback terminal 30 may be provided with an application program (application) for controlling the earphone 10. Then, it suffices if a threshold value setting button or the like is provided in the display screen of the application. Alternatively, the threshold value may be set by voice input using the external sound capture microphone 13 or the microphone of the reproduction terminal 30.

Since the optical sensor 12 is provided in the output unit, the brightness can be detected more accurately. For example, when the reproduction terminal 30 or the battery case is provided with the optical sensor 12, the reproduction terminal 30 or the battery case may be housed in a bag or the like. In such a case, the ambient brightness cannot be detected accurately. In the present embodiment, since the output unit 10R is provided with the optical sensor 12, the brightness can be accurately detected. Of course, the optical sensor 12 may be provided in the output unit 10L.

The listening device 100 according to the present embodiment may be realized by the earphone 10 alone, or the earphone 10 and the reproduction terminal 30 may be realized in cooperation with each other. That is, the listening device 100 may include an earphone 10 and a playback terminal 30. Alternatively, the listening device 100 may be composed of only the earphone 10. The reproduction terminal 30 may perform some processing. For example, the reproduction terminal 30 may perform the brightness determination process. Further, at least one of the external sound capture control unit 22 and the volume control unit 21 may be provided in the reproduction terminal 30.

Further, the external sound capture control unit 22 turned on the external sound capture in a dark state, but turned off the external sound capture in a bright state, but the opposite may be true. That is, the external sound acquisition control unit 22 may turn off the external sound acquisition in a dark state and turn on the external sound acquisition in a bright state. The external sound acquisition control unit 22 may control the external sound acquisition on and off according to the determination result of whether the surroundings are bright or dark.

Embodiment 2.
The listening device according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 4, a motion sensor 17 is added to the earphone 10. The configuration and control other than the motion sensor 17 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

The motion sensor 17 is provided to determine whether or not the user U is moving. The motion sensor 17 is a gyro sensor or an acceleration sensor. The motion sensor 17 detects the acceleration and the angular velocity of the earphone 10. Therefore, the motion sensor 17 detects the movement of the user U wearing the earphone 10. The motion sensor 17 detects whether or not the user U is moving. For example, if the user U is moving at a walking speed or higher, it is determined that the user is moving. In the present embodiment, when the user U is moving, the external sound acquisition control unit 22 turns on the external sound acquisition. When the user U is not moving, the external sound acquisition control unit 22 turns off the external sound acquisition.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a listening method according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 5, S204 and S205 are added to the flowchart of FIG. That is, S201 to S203 and S206 to S213 in FIG. 5 are the same as S101 to S111 in FIG. 3, respectively. Therefore, the details of S201 to S203 and S206 to S213 will be omitted.

The motion sensor 17 detects the movement of the user U (S204). Then, it is determined whether or not the motion sensor 17 has detected the movement of the user U. For example, when the angular velocity or acceleration detected by the motion sensor 17 becomes larger than a predetermined value, it is determined that the user U is moving.

When the user U is moving (YES in S205), the optical sensor 12 detects ambient light (S206). Since the processing after S206 is the same as that after S104 in FIG. 3, the description thereof will be omitted. If the user U is not moving (NO in S205), the process returns to S204 and the movement of the user U is continuously detected.

The external sound acquisition control unit 22 turns on / off the external sound acquisition according to the movement of the user U. By doing so, it is possible to turn on the external sound capture only when the user U is moving. Therefore, it is possible to control the external sound capture more appropriately.

For example, when the user U is moving, it is assumed that the user U is walking outdoors. When walking outdoors, external sound capture is turned on. As a result, it is possible to appropriately control the intake of external sound, and it is possible to improve crime prevention. If the movement of the user U is not detected, it is assumed that the user U is listening to the reproduced sound in his / her own room or the like. In this case, since it is not necessary to capture the external sound, the external sound capture is turned off.

Further, when the user U is moving, the external sound acquisition is turned on, and when the user U is not moving, the external sound acquisition is turned off, but the opposite may be true. That is, when the user U is moving, the external sound acquisition control unit 22 turns off the external sound acquisition, and when the user U is not moving, the external sound acquisition control unit 22 turns on the external sound acquisition. You may. The external sound acquisition control unit 22 controls on / off of external sound acquisition according to the determination result of whether or not the user U is moving.

The reproduction terminal 30 may perform some processing. The motion sensor 17 may be provided in the reproduction terminal 30. In this case, the playback terminal 30 transmits information on whether or not the user U is moving to the earphone 10. The external sound acquisition control unit 22 may control the external sound acquisition on and off according to this information.

Embodiment 3.
The listening device according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 6, the positioning sensor 34 is added to the configuration of FIG. The points other than the addition of the positioning sensor 34 are the same as those in the first and second embodiments, and the description thereof will be omitted.

The positioning sensor 34 is provided to determine whether or not the user U is moving. The positioning sensor 34 is mounted on the reproduction terminal 30 and detects the position of the reproduction terminal 30. The positioning sensor 34 is, for example, a satellite positioning sensor such as GPS (Global Positioning System). The positioning sensor 34 detects the position of the reproduction terminal 30 based on the signal from the satellite. The external sound capture control unit 22 determines whether or not the user is moving according to the change in the position detected by the positioning sensor 34. For example, if the moving speed of the user is obtained according to the change in the position detected by the positioning sensor 34, and the moving speed of the user U is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed such as a walking speed, it is determined that the user U is moving. Will be done.

The positioning sensor 34 determines whether or not the user U is moving according to the change in the detected position. When the user U is not moving, the external sound acquisition control unit 22 turns off the external sound acquisition. When the user U is moving and the surroundings are dark, the external sound acquisition control unit 22 turns on the external sound acquisition. By doing so, the same effect as that of the second embodiment can be obtained.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a listening method according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 7, S304 and S305 are added to the flowchart of FIG. That is, S301 to S303 and S306 to S315 in FIG. 7 are the same as S201 to S203 and S304 to S313 in FIG. 5, respectively. Therefore, the details of S301 to S303 and S306 to S313 will be omitted.

The positioning sensor 34 detects the position of the user U (S304). Then, the positioning sensor 34 or the external sound acquisition control unit 22 determines whether or not the user U is moving based on the position of the user U (S305). When the position of the user U is changing at a predetermined speed or higher, it is determined that the user U is moving (YES in S305). Therefore, the process proceeds to S306, and the same processing as in the second embodiment is performed. If the position has not changed at a predetermined speed or higher, it is determined that the user has not moved (NO in S305). If it is determined that the user has not moved, the process returns to S304 and the position detection is continued by the positioning sensor 34.

In this embodiment, motion detection is performed using both the positioning sensor 34 and the motion sensor 17. By doing so, the movement (movement) of the user U can be detected more accurately.

In the above description, both the positioning sensor 34 and the motion sensor 17 are used for motion detection, but only the positioning sensor 34 may be used. In this case, the motion sensor 17 can be omitted. Further, the positioning sensor 34 may be provided on the earphone 10.

Further, the external sound capture may be controlled according to the position of the user U detected by the positioning sensor 34. For example, the detection position of the positioning sensor 34 is compared with the map information to determine whether or not the user U is outdoors. If you are outdoors, external sound capture may be turned on, and if you are indoors, external sound capture may be turned off. Alternatively, if the user is in an unsafe location, external sound capture may be turned on, and if the user is in a safe location, external sound capture may be turned off.

Further, the external sound acquisition control unit 22 may control the external sound acquisition based on the current time. For example, the external sound acquisition control unit 22 may turn off external sound acquisition during the daytime and turn on external sound acquisition during the nighttime. Further, the external sound acquisition control unit 22 may switch on / off the external sound acquisition based on the current time. For example, in a night time zone, in a place where the surroundings are bright, the external sound acquisition control unit 22 may turn on the external sound acquisition. Further, in a specific time zone or a specific position, the on / off of the external sound capture control for the brightness determination result may be reversed. For example, the external sound capture may be turned on in a bright place and the external sound capture may be turned off in a dark place.

In the above description, the listening device is described as an earphone, but may be a headphone. Further, the listening device may include a playback terminal 30 such as a smart phone together with earphones. For example, the volume control unit 21 and the external sound capture control unit 22 may be provided in the reproduction terminal 30.

Some or all of the above processes may be performed by a computer program. The programs described above can be stored and supplied to a computer using various types of non-transitory computer readable media. Non-temporary computer-readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of non-temporary computer-readable media include magnetic recording media (eg, flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (eg, magneto-optical disks), CD-ROMs (Read Only Memory), CD-Rs. It includes a CD-R / W, a semiconductor memory (for example, a mask ROM, a PROM (Programmable ROM), an EPROM (Erasable PROM), a flash ROM, and a RAM (Random Access Memory)). The program may also be supplied to the computer by various types of temporary computer readable media. Examples of temporary computer-readable media include electrical, optical, and electromagnetic waves. The temporary computer-readable medium can supply the program to the computer via a wired communication path such as an electric wire and an optical fiber, or a wireless communication path.

Although the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described above based on the embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be variously modified without departing from the gist thereof. Needless to say.

U User 9L Left ear 9R Right ear 10 Earphone 10L Output unit 10R Output unit 11L Driver 11R Driver 12 Optical sensor 13 External sound acquisition microphone 14 Battery 15 Wireless communication unit 17 Motion sensor 21 Volume control unit 22 External sound acquisition control unit 30 Playback terminal 31 Sound source 32 Terminal side communication unit 33 Terminal control unit 34 Positioning sensor 100 Listening device

Claims (6)

The left and right output units that are attached to the user's left and right ears and output the playback sound,
An optical sensor provided in the output unit so as to detect ambient light,
A volume control unit that controls the volume of the reproduced sound output from the output unit according to the detection result of the optical sensor, and a volume control unit.
The external sound capture microphone provided in the output unit and
A listening device including an external sound capture control unit that outputs external sound captured by the external sound capture microphone from the output unit according to the detection result of the optical sensor. The external sound capture control unit is
When the detection signal of the optical sensor is equal to or higher than the threshold value, the external sound acquisition control unit turns on the external sound acquisition.
The listening device according to claim 1, wherein when the detection signal of the optical sensor is less than the threshold value, the external sound acquisition control unit turns off the external sound acquisition. It comprises one or more sensors provided to determine if the user is moving.
The listening device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the external sound acquisition control unit controls the external sound to be output from the output unit when the user is moving. The listening device according to claim 3, wherein the sensor is a motion sensor provided in the output unit. The listening device according to claim 3, wherein the sensor is a positioning sensor provided in a reproduction terminal that generates a reproduction signal of the reproduction sound. A step to output the reproduced sound from the left and right output units attached to the user's left and right ears,
A step of detecting ambient light by an optical sensor provided in the output unit,
A step of controlling the volume of the reproduced sound output from the output unit according to the detection result of the optical sensor, and
The step of capturing external sound with the external sound capture microphone provided in the output unit,
A listening method including a step of outputting an external sound captured by the external sound capturing microphone from the output unit according to a detection result of the optical sensor.

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