JP3697838B2 - Karaoke equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a computer apparatus and a karaoke apparatus that display an animation image at startup .
[0002]
[Prior art]
Some screen saver animations are displayed to prevent screen burn-in and to indicate that the system is operating when the karaoke device is not in use. Some startup animations are displayed to connect the time until the system startup is completed when the power is turned on.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Conventionally, the data for displaying these animations was also part of the system program, so it was difficult for those unfamiliar with computer systems to rewrite, and it was also impossible to automatically rewrite by downloading from the center. It was.
[0004]
On the other hand, if this animation display function is removed from the system program and functioned as another application program, the data can be rewritten easily. However, in this case, the hard disk is accessed during the operation due to the limitation of the RAM capacity. There was a drawback that the hard disk could not be stopped because it was necessary to read data. In other words, the hard disk storage device has many mechanical parts, and its life depends greatly on the rotation time of the disk. For this reason, it is desirable to stop the rotation of the disc as much as possible while the device is not used even in the karaoke device. However, in the method in which the screen saver animation is executed by the application as described above, the user is not using the device. However, there is a problem that the hard disk cannot be stopped because the hard disk must always be accessed to read the image data. A RAM capable of processing all of the application program and the image data in on-memory may be mounted, but it is not preferable in terms of the configuration of the apparatus to mount a memory that is not directly required for karaoke performance.
[0005]
An object of the present invention is to provide a computer apparatus and a karaoke apparatus that can execute start-up animation in an on-memory manner.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The inventions may store a system program and the karaoke performance program has a function of displaying the animated image, and a non-volatile memory means for storing animation data for displaying the animated image as an external data of the system program, Volatile storage means from which the system program, karaoke performance program and animation data are read, display means for displaying the animation video, and when the power is supplied, the system program and the After reading the animation data from the non-volatile storage means to the volatile storage means, the start preparation means for stopping the operation of the non-volatile storage means, and when the start switch is turned on, start the display means, Reproduces the animated image using the animation data read in serial volatile storage means, characterized in that and a startup means for reading in the volatile memory means the karaoke performance program.
[0008]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A portable communication karaoke apparatus as an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is a front view of the karaoke apparatus, FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the karaoke apparatus, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the karaoke apparatus.
[0009]
This portable communication karaoke apparatus accommodates all devices necessary for karaoke performance, including the apparatus main body 2, the amplifier 3, and the main speaker 4, in the shell-shaped body 10, and the top panel on the upper surface of the body 10. A display 5 and a control panel 6 are provided. The display 5 is a liquid crystal matrix color display. On the front side of the apparatus, there are a main speaker 4 comprising a stereo speaker for middle and high sounds and a monaural speaker for low sounds, an infrared light receiving part 14 for receiving an infrared signal from the remote control device 47, and a confirmation LED 15 which is turned on when the infrared signal is received. And a 7-segment display 16 for displaying the music number input from the remote control device 47. This karaoke device is installed with its front facing the audience.
[0010]
Four large casters are provided on the bottom of the device, and a handle and a foot step (not shown) are provided on the back of the device. This karaoke device can be operated by pulling or pushing the handle, or by pushing the foot step with a foot. Can be moved.
[0011]
Further, the top panel including the display 5 and the control panel 6 can be rotated in the range of 360 degrees horizontally 180 degrees clockwise and 180 degrees counterclockwise. Thereby, the singer can sing the display 5 in an arbitrary direction. For example, it is possible to sing along with the listener with the display 5 facing the front.
[0012]
The control panel 6 is provided with a key switch group and an adjustment volume group. The key switch group includes a numeric keypad for inputting a music number, a memory set switch, a start / stop switch for starting / stopping performance, a key change switch, a tempo change switch, and the like. The remote controller 47 is provided with a key switch group similar to these key switch groups, and both key switch groups have the same function. The adjustment volume group includes a monitor volume for adjusting the volume of the monitor speaker 23, a microphone volume for adjusting the volume of the audio signal input from the microphone, an echo control volume for adjusting the echo amount, and the like. The key switch group and the adjustment volume group are connected to devices to be controlled, of the apparatus main body 2 and the control amplifier 3 housed therein, by cables.
[0013]
In addition to the LCD matrix display body, the display 5 is provided with a monitor speaker 23. Since the main speaker 4 is fixedly provided on the front side of the apparatus, the monitor speaker 23 follows the rotatable display 5 and allows the karaoke singer to hear the karaoke performance sound. Accompaniment sounds and singing sounds are output from the main speaker 4 on the front, and guide melody sounds are output from the monitor speaker 23 in addition to the accompaniment sounds and karaoke singing sounds. This makes it easier for the singer to sing with the guide melody, and since the listener has no guide melody, the karaoke song can be heard well.
[0014]
The display 5 is swingably supported on the control panel 6 by a hinge portion. When the display 5 is closed, it functions as a lid of the control panel 6. By closing the display 5 during movement, the key switch group and the adjustment volume group of the control panel can be protected in addition to the LCD matrix display main body.
[0015]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the portable karaoke apparatus. In the apparatus main body 2, the CPU 30 that controls the operation of the entire apparatus includes a ROM 31, a RAM 32, a hard disk storage device (HDD) 37, an operation interface 35, a communication control unit 36, a sound source device 38, and an audio data processing unit 39 via a bus. , An interface 40, a character display unit 45, and a display control unit 46 are connected. The control interface 6 and the remote control receiver 33 are connected to the operation interface 35, and the control amplifier 3 is connected to the interface 40. The control panel 6 is also connected to the control amplifier 3 via the interface 3b.
[0016]
The ROM 31 stores an activation program necessary for activating this apparatus. System programs, application programs, and the like that control the operation of the apparatus are stored in the HDD 37, and are read into the RAM 32 by the startup program when the apparatus is turned on. In the RAM 32, an animation data reading area 32a for reading start-up animation and screen saver animation data is set in addition to the program storage area and an execution data storage area for reading music data for performing karaoke performance. The HDD 37 has a storage capacity of 1 GB, and stores the program, music data for about 5,000 songs, a plurality of background image still image data corresponding to genres, the startup animation and screen saver animation data, and the like. ing. The communication control unit 36 includes a modem and controls communication with the center via a telephone line. A modular jack 36 a is connected to the communication control unit 36.
[0017]
The tone generator 38 forms a tone signal based on the tone track data of the music data. The music data is read by the CPU 30 during karaoke performance. The tone track is composed of a plurality of tracks including a performance track and a guide melody track, and the tone generator 38 forms a tone signal composed of accompaniment sounds and guide melody sounds of a plurality of parts in parallel based on this data. The audio data processing unit 39 forms an audio signal having a specified length and a specified pitch based on the audio data included in the music data. The audio data is a signal waveform such as a back chorus that is difficult to be generated electronically by the sound source device 38 and stored as ADPCM data as it is.
[0018]
The tone signal formed by the tone generator 38 and the sound signal formed by the sound data processing unit 39 are input to the control amplifier 3. Karaoke singing microphones 48 and 49 are connected to the control amplifier 3, and karaoke singing voice signals are also input from these microphones 48 and 49. The control amplifier 3 amplifies these signals with the instructed gain and gives effects such as reverb and echo to each signal. Accompaniment sound, guide melody sound, microphone sound and overall gain (volume) are instructed by operation of the control panel 6 or operation of the remote controller 47 via the remote control receiver 33. The control amplifier 3 includes a mixing unit 3a. The mixing unit 3a outputs the accompaniment sound and microphone sound (singing voice signal) to which the amplification and effect are given to the main amplifier 41, and outputs the accompaniment sound, guide melody sound, and microphone sound to the monitor amplifier 42. The main amplifier 41 amplifies the input signal to drive the main speaker 4, and the monitor amplifier 42 amplifies the input signal to drive the monitor speaker 23.
[0019]
The character display unit 45 generates a character pattern such as a song title and lyrics based on the character data read from the song data during the karaoke performance. The display control unit 46 synthesizes the still image data read from the HDD 37 and the character pattern and outputs them to the LCD matrix display 5.
[0020]
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the hard disk storage device 37. In FIG. 2A, the hard disk storage device 37 is set with directories for storing system programs, application programs, music data, background video still image data, animation data, and the like. The system program stored in the system directory includes a startup animation execution module and a screen saver animation execution module, and these modules are also read into the RAM 32 when the power is turned on. These modules specify startup animation data and screen saver animation data, which will be described later, in the directory, and read out the animation data at the time of execution. The song data directory stores song data for about 5000 songs, each identified by a song number. The background image still image data is data for displaying a background image on the display 5 during the performance of a karaoke song, and a plurality of types of data are stored so that it can be selected according to the genre of the song to be played. .
[0021]
As animation data, startup animation data and screen saver animation data are stored. These animation data are composed of a header, operation instruction data, image data, sound data and MIDI data as shown in FIG. The header is a data group indicating the type of data and the date of production. The operation instruction data is data for instructing movement or switching timing of subsequent image data in time order. Each image data is composed of a plurality of individual still images. By switching or moving these displays, an animation image with a moving image change is displayed with a small amount of data. The sound data is sound data such as sound effects that are reproduced while the animation image is displayed. The MIDI data is music data that is reproduced as BGM while an animation image is displayed. The MIDI data is played by the tone generator 38, and the sound data is reproduced by the audio data processing unit 39. These animation data are read by the startup animation execution module and the screen saver execution module. The animation data can be downloaded from the distribution center together with the music data and background video still image data.
[0022]
The operation of the portable karaoke apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 and 6 and the display examples on the LCD display of FIGS.
[0023]
In FIG. 5, when the power plug of the karaoke apparatus is plugged into an outlet, the activation program stored in the ROM 31 is first executed, the system program is read from the hard disk storage device 37 to the RAM 32, and the system is activated (s1). At this time, the startup animation execution module read out as a part of the system program specifies the directory of the startup animation data and reads out the data (s2). Thereafter, the hard disk storage device 37 (disk rotation) is stopped (s3). That is, this karaoke device automatically starts up when connected to a commercial power supply, but does not turn on the display 5 or generate a start-up sound, and it appears to the user that the device has not yet started up. . In this state, when the user turns on the start switch to use the apparatus (s4), the display 5 is turned on (s5), and the startup animation previously read into the RAM 32 is executed (s6). As shown in FIGS. 7A to 7C, this start-up animation is such that the “PartyDAM” logo, which is the name of this device, gradually increases in thickness and shines at the end. A start-up sound called “Jahn” is played at the timing of shining. In parallel with this startup animation, the hard disk storage device 37 is restarted (s7), and setup for karaoke performance is performed (s8). As a result, it is possible to give the impression that the apparatus has been activated in a very short time after the user turns on the power. After that, it waits until there is a request while displaying a request waiting screen (s11, s12). If there is a request, the process proceeds from s11 to s18, the music data of the requested music is read from the hard disk storage device 37 (s18), and the performance of the karaoke music is executed (s19). When the performance of the karaoke song ends (s20), the display returns to the request waiting screen (s9).
[0024]
On the other hand, when 5 minutes have passed without a request (s12), the screen saver execution module is executed, and after this module reads the screen saver animation specified by the directory (s13), the hard disk storage device 37 is stopped (s14). Then, this screen saver animation is executed (s15). As shown in FIGS. 8A to 8C, this screen saver animation is an animation of an illustration in which a character with a microphone moves near a karaoke device, and various sound effects and BGM are displayed depending on the movement of the character. Generated. The process waits until there is a request (s16). If there is a request, the process proceeds to s17. Here, the request is an input of a song number by the remote control device 47 or the control panel 6. When there is a request, the karaoke device reads the song data of the karaoke song designated by the song number from the hard disk storage device 37. Perform a performance.
[0025]
In this way, the hard disk storage device 37 is stopped and only the on-memory function is used until the device is actually used after it is turned on, and when it is not used for more than 5 minutes after the device is started up. By waiting, the life of the hard disk storage device 37 can be extended. Further, when the display 5 is turned on and is not continuously used for more than 5 minutes, the screen saver animation is executed, whereby the burn-in of the LCD display 5 can be prevented. In addition, the system is started up in advance when it is connected to the power source, and when the user turns on the start switch, only the display is turned on and the setup operation is performed, so that when the user tries to use it immediately It is possible to make it available for use without causing the user to wait.
[0026]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation when downloading various data from the distribution center. First, a clerk or a clerk of a store (such as an inn) where the portable karaoke device is installed connects the device to a telephone line (s25) and sets the download mode (s26). The connection to the telephone line is an operation of connecting the modular jack 36a and a telephone line terminal using a modular cable. Also, the download mode can be set by a “skill command” by a special sequence of key switches operated by the user.
[0027]
When the above operation is performed, the karaoke apparatus calls the distribution center (s30) and requests download (s31). Since the distribution center transmits the release list of the music data in response to the download request, it receives this (s32). The karaoke device compares the received release list with the release list stored in the hard disk storage device 37, selects music data of a new song that has not yet been downloaded, and requests download as a missing song (s33). In response to this, the music data downloaded from the distribution center is received (s34), and this is additionally stored in the music data directory of the hard disk storage device 37 (s35). Next, since the distribution center transmits a release list of still image data for background video, the distribution center receives the release list (s36), compares this release list with the release list stored in the hard disk storage device 37, and creates a new one. If there is still image data released in (1), a command for requesting this data is transmitted (s37). In response to this, new still image data transmitted is received (s38) and stored in the hard disk storage device 37 (s39). Since the number of stored data of the still image data is limited, the old still image data is erased and written thereon. If new startup animation data or screen saver animation data is registered in the distribution center, the new animation data is downloaded (s41). Since only one type of startup animation data and screen saver animation data is stored, the new data is overwritten on the old data (s42). Thereafter, the telephone line is disconnected (s43), and the operation is terminated.
[0028]
In this way, both startup animation data and screen saver animation data can be specified from the system program as an external file in the directory, and this file can be downloaded from the distribution center, so new animations can be easily introduced. , You can prevent users from getting bored.
[0029]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, the animation data for displaying the animation image at the time of activation can be stored as the external data of the system program, and this can be read into the volatile memory when the power is supplied , so that the activation switch is turned on. The animation can be displayed promptly and the user will not be waiting.
[0030]
Further, according to the present invention, executes the animation on memory reads animation data for displaying an animated image when the power is supplied to the volatile storage means, said animation data is stored by which is adapted to stop the operation of the non-volatile storage means, it is possible to extend the life of the nonvolatile memory means significantly.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an external view of a portable karaoke apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of the portable karaoke apparatus. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the portable karaoke apparatus. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the operation of the portable karaoke device. FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the operation of the portable karaoke device. FIG. 7 is a start-up of the portable karaoke device. Fig. 8 shows an example of an animation. Fig. 8 shows an example of a screen saver animation of the portable karaoke machine.
2 ... karaoke device body 3 ... control amplifier 6 ... control panel 5 ... display,
32 ... RAM, 32a ... animation data reading area,
37 ... Hard disk storage device, 47 ... Remote control device

Claims (1)

A non-volatile storage means for storing a system program and a karaoke performance program having a function of displaying an animation image, and storing animation data for displaying the animation image as external data of the system program;
Volatile storage means from which the system program, karaoke performance program and animation data are read out;
Display means for displaying the animation image;
When power is supplied, without starting the display unit, the system program and the animation data are read from the non-volatile storage unit to the volatile storage unit, and then start-up preparation for stopping the operation of the non-volatile storage unit Means,
When the activation switch is turned on, the display unit is activated to reproduce the animation video using the animation data read to the volatile storage unit, and the activation unit reads the karaoke performance program to the volatile storage unit When,
Karaoke device equipped with.

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