JP3715819B2 - Audio system with switching function - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an audio system, and more particularly, to an audio system with a switching function that can effectively switch and function an audio system in a conference room, a banquet hall or the like.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In conference rooms and banquet halls, in general, a removable wall is provided in a large area, and the wall is removed or attached according to the needs of the accommodation personnel, etc., so that it can be used with an optimal floor area and effective use of space I am trying.
In such a system capable of expanding / reducing the area (hereinafter, “variable area system”), conventionally, an audio system capable of supplying sound independently for each area of the smallest unit is provided. . For example, as shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 6, in a variable area system consisting of minimum areas A and B arranged via a removable wall W, the accompanying audio system includes mixers 1A and 1B. The mixer includes two audio channels A and B. The output of these mixers is appropriately switched by the switching unit 2 and supplied to speakers 3A and 3B arranged in areas A and B. The mixers 1A and 1B are input with appropriate audio sources such as a radio receiver, a TV receiver, a tape recorder, and a CD player, and an audio signal from a microphone. As the switching unit 2, a general-purpose matrix circuit is used, or a dedicated relay circuit is created and used.
[0003]
In such an audio system, when the wall W of the variable area system is attached, that is, only one of the areas A and B is used, or the areas A and B are simultaneously used independently. In this case, by controlling the switching unit 2, the output from the mixer 1A is supplied to the speaker 3A in the area A, and the output from the mixer 1B is supplied to the speaker 3B in the area B. When the walls W are removed and the areas A and B are used as a unit, the output from the mixer 1A, for example, is supplied to all the speakers in the areas A and B.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the audio system of the conventional example shown in FIG. 6, it is necessary to provide a switching unit 2 composed of a matrix circuit or a relay circuit for switching the outputs of two audio channels, which is burdensome in terms of cost and size. The result is increasing. In addition, it is necessary for an operator or the like to appropriately operate the switching unit 2 in accordance with the partitioning state of the variable area system. If the operator is not sufficiently proficient in this operation, playback can be performed even if a banquet, a meeting, etc. starts. There is a possibility that music and voice to be played are not generated and undesired acoustic noise is generated.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the conventional example, and in an audio system configured to appropriately switch and output a plurality of audio channel outputs to a plurality of groups of speakers, the cost of the system and It is to reduce the size and make the switching operation reliable and easy.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above-described object of the present invention, the first to n-th (n is an integer of 2 or more) mixers to which audio signals are input according to the present invention, and these mixers are provided. An audio system with a switching function having speakers of the first to nth groups, and switching audio signals as appropriate to output from the speakers of the first to nth groups.
The i-th (i is an integer greater than or equal to 2 and less than or equal to n) switching circuit includes an i-th mixer output signal and an i-1th switching circuit output signal. First to n-th switching circuits configured to input and switch and output these input signals;
1st to n-th switching control means provided with operation switches for controlling switching of each of the 1st to n-th switching circuits, wherein the i-1th switching control means further includes the i-th switching circuit. Includes first to n-th switching control means configured to control the i-th switching circuit via the i-th switching control means so as to output the output signal of the i-1st switching circuit. Audio signals from the first to n-th mixers can be output from the first to n-th group speakers, respectively, and the i-1 to j-th (j is greater than or equal to i and less than or equal to n). An audio signal from the (i-1) th mixer can be output from all the speakers of the (integer) group.
[0006]
In the audio system with switching function of the present invention described above, the output of the nth switching circuit is connected to the input of the first switching circuit, the nth switching control means is further provided, and the first switching circuit is the nth switching circuit. The first switching circuit may be configured to be controllable via the first switching control means so as to output the output signal of the switching circuit.
In the audio system with a switching function according to the present invention, the first to nth switching circuits are preferably configured to output output signals from the first to nth mixers in an initial state. . Each of the first to n-th switching circuits may include a muting terminal and output a muting signal in an initial state. Furthermore, since the first to n-th switching control means is provided with an operation switch for controlling the connection state of the first to n-th switching circuits, the audio signal reproduced from the speaker becomes undesired. It is preferable not to switch.
[0007]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an audio system with a switching function according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The system receives a plurality of audio signals from appropriate audio sources and microphones. The mixers 1A and 1B, switching circuits 2A and 2B, two groups of speakers 3A and 3B, remote control switch circuits 4A and 4B, and switching control circuits 5A and 5B are configured.
The switching circuit 2A receives the output of the mixer 1A and the output of the switching circuit 2B, and is switched by a control signal from the switching control circuit 5A, so that one of them or a muting signal (a predetermined reference potential such as a ground potential) is supplied. Selectively output. On the other hand, the switching circuit 2B receives the output of the mixer 1B and the output of the switching circuit 2A, is switched by a switching control signal from the switching control circuit 5B, and selectively outputs one of these or a muting signal.
[0008]
The remote control switch circuit 4A includes a power switch 40A and first to fourth operation switches 41A to 44A that are manually operated by an operator or the like. When the power switch 40A is turned on, a power on / off control signal C _A-POWER is output to turn on the audio channel A. When the power is turned on, the contact of the switching circuit 2A is connected to the muting terminal (g). When turning on the first operation switch 41A, the remote control switch circuit 4A is the control signal outputs C _AA, thereby, switching control circuit 5A is to connect the contacts of the switching circuit 2A on the output side of the mixer 1A (a) Thus, the audio signal from the mixer 1A is reproduced from the speaker 3A. When the second operation switch 42A is turned on, the remote control switch circuit 4A outputs a control signal C _A-HOLD , whereby the switching control circuit 5A holds the current connection state of the switching circuit 2A, and so on. Even if the control signal arrives, the connection state is not changed. When the third operation switch 43A is turned on, the remote control switch circuit 4A outputs a control signal C ′ _BA . This control signal C ′ _BA is received by the remote control switch circuit 4B. When the fourth operation switch 44A is turned on, the remote control switch circuit 4A outputs a control signal _CAB , thereby connecting the contact of the switching circuit 2A to the output side (b) of the switching circuit 2B.
[0009]
Similarly to the remote control switch circuit 4A, the remote control switch circuit 4B includes a manually operated power switch 40B and first to fourth operation switches 41B to 44B. When these switches are turned on, The power on / off control signal C _B-POWER , the control signals C _BB , C _B-HOLD , C ′ _AB , C _BA are output.
The remote control switch circuits 4A and 4B further include switches 45A and 45B connected in parallel with the fourth operation switches 44A and 44B. These switches are the third operation switches 43B of the remote control switch circuits 4B and 4A. And 43A are turned on and turned on when the control signals C ′ _AB and C ′ _BA are generated. Thus, as in the case where the fourth operation switch 44A and 44B are turned on, and outputs a control signal C _AB and C _BA, respectively connecting contacts of the switching circuit 2A and 2B on the output side of the switching circuit 2B and 2A .
[0010]
The case where the operation of the audio system shown in FIG. 1 is used in a variable area system will be described.
When the area A is used independently, the operator turns on the power switch 40A of the remote control switch circuit 4A to turn on the audio channel A, and then turns on the first operation switch 41A. Thereby, under the control of the switching control circuit 5A, the contact of the switching circuit 2A is connected to the output side (a) of the mixer 1A, and the audio signal from the mixer 1A can be reproduced from the speaker 3A. Thereafter, the second operation switch 42A is turned on so that the contact of the switching circuit 2A maintains its connection state. This prevents a trouble that the audio output is switched even if the third operation switch 43B is erroneously turned on in the other remote controller / switch circuit 4B.
The same applies when the area B is used independently, and the audio signal from the mixer 1B is reproduced.
Even when the areas A and B are used independently, if it is necessary to generate the same audio signal in these areas, the operation may be performed in the same manner as when used as one space described below. .
[0011]
When the areas A and B are used as one space, the operator turns on the power switches 40A and 40B of the remote control switch circuits 4A and 4B. Then, using the remote control switch circuit 4A, the first and third operation switch 41A and 43A turned on by generating a control signal C _AA and C _'BA, thereby, the control of the switching control circuit 5A and 5B The contact of the switching circuit 2A is connected to the output side (a) of the mixer 1A, and the contact of the switching circuit 2B is connected to the output side (a) of the switching circuit 2A. Therefore, the audio signals from the mixer 1A can be supplied to both the speakers 3A and 3B.
Thereafter, the second operation switches 42A and 42B of the remote control / switch circuits 4A and 4B are turned on to maintain the current connection state of the switching circuits 2A and 2B. Thereby, even if the fourth operation switch 44A of the remote control switch circuit 4A and the first operation switch of the remote control switch circuit 4B are turned on, switching of audio signals generated from the speakers 3A and 3B is prevented. . That is, even if the fourth operation switch 44A is turned on, the contact of the switching circuit 2A is not switched to the output side of the mixer 1B, and even if the first operation switch 41B is turned on, the switching circuit 2B The contact is not switched to the output side of the mixer 1B.
[0012]
When the areas A and B are used as one space, the first and third operation switches 41B and 43B of the remote control switch circuit 4B are turned on, and then the second operation switch 42A of the remote control switch circuits 4A and 4B. Of course, it is also possible to turn on and 42B. In this case, the audio signal from the mixer 1B can be output from all the speakers 3A and 3B.
[0013]
FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of an audio system according to a second embodiment of the invention. In the second embodiment, the switching circuits 2A and 2B in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 do not have a muting terminal, and are automatically connected to the output sides of the mixers 1A and 1B, respectively, when the power is turned on. Therefore, the remote control switch circuits 4A and 4B are not provided with the first operation switches 41A and 41B. However, a first operation switch may be provided. In this case, before turning on the fourth operation switch 42A (42B), the contact of the switching circuit 2A (2B) is changed from the b side (a side) to the a side. This is effective when it is necessary to return to (b side).
In the second embodiment, when the power switches 40A and 40B are turned on and the power is turned on, the speakers 3A and 3B are in a state where the audio signals from the mixers 1A and 1B can be reproduced. Therefore, in this state, areas A and B can be used independently. When the same audio signal is generated from the speakers 3A and 3B, such as when the areas A and B are used as an integrated space, the third switch 43A or 43B of the remote control switch circuit 4A or 4B is turned on. Then, both the second switches 42A and 42B are turned on. Thereby, an audio signal from the mixer 1A or 1B is generated from the speakers 3A and 3B.
[0014]
FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a third embodiment of the invention. In the third embodiment, the output of the switching circuit 2B and the input of the switching circuit 2A are not connected to the first embodiment shown in FIG. Thus Inevitably, the remote control switch circuit 4B is not provided with a third operation switch 43B, further, the switch 45A to the remote control switch circuit 4A receives the fourth operation switch 44A and the control signal C _'AB I do not have.
In the third embodiment, when areas A and B are used independently, they are operated in the same manner as in the first embodiment. However, when the areas A and B are used as an integral space, the same audio signal from the speakers 3A and 3B, that is, the signal from the mixer 1A is only turned on by the first and third operation switches of the remote control switch circuit 4A. The signal can be supplied, and the audio signal from the mixer 1B cannot be supplied to the speakers 3A and 3B of both groups at the same time.
[0015]
FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a fourth embodiment of the invention. The fourth embodiment is basically a combination of the second and third embodiments. The fourth embodiment does not include the switching circuit 1A and the switching control circuit 5A in the first embodiment, and does not include the muting terminal (g) of the switching circuit 2B. Accordingly, the first and third operation switches 41B and 43B of the remote control switch circuit 4B are inevitably provided, and the first, second and fourth operation switches 41A of the remote control switch circuit 4A are inevitably provided. , 42A and 44A, and the switch 45A for receiving the control signal C ′ _AB is not provided.
In the fourth embodiment, as in the second embodiment, since the contact of the switching circuit 2B is connected to the output side of the mixer 1B when the power is turned on, the speakers 3A and 3B are respectively connected to the mixers 1A and 1B. The audio signal can be reproduced, and the areas A and B can be used independently. When the areas A and B are used as an integral space, the operation switch 43A of the remote control switch circuit 4A is turned on to connect the contact point of the switching circuit 2B to the output side (a) of the mixer 1A, thereby the speaker 3A. And 3B can be supplied with an audio signal from the mixer 1A.
[0016]
FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of a fifth embodiment of the invention. The audio system according to the fifth embodiment can be applied to a variable area system in the case where five minimum unit areas A to E exist. In FIG. 5A, the solid line is an audio signal line, and the dotted line is a control signal line. Further, although only one speaker 3A to 3E is illustrated, it goes without saying that any number may be sufficient. Audio signals from the corresponding mixer (not shown in FIG. 5) are input to the blocks 6A to 6E, and each block has a switching circuit 2, a remote control switch circuit 4 and a block as shown in FIG. The switching control circuit 5 is configured, and the combination shown in FIG. 1 or 2 can be adopted as a combination thereof. However, in any case, the switch 45 in the remote control switch circuit 4 is configured to be turned on by a control signal from the remote control switch circuit in the previous stage. For example, in block 6A, the switch 45A of the remote control switch circuit 4A is turned on by the control signal C _'EA that is generated when the turning on the third operation switch 43E of the remote control switching circuit block 6E. Furthermore, an additional switch that is turned on by a control signal from the remote control switch circuit in the previous stage needs to be provided in parallel with the third operation switch 43.
[0017]
In the embodiment of FIG. 5, since the audio input and control input of the block 6A are connected to the audio output and control output of the block 6E to form a loop, the operation switch 43 (and ( If the operation switch 41) is turned on (when the configuration of FIG. 1 is employed), the audio signal of the audio channel corresponding to the block can be provided to all the speakers 3A-3E.
Further, for example, when the audio channels A to C are turned on and the operation switch 43A (and the operation switch 41A) of the remote control switch circuit 4A of the upstream block 6A (operation block) is turned on, the speakers 3A to 3C are turned on. Can be supplied with an audio channel A signal. Further, if the block 6D is operated after the audio channels D and E are turned on, the audio channel D signal can be supplied to the speakers 3D and 3E. Similarly, if a plurality of audio channels are connected adjacently, the operation block signal can be supplied to all of the speakers.
Therefore, if the audio channels A to E in the fifth embodiment are arranged corresponding to the adjacent areas A to E, an appropriate audio signal is supplied to the speaker according to the integration / subdivision of the space. can do.
[0018]
In the first to fifth embodiments described above, control signals between the remote control / switch circuit and the switching control circuit, between the switching control circuit and the switching circuit, and between the remote control / switch circuits, Transmission may be realized by either wired or wireless transmission. Further, the operation switches of all the remote control switch circuits may be arranged on an integrated panel so that one operator can operate all the audio channels at one place. Furthermore, when a set of mixers, switching circuits, switching control circuits, and remote control / switch circuits are configured in the same casing and used in only one area, these may be used as a single audio mixer. And when making it respond | correspond to a some area, since only the required number of apparatus is prepared according to the number of areas to be used and each apparatus is connected, there exists an effect that the versatility of an apparatus increases.
Furthermore, various modifications and changes are possible. For example, in the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the block 6A and the block 6E can be brought into a non-coupled state, and the number of audio channels can be reduced. Is not limited to 5 and can be set to any number of 3 or more. Further, the power switch may be provided at a place other than the remote control switch circuit.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an audio system with a switching function according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an audio system with a switching function according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an audio system with a switching function according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an audio system with a switching function according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an audio system with a switching function according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional audio system with a switching function.

Claims (7)

The first to n-th (n is an integer of 2 or more) mixers to which audio signals are input, and the first to n-th groups of speakers provided corresponding to these mixers, In an audio system with a switching function that is switched as appropriate and outputs from the speakers of the first to nth groups,
The i-th (i is an integer greater than or equal to 2 and less than or equal to n) switching circuit includes an i-th mixer output signal and an i-1th switching circuit output signal. First to n-th switching circuits configured to input and switch and output these input signals;
1st to n-th switching control means provided with operation switches for controlling switching of each of the 1st to n-th switching circuits, wherein the i-1th switching control means further includes the i-th switching circuit. Includes first to n-th switching control means configured to control the i-th switching circuit via the i-th switching control means so as to output the output signal of the i-1st switching circuit. Audio signals from the first to n-th mixers can be output from the first to n-th group speakers, respectively, and the i-1 to j-th (j is greater than or equal to i and less than or equal to n). An audio system with a switching function, wherein audio signals from the (i-1) -th mixer can be output from all speakers of the (integer) group. 2. The audio system with switching function according to claim 1, wherein the output of the nth switching circuit is connected to the input of the first switching circuit, the nth switching control means further includes a first switching circuit having the nth switching circuit. An audio system with a switching function, characterized in that the first switching circuit can be controlled via first switching control means so as to output an output signal of the switching circuit. 3. The audio system with a switching function according to claim 1, wherein n = 2. 4. The audio system with switching function according to claim 1, wherein the first to n-th switching circuits are configured to output output signals from the first to n-th mixers in an initial state, respectively. An audio system with a switching function. 4. The audio system with switching function according to claim 1, wherein each of the first to n-th switching circuits includes a muting terminal and is configured to output a muting signal in an initial state. An audio system with a switching function. 2. The audio system with a switching function according to claim 1, wherein the first switching circuit is configured to output only an output signal from the first mixer. 7. The audio system with a switching function according to claim 1, wherein the first to n-th switching control means further performs an operation for controlling the connection state of the first to n-th switching circuits. An audio system with a switching function, comprising a switch.

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