JP4289175B2 - Portable equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an audio reproduction system that reproduces surround sound using a plurality of speakers, and more particularly to an audio reproduction system in which a part of the audio reproduction system is configured by a portable device.

  Conventionally, movie theaters have introduced multi-channel surround sound reproduction apparatuses, and reproduce surround sound with a sense of presence together with video projected on a large screen. Recently, a device for enjoying surround sound similar to a movie theater in a home or in a car has been put into practical use.

In order to reproduce such surround sound, a source of surround sound and a playback device for reproducing the source are required. Here, examples of the source include a video disk such as DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) -VIDEO, a video tape such as D-VHS (Data VHS), a cable system, satellite broadcasting, and digital television broadcasting. As a playback device, for example, a 5.1 channel surround system is generally used. This 5.1 channel system is composed of a center amplifier device for reproducing a source and six speaker devices. Here, the speaker device includes a speaker disposed in the front left and right (left, right) and rear left and right (rear left, rear right), a speaker disposed in the front center (center), and a subwoofer for reproducing heavy bass. Speaker.
Then, the user listens to the surround sound in a state surrounded by each speaker at a position facing the center speaker. For example, when reproducing the above-mentioned DVD-VIDEO, a display device is provided in the vicinity of the center speaker, and the user listens to the sound reproduced from each speaker while watching the video displayed on the display device. Become.

  In general, the display device is provided with a speaker unit. Thus, it is considered to use a speaker unit provided in a color television as a center speaker for surround sound reproduction. Conventionally, for example, a left, right, rear left, rear right speaker device and a speaker unit provided in a color television are connected to the center amplifier device, and when there is input from the center amplifier device, the center in the surround sound is output to the speaker unit. A technique is disclosed in which audio is output and TV audio is output to a speaker unit in the case of normal TV broadcast reception without input from a center amplifier device (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-69379 (page 3-4, FIG. 2)

  Recently, portable image display devices such as PDAs (Personal Digital Assistance) and small color televisions have been widely used. Portable audio playback devices such as portable radios have also been widely used. Thus, it is conceivable to use a small portable device having such a sound reproduction function by being incorporated in the above-described surround system.

However, conventionally, when a portable device is incorporated in a surround system, the user has to perform settings corresponding to the surround system on the portable device, which is troublesome.
With respect to such a problem, the technique described in Patent Document 1 basically assumes that a display device such as a large-sized television is fixedly installed in a living room, for example, and therefore there is an environment in which the display device is installed. No consideration is given to the response to changes.

  In addition to the 5.1 channel system described above, this problem is not limited to the 5.1 channel system in which the rear center (rear center) speaker is added to the 5.1 channel system, and the left side (left) in the 5.1 channel system. The same may occur in a 7.1 channel system to which speakers on the side) and right side (right side) are added.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a technical problem, and an object of the present invention is to reproduce surround sound by effectively using a portable device having a sound reproduction function.

  For this purpose, an audio reproduction system to which the present invention is applied includes a signal source for generating an audio signal and a speaker unit, and a portable unit capable of reproducing audio independently and a portable unit are detachably provided. And a surround sound generation unit that generates multi-channel surround sound, and the portable unit outputs a plurality of surround speakers that output the surround sound generated by the surround sound generation unit when connected to the cradle. As one of them, the speaker unit is made to function.

  Here, the speaker unit is composed of a plurality of speakers, and outputs the monaural output of the surround sound generated by the surround sound generation unit when connected to the cradle, and the sound generated by the signal source when not connected to the cradle. Can be output in stereo. The portable unit further includes an image display unit, and the signal source generates an image signal in addition to the audio signal, and generates an image corresponding to the multi-channel surround sound generated by the surround sound generation unit. The image display unit displays an image generated by the image generation unit when connected to the cradle, and displays an image generated by the signal source when disconnected from the cradle. be able to. Furthermore, the speaker unit can output the center sound in the surround sound generated by the surround sound generation unit in a connected state to the cradle. Furthermore, the portable unit may be a portable information terminal device.

From another point of view, the surround sound generation device to which the present invention is applied is a surround sound generation device that generates multi-channel surround sound, and includes a speaker unit for a specific part constituting the multi-channel speaker. The installation state of the equipped portable device is detected by the detection means, and when the portable device is installed at a specific location by the sound generation means based on the detection result by the detection means, the output sound for the speaker unit is included. A first surround sound signal is generated, and a second surround sound signal that does not include output sound for the speaker unit is generated when the portable device is not installed at a specific location.
Here, the sound generation means can generate a center sound signal to be output to the speaker unit when generating the first surround sound signal.

Further, from another viewpoint, the portable device to which the present invention is applied includes an audio signal source that generates an audio signal, a speaker unit that can output audio generated by the audio signal source, and a multi-channel speaker. And a switching unit for switching the speaker unit to function as one of the speakers for multi-channel surround sound reproduction based on the detection result by the detection unit. Including.
Here, the detection unit can detect connection to an audio output device that outputs multi-channel surround sound.

  Furthermore, from another point of view, a portable device to which the present invention is applied includes a video / audio signal source for generating a video signal and an audio signal, and a display capable of displaying the video generated by the video / audio signal source. , A speaker unit that outputs audio generated by the video / audio signal source, a detection unit that detects an installation state at a specific location constituting the multi-channel speaker, and a speaker based on a detection result by the detection unit And a switching unit that causes the unit to function as one of the speakers for multi-channel surround sound reproduction and switches the display unit to display an image corresponding to the multi-channel surround sound.

  According to the present invention, surround sound can be reproduced by effectively utilizing a portable device having a sound reproduction function.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as an embodiment) will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an in-vehicle AV device as an audio playback device to which the present embodiment is applied. In the present embodiment, the automobile 20 is provided with a system main body 21 provided at the center of the instrument panel between the driver's seat and the passenger seat, and an upper portion of the system main body 21, and a portable unit 10 described later is mounted. Cradle 22, left front speaker 23 attached to the left side of the passenger seat, right front speaker 24 attached to the right side of the driver's seat, left rear speaker 25 attached to the left side of the rear seat, attached to the right side of the rear seat In addition, a right rear speaker 26 and a subwoofer 27 attached to the right rear portion of the rear seat are provided. In this example, the subwoofer 27 is mounted on the right rear portion of the rear seat, but the bass component is not directional and may be mounted anywhere in the vehicle.

  The portable unit 10 includes an image display unit (display unit) 11 configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display device, speaker units 12 provided on the left and right sides of the image display unit 11, and an operation input unit that receives instructions from the user. 13 is provided. The speaker unit 12 includes a left speaker 12a and a right speaker 12b. The portable unit 10 is configured to be detachable with respect to a cradle 22 provided in the automobile 20. When the portable unit 10 is mounted on the cradle 22, the portable unit 10 is controlled from the system main body 21 side to display and display and surround playback center. It functions as a speaker and functions as a portable information terminal device (PDA: Personal Digital Assistance) by itself when removed from the cradle 22.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the portable unit 10 as one of the portable devices described above and the system main body 21 as one of the audio output devices.
In addition to the image display unit 11, the speaker unit 12, and the operation input unit 13 described above, the portable unit 10 includes a rechargeable battery 14 a and supplies power to the portable unit 10. ) Is detected by the connection detection unit 15 as one of the detection units, the operation input unit 13 or the control unit 16 that controls the entire portable unit 10 based on an instruction received from the system main body 21, such as a TV tuner, The video display unit 11 is controlled by the control unit 16 and the audio / video signal source 17 as one of the audio signal source or video / audio signal source serving as the video / audio signal source, and based on the connection detection result by the connection detection unit 15. And the switching unit 18 for switching the input system to the speaker unit 12 and power transmission and data communication with the system main body 21 when mounted on the cradle 22. It includes interface for the (not shown). The cradle 22 is provided with an interface unit 22a for performing power feeding and data communication from the system main body 21 to the portable unit 10 when the portable unit 10 is mounted.

  Here, the image signal from the video / audio signal source 17 is output toward the image display unit 11, and the stereo audio signal from the video / audio signal source 17 is directed toward the left speaker 12a for the left channel. Each channel is output to the light speaker 12b. In addition, the stereo audio signal from the video / audio signal source 17 is output to the interface unit 19 in addition to the speaker unit 12. The stereo audio signal output to the interface unit 19 is input to an audio signal processing unit 36 (described later) provided in the system main body 21 when the portable unit 10 is connected to the cradle 22. It has become so. The video / audio signal source 17 provided in the portable unit 10 may be, for example, a radio tuner, a video / audio playback unit recorded on a disk medium, a semiconductor memory card, or the like in addition to the TV tuner described above. . The rechargeable battery 14 a of the power supply unit 14 provided in the portable unit 10 is used as a power source when the portable unit 10 functions alone as a PDA, and the portable unit 10 is connected via the cradle 22. When connected to the system main body 21, it is charged by a power supply unit 31 (described later) provided in the system main body 21.

  On the other hand, the system main body 21 includes a power supply 31 that supplies power supplied from a battery (not shown) of the automobile 20 to the portable main body 21 mounted on the system main body 21 and the cradle 22, and an instruction from the user. Operation input unit 32 that accepts, connection detection unit 33 as detection means for detecting connection (mounting) of portable unit 10 to cradle 22, DVD / CD drive 34 that reproduces DVD-Video or CD (Compact Disc), DVD / An image signal processing unit 35 that processes an image signal output from the CD drive 34, an audio signal processing unit 36 that processes an audio signal output from the portable unit 10 via the DVD / CD drive 34 and the interface unit 22a, and an operation A control unit 37 that controls the entire system main body 21 and the portable unit 10 based on an instruction received by the input unit 32 is provided. In the present embodiment, when the portable unit 10 is connected to the cradle 22, control communication is performed between the control unit 16 provided in the portable unit 10 and the control unit 37 provided in the system main body 21. Is to be done. In this embodiment, the DVD / CD drive 34 and the audio signal processing unit 36 function as one of the surround audio generation unit or the audio generation unit, and the DVD / CD drive 34 and the image signal processing unit 35 are one of the image generation units. It comes to function as one.

  Here, the DVD / CD drive 34 can play back a DVD corresponding to the 5.1ch surround system. In the audio signal processing unit 36, the output from the DVD / CD drive 34 is changed to the 5.1ch surround system. In the case of a corresponding audio signal, a predetermined decoding process can be executed on the input audio signal. The multi-channel audio signal decoded in accordance with the 5.1ch surround system has a left front audio signal directed to the left front speaker 23 and a right front audio signal directed to the right front speaker 24. A signal is output toward the left rear speaker 25, a right rear audio signal is output toward the right rear speaker 26, a deep bass audio signal is output toward the subwoofer 27, and a center audio signal is output toward the interface unit 22a. The center audio signal output toward the interface unit 22a is sent toward the speaker unit 12 provided in the portable unit 10 when the portable unit 10 is connected to the cradle 22. The center audio signal is a monaural audio signal. In this embodiment, the same audio signal is input to the left speaker 12a and the right speaker 12b constituting the speaker unit 12, and in this case The speaker unit 12 functions as a monaural speaker.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the portable unit 10 can be attached to and detached from the cradle 22 provided in the automobile 20, and when the portable unit 10 is attached to the cradle 22, The operation mode is different when the portable unit 10 is detached from the operation unit 22.

Next, operation mode switching (operation mode switching to the connection operation mode) when the portable unit 10 is attached to the cradle 22 will be described in detail.
FIG. 3A is a flowchart for explaining the flow of the connection operation mode switching process in the portable unit 10. When the connection detection unit 15 of the portable unit 10 detects that the portable unit 10 is connected to the cradle 22 (step 101), the control unit 16 of the portable unit 10 connects the portable unit 10 to it. The operation mode is switched (step 102). The step 102 will be described in detail. The control unit 16 controls the switching unit 18 to switch the image input to the image display unit 11 to the input from the system main body 21 and the voice input to the speaker unit 12 to the system main body. Switch to input from 21. Then, the switching to the connection operation mode is finished (step 103).
On the other hand, FIG. 3B is a flowchart for explaining the flow of the connection operation mode switching process in the system main body 21. When the connection detection unit 33 of the system main body 21 detects that the portable unit 10 is connected to the cradle 22 (step 201), the control unit 37 of the system main body 21 sets the system main body 21 to the connection operation mode. Switching (step 202). This step 202 will be described in detail. The control unit 37 controls the audio signal processing unit 36 to cancel the mute of the center audio signal output from the audio signal processing unit 36 toward the interface unit 22a. .1ch surround sound output (first surround sound signal) is made executable. Then, the switching to the connection operation mode is finished (step 203).

By performing such switching control, in the connection operation mode, in addition to the left front speaker 23, the right front speaker 24, the left rear speaker 25, the right rear speaker 26, and the subwoofer 27 that are originally installed in the automobile 20, it is possible. The speaker unit 12 provided in the carrying unit 10 can be used as a center speaker. That is, each of these speakers functions as a surround speaker. In addition, the image display unit 11 provided in the portable unit 10 can be used as a monitor of the system main body 21.
For this reason, for example, when a DVD (for example, a movie recorded) corresponding to the 5.1ch surround system is played back by the DVD / CD drive 34 provided in the system main body 21, it is provided in the system main body 21. The image processed by the image signal processing unit 35 is displayed on the image display unit 11 provided in the portable unit 10 and decoded by the audio signal processing unit 36 provided in the system main body 21. .1ch surround sound signal is surround output in 5.1ch by the left front speaker 23, the right front speaker 24, the left rear speaker 25, the right rear speaker 26, the subwoofer 27 and the speaker unit 12 provided in the portable unit 10. . Thereby, viewers, such as a driver, can enjoy the image and the sound full of a sense of reality. In the present embodiment, the speaker unit 12 provided in the portable unit 10 including the image display unit 11 is used as a center speaker for surround sound output. Absent.

Next, operation mode switching (operation mode switching to the separation operation mode) when the portable unit 10 is removed from the cradle 22 will be described in detail.
FIG. 4A is a flowchart for explaining the flow of the separation operation mode switching process in the portable unit 10. When the connection detection unit 15 of the portable unit 10 detects that the portable unit 10 is separated from the cradle 22 (step 301), the control unit 16 of the portable unit 10 sets the portable unit 10 in the separation operation mode. (Step 302). This step 302 will be described in detail. The control unit 16 controls the switching unit 18 to switch the image input to the image display unit 11 to the input from the video / audio signal source 17 provided in the portable unit 10. The audio input to the speaker unit 12 is also switched to the input from the video / audio signal source 17. Then, the switching to the separation operation mode is finished (step 303).
On the other hand, FIG. 4B is a flowchart for explaining the flow of the separation operation mode switching process in the system main body 21. When the connection detection unit 33 of the system main body 21 detects that the portable unit 10 is separated from the cradle 22 (step 401), the control unit 37 of the system main body 21 switches the system main body 21 to the separation operation mode ( Step 402). This step 402 will be described in detail. The control unit 37 controls the audio signal processing unit 36 to mute the center audio signal output from the audio signal processing unit 36 toward the interface unit 22a, and 5.1ch surround. In a state where sound output by the system cannot be executed, and other sound output (second surround sound) that can be played back by other 4.1ch speakers without using the center speaker can be executed. To. Then, the switching to the separation operation mode is finished (step 403).

By performing such switching control, after executing the separation operation mode, the following can be performed. First, in the automobile 20, the system main body 21 uses the left front speaker 23, the right front speaker 24, the left rear speaker 25, the right rear speaker 26, and the subwoofer 27 originally installed in the automobile 20. Surround playback will be possible. That is, each speaker except the speaker unit 12 provided in the portable unit 10 functions as a surround speaker. At that time, a 4.1ch surround sound signal, which is decoded differently from the 5.1ch surround sound signal in the connection operation mode, is output to each speaker, and the listener can listen to the surround sound without a sense of incongruity. .
On the other hand, the portable unit 10 can be taken out of the vehicle, for example, and displays an image output from the video / audio signal source 17 on the image display unit 11 and a video / audio signal source 17 at a desired place. The output sound can be output from the speaker unit 12. In this case, since independent sounds can be output to the left speaker 12a and the right speaker 12b constituting the speaker unit 12, 2ch stereo sound can be enjoyed in the portable unit 10.

As described above, in the present embodiment, when the system main body 21 and the portable unit 10 are connected, the image display unit 11 of the portable unit 10 is used for displaying an image of a DVD, and the speaker unit 12 of the portable unit. Can be used as a center speaker for DVD surround sound output. When the portable unit 10 is separated from the system main body 21, the image display unit 11 and the speaker unit 12 of the portable unit 10 are used for outputting image signals and audio signals from the video / audio signal source 17. be able to. When the portable unit 10 is used alone, stereo 2ch sound can be output using the left speaker 12a and the right speaker 12b constituting the speaker unit 12.
Thus, the user can enjoy realistic surround sound and images in the vehicle by the system main body 21 and the portable unit 10, and can be used when the portable unit 10 is taken out and carried (for example, outside the vehicle). The carrying unit 10 can easily enjoy voice and images.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which the system main body 21 has only a function for reproducing a DVD-Video or a CD has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, route guidance is provided. A navigation function to be performed, a radio reception function, and the like can be further provided. Further, application to a video game device using a DVD or CD as a medium is also conceivable. Further, in the present embodiment, the connection detection unit 15 is provided in the portable unit 10 and the connection detection unit 33 is provided in the system main body 21 to detect the connection of the portable unit 10. For example, the cradle 22 is detected by detecting whether control communication between the control unit 16 provided in the portable unit 10 and the control unit 37 provided in the system main body 21 can be executed. You may make it detect mounting | wearing of the portable part 10 with respect to. Further, in the present embodiment, 5.1ch surround playback can be performed by the system main body 21, but the present invention is not limited to this, and an apparatus capable of 6.1ch surround playback and 7.1ch surround playback is provided. It is also possible to apply. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, an example in which the portable unit 10 has a function as a PDA has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and only the surround sound reproduction is targeted. May not have the image display unit 11 such as a portable radio.

  In the present embodiment, application to an in-vehicle AV device provided in the automobile 20 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, application to an AV device used indoors is also possible. In this case, the portable unit 10 may be, for example, a display device that has a wireless LAN function and is detachably provided on a base station corresponding to the cradle 22. Then, as described in the present embodiment, images and displays displayed on the display device when the display device is attached to the base station and when the display device is removed from the base station. If the signal source of the sound output from the speaker unit provided in the apparatus is switched, the same effect as this embodiment can be obtained.

It is a figure for demonstrating the outline | summary of the vehicle-mounted AV apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a block diagram of a portable part and a system main body. (a) is a flowchart for explaining the flow of the connection operation mode switching process in the portable unit and (b) in the system main body. (a) is a flowchart for explaining the flow of separation operation mode switching processing in the portable unit, and (b) in the system main body.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Portable part, 11 ... Image display part, 12 ... Speaker unit, 12a ... Left speaker, 12b ... Right speaker, 13 ... Operation input part, 14 ... Power supply part, 14a ... Rechargeable battery, 15 ... Connection detection part, 16 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Control part, 17 ... Video / audio signal source, 18 ... Switching part, 20 ... Automobile, 21 ... System main body, 22 ... Cradle, 22a ... Interface part, 23 ... Left front speaker, 24 ... Right front speaker, 25 ... Left Rear speaker, 26 ... Light rear speaker, 27 ... Subwoofer, 31 ... Power supply unit, 32 ... Operation input unit, 33 ... Connection detection unit, 34 ... DVD / CD drive, 35 ... Image signal processing unit, 36 ... Audio signal processing unit 37 ... Control unit

Claims (1)

A video and audio signal source for generating video and audio signals;
A display unit capable of displaying video generated by the video and audio signal source;
A speaker unit for outputting audio generated by the video and audio signal source;
A detection unit for detecting an installation state in a specific place constituting the multi-channel speaker;
Based on the detection result of the detection unit, the speaker unit is made to function as one of the speakers for multi-channel surround sound reproduction, and the display unit is switched to display an image corresponding to the multi-channel surround sound. A portable device including a switching unit.

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