JP7147595B2 - Volume control device, volume control method and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a volume control device, volume control method and program.

As a volume control technology for electronic devices such as video equipment and audio equipment, there is a known technology that detects the environmental illuminance around the electronic device when the power is turned on, and adjusts the audio output level according to the detected environmental illuminance (for example, , see Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-110044 A

A conventional volume control device can automatically adjust the output level of sound output when an electronic device is powered on, according to the environmental illuminance around the electronic device. However, since the audio output level associated with the surrounding environmental illuminance detected when the power is turned on is uniquely set, the electronic device cannot be adjusted in consideration of changes in the surrounding environment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to optimize the output level of sound output when an electronic device is powered on, according to changes in the surrounding environment.

A volume control device according to the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems comprises a first storage unit for storing an audio output level when the power of the electronic device is turned off; a first illuminance level detector that detects and stores an illuminance level; a second illuminance level detector that detects a second ambient illuminance level of the electronic device when the electronic device is powered on; A volume adjustment unit that adjusts the audio output level stored in the first storage unit using an adjustment parameter that is set based on a second illuminance level, and that is set as the audio output level when the electronic device is powered on. and.

A volume adjustment method according to the present invention comprises the steps of: storing an audio output level when the power of the electronic device is turned off; detecting a first ambient illumination level of the electronic device when the power of the electronic device is turned off; detecting a second ambient illumination level of the electronic device when the device is powered on; and storing when the electronic device is powered off using an adjustment parameter set based on the first illumination level and the second illumination level. a step of adjusting the audio output level thus obtained and setting it as the audio output level when the power of the electronic device is turned on.

The program according to the present invention comprises the steps of: storing an audio output level when the power of the electronic device is turned off; detecting a first ambient illumination level of the electronic device when the power of the electronic device is turned off; detecting a second ambient illumination level of the electronic device at power-on; and storing a voice when the electronic device is powered off using an adjustment parameter set based on the first illumination level and the second illumination level. A step of adjusting the output level and setting it as the audio output level when the power of the electronic device is turned on is executed by a computer operating as a volume control device for adjusting the audio output level of the electronic device.

According to the present invention, it is possible to optimize the audio output level when the power of the electronic device is turned on, according to changes in the surrounding environment of the electronic device.

1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a volume control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is a flow chart which shows a flow of sound adjustment processing in a volume adjustment device concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is a flow chart which shows a flow of power-on processing in the volume control device concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a flow chart showing the flow of volume adjustment processing in the volume adjustment device according to the first embodiment of the present invention; 4 is a flow chart showing the flow of power-off processing in the volume control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention; It is a flow chart which shows a flow of power-on processing in a sound volume adjustment device concerning a modification of a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is a flow chart which shows a flow of power-on processing in a sound volume adjustment device concerning a modification of a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a volume control device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. It is a flow chart which shows a flow of power-on processing in a volume control device concerning a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. It is a flow chart which shows a flow of power-on processing in a volume control device concerning a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. It is an example of a reference table for adjustment parameter calculation in the volume adjustment device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Exemplary embodiments of a volume control device, a volume control method, and a program according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the present invention is not limited by the following embodiments.

[Embodiment 1]
1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of a volume control device according to a first embodiment; FIG.

The volume control device 1 is used by being incorporated in electronic equipment such as video equipment and audio equipment. The volume control device 1 includes a volume 20 for adjusting the output level of the audio signal supplied from the sound source 10, a DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) 30, a power amplifier 40, a speaker 50, a photodiode 60, a microphone amplifier 70, It is composed of an ADC (Analog to Digital Converter) 80 , an audio output level adjustment section 90 , an input section 110 and a storage section 120 .

A sound source 10 is an output unit that outputs an audio signal of an electronic device, and a digital audio signal output from the sound source 10 is input to a volume 20 .

Volume 20 is an electronic volume for adjusting the output level of the digital audio signal supplied from sound source 10 and is controlled by volume controller 94 of audio output level adjustment section 90 .

The DAC 30 converts a digital audio signal supplied from the sound source 10 via the volume 20 into an analog signal and supplies the analog signal to the power amplifier 40 .

The power amplifier 40 amplifies the analog audio signal supplied from the DAC 30 and outputs audio from the speaker 50 .

The photodiode 60 is a detector that detects the illuminance around the electronic device, and the ambient illuminance level signal indicating the illuminance detected by the photodiode 60 is amplified by the amplifier 70 and supplied to the ADC80.

The ADC 80 converts the analog ambient illuminance level signal supplied from the amplifier 70 into a digital ambient illuminance level signal, and supplies the digital ambient illuminance level signal to the CPU 92 of the audio output level adjustment section 90 .

The audio output level adjustment unit 90 adjusts the output level of the digital audio signal output from the volume 20 based on the ambient illuminance level signal supplied via the ADC 80 and the operation instruction signal from the user supplied from the input unit 110. adjust.

The input unit 110 has operation buttons and operation keys, and supplies a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 92 of the audio output level adjustment unit 90 with user operation instructions such as powering on/off the electronic device and volume up/down. As for the power button, in addition to the normal power button, a dedicated button for executing the present invention may be provided, or the power button may be combined with other buttons or switches to execute the present invention. . By allowing the implementation of the present invention to be selective, it is possible to tailor the audio output level to the user's preference. Further, the input unit 10 may be configured by an infrared light receiving unit or a wireless communication receiving unit such as Wi-Fi to receive operation instructions from the remote controller 130 .

The storage unit 120 is a memory for storing adjustment parameters and volume values for adjusting the audio output level set by the audio output level adjustment unit 90 . For the storage unit 120, for example, a semiconductor memory device such as a RAM or flash memory, or a storage medium such as a memory card is used.

The CPU 92 functions as an illuminance level detection section that detects the ambient illuminance level around the electronic device, and stores the ambient illuminance level signal supplied from the ADC 80 in the storage section 120 as an adjustment parameter. In addition, when the electronic device is powered on, the CPU 92 is based on the ambient illuminance level signal (second ambient illuminance level) supplied from the ADC 80 and the ambient illuminance level information (first ambient illuminance level) stored in the storage unit 120. , the volume value for setting the output level of the audio signal supplied from the sound source 10 is determined. The determined volume value is stored in the storage unit 120 as the audio output level. In addition, the volume value set by the user's operation instruction supplied from the input unit 110 is also stored in the storage unit 120 as the set audio output level.

The CPU 92 outputs an instruction signal to the volume controller 94 to control the volume 20 based on the determined volume value or the user's operation instruction supplied from the input unit 110 .
Although the CPU 92 is described as a dedicated CPU for the volume control device 1, it may also be used as a CPU mounted on an electronic device.

The volume controller 94 controls the volume 20 based on the instruction signal from the CPU 92 and sets the output level of the audio signal supplied from the sound source 10 .

Next, the processing for adjusting the audio output level when the electronic device is powered on will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5. FIG. The adjustment processing of the audio output level when the power of the electronic device is turned on is performed by the volume adjustment device 1 shown in FIG.

The flowchart shown in FIG. 2 is a basic flowchart showing an example of the audio output level adjustment process executed in the volume adjustment device 1 from when the power of the electronic device is turned on to when the power is turned off.

When the power button of the input unit 110 or the remote controller 130 is operated to power on the electronic device, power-on processing is executed in the volume control device 1 (S101). Details of the power-on processing will be described later.

When the power-on process ends, the volume adjustment process is executed in the volume adjustment device 1 based on the user's volume adjustment operation of the input unit 110 or the remote controller 130 (S102). Details of the volume adjustment process will be described later.

When the volume adjustment process is finished, it is confirmed whether the user's power-off instruction has been received (S103). More specifically, it is checked whether or not the user has issued an instruction to turn off the electronic device through the operation of the input unit 110 or the remote controller 130 . If a power-off instruction has been received (Yes in step S103), the process proceeds to step S104. On the other hand, if the power-off instruction has not been received (No in step S103), the process returns to step S102 to execute volume adjustment processing. The volume adjustment process in step 102 is repeated until an instruction to turn off the electronic device is received in step 103 .

When the power-off instruction for the electronic device is received (Yes in step S103), power-off processing is executed in the volume control device 1 (S104). Details of the power-off processing will be described later.

The flowchart shown in FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a detailed flow of the power-on process in step S101.

The CPU 92 monitors whether or not the user has given an instruction to turn on the power of the electronic device via the operation of the power button of the input unit 110 or the remote controller 130 (S201). If the power-on instruction has been received (Yes in step S201), the process proceeds to step S202. On the other hand, if the power-on instruction has not been received (No in step S201), step 201 is looped until the power-on instruction is received. That is, it enters a standby state waiting for reception of a power-on instruction.

When the power-on instruction for the electronic device is received (Yes in step S201), power-on processing is started in the volume control device 1 (S202).

When the power-on process is started, volume value control is started in the CPU 92 (S203). Volume value control is a process of determining a volume value VPon (VolumePoweron) for setting the output level of the digital audio signal output from the sound source 10 .

When the volume value control is started, the CPU 92 reads and acquires the volume value VPoff (VolumePoweroff) stored at the previous power-off from the storage unit 120 (S204). After obtaining the volume value VPoff, the process proceeds to step 209 .

On the other hand, when the power-on process is started in step S202, in parallel with the volume value control in step S203, the CPU 92 starts the ambient illumination level determination process (S205). The ambient illumination level determination process is a process of acquiring the ambient illumination level of the electronic device from the ambient illumination level signal supplied from the ADC 80 and comparing it with the ambient illumination level information stored in the storage unit 120.

When the ambient illumination level determination process is started, the ambient illumination detected by the photodiode 60 is input to the CPU 92 via the amplifier 70 and the ADC 80 as an ambient illumination signal.

The CPU 92 acquires an ambient illumination level ILon (IlluminationLevel) indicating the illumination level around the electronic device from the ambient illumination signal input from the ADC 80 (S206). The CPU 92 may acquire the ambient illuminance detected by the photodiode 60 as the ambient illuminance level when the electronic device is powered on. Further, the CPU 92 may acquire the average level of the ambient illumination detected in a predetermined period of time after the power of the electronic device is turned on as the ambient illumination level. In this case, it is desirable to disregard temporary sudden changes in ambient illuminance level that occur within a predetermined period of time as being caused by instantaneous flashes of light such as lightning.

The CPU 92 reads and acquires the ambient illuminance level data ILoff (IlluminanceLeveloff) stored at the previous power-off from the storage unit 120 (S207). The CPU 92 compares the ambient illumination level data ILoff acquired from the storage unit 120 and the ambient illumination level ILon provided from the photodiode 60, and calculates an adjustment parameter IV (IlluminationValue) indicating the ambient illumination level (S208).

The adjustment parameter IV is used as a coefficient for obtaining the volume value VPon that sets the audio output level. The adjustment parameter IV is calculated by Equation (1) using the ambient illuminance level ILoff obtained from the storage unit 120 at the previous power-off and the ambient illuminance level ILon provided from the photodiode 60 .
IV=ILon/ILoff... Formula (1)

The processing of steps S203-S204 and the processing of steps S205-S208 are processed in parallel. The CPU 92 calculates the volume value VPon by multiplying the volume value VPoff obtained in step S204 by the adjustment parameter IV as a coefficient, as shown in equation (2) (S209).
VPon=VPoff×IV... Formula (2)
The adjustment parameter IV becomes smaller than 1 and the volume value VPon becomes smaller than the volume value VPoff if the ambient illumination level ILon at power-on is smaller than the ambient illumination level ILoff at power-off. If the ambient illumination level ILon at power-on is greater than the ambient illumination level ILoff at power-off, the adjustment parameter IV becomes greater than 1, and the volume value VPon becomes greater than the volume value VPoff.

The CPU 92 supplies the volume value VPon calculated by Equation (2) to the volume controller 94 . The volume controller 94 controls the volume 20 based on the volume value VPon supplied from the CPU 92, and sets the output level of the digital audio signal supplied from the sound source 10 as the volume value VPon (S210). When the setting of the audio output level in the volume 20 is completed, the sound output by the sound source 10 is started (S211), and the power-on process by the volume control device 1 is completed (S212).

In the power-on process of the first embodiment, based on the ambient illumination level ILoff acquired when the power of the electronic device is turned off and the ambient illumination level ILon acquired when the power of the electronic device is turned on, A difference value indicating a change in the surrounding environment is used as a coefficient. Therefore, it is possible to optimize the audio output level when the power of the electronic device is turned on according to the change in the surrounding environment.

The flowchart shown in FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the detailed flow of the volume adjustment process in step S102.

After the power-on process in step S101 is completed, the operation shifts to a manual adjustment mode in which the volume is adjusted based on an operation instruction from the input unit 110 or the remote controller 130 by the user.

When the volume control device 1 shifts to the manual control mode, the CPU 92 monitors the presence or absence of a volume operation instruction from the input unit 110 or the remote controller 130 by the user (S301). If there is no volume operation instruction from the user (No in S301), the process proceeds to step S103. Step S103 shown in FIG. 2 and step S103 shown in FIG. 4 are the same.

On the other hand, when a volume operation instruction is received from the user (Yes in S301), it is determined whether the volume operation instruction is an up instruction to increase the volume or a down instruction to decrease the volume (S302). When the volume operation instruction from the user is an up instruction, the CPU 92 sends an instruction signal to the volume controller 94 to raise the audio output level of the volume 20 . At this time, the set values specified by the user are also transmitted. The volume controller 94 controls the audio output level of the volume 20 to the instructed volume value in accordance with the instruction signal from the CPU 92 (S303). after that,
The CPU 92 stores the set value sent to the volume controller 94 as the volume value VP in the storage section 120 (S304).

At step 302 , if the volume operation instruction from the user is a down instruction, the CPU 92 sends an instruction signal to the volume controller 94 to lower the audio output level of the volume 20 . At this time, the set values specified by the user are also transmitted. The volume controller 94 controls the audio output level of the volume 20 to the indicated volume value in accordance with the instruction signal from the CPU 92 (S305). After that, the CPU 92 stores the set value sent to the volume controller 94 as the volume value VP in the storage unit 120 (S304).

Steps S301 to S305 are repeated until a power-off instruction is received in step S103.

The flowchart shown in FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the detailed flow of the power-off processing in step S104.

In step S103, when the CPU 92 receives an electronic device power-off instruction from the user via the operation of the input unit 110 or the remote controller 130 (Yes in S103), the CPU 92 starts power-off processing of the electronic device (S401 ).

When the power-off process is started in step S401, the determination process of the ambient illumination level is started in the CPU 92 (S402). The ambient illumination level determination process is a process of acquiring the ambient illumination level of the electronic device from the ambient illumination level signal supplied from the ADC 80 .

When the ambient illumination level determination process is started, the ambient illumination detected by the photodiode 60 is input to the CPU 92 via the amplifier 70 and the ADC 80 as an ambient illumination signal.

The CPU 92 acquires the ambient illumination level ILoff indicating the ambient illumination level of the electronic device from the ambient illumination signal input from the ADC 80 (S403). The CPU 92 may acquire the ambient illuminance detected by the photodiode 60 as the ambient illuminance level when the electronic device is powered off. Further, the CPU 92 may acquire the average level of the ambient illumination detected in a predetermined period of time after the power of the electronic device is turned on as the ambient illumination level. In this case, it is desirable to disregard temporary sudden changes in ambient illuminance level that occur within a predetermined period of time as being caused by instantaneous flashes of light such as lightning.

When acquiring the ambient illumination level ILoff, the CPU 92 stores the ambient illumination level ILoff as ambient illumination level data in the storage unit 120 (S404). Also, the audio output level set in the volume 20 is stored in the storage unit 120 as the volume value VPoff (S405), and audio output from the sound source 10 is stopped (S406).

After the sound output from the sound source 10 is stopped or at the same time as the sound output is stopped, the power supply of the electronic device is turned off, and the power-off process ends (S407).

In the power-off process of the first embodiment, the illuminance level around the electronic device is detected and stored as an adjustment parameter for adjusting the audio output level when the power is turned on next time. Therefore, by using the adjustment parameter stored at the time of power-off when the power of the electronic device is turned on, the audio output level can be set according to the change in the surrounding environment between when the power of the electronic device is turned off and when the power is turned on.

As described above, the volume control apparatus according to the first embodiment considers not only the ambient illuminance of the electronic device when the electronic device is powered on, but also the ambient illuminance of the electronic device when the electronic device is powered off. You can adjust the output level of the audio signal output from the device. Therefore, it is possible to adapt to changes in the surrounding environment when the power of the electronic device is turned off and when the power is turned on, and it is possible to optimize the audio output level when the power of the electronic device is turned on according to the surrounding environment. In addition, it is possible to solve problems such as sound being output from the speaker at an unnecessary high volume when the power of the electronic device is turned on, sound output from the speaker being inaudible, and the like.

[Modification of Embodiment 1]
Power-on processing in the volume control device 1 according to the modification of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG.

The flowcharts shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 are flowcharts showing an example of the detailed flow of the power-on process in step S101 in the flowchart shown in FIG. In steps S501 through S509, the same processing as in steps S201 through S209 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 3 is performed. Further, in the processes of steps S512 and S513, the same processes as steps S210 and S211 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 3 are performed.

When the electronic device is powered on, the output level of the sound output from the speaker 50 is automatically set based on the volume value VPon calculated by Equation (2). However, the automatically set volume value VPon may not match the user's preferred audio output level. In this case, there is a high possibility that the user will operate the input unit 110 or the remote controller 130 to change the volume value to a desired audio output level. Therefore, in the power-on process of the volume control device 1A, the change amount of the volume value set by the user within a predetermined time after the sound output of the sound source 10 is started is stored in the storage unit 120 as the correction parameter VC (VolumeChange). is added to the volume value VPon.

When the volume value VPon is calculated by the formula (2) in step S509, it is checked whether the correction parameter VC is stored in the storage unit 120 (S510). If the correction parameter VC is stored in the storage unit 120 (Yes in step S510), the correction parameter VC is added to the volume value VPon calculated in step S509 (S511). That is, in step S511, the volume value VPon is calculated by equation (3).
VPon=VPoff×IV+VC (3)

On the other hand, if the correction parameter VC is not stored in the storage unit 120 (No in step S510), step S511 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S512.

The CPU 92 supplies the volume value VPon calculated in step S509 or the volume value VPon calculated in step S11 to the volume controller 94 .

When the sound output by the sound source 10 is started in step S513, the volume control device 1A shifts to a monitor mode for monitoring changes in the sound output level within a predetermined time from the start of the sound output. The CPU 92 monitors the presence or absence of a volume operation instruction from the input unit 110 or the remote controller 130 by the user (S514). If there is no volume operation instruction from the user (No in S514), the process proceeds to step S519.

On the other hand, if a volume operation instruction is received from the user (Yes in S514), it is determined whether the volume operation instruction is an up instruction to increase the volume or a down instruction to decrease the volume (S515). When the volume operation instruction from the user is an up instruction, the CPU 92 sends an instruction signal to the volume controller 94 to raise the audio output level of the volume 20 . At this time, the volume value VP (Volume Power) designated by the user is also sent. The volume controller 94 controls the audio output level of the volume 20 to the instructed volume value VP according to the instruction signal from the CPU 92 (S516). After that, the CPU 92 stores the difference between the volume value VPon set in step 512 and the volume value VP sent to the volume controller 94 in the storage unit 120 as the change amount of the volume value (S518), and proceeds to step S519.

In step 515 , if the volume operation instruction from the user is a down instruction, the CPU 92 sends an instruction signal to the volume controller 94 to lower the audio output level of the volume 20 . At this time, the volume value VP designated by the user is also transmitted. The volume controller 94 controls the audio output level of the volume 20 to the instructed volume value VP according to the instruction signal from the CPU 92 (S517). After that, the CPU 92 stores the difference between the volume value VPon set in step 512 and the volume value VP sent to the volume controller 94 in the storage section 120 as the change amount of the volume value (S518), and proceeds to step S519. .

In step S519, it is confirmed whether or not a predetermined time has passed since the sound output by the sound source 10 was started (S519). If it is determined that the predetermined time has not elapsed (No in step S519), the process proceeds to step S514 and repeats the processes of steps S514 to S519. The amount of change in the volume value stored in the storage unit 120 is based on the volume value VPon set in step 512, and the information is updated as the amount of change from the volume value VPon.

If it is determined in step S519 that the predetermined time has elapsed (Yes in step S519), the amount of change in the volume value (final update value) stored in the storage unit 120 is stored in the storage unit 120 as a correction parameter VC, The power-on process ends (S520).

The correction parameter VC learns the relationship between the ambient illumination level ILoff when the power is turned off, the ambient illumination level ILon when the power is turned on, and the volume value VP specified by the user while making a table in the storage unit 120, and learns the adjustment parameter IV. The volume value VPoff may be calculated as a fused coefficient.

In the power-on process according to the modification of the first embodiment, when the power of the electronic device is turned on, not only is the adjustment parameter stored when the power is turned off, but also the volume value set by the user within a predetermined time from the start of the audio output. is used as a correction parameter when the power is turned on next time. Therefore, it is possible to set a user-preferred audio output level according to a change in the surrounding environment when the power of the electronic device is turned off and when the power is turned on.

As described above, the volume control device according to the modification of the first embodiment considers the change in the ambient illuminance of the electronic device when the electronic device is powered on and when the power is turned off, and the audio output level preferred by the user. You can adjust the output level of the audio signal output from the device. Therefore, it is possible to adapt to changes in the surrounding environment when the power of the electronic device is turned off and when the power is turned on, and it is possible to optimize the audio output level when the power of the electronic device is turned on according to the surrounding environment and user's preference. In addition, it is possible to solve the problem that when the electronic device is turned on, the sound is output at a volume that is uncomfortable for the user.

[Embodiment 2]
A volume control device 1A according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 11. FIG.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a volume control device 1A according to the second embodiment.

The volume control device 1A has the same basic configuration as the volume control device 1 of the first embodiment. In the following description, components similar to those of the volume control device 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals or corresponding reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. The volume control device 1A is different from the first embodiment in that it includes a time information acquisition unit 200 and in the calculation processing of the volume value VPon in the CPU 92 .

The time information acquisition unit 200 acquires time information when the power of the electronic device is turned on and off from a clock built in the electronic device, and supplies the time information to the CPU 92 . Time information may be obtained via the Internet or wireless communication. In addition, the CPU 92 stores time information when the electronic device is powered off in the storage unit 120 .

Next, power-on processing in the volume control device 1A will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. FIG. The flowcharts shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 are flowcharts showing an example of the detailed flow of the power-on process in step S101 in the flowchart shown in FIG. In steps S601 through S608, the same processing as steps S201 through S208 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 3 is performed. Further, in the processing of steps S613 to S616, the same processing as that of steps S209 to S212 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 3 is performed.

When the adjustment parameter IV is calculated using the formula (1) in step S608, the CPU 92 calculates the volume value VPon using the formula (2) (S609). Here, the CPU 92 compares the volume value VPon and the volume value VPoff to determine whether the volume value VPon and the volume value VPoff are equal (S610). In step S610, it may be determined that the volume value VPon and the volume value VPoff are equal in approximate range, instead of completely matching.

If it is determined in step S610 that the volume value VPon and the volume value VPoff are not equal, the volume value VPon calculated in step S609 is determined (S613). If it is determined in step S610 that the volume value VPon and the volume value VPoff are equal, the previous power-off time is read from the storage unit 120 and compared with the power-on time (S611).

The adjustment parameter IV is calculated using the formula (1), but the adjustment parameter IV may be 1 or an approximate value of 1 depending on the ambient environment when the power of the electronic device is turned off and when the power is turned on. For example, the ambient illuminance of electronic devices is greatly affected by lighting conditions of indoor lighting fixtures, outdoor weather, and the like. Especially during the daytime, even if the time is the same, the illuminance around the electronic device is completely different between a rainy day and a sunny day. Therefore, if the weather is rainy or cloudy, the adjustment parameter IV may be 1 or an approximate value of 1 without a large change in ambient illuminance throughout the day. In addition, if external light is blocked by shutters, curtains, or the like, the ambient illuminance of the electronic device may become nighttime even during the daytime. In such a case, since the adjustment parameter IV becomes an invalid coefficient, when the volume value VPon is calculated using the equation (2), the volume value VPon and the volume value VPoff are substantially equal. If the power-off time and the power-on time belong to the same time zone, there is little problem. However, if the power-off time and the power-on time belong to different time zones and the adjustment parameter IV is substantially an invalid coefficient, there is a possibility that an unexpectedly loud sound will be output late at night, for example. Conversely, there is also the possibility that the sound will be output at a volume that cannot be heard at all.

Therefore, in the second embodiment, when the volume value VPon and the volume value VPoff are equal, the previous power-off time and power-on time are compared in step S611, and an adjustment coefficient TV (TimeValue) based on time information is used as an adjustment parameter. Calculate (S612).

A method of calculating the adjustment coefficient TV based on time information will be described with reference to FIG. The reference table shown in FIG. 11 is an example and is not limited to this.

In the second embodiment, the time from 0:00 to 24:00 is divided into five time zones: 0:00 to 6:00, 6:00 to 9:00, 9:00 to 15:00, 15:00 to 19:00, and 19:00 to 24:00. A weighting factor is set for each time period. In the second embodiment, a coefficient of 1 is set as midnight to 6:00, and weighting is performed based on this. A factor of 1.2 is set for the time period from 6:00 to 9:00, because it is a little noisy due to commuting to work and school. A coefficient of 1.6 is set for the time zone from 9:00 to 15:00, which is a noisy time zone during the day. The time period from 15:00 to 16:00 is the most noisy time period of the day because it includes the time for leaving school and commuting time, so a coefficient of 1.8 is set. Since 19:00 to 24:00 is nighttime, the coefficient is set to 1.4. The distribution of time periods and the distribution of weighting factors must be optimized according to the surrounding environment in which the electronic device is installed, so they are not uniquely determined and can be changed as appropriate.

The adjustment coefficient TV is calculated by Equation (4), where TVoff is the power-off time coefficient and TVon is the power-on time coefficient.
TV=TVon/TVoff... Formula (4)

A specific description will be given using the reference table in FIG. For example, if the power-off time of the electronic device is 22:50, the power-off time belongs to the time zone from 19:00 to 24:00, so the coefficient TVoff is set to 1.4. Also, if the power-on time of the electronic device is 7:10, the power-on time belongs to the time zone of 6:00 to 9:00, so the coefficient TVon is set to 1.2. Therefore, the adjustment coefficient TV in this case is set to TV=1.2/1.4=0.86 by Equation (4).

As another example, if the power-off time of the electronic device is 9:45, the power-off time belongs to the time zone from 9:00 to 15:00, so the coefficient TVoff is set to 1.6. If the power-on time of the electronic device is 17:20 three days later, the power-on time belongs to the time zone from 15:00 to 19:00, so the coefficient TVon is set to 1.8. Therefore, the adjustment coefficient TV in this case is set to TV=1.8/1.6=1.13 by Equation (4). In this example, several days have passed since the power was turned off until the next time the power was turned on. need not be considered.

Also, when the power-off time and the power-on time belong to the same time zone, the adjustment coefficient is 1, which is an invalid coefficient, and the volume value VPon and the volume value VPoff remain equal.

As described above, in the third embodiment, when it is determined in step S610 that the volume value VPon and the volume value VPoff are equal, the volume value VPon when the electronic device is powered on is calculated by equation (5). (S613).
VPon=VPoff×IV×TV... Equation (5)

In addition, in the volume control device 1A according to the second embodiment, the adjustment coefficient TV is calculated based on the time information when the power is turned off and the time information when the power is turned on. A factor TV may be set.

As described above, the volume control device according to the second embodiment considers not only the ambient illuminance of the electronic device when the electronic device is turned off and turned on, but also the time when the electronic device is turned off and turned on. It is possible to adjust the output level of the audio signal output from the electronic device when the power is turned on. Therefore, it is possible to more accurately respond to changes in the surrounding environment when the electronic device is turned off and when the power is turned on. can. In particular, by using the time information as an adjustment parameter, it is possible to cope with changes in the ambient illuminance caused by the weather and changes in the ambient illuminance due to external light shielding by storm shutters, curtains, and the like. In addition, it is possible to solve problems such as outputting sound at an unexpectedly high volume from the speaker when the power of the electronic device is turned on, or being unable to hear the sound output from the speaker.

As described above, two embodiments and one modification have been described as embodiments of the present invention, but these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

Each component of the illustrated volume control device is functionally conceptual, and does not necessarily have to be physically configured as illustrated. In other words, the specific form of each component is not limited to that shown in the drawings, and all or part of each component may be functionally or physically distributed in arbitrary units according to the processing load and usage conditions of each component. or may be integrated.

All or part of the configuration of the volume control device can be realized by, for example, a program loaded in memory as software. In the above embodiments, functional blocks realized by cooperation of these hardware or software have been described. That is, these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by hardware only, software only, or a combination thereof.

The components described above include those that can be easily assumed by those skilled in the art and those that are substantially the same. Furthermore, the above configurations can be combined as appropriate. Also, various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the configuration are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention.

1, 1A volume control device 10 sound source 20 volume 30 DAC
40 power amplifier 50 speaker 60 photodiode 70 amplifier 80 ADC
90 Audio output level adjustment unit 92 CPU
94 volume controller 110 input unit 120 storage unit 130 remote controller 200 time information acquisition unit

Claims (5)

A volume control device for adjusting the audio output level of an electronic device,
a first storage unit that stores an audio output level when the electronic device is powered off;
a first illuminance level detection unit that detects and stores a first ambient illuminance level of the electronic device when the electronic device is powered off;
a second illuminance level detector that detects a second ambient illuminance level of the electronic device when the electronic device is powered on;
adjusting the audio output level stored in the first storage unit using an adjustment parameter set based on the first ambient illuminance level and the second ambient illuminance level, and a volume adjustment unit that is set as the audio output level;
volume control device. Having a second storage unit that stores a correction parameter based on the amount of change in the audio output level within a predetermined time from the time the power is turned on,
The volume adjustment unit adjusts the audio output level stored in the first storage unit using an adjustment parameter set based on the correction parameter, the first ambient illumination level, and the second ambient illumination level. , set as the audio output level at power-on of the electronic device,
2. The volume control device according to claim 1, wherein: Having a time information acquisition unit for acquiring time information,
The volume adjustment unit corrects the adjustment parameter according to at least time information acquired when power is turned on.
3. The volume control device according to claim 1, wherein: A volume adjustment method in a volume adjustment device for adjusting the audio output level of an electronic device,
storing an audio output level of the electronic device when the electronic device is powered off;
detecting a first ambient illumination level of the electronic device when the electronic device is powered off;
detecting a second ambient illumination level of the electronic device when the electronic device is powered on;
Adjusting the stored audio output level when powering off the electronic device using an adjustment parameter set based on the first ambient illuminance level and the second ambient illuminance level, and outputting audio when powering on the electronic device a step to set as a level;
volume control method. For the volume control device that adjusts the audio output level of electronic equipment,
storing an audio output level when the electronic device is powered off;
detecting a first ambient illumination level of the electronic device when the electronic device is powered off;
detecting a second ambient illumination level of the electronic device when the electronic device is powered on;
Adjusting the stored audio output level when powering off the electronic device using an adjustment parameter set based on the first ambient illumination level and the second ambient illumination level, and outputting audio when the electronic device is powered on a step to set as a level;
program to run the

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