JPH11252671A - Illumination display in audio equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an illumination display for audio equipment having a novel structure where LEDs to direct diversified illumination are used as a light source with the accompaniment of a music. SOLUTION: LEDs 1-9 of an illumination display in various illumination colors such as red, blue, green, yellow and amber are placed on a board in the inside of a sub woofer system 20, wherein the LEDs 1-5 of a group A are driven by a low sound frequency audio signal LS passing through a low pass filter 1 of an audio signal S by using an LED drive circuit 7, while the LEDs 6-9 of a group B are driven by a medium and high sound frequency audio signal HS passing through a high pass filter 6 to change illuminance of each LED depending on changes in the audio signal, and the luminous flux of the LEDs 1-9 is diffused through a light diffusion transparent panel placed on the surface of the sub woofer system 20 to provide diversified illumination to the panel with the accompaniment of a music.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the technical field of illumination display devices in audio equipment, and more particularly, to a display device that produces various illuminations in response to an audio signal output in a subwoofer system or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In place of conventional analog sound sources such as records and cassette tapes, compact disks (CDs for short) are used.
), Mini-disc (also called MD for short)
With the advent of digital sound sources such as these, audio equipment has been significantly improved in performance and functionality.

However, at present, not only home audio equipment, but also car audio equipment, various convenience functions are generally provided as standard equipment by each manufacturer.
Comparing individual audio devices, it is difficult to differentiate audio products with their performance and functions almost in line.

The design of the main body of the audio equipment, the design of the operation panel surface, the arrangement of the knobs, the display form of the display device, the novelty of illumination, etc. are set as selling points to differentiate and appeal to the user.

[0005] On the other hand, when purchasing audio equipment, many users place emphasis not only on functions, performance, and price, but also on the design of equipment and the production of illumination displays. Among the users of car audio equipment, there are many enthusiasts who are particular about illumination displays such as equalizers, amplifiers, tuners, speaker systems, and subwoofer systems.

Meanwhile, among conventional audio devices, illumination display devices of a speaker system or a subwoofer system (many devices that mainly illuminate the edge portion of a speaker main body, a diaphragm, etc. in a faint manner) are cold cathode tubes as light sources. Was heavily used. this is,
The purpose was to ensure sufficient illuminance.

[0007]

The present invention can be used as a light source of an illumination display device (a display device mainly emphasizing the production of lighting other than a character display indicating an operation state by a liquid crystal or the like) in audio equipment. Considering the nature, (a) low cost,
(B) sufficient illuminance, (c) installation in a small space, (d) low driving voltage, no need for a booster circuit, (e) excellent durability, (f) no noise That is the point, for example, a lamp,
Cold cathode tubes, light emitting diodes (hereinafter also referred to as LEDs), ELs (electric luminescence), and black lights are considered as candidates. As can be seen from the comparison in Table 1 below, illumination displays for speaker systems and subwoofer systems have been conventionally used. The cold cathode tubes used in the above are inferior to LEDs in cost, space, drive voltage, durability and noise. However, LEDs have not been adopted because LEDs have a high light straightness and are insufficient in the illuminance described in (b) above, and the appeal of illumination is inferior to that of cold-cathode tubes.

[0008]

[Table 1]

However, if a cold cathode tube is used as a light source, a sub-board on which the cold cathode tube and its booster circuit are mounted must be prepared inside the front panel of the audio equipment separately from the main board of the power amplifier. It is difficult to make it at the installation position of the cold cathode tube and the inverter unit, and the structure becomes complicated.

After all, there are problems in (a) the cost, (c) small space, and (d) the driving circuit. In addition, since the cold-cathode tube is a fluorescent tube, noise is inevitably generated. , Because the service life is not enough and the pipe may be broken,
There are also problems in the above points (e) and (f).

[0011] However, the LEDs are (a), (c),
(D), (e), and (f) are good, and if the effective illuminance as an illumination display device is secured in only (b), the problem will be solved as an illumination display device. Would.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the problems of the above-mentioned conventional illumination display device.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an illumination display device which enables an advanced light effect while adopting an LED as a light source of the illumination display.

[0013]

According to the present invention, there are provided: (1) at least three or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) having different emission colors are arranged on a substrate in an audio device, and a change in an audio signal output is performed by an LED driving circuit. ON / OFF control of the light emitting diode in accordance with the above, the light flux of the light emitting diode is diffused through a light diffusive transmission panel provided on the audio equipment and having a surface formed of a concentrically continuous uneven surface. The above-mentioned problem is solved by providing an illumination display device in an audio device characterized by being emitted outside.

(2) In addition, the audio signal output is divided into a plurality of groups according to the high to low range, and a plurality of light emitting diodes are allocated to each range group, and are individually lit according to the audio signal output of each range. The above object is achieved by providing an illumination display device in an audio device according to the above (1).

(3) A transparent second light-diffusing transmission panel is provided between the light-diffusing transmission panel provided on the surface of the audio device and the light-emitting diode provided on the substrate inside the audio device. The object is achieved by providing an illumination display device in an audio device according to the above (1) or (2), wherein the illumination display device is provided.

The light-diffusing transmissive panel is a transparent or translucent (smoke) plastic panel having at least a surface with irregularities so that a light flux of a light-emitting diode from inside the audio device can be obtained. A material that has the property of being refracted and diffused in any direction on the panel surface.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION For an example of an embodiment of the present invention,
A car audio subwoofer system in which an illumination display device is most frequently used among audio devices will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a view centered on a plan view showing an approximate inner and outer shape of a car audio subwoofer system having a novel structure equipped with an illumination display device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a substrate on which LEDs are arranged immediately below a light-diffusing transmissive panel for illumination together with a power amplifier and a lighting circuit.

FIG. 3 is a plan view for explaining the appearance of the concavo-convex pattern of the light diffusible transmissive panel portion according to the present invention in the above-mentioned subwoofer system and the state of LED illumination as viewed obliquely from the front of the system.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view showing two examples of the cross-sectional shape of the light-diffusing transmissive panel according to the present invention and the light diffusion of the LED.

FIG. 5 shows the LE when the light-diffusing transmission panel of the subwoofer system is viewed obliquely from above and behind the system.
It is a top view which shows the mode of D illumination.

FIG. 6 is a circuit block diagram of an illumination display device according to the present invention applied to the subwoofer system.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a double structure of a panel of a car audio subwoofer system equipped with the illumination display device according to the present invention.

First, an overview of a subwoofer system in car audio will be given. This is an independent speaker system dedicated to low-frequency reproduction provided in addition to a normal audio speaker system for reinforcing low-frequency sound. As shown in the figure, usually, the audio signal S is passed through a low-pass filter 1 and only a low frequency range of about 200 Hz or lower is amplified by a power amplifier 2 and reproduced by a dynamic speaker 3. Since the subwoofer system 20 does not need to be placed due to the omnidirectionality of the low frequency range, it is often installed in a car trunk room or under a seat in a car audio system. In recent years, miniaturization has been attempted, and more and more installations have been made in places that are more noticeable. This is a system that requires the production of an illumination display.

A subwoofer system 20 in a car audio system employing the illumination display device of the present invention has a flat, side, front,
It is the appearance of the back, width W = 30mm, height H = 70m
m, depth D = 210 mm, which is a compact design as compared with the conventional subwoofer system, and particularly, the height dimension is extremely thin.

The portion indicated by reference numeral 10 in FIG. 1 is the illumination display area of the light-diffusing transmissive panel of the illumination display device according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the subwoofer system 20, at least three or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) having different emission colors, preferably red, blue, green, yellow,
As shown in this example, which mixes many luminescent colors such as amber,
The LEDs 1 to 9 or about dozens of LEDs are arranged on the substrate 5 inside the subwoofer system shown in FIG. 2, and the LEDs 1 to 9 are changed by the LED driving circuit 7 in accordance with the change of the audio signal S output. ON / O
The FF (lighting / flashing) is controlled, and the light-diffusing transmissive panel 10 provided on the surface of the subwoofer system 20 is controlled.
The light fluxes of the LEDs 1 to 9 are diffused through and emitted to the outside (corresponding to claim 1).

The arrangement of the LEDs 1 to 9 on the substrate is shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, LED 1 (blue) is located approximately in the center of the area surrounded by the broken line immediately below the light-diffusing transmissive panel 10, LED 9 (yellow) and LED 8 (amber) are located on the left and right sides, and L is located before and after.
ED6 (red) and LED7 (green), LED4 on both left and right
(Red) and LED5 (red), and between them, LED2 (yellow) and LED3 (green). Note that it is preferable that the color arrangement is random and adjacent colors are different from each other in terms of changes in which colors are mixed.

The surface of the light-diffusing transmissive panel 10 is provided with unevenness which is not flat.
9 are diffracted in various directions and diffused from the surface.

The state of light diffusion can be variously set depending on the shape of the irregularities on the surface of the light-diffusing transmissive panel 10. However, when considered as an illumination display, the light diffuses greatly and mixes different light colors to produce various light colors. It has been found by tests by the present inventor that in order to realize an effective illumination display formed as described above, it is desirable that the display be formed of a concentrically continuous uneven surface as shown in FIG. . The cross-sectional shape of the irregularities on the surface of the light-diffusing transmissive panel 10 is rectangular or trapezoidal as shown in FIG. 4 (A) or corrugated as shown in FIG. 4 (B). It is continuous at a pitch of about 5 mm, and a light beam traveling straight from below is refracted into the light-diffusing transmissive panel 10, and is reflected, refracted, and diffracted in a multi-directional manner from the surface of the unevenness as shown in the figure. Since the light is diffused, when viewed from one point outside, light enters not only from one direction connecting the LED but also from each direction on the surface, and the light appears to spread. In addition, since the unevenness of the surface is formed in a concentric shape like a ripple, the spread of light in the lateral direction slightly differs depending on the viewing position.

That is, when the surface of the light-diffusing transmissive panel 10 is formed of an arc-shaped uneven surface that is substantially concentric and continuous as shown in FIG.
In the case of a flat surface, the LEDs 1 to 9 just below are simply illuminated only as point light sources, whereas the light columns 11 to 19 extend in all directions from the center of the arc in a straight line with a three-dimensional depth. When viewed obliquely from above and behind the system, as shown in FIG. 5, the illumination areas 11 'to 15' of each LED are diffused so as to emerge from the bottom of one surface of the panel surface 10 and are mixed with each other with a spread. . It can be said that this is an extremely characteristic illumination not seen in the conventional illumination display device. By changing the lighting / flashing of the LEDs 1 to 9 according to the change of the audio signal S, it is possible to change infinitely in accordance with the music. Is the active multi-color illumination.

In the subwoofer system 20, the audio signal S of the built-in power amplifier 2 is
The output is divided into multiple groups according to the high-low range, and multiple LEDs are assigned to each range group, and the LEDs are lit separately according to the audio signal output of each range. It was found by the inventor's test that it was possible (corresponding to claim 2).

That is, in FIG.
Driven by low-range audio signal LS that has passed through
D1 to D5 are group A, and an LED 6 driven by a mid-high range audio signal HS passed through a high-pass filter 6
9 are group B, and each LED is separately driven (current is supplied). With this configuration, light is mixed according to changes in the bass range and the mid-high range (in other words, corresponding to music) to produce various changes, and the effect of illuminating is doubled.

At this time, the three primary colors of light, red (RED),
By appropriately mixing green (GREEN) and blue (BLUE), it will be possible to realize that the emission of various colors changes every moment due to the difference in light intensity of each LED and changes to seven colors. To do this effectively, L
ED6, green LED7 and LED9, blue LED L
It is desirable to dispose the ED1 close to the substrate.

Also, as described above, even when the audio signal output is divided into a high-middle tone range and a low tone range, and the LEDs are separately lit according to each output, the sound spread can be effectively visualized by using a substrate. The LED in the central region of the LED group arranged in the group No. 5 is generally referred to as a high-frequency range group B, and the LEDs in the peripheral portion are
Is desirably set to be in the low-frequency range group A.

By using an illumination display device in which all of the above configurations are combined, in the case of bops music, for example, the vicinity of the center of the illumination panel surface is brightly illuminated by the output of a vocal or lead guitar in a high-pitched sound range. At the same time, the middle and low range of keyboards, bass guitars and drums are intermittently emphasized according to the rhythm and illuminate the surroundings, so the color that changes to seven colors according to the sensitivity of human music as if it were music It becomes active illumination like dancing.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a transparent light-transmitting panel 10 disposed on the surface of the subwoofer system 20 and an LED disposed on the substrate 5 inside the subwoofer system 20 are transparent. By disposing the second light-diffusing transmissive panel 21 (hatched portion), the LED
Although the light source is a point light source having good linearity, the light beam is diffused more widely, and it is possible to illuminate a wide area on the surface of the light diffusive transmission panel 10 on the system surface.
Corresponding to). This is because the form of this subwoofer system 20 is a type that seals the back side of the speaker,
This is based on the fact that a double panel structure is employed. However, if the upper light-diffusing transmission panel 10 has a sufficient light-diffusing property, a flat non-diffusing transmission panel may be used instead of the second light-diffusing transmission panel 21.

It should be noted that the order of lighting of the LED groups is not limited to the order of arrangement, but it is desirable to emit light randomly at the center, right end, left end, and the like.

As described above, the illumination display device in the audio equipment according to the present invention is created especially with the subwoofer system having a built-in amplifier in car audio in mind.
The direct placement of the ED and the configuration of a simple LED drive circuit that does not require a booster circuit reduce the cost of the subwoofer system (the LED and its drive circuit are extremely low-priced), make it thin and compact, have a simple and easy-to-make structure, It achieves noiseless, effective illumination and excellent durability at the same time.

As described above, the present invention pays attention to various features of the LED which has not been considered as a light source of the illumination display device in the past, and when applied to an illumination display device of audio equipment, the illuminance of the illumination light source is insufficient. (Including the problem of point light sources) to realize a unique illumination display that illuminates the surface of a light-diffusing transmissive panel with various colors according to changes in audio signal output. It is.

It should be noted that the present invention can be applied not only to the above-described subwoofer system but also to illumination displays for audio equipment in general. Instead of simply illuminating a fixed color and shape like the color LCD display that is widely used in conventional audio equipment, the colors change in a variety of ways depending on the intensity of the audio output. An unprecedented color competition will be developed along with the music, and there is no doubt that it will have a special effect on the appeal of differentiation in various audio devices.

[0043]

The illumination display device in the audio equipment according to the present invention having the above-described structure has the following excellent effects.

(1) By adopting the LED, cost reduction, thinning and compactness, noiselessness, high durability, and easy manufacturing are realized, and sufficient illuminance as an illumination display device can be obtained.

(2) It is possible to produce an illumination display in which the color changes variously according to the output of the audio signal (in other words, according to the music).

(3) By dividing the output of the audio signal into a plurality of groups according to the high to low tone range, assigning a plurality of LEDs to each tone range group, and lighting them individually according to the audio signal output of each tone range. , According to the change of each range (in other words, corresponding to the spread of music)
Light mixes and the illumination effect is doubled.

(4) The second light-diffusing transmissive panel allows the light beam to diffuse more widely even though the LED is a point light source with good straightness, and a wide area on the surface of the light-diffusing transmissive panel on the system surface. Can be illuminated, and a wider variety of illumination displays can be produced.

(5) It is particularly suitable for a subwoofer system, and it is possible to differentiate products by producing illuminations.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view centered on a plan view showing an approximate inner and outer shape of a car audio subwoofer system having a novel structure equipped with an illumination display device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a substrate on which LEDs are arranged immediately below a light-diffusing transmissive panel according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view for explaining the appearance of a concavo-convex pattern of a light-diffusing transmissive panel portion according to the present invention in the subwoofer system according to the present invention and the state of LED illumination as viewed obliquely from the front of the system.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing two examples of a cross-sectional shape of a light-diffusing transmissive panel according to the present invention and light diffusion of an LED.

FIG. 5 is an LE view of the light-diffusing transmissive panel of the subwoofer system according to the present invention when viewed obliquely from above and behind the system.
It is a top view which shows the mode of D illumination.

FIG. 6 is a circuit block diagram of an illumination display device according to the present invention applied to a subwoofer system according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a double structure of a panel of a car audio subwoofer system equipped with an illumination display device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Low-pass filter 2 Power amplifier 3 Dynamic speaker 4 Auto level control circuit 5 Substrate 7 LED drive circuit 10 Light-diffusing transmissive panel LED1-LED9, LED light-emitting diode 11-19 Light pillar 11'-15 'Illumination area 20 Subwoofer system 21 second light-diffusing transmissive panel S audio signal LS low-range audio signal HS medium-high range audio signal

Claims (3)

[Claims] At least three or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) having different emission colors are arranged on a substrate inside an audio device, and the LED driving circuit turns on / off the light emitting diodes according to a change in an audio signal output.
FF control, and that the luminous flux of the light-emitting diode is diffused and emitted to the outside through a light-diffusing transmissive panel that is disposed on the audio device and has a surface that is formed of an irregular surface that is substantially concentric. Illumination display device for audio equipment. 2. The audio signal output is divided into a plurality of groups according to high to low tone ranges, and a plurality of light emitting diodes are assigned to each tone range group, and are separately lit according to the audio signal outputs of each tone range. The illumination display device in an audio device according to claim 1. 3. A transparent second light-diffusing transmission panel is provided between a light-diffusing transmission panel disposed on a surface of an audio device and a light-emitting diode disposed on a substrate inside the audio device. The illumination display device in an audio device according to claim 1, wherein the illumination display device is provided.