KR100246453B1 - Automatic volume control method and device thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for automatically adjusting the volume to automatically adjust the volume according to the ambient noise in an acoustic apparatus such as a television receiver, a VR, a digital video disc player, and an audio device.

The disclosed automatic volume control device, the noise detection means for detecting the ambient noise; An analog / digital converting means for digitizing and outputting the detected ambient noise signal; A timer for indicating the current time; A memory storing reference values for adjusting the volume for each time period; A microprocessor which detects a current time from a timer and compares the predetermined time zone reference values corresponding to the detected time with the measured ambient noise level to determine a gain control signal accordingly; And gain control means for adjusting the volume of the over-the-air audio signal and the reproduced audio signal output to the speaker by varying the amplification factor of the low frequency amplification means according to the determined gain control signal.

Accordingly, in case of a quiet night or a slightly noisy day, the convenience of automatically adjusting the volume to the optimum listening condition is provided according to the ambient noise.

Description

Automatic volume control method and device

The present invention relates to a gain control apparatus for a voice signal, and more particularly, to automatically adjust the volume according to the ambient noise level or time zone in a product such as a television receiver, a video cassette recorder, a digital video disc, and an audio device. It relates to a volume automatic adjustment method and apparatus.

In general, for products such as television receivers, video cassette recorders, digital video disc players, and audio equipment, the volume control is performed by the user artificially manipulating the variable resistor and volume mounted on the product itself or by remotely controlling it through a remote controller. The audio signal is variable and output to the speaker.

For example, at night when the surroundings are quiet, the volume is generally controlled by lowering the volume, and in the case of daytime, the user may listen at a higher level than at night due to the ambient noise. In this case, the listener may manipulate the volume of the product itself. In addition, it has the inherent hassle of adjusting the volume using the up / down volume keys of the remote controller for remote control.

In particular, when the system power is turned off while the volume is adjusted and used in the above manner, the adjusted volume is fixed, and when the system power is turned on again, the volume is output before the power is turned off.

Therefore, if the user adjusts the volume according to the ambient noise during the day and then turns the system power on to use the product again in a quiet night with the system power off, a sudden loud sound is output from the speaker. The listeners, of course, have a problem that surprises or offends the people around them, especially when a child is sleeping around the speaker, causing the game to sleep by a sudden sound.

Furthermore, turn off the lights at night and operate the television set, video cassette recorder, and audio equipment to listen to the audio sound, and then turn it on again to adjust the volume according to the surrounding conditions. To adjust the volume of the bar, in this case there is a disadvantage that unnecessary power is consumed due to lighting.

To prevent this from happening, it is necessary for the listener to reduce the volume level to a minimum before turning off the system or to adjust the volume level before turning on the system.

As a result, the conventional technology has the inconvenience of listening to audio signals by artificially manipulating the volume provided in the remote controller or the up / down volume keys provided in the remote controller to adjust the volume according to the ambient noise at night or daytime. Inherent.

Therefore, the present invention excludes the inconvenience of artificially adjusting the volume according to the ambient noise in the above-described prior art, and in one aspect of the present invention, measures the ambient noise by day or night The present invention provides a method and apparatus for automatically adjusting the volume to automatically adjust the volume according to the noise to give an optimal listening condition.

As another aspect of the present invention, the purpose is to set the time zone according to the ambient noise to automatically adjust the volume for each time.

1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment provided in the description of the present invention volume control device,

Figure 2 is a signal flow diagram showing an embodiment provided in the description of the present invention automatic volume control method.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

100: microprocessor 101: noise detection unit

102: analog / digital conversion unit 103: gain control unit

104: key input unit 105: timer

106: memory unit 107: tuner

108: intermediate frequency amplifier 109: video / audio separation unit

110: voice processing unit 111: low frequency amplifier

Automatic volume control method according to an aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object, in the volume control method for outputting to the speaker by adjusting the volume by using the up / down volume keys of the key input means, noise Measuring ambient noise through the noise sensing means due to selection of a volume control mode for each time zone of the key input means; Determining a current time by scanning a timer after measuring the ambient noise; Comparing and determining the corresponding reference values stored in advance and the level of ambient noise measured in order to adjust the volume for each time zone according to the determined current time; And adjusting the height of the volume step by step according to the determination result and outputting the volume to the speaker.

Preferably, the reference values are stored in different levels for each time zone.

Preferably, the reference level for each time zone is stored in units of 1 hour.

Preferably, the reference values are classified into day time and night time, and each of the day and night time zone reference values is set and stored in units of 1 hour.

A volume control device according to another aspect of the present invention for achieving the above objects, the amplification rate of the low frequency amplification means by receiving up and down volume keys of the key input means receiving and receiving the audio signal and the reproduction audio signal of the airwaves A volume control device for outputting to the speaker by adjusting the noise, Noise detection means for detecting the ambient noise; An analog / digital converting means for digitizing and outputting the sensed ambient noise signal; A timer for notifying the current time in real time; A memory storing reference values for adjusting the volume for each time period; The current time from the timer is detected according to the selection of the volume control mode key provided in the key input means, and time zone reference values corresponding to the detected time are received from a memory and compared with the measured ambient noise level accordingly. A microprocessor for determining a gain control signal; And gain adjusting means for adjusting the volume of the airwave audio signal and the reproduced audio signal by varying the amplification factor of the low frequency amplifying means according to the determined gain control signal.

Preferably, the noise detecting means is characterized by consisting of a microphone.

Preferably, the time zone reference value stored in the memory unit is set and stored in units of 1 hour.

In this way, it is possible to measure the ambient noise for each time zone and automatically control without artificially adjusting the volume corresponding to the noise.

As a result, it is possible to eliminate the inconvenience of having to adjust the volume artificially, such as when the surroundings are quiet at night or when the surroundings are slightly noisy, and the difficulty of manipulating the volume while the lights are turned on at night. The listening conditions of both are compatible.

In addition, there may be a plurality of exemplary embodiments of the present invention. Hereinafter, the most preferred embodiments will be described in detail.

Through this preferred embodiment, it is possible to better understand the objects, features and advantages of the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In addition, the technique of the present invention can be applied to a variety of acoustic devices that process over-the-air or reproduced audio signals and output them to a speaker, such as a television receiver, a digital video disc player, a video cassette recorder, an audio device, and the like.

Thus, FIGS. 1 and 2 used in the description are not a device for automatically adjusting the volume by giving a volume control function to a specific sound device, but receiving and receiving an airwave audio signal or a reproduced audio signal, and processing the same. The drawing focuses on the branch product.

In addition, the following description considers the example used for the general television receiver which can receive and watch an image or audio.

1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment provided in the description of the volume control device according to the present invention.

According to the present embodiment, a tuner 107 tunes a television broadcast signal received through an antenna ANT to a corresponding channel by selecting a channel up / down key of the key input unit 104, and a high frequency signal of the corresponding channel. Is mixed with the local oscillation frequency and the intermediate frequency amplifier section 108 for extracting the intermediate frequency, and the video / audio separation unit 109 for separating and outputting the audio signal and the video signal from the extracted intermediate frequency, the separation An image processor 113 for signal processing the input video signal and displaying the same on the color receiver 114, a voice processor 110 for detecting and outputting an audio signal separated by the image / audio separator 109; In the general color television receiver including a low frequency amplifier 111 for outputting a low frequency amplification of the detected speech signal to the speaker 112, the noise detection unit for detecting the ambient noise as an electrical signal ( 101), an analog / digital converter 102 for converting the detected ambient noise signal into a digital signal and outputting the digital signal, a timer 105 for counting and outputting the current time in real time, and adjusting the volume for each time zone. The current time from the timer 105 is detected according to the selection of the memory unit 106 and the volume mode key provided in the key input unit 104, and the reference time-specific reference values corresponding to the detected time are stored. A microprocessor 100 which reads from the memory unit 106 and compares it with the ambient noise level of the analog / digital converter 102 and determines a gain control signal according to the result of the comparison, and a low frequency by the determined gain control signal. The gain control unit 103 is configured to adjust the gain of the audio signal input from the voice processing unit 110 by changing the amplification ratio of the amplifying unit 111.

And, Figure 2 is a signal flow diagram showing an embodiment provided in the description of the automatic volume control method of the present invention, as shown in this step, determining whether the time-specific volume control mode from the key input unit 104 is selected ( ST100, and if the volume control mode for each time zone is selected, determining the level by measuring the ambient noise through the noise detector 101 (ST101, ST102), and scanning the timer 105 after measuring the ambient noise to present the current time. (ST103), reading the corresponding reference values previously stored in the memory unit 106 in order to adjust the volume for each time zone according to the determined current time (ST104, ST105), and the measured Comparing and determining the level of ambient noise and the corresponding reference values for each time zone (ST106), and adjusting the gain of the audio signal through the gain control unit 103 according to the determined result to the speaker 112. A step of force (ST107, ST108).

Preferred embodiments of the present invention made as described above are described in more detail below.

First, the television broadcast signal received through the antenna ANT is tuned to the corresponding channel through the tuner 107 and input to the intermediate frequency amplifier 108.

The intermediate frequency amplifier 108 extracts the intermediate frequency by mixing the input high frequency signal of the corresponding channel with the local oscillation frequency, and amplifies the extracted intermediate frequency to a sufficient size to provide the image / audio separation unit 109.

The video / audio separator 109 separates and outputs an audio signal and a video signal at an input intermediate frequency.

The video signal among the output signals is signal-processed by the image processing unit 113 and displayed on the color receiver 114 as a screen.

The voice signal, which is frequency-converted together with the video signal, is detected by the voice processor 110 and low-frequency amplified to a sufficient size through the low-frequency amplifier 111 and output to the outside through the speaker 112.

This is an operation occurring in a general color television receiver or an FM receiver. In the present invention, the gain of the audio signal is automatically adjusted according to the ambient noise detected by the noise detector 101. To explain in detail.

That is, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the noise detector 101, such as a microphone or a microphone detects the ambient noise as an electrical signal and provides it to the analog / digital converter 102.

The analog / digital converter 102 converts the input ambient noise signal into a digital signal and provides it to the microprocessor 100.

At this time, when the viewer selects the volume control mode key provided in the key input unit 104 to automatically control the volume according to the ambient noise (step ST100), the microprocessor 100 performs the analog / digital conversion unit 102. The ambient noise digitized and input is measured (step ST101) and stored in a memory of itself (step ST102).

After storing the ambient noise level through step ST102, the microprocessor 100 determines the current time counted and input from the timer 105 in real time (step ST103).

As a result of the determination, if the current time is the night time zone, the reference values stored in the night time zone, for example, stored in the memory unit 106 in units of one hour are read (step ST104), and the result determined in step ST103 is the time of the daytime zone. In this case, reference values stored in the memory unit 106 for each hourly time interval, for example, are stored in the hourly time zone (step ST105), and are compared with the ambient noise level measured and stored in the memory (step ST106).

If the measured ambient noise level is higher than the reference values as a result of the comparison, the first gain control signal is determined and output to make the voice signal output from the speaker 112 larger than the ambient noise, and conversely, if the ambient noise level is lower than the reference values, The second gain control signal is determined and output in order to keep the voice signal output from the speaker 112 in a current state or slightly higher than the ambient noise.

Here, the reference values stored for each of the day and night time zones according to the ambient noise are set to at least one hour unit or two hours unit.

In addition, it is preferable that the reference values set in the daytime zone and the reference values set in the nighttime zone have different levels. That is, the hourly reference values set in the daytime zone are stored larger than the levels of the reference values set in the nighttime zone.

When the reference value is set every minute, for example, every 30 minutes, the volume increases and decreases by 30 minutes in accordance with the ambient noise at night, which occurs periodically and repeatedly. There is a risk of discomfort to the user, and in the application of the reference value, when the hourly reference values having a large level set in the daytime zone are applied to the quiet nighttime zone, there is a fear that a loud sound is suddenly generated in the speaker 112.

On the contrary, when the hourly reference values having a small level set in the night band are applied to the day band, there is a possibility that a sound output from the speaker 112 may not be heard by the ambient noise.

In this way, the first and second gain control signals generated by the microprocessor 100 may cause the gain control unit 103 to vary the amplification rate of the low frequency amplifier 111 so that the voice signal processed by the voice processor 110 may be different. The gain of is adjusted to be output to the speaker 112.

In another embodiment, when the system power is turned on, the volume before the system power is turned off and the reference values for each time period are compared. If the reference values are high, the amplification factor of the low frequency amplifier 111 is varied through the gain control unit 103. If the volume value before the power is turned off and the reference values for each time zone are low, the volume before the system power off is increased to output to the speaker 112.

If the volume control mode key for each time zone is not selected from the key input unit 104 in step ST100, the function routine of the general television receiver is performed (step ST109).

On the other hand, as a comparative example, unlike the conventional technique, that is, artificially manipulating the volume provided in the product itself, that is, up / down volume keys provided in the remote controller or adjusting the volume according to the ambient noise at night or daytime, The present invention can be seen that by measuring the noise around the time zone to automatically adjust the volume corresponding to the time zone noise.

As a result, according to the present invention, it can be seen that the convenience of automatically adjusting the volume to an optimal listening condition according to the ambient noise is provided in the case of a quiet night or a slightly noisy day.

As described above, in the present embodiment, there is an advantage that the optimum noise condition is given by automatically measuring the volume according to the measured ambient noise by measuring the ambient noise by day or night by the user's selection.

Obviously, from the above description, according to the method and apparatus for automatically adjusting the volume of the present invention, by adjusting the volume automatically according to the noise of each time zone without artificially manipulating the volume according to the ambient noise, The convenience in which optimal listening conditions are provided is provided.

Claims (7)

In the volume control method for outputting to the speaker by adjusting the volume by using the up / down volume keys of the key input means: Comprising a noise detection means, measuring and storing the ambient noise; Determining a current time by scanning a timer after measuring the ambient noise; Comparing the measured levels of ambient noise with corresponding reference values stored in advance to adjust the volume at predetermined time intervals according to the determined current time; And And adjusting the height of the volume step by step according to the comparison result and outputting the volume to the speaker. The method of claim 1, The reference values are automatic volume control method characterized in that the level is set differently for each predetermined time period. The method of claim 1, The predetermined time zone reference values are set in units of 1 hour. The method of claim 1, The predetermined time zone reference values are classified into day time zone and night time zone, and the level of reference values of the day and night time zones are set differently. In the volume control device for receiving and receiving the audio signal and the reproduction audio signal of the air wave to adjust the amplification rate of the low frequency amplification means by the up / down volume keys of the key input means to output to the speaker: Noise detection means for detecting ambient noise; An analog / digital converting means for digitizing and outputting the sensed ambient noise signal; A timer for notifying the current time in real time; A memory storing reference values to adjust the volume at predetermined time periods; The current time from the timer is detected according to the selection of the volume control mode key included in the key input means, and predetermined reference time-specific reference values corresponding to the detected time are received from the memory and compared with the measured ambient noise level. Microprocessor to determine the gain control signal accordingly; And And a gain adjusting means for adjusting the volume of the over-the-air audio signal and the reproduced audio signal by varying the amplification factor of the low frequency amplifying means according to the determined gain control signal. The method of claim 5, The noise detecting means is a volume automatic control device, characterized in that composed of a microphone. The method of claim 5, The predetermined time zone reference value stored in the memory is set to be stored in units of 1 hour, the volume control device automatically.

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