JP2015186072A - audio signal output device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an audio signal output device which enables music or the like to be heard appropriately even without confirming which side of audio output parts of an earphone or the like should be mounted into which of ears.SOLUTION: In the case where a direction of movement of a user cannot be detected from positional information acquired from a GPS sensor 2A of an earphone 2, a control section 36 of a portable music player 1 determines which of Lch and Rch is outputted to earphone units 2L and 2R on the basis of angle information acquired from a gyro sensor 2B of the earphone 2. In the case where the direction of movement of the user can be detected from the positional information acquired from the GPS sensor 2A thereafter, on the basis of the direction of movement, it is determined which of Lch and Rch is outputted to the earphone units 2L and 2R.

Description

  The present invention relates to an audio signal output apparatus that outputs an audio signal to an audio output apparatus such as an earphone worn on a user's ear.

  For example, a portable music player, a portable device with a built-in music playback function, or an electronic device such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) player or a personal computer outputs sound from earphones, headphones, etc. when listening to music, video, etc. The device can be connected to listen to the music and voice.

  When users usually listen to music with earphones, etc., refer to the letters on the left or right side written on the earphones to check which earphones should be worn on which ears before wearing them. Therefore, it is complicated. Further, for example, when the characters indicating the left side or the right side are small or the printing is rubbed and it is difficult to see, there is a possibility that the left and right are erroneously attached.

  As a method of discriminating the left and right of an earphone or the like, for example, Patent Document 1 includes a key signal indicating right or left in the measurement signal for measuring the acoustic characteristics of the earphone, or the left and right of the measurement signal are in opposite phases. Etc. are described.

JP 2013-98731 A

  The method described in Patent Document 1 is a method for identifying left and right in order to measure the characteristics of the earphone, and not for the user. In the method of Patent Document 1, even if the right and left sides can be identified on the device side, they are not presented to the user, so the user still needs to make a complicated check.

  Therefore, in view of the above-described problems, the present invention provides an audio signal output device that can appropriately listen to music or the like without checking which side should be worn on which ear, for example. This is the issue.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the invention according to claim 1 outputs one signal of the left audio signal or the right audio signal to the first audio output unit and the other signal to the second audio output unit. An audio signal output unit to output, and an acquisition unit that acquires arrangement information regarding whether at least one of the first audio output unit and the second audio output unit is arranged with respect to either the left or right ear of the user And a determination unit that determines the one signal to be output to the first audio output unit based on the arrangement information acquired by the acquisition unit.

  The invention according to claim 10 includes an audio signal output unit that outputs one of the right audio signal and the left audio signal to the first audio output unit and outputs the other signal to the second audio output unit. An audio signal output method of an audio signal output device, wherein arrangement information regarding whether at least one of the first audio output unit and the second audio output unit is arranged with respect to a user's left or right ear And a determination step of determining the one signal to be output to the first audio output unit based on the arrangement information acquired in the acquisition step.

  The invention according to claim 11 is characterized in that the audio signal output method according to claim 10 is executed by a computer.

  The invention described in claim 12 is characterized in that the audio signal output program described in claim 11 is stored.

1 is an external view of a portable music player and earphones according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a block block diagram of the portable music player shown by FIG. It is sectional drawing of the earphone shown by FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an operation for determining whether the earphone unit of the earphone of the portable music player shown in FIG. 1 is worn on the left ear or the right ear of the user. It is explanatory drawing to the mounting angle of an earphone unit. It is explanatory drawing of the direction of an earphone unit. It is explanatory drawing which determines right and left from the azimuth | direction and movement direction of an earphone unit. It is sectional drawing of the earphone connected to the portable music player concerning 2nd Example of this invention. It is a flowchart of the determination operation | movement whether the earphone unit of the earphone of the portable music player concerning the 2nd Example of this invention is mounted | worn in a user's left ear or right ear. It is sectional drawing of the earphone connected to the portable music player concerning the 3rd example of the present invention. It is a flowchart of the determination operation | movement of whether the earphone unit of the earphone of the portable music player concerning the 4th Example of this invention is mounted | worn in a user's left ear or right ear. It is sectional drawing of the earphone connected to the portable music player concerning the 4th example of the present invention. It is a flowchart of the determination operation | movement of whether the earphone unit of the earphone of the portable music player concerning the 4th Example of this invention is mounted | worn in a user's left ear or right ear. It is a flowchart of the determination operation | movement whether the earphone unit of the earphone of the portable music player concerning the 5th Example of this invention is mounted | worn in a user's left ear or right ear.

  Hereinafter, an audio signal output apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the audio signal output device according to an embodiment of the present invention, the audio signal output unit outputs one of the left audio signal and the left audio signal to the first audio output unit, and the other audio output to the second audio output unit. Output a signal. Then, the acquisition unit acquires arrangement information regarding whether at least one of the first audio output unit and the second audio output unit is arranged with respect to any of the left and right ears of the user, and the determination unit acquires the acquisition unit Determines one signal to be output to the first audio output unit based on the acquired arrangement information. By doing in this way, the audio | voice output part which outputs a left audio | voice signal and a right audio | voice signal based on the acquired arrangement | positioning information can be determined. Therefore, without confirming which side of the sound output unit such as an earphone should be worn on which ear, it is possible to automatically determine the left and right based on the wearing situation and listen to music appropriately. Become.

  Further, the arrangement information is information related to the moving direction of the user, and the determining unit is one of the left audio signal and the right audio signal output to the first audio output unit based on the information related to the user moving direction. The signal may be determined. By doing so, it is possible to determine which of the first audio output unit and the second audio output unit is on the left side or on the right side according to the movement of the user, and the user wears it without confirming left and right Even so, it is possible to automatically determine the left and right based on the mounting state of the first audio output unit and the second audio output unit and to listen to music and the like appropriately.

  The information on the moving direction includes the detection result of the position detection unit that detects the position of either the first audio output unit or the second audio output unit, and the orientations of the first audio output unit and the second audio output unit. And a detection result of the direction detection unit to be detected may be included. In this way, the sound output unit moves in either direction from the direction detected by the direction detection unit provided in either the first sound output unit or the second sound output unit and the position detected by the position detection unit. Can be detected. Therefore, it is possible to determine which of the first audio output unit and the second audio output unit is on the left side and which is on the right side.

  Moreover, the information regarding the moving direction may include a detection result of a position detection unit that detects the positions of the first audio output unit and the second audio output unit. By doing in this way, it is possible to detect in which direction the two audio output units move by the movement of the position detected by the position detection unit provided in the first audio output unit and the second audio output unit. it can. Accordingly, it is possible to determine which of the first audio output unit and the second audio output unit is on the left side and which is on the right side without any orientation information.

  In addition, when the moving direction of the user cannot be detected from the information related to the moving direction of the user acquired by the acquiring unit, the determining unit includes the first audio output unit and the second audio output unit acquired by the acquiring unit as the arrangement information. One of the left audio signal and the right audio signal to be output to the first audio output unit is determined based on angle information regarding the arrangement angle in a state where at least one of them is arranged in the user's ear. Thereafter, when the moving direction of the user can be detected, one of the left audio signal and the right audio signal output to the first audio output unit based on the moving direction is determined again and determined. May be. In this way, it is temporarily determined whether the first sound output unit is attached to the left side or the right side from the attachment angle to the user's ear, and then the first sound output is performed by the movement of the user. Whether the part is mounted on the left side or the right side can be determined. Therefore, it is possible to automatically listen to music and the like by automatically determining the left and right before the user moves.

  The acquisition unit acquires mounting information indicating that the first audio output unit and the second audio output unit are mounted on the user's ear. The wrinkle determination unit determines the mounting order of the first sound output unit and the second sound output unit based on the mounting information, and stores the mounting order and the determination result of the determination unit in association with each other as the wrinkle information. Then, when the moving direction of the user cannot be detected from the arrangement information acquired by the bag determining unit, the determination unit outputs the left audio signal output to the first audio output unit based on the bag information stored in the acquiring unit or If one of the right audio signals is determined and the moving direction of the user can be detected, one of the left audio signal and the right audio signal output to the first audio output unit based on the moving direction The signal may be determined again and confirmed. By doing so, it is possible to learn the user's wearing order, and whether the first audio output unit is worn on the left side or the right side using the learned result when used after learning. Can be provisionally determined. Then, it can be determined whether the first audio output unit is attached on the left side or the right side by the movement of the user. Therefore, once learned, it is possible to automatically listen to music and the like by automatically determining the left and right before the user moves.

  The acquisition unit acquires angle information related to an arrangement angle in a state where at least one of the first audio output unit and the second audio output unit is arranged in the user's ear as arrangement information, and the determination unit includes the angle information. Based on the left audio signal or the right audio signal to be output to the first audio output unit, one signal may be determined. By doing in this way, it can be determined whether the 1st audio | voice output part was mounted | worn on the left side or the right side from the mounting angle to a user's ear. Therefore, it is possible to automatically listen to music or the like by automatically determining the left and right without moving the user.

  The acquisition unit acquires mounting information indicating that the first audio output unit and the second audio output unit are mounted on the user's ear, and the wrinkle determination unit outputs the first audio output based on the mounting information. The mounting order of the parts and the second audio output unit is determined, and the mounting order and the determination result of the determination unit are associated and stored as bag information. The determining unit may determine one of the left audio signal and the right audio signal to be output to the first audio output unit based on the wrinkle information stored in the wrinkle determining unit. By doing so, it is possible to learn the user's wearing order, and whether the first audio output unit is worn on the left side or the right side using the learned result when used after learning. Can be determined by guessing. Therefore, once learned, it is possible to automatically listen to music and the like by automatically determining the left and right before the user moves.

  Further, the determination unit outputs a monaural signal to the first audio output unit and the second audio output unit before determining one of the left audio signal and the right audio signal to be output to the first audio output unit. You may make it output. By doing so, it is possible to output sound before the left and right determinations. Also, since the sound is monaural, the same sound is output on both the left and right sides, so that it is difficult for the user to feel uncomfortable.

  In the audio signal output method according to an embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the first audio output unit and the second audio output unit is arranged in any of the left and right ears of the user in the acquisition step. The arrangement information related to Taka is acquired, and one signal to be output to the first audio output unit is determined based on the arrangement information acquired by the acquisition unit in the determination step. By doing in this way, the audio | voice output part which outputs a left audio | voice signal and a right audio | voice signal based on the acquired arrangement | positioning information can be determined. Therefore, without confirming which side of the sound output unit such as an earphone should be worn on which ear, it is possible to automatically determine the left and right based on the wearing situation and listen to music appropriately. Become.

  Moreover, it is good also as an audio | voice signal output program which performs the audio | voice signal output method mentioned above by computer. This makes it possible to automatically determine the right and left based on the wearing situation without using the computer to check which side of the sound output unit such as the earphone should be worn on which ear. It is possible to listen to music and the like.

  Further, the above-described audio signal output program may be stored in a computer-readable recording medium. In this way, the program can be distributed as a single unit in addition to being incorporated in the device, and version upgrades can be easily performed.

  An audio signal output apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The portable music player 1 shown in FIG. 1 stores audio information such as music in a small casing suitable for carrying, and can reproduce the audio information and output it as an audio signal. Moreover, the display part 11 and the operation element 12 are provided as a user interface. Furthermore, a jack portion 13 for connecting the earphone 2 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the portable music player 1 includes a storage unit 31, a decoding unit 32, a D / A converter 33, a preamplifier 34, a power amplifier 35, and a control unit 36. .

  The storage unit 31 is configured by a storage device such as a hard disk drive or a non-volatile semiconductor memory, and stores music data encoded by, for example, MP3 (MPEG Audio Layer-3) or AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) as audio information. (Stored).

  Under the control of the control unit 36, the decoding unit 32 reads out music data from the storage unit 31, decodes (decodes) it, and outputs it to the D / A converter 33.

  The D / A converter 33 converts the audio signal input from the decoding unit 32 into an analog signal and outputs the analog signal to the preamplifier 34.

  The preamplifier 34 amplifies the analog signal input from the D / A converter 33 to a value corresponding to the volume set by the user or the like and outputs the amplified signal to the power amplifier 35. Further, the preamplifier 34 has a switching unit 34a. The switching unit 34 a switches (switches) the left audio signal (Lch) and the right audio signal (Rch) of the stereo audio under the control of the control unit 36. The switching unit 34a is provided in the preamplifier 34 in this embodiment, but may be provided in other blocks such as the decoding unit 32, the D / A converter 33, and the power amplifier 35 as long as Lch and Rch can be switched. .

  The power amplifier 35 as an audio signal output unit amplifies the signal input from the preamplifier 34 and drives the earphone 2. That is, the left audio signal and the right audio signal are output.

  The control unit 36 as a determination unit controls the decoding unit 32 and the preamplifier 34 to read out music data from the storage unit 31 and reproduce (decode) it. Further, based on the arrangement information acquired from the sensors incorporated in the earphone 2 to be described later, it is determined which of the earphone units 2L and 2R is attached to the user's left ear or right ear, and the switching unit 34a Lch and Rch are switched so that they can be output to appropriate earphone units 2L and 2R.

  Next, the configuration of the earphone 2 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the earphone 2 includes two earphone units 2 </ b> L and 2 </ b> R, a plug 2 </ b> D as a connection portion inserted into the jack portion 13 of the portable music player 1, two earphone units 2 </ b> L and 2 </ b> R, and a plug And an electric wire 24 for connecting 2D.

  As shown in the sectional view of FIG. 3, the earphone unit 2 </ b> L includes a speaker unit 21 that generates sound, an earphone body 22 that houses the speaker unit 21 and is attached to a user's ear, and a GPS A sensor 2A, a gyro sensor 2B, and an electronic compass 2C are provided. Hereinafter, the description of FIG. 3 will be mainly performed by the earphone unit 2L, but the earphone unit 2R has the same configuration. That is, the earphone units 2L and 2R serve as the first sound output unit and the second sound output unit. Hereinafter, for convenience, the earphone unit 2L will be described as the first audio output unit, but the earphone unit 2R may be used.

  The speaker unit 21 includes a speaker body 23 having a diaphragm that vibrates when sound current is applied and generates sound, and supplies sound current from the power amplifier 35 of the portable music player 1 included in the wire 24. Is electrically connected to the signal line. That is, one of Lch (left audio signal) and Rch (right audio signal) is converted into audio and output.

  The earphone main body 22 is made of a synthetic resin or the like, and integrally includes a cylindrical portion 25 that can be attached to the ear and a through portion 26 that is continuous with the cylindrical portion 25. The cylindrical portion 25 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape that can be inserted into the concha cavity of the ear of a person or the like. The cylindrical portion 25 is inserted into the concha cavity of the ear of a person such that the opening 27 faces the concha cavity of the ear of the person. The cylindrical portion 25 is formed so that the inner and outer diameters gradually increase from the bottom portion 28 toward the opening portion 27.

  In the cylindrical portion 25, the speaker body 23 accommodates the speaker body 23 through the opening 27. The cylindrical portion 25 also accommodates the GPS sensor 2A and the gyro sensor 2B.

  The through portion 26 is formed in a cylindrical shape and continues to the bottom portion 28 of the cylindrical portion 25. The through portion 26 communicates with the inside of the tubular portion 25. The through portion 26 allows the electric wire 24 including signal lines connected to the speaker main body 23, the GPS sensor 2 </ b> A, the gyro sensor 2 </ b> B, and the electronic compass 2 </ b> C accommodated in the cylindrical portion 25 to pass inside. Further, the through portion 26 accommodates the electronic compass 2C.

  The GPS sensor 2 </ b> A as a position detection unit is provided on the back side (the side that does not face the vibration plate) of the speaker body 23 of the cylindrical unit 25 and is electrically connected to a signal line included in the electric wire 24. The GPS sensor 2A, as is well known, receives radio waves transmitted from a plurality of GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites, obtains the current position information, and obtains the position information via a signal line. To 36. An example of a small GPS sensor 2A that can be built into the earphone main body 22 is CCA-700 of Japan Radio Co., Ltd.

  The gyro sensor 2 </ b> B is provided on the back side (the side not facing the vibration plate) of the speaker body 23 of the cylindrical portion 25, and is electrically connected to a signal line included in the electric wire 24. As is well known, the gyro sensor 2B is a sensor that detects the angle and angular velocity of an object. In the present embodiment, the angle of the earphone units 2L and 2R with respect to the vertical direction is detected and the angle information is transmitted via a signal line. The data is output to the control unit 36 of the player 1. An example of the small gyro sensor 2B that can be built into the earphone main body 22 is L2G2IS manufactured by ST Microelectronics.

  The electronic compass 2 </ b> C as the orientation detection unit is provided at a position away from the tubular part 25 of the through part 26 and is electrically connected to a signal line included in the electric wire 24. As is well known, the electronic compass 2C is a sensor that has a geomagnetic sensor and detects the azimuth of an object. In this embodiment, the azimuth (orientation) of the earphone unit 2L is detected and the azimuth information is transmitted via a signal line. To the control unit 36 of the portable music player 1. The electronic compass 2C is arranged not in the cylindrical portion 25 but in the through portion 26 away from the speaker main body 23 in order to reduce the influence of the magnet of the speaker main body 23. An example of a small electronic compass 2C that can be built into the earphone main body 22 is AK8963 manufactured by Asahi Kasei Microdevices Corporation.

  Note that the earphone unit 2L shown in FIG. 3 is provided with signal lines for the speaker body 23, the GPS sensor 2A, the gyro sensor 2B, and the electronic compass 2C. May be used.

  Next, an operation for determining whether the earphone units 2L and 2R of the earphone 2 in the portable music player 1 are attached to the left ear or the right ear of the user will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This flowchart may be configured as software (computer program) operating on the CPU configuring the control unit 36, or may be configured as hardware.

  First, in step S11, the output sound to the earphone 2 is set to monaural sound as an initial state, and the process proceeds to step S12. In this step, the preamplifier 34 is instructed to output monaural sound. The preamplifier 34 converts the input stereo sound into monaural sound and outputs it to the power amplifier 35. That is, the monaural signal is output to the power amplifier 35 (audio signal output unit) before determining any of the Lch and Rch signals to be output to the earphone unit 2L (first audio output unit).

  Next, in step S12, it is determined whether or not the user is moving. If the user is moving (YES), the process proceeds to step S14. If the user is not moving (NO), the process proceeds to step S13. move on. Whether or not the user is moving may be determined based on whether or not the position information input from the GPS sensor 2A has changed.

  Next, in step S13, since it is determined in step S12 that the user has not moved, it is determined from the angle information which of the earphone units 2L and 2R is attached to the user's left ear or right ear. Determination is made and provisionally determined (left and right are provisionally determined), and the process proceeds to step S14. That is, when the user's moving direction cannot be detected from the information related to the user's moving direction, either Lch or Rch is output to the earphone unit 2L (first audio output unit) based on the angle information (placement information). The signal is determined.

  A method for determining which of the earphone units 2L and 2R is attached to the user's left ear or right ear from the angle information will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which the earphone unit 2L or 2R is attached to the user's ear. FIG. 5A is a diagram attached to the right ear ERR, and FIG. 5B is a diagram fitted to the left ear ERR. As shown in FIG. 5, when the earphone unit 2L or 2R is attached to the user's ear, the through portion 26 is attached so as to be inclined from the vertical direction (the direction of the ground) toward the face side. There are many cases. Therefore, by detecting the inclination angle with respect to the vertical direction by the gyro sensor 2B, it is possible to determine which of the earphone units 2L and 2R is on the right side and which is on the left side. That is, the angle information detected (acquired) by the gyro sensor 2B is that at least one of the earphone unit 2L (first audio output unit) and the earphone unit 2R (second audio output unit) is the left and right ears of the user. This is arrangement information regarding to which of the arrangements. Therefore, the gyro sensor 2B functions as an acquisition unit.

  When the angle information is input from the gyro sensor 2B of the earphone units 2L and 2R, the control unit 36 determines which ear the earphone units 2L and 2R are attached to according to the angle information, and switches the switching unit. Switch 34a so that Lch and Rch are output to the appropriate earphone unit.

  Next, in Step S14, it is determined by determining which of the earphone units 2L and 2R is attached to the user's left ear ERR or left ear ERR from the azimuth information and position information (determine left and right). The execution of this step is premised on the detection of user movement. That is, it waits before execution of this step until a user's movement is detected. In other words, after the determination based on the angle, if the user's moving direction can be detected, the Lch or Rch output to the earphone unit 2L (first audio output unit) based on the azimuth information and the position information (placement information). Either signal is determined and confirmed. Therefore, this step functions as an acquisition process and a determination process.

  A method of determining which of the earphone units 2L and 2R is attached to the user's left ear ERR or right ear ERR from the azimuth information and the position information will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6A is a view as seen from the opposite direction to the extending portion 26 of the earphone unit 2L or 2R, and FIG. 6B is a view as seen from the same direction as the sectional view of FIG. . As shown by the arrow AR in FIG. 6, the azimuth information is information indicating the azimuth (orientation) of the vibration plate of the speaker main body 23 of the earphone units 2L and 2R, and is detected by the electronic compass 2C. . Since the earphone units 2L and 2R are attached to the user's ears, the orientation detected by the electronic compass 2C can limit at least two directions that the user's face is facing.

  The position information is information indicating the current positions (latitude and longitude) of the earphone units 2L and 2R detected by the GPS sensor 2A, and is information that changes as the user moves. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, when the direction is determined by the electronic compass 2C, it is possible to determine which of the earphone units 2L and 2R is the right side and which is the left side from the moving direction. For example, in the case of the direction of movement (arrow AR) as shown in FIG. In the case of the direction of movement as shown in FIG. Usually, since a person often moves in a direction in which the face is facing, it is possible to make a left / right determination from such a moving direction.

  That is, the direction information detected (acquired) by the electronic compass 2C and the position information detected (acquired) by the GPS sensor 2A are the earphone unit 2L (first audio output unit) and the earphone unit 2R (second audio output unit). It is arrangement information related to which of the left and right ears of the user is arranged, and detects the positions of the earphone unit 2L (first audio output unit) and the earphone unit 2R (second audio output unit). Detection result of the GPS sensor 2A (position detection unit), and detection of the electronic compass 2C (direction detection unit) that detects the orientation of the earphone unit 2L (first audio output unit) and the earphone unit 2R (second audio output unit) Information on the moving direction including the result. Therefore, the GPS sensor 2A and the electronic compass 2C function as an acquisition unit.

  When the control unit 36 acquires the direction information from the electronic compass 2C of the earphone units 2L and 2R and the position information from the GPS sensor 2A, the earphone units 2L and 2R are attached to either ear according to the direction information and the position information, respectively. The switching unit 34a is switched so that Rch and Lch are output to an appropriate earphone unit.

  In this way, when the user is not moving, the provisional determination is made in step S13, and then the final determination is made in step S14 along with the movement of the user so that the earphone units 2L and 2R can be confirmed. Regardless of the display, Rch and Lch are appropriately output regardless of which ear is inserted.

  As is apparent from the above description, the control unit 36, the switching unit 34a, the GPS sensor 2A, the gyro sensor 2B, and the electronic compass 2C provided in the earphone units 2L and 2R are the first embodiment of the present invention. The audio | voice signal output device concerning is comprised.

  According to the present embodiment, the angle acquired from the gyro sensor 2B of the earphone 2 when the control unit 36 of the portable music player 1 cannot detect the moving direction of the user from the position information acquired from the GPS sensor 2A of the earphone 2. Whether to output Lch or Rch to the earphone units 2L and 2R is determined based on the information. Then, when the moving direction of the user can be detected from the position information acquired from the GPS sensor 2A, it is determined which of Lch and Rch is output to the earphone units 2L and 2R based on the moving direction. In this way, it is possible to provisionally determine whether the earphone units 2L and 2R are mounted on the right side or the left side from the mounting angle to the user's ear, and then the left side is mounted by the user's movement. It can be determined whether it is attached to the right side or the right side. Therefore, it is possible to automatically listen to music and the like by automatically determining the left and right before the user moves. Moreover, it is not necessary to confirm which ear the earphone units 2L and 2R should be worn on.

  In the first embodiment described above, the GPS sensor 2A, the gyro sensor 2B, and the electronic compass 2C are provided in both the earphone units 2L and 2R, but only one of them may be used. In other words, if one of the mounting angles, azimuths, and moving directions is known, it is possible to determine whether the earphone unit 2L or 2R is mounted on the right side or the left side. It can be decided naturally.

  In the first embodiment described above, the earphone units 2L and 2R are provided with the GPS sensor 2A, the gyro sensor 2B, and the electronic compass 2C. However, the gyro sensor 2B may be deleted. That is, it may be determined whether the earphone unit 2L or 2R is mounted on the right side or the left side only in the direction and the moving direction. Even in this case, sensors may be provided only in one of the earphone units.

  Further, the two earphone units 2L and 2R may not have the same configuration. For example, the earphone unit 2L may include the GPS sensor 2A but not the electronic compass 2C, and the earphone unit 2R may include the electronic compass 2C but not the GPS sensor 2A. In the earphone 2, if the direction of one earphone unit 2L or 2R is determined, the other earphone unit 2R or 2L is automatically determined in a direction opposite to the one earphone unit 2L or 2R. Since the GPS sensor 2A only needs to detect the moving direction of the earphone 2, the operation described in step S14 can be performed without the earphone unit 2R incorporating the electronic compass 2C.

  Furthermore, the electronic compass 2C may be deleted and only the GPS sensor 2A may be used. In this case, the GPS sensor 2A is required for both the earphone units 2L and 2R. That is, if the moving directions of the two earphone units 2L and 2R are determined, it is possible to determine whether the earphone unit 2L or 2R is attached to the right side or the left side from the two moving directions. That is, the information regarding the moving direction includes the detection results of the position detection unit that detects the positions of the earphone unit 2L (first audio output unit) and the earphone unit 2R (second audio output unit).

  An audio signal output apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The same parts as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

  In the present embodiment, it is determined whether the user is wearing the left ear or the right ear by using the eyelid in the order of wearing the earphone units 2L and 2R.

  FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the earphone unit 2L according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the earphone unit 2L is different from the configuration shown in FIG. 3 in that the gyro sensor 2B is deleted and a proximity sensor 29 is provided. The earphone unit 2R has the same configuration.

  The proximity sensor 29 is provided in the vicinity of the opening 27 of the cylindrical portion 25 and is electrically connected to a signal line included in the electric wire 24. As is well known, the proximity sensor 29 is a sensor that detects that a person or an object is approaching, for example, by detecting reflection of infrared light. In this embodiment, the earphone unit 2L is attached to the user's ear. And the proximity information is output to the control unit 36 of the portable music player 1 through the signal line. An example of a small proximity sensor 29 that can be incorporated in the earphone main body 22 is BH1772GLC manufactured by ROHM Co., Ltd.

  FIG. 9 shows a flowchart according to this embodiment. First, in step S31, the mounting order of the current earphone units 2L and 2R is determined, and the process proceeds to step S32. The determination of the mounting order of the earphone units 2L and 2R is performed in the order in which the proximity information from the proximity sensor 29 is acquired. That is, when the earphone unit 2L is attached first, the proximity information from the proximity sensor 29 of the earphone unit 2L is acquired first, and the proximity information from the proximity sensor 29 of the earphone unit 2R is acquired later.

  Next, in step S32, it is determined whether or not the user is moving. If moving (YES), the process proceeds to step S14. If not moving (NO), the process proceeds to step S33. move on. Whether or not the user is moving may be determined based on whether or not the position information input from the GPS sensor 2A has changed as in step S12 of FIG.

  Next, in step S33, since it is determined in step S32 that the user has not moved, it is determined whether or not there is bag information. If yes, the process proceeds to step S34. If not, the process proceeds to step S11. As in the first embodiment, monaural sound is output. Although details will be described later, the wrinkle information indicates the relationship between the order in which the earphone units 2L and 2R are worn and the wearing position (left ear or right ear) of the earphone units 2L and 2R when worn in that order. Information stored in the control unit 36 or in a non-volatile memory connected to the control unit 36 when not shown.

  Next, in step S34, it is determined whether the earphone units 2L and 2R are attached to the left ear or the right ear using the eyelid information, and the process proceeds to step S14. That is, if the left ear is worn first in the eyelid information, it is determined in step S31 that the earphone unit 2L or 2R worn first is the left side. That is, when the moving direction of the user cannot be detected, either Rch or Lch is output to the earphone unit 2L (first audio output unit) based on the wrinkle information stored in the control unit 36 (acquisition unit). The signal is determined.

  Next, in step S14, as in step S14 of FIG. 4, it is determined by determining which of the earphone units 2L and 2R is attached to the user's left ear or right ear from the orientation information and position information. Then, the process proceeds to step S35. That is, if the user's moving direction can be detected after the determination based on the eyelid information, the Lch or Rch to be output to the earphone unit 2L (first audio output unit) based on the azimuth information and the position information (location information) Any one of the signals is determined and confirmed.

  Next, in step S35, the wrinkle information considering the mounting order determined in step S31 is stored (stored) in the above-described nonvolatile memory or the like.癖 Information may simply save the previous saved content overwriting the left and right determination results according to the current order of attachment, for example, the content of the first wearing is right and the one wearing later is left. It is also possible to accumulate determination results, calculate from the accumulated determination results, the one with the higher probability of wearing left or right first, and use the calculation results as bag information. Alternatively, only accumulation may be performed, and calculation may be performed when step S34 is executed.

  That is, in this embodiment, the proximity sensor 29 of the earphone 2 receives information indicating that the earphone unit 2L (first sound output unit) and the earphone unit 2R (second sound output unit) are attached to the user's ear. The controller 36 of the portable music player 1 determines the mounting order of the earphone unit 2L (first audio output unit) and the earphone unit 2R (second audio output unit). Also, it functions as a wrinkle determination unit that associates and stores left and right determination results as wrinkle information.

  According to the present embodiment, the proximity sensor 29 of the earphone 2 acquires proximity information from the earphone units 2L and 2R, and the control unit 36 of the portable music player 1 determines the mounting order of the earphone units 2L and 2R and the subsequent order. The determination result as to whether the user is wearing the right ear or the left ear is associated and stored as wrinkle information. By doing so, it is possible to learn the user's habit and use it as a result to tentatively determine whether the earphone units 2L and 2R are mounted on the right side or the left side. Therefore, once learned, it is possible to automatically listen to music and the like by automatically determining the left and right before the user moves.

  Moreover, since the control part 36 can determine whether it was mounted | worn on the right side or the left side by the user's movement after the temporary determination by the heel information, even if the determination by the heel information is incorrect Sound can be output from any direction.

  An audio signal output apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The same parts as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

  In this embodiment, only the angle information described in the first embodiment determines which of the earphone units 2L and 2R is attached to the user's left ear or right ear. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the earphone unit 2L according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, the earphone unit 2L is different from the configuration shown in FIG. 3 in that the GPS sensor 2A and the electronic compass 2C are deleted. The earphone unit 2R has the same configuration.

  FIG. 11 shows a flowchart according to the present embodiment. The flowchart shown in FIG. 11 is obtained by sequentially executing Step S11 and Step S13 shown in FIG. That is, in step S11, the output sound to the earphone 2 is set to monaural sound as an initial state, and the process proceeds to step S12. In step S13A, either of the earphone units 2L and 2R is determined to be either the left ear or the right ear of the user from the angle information. It is determined by determining whether it is attached (determining left and right). Note that step S13A differs from step S13, which was provisionally determined in step S13 and is determined in this step.

  That is, the gyro sensor 2B (acquisition unit) is an angle related to an arrangement angle in a state where at least one of the earphone unit 2L (first audio output unit) and the earphone unit 2R (second audio output unit) is arranged in the user's ear. The information is acquired as arrangement information, and the control unit 36 (determination unit) determines an Lch or Rch signal to be output to the earphone unit 2L (first audio output unit) based on the angle information.

  According to the present embodiment, the gyro sensor 2B of the earphone acquires information regarding the arrangement angle when the earphone unit 2L or 2R is arranged in the user's ear as the arrangement information, and the control unit 36 of the portable music player 1 Based on the arrangement information regarding the arrangement angle, it is determined which of the earphone units 2L and 2R is attached to the user's left ear or right ear. In this way, it is possible to determine whether the earphone unit 2L or 2R is mounted on the right side or the left side from the mounting angle on the user's ear. Therefore, it is possible to automatically listen to music or the like by automatically determining the left and right without moving the user.

  In the third embodiment described above, the gyro sensor 2B is provided in both the earphone units 2L and 2R, but only one of them may be provided. That is, if one of the mounting angles is found, it is possible to determine whether the earphone unit 2L or 2R is mounted on the right side or the left side.

  A portable music player 1 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The same parts as those in the first and second embodiments described above are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  In the present embodiment, only the eyelid information described in the second embodiment determines which of the earphone units 2L and 2R is attached to the user's left ear or right ear. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the earphone unit 2L according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12, the earphone unit 2L is different from the configuration shown in FIG. 8 in that the GPS sensor 2A and the electronic compass 2C are deleted. The earphone unit 2R has the same configuration.

  A flowchart according to this embodiment is shown in FIG. The flowchart shown in FIG. 13 is obtained by deleting steps S32 and S14 shown in FIG. That is, in step S31, the mounting order of the earphone units 2L and 2R of this time is determined and the process proceeds to step S33. In step S33, it is determined whether or not there is wrinkle information, and if there is, the process proceeds to step S34A. In step S11, monaural sound is output in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

  In step S34A, it is determined whether the earphone units 2L and 2R are worn on the left ear or the right ear using the eyelid information, and the process proceeds to step S35. In step S35, the wearing order determined in step S31 is determined. Is stored (stored) in the above-described nonvolatile memory or the like. Note that step S34A is different from the step S34A in that it was tentatively determined in step S34 and determined in this step.

  That is, the proximity sensor 29 (acquisition unit) of the earphone 2 indicates that the proximity information (the earphone unit 2L (first audio output unit) and the earphone unit 2R (second audio output unit) is attached to the user's ear. Information), the control unit 36 of the portable music player 1 determines the mounting order of the earphone unit 2L (first audio output unit) and the earphone unit 2R (second audio output unit), and determines the determination order and The determination result of the control unit 36 is associated and stored as bag information, and either Lch or Rch signal to be output to the earphone unit 2L (first audio output unit) is determined based on the stored bag information. .

  According to the present embodiment, the proximity sensor 29 of the earphone 2 acquires proximity information from the earphone units 2L and 2R, and the control unit 36 of the portable music player 1 determines the mounting order of the earphone units 2L and 2R and the subsequent order. The determination result as to whether the left ear or the right ear is worn is associated and stored as wrinkle information. Based on the eyelid information, the control unit 36 determines which of the earphone units 2L and 2R is attached to the left ear or the right ear of the user. By doing so, it is possible to learn the user's habit and use it to determine whether the earphone units 2L and 2R are mounted on the right side or the left side. . Therefore, once learned, it is possible to automatically listen to music and the like by automatically determining the left and right before the user moves.

  An audio signal output apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

  In the present embodiment, the previous setting is stored and used instead of the left / right provisional determination based on the angle information performed in the first embodiment. A flowchart according to this embodiment is shown in FIG. Therefore, the gyro sensor 2B is not used.

  In step S21 in the flowchart of FIG. 14, it is determined whether or not there is a previous setting. If there is (YES), the process proceeds to step S22. If not (NO), the process proceeds to step S11. The monaural sound is output in the same manner as in the first embodiment. The previous setting indicates the switching state of the switching unit 34a, which is the result determined last time. The switching state is stored in, for example, a non-volatile memory (not shown) connected to the control unit 36 or the control unit 36.

  Next, in step S22, the process proceeds to step S13 using the previous determination. That is, Lch and Rch are output in the switching state of the switching unit 34a which is the result determined last time.

  As in the first embodiment, step S14 determines by determining which of the earphone units 2L and 2R is attached to the user's left ear or right ear from the orientation information and position information, and step S23. Proceed to

  Next, in step S23, the determination result of step S13 is stored as a setting. That is, as described above, for example, it is stored in a non-illustrated non-volatile memory connected to the control unit 36.

  According to the present embodiment, the previous setting is stored, sound is output based on the setting, and any of the earphone units 2L and 2R is determined based on the azimuth information and the position information. For example, if music playback is stopped (including sleep or power off) while worn on the ear, or it is removed from the ear When the positional relationship between the earphone units 2L and 2R does not change, music or the like can be appropriately listened to.

  In the second to fifth embodiments described above, the sensors are deleted. However, the sensors may be simply not functioned, or the information acquired on the control unit 36 side may be ignored. . The proximity sensor 29, the GPS sensor 2A, the gyro sensor 2B, and the electronic compass 2C may all be provided. In this case, provisional determination based on both the angle information and the eyelid information is possible. When the determination based on the angle information and the determination based on the heel information indicate different results, it is only necessary to set a priority or the like as appropriate and to use only one of them.

  In each of the embodiments described above, the portable music player 1 constitutes an audio signal output device, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be a device to which the earphone 2 or headphones can be connected, for example, a portable device such as a smartphone, an information processing device such as a personal computer, a video device such as a DVD player or a television.

  Further, a remote control or the like installed between the earphone units 2L and 2R and the portable music player 1 may constitute an audio signal output device, or may be connected to the portable music player 1 or the like from one of the earphone units via the other. When connected, the other earphone unit to which the electric wire from one earphone unit is connected may constitute the audio signal output device. Alternatively, when wirelessly connected to the portable music player 1 or the like, a wireless communication unit on the earphone side may constitute an audio signal output device. In addition, when an audio output device is provided on the portable music player 1 side and is connected to the earphone using wireless communication, the result detected by the GPS sensor or the gyro sensor is also transmitted to the portable music player 1 by wireless communication. That's fine. In other words, any circuit, module, device, or the like that can input and switch Lch and Rch of stereo sound may be on the earphone (headphone) side.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the earphone 2 has been described. The headphones are not limited to the overhead band type, but may be an ear hook type or a neck band type.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. That is, those skilled in the art can implement various modifications in accordance with conventionally known knowledge without departing from the scope of the present invention. Of course, such modifications are included in the scope of the present invention as long as the configuration of the audio signal output apparatus of the present invention is provided.

1 Portable music player (audio signal output device)
2 Earphone (Audio signal output device)
29 Proximity sensor (acquisition part)
2A GPS sensor (acquisition part, position detection part)
2B Gyro sensor 2B (acquisition part)
2C electronic compass (acquisition unit, position detection unit, orientation detection unit)
2L earphone unit (first audio output unit)
2R earphone unit (second audio output unit)
35 Power amplifier (Audio signal output unit)
36 Control part (acquisition part, determination part)
S14 Left / right determination from orientation information and position information (acquisition process, determination process)

Claims (12)

An audio signal output unit that outputs one of the left audio signal and the right audio signal to the first audio output unit and outputs the other signal to the second audio output unit;
An acquisition unit for acquiring arrangement information regarding whether at least one of the first audio output unit and the second audio output unit is arranged with respect to which of the left and right ears of the user;
A determination unit that determines the one signal to be output to the first audio output unit based on the arrangement information acquired by the acquisition unit;
An audio signal output device comprising: The arrangement information is information related to the moving direction of the user,
The determining unit determines the one signal based on information on a moving direction of the user;
The audio signal output device according to claim 1.   The information on the moving direction includes a detection result of a position detection unit that detects the position of either the first audio output unit or the second audio output unit, and the first audio output unit and the second audio output unit. The audio signal output device according to claim 2, further comprising: a detection result of a direction detection unit that detects any of the directions.   3. The audio signal output device according to claim 2, wherein the information on the moving direction includes a detection result of a position detection unit that detects positions of the first audio output unit and the second audio output unit. . The determining unit, when the moving direction of the user cannot be detected from the information regarding the moving direction of the user acquired by the acquiring unit, the first sound output unit acquired by the acquiring unit as the arrangement information and the The one signal is determined based on the angle information regarding the arrangement angle in a state where at least one of the second audio output units is arranged in the user's ear, and then the moving direction of the user can be detected. If it is, the one signal is determined again based on the moving direction and confirmed.
The audio signal output device according to claim 2, wherein the audio signal output device is an audio signal output device. The acquisition unit acquires mounting information indicating that the first audio output unit and the second audio output unit are mounted on the user's ear,
A wrinkle determination unit that determines the mounting order of the first audio output unit and the second audio output unit based on the mounting information, and stores the mounting order and the determination result of the determination unit in association as wrinkle information. Prepared,
If the moving direction of the user cannot be detected from the arrangement information acquired by the acquisition unit, the determination unit determines the one signal based on the bag information stored in the bag determination unit, Thereafter, when the moving direction of the user can be detected, the one signal is determined again based on the moving direction, and is confirmed.
The audio signal output device according to claim 2, wherein the audio signal output device is an audio signal output device. The acquisition unit acquires angle information regarding an arrangement angle in a state where at least one of the first audio output unit and the second audio output unit is arranged in the user's ear as the arrangement information,
The determining unit determines the one signal based on the angle information.
The audio signal output device according to claim 1. The acquisition unit acquires mounting information indicating that the first audio output unit and the second audio output unit are mounted on the user's ear,
A wrinkle determination unit that determines the mounting order of the first audio output unit and the second audio output unit based on the mounting information, and stores the mounting order and the determination result of the determination unit in association as wrinkle information. Prepared,
The determination unit determines the one signal based on the wrinkle information stored in the wrinkle determination unit.
The audio signal output device according to claim 1.   The audio signal output device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit causes the audio signal output unit to output a monaural signal before determining the one signal. An audio signal output method of an audio signal output device including an audio signal output unit that outputs one signal of a right audio signal or a left audio signal to a first audio output unit and outputs the other signal to a second audio output unit Because
An acquisition step of acquiring arrangement information regarding whether at least one of the first audio output unit and the second audio output unit is arranged with respect to which of the left and right ears of the user;
A determination step of determining the one signal to be output to the first audio output unit based on the arrangement information acquired in the acquisition step;
An audio signal output method comprising:   An audio signal output program that causes a computer to execute the audio signal output method according to claim 10.   A computer-readable recording medium storing the audio signal output program according to claim 11.

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