JP2019186764A - Electric device and acoustic system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an electric device and an acoustic system that generates a high quality sound field environment.SOLUTION: An acoustic system includes an in-vehicle device 100, and smart speaker 200 carried in the vehicle. When the smart speaker 200 is connected to the in-vehicle device 100, the in-vehicle device 100 determines an insufficient frequency band in the sound field environment in the vehicle and causes the sound to output in an insufficient frequency band for the smart speaker 200.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to an acoustic system, and more particularly, to an acoustic system using an in-vehicle device in a vehicle interior space.

  The smart speaker market equipped with AI (Artificial Intelligence) is activated, and it is expected that cases used in automobiles will increase in the future. The smart speaker is a multi-function speaker having a basic speaker function, an Internet connection, an input operation using voice recognition, a conversation function with AI, and the like. In addition, a high-performance smart speaker can output sound in a 360 ° C. direction. Furthermore, as represented by the SDL (Smart Device Link) standard, a standard for transmitting and receiving data between an in-vehicle device and a smart device including a smart speaker has been established. Increase in demand as parts is expected.

  On the other hand, an in-vehicle device having a sound reproduction function and a genuine speaker are mounted in the vehicle, and an in-vehicle environment for listening to music is maintained even without a smart speaker. For example, the audio system of Patent Document 1 determines whether or not a subwoofer is connected. If the subwoofer is not connected, a filter characteristic is set so that a low frequency is emphasized, and the subwoofer is connected. If so, the filter characteristics are set so that normal audio output is obtained.

JP 2009-171364 A

  The genuine speaker in the vehicle environment has a problem that it may become a sound field environment unsuitable for enjoying music due to the performance of the speaker itself and various noises during traveling. Therefore, audio equipment manufacturers provide a tuning function for the sound field environment in the car by changing the speaker itself, adding a subwoofer for bass and a tweeter for treble, and digitally processing the audio signal on the in-vehicle device side. is doing.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a problem of a conventional acoustic system. As shown in the figure, in the case of only genuine speakers mounted on a vehicle, the reproduction band of the audio signal tends to be limited. That is, the genuine speaker has a high output capability in the middle sound range (middle range), but the output capability at low frequencies and high frequencies is limited. In particular, the low frequency region is easily affected by road noise and engine noise during traveling, and as a result, the output sound is drowned out by noise in the in-vehicle environment.

  The present invention solves such a conventional problem, and an object thereof is to provide an electronic device and an acoustic system that generate a high-quality sound field environment.

  An electronic device having an acoustic function according to the present invention includes a generation unit that generates a voice signal, a speaker that outputs the generated audio signal, a connection unit that can connect an external speaker device, and a connection between the external speaker device and the electronic device. Detection means for detecting presence / absence, and external sound setting means for setting external sound of the external speaker device based on an acoustic environment when connection of the external speaker device is detected.

  In one embodiment, the external sound setting unit includes a determination unit that determines a shortage frequency band that is insufficient in an acoustic environment, and the external sound setting unit performs sound setting such that the shortage frequency band is emphasized. . In one embodiment, the electronic device includes an internal sound setting unit that sets sound related to an audio signal output from a speaker, and the determining unit determines the insufficient frequency band based on the internal sound setting unit. In one embodiment, the internal sound setting means includes on / off of speaker setting, and the determining means determines that a frequency band in which the speaker setting is off is an insufficient frequency band. In one embodiment, the internal sound setting unit includes an equalizer that adjusts a frequency characteristic of an audio signal, and the determination unit determines that the frequency band emphasized by the equalizer is a shortage frequency band. In one embodiment, the external sound setting unit includes a determination unit that determines a reproducible band of an audio signal by an external speaker, and the external sound setting unit performs sound setting such that the reproducible band is emphasized. . In one embodiment, the external sound setting unit does not perform sound setting that emphasizes the reproducible band when the reproducible band does not match a frequency band that is insufficient in an acoustic environment. In one embodiment, the determination means determines the reproducible band based on the size or type of the external speaker device. In some embodiments, the electronic device is located in a vehicle.

  An acoustic system according to the present invention includes the electronic device having the above-described configuration and the external speaker device, wherein the external speaker device is connected to the electronic device and the external device via the connection device. A setting unit configured to set sound of the external speaker device based on the external sound setting set by the sound setting unit; and an audio signal generated by the generation unit via the connection unit, and the sound set by the setting unit Output means for outputting the received audio signal from the speaker in accordance with the setting. In one embodiment, the external speaker is a multi-function smart speaker.

  According to the present invention, since the external sound setting of the external speaker device is performed based on the sound environment, a high-quality sound field environment can be provided.

1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an acoustic system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle-mounted apparatus which concerns on 1st Example of this invention. It is a figure explaining the setting content of the sound setting part which concerns on a 1st Example. It is a figure which shows the functional structure of the sound field environment program which concerns on 1st Example of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the smart speaker which concerns on 1st Example of this invention. It is a flow which shows operation | movement of the acoustic system which concerns on 1st Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of installation of a vehicle-mounted speaker. It is a figure which shows the example by which the low frequency band and the high frequency band were emphasized with the smart speaker by the present Example. It is a figure which shows the other installation example of a vehicle-mounted speaker. It is a figure which shows the example of a setting of the acoustic setting part of another installation example. It is a figure which shows the example by which the high frequency band in the case of another installation example was emphasized with the smart speaker. It is a figure which shows an example of the adjustment log | history information of the equalizer which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention. It is a figure which illustrates the smart speaker from which size differs. It is a figure which shows the functional structure of the sound field environment program which concerns on 3rd Example of this invention. It is a figure explaining the subject of the conventional acoustic system.

  Next, the acoustic system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The acoustic system of the present invention includes an electronic device having an acoustic function and an external speaker device connected to the electronic device. The electronic device and the external speaker device are connected by wire or wireless, and can exchange data with each other. In addition, the acoustic system of the present invention is disposed in the interior space of a moving body such as an automobile.

  In an embodiment, the electronic device may be, for example, an AVN (Audio Visual Navigation), a speaker system, an audio device, an in-vehicle device, or the like that is installed in a vehicle. In addition, a genuine speaker for outputting an audio signal output from the electronic device is mounted in the vehicle. The genuine speaker may include, for example, a low-frequency subwoofer or a high-frequency tweeter in addition to a middle-range speaker having an excellent mid-range output capability.

  In an embodiment, the external speaker device may have at least a function of connecting to an electronic device and a function of outputting an audio signal received from the electronic device, and other detailed configurations are not particularly limited. The external speaker device can be, for example, a smart speaker. The smart speaker is a multi-function speaker including a voice recognition function, an AI function, a communication function, and the like in addition to a basic function of a speaker for outputting sound. In addition, the external speaker device can have a function of changing or setting the frequency characteristics of the output sound.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an acoustic system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The acoustic system 10 includes an in-vehicle device 100 and a smart speaker 200. The in-vehicle device 100 and the smart speaker 200 are connected by wired or wireless communication means 20 and can exchange data with each other.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the in-vehicle device according to the present embodiment. The in-vehicle device 100 includes an input unit 110, a navigation unit 120, a multimedia playback unit 130, an acoustic setting unit 140, an audio output unit 150, a display unit 160, a communication unit 170, a storage unit 180, and a control unit 190. . However, this configuration is an example.

  The input unit 110 receives an instruction from the user and provides it to the control unit 190. The navigation unit 130 searches for a route to the destination and guides a road map around the vehicle position. The multimedia playback unit 130 plays back audio, images, and the like stored in a storage medium such as a CD, DVD, or storage unit 180, or plays back audio, images, etc. acquired from an external server or the like via the communication unit 170. . The reproduced audio signal is output from the audio output unit 150, and the image signal is output from the display unit 160.

  The sound setting unit 140 performs sound setting according to the presence or absence of a speaker mounted on the vehicle. For example, it is set whether or not a low-frequency woofer or subwoofer, a mid-range middle range speaker, and a high-frequency tweeter are mounted on the vehicle. FIG. 3 shows an example of setting contents of the sound setting unit 140. Here, the woofer and the middle range speaker are mounted on the vehicle (connected), and the tweeter is not mounted (not connected). The sound setting unit 140 enables (ON) the sound output from the middle range speaker and disables (OFF) the other sound output. This setting can be changed by the user.

  The audio output unit 150 outputs the audio signal reproduced by the multimedia reproducing unit 130 or the like. In an embodiment, the audio output unit 150 may include a digital filter, a D / A converter, an amplifier, and the like that process the frequency characteristics of the audio signal based on the sound setting by the sound setting unit 140.

  The display unit 160 displays, for example, a road map generated by the navigation unit 130, an image signal reproduced by the multimedia reproduction unit 130, and the like. The communication unit 170 establishes wired or wireless communication with the smart speaker 200. As will be described later, when the smart speaker 200 is connected, the communication unit 170 transmits an acoustic setting signal to the smart speaker 200 or an audio signal reproduced by the multimedia reproducing unit 130 or the like.

  The storage unit 180 stores programs and applications executed by the in-vehicle device 100 and other necessary data. The control unit 190 includes a microcontroller including a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and the control unit 190 executes various programs for controlling the operation of each unit of the in-vehicle device 100. In the present embodiment, when the smart speaker 200 is connected, the control unit 190 executes a sound field environment program 300 for generating an optimal sound field environment in the vehicle.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of the sound field environment program. The sound field environment program 300 according to the present embodiment includes a smart speaker detection unit 310, an insufficient frequency determination unit 320, and an external sound setting instruction unit 330. The smart speaker detection unit 310 detects whether the smart speaker 200 is connected via the communication unit 170. This detection result is provided to the insufficient frequency determination unit 320.

  The insufficient frequency determining unit 320 determines a sound frequency that is insufficient in the sound field environment in the vehicle. In an embodiment, the insufficient frequency determination unit 320 determines a voice frequency band that is insufficient based on the setting state of the in-vehicle speaker set by the sound setting unit 140. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when the settings of the woofer and the tweeter are OFF, the insufficient frequency determination unit 320 determines that the low frequency band and the high frequency band are insufficient. In another embodiment, the insufficient frequency determination unit 320 may determine the insufficient frequency based on information on connection or non-connection of the in-vehicle speaker. In the example of FIG. 3, since the tweeter is not connected, the insufficient frequency determination unit 320 determines that the high frequency band is insufficient. As another aspect, a screen for inputting the insufficient frequency band may be displayed on the display unit 160, and the frequency band input from the user via the input screen may be determined as the insufficient frequency band.

  The external sound setting instruction unit 330 generates external sound setting information that emphasizes the insufficient frequency band determined by the insufficient frequency determination unit 320, and the generated external sound setting information is transmitted to the smart speaker 200 via the communication unit 170. Send to.

  Next, the smart speaker 200 will be described with reference to FIG. As an example, the smart speaker 200 includes an input unit 210 that receives input from a user, an acoustic setting unit 220 that sets sound of the smart speaker, an audio output unit 230 that outputs sound, and data communication or a network with an outside such as an in-vehicle device. A communication unit 240 that enables communication, a storage unit 250 that stores various data and programs, and a control unit 260 that controls the operation of the smart speaker 200 are included. In an embodiment, the control unit 260 includes an artificial intelligence AI, and various functions can be realized by learning the AI.

  The sound setting unit 220 sets sound according to a user input from the input unit 210 or sets sound according to external sound setting information from the external sound setting instruction unit 330 of the in-vehicle device 100. The sound setting unit 220 sets the frequency characteristics of the sound output from the sound output unit 230, for example, a setting that emphasizes a low frequency band, a medium frequency band, or a high frequency band, or conversely, a low frequency band or a medium frequency. Set to weaken the band or high frequency band.

  The audio output unit 230 acquires an audio signal reproduced by the in-vehicle device 100 or an audio signal from a server or the like via the communication unit 240, and outputs the acquired audio signal. The audio output unit 230 outputs audio according to the acoustic settings set by the acoustic setting unit 220. In an embodiment, the audio output unit 230 includes a digital filter that processes an audio signal based on the audio setting set by the audio setting unit 220, or amplifies the audio signal based on the audio setting set by the audio setting unit 220. An amplifier can be provided.

  Next, the operation of the acoustic system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flow of FIG. First, when the smart speaker 200 is brought into the vehicle and the smart speaker 200 is connected to the in-vehicle device 100, the connection is detected by the smart speaker detection unit 310 (S100).

  Next, the insufficient frequency determining unit 320 refers to the setting contents of the sound setting unit 140 and determines a sound frequency band that is insufficient in the sound field environment in the vehicle (S102). FIG. 7 shows an installation example of a vehicle-mounted speaker. As shown in the figure, four middle range speakers F-L1, F-R1, R-L2, and R-R2 are installed on the left and right sides of the front seat and the rear seat in the vehicle, respectively. The insufficient frequency determining unit 320 determines the insufficient audio frequency band based on the setting contents of the acoustic setting unit 140, based on the connection status of four speakers as shown in FIG. 7, or based on an instruction from the user. In this case, the insufficient frequency determination unit 320 determines that at least one of the low frequency band and the high frequency band is the insufficient frequency band.

  Next, the external sound setting instruction unit 330 generates external sound setting information for setting sound of the smart speaker 200 based on the determined insufficient frequency band. If the insufficient frequency band is a low frequency band, external sound setting information that emphasizes the low frequency band is generated, and if the insufficient frequency band is a low frequency band and a high frequency band, the low frequency band and the high frequency band are generated. External sound setting information that emphasizes the frequency band is generated. Then, the generated external sound setting information is transmitted to the smart speaker 200 via the communication unit 170 (S104).

  When the smart speaker 200 acquires the external sound setting information via the communication unit 240 (S106), the control unit 260 sets the sound of the sound setting unit 220 based on the external sound setting information (S108). For example, when it is determined by the insufficient frequency determining unit 320 that the low frequency band sound is insufficient, the acoustic setting unit 220 of the smart speaker 200 performs the acoustic setting for emphasizing the low frequency band sound or the medium frequency band. And make sound settings that weaken the high frequency band.

  Thereafter, when the audio signal is reproduced by the multimedia playback unit 130 of the in-vehicle device 100, the audio is output from the in-vehicle speaker, and at the same time, the audio signal transmitted from the in-vehicle device 100 to the smart speaker 200 is output from the smart speaker 200. (S110). FIG. 8 shows an example in which the low frequency is emphasized by the smart speaker 200 and an example in which the high frequency is emphasized when the in-vehicle speaker is in the middle range. As described above, according to the present embodiment, the smart speaker 200 can output a sound that supplements the sound frequency band that is lacking by the vehicle-mounted speaker. Obtainable.

  FIG. 9 shows another installation example of the in-vehicle speaker. In this example, in addition to the four speakers shown in FIG. 7, a low-frequency woofer WH is installed in the center of the rear part of the vehicle. FIG. 10 shows a setting example of the sound setting unit 140. In this case, the insufficient frequency determination unit 320 determines that the high frequency band is insufficient as the sound field environment in the vehicle, and transmits external sound setting information that emphasizes the high frequency band to the smart speaker 200. As shown in FIG. 11, the smart speaker 200 outputs sound that supplements the high frequency band.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, the sound setting unit 140 has an equalizer setting function. The equalizer is preferably capable of adjusting the frequency of the audio signal using ParametricEQ (parametric equalizer). For example, adjustment that emphasizes a certain frequency band of an audio signal can be performed. The sound setting unit 140 also holds the adjustment history using an equalizer. FIG. 12 shows an example of an equalizer adjustment history.
For example, the adjustment history holds the number of times equalized by the user for each of a plurality of frequency bands, for example, a low frequency band, a medium frequency band, and a high frequency band. From the example in the figure, it can be seen that the number of adjustments in the low frequency band is large, and it is estimated that the sound in the low frequency band is insufficient as the sound field environment.

  In the second embodiment, the insufficient frequency determining unit 320 determines the insufficient frequency of the sound field environment in consideration of the equalizer adjustment history held in the sound setting unit 140. However, when the insufficient frequency based on the equalizer adjustment history is in conflict with the insufficient frequency in the first embodiment, the insufficient frequency based on the equalizer adjustment history may not be adopted. For example, when it is determined that the low frequency band is insufficient due to the adjustment history of the equalizer, and the woofer is mounted in the vehicle and the woofer usage state is set to be effective, the sound field environment in the vehicle is not necessarily low. It cannot be said that the frequency band is insufficient. For this reason, it is not determined that the low frequency band is insufficient. Further, when the adjustment history by the equalizer is used, the adjustment history may be referred to only when the adjustment beyond the threshold is performed.

  Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the third embodiment, the frequency band that can be emphasized by the smart speaker is determined from the features such as the appearance, shape, and size of the smart speaker 200.

  FIG. 13 is an example of smart speakers having different external shapes. Generally speaking, the larger the external shape or size of a smart speaker as shown in FIG. 13 (A), the larger the diameter of the speaker mounted there, and therefore it is suitable for audio output in a low frequency band. On the contrary, when the size is reduced as shown in FIG. 13C, the diameter of the speaker is also reduced. Therefore, it is predicted that the speaker is suitable for audio output in a high frequency band. Further, an intermediate size as shown in FIG. 13B is predicted to be suitable for output of sound in the middle frequency band.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of the sound field environment program according to the third embodiment. The acoustic program 300A according to the fourth example includes a smart speaker information acquisition unit 315 in addition to the case of the first example. When the smart speaker detection unit 310 detects the connection of the smart speaker 200, the smart speaker information acquisition unit 315 requests product information from the smart speaker 200 via the communication unit 170. For example, the storage unit 250 of the smart speaker 200 stores product information such as the external shape, size, model, and performance of the smart speaker 200. The product information may include the output characteristics of the smart speaker. Smart speaker 200 transmits product information in response to a request from in-vehicle device 100.

  The insufficient frequency determination unit 320 refers to the product information acquired by the smart speaker information acquisition unit 315 and determines the insufficient frequency. For example, when the in-vehicle speaker is only a middle-range speaker, and the smart speaker 200 is a large-sized smart speaker that is good at audio output in the low frequency band, the low frequency band can be determined as the insufficient frequency. In addition, when the smart speaker 200 is a small-sized smart speaker that excels in audio output in a high frequency band, the high frequency band can be determined as an insufficient frequency. The large size, medium size, or small size is determined by comparing with a threshold value prepared in advance.

  Further, in the third embodiment, in the case of conflicting with the determination of the insufficient frequency in the first and second embodiments, it is not always necessary to adopt the determination of the insufficient frequency according to the first to third embodiments. . For example, the in-vehicle speaker is only a middle range speaker, and the low frequency band and the high frequency band are determined as insufficient frequencies according to the first embodiment, while the size of the smart speaker is a medium size, and the low frequency band and the high frequency band are high. If it is not suitable for audio output in the frequency band, it is difficult to supplement with the smart speaker, and the external sound setting instruction unit 330 may not instruct the external sound setting information to the smart speaker.

  According to the first to third embodiments, since the external sound setting is instructed to the smart speaker 200 according to the sound field environment in the vehicle, the sound field environment is improved using the sound function of the smart speaker. It is possible to provide a high quality sound field environment.

  The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention described in the claims. It can be changed.

10: Acoustic system 20: Communication 100: In-vehicle device 100A: In-vehicle device 110: Input unit 120: Position information calculation unit 130: Navigation unit 140: Multimedia playback unit 150: Audio output unit 160: Display unit 170: Communication unit 180: Storage unit 190: Control unit 200: Smart speaker 210: Input unit 220: Sound setting unit 230: Audio output unit 240: Audio output unit

Claims (11)

An electronic device having an acoustic function,
Generating means for generating an audio signal;
A speaker that outputs the generated audio signal;
A connection means for connecting an external speaker device;
Detection means for detecting whether or not an external speaker device is connected;
An external sound setting means for setting the external sound of the external speaker device based on the sound environment when the connection of the external speaker device is detected;
An electronic device. The external sound setting means includes a determination means for determining an insufficient frequency band that is insufficient in the acoustic environment,
The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the external sound setting unit performs sound setting such that an insufficient frequency band is emphasized. The electronic device includes internal sound setting means for setting sound related to the sound signal output from the speaker,
The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the determining unit determines an insufficient frequency band based on the internal sound setting unit. The internal sound setting means includes on / off of speaker setting,
The electronic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the determination unit determines that the frequency band in which the speaker setting is off is an insufficient frequency band. The internal sound setting means includes an equalizer that adjusts a frequency characteristic of an audio signal,
The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the determination unit determines that the frequency band emphasized by the equalizer is an insufficient frequency band. The external sound setting means includes a determination means for determining a reproducible band of an audio signal by an external speaker,
The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the external sound setting unit performs sound setting such that the reproducible band is emphasized. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the external sound setting unit does not perform sound setting such that the playable band is emphasized when the playable band does not match a frequency band that is insufficient in an acoustic environment. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the determination unit determines a reproducible band based on a size or type of an external speaker device. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device is arranged in a vehicle. An acoustic system including the electronic device according to claim 1 and the external speaker device,
The external speaker device is
Connection means for connecting to the electronic device;
Setting means for performing sound setting of the external speaker device based on the external sound setting set by the external sound setting means via the connection means;
An output means for receiving the audio signal generated by the generating means via the connection means, and outputting the received audio signal from a speaker according to the acoustic setting set by the setting means;
Having an acoustic system. The acoustic system according to claim 10, wherein the external speaker is a multi-function smart speaker.

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