JP2002345070A - Voice output device, voice data supplying device and voice output system provided with them - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suitably perform the voice output of desired contents at a desired place without the relocation or rewriting of a voice output device or a voice data supplying device comprising an audio output system and without a limitation in the location of the devices or deterioration of signal. SOLUTION: A signal resulting from synthesizing voice data and address data for selecting the voice output device to output the voice data is generated and the generated signal is transmitted as a signal of digital format by radio. In the voice output device, on the other hand, the signal transmitted by radio is received, address data are extracted from the received signal and only when the address data are matched with a peculiar address previously assigned to a present station, the received voice data are outputted from a loudspeaker.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an audio output device having a speaker, an audio data supply device for supplying audio data to the device, and an audio output system including these devices.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an audio output system, a physical signal line or an infrared link is used to connect an audio data supply device and a speaker as an audio output device. Or, audio data was supplied wirelessly. Therefore, the change of the place where the sound is output or the change of the sound data supply source to be output cannot be performed without rewiring or rearranging the speaker or the sound data supply device.

[0003]

Therefore, it is preferable to assign a unique address to each of a plurality of speakers so that unique audio data can be selectively supplied to each speaker.

US Pat. No. 4,899,388 discloses a method of wirelessly transmitting audio data to a plurality of speakers in the form of an infrared signal. In this method, by adjusting an infrared receiver in each speaker, which is an audio output device, so that a specific infrared spectrum region can be monitored, audio output can be performed by selectively using the speakers.

[0005] Further, US Pat. No. 4,874,903 discloses a method of transmitting audio data by first modulating the frequency of an audio signal and then transmitting the modulated signal via an AC power line. A speaker, which is an audio output device, is connected to an AC power supply line, extracts and processes a frequency modulation (FM) signal, and extracts audio data.

However, the above-mentioned US Pat.
According to the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 88, only an allowable number of speakers can be arranged in a predetermined space restricted around an audio data supply device (audio source) serving as an audio data supply source. Only one-way communication from the former to the latter is allowed between the audio source and the speaker.

In the method disclosed in US Pat. No. 4,874,903, information for selecting or allocating speakers is added to the FM signal, while a plurality of loudspeakers are connected to an AC power supply line, and according to the allocation information. It is thought that it is possible to cause each speaker to selectively output sound. However, since the allocation information and the sound data are transmitted as analog signals, signal deterioration may occur.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and does not involve rearrangement or rewiring of an audio output device or an audio data supply device that constitutes an audio output system, and the arrangement of these devices is not affected. It is an object of the present invention to be able to appropriately output audio having desired content at a desired place without the restriction of the above and the signal deterioration.

[0009]

For this purpose, the present invention provides:
In an audio output device having a speaker for outputting audio, means for holding an assigned unique address, means for receiving a signal wirelessly transmitted including audio data and address data, and Means for extracting address data from a signal, and only when the extracted address data matches the unique address,
Means for outputting the received audio data from the speaker.

Here, it is possible to further comprise means capable of transmitting information by wireless transmission, and the information includes at least the capability of the audio output device, a volume adjustment state, a tone adjustment state, and the address to be held. It may include information about one.

[0011] Further, a means for receiving and setting information for volume adjustment and / or tone adjustment may be further provided.

The present invention also relates to an audio data supply device for supplying audio data to an audio output device having a speaker for outputting audio, wherein the audio data and the audio output device outputting the audio data are provided. And a means for generating a signal obtained by combining the address data for selecting the data and a means for transmitting the generated signal by wireless transmission.

[0013] Here, it is possible to further comprise means capable of receiving information transmitted wirelessly, and the information includes the capability of the audio output device, the volume adjustment state, the tone adjustment state, and the address of the held address. It may include information about at least one.

[0014] Further, information for performing volume adjustment and / or tone adjustment of the audio output device can be transmitted.

In the above, the wireless transmission may be performed by a digitally formatted signal.

Further, the present invention resides in an audio output system comprising the audio output device of any of the above-mentioned forms and an audio data supply device.

Further, the present invention is a sound output method for selectively outputting a sound to a sound output device having a speaker for outputting sound, the sound data comprising:
Generating a signal obtained by synthesizing address data for selecting the audio output device that outputs the audio data, transmitting the generated signal by wireless transmission, and receiving the wirelessly transmitted signal at the audio output device; Then, address data is extracted from the received signal, and it is determined whether there is a match between the extracted address data and a unique address assigned to the audio output device, and only when the match is determined, the The received audio data is output from the speaker of the audio output device.

[0018]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration example of a sound output system to which the present invention is applied.

Here, 1 converts received or input audio data into a predetermined digital format, and converts this into a plurality of speakers 2-1 and 2 via a radio link.
-2 is an audio data supply device that transmits wirelessly. The audio data supply device 1 may have a form of an audio receiver, an audio / video receiver, a personal computer, an MP3 (MPEG Audio Layer-3) player, or the like. The audio data supply device 1 can be set by the user to select from which speaker the audio is output. Although the number of audio data supply devices is one in FIG. 1, it goes without saying that the number is not limited to this.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a functional block configuration of the audio data supply device 1.

Here, reference numeral 101 denotes a signal processing unit, which performs processing such as converting raw audio data into digital signals when the input original audio data is raw audio data.
Reference numeral 103 denotes an operation unit which can be operated by a user, and accepts an address assignment operation for selecting / designating a sound output device to which a sound output is to be performed and an operation for giving a transmission instruction.

Reference numeral 105 denotes a signal synthesizing unit for synthesizing audio data and control data including an address of an audio output device to which the audio data is supplied. A transmission unit 107 wirelessly transmits a signal generated by combining the audio data and the control data by the signal combining unit 105 via a radio link. Note that multiplex communication can be performed so that the same or different audio data can be simultaneously transmitted to a plurality of audio output devices.

A receiving unit 109 receives setting information (described later) and the like transmitted from the audio output device, and a display unit 111 displays the setting information and the like for use in operations such as user confirmation.

Referring again to FIG. 1, each of the audio output devices 2-1 and 2-2 recognizes address data included in a signal transmitted from the audio data supply device 1, and converts the address data into a unique address. Outputs only the corresponding audio data. Although two audio output devices are shown in FIG. 1, it goes without saying that the number of audio output devices is not limited to two.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a functional block configuration of the audio data output device 2-1 or 2-2.

Here, 201 is a speaker, 203 is a power amplifier, and 205 is a power supply (for example, a commercial power supply) for supplying power to the power amplifier 203. A switch 207 turns on / off a power supply line to the power amplifier 203 and is driven by the control unit 210.

In the control unit 210, a receiving unit 211 receives data wirelessly transmitted from the audio data supply device 1 via a radio link, and supplies the audio data to the power amplifier 203. An address extraction unit 213 extracts control data including address data from the received signal. Reference numeral 215 denotes a discriminating unit, and the address extracting unit 21
3 to determine whether or not the address data extracted matches the address assigned to the own station. Only when the address data matches, the switch 207 is closed to supply power to the power amplifier 203, that is, the speaker. The audio output from 201 is allowed.

Reference numeral 217 holds and manages information such as the brand, specifications or capabilities of the speaker 201 or the audio output device, current volume setting contents, and tone setting contents, in addition to holding the address assigned to the own station. The setting unit is capable of transmitting or returning such information to the audio data supply device 1 via the transmission unit 219. Reference numeral 225 denotes a regular power supply unit which always turns on the control unit 210 and prepares for signal transmission from the audio data supply device 1.

In the above configuration, the audio data supply device 1 and the plurality of audio output devices 2-1 and 2-2
In order to transmit and receive audio data to and from the digital data, wireless transmission of digital signals is performed, and a unique address is assigned to each audio output device.
After that, the audio data to which the address data is added is transmitted, while the audio output devices 2-1 and 2-2 perform the audio output in response to only the unique address data assigned to the own station.

Therefore, there is no need to physically re-wire or rearrange each device, restrict spatial arrangement such as when an infrared link is used, or perform signal transmission such as when analog signal transmission is performed. An audio output device can be appropriately selected and audio output of desired contents can be performed without deterioration. That is, the audio output system as described above can be widely and effectively used not only as a system used for entertainment or other purposes for personal or home use, but also as a system used for public use or other purposes. You can do it.

In the audio output device of the above example, the switch 20 of the power supply line to the power amplifier 203
Although the audio output is controlled by opening and closing 7 by the determination unit 215, the reception unit 211 determines whether the addresses match, and if the addresses do not match, ignores or deactivates the audio data. You can also.

The setting of the address for each audio output device can be performed by a user's operation via a predetermined operation unit which can be provided in association with the determination unit 215, or from an external device via the reception unit 109. It can also be performed by communication. In addition, according to such a setting, the address assigned to the own station can be transmitted to the audio data supply device 1, and management can be performed for audio data transmission.

Further, other settings for each audio output device, that is, for example, volume adjustment and tone adjustment are performed by a user's operation via a predetermined operation unit which can be provided in association with the setting unit 217. Alternatively, the communication may be performed by communication from the audio data supply device 1 or another external device via the reception unit 109. In any case, by transmitting these setting information on the audio output device side to the audio data supply device 1 as appropriate, the audio data supply device 1 side can confirm the setting information and the like. And
If the audio output device 2-1 or 2-2 can accept the setting from the audio data supply device 1, for example, the setting status received by the receiving unit 109 is displayed on the display unit 111, and while referring to the display, The setting state can be changed or transmitted via the operation unit 103.

Further, by providing a function of transmitting setting information to each audio output device, other devices that support the wireless communication protocol used in the system of FIG. 1, such as a device such as a personal computer or a network router, may be used. You can also send and receive digital information to and from
This system can be further expanded by interposing a network. That is, by enabling two-way information communication between the above-described audio output device or system and a wide range of devices such as an audio receiver, a personal computer, and a network device provided by a third party, space can be obtained. The audio output device can be arranged at any desired location without any restrictions, and its performance can be monitored, and the transmission of setting information such as audio data, volume, and tone can be selectively performed.

[0036]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The audio output devices and audio data supply devices that make up the audio output system do not need to be rearranged or re-wired, nor do they have restrictions on the arrangement of those devices or signal degradation, and can provide the desired contents at the desired locations. Audio output can be performed appropriately.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a configuration example of an audio output system to which the present invention has been applied.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining functions of an audio data supply device constituting the audio output system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining functions of an audio output device included in the audio output system of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 audio data supply device 2-1 and 2-2 audio output device 101 signal processing unit 103 operation unit 105 signal synthesis unit 107 transmission unit 109 reception unit 111 display unit 201 speaker 203 power amplifier 205 power supply 207 switch 210 control unit 211 transmission unit 213 address extraction unit 215 determination unit 217 setting unit 219 transmission unit 225 utility power supply

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Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. An audio output device having a speaker for outputting audio, means for holding an assigned unique address, and means for receiving a signal wirelessly transmitted including audio data and address data. Means for extracting address data from the received signal; and means for outputting the received audio data from the speaker only when the extracted address data matches the unique address. An audio output device characterized by the above. 2. The audio output device according to claim 1, further comprising means capable of transmitting information by wireless transmission. 3. The information is a capability of the audio output device,
The audio output device according to claim 2, further comprising information on at least one of a volume adjustment state, a tone adjustment state, and the held address. 4. The audio output device according to claim 1, further comprising means for receiving and setting information for volume adjustment and / or tone adjustment. 5. The audio output device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless transmission is performed by a digitally formatted signal. 6. An audio data supply device for supplying audio data to an audio output device provided with a speaker for outputting audio, the audio data supply device comprising: an audio output device for outputting audio data; An audio data supply device, comprising: means for generating a signal obtained by synthesizing the generated address data; and means for transmitting the generated signal by wireless transmission. 7. The audio data supply device according to claim 6, further comprising a unit capable of receiving information transmitted wirelessly. 8. The information includes a capability of the audio output device,
The audio data supply device according to claim 7, further comprising information on at least one of a volume adjustment state, a tone adjustment state, and the held address. 9. The audio output device according to claim 6, wherein information for performing volume adjustment and / or tone adjustment of the audio output device can be transmitted. 10. The audio data supply device according to claim 6, wherein the wireless transmission is performed by a digitally formatted signal. 11. An audio output system comprising: the audio output device according to claim 1; and the audio data supply device according to any one of claims 6 to 10. 12. An audio output method for causing an audio output device having a speaker for outputting audio to selectively output audio, comprising: audio data; and the audio output device outputting the audio data. A signal is generated by synthesizing the address data for selecting the address, the generated signal is transmitted by wireless transmission, the wirelessly transmitted signal is received by the audio output device, and the address data is converted from the received signal. Extracting, determining whether there is a match between the extracted address data and the unique address assigned to the audio output device, and only when the match is determined, the audio output device receives the received audio data. A sound output method, wherein the sound is output from the speaker provided.