This disclosure relates to an acoustic device and an acoustic processing method.
A notebook PC is known wherein a mechanism is provided by which one of two types of detachable loudspeaker units is selectively mounted and audio output characteristics are changed automatically according to the acoustic characteristics of the mounted loudspeaker unit (refer to Patent Document 1).
Patent Document 1: JP-A-2008-85902
The technology described in Patent Document 1 is used in a notebook PC having a built-in loudspeaker and provided with two signal processing circuits that can be used selectively to control an external loudspeaker, wherein either one of the circuits is made valid depending on the type of the external loudspeaker mounted thereon. According to the technology described in Patent Document 1, in order that the sound suited for the characteristics (frequency band characteristics) of an external loudspeaker can be emitted, control for the external loudspeaker is performed.
On the other hand, control for the built-in loudspeaker is performed independently regardless of whether an external loudspeaker is mounted or regardless of the type of a mounted external loudspeaker. In other words, in the case that an external loudspeaker is mounted, a musical sound is emitted from the built-in loudspeaker as usual, and the musical sound is also emitted from the external loudspeaker. As a result, the volume level of the reproduced sound changes before and after the mounting. When it is assumed that the volume has been set appropriately for the musical sound reproduction performed by only the built-in loudspeaker, the user may feel an unexpected change in volume or the user takes time and effort to reset the volume appropriately; this is undesirable. This change in volume occurs similarly even in the case that volume setting has been performed on the assumption that an external loudspeaker is mounted.
As described above, in the conventional technology, the internal function provided beforehand for an acoustic device and the external function provided by an acoustic device, such as an external loudspeaker, connected to the acoustic device cannot be controlled integrally.
This disclosure is intended so that the connection and disconnection of an external unit is reflected to the control for the internal function of an acoustic device, whereby the connected external unit and the internal function are controlled integrally.
This disclosure provides an acoustic device including: a housing; a loudspeaker; a terminal provided on the housing; an identifying section that specifies an external unit mounted on the terminal; and a control section that determines a control content corresponding to the external unit identified by the identifying section and controls the loudspeaker according to the determined control content.
According to this disclosure, the connection and disconnection of an external unit is reflected to the control for the internal function of an acoustic device, whereby the connected external unit and the internal function can be controlled integrally.
a) is a front view illustrating an external appearance of an acoustic device 100, and
a) is a detailed view illustrating an external appearance of a connection section to which no external unit is connected, and
a) and 1(b) are front and side views illustrating an external appearance of an acoustic device 100. The acoustic device 100 is an acoustic device having a function as a general acoustic loudspeaker. The acoustic device 100 has a housing 199, a loudspeaker unit 140 and a connection section 110. The housing 199 has a nearly rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the width (in the X direction), the depth (in the Y direction) and the height (in the Z direction) thereof are represented by W, D and H, respectively, in
The loudspeaker unit 140 is a loudspeaker unit composed of a voice coil, a vibration body, such as a cone, etc. (these are not illustrated), and emits an acoustic wave in the front direction (in the −Y direction) according to an input acoustic signal. The housing 199 functions as a member for accommodating a power source, various control circuits, etc. inside and has a function as the enclosure of the loudspeaker unit. The connection section 110 is a structure provided for the connection to an external unit.
a) is a mechanically detailed view illustrating the connection section 110 to which no external unit is connected, and
As illustrated in
The acoustic device 100 is configured so that one of a plurality of types of external units having a predetermined mounting mechanism can be selectively mounted thereon.
The mounting mechanism will be described by taking the loudspeaker unit 200 as an example. The loudspeaker unit 200 is composed of a main body section 212, a terminal 210 and a screw 211. The terminal 210 is used to exchange electrical signals with the acoustic device 100 by making contact with the terminal 120. The screw 211 is a ring-shaped member provided on the outside of the main body section 212, and a screw groove is formed on the outside. The main body section 212 is the main body section of the loudspeaker unit including a vibration generator, such as a voice coil, and a vibration body, such as a cone (these are not illustrated). The main body section 212 may further include a diffuser, an acoustic panel, etc. for changing the characteristics of the acoustic wave emitted therefrom.
b) is a view illustrating a state in which the external unit is mounted on the acoustic device 100. First, as illustrated on the left side of
When the loudspeaker unit 200 is mounted on the acoustic device 100, the external appearance thereof is as illustrated in
All the external units are characterized, with respect to the physical shape thereof, so as to be provided with a terminal having a shape corresponding to the shape of the terminal 120, a main body section having a shape matching with the shape of the guide 121, and the screw 211 having a shape corresponding to the shape of the nut cover 122. With this structural characteristic, the external units are physically connectable to the acoustic device 100. The above-mentioned physical mechanism for connecting the external unit to the acoustic device 100 is taken as an example and any mechanisms may be adopted.
The storage section 130 is a recording medium, such as a ROM, an HDD or a semiconductor memory device, in which a device information database DB1 and a control information table DB2 are stored.
One identification code is assigned to one external unit, whereby each external unit is identified uniquely. In the example illustrated in
The input/output information is information on what kind of function the external unit has; in other words, the information indicates the outline of the function of the external unit. More specifically, in the case that the external unit is connected, information on what kind of control information the acoustic device 100 receives (“IN”) from the external unit or information on what kind of signal the acoustic device 100 should supply (“OUT”) to the external unit (or the acoustic device 100 does not supply anything) is described.
The functional characteristics are described as information on what kind of characteristics the unit has. For example, in the case of a loudspeaker, the characteristics include information on the characteristics of the loudspeaker, such as the reproducible frequency band, the maximum allowable input, the directivity, the number of multi-ways, the material and size of the vibration body, etc. of the loudspeaker.
For example, the external unit identified by the identification code “001-01123” in
The control information for controlling the loudspeaker unit and the control information for controlling the external unit generated on the basis of the contents of the device information database DB1 are written in the control information table DB2.
a) shows examples of the contents to be stored in the control information table DB2 in the case that no external unit is connected;
Information specifying what kind of data is supplied to the external unit 140 (and an external unit in the case that the external unit is connected) is described in the item “input/output control”. In the example illustrated in
Parameters for designating the frequency characteristics of the sound to be emitted from the loudspeaker unit 140 and the loudspeaker unit 200 are stored in the item “frequency characteristic adjustment”. In the example illustrated in
As an example of this signal processing, as illustrated in
A determination as to whether the level of an input acoustic signal is corrected and the specific content of the correction is described in the item “sound pressure level adjustment”. For example, in the example illustrated in
A situation in which a large sound exceeding the allowable input level is input and the loudspeaker is damaged is prevented by performing the above-mentioned control. In addition, in the example illustrated in
The information described in the control information table DB2 is referred to by the control section 170 when a signal to be supplied to the acoustic signal processing section 150 (and the external unit as necessary) is generated. The control information to be stored in the control information table DB2 is generated each time the connection of an external unit is detected, and the information is effective until the connection section 110 detects the disconnection of the external unit. In other words, the contents of the control information table DB2 are rewritten each time the external unit is connected and disconnected. While no external unit is connected, the control information (see
Returning to
The acoustic signal processing section 150 is realized by an analog/digital converter, a digital/analog converter, an acoustic signal processing filter and other signal processing circuits and signal processing processors, performs signal processing according to the acoustic signal and control signal supplied from the control section 170, and outputs the processed signal to the amplification section 151. The amplification section 151 has a signal amplification circuit, etc., amplifies the signal output from the acoustic signal processing section 150 according to the amplification factor designated by the control section 170, and supplies the amplified signal to the loudspeaker unit 140. As a result, the vibration corresponding to the input signal is generated by the loudspeaker unit 140, and the vibration is propagated as an acoustic wave in the air and reaches the ears of the user,
The characteristic acquisition section 180 serving as a communication interface accesses an external device via a communication network as necessary and acquires information for controlling an external unit or the acoustic device 100. The external device includes, for example, a device having information that can relate to the control of the acoustic device 100, such as a server in which information relating to the external unit is stored, a server in which information relating to the control of the acoustic device 100 is stored and a device for transmitting a musical sound signal to the acoustic device 100.
The connection section 110 supplies the identification code of an external unit to be connected thereto via the terminal 120 to the control section 170.
The control section 170 is realized by a processor. Upon receiving an identification code from the connection section 110, the control section 170 refers to the device information database DB1 and extracts information relating to the external unit having been registered in association with the received identification code. The control section 170 then generates control information for controlling at least either the acoustic signal processing section 150 or the amplification section 151 on the basis of the extracted information and writes the generated information in the control information table DB2. The control information includes, for example, information for designating which of one or more filters of the acoustic signal processing section 150 is validated or invalidated, information for specifying the operation of the circuit of the amplification section 151, information for designating control signal supplying timing, and information affecting the characteristics of the acoustic wave to be emitted from the loudspeaker unit. In other words, the control section 170 determines the control contents corresponding to the external unit identified by the connection section 110 and controls, according to the determined control contents, at least either the acoustic signal processing section 150 or the amplification section 151 that is used to output a signal to the loudspeaker.
Furthermore, on the basis of the information stored in the device information database DB1, the control section 170 determines whether it is necessary to output a signal to the connected external unit, and in the case that the output is necessary, the control section 170 generates information to be output to the external unit using a predetermined control algorithm. This information includes an acoustic signal in the case that the external unit is, for example, an acoustic device, such as the loudspeaker unit 200. Alternatively, in the case that the external unit is not a device directly relating to acoustics, the information may include control information for controlling the device. The information generated as described above is written in the control information table DB2.
The control section 170 refers to the control information table DB2 as necessary and outputs the signal input from the musical sound input section 160 or a control signal to the external unit via the terminal 120. Hence, the operation of the external unit can be controlled by the control section 170.
The structures and methods for the connection and information exchange between the acoustic device 100 and the loudspeaker unit 200 via is the connection sections 110 and 250 will be described below in detail referring to
First, the structure on the side of the acoustic device 100 will be described. The connection section 110 includes a microcomputer 112, the terminal 120, a power source 198, and a switch 197. The terminal 120 is roughly divided into terminals 120-I, 120-G, 120-X and 120-V. The terminal 120-I totally includes m ports, i.e., ports 111-1 to 111-m. The respective ports are connected to the potential V+ of the power source via signal lines S1 to Sm and via pull-up resistors (not illustrated) inside the microcomputer.
The terminal 120-G is a terminal connected to the ground. The terminal 120-X is composed of a transmission terminal (TX) and a reception terminal (RX) and communicates with the communication section 213 of the loudspeaker unit 200 and receives the identification code of the loudspeaker unit 200 from the loudspeaker unit 200. The terminal 120-V is connected to the power source line and is used to supply the power source. The switch 197 is controlled by the microcomputer 112; when the switch is ON, the terminal 120-V is connected to the potential V+ of the power source, and the power source is supplied to the external unit connected to the terminal 120-V. When the switch is OFF, the power source is not supplied to the external unit.
Next, the structure of the connection section on the side of the external unit will be described by taking the loudspeaker unit 200 as an example. The connection section 250 constituting the loudspeaker unit 200 is composed of is the terminal 210 and the communication section 213 as illustrated in
The terminal 210-I totally includes m ports, i.e., ports 210-1 to 210-m, at maximum, and connected to the loudspeaker unit (external loudspeaker) 200. Identification resistors R1 to Rm are connected to the respective ports. The respective ports are connected to the corresponding ports on the side of the acoustic device 100.
The terminal 210-G is connected to the terminal 120-G. The terminal 210-X is a terminal to be connected to the terminal 120-X and is used to exchange the identification code between the communication section 213 and the microcomputer 112 in response to a request signal or a request. The terminal 210-V is a terminal to be connected to the terminal 120-V. The power source supplied from the side of the acoustic device 100 is supplied to the communication section 213 and is also supplied to the amplification section 270 as necessary.
When the terminal 120 is made contact with the terminal 210 by the connection between the external unit to the acoustic device performed by the user, resistor circuits are formed by the identification resistors R1 to Rrn and the pull-up resistors inside the microcomputer between the connection section 110 and the connection section 250. At this time, the potential at each port, being dependent on the value of the identification resistor, is detected by the computer (microcomputer) 112. The microcomputer 112 specifies the connection state of each port on the basis of the detected potential. More specifically, as illustrated in
In a preferred embodiment, the microcomputer 112 may specify information on the functional characteristics of the device on the basis of the detected potentials in addition to the identification code. Furthermore, some of the ports 111-1 to 111-m may be used for device identification, and the other ports may be used to transmit information (for example, the characteristics of the external unit and the control signals for the acoustic device) from the external unit to the acoustic device 100 or may be used transmit information (for example, control information) from the acoustic device 100 to the external unit.
When the external unit is identified and the functional characteristics of the external unit are acquired by the connection section 110 as described above, the acquired information is supplied to the control section 170.
In addition to the above-mentioned method for identifying a connection partner on the basis of the potentials, in the case that the external unit has the communication section 213, the microcomputer 112 has a function for is identifying a device (or in addition to this, a function for acquiring information on the characteristics of the device) by acquiring the identification code supplied from the communication section 213.
For example, in the above-mentioned table DB3, a voltage value or a condition for the voltage value at a predetermined one of the ports (for example, 111-n; n<m) is set. Then, in the case that the potential detected at this port satisfies this condition, the microcomputer 112 judges the type of the external unit or determines the characteristics thereof on the basis of the information received from the loudspeaker unit 200 via the terminal 120-V without adopting the information (the type of the external unit and the characteristics thereof) identified according to the table DB3. In this case, this information includes at least the above-mentioned identification code (for example, “001”).
As described above, with this embodiment, the microcomputer 112 can identify a device and acquires the functional characteristics thereof in accordance with the state of physical contact even if the external unit has not a function (the communication section 213) for transmitting the identification code and the functional characteristics. For example, even if the external unit has no information transmitting/receiving function, if the external unit has the connection section 250 and predetermined information has been registered on the side of the acoustic device 100 beforehand, the external unit is recognized by the acoustic device 100, and the external unit can be integrally operated with the acoustic device 100 in accordance with the state of the external unit. On is the other hand, in the case that the external unit has the function for transmitting the identification code and the functional characteristics, the external unit can provide, to the side of the acoustic device 100 the amount of information on the characteristics of the external unit exceeding physical limitation in the number of ports. The above-mentioned integrated operation can be achieved by transmitting the functional characteristics together with the identification code as described above even if the functional characteristics have not been registered beforehand in the acoustic device 100.
In a preferred embodiment, the microcomputer 112 performs the ON/OFF switching of the switch 197 on the basis of the above-mentioned contact state and the information received from the communication section 213. More specifically, in the case that the potential detected at a predetermined one of the ports 111-1 to 111-m indicates a predetermined voltage value (or a range of voltage values), the microcomputer 112 turns ON the switch 197 and supplies power to the loudspeaker unit 200. Alternatively, in the case that predetermined flag information is included in the information transmitted from the communication section 213, the microcomputer 112 turns ON the switch 197. This information is generated, for example, as data D1 having a data format including an identification code (7-digit), a power source necessity/non-necessity indication flag (1 bit) and a functional information area provided with a predetermined number of bits as illustrated in
A device other than that operates on the basis of control signals from the acoustic device 100 may also be connected to the acoustic device 100.
The device to be connected to the acoustic device 100 may be a device that supplies control signals for the acoustic device 100.
Each of all the external units has a shape provided with a terminal having a shape corresponding to the shape of the terminal 120, a main body section having a shape matching with the shape of the guide 121, and the screw 211 having a shape corresponding to the shape of the nut cover 122, whereby the mechanical connection to the acoustic device 100 is ensured. Furthermore, since the connection section 250 is provided for all the external units, the function for supplying information according to which each of the external units is identified by the acoustic device 100 is achieved.
In addition, the value to be designated by the knob is not limited to the level of the volume, but may be any parameters relating to acoustic reproduction, such as the type, amount and mixture ratio of effect.
Furthermore, a button or a switch may also be provided as an operation mechanism. Moreover, this type of input mechanism may be provided in plural numbers to designate a plurality of parameters. What's more, the operation knob 400 may be provided with a liquid crystal display or the like for the confirmation of preset parameter values. Still further, the operation knob 400 may also be provided with a terminal for connection to an electronic musical instrument.
The structures of the connection sections 110 and 250 are not limited to the specific examples illustrated in
Furthermore, a shape other than a connector shape may also be adopted as the physical shape of the connection section. For example, as illustrated in
When the member 219 is inserted into the member 125 in the X direction, the Z direction movement distance of the tumbler pin 188 corresponding to the concave portion 218 is different from that of the tumbler pin 188 located at a position in which the concave portion 218 is not provided. The tumbler pin 188 is provided with a spring 187 and a switch (not illustrated), and the switch is turned ON/OFF depending on the movement amount of the corresponding tumbler pin 188. In this way, the external unit is identified by discriminating the pattern of the concave portions being different for each external unit. The pattern of the concave portions may further represent functional characteristics.
An operation example of the control section 170 will be described below in detail using
The control section 170 specifies a device referring to the device is information database DB1 on the basis of the information supplied from the microcomputer 112 (at S102). In the case that no device can be identified by the reference at this time, in other words, in the case that the identification code corresponding to the detected potential or the received identification code has not been registered in the device information database DB1, the control section 170 tries to acquire the information on the external unit (at S104). More specifically, the control section 170 accesses a server controlling the information on the external unit via the characteristic acquisition section 180 and acquires detailed information (unit type, input/output information and functional characteristics) on the acquired identification code and the external unit identified by the identification code. In the case that the information on the identification code cannot be acquired by performing this process, the control section 170 performs a predetermined exceptional process (for example, the control section 170 assumes that nothing is connected and writes this information in the control information table DB2). However, in the case that the control section 170 has acquired, as functional characteristics, information other than the information stored in the control information table DB2, the contents of the functional characteristics of the control information table DB2 may be updated with the acquired information.
When the external unit is identified (at 3105), the control section 170 judges whether information on the control of the acoustic device 100 is included in the information acquired from the external unit by the acoustic device 100 (at 3106). In the case that the information on the control of the acoustic device 100 is included (Y at S106) the control section 170 rewrites the items relating to the loudspeaker unit 140 in the device information database DB1 with the acquired information
After the control contents updated as described above are written in the control information table DB2 (at S110), when the control section 170 acquires an acoustic signal from the musical sound input section 160, the control section 170 supplies the acoustic signal and control signals as necessary to the acoustic signal processing section 150 and the amplification section 151 and to the external unit as necessary according to the contents of the control information table DB2 (at 3112).
In this way, the connection or disconnection of the external unit is reflected to the contents of the sound emitted from the loudspeaker unit 140. Furthermore, the loudspeaker unit 200 and the loudspeaker unit 140 are controlled interlockingly in consideration of the functional characteristics thereof. More specifically, in the case that the external unit is the loudspeaker unit 200, the sound pressure level and the frequency characteristics are adjusted in consideration of the functional characteristics of the loudspeaker unit 140 and the loudspeaker unit 200, whereby it is possible to achieve reproduced sound quality in which the characteristics of the connected loudspeaker unit 200 are utilized to the maximum extent. Since each time the connection is changed, the change is automatically reflected to the control contents, whereby it is not necessary to set acoustic characteristics, for example, each time the user mounts the external unit. With a configuration in which the contents of the control information table DB2 can be changed by the user and the user registers desired settings beforehand, a musical sound having user's favorite sound quality can be provided within the range of the function possessed by the unit even if the external unit is switched.
Furthermore, with a configuration in which firmware relating to the loudspeaker unit 140 is stored in an external unit (for example, the loudspeaker unit 200), when the external unit is connected to the acoustic device 100, the firmware relating to the loudspeaker unit 140 may be updated with the firmware stored in the external unit. With this configuration, even in the case that the external unit and the loudspeaker unit 140 cannot be controlled interlockingly in a state in which the firmware relating to the loudspeaker unit 140 has not been updated, the external unit and the loudspeaker unit 140 can be controlled interlockingly by storing an optimal firmware relating to the loudspeaker unit 140 in the external unit and by updating the firmware relating to the loudspeaker unit 140 with the optimal firmware.
Moreover, since the acoustic device 100 is provided with a plurality of identification methods and a plurality of routes through which the functional characteristics are acquired from the external unit to the acoustic device 100, the acoustic device 100 can be applied to various configurations (for example, a hardware configuration in which a large amount of information can be provided to the acoustic device 100 using the communication section and a hardware configuration in which no communication section is provided and information is supplied only via a terminal) of the external unit.
Since a judgment as to whether power is supplied to the external unit is made according to the determination based on the connection state of the terminal or according to the received identification code, even an external unit having no power source can be operated by connecting the external unit to the acoustic device 100.
With respect to the reproduction of a musical sound, in the case that an acoustic device (hereafter referred to as a non-connected cooperative device) other than the external unit is operating in cooperation with the acoustic device 100, the control contents of at least either the acoustic device 100 or the external unit may be determined in consideration of the operation contents of the non-connected cooperative device when the external unit is connected.
For example, a situation is conceived in which the non-connected cooperative device is a sub-woofer and a musical sound is wirelessly transmitted from a music reproduction device, such as a digital audio player, to both the sub-woofer and the acoustic device 100. At this time, it is assumed that the musical sound is generated so that the qualities of the sounds simultaneously emitted from both are optimized in consideration of the characteristics of the acoustic device 100 and the sub-woofer. In this case, if the loudspeaker unit 200 is newly connected as an external unit, the contents of the control information table DB2 are rewritten in consideration of the characteristics of the loudspeaker unit 200, and control is performed so that the qualities of the sounds emitted from the acoustic device 100 and the loudspeaker unit 200 are optimized as described above. However, this change of the control contents may break down the balance with the musical sound emitted from the sub-woofer, and the performance of the entire acoustic system formed of the acoustic device 100, the sub-woofer and the external unit may not be optimized.
In a preferred embodiment, in order to prevent the above-mentioned situation, upon detecting the connection of an external unit, the control section 170 judges whether a non-connected cooperative device is existent and specifies the device (in this case, the music reproduction device) controlling the non-connected cooperative device. The control section 170 then sends an inquiry signal to the music reproduction device via the characteristic acquisition section 180 and finds that the non-connected cooperative device is a sub-woofer and acquires the characteristics of the non-connected cooperative device from the music reproduction device. The control section 170 rewrites the information stored in the device control table on the basis of the information acquired from the non-connected cooperative device. For example, the control section 170 rewrites the contents of the information with the contents of information stating that musical sound signal components having frequencies not more than a predetermined frequency are cut from the musical sound is signals to be supplied to the acoustic device 100 and the loudspeaker unit 200. As a result, the musical sound signal components having frequencies lower than the predetermined frequency are emitted from only the sub-woofer, whereby the performance of the entire acoustic system is automatically optimized without requiring the user to change the settings.
A device not directly relating to acoustic reproduction and control may also be connected as an external unit.
With respect to the control signals, the control section 170 may reflect the contents (volume, frequency characteristics, tempo, and other information relating to music) of the musical sound to be emitted by the loudspeaker unit 140 to the control signals. For example, the control section 170 changes the display modes (color designation, change in color, character size, etc.) of the LED light 500 on the basis of the information on the volume, music genre, tempo, etc. of the sound emitted from the loudspeaker unit 140. In the interlocking of the musical sound and the lighting control, it is conceived that the lighting state changing in accordance with the musical sound to be reproduced gives delight.
In the case that the storage contents of the device information database DB1 and the control information table DB2 have been set as described above, the control for the acoustic device 100 interlocking with the operation of the external unit connected thereto, the control for the external unit interlocking with the operation of the acoustic device 100 and the simultaneous parallel control for the acoustic device 100 and the unit can be set to desired contents.
In addition, a housing, not illustrated, having only an enclosure function exhibiting a predetermined acoustic effect may also be connected as an external unit.
The number of external units to be connected to the acoustic device 100 is not limited to one, but a plurality of devices or an electronic component assembly may also be connected. For example, as illustrated in
Two or more connection sections 110 may also be provided for the housing 199. In other words, a plurality of external units may be mounted on the acoustic device 100 simultaneously. This configuration can increase the variation of the external appearance and the control contents of the acoustic device 100. In this case, the control section 170 identifies all the connected external units by acquiring identification codes from the terminals 120 provided for the respective connection sections 110. The acoustic signal processing section 150 and the amplification section 151 are controlled according to the function of at least one or more external units. In addition, in the acoustic device 100, it may be possible that while a combination of external units has been registered beforehand, only in the case that the combination of the connected plurality of external units matches with the registered combination, control is achieved, and that the contents of this control are registered in the control information table DB2. With this configuration, the user can enjoy the combination of external units.
The control section 170 may transmit the information stored in the control information table DB2 to other terminals. In this case, it is possible to disclose, to a third party, what type of an external unit the user connects to the acoustic device 100 and what kind of control the user performs (or performed in the past). Furthermore, this kind of disclosure information may be collected at one server so that the control contents of other users can be read. With this configuration, the user can enjoy customizing his acoustic device 100 by referring to the customized examples of the other users.
Another acoustic device 100 may also be connected as an external unit. In other words, two acoustic devices 100 may be connected to each other. More specifically, each acoustic device 100 is provided with a terminal is (hereafter referred to as a dedicated terminal) dedicated for connection to the other acoustic device 100, and in the case that the “dedicated terminal” of a first acoustic device 100 is connected to the connection section 110 of a second acoustic device 100, the functional characteristics of the two acoustic devices 100 are exchanged. Then, the first acoustic device 100 determines control contents so that the two acoustic devices function as a single acoustic device as a whole. Furthermore, three or more acoustic devices 100 having the above-mentioned configuration may also be connected.
The methods of how the functions of the connection section 110, the acoustic signal processing section 150 and the control section 170 are implemented in hardware are not limited to the examples described in the above-mentioned embodiments. Hardware, such as a processor, may be provided for each function, or a plurality of functions may be performed using a single processor. For example, the above-mentioned functions can be achieved by using a method in which a processor provided for the acoustic device 100 reads a control program from the storage section 130 and executes the program. This program can be provided in a state of being recorded on magnetic recording media (magnetic tapes, magnetic disks, etc.), optical recording media (optical disks, etc.), magneto-optical recording media, semiconductor memory devices, etc. so as to be readable by computers. Furthermore, the program can be downloaded to the acoustic device 100 via a network, such as the Internet.
In short, the acoustic device according to this disclosure may merely be equipped with a housing; a loudspeaker; a terminal provided for the housing; an identifying section for identifying an external unit mounted on the terminal; and a control section for determining control contents corresponding to the external unit identified by the identifying section and for controlling the loudspeaker according to the determined control contents.
The outline of this disclosure will be described below.
(1) This disclosure provides an acoustic device including a housing; a loudspeaker; a terminal provided on the housing; a identifying section that specifies an external unit mounted on the terminal; and a control section that determines a control content corresponding to the external unit identified by the identifying section and controls the loudspeaker according to the determined control content.
(2) For example, the control section supplies a signal corresponding to a musical sound to be reproduced by the loudspeaker to the external unit via the terminal.
(3) For example, in a case that the external unit is an external loudspeaker, the identifying section further specifies the characteristics of the external loudspeaker, and the control section supplies an acoustic signal corresponding to the characteristics of the external loudspeaker to each of the loudspeaker and the external loudspeaker.
(4) For example, the acoustic device further includes a signal is processing section that processes a sound pressure level of the acoustic signal depending on the sound pressure characteristics of the loudspeaker and the external loudspeaker respectively.
(5) For example, the acoustic device is further equipped with a signal processing section for processing the frequency characteristics of the acoustic signal on the basis of the frequency characteristics of the loudspeaker and the external loudspeaker respectively.
(6) For example, when identifying the external unit, the identifying section selects, depending on whether a change of an electrical signal due to a contact of the terminal satisfies a predetermined condition, at least either a first determination process in which the control content is determined on the basis of the change of the electrical signal or a second determination process in which the control content is determined by a reception of an identifier from the external unit.
(7) The external unit has a connection section having a flat plate shape and provided with one or a plurality of concave portions, the terminal includes a detection section that detects a position of the concave portion of the connection section when the external unit is mounted on the terminal, and the identifying section specifies the external unit on the basis of the position of the concave portion.
(8) For example, the terminal includes a frame body and a plurality of tumblers provided inside the frame body, the connection section of the external unit includes a flat plate member that can be fitted into the frame body and is provided with the one or the plurality of concave portions, and the identifying section specifies the external unit on the basis of a change of at least one of the plurality of tumblers caused at the one or the plurality of concave portions when the flat plate member is fitted into the frame body.
(9) For example, the acoustic device further includes an acquisition section that acquires the characteristics of the external unit from an external device other than the external unit.
(10) For example, the characteristics of the loudspeaker are provided from the external unit via the terminal.
(11) Furthermore, this disclosure provides an acoustic processing method including:
a step of detecting whether an external unit is mounted on a terminal provided in a housing of an acoustic device;
a step of identifying the external unit mounted on the terminal; and a step of determining a control content corresponding to the identified external unit and controlling the loudspeaker provided in the housing according to the determined control contents.
Although the present invention has been described in detail referring to the specific embodiments, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be changed and modified variously without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
This invention is based on Japanese Patent Application (JP-2012-246224) filed on Nov. 8, 2012, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
With the acoustic device according to this disclosure, the connection and disconnection of an external unit can be reflected to the control for the internal function thereof, whereby the connected external unit and the internal function can be controlled integrally.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2012-246224 | Nov 2012 | JP | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/JP2013/080303 | 11/8/2013 | WO | 00 |