Control method of operation apparatus configured to control a plurality of content reproduction apparatus to set a preset synchronous state, control method of command processing apparatus, and control method of content reproduction system

• US 10,666,838 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2018
• Issued: 05/26/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Tsukada, Keisuke, Suyama, Akihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Harold, Jefferey F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Satti, Humam M
• Application Number:
  US15/902,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20180262657A1
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/242 Synchronization processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Program Clock References] arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43072 of multiple content streams on the same device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/073 for mutually locking plural sources of synchronising signals, e.g. studios or relay stations

Abstract

A control method of operation apparatus includes receiving selection of at least one of a plurality of presets, set in advance, regarding a plurality of content reproduction apparatuses, transmitting a synchronous state cancel signal for canceling at least some of the current synchronous states of the plurality of content reproduction apparatuses, and transmitting a preset restoring signal for restoring a preset selected.

Claims

1. A control method of an operation apparatus, comprising:

acquiring a current synchronous state of a first plurality of content reproduction apparatuses, the current synchronous state indicating a master and slave relationship among the first plurality of content reproduction apparatuses;

receiving selection of a preset from among a plurality of presets, set in advance, regarding a synchronous state of a second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses, the synchronous state of the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses indicating a master and slave relationship among the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses;

comparing the acquired current synchronous state of the first plurality of content reproduction apparatuses indicating the master and slave relationship among the first plurality of content reproduction apparatuses with the synchronous state of the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses indicating the master and slave relationship among the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses and included in the selected preset;

generating a synchronous state cancel signal based on a result of the comparing of the acquired current synchronous state of the first plurality of content reproduction apparatuses indicating the master and slave relationship among the first plurality of content reproduction apparatuses with the synchronous state of the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses indicating the master and slave relationship among the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses and included in the selected preset;

transmitting the synchronous state cancel signal for canceling a current synchronous state of at least some of the first plurality of content reproduction apparatuses, the current synchronous state of the at least some of the first plurality of content reproduction apparatuses indicating a master and slave relationship among the at least some of the first plurality of content reproduction apparatuses; and

transmitting a preset setting signal to at least one content reproduction apparatus among the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses so as to set the synchronous state of the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses according to the selected preset.

2. The control method according to claim 1,

wherein the synchronous state cancel signal cancels a current synchronous state of a content reproduction apparatus that is included among both the first plurality of content reproduction apparatuses and the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses.

3. The control method according to claim 1,

wherein the synchronous state cancel signal cancels current synchronous states of all of the first plurality of content reproduction apparatuses.

4. The control method according to claim 1,

wherein the synchronous state cancel signal cancels synchronous states of all of the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses included in the selected preset.

5. The control method according to claim 1,

wherein the synchronous state cancel signal is transmitted to a content reproduction apparatus among the first plurality of content reproduction apparatuses that is designated as a master device in the selected preset.

6. The control method according to claim 1,

wherein the synchronous state cancel signal is transmitted to all of the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses included in the selected preset.

7. The control method according to claim 1,

wherein the synchronous state cancel signal is transmitted to a content reproduction apparatus of which the synchronous state is canceled.

8. The control method according to claim 1,

wherein in a case where a first content reproduction apparatus, which is included among both the first plurality of content reproduction apparatuses and the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses, has a current synchronous state that is the same as a synchronous state in the selected preset, the synchronous state cancel signal is not transmitted to the first content reproduction apparatus.

9. The control method according to claim 1,

wherein, in a case where a power source of a content reproduction apparatus among the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses included in the selected preset is in an OFF state, a command signal for turning on the power source of the content reproduction apparatus is transmitted before the preset setting signal is transmitted.

10. The control method according to claim 9,

wherein the command signal for turning on the power source is transmitted to only the content reproduction apparatus of which the power source is in an OFF state, or to all content reproduction apparatuses among the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses included in the selected preset.

11. The control method according to claim 1,

wherein the preset setting signal includes a master device setting signal for instructing a master device to be set among the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses included in the selected preset and a slave device setting signal for instructing a slave device to be set among the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses included in the selected preset.

12. The control method according to claim 1, further comprising:

checking that the selected preset is built after the transmitting the preset setting signal; and

transmitting a command signal regarding content reproduction after the checking.

13. The control method according to claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining a time required for a content reproduction apparatus included in the selected preset to restore the selected preset once the preset setting signal has been transmitted, and

transmitting a command signal regarding content reproduction after the obtained time elapses.

14. The control method according to claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a command signal for stopping reproduction of content reproduced by a master device among the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses included in the selected preset to the master device before the transmitting the preset setting signal.

15. The control method according to claim 1,

wherein a content reproduction apparatus, among the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses, includes a first route for amplifying an output signal from a signal output portion via a buffer and a second route for amplifying the output signal from the signal output portion without passing through the buffer, and

wherein the content reproduction apparatus, among the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses, that receives the preset setting signal, receives an audio signal from a master device, and performs synchronous reproduction is configured to amplify the output signal from the signal output portion via the second route.

16. A control method of a command processing apparatus comprising:

acquiring a current synchronous state of a first plurality of content reproduction apparatuses, the current synchronous state indicating a master and slave relationship among the first plurality of content reproduction apparatuses;

acquiring voice data that indicates a selection of a preset from among a plurality of presets, set in advance, regarding a synchronous state of a second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses, the synchronous state of the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses indicating a master and slave relationship among the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses;

comparing the acquired current synchronous state of the first plurality of content reproduction apparatuses indicating the master and slave relationship among the first plurality of content reproduction apparatuses with the synchronous state of the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses indicating the master and slave relationship among the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses and included in the selected preset;

generating a synchronous state cancel signal based on a result of the comparing of the acquired current synchronous state of the first plurality of content reproduction apparatuses indicating the master and slave relationship among the first plurality of content reproduction apparatuses with the synchronous state of the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses indicating the master and slave relationship among the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses and included in the selected preset;

transmitting the synchronous state cancel signal for canceling a current synchronous state of at least some of the first plurality of content reproduction apparatuses, the current synchronous state of the at least some of the first plurality of content reproduction apparatuses indicating a master and slave relationship among the at least some of the first plurality of content reproduction apparatuses; and

transmitting a preset setting signal to at least one content reproduction apparatus among the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses so as to set the synchronous state of the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses according to the preset selected in the voice data.

17. The control method according to claim 16, further comprising:

performing voice recognition on the acquired voice data; and

generating the preset setting signal according to a result of the voice recognition.

18. A control method of a content reproduction system including a voice input apparatus and a command processing apparatus, the method comprising:

acquiring a current synchronous state of a first plurality of content reproduction apparatuses, the current synchronous state indicating a master and slave relationship among the first plurality of content reproduction apparatuses;

generating voice data by the voice input apparatus;

acquiring the generated voice data that indicates a selection of a preset from among a plurality of presets, set in advance, regarding a synchronous state of a second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses, the synchronous state of the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses indicating a master and slave relationship among the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses;

comparing the acquired current synchronous state of the first plurality of content reproduction apparatuses indicating the master and slave relationship among the first plurality of content reproduction apparatuses with the synchronous state of the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses indicating the master and slave relationship among the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses and included in the selected preset;

generating a synchronous state cancel signal based on a result of the comparing of the acquired current synchronous state of the first plurality of content reproduction apparatuses indicating the master and slave relationship among the first plurality of content reproduction apparatuses with the synchronous state of the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses indicating the master and slave relationship among the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses and included in the selected preset;

transmitting the synchronous state cancel signal for canceling a current synchronous state of at least some of the first plurality of content reproduction apparatuses, the current synchronous state of the at least some of the first plurality of content reproduction apparatuses indicating a master and slave relationship among the at least some of the first plurality of content reproduction apparatuses; and

transmitting a preset setting signal to at least one content reproduction apparatus among the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses so as to set the synchronous state of the second plurality of content reproduction apparatuses according to the preset selected in the acquired voice data.

19. The control method according to claim 18, further comprising:

converting a format of the voice data generated by the voice input apparatus; and

transmitting the voice data having the converted format to the command processing apparatus.