Vehicular audio apparatus, and tone generating method and program therefor

• US 20050058305A1
• Filed: 09/15/2004
• Published: 03/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Yamaki, Kiyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,155,341 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/101
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/082 to be used in vehicles H04B1/086 takes precedence; holding or mounting accessories B60R11/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/02 Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers

Abstract

In accordance with a traveling state of a vehicle, a tone indicating, for example, that the vehicle is traveling is generated as a tone of a first performance part. Also, a variation in any of various states of the vehicle, such as an operating condition of a winker or flasher, is detected, and a tone corresponding to the detected state is generated as a tone of a second performance part. For example, ensemble data including the first and second performance parts may be employed.

Claims

1. A vehicular audio apparatus comprising:

a detection device that detects a variation in a state of a vehicle; and

a tone generation device that generates a tone of a first performance part and that generates a tone of a second performance part in accordance with the variation in the state of the vehicle, detected by said detection device, in parallel with said first performance part and in such a manner that the tone of said second performance part is synchronized with said first performance part.

2. A vehicular audio apparatus as claimed in claim 1 which further comprises a control device that varies a characteristic of the tone of said first performance part or said second performance part, to be generated by said tone generation device, in accordance with the variation in the state of the vehicle detected by said detection device.

3. A vehicular audio apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said control device varies the characteristic of the tone of one of said first performance part and said second performance part which is selected on the basis of an instruction by a user.

4. A vehicular audio apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said detection device detects respective variations in a first-type state and second-type state of the vehicle, and

wherein said tone generation device generates the tone of said first performance part on the basis of detection, by said detection device, of the variation in said first-type state, and said tone generation device generates the tone of said second performance part on the basis of detection, by said detection device, of the variation in said second-type state and in synchronism or harmony with generation of the tone of said first performance part.

5. A vehicular audio apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein said first-type state is a traveling state of the vehicle, and the tone of said first performance part is generated when the vehicle is in the traveling state.

6. A vehicular audio apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said tone generation device generates the tone of said first performance part in accordance with an instruction by a human driver of the vehicle.

7. A vehicular audio apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said tone generation device generates, as the tone of said second performance part, a tone corresponding to a predetermined state of the vehicle in response to a variation in the predetermined state detected by said detection device.

8. A vehicular audio apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said detection device detects respective variations in a plurality of types of states of the vehicle, and

wherein said tone generation device is capable of simultaneously generating a plurality of types of tones of said second performance part, and said tone generation device generates one or more tones of said second performance part in synchronism with or in harmony with generation of the tone of said first performance part and in accordance with the types of states of the vehicle detected by said detection device.

9. A vehicular audio apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the variation in the state of the vehicle detected by said detection device is a variation in an operating condition of an operator member provided on the vehicle for operation by the human driver.

10. A vehicular audio apparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein said operator member is at least any one of a winker operating lever, ignition switch, accelerator pedal, brake pedal, shift lever and lamp switch.

11. A vehicular audio apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein detection, by said detection device, of the variation in the state of the vehicle includes detecting an operating condition of an engine or other equipment employed in the vehicle.

12. A vehicular audio apparatus as claimed in claim 1 which has a set of ensemble data, including at least said first performance part and said second performance part, prepared in advance, and

wherein said tone generation device performs an automatic performance sequence process based on the ensemble data including said first performance part and said second performance part, and said tone generation device performs control, in accordance with an output of said detection device, as to whether or not tone generation of said second performance part should be executed, so that, when the tone generation of said second performance part should be executed, said tone generation device allows the tone of said second performance part to be synchronized or harmonized with tone generation of said first performance part.

13. A vehicular audio apparatus as claimed in claim 1 which has a set of ensemble data, including at least said first performance part and said second performance part, prepared in advance, and

wherein said tone generation device performs an automatic performance sequence process based on the ensemble data including said first performance part and said second performance part, and

when modulation is instructed in response to an output of said detection device, said tone generation device causes said first performance part and said second performance part to modulate in a synchronized or harmonized manner.

14. A vehicular audio apparatus as claimed in claim 1 which has a plurality of sets of ensemble data, each including at least said first performance part and said second performance part, prepared in advance, and

wherein said tone generation device generates tones of said first performance part and said second performance part on the basis of one set of ensemble data selected from among said plurality of sets of ensemble data.

15. A vehicular audio apparatus comprising:

a detection device that detects a variation in a state of a vehicle;

a storage device that stores music piece data including at least first part data representative of a first performance part and second part data representative of a second performance part;

a tone generation device that generates a tone of said first performance part on the basis of said first part data stored in said storage device and that, in accordance with the variation in the state of the vehicle detected by said detection device, generates a tone of said second performance part on the basis of said second part data in parallel with said first performance part and in such a manner that the tone of said second performance part is synchronized with said first performance part; and

a control device that varies a characteristic of the tone of said first performance part or said second performance part, to be generated by said tone generation device, in accordance with the variation in the state of the vehicle detected by said detection device.

16. A vehicular audio apparatus comprising:

a detection device that detects a traveling speed of a vehicle;

a first storage device that stores music piece data including a series of event data instructing controlling of tone generation;

a second storage device that stores a table defining correspondency between possible traveling speeds of the vehicle and modulation parameters; and

a tone generation device that generates a tone based on the music piece data stored in said first storage device, with reference to the table stored in said second storage device, with a musical key designated by the modulation parameter corresponding to the traveling speed of the vehicle detected by said detection device.

17. A vehicular audio-tone generating method comprising:

a step of generating a tone of a first performance part;

a step of detecting a variation in a state of a vehicle; and

a step of generating a tone of a second performance part in accordance with the variation in the state of the vehicle, detected by said step of detecting, in parallel with said first performance part and in such a manner that the tone of said second performance part is synchronized with said first performance part.

18. A program for causing a computer to perform a vehicular audio-tone generating method comprising:

a step of generating a tone of a first performance part;

a step of detecting a variation in a state of a vehicle; and

a step of generating a tone of a second performance part in accordance with the variation in the state of the vehicle, detected by said step of detecting, in parallel with said first performance part and in such a manner that the tone of said second performance part is synchronized with said first performance part.

19. A method for generating a vehicular audio tone by use of a storage device that stores music piece data including at least first part data representative of a first performance part and second part data representative of a second performance part, said method comprising:

a step of detecting a variation in a state of a vehicle;

a step of generating a tone of said first performance part on the basis of said first part data stored in said storage device and, in accordance with the variation in the state of the vehicle detected by said step of detecting, generating a tone of said second performance part on the basis of said second part data in parallel with said first performance part and in such a manner that the tone of said second performance part is synchronized with said first performance part; and

a step of varying a characteristic of the tone of said first performance part or said second performance part, to be generated by said step of generating a tone of said first performance part, in accordance with the variation in the state of the vehicle detected by said step of detecting.

20. A program for causing a computer to perform a method for generating a vehicular audio tone by use of a storage device that stores music piece data including at least first part data representative of a first performance part and second part data representative of a second performance part, said method comprising:

a step of detecting a variation in a state of a vehicle;

a step of generating a tone of said first performance part on the basis of said first part data stored in said storage device and, in accordance with the variation in the state of the vehicle detected by said step of detecting, generating a tone of said second performance part on the basis of said second part data in parallel with said first performance part and in such a manner that the tone of said second performance part is synchronized with said first performance part; and

a step of varying a characteristic of the tone of said first performance part or said second performance part, to be generated by said step of generating a tone of said first performance part, in accordance with the variation in the state of the vehicle detected by said step of detecting.

21. A method for generating a vehicular audio tone by use of a storage device that stores music piece data including a series of event data instructing controlling of tone generation and a table defining correspondency between possible traveling speeds of the vehicle and modulation parameters, said method comprising:

a step of detecting a traveling speed of a vehicle; and

a step of generating a tone based on the music piece data stored in said storage device, with reference to the table, with a musical key designated by the modulation parameter corresponding to the traveling speed of the vehicle detected by said step of detecting.

22. A program for causing a computer to perform a method for generating a vehicular audio tone by use of a storage device that stores music piece data including a series of event data instructing controlling of tone generation and a table defining correspondency between possible traveling speeds of the vehicle and modulation parameters, said method comprising:

a step of detecting a traveling speed of a vehicle; and

a step of generating a tone based on the music piece data stored in said storage device, with reference to the table, with a musical key designated by the modulation parameter corresponding to the traveling speed of the vehicle detected by said step of detecting.