SOUND OUTPUT CONTROL DEVICE AND SOUND OUTPUT CONTROL METHOD

• US 20090154720A1
• Filed: 12/04/2008
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: OKI, Yutaka
• Application Number:
  US12/328,061
• Publication Number:
  US 20090154720A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/74
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/01 Input selection or mixing for amplifiers or loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an output control module detects whether a wearing state of the first headphone and the second headphone is a first state in which both the first headphone and the second headphone are worn on the human body, or a second state in which one of the first headphone and the second headphone is worn on the human body and the other of the first headphone and the second headphone is not worn on the human body, sends, in a case of the first state, a left-channel audio signal and a right-channel audio signal to the first headphone and the second headphone, respectively, and generates, in a case of the second state, a monaural audio signal by mixing the left-channel audio signal and the right-channel audio signal, and sends the generated monaural audio signal to the one of the first headphone and the second headphone.

Claims

1. A sound output control device comprising:

an output control module configured to detect, based on a first wearing detection signal which is sent from a first headphone and a second wearing detection signal which is sent from a second headphone, whether a wearing state of the first headphone and the second headphone is a first state in which both the first headphone and the second headphone are worn on the human body, or a second state in which one of the first headphone and the second headphone is worn on the human body and the other of the first headphone and the second headphone is not worn on the human body, to send, in a case of the first state, a left-channel audio signal and a right-channel audio signal, which are included in a stereo audio signal which is output from a playback unit, to the first headphone and the second headphone, respectively, and to generate, in a case of the second state, a monaural audio signal by mixing the left-channel audio signal and the right-channel audio signal to send the generated monaural audio signal to the one of the first headphone and the second headphone.

2. The sound output control device of claim 1, wherein in a case of the second state, the output control module is configured to vary a volume of the generated monaural audio signal by a predetermined amount, and to send the monaural audio signal, the volume of which is varied, to the one of the first headphone and the second headphone.

3. The sound output control device of claim 1, wherein in a case of the second state, the output control module is configured to prohibit transmission of the monaural audio signal to the other of the first headphone and the second headphone.

4. The sound output control device of claim 1, wherein the output control module is configured to detect that the first headphone is worn on the human body, on condition that a value of the first wearing detection signal is continuously higher than a threshold value for a first predetermined time or more, to detect that the first headphone is not worn on the human body, on condition that the value of the first wearing detection signal is continuously the threshold value or less for the first predetermined time or more, to detect that the second headphone is worn on the human body, on condition that a value of the second wearing detection signal is continuously higher than the threshold value for a second predetermined time or more, and to detect that the second headphone is not worn on the human body, on condition that the value of the second wearing detection signal is continuously the threshold value or less for the second predetermined time or more.

5. The sound output control device of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory configured to store a volume set value which is set by a user during a period in which the wearing state of the first headphone and the second headphone is the second state; and

a volume varying module configured to read out, in a case where the wearing state of the first headphone and the second headphone is transitioned from the first state to the second state, the volume set value which is stored in the memory device, to vary a volume of the monaural audio signal, and to adjust the volume of the generated monaural audio signal to the read-out volume set value.

6. A sound playback apparatus comprising:

a first headphone including a first contact sensor, the first contact sensor being configured to detect contact of the first headphone with a human body and to output a first wearing detection signal which is indicative of whether or not the first headphone is worn on the human body;

a second headphone including a second contact sensor, the second contact sensor being configured to detect contact of the second headphone with the human body and to output a second wearing detection signal which is indicative of whether or not the second headphone is worn on the human body; and

a sound output control module configured to detect, on the basis of the first wearing detection signal and the second wearing detection signal, whether a wearing state of the first headphone and the second headphone is a first state in which both the first headphone and the second headphone are worn on the human body, or a second state in which one of the first headphone and the second headphone is worn on the human body and the other of the first headphone and the second headphone is not worn on the human body, to send, in a case of the first state, a left-channel audio signal and a right-channel audio signal, which are included in a stereo audio signal which is output from a playback unit, to the first headphone and the second headphone, respectively, and to generate, in a case of the second state, a monaural audio signal by mixing the left-channel audio signal and the right-channel audio signal, and send the generated monaural audio signal to the one of the first headphone and the second headphone.

7. The sound playback apparatus of claim 6, wherein in a case where the wearing state of the first headphone and the second headphone is the second state, the sound output control module is configured to vary a volume of the generated monaural audio signal by a predetermined amount, and to send the monaural audio signal, the volume of which is varied, to the one of the first headphone and the second headphone.

8. The sound playback apparatus of claim 6, wherein the sound output control module is provided in a player apparatus including the playback unit.

9. The sound playback apparatus of claim 6, wherein the sound output control module is provided in an additional device which is detachably connected to a player apparatus including the playback unit, the sound output control module is configured to receive the stereo audio signal which is output from the playback unit, and to transmit the received stereo audio signal to the first headphone and the second headphone.

10. The sound playback apparatus of claim 9, wherein the additional device includes a memory device configured to store a volume set value which is set by a user during a period in which the wearing state of the first headphone and the second headphone is the second state;

and

the sound output control module includes a volume varying module configured to read out, in a case where the wearing state of the first headphone and the second headphone is transitioned from the first state to the second state, the volume set value which is stored in the memory device, to vary a volume of the monaural audio signal, and to adjust the volume of the generated monaural audio signal to the read-out volume set value.

11. A sound output control method for outputting an audio signal to each of a first headphone and a second headphone, comprising:

detecting, on the basis of a first wearing detection signal which is sent from the first headphone and is indicative of whether or not the first headphone is worn on a human body and a second wearing detection signal which is sent from the second headphone and is indicative of whether or not the second headphone is worn on the human body, whether a wearing state of the first headphone and the second headphone is a first state in which both the first headphone and the second headphone are worn on the human body, or a second state in which one of the first headphone and the second headphone is worn on the human body and the other of the first headphone and the second headphone is not worn on the human body;

sending, in a case where the wearing state of the first headphone and the second headphone is the first state, a left-channel audio signal and a right-channel audio signal, which are included in a stereo audio signal which is output from a playback unit, to the first headphone and the second headphone, respectively; and

generating, in a case where the wearing state of the first headphone and the second headphone is the second state, a monaural audio signal by mixing the left-channel audio signal and the right-channel audio signal, and sending the generated monaural audio signal to the one of the first headphone and the second headphone.

12. The sound output control method of claim 11, further comprising varying a volume of the generated monaural audio signal by a predetermined amount, in a case where the wearing state of the first headphone and the second headphone is the second state.