SOUND SIGNAL OUTPUT APPARATUS AND SOUND SIGNAL OUTPUT METHOD

• US 20120207319A1
• Filed: 02/07/2012
• Published: 08/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tsuchiya, Shinpei, Asada, Kohei
• Application Number:
  US13/367,670
• Publication Number:
  US 20120207319A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/74
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3005 in amplifiers suitable for low-frequencies, e.g. audio amplifiers H03G3/32, H03G3/34 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 5/005 of digital signals
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 5/165 Equalizers; Volume or gain control in limited frequency bands
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 9/005 of digital or coded signals
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 9/025 frequency-dependent volume compression or expansion, e.g. multiple-band systems H03G9/10, H03G9/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/04 Circuit arrangements, e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S

Abstract

A sound signal output apparatus includes: a wearing state determination unit which analyzes an electric output of a connected speaker apparatus and determines whether the speaker apparatus is in a wearing state or in a non-wearing state in a user'"'"'s ear; a sound signal output processing unit which outputs a sound signal to be supplied to the speaker apparatus; and a control computation unit which computes an accumulative value of output volume in accordance with a volume level and sound output time of the sound signal, causes the sound signal output processing unit to execute volume regulation when the accumulative value reaches a regulatory value, and does not compute the accumulative value during a period in which it is determined by the wearing state determination unit that a current state is the non-wearing state.

Claims

1. A sound signal output apparatus comprising:

a wearing state determination unit which analyzes an electric output of a connected speaker apparatus and determines whether the speaker apparatus is in a wearing state or in a non-wearing state in a user'"'"'s ear;

a sound signal output processing unit which outputs a sound signal to be supplied to the speaker apparatus; and

a control computation unit which computes an accumulative value of output volume in accordance with a volume level and sound output time of the sound signal, causes the sound signal output processing unit to execute volume regulation when the accumulative value reaches a regulatory value, and does not compute the accumulative value during a period in which it is determined by the wearing state determination unit that a current state is the non-wearing state.

2. The sound signal output apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the wearing state determination unit determines the wearing state or the non-wearing state based on a change in impedance viewed from the sound signal output processing unit both in the wearing state and in the non-wearing state.

3. The sound signal output apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein a resistance component element is disposed on a sound signal transmission path from the sound signal output processing unit to the connected speaker apparatus, and

wherein the wearing state determination unit determines the wearing state or the non-wearing state based on comparison processing between a first sound signal voltage as a terminal voltage of the resistance component element on the side of the sound signal output processing unit and a second sound signal voltage as a terminal voltage of the resistance component element on the side of the speaker apparatus.

4. The sound signal output apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the wearing state determination unit performs division processing on the first sound signal voltage and the second sound signal voltage as the comparison processing to determine the wearing state or the non-wearing state from a division result.

5. The sound signal output apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the wearing state determination unit performs the division processing on a specific frequency component in each of the first sound signal voltage and the second sound signal voltage.

6. The sound signal output apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the wearing state determination unit generates the first sound signal voltage corresponding to the terminal voltage of the resistance component element on the side of the sound signal output processing unit based on sound signal voltage in the course of processing in the sound signal output processing unit and determines the wearing state or the non-wearing state by comparison processing of the generated first sound signal voltage with a difference value between the first sound signal voltage and the second sound signal voltage.

7. The sound signal output apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the wearing state determination unit generates the first sound signal voltage corresponding to the terminal voltage of the resistance component element on the side of the sound signal output processing unit based on sound signal voltage in the course of processing in the sound signal output processing unit and determines the wearing state or the non-wearing state by comparison processing of the generated first sound signal voltage with the second sound signal voltage.

8. The sound signal output apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the wearing state determination unit adds to sound signal voltage in the course of processing in the sound signal output processing unit signal compensation corresponding to processing by the sound signal output processing unit after the course of the processing and generates the first sound signal voltage.

9. The sound signal output apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the control computation unit causes the sound signal output processing unit to output a measurement signal in each of the wearing state and the non-wearing state and causes the wearing state determination unit to execute frequency response measurement relating to the first sound signal voltage and the second sound signal voltage and execute adjustment setting in accordance with a result of the frequency response measurement.

10. A sound signal output method comprising:

analyzing an electric output of a connected speaker apparatus and determining whether the speaker apparatus is in a wearing state or in a non-wearing state in a user'"'"'s ear;

computing an accumulative value of output volume in accordance with a volume level and sound output time of a sound signal to be supplied to the speaker apparatus only during a period in which it is determined that a current state is the wearing state,

executing volume regulation on the sound signal to be supplied to the speaker apparatus when the accumulative value reaches a regulatory value.