Radio communication device, audio data reproducing method and program

• US 8,320,837 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2008
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kohno, Michinari, Yamane, Kenji, Okumura, Yasushi
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TUAN HOANG
• Application Number:
  US12/741,541
• Publication Number:
  US 20100261432A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,554 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/67.11, 455/67.13, 455/68, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.5, 342/450, 342/458
• US Class Current: 455/67.11
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/06 using intensity measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0009 by adapting the channel coding H04L1/1812 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0014 by adapting the source coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0017 where the mode-switching is based on Quality of Service requirement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/206 for modulated signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds

Abstract

Provided is a radio communication device including a communication unit, a memory unit capable of storing first audio data, a distance estimation unit that estimates a distance from an external device serving as a transmission source which transmits a radio signal based on a predetermined condition related to a field intensity and a noise component of the radio signal received by the communication unit, a communication control unit that controls the communication unit to transmit an audio data transmission request addressed to the external device serving as the transmission source based on the estimated distance estimated by the distance estimation unit, when the first audio data is being reproduced, and a reproduction control unit that adjusts a reproducing volume of the first audio data and a reproducing volume of second audio data, when the first audio data is being reproduced and the communication unit receives a radio signal corresponding to the second audio data transmitted from the external device serving as the transmission source in response to the transmission request.

Claims

1. A radio communication device comprising:

a communication unit that performs radio communication with an external device;

a memory unit capable of storing first audio data;

a distance estimation unit that estimates a distance from the external device serving as a transmission source which transmits a radio signal based on a predetermined condition related to a field intensity and a noise component of the radio signal received by the communication unit;

a communication control unit that controls the communication unit to transmit an audio data transmission request to the external device serving as the transmission source based on the estimated distance estimated by the distance estimation unit, when the first audio data stored in the memory unit is being reproduced; and

a reproduction control unit that adjusts a reproducing volume of the first audio data and a reproducing volume of second audio data that is decoded from a radio signal, when the first audio data stored in the memory unit is being reproduced and the communication unit receives the radio signal corresponding to the second audio data transmitted from the external device serving as the transmission source in response to the transmission request.

2. The radio communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the distance estimation unit includes

a measurement unit that measures the field intensity of the radio signal,

a determination unit that determines whether the radio signal satisfies the predetermined condition related to the noise component, and

an estimation unit that estimates the distance from the external device based on a determination result by the determination unit and the field intensity measured by the measurement unit.

3. The radio communication device according to claim 2,

wherein the determination unit determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied, when the noise component of the radio signal is greater than a lower limit set value and lower than an upper limit set value.

4. The radio communication device according to claim 3,

wherein, in response to a reception of a radio signal in the communication unit, the communication control unit controls the communication unit to transmit a radio signal addressed to the external device serving as the transmission source which transmits the radio signal.

5. The radio communication device according to claim 3,

wherein the communication unit receives device information indicating a transmitting power of the radio signal of the external device, which is transmitted from the external device, and

wherein the estimation unit estimates the distance from the external device serving as the transmission source of the radio signal using the device information.

6. The radio communication device according to claim 5,

wherein the estimation unit

calculates an average value of field intensities of radio signals which are determined to satisfy the predetermined condition by the determination unit,

determines in which of defined average value ranges the average value is included, and

determines that the distance from the external device serving as the transmission source of the radio signal to be a distance corresponding to the average value range which is determined to include the average value.

7. The radio communication device according to claim 6,

wherein the average value ranges and an average value calculation vary by the device information.

8. The radio communication device according to claim 5,

wherein the device information indicates a transmitting power of the radio signal of the external device serving as the transmission source of the radio signal or a type of the external device serving as the transmission source of the radio signal.

9. The radio communication device according to claim 1,

wherein, when the communication unit receives a radio signal corresponding to the second audio data in response to the transmission request, the reproduction control unit adjusts the reproducing volume of the first audio data to gradually turn down in a predetermined period of time and adjusts the reproducing volume of the second audio data to gradually turn up in a predetermined period of time in synchronization with the adjustment of the reproducing volume of the first audio data.

10. The radio communication device according to claim 9,

wherein, when the estimated distance from the external device which transmits the second audio data becomes greater than a predetermined threshold value, the reproduction control unit adjusts the reproducing volume of the first audio data to gradually turn up in a predetermined period of time and adjusts the reproducing volume of the second audio data to gradually turn down in a predetermined period of time in synchronization with the adjustment of the reproducing volume of the first audio data.

11. The radio communication device according to claim 10,

wherein the reproduction control unit

measures a first time period in a case where the estimated distance from the external device which transmits the second audio data is shorter than the predetermined threshold value,

compares the measured first time period with a second time period taken to adjust the reproducing volume of the first audio data and with a third time period taken to adjust the reproducing volume of the second audio data, when the estimated distance from the external device which transmits the second audio data becomes greater than the predetermined threshold value, and

adjusts the reproducing volume of the first audio data and the reproducing volume of the second audio data, if the first time period is longer than the second time period and than the third time period.

12. The radio communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the reproduction control unit adjusts the reproducing volume of the first audio data and the reproducing volume of the second audio data in synchronization with each other.

13. The radio communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the reproduction control unit adjusts the reproducing volume of the first audio data to gradually turn down in a predetermined period of time, when the communication unit receives a radio signal corresponding to the second audio data in response to the transmission request.

14. The radio communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the reproduction control unit adjusts the reproducing volume of the second audio data to gradually turn up in a predetermined period of time.

15. The radio communication device according to claim 1,

wherein the communication control unit

controls the communication unit to transmit a request for determination condition information to selectively transmit the transmission request, and

controls the communication unit to selectively transmit the audio data transmission request based on the estimated distance estimated by the distance estimation unit and the determination condition information transmitted from the external device in response to the request for the determination condition information.

16. The radio communication device according to claim 1,

wherein, when the distance estimation unit estimates respective distances from a plurality of external devices, the communication control unit controls to selectively transmit the transmission request to one of the plurality of external devices based on the estimated distance estimated by the distance estimation unit.

17. An audio data reproducing method applicable to a radio communication device including a communication unit for performing radio communication with one or more external devices and a memory unit for storing first audio data, comprising the steps of:

receiving a radio signal transmitted from the external device;

estimating a distance from the external device serving as a transmission source which transmits the radio signal based on a predetermined condition related to a field intensity and a noise component of the radio signal received in the step of receiving;

transmitting an audio data transmission request addressed to the external device serving as the transmission source based on the estimated distance estimated in the step of estimating, when the first audio data stored in the memory unit is being reproduced, and

adjusting a reproducing volume of the first audio data and a reproducing volume of second audio data decoded from the radio signal, when the communication unit receives the radio signal corresponding to the second audio data transmitted from the external device serving as the transmission source in response to the transmission request transmitted in the step of transmitting.

18. A program applicable to a radio communication device including a communication unit for performing radio communication with one or more external devices and a memory unit for storing first audio data, the program for causing a computer to perform the steps of:

receiving a radio signal transmitted from the external device;

estimating a distance from the external device serving as a transmission source which transmits the radio signal based on a predetermined condition related to a field intensity and a noise component of the radio signal received in the step of receiving;

transmitting an audio data transmission request addressed to the external device serving as the transmission source based on the estimated distance estimated in the step of estimating, when the first audio data stored in the memory unit is being reproduced, and

adjusting a reproducing volume of the first audio data and a reproducing volume of second audio data decoded from the radio signal, when the communication unit receives the radio signal corresponding to the second audio data transmitted from the external device serving as the transmission source in response to the transmission request transmitted in the step of transmitting.