Patent Document

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/486,571, now U.S. Pat. No. ______, which claims the benefit of priority on Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-240243 filed on Sep. 19, 2008, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus and a method for adjusting audio level. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    There has been known a volume adjusting apparatus having a volume control circuit that controls the volume of an input audio signal, a user interface that is connected to the volume control circuit and capable of adjusting volume via the volume control circuit when operated by a user, an indicator that indicates an operating amount of a volume adjusting operation made to the user interface, a flash memory that stores an operation history and their audio output levels of volume adjusting operations as a volume indicated value/output level table, and a microcomputer that controls the volume control circuit. An example of such apparatus is disclosed in JP-A-2004-037823. 
         [0004]    According to this volume adjusting apparatus, the microcomputer stores a history of 100 operations as a table showing relations between a volume indicated value and an output level in the flash memory, and calculates an average value of the history of 100 operations. The microcomputer controls the indicator to display the operation amount near the average value in more detail. Accordingly, the apparatus allows the user to set a desired volume more precisely. 
         [0005]    However, there is a problem in the conventional volume adjusting apparatus that, in a case where the audio signal to be output is selected from a plurality of audio signals having different volume levels, the user is required to manually adjust the audio volume to the desired level each time the audio signal to be output is changed. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    A general configuration that implements the various feature of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings and the associated descriptions are provided to illustrate embodiments of the invention and not to limit the scope of the invention. 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram showing an image display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the image display apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram showing video information according to the embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 4A  is a schematic diagram of languages provided as audio information according to the embodiment of the present invention, and  FIG. 4B  is a schematic diagram of types of audio formats provided as audio information. 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram of setting information according to the embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is a schematic diagram showing the displayed content of the image display apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 7A  is a schematic diagram of the image display unit, on which setting items are displayed, according to the embodiment of the present invention, and  FIG. 7B  is a schematic diagram of the image display unit on which selected volume setting items are displayed. 
           [0014]      FIG. 8  is a flowchart with respect to a method of setting audio according to the embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 9  is a flowchart with respect to a method for adjusting audio according to the embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
       [0016]    Hereinafter, an embodiment of an electronic apparatus and a method for adjusting audio of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 
         [0017]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram showing an image display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. An example that an electronic apparatus of the present invention is used as an image display apparatus  1  will be described. 
         [0018]    The image display apparatus  1  is, as an example, a television receiver which is capable of receiving video information which will be described later from a digital broadcast wave or the like from the outside via an antenna (not shown) to display an image on an image display unit  14 , and of receiving video information via an interface which will be described later from an external device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) recorder or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) player (not shown) to display an image on the image display unit  14 . The image display apparatus  1  is provided with: the image display unit  14  having a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) displaying an image; a speaker unit (an audio output module)  16  that outputs audio; and an infrared receiver  21  that receives an infrared command signal transmitted from a remote control  1 A having a plurality of buttons for inputting commands. 
         [0019]    The image display apparatus  1  is further provided with an antenna terminal, an external input terminal, an user interface having a plurality of buttons (not shown) on its back face, and includes electronic components including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) for processing video information and audio information and controlling other components, a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and an HDD (storage module) inside the main body. 
         [0020]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram showing a configuration of the image display apparatus  1  according to the embodiment. The image display apparatus  1  includes a digital broadcast receiver (video receiving module)  10  that receives a television broadcast from a digital broadcast station  3 , and the output of the digital broadcast receiver  10  is connected to a signal processor  11 . The signal processor separates received video information into image information and audio information, and the output of the signal processor  11  is respectively connected to an image processor  12  and an audio processor (identification module)  15 . 
         [0021]    The output of the audio processor  15  is connected to the speaker unit  16 , and the output of the image processor  12  is connected to the image display unit  14  via an image quality processor  13  that adjusts image quality. 
         [0022]    Further, the image display apparatus  1  has an image A/D converter  17  that receives image information transmitted from an external device  4  connected to an interface (video receiving module)  23 , and an audio A/D converter  18  that receives audio information transmitted from the external device  4 . The image information and the audio information input to the image A/D converter  17  and the audio A/D converter  18  are converted from the analog signals into digital signals, and the outputs of those are respectively connected to the image processor  12  and the audio processor  15 . Note that, in a case in which the external device  4  connected to the interface  23  is a device capable of outputting digital signals, the image A/D converter  17  and the audio A/D converter  18  transmit digital signals to be input to the image processor  12  and the audio processor  15  directly. 
         [0023]    The image display apparatus  1  has a control module  19  that controls the respective components and modules via control lines shown by dotted lines in  FIG. 2 , and an user interface  20  provided with buttons and switches and the infrared receiver  21  that receives an infrared command signal from the remote control  1 A are connected to the control module  19 . 
         [0024]    The control module  19  is provided with a ROM  19 A that stores programs for controlling the respective components and modules, a RAM  19 B that temporarily stores information to assist the operation of the control module  19 , and an identification module  19 C that identifies a type of audio information  52 . 
         [0025]    Further, an HDD  22  serving as a storage module is connected to the control module  19 . The HDD  22  stores setting information  220  which will be described later therein. 
         [0026]      FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram showing video information according to the embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 4A  is a schematic diagram of languages provided as audio information according to the embodiment of the present invention, and  FIG. 4B  is a schematic diagram of types of audio formats provided as audio information. 
         [0027]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , video information  5  includes management information  50  for managing image information  51  and the audio information  52 , the image information  51  serving as information on an image to be displayed on the image display unit  14  and the and the audio information  52 . 
         [0028]    In the example described herein, a plurality of pieces of the audio information  52  are included in the video information  5 , and each of the pieces of audio information respectively correspond to different languages or different types of audio formats, for example. 
         [0029]    The video information  5  includes a plurality of pieces of audio information  52 , such as “Japanese,” “English,” “French,” “Italian,” and “Spanish,” as languages as shown in the example of  FIG. 4A . For example, a user may select an English version of audio signal by selecting “English” for the audio information  52 . 
         [0030]    The video information  5  includes a plurality of pieces of audio information  52  such as “AC3,” “E-AC3,” “MPEG1 L1/2/3,” “MPEG2 L1/2/3,” “AAC,” and “HE-AAC,” as types of audio formats as shown in the example of  FIG. 4B . For example, a user may select an AAC audio signal being encoded and decoded in AAC standard by selecting “AAC” for the audio information  52 . The audio information  52  may be configured to have a combination of the languages and types described above. That is, as an example, the audio information  52  may be information in which its language is “Japanese” and its audio format is “AAC.” 
         [0031]      FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram of setting information according to the embodiment. As shown in the example of  FIG. 5 , the setting information  220  includes: volume information  221  serving as information on volume level output from the speaker  16 , sound quality information  222  serving as information on sound quality, language information  223  indicating a type of a language selected in setting, audio format information  224  indicating a type of audio format selected in setting, and input source information  225  serving as information on an input source from which the audio information  52  is input. 
         [0032]    For example, when a specific language is selected by a user, the control module  19  is configured to retrieve the setting information  220  corresponding to the selected language from the HDD  22 , to control an output of audio in accordance with the setting information  220 . 
         [0033]    The input source information  225  is information indicating, for example, whether the video information  5  is input from the digital broadcast receiver  10  or the interface  23 . For example, the video information  5  is input to the interface  23  in a variety of input modes such as a “DTV (digital tuner),” an “ATV (analog tuner),” an “INPUT,” and an “HDMI” as its connection modes, and there are respectively differences in their volumes in some cases. Therefore, the setting information  220  which will be described later is set in accordance with an input mode of information, to adjust an output level, which makes it possible to resolve the differences in the volume levels. 
         [0034]      FIG. 6  is a schematic diagram showing the displayed content of the image display apparatus according to the embodiment.  FIG. 6  shows a situation where a language and a type of audio currently selected are displayed in a language window  14 A. The content displayed in the language window  14 A shown in  FIG. 6  shows that the language is “French” and the type of audio is in stereo by “AAC.” This language window  14 A may be displayed by pressing a predetermined button of the remote control  1 A, or may be displayed for a predetermined period after the electric power source of the image display apparatus  1  is turned on. 
         [0035]      FIG. 7A  is a schematic diagram of the image display unit, on which setting items are displayed, according to the embodiment, and  FIG. 7B  is a schematic diagram of the image display unit on which selected volume setting items are displayed.  FIG. 7A  shows a case in which items for adjusting audio are selected. 
         [0036]    As an example, the setting items  140  are, as shown in  FIG. 7A , include an icon group  141  in which icons and the like by which it is possible to switch the screen to an item to set an aspect ratio or the like of an image to be displayed on the image display unit  14  are displayed, a balance  142  which is selected to be able to move an item to adjust the balance between right and left audio, a treble  143  which is selected to be able to move to an item to adjust a high-pitched sound in audio, a bass  144  which is selected to be able to move to an item to adjust a low-pitched sound in audio, a volume  145  which is selected to be able to move to an item to adjust volume, and an icon group  146  in which a plurality of icons corresponding to the buttons of the remote control  1 A are displayed. The balance  142 , the treble  143 , the bass  144 , and the volume  145  are examples of adjustment information for adjusting an output level of audio to be output. 
         [0037]    Further, the setting items  145   a  show a screen to be displayed on the image display unit  14  after the volume  145  shown in  FIG. 7A  is selected. As an example, the setting items  145   a  includes a type of audio  145   b , a volume adjuster  145   c , and an icon group  145   d  in which a plurality of icons corresponding to the buttons of the remote control  1 A are displayed, as items which can be set. 
         [0038]    The type of audio  145   b  indicates a type of the audio information  52  shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B  as an example. The type of audio  145   b  displayed in the setting items  145   a  shown in  FIG. 7B  is an example, and may be displayed so as to combine a type of language and a type of audio format. 
         [0039]    Hereinafter, operations of the image display apparatus in the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the respective diagrams. First, a method of setting audio will be described in accordance with a flowchart shown in  FIG. 8 . 
         [0040]    The user turns on the electric power source of the image display apparatus  1 , and operates the remote control  1 A in order to view a desired program. 
         [0041]    The control module  19  of the image display apparatus  1  receives an infrared command signal emitted from the remote control  1 A via the infrared receiver  21 , to determine a channel to receive a program based on the received command signal. 
         [0042]    When the digital broadcast receiver  10  receives the video information  5  of a program supplied as a television broadcast from the digital broadcast station  3 , via an antenna (not shown) (S 1 ; Input step), the digital broadcast receiver  10  outputs the video information  5  to the signal processor  11 . The signal processor  11  performs processing for encoding or the like with respect to the video information  5  to separate the video information  5  into the image information  51  and the audio information  52 , and transmits the image information  51  to the image processor  12 . At this time, as an example, the digital broadcast receiver  10  transmits the audio information  52  corresponding to a language set in advance in the image display apparatus  1  before factory shipment, to the audio processor  15 . 
         [0043]    The image information  51  is transmitted from the image processor  12  to the image quality processor  13 , to be displayed as a picture on the image display unit  14 . The audio information  52  is output from the speaker unit  16  via the audio processor  15  (S 2 ; Output step). 
         [0044]    When the volume of the audio output from the speaker unit  16  is higher or lower than a user&#39;s desired volume, the user operates the remote control  1 A in order to adjust the volume level of the output audio, to display the setting items  140  of audio shown in  FIG. 7A  on the image display unit  14 , and selects the volume (adjustment information)  145  via the remote control  1 A. 
         [0045]    When the control module  19  receives a command signal from the remote control  1 A via the infrared receiver  21 , the control module  19  displays the setting items  145   a  of audio shown in  FIG. 7B  on the image display unit  14  (S 3 ; Setting item indicating step). 
         [0046]    The user adjusts the volume adjuster  145   c  in the setting items  145   a  shown in  FIG. 7B  to be at the desired volume via the remote control  1 A. Thereafter, the user presses a “MENU” button in the remote control  1 A in order to set the regulated volume, to complete the setting (S 4 ; Setting step). 
         [0047]    The control module  19  sets the setting information  220  such that the volume information  221  is set to a value set by the volume adjuster  145   c , the language information  223  is set to “French,” the audio format information  224  is set to “AAC,” and the input source information  225  is set so that the audio signal is input from the digital broadcast receiver  10 . The control module  19  stores the setting information  220  in the HDD  22  (S 5 ; Storage step), to complete the setting. 
         [0048]    Next, the method for adjusting audio will be described in accordance with a flowchart shown in  FIG. 9 . 
         [0049]    When a currently selected audio signal is not a user&#39;s desired audio in viewing a program, the user selects a desired language, for example, audio in “French” by the remote control  1 A (S 10 ; Selection step). 
         [0050]    When the control module  19  receives a command signal to select “French” via the remote control  1 A and the infrared receiver  21 , the control module  19  controls the digital broadcast receiver  10  to transmit the audio information  52  corresponding to “French” to the signal processor  11 . In the description herein, as an example, the type of the audio is assumed to be “AAC.” 
         [0051]    The identification module  19 C of the control module  19  identifies that the language information  223  is set to “French,” the audio format information  224  is set to “AAC,” and the input source information  225  is set to receive the audio signal from the digital broadcast receiver  10 , and the control module  19  extracts the setting information  220  corresponding to the identified result from the HDD  22  (S 11 ; Extraction step). 
         [0052]    When the setting information  220  corresponds to “French” exists, the control module  19  controls the audio processor  15  based on the setting information  220  to adjust, for example, the volume of the audio to output the audio from the speaker unit  16  (S 12 ; Adjustment step). 
         [0053]    Since the image display apparatus  1  is capable of storing volume of each different language as the setting information  220  even in a case in which a plurality of languages included in a program each has different volume, there is no need for a user to adjust the volume at the time of viewing an image in a same setting the next time, which is highly convenient. 
         [0054]    Since the image display apparatus  1  is capable of storing volume of each different input source as the setting information  220  even in a case in which the input sources from which the video information  5  is input are different from one another and each input source has different volume, there is no need for the user to adjust the volume at the time of viewing an image input from a same input source next time, which is highly convenient. 
         [0055]    Since the image display apparatus  1  is capable of storing volume of each type of a different audio format as the setting information  220  even in a case in which the types of the audio formats of the audio information  52  are different from one another and each type of the audio formats has different volume, there is no need for the user to adjust the volume at the time of viewing an image in a same audio format next time, which is highly convenient. 
         [0056]    Since the image display apparatus  1  is capable of setting volume, sound quality, balance between right and left audio, and the like as the setting information  220 , to adjust the audio by combining it with the above conditions, there is no need for the user to perform settings in detail, which is highly convenient. 
         [0057]    The image display apparatus  1  may be configured to prepare the setting information  220  to adjust audio on each channel. 
         [0058]    Further, in the present embodiment, the example of the image display apparatus as the electronic apparatus of the present invention has been described. However, the electronic apparatus of the present invention may be a personal computer. For example, the personal computer may be configured to be capable of adjusting audio depending on a language or the like as described above when the personal computer receives video information from a network. Further, the present invention can be applied to an electronic apparatus having a function of receiving a television broadcast or an electronic apparatus capable of using video information from an external device as an input source. 
         [0059]    Moreover, the electronic apparatus of the present invention may be an electronic apparatus having a storage medium device that fetches video information therein via a storage medium built-in. 
         [0060]    Although the embodiments according to the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments but can be variously modified. 
         [0061]    Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described herein. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Technology Category: 5