JP7729532B2 - Audio data playback system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an audio data playback system consisting of a management device and multiple speaker devices.

Teleworking is becoming increasingly common as a result of work style reforms and infection prevention measures. Companies are managing and supervising their employees by monitoring the operating status of each employee's computer and receiving reports from each employee.

When working remotely, it becomes difficult for companies to manage employees through internal announcements, as they have done in the past (for example, managing work hours by ringing chimes at the start, end of breaks, and end of work, or managing health by playing audio for exercises).

Conventional simultaneous broadcasting systems using multiple speakers have existed (for example, JP 2011-4319 A (Patent Document 1) and JP 4140721 A (Patent Document 2)).

JP 2011-4319 A Patent No. 4140721

However, conventional broadcast systems are designed to broadcast the same content unilaterally to everyone. During telework, broadcasts must be tailored to employees in different environments with different attributes, and they cannot be used directly to manage employees working remotely.

Furthermore, conventional audio distribution systems did not include an audio data playback system that distributes audio data selected by an administrator to one or more speakers selected by the administrator from multiple speakers.

The object of the present invention is to provide an audio data playback system that distributes one or more types of audio data from multiple types of audio data to one or more selected speaker devices.

In particular, a specific object of the present invention is to provide an audio data playback system that can distribute audio to each employee working remotely, similar to an internal broadcast.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an audio data playback system that plays one or more types of audio data from multiple types of audio data on one or more selected speaker devices.

The present invention relates to an audio data playback system comprising a management device and multiple speaker devices that are connected to the management device via a telecommunications line and are driven by drive signals based on audio data to play back the audio data.

In the audio data playback system of the present invention, each of the multiple speaker devices has an identifier storage unit that stores a unique identifier for identifying the speaker device, and the management device has an audio data storage unit that stores multiple types of audio data, a speaker device selection unit that uses the unique identifier to select one or more speaker devices to which the audio data is to be distributed, an audio data selection unit that selects one or more types of audio data to be distributed from the multiple types of audio data, and an audio data distribution unit that distributes the one or more types of audio data selected by the audio data selection unit to the one or more speaker devices selected by the speaker device selection unit.

The audio data distribution unit distributes one or more types of audio data selected by the audio data selection unit to one or more speaker devices selected by the speaker device selection unit (in other words, a group of speaker devices consisting of one or more speaker devices). Therefore, any audio data selected from the plurality of audio data can be distributed to the selected one or more speaker devices (group of speaker devices). In other words, by distributing one or more types of audio data to one or more groups selected from a plurality of speaker device groups consisting of one or more speaker devices, it becomes possible to distribute different audio data to each group.
This allows you to deliver, for example:
・Distributing audio data of chimes at the start, end, and end of work to all employees (speaker devices of all groups). ・Distributing audio data for convening a web conference only to employees in a specific department (speaker devices belonging to a specific group). ・In companies with a shift system, distributing audio data of chimes at the start, end, and end of work that match the employee's shift (matched to the group).

In this specification, the term "audio" is a broad concept that includes sound, voice, music, etc.

The audio data playback system of the present invention can also be used as an audio signage system installed in front of supermarkets and other stores, or as a background music (BGM) distribution system. In this case, for example, speaker devices can be installed in each corner of the store, and the audio data to be played on each selected speaker device (each speaker device belonging to a selected group) can be managed from a management terminal.

The speaker device may be equipped with a status signal transmitter that transmits a status signal containing information about at least the connection status to the telecommunications line, and the management device may be capable of monitoring the connection status of multiple speaker devices to the telecommunications line based on the status signal. By monitoring the status of the speaker devices, it is possible to indirectly monitor employees working remotely (monitoring the status of the speaker devices).

The speaker device may be equipped with a volume control unit that adjusts the volume of the audio being output. Usage is up to you, but for example, employees who are teleworking can adjust the volume themselves, and employees who want to concentrate on their work or are on the phone can turn the volume to 0 (zero) so that the audio cannot be heard.

The status signal may further include information regarding the volume settings for the speaker devices, and the management device may be able to monitor the volume settings for multiple speaker devices based on the status signal. In this way, by monitoring the status of the speaker devices, it is possible to indirectly monitor employees who are teleworking.

The management device may further include a distribution reservation unit that reserves in advance the date and time for distributing one or more types of audio data. In this case, the audio data distribution unit may distribute one or more types of audio data selected by the audio data selection unit to one or more speaker devices selected by the speaker device selection unit at the reserved date and time. This allows for scheduled distribution of audio data. This makes it possible to manage employee working rhythms by ringing chimes at regular times for the start, break, and end of work, or by playing audio for exercises.

The speaker device may be connected to an external terminal via wired or wireless communication, and may be driven by a drive signal based on audio data received from the external terminal to play audio data. In this way, the speaker device can be connected to a device owned by the user, such as a smartphone or computer, and used like a regular speaker device.

The speaker device may be equipped with a history information storage unit that stores history information related to the played audio. By checking this history information, it is possible to check the usage status of the speaker device. Furthermore, according to research conducted by the inventors, listening to natural sounds helps people to feel mentally stable. Therefore, when playing natural sounds, employees can check their own mental health by checking the playback status from the history information, and managers can check the mental health of employees working remotely.

In the audio data playback system of the present invention, instead of or in addition to the management device, each of the multiple speaker devices can be equipped with an audio data storage unit. In this case, the management device can be configured to have an audio data playback command unit that causes one or more speaker devices selected by the speaker device selection unit to play one or more types of audio data selected by the audio data selection unit. In this way, by storing audio data in the speaker device's audio data storage unit in advance, there is no need to distribute the audio data when playing it, and audio data can be played stably even if the speaker device is located in a location with a poor communication environment.

In this case, the management device may further include a playback reservation unit that reserves in advance the date and time (date and time) for playing one or more types of audio data, and the audio data playback command unit may transmit a playback command to one or more speaker devices selected by the speaker device selection unit to play one or more types of audio data selected by the audio data selection unit at the reserved date and time. In this way, audio data can be scheduled for playback.

Depending on the communication environment, there may be a time lag in the time it takes for a playback command to play audio data to reach each speaker device. Therefore, if multiple speaker devices are installed close to each other, even if commands to play the same audio data are issued simultaneously, the audio from the speaker devices may be slightly out of sync, resulting in an echo-like sound. Therefore, each of the multiple speaker devices may be equipped with a time counter, and the audio data playback command unit of the management device may be configured to, when transmitting a playback command including a playback start time to play one or more types of audio data, add a time that takes into account the delay in the arrival of the playback command to the scheduled playback start time and transmit that time as the playback start time. That is, for example, if the scheduled playback start time is "10:00:00," the playback command including the playback start time would be transmitted with a playback start time of "10:00:10," taking into account delays in the arrival of the command due to network and hardware issues. In this way, even if the playback commands to play audio data arrive with delays, the playback start times across the multiple speaker devices can be synchronized to a certain extent.

The present invention can also be understood as an audio data distribution method and a computer program for distributing audio data. It can also be understood as a speaker device used in the above-mentioned audio data distribution system.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an audio data reproduction system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 10 is an example of a management screen of the audio data reproduction system displayed on a display unit of the management terminal. 10 is an example of a schedule setting screen. 10 is an example of a Play Now setting screen. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a management screen by control software for a speaker device. FIG. 10 illustrates a second embodiment of an audio data reproducing system. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a third embodiment of an audio data reproducing system. 10 is an example of a management screen of the audio data reproduction system displayed on a display unit of the management terminal.

First Embodiment
Hereinafter, an embodiment (first embodiment) of the audio data reproducing system 1 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, in which the audio data reproducing system 1 is used as a speaker device distributed to teleworking employees.

The audio data playback system 1 is composed of a management device 3 and multiple speaker devices 5 (5a, 5b, etc.) connected via a telecommunications line NW. The management device 3 is composed of a management terminal 7 used by the manager and a management server 9. In this example, the speaker devices 5 are located in the homes of employees working remotely, and the management terminals 7 are located in the company's management department or the homes of the employees' managers.

Each speaker device 5 includes an identifier storage unit 5A that stores a unique identifier (device ID) for identifying the speaker device 5, a status signal transmission unit 5B that transmits a status signal containing the status of the speaker device, a volume adjustment unit 5C, and a communication unit 5D that is connected to the telecommunications line NW. It can also be connected to an external terminal via wired or wireless communication means to play audio data.

The management terminal 7 may be a mobile phone, smartphone, tablet PC, personal computer, etc., but is not limited to these. The management terminal 7 includes a display unit 7A with a display screen, an operation unit 7B operated by the administrator, a control unit 7C that controls programs, a data storage unit 7D, and a communication unit 7E connected to the telecommunications line NW. A control program for controlling multiple speaker devices is pre-installed in the data storage unit 7D of the management terminal 7. By executing the control program using the control unit 7C, the management server 9 can be accessed via the telecommunications line NW and a management screen (Figure 2) can be displayed on the display unit 7A. In this embodiment, one management terminal 7 is shown, but it is also possible to prepare multiple management terminals 7 and manage multiple speaker devices using multiple management terminals 7.

The management server 9 includes an audio data storage unit 9A, a speaker device selection unit 9B, an audio data selection unit 9C, an audio data distribution unit 9D, a status monitoring unit 9E, a distribution reservation unit 9F, and a communication unit 9G connected to the telecommunications line NW. The management terminal 7 can access these components via the management screen (Figure 2). The audio data storage unit 9A stores multiple types of audio data. In this specification, the term "audio" is a broad concept that includes sound, voice, music, etc. The speaker device selection unit 9B uses a unique identifier to select one or more speaker devices 5 to which the audio data is to be distributed. The audio data selection unit 9C selects one or more types of audio data to be distributed from multiple types of audio data. The audio data distribution unit 9D distributes one or more types of audio data selected by the audio data selection unit 9C to one or more speaker devices 5 selected by the speaker device selection unit 9B. The status monitoring unit 9E monitors the status of the speaker devices 5 based on status signals from the speaker devices 5. The distribution reservation unit 9F reserves the date and time for distributing one or more types of audio data in advance.

Figure 2 shows an example of the management screen for the audio data playback system 1 displayed on the display unit 7A of the management terminal 7.

The operating status display section 15 displays the device ID, display name, connection status (online, offline, or playing music), and set volume of the registered speaker device 5.

The monitor target management button 17 is used to register or delete speaker devices 5 if the number of registered speaker devices 5 increases or decreases.

The audio source data management button 19 is a button for previewing, adding, and deleting multiple types of audio data to be distributed.

The calendar display section 21 is where you schedule the delivery date and time. Pressing the button set in the date section displays the schedule setting screen shown in Figure 3. The schedule setting screen displays setting sections for the speaker device selection section 9B, audio data selection section 9C, and delivery reservation section 9F. By setting these sections, you can deliver one or more selected types of audio data to the selected speaker devices 5 (speaker devices 5 belonging to the selected group) on the scheduled date and time. This makes it possible to ring chimes at the regular times for the start, break, and end of work, or to play audio for performing exercises.

The Play Now setting button 23 is used to immediately distribute the specified audio data regardless of the schedule. Pressing the button displays the Play Now setting screen shown in Figure 4. The Play Now setting screen displays setting sections for the speaker device selection section 9B and the audio data selection section 9C, and by making settings, one or more selected types of audio data can be distributed to the selected speaker devices 5 (speaker devices 5 belonging to the selected group).

The menu button 25 is used to confirm, change, and log out of the administrator account. You can also select options such as whether the calendar starts on Sunday or Monday.

Figure 5 shows the management screen for the control program of the speaker device 5 installed on a smartphone. This control program is used by the direct user of the speaker device 5, i.e., an employee working remotely. In this example, the smartphone and speaker device 5 are connected via wireless communication means such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). The sound source to be played can be selected from the sound source list 27, and the volume and other settings can be set from the playback control panel 29. In this embodiment, natural sounds such as the sound of waves can be selected as the sound source. Various settings and history information about played audio can also be viewed from the menu button 31.

Second Embodiment
Fig. 6 shows an embodiment (second embodiment) in which the audio data reproducing system of the present invention is used as a BGM (background music) distribution system. The configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment. In Fig. 6, the same components as those in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 are designated by reference numerals that are 100 larger than the reference numerals designated in Fig. 1, and their description will be omitted.

In this embodiment, speaker devices 105 (105a to 105d) are placed in various locations within the store, and the management terminal 107 (107a to 107c in this example) manages the audio data to be played on each speaker device selected (each speaker device belonging to a selected group). In this embodiment, the management server 109 includes a streaming server that stores music as audio data as the audio data storage unit 109A.

Third Embodiment
7 and 8 show an embodiment (third embodiment) in which the audio data reproducing system of the present invention is used as a BGM (background music) distribution system. In Fig. 7 and Fig. 8, the same components as those in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 are designated by reference numerals that are 200 greater than the reference numerals designated in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, and their explanations are omitted.

In this embodiment, the speaker device 205 further includes a time counting unit 205E and an audio data storage unit 205F. Furthermore, the management server 209 of the management device 203 includes an audio data playback command unit 209D'.

The time counted by the time counting unit 205E is periodically set to Japan Standard Time based on the Japan Standard Time provided by the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) through the "NICT Internet Time Supply Service" (it may, of course, be synchronized with other time supply services or the clock function of the management terminal 207. In addition, in countries other than Japan, it may be set to the standard time of that country).

The audio data storage unit 205F pre-stores the audio data to be played (particularly background music in this example). It is also possible to obtain and store new audio data from the audio data storage unit 209A of the management server 209.

The audio data playback command unit 209D' sends a playback command to one or more speaker devices 205 selected by the speaker device selection unit 209B to play one or more types of audio data selected by the audio data selection unit 209C.

In this embodiment, each speaker device 205 has audio data, so playback of the audio data can be started simply by sending a playback command from the management server 209. This makes it possible to stably play audio data even if the speaker device 205 is located in a location with a poor communication environment.

Figure 8 shows an example of the management screen for the audio data playback system 201 displayed on the display unit 207A of the management device 207.

The operating status display section 215 displays the device ID, display name, connection status (online, offline, or playing music) of the registered speaker device 205, the set volume, and the name of the song (audio data) being played from the speaker device.

In addition, the operating status display unit 215 has check boxes 233, which are the settings section of the speaker device selection unit 209B, located in the column for each speaker device 205, and the settings section 235 of the audio data selection unit 209C is located to the right of the operating status display unit 215. This allows the administrator to control the speaker device 205 with the simple operation of selecting the check box 233 corresponding to the speaker device to which they want to send a playback command, and then selecting the audio data in the settings section 235.

Note that, depending on the communication environment, there may be a difference in the time it takes for a playback command to play audio data to reach each speaker device. Therefore, if multiple speaker devices are installed close to each other, even if commands to play the same audio data are issued simultaneously, the audio from the speaker devices may be slightly out of sync, resulting in an echo-like sound. Therefore, in this embodiment, when a playback command is sent, the playback start time is calculated by adding an amount of time that takes into account the delay in the arrival of the playback command to the scheduled playback start time. That is, for example, if the scheduled playback start time is "10:00:00," the playback command including the playback start time is set to "10:00:10," taking into account the delay in the arrival of the command that may occur due to network and hardware issues. (The added time is an example, and can be increased or decreased depending on the communication environment.) In this way, even if the playback commands to play audio data arrive with delays, the playback start times across multiple speaker devices can be synchronized to a certain extent.

The above embodiment has been described as an example, and the present invention is not limited to this embodiment as long as it does not deviate from the gist of the invention. For example, it can also be used as audio signage placed in front of a supermarket or other store. In this case, for example, speaker devices can be placed in each corner of the store, and the audio data to be played on each speaker device selected from a management terminal (each speaker device belonging to a selected group) can be managed.

1 Audio data distribution system 3 Management device 5 Speaker device 5A Identifier storage unit 5B Status signal transmission unit 5C Volume adjustment unit 5D Communication unit 7 Management terminal 7A Display unit 7B Operation unit 7C Control unit 7D Data storage unit 7E Communication unit 9 Management server 9A Audio data storage unit 9B Speaker device selection unit 9C Audio data selection unit 9D Audio data distribution unit 9E Status monitoring unit 9F Distribution reservation unit 9G Communication unit 15 Operation status display unit 17 Monitor target management button 19 Audio source data management button 21 Calendar display unit 23 Play now setting button 25 Menu button 27 Audio source list 29 Playback control panel 31 Menu button

Claims (6)

A management device;
a plurality of speaker devices connected to the management device via a telecommunications line and driven by a drive signal based on audio data to reproduce the audio data ;
each of the plurality of speaker devices includes an identifier storage unit that stores a unique identifier for identifying the speaker device;
The management device
a display unit having a display screen, an operation unit operated by an administrator, a control unit for controlling programs, a data storage unit, a management terminal having a communication unit connected to the electric communication line, and a management server;
The management server
a voice data storage unit that stores a plurality of types of voice data;
a speaker device selection unit that uses the unique identifier to select one or more of the speaker devices to which the audio data is to be distributed;
an audio data selection unit that selects one or more types of audio data to be distributed from the plurality of types of audio data;
an audio data distribution unit that distributes the one or more types of audio data selected by the audio data selection unit to the one or more speaker devices selected by the speaker device selection unit ;
a distribution reservation unit for reserving in advance a date and time for distributing the one or more types of audio data;
an audio data reproduction system in which the audio data distribution unit distributes the one or more types of audio data selected by the audio data selection unit to the one or more speaker devices selected by the speaker device selection unit at a reserved date and time,
The display unit of the management terminal has a Play Now Setting button for immediately distributing the specified audio data regardless of a schedule, and when the Play Now Setting button is pressed, a Play Now Setting screen is displayed having setting sections for the speaker device selection unit and the audio data selection unit, and the administrator sets the setting sections so that the audio data distribution unit distributes the selected one or more types of audio data to the selected speaker device.This audio data playback system is characterized by the above. the speaker device includes a status signal transmitting unit that transmits a status signal containing information about at least a connection status of the telecommunications line;
2. The audio data reproducing system according to claim 1 , wherein the management device is capable of monitoring the connection states of the plurality of speaker devices to the telecommunications line based on the status signal. 3. The audio data reproducing system according to claim 2 , wherein the speaker device includes a volume control unit for adjusting the volume of the audio to be output. the state signal further includes information about a volume state set in the speaker device;
4. The audio data reproducing system according to claim 3 , wherein the management device is capable of monitoring the volume levels set in the plurality of speaker devices based on the status signal. The audio data playback system described in claim 1, wherein the speaker device is connected to an external terminal via wired or wireless communication means and is driven by a drive signal based on audio data received from the external terminal to play audio data. 6. The audio data reproducing system according to claim 1 , wherein the speaker device includes a history information storage unit for storing history information relating to the reproduced audio.