Output sound abnormality detection device

Abstract

Provided is an output sound abnormality detection device capable of detecting an abnormality of an output system including the content of output sound. An in-vehicle device (100) is provided with: a warning sound generation unit (24) that generates an L-channel warning sound to be output and an R-channel sound having the same content as the warning sound; an amplifier (30) that amplifies and outputs these sounds; a comparator (40) that compares the signal levels of the two sounds output from the amplifier (30); and a warning sound abnormality determination unit (28) that determines the presence or absence of an abnormality in the warning sound and the amplifier (30) on the basis of the comparison result of the comparator (40).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an output sound abnormality detection device that detects abnormality in the output of a warning sound or the like. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there is known an audio amplifier for detecting abnormal operation of a power amplifier circuit used in an audio amplifier (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). In this audio amplifier, a determination unit is used to determine whether an output signal of the power amplifier circuit is abnormal while an audio signal is input from a preamplifier at a previous stage. Specifically, the determination unit is configured to include an output signal determination unit, a time measurement unit, and a comparison unit. The output signal determination unit is, for example, a comparator using a differential amplifier, and outputs an H level signal when the voltage of the output signal of the power amplifier circuit exceeds a predetermined upper threshold value V2 or is lower than a predetermined lower threshold value V1, and otherwise outputs an L level signal. When H is output from the output signal determination unit, the time measurement unit uses a timer to measure the time of continuous output of H, and provides the value Tsc to the comparison unit. The comparison unit compares the time Tsc with a predetermined specified time Tth, and when Tsc is greater than Tth, determines that the operation of the audio amplifier is abnormal.

[0003] [Prior art literature]

[0004] [Patent Document]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-304123 Summary of the invention

[0006] However, recently, there are various warning sounds that are expected to be outputted reliably and accurately, such as various warning sounds outputted into the vehicle interior. However, in the abnormality detection operation of the audio amplifier disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, when the power amplifier circuit does not operate normally, the abnormality of the operation can be detected, but there is a problem that the abnormality of the content of the sound inputted into the power amplifier circuit cannot be detected.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an output sound abnormality detection device capable of detecting an abnormality of an output system including the content of output sound.

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the output sound abnormality detection device of the present invention comprises: an output sound generating unit, which generates a first sound to be outputted, and a second sound having the same content as the first sound; an amplifying unit, which amplifies and outputs the first sound and the second sound; a comparing unit, which compares the signal levels of the first sound and the second sound outputted from the amplifying unit; and an abnormality judging unit, which judges whether there are abnormalities in the first sound generated by the output sound generating unit and the amplifying unit based on the comparison result of the comparing unit.

[0009] In addition, preferably, when the comparison unit obtains a comparison result indicating that the signal levels of the first sound and the second sound as comparison objects are different, the abnormality determination unit determines that an abnormality has occurred in the amplification unit and / or the output sound generation unit.

[0010] For the first sound of the output object, a second sound with the same content is used and compared with them. When there is no abnormality in the content of the first sound and the operation of the amplification unit, a comparison result indicating that the first sound and the second sound are the same should be obtained. Therefore, based on the comparison result, an abnormality in the output system including the content of the output sound can be detected.

[0011] In addition, it is preferred to use a 2 The first sound and the second sound are transmitted between the output sound generating unit and the amplifying unit by using the left and right channels of the data format of the S (Inter-IC Sound) standard. As a result, it is easy to synchronize the first sound and the second sound, and during the comparison operation of the comparison unit, it is possible to eliminate the detection error caused by the deviation of the input timing of the first sound and the second sound.

[0012] In addition, it is preferable that the first sound is a warning sound output to the user, so that the user can easily know whether the warning sound with high importance is normally output.

[0013] In addition, it is preferable that the second sound is produced by duplicating the warning sound. Thus, the content of the second sound can be reliably made the same as the first sound.

[0014] Preferably, the second sound includes a sound having a signal level unrelated to the first sound at a predetermined period. Thus, even if an abnormality exists in the comparison unit or a circuit after it, the abnormality can be detected based on the periodic comparison result. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing the structure of a vehicle-mounted device according to one embodiment.

[0016] Figure 2 It means according to I 2A diagram showing an example of data transmitted using the S standard.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing the L channel and R channel sounds output from the amplifier and the comparison results therebetween.

[0018] Figure 4 It means according to I 2 Figure 2 is a diagram of other examples of data transmitted by the S standard.

[0019] Figure 5 It is a diagram showing a modified example of the L channel and R channel sounds output from the amplifier and the comparison result thereof.

[0020] Figure 6 It is a diagram showing the structure of a vehicle-mounted device according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Hereinafter, a vehicle-mounted device to which an embodiment of the output sound abnormality detection device according to the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0022] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing the structure of a vehicle-mounted device 100 according to one embodiment. Figure 1 The vehicle-mounted device 100 shown detects various abnormalities of the vehicle (vehicle abnormality) and outputs warning sounds corresponding to the content of the abnormality, and detects abnormalities of the output system of the warning sound (warning sound abnormality). The vehicle-mounted device 100 includes a sensor 10, an abnormality processing unit 20, an amplifier 30, a speaker 32, and a comparator 40.

[0023] The sensor 10 measures the state of each part of the vehicle equipped with the vehicle-mounted device 100, and outputs the corresponding measured value. The abnormality processing unit 20 detects the abnormality of each part of the vehicle based on the measured value output from the sensor 10, generates a warning sound corresponding to the content of the abnormality, and determines whether there is an abnormality in the output system of the warning sound. Various contents are considered regarding the abnormality of each part of the vehicle that is the object of the warning. For example, as the sensor 10, at least one of a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a voltage sensor, a current sensor, a switch, etc. is included, and it is considered that an abnormality of the engine, an abnormal tire pressure, and a seat belt not being worn are detected as abnormal conditions. In addition, the present invention is used to determine the abnormality of the output system of the warning sound, and the specific examples of the sensor 10 and the vehicle abnormality are not limited to these.

[0024] The abnormality processing unit 20 includes a vehicle abnormality detection unit 22 , a warning sound generation unit 24 , an interruption timer 26 , and a warning sound abnormality determination unit 28 .

[0025] The vehicle abnormality detection unit 22 detects abnormalities in various parts of the vehicle based on the measurement results of the sensor 10. The warning sound generation unit 24 generates a warning sound corresponding to the content of the abnormality detected by the vehicle abnormality detection unit 20. 2 The format of the S (Inter-IC Sound) standard is used to transmit the warning sound data between the abnormality processing unit 20 and the amplifier 30. In this standard, PCM data of two channels, left and right, are transmitted through one signal line.

[0026] Figure 2 It means according to I 2 Figure 1 shows an example of data transmitted in the S standard. Figure 2 As shown, the sound data of the R channel and the sound data of the L channel are alternately transmitted via one signal line. In this embodiment, for example, the L channel is used to transmit a single-channel warning sound. In addition, the same sound data as the warning sound of the L channel is copied and stored in the R channel.

[0027] The operations of the interruption timer 26 and the warning sound abnormality determination unit 28 will be described later.

[0028] The amplifier 30 receives the sound data generated by the warning sound generating unit 24, converts and amplifies the sound data (both the L channel and the R channel) into an analog sound signal, and outputs the signal from the speaker 32. The output from the speaker 32 is the warning sound of the L channel, but the sound of the R channel having the same content is also amplified at the same time.

[0029] The comparator 40 compares the signal level of the L channel warning sound output from the amplifier 30 with the signal level of the R channel sound, and outputs an L level signal when the signal levels are the same, and outputs an H level signal when the signal levels are different.

[0030] Figure 3 1 is a diagram showing the L channel and R channel sounds output from the amplifier 30 and the comparison results thereof. The L channel sound A (warning sound) and the R channel sound are transmitted in synchronization as one serial data. Figure 3 As shown in (A), the waveforms (signal levels) of these sounds are the same. Therefore, when there is no abnormality in the warning sound output system, the signals of the same level are compared in the comparator 40, as shown in FIG. Figure 3 As shown in (B), the output of the comparator 40 becomes L level.

[0031] The interrupt timer 26 in the abnormality processing unit 20 periodically takes in the output (L level / H level) of the comparator 40, and generates an interrupt when the H level is taken in (when an abnormality occurs in the output system of the warning sound). The warning sound abnormality determination unit 28 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the output system of the warning sound by generating an interrupt. When it is determined that the abnormality has occurred, the warning sound notifying the abnormality cannot be output from the speaker 32, so a warning display is performed on a display device (not shown) to notify the user that an abnormality has occurred in the output system of the warning sound, and the user is notified by other methods.

[0032] In this way, in the vehicle-mounted device 100 of the present embodiment, the warning sound (the sound of the L channel) of the output object is compared with the sound of the R channel with the same content. When there is no abnormality in the content of the warning sound and the operation of the amplifier 30 (digital-analog conversion operation, amplification operation), a comparison result indicating that the two sounds are the same, that is, an output of an L level should be obtained. Therefore, based on this comparison result, the warning sound abnormality determination unit 28 can detect an abnormality in the output system including the content of the warning sound.

[0033] In addition, by using the I 2 The left and right channels of the S standard data format can easily synchronize the sound of the L channel as a warning sound and the sound of the R channel used for comparison therewith, and can eliminate the detection error caused by the offset of the input timing of these sounds during the comparison operation of the comparator 40.

[0034] Furthermore, by setting the target of abnormality detection to the warning sound output to the user, it is possible to easily know whether the warning sound with high importance is being output normally.

[0035] Furthermore, by duplicating the warning sound and creating the sound of the R channel to be compared with the warning sound of the L channel, the content of the sound of the R channel can be reliably made the same as the warning sound of the L channel.

[0036] In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications can be implemented within the scope of the gist of the present invention. 2 The sound data of the S standard includes the sound of the R channel having exactly the same content as the warning sound of the L channel, but the sound of the R channel may include a sound having a signal level unrelated to the warning sound of the L channel at a predetermined period.

[0037] Figure 4 It means according to I 2 Figure 1 shows another example of data transmitted in the S standard. Figure 4In the example shown, the L channel includes audio data representing a warning sound, whereas the R channel includes audio data representing 0 (corresponding to a signal of 0 level) at every fixed period.

[0038] Figure 5 1 is a diagram showing a modified example of the L channel and R channel sounds output from the amplifier 30 and the comparison results thereof. The warning sound of the L channel and the sound of the R channel are basically the same, but the sound of the R channel temporarily becomes 0 level at a certain period ( Figure 5 (A)), so the output of the comparator 40 also temporarily becomes the H level at a certain period. Therefore, an interrupt is generated at a certain period by the interrupt timer 26. The warning sound abnormality determination unit 28 can confirm that the comparator 40 and its subsequent circuits (interrupt timer 26, etc.) are operating normally through the interrupt generated at the certain period. In addition, when an interrupt is generated at a timing other than the certain period, it is determined that the content of the warning sound and the output system are abnormal, which is the same as the case of the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0039] In the above-described embodiment, the two sounds (the warning sound of the L channel and the sound of the R channel) output from the amplifier 30 are compared using the comparator 40 . However, the comparator 40 may be replaced with an analog adder.

[0040] Figure 6 It is a diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle-mounted device 100A according to a modified example. Figure 6 The vehicle-mounted device 100A shown is Figure 1 The difference of the vehicle-mounted device 100 shown is that the comparator 40 is replaced by an analog adder 40A. The analog adder 40A performs analog addition operation on the sound (warning sound) of the L channel inputted non-inverted and the sound of the R channel inputted inverted. Since the sound of the R channel is inputted inverted, the signal level of the sound of the R channel is subtracted from the signal level of the warning sound of the L channel in the analog adder 40A. Therefore, when the signal levels of the warning sound of the L channel and the sound of the R channel are the same, the output of the analog adder 40A becomes the L level, and the same signal level as that of the R channel is obtained. Figure 1 In addition, when the signal levels of the warning sound of the L channel and the sound of the R channel are different, the output of the analog adder 40A becomes a level greater than the L level according to the difference between them, and an interruption of the interrupt timer 26 is generated based on the level information, and an abnormality determination is performed by the warning sound abnormality determination unit 28.

[0041] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, according to I 2In the above-mentioned embodiment, the sound to be output is set as a warning sound, but the present invention can also be applied to a structure that outputs sounds other than warning sounds, such as specific broadcast sounds, etc.

[0042] [Industrial Availability]

[0043] As described above, according to the present invention, the warning sounds of the output objects are compared using sounds with the same content. When there is no abnormality in the content of the warning sound and the operation of the amplifier 30, a comparison result indicating that the two sounds are the same should be obtained. Therefore, based on the comparison result, an abnormality in the output system including the content of the warning sound can be detected.

[0044] [Explanation of Reference Numerals]

[0045] 10 Sensors

[0046] 20 Exception handling department

[0047] 22 Vehicle Abnormality Detection Department

[0048] 24 Warning sound generation unit

[0049] 26 Interrupt Timer

[0050] 28 Warning sound abnormality determination unit

[0051] 30 Amplifier

[0052] 32 Speakers

[0053] 40 Comparator

[0054] 40A Analog Adder

[0055] 100, 100A vehicle mounted device.

Claims

1. An output sound abnormality detection device, characterized in that: have: an output sound generating unit for generating a first sound to be output and a second sound having the same content as the first sound; an amplifying unit, amplifying and outputting the first sound and the second sound; a comparing unit for comparing the signal levels of the first sound and the second sound outputted from the amplifying unit; as well as The abnormality determination unit determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the first sound generated by the output sound generation unit and the amplification unit based on the comparison result of the comparison unit.

2. The output sound abnormality detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The abnormality determination unit determines that an abnormality has occurred in the amplification unit and / or the output sound generation unit when the comparison unit obtains a comparison result indicating that the signal levels of the first sound and the second sound as comparison targets are different.

3. The output sound abnormality detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Use in accordance with I 2 The S standard is the left and right channels of the data format of the built-in audio standard of the integrated circuit, and the first sound and the second sound are transmitted between the output sound generating unit and the amplifying unit.

4. The output sound abnormality detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first sound is a warning sound output to the user.

5. The output sound abnormality detection device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The second sound is produced by replicating the warning sound.

6. The output sound abnormality detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second sound includes a sound having a signal level independent of the first sound at a predetermined period.

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