Timepiece, voice reproduction method, and program

Abstract

To provide a timepiece, a voice reproduction method, and a program which reduce power consumption during voice reading aloud.SOLUTION: A timepiece includes: a storage part for storing reproduction voice information having a first portion which includes a noun indicating a function held by the timepiece or a noun indicating time or an hour and a second portion other than the first portion; and an output part for relatively decreasing the volume of voice in the second portion more than that in the first portion among the reproduction voice information, so as to execute reproduction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a clock, an audio reproducing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Clocks that announce the time and the like by reading out aloud have been disclosed in the past (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Jikko No. 61-2953 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Generally, when reading out loud, if redundant information is read out to the user, it takes unnecessary time to read out. Also, when reading out loud, it is necessary to drive the built-in speaker of the watch, so if it takes a long time to read out loud, more power will be consumed. However, the above-described conventional techniques have the problem that they are unable to reduce power consumption during voice reading. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One embodiment of the present invention is a watch comprising: a memory unit that stores playback audio information including a first part that includes a noun indicating a function of the watch or a noun indicating the time or hour, and a second part other than the first part; and an output unit that plays back the second part of the playback audio information at a volume that is relatively lower than the volume of the first part.

[0006] One embodiment of the present invention is an audio playback method comprising: acquiring playback audio information including a first part including a noun indicating a function of a watch or a noun indicating the time or hour, and a second part other than the first part; and playing back the second part of the playback audio information at a volume that is relatively lower than the volume of the first part.

[0007] One embodiment of the present invention is a program for causing a computer provided in an electronic watch to acquire playback audio information including a first part including a noun indicating a function of the watch or a noun indicating the time or hour, and a second part other than the first part, and playing back the second part of the playback audio information at a volume that is relatively lower than the volume of the first part. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a clock, an audio playback method, and a program that can reduce power consumption during a voice readout. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of a timepiece according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a control unit according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] 10 is a diagram showing an example of an arrangement of audio elements output by an output unit of the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of hourly voice information according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of speech information according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of morning / afternoon audio information according to the present embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional audio information according to the present embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of sentence-initial voice information according to the present embodiment. [Figure 9]FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of end-of-sentence speech information according to the present embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of operation of the control device of the present embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a voice reading pattern by the clock of the present embodiment. [Figure 12] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of an output level of a voice read out in a normal playback mode according to the present embodiment. [Figure 13] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of an output level of a voice read out in a power saving mode according to the present embodiment. [Figure 14] 10 is a diagram showing an example of current consumption when a voice is read aloud in the normal playback mode of the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 15] 10 is a diagram showing an example of current consumption when a voice is read aloud in the reduced power consumption mode of the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 16] 10 is a diagram showing an example of the battery supply voltage when a voice is read out in the power consumption reduction mode of the present embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an example of the appearance of a watch 1 according to this embodiment. Watch 1 is, for example, a wristwatch with a voice notification function. Watch 1 comprises a watch body 10 and a band 2. Band 2 is attached to watch body 2, and watch body 10 is worn by wrapping it around the user's arm (for example, wrist).

[0011] The watch body 10 includes an operation button 11, a speaker 12, a display unit 13, a battery 14, and a control device 100. The operation button 11 is operated by a user and transmits the user's instruction to the control device 100. The speaker 12 outputs sound (for example, voice) based on the control of the control device 100.

[0012] The display unit 13 includes, for example, a multi-segment (for example, 7-segment) or dot-matrix liquid crystal display, and displays the date and time (for example, the current time) under the control of the control device 100.

[0013] Battery 14 is housed inside watch body 10 and supplies operating power to control device 100. Battery 14 may be a non-rechargeable primary battery, or it may be a secondary battery or large-capacity capacitor that can be charged using power generated by a solar cell (not shown) or power generation mechanism (not shown) included in watch 1, or power supplied from an external power source (not shown).

[0014] The control device 100 includes a control unit 110 and a storage unit 120. The control device 100 operates using power supplied from a battery 14. The control unit 110 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and provides various functions based on programs and data stored in the storage unit 120. The functional configuration of the control unit 110 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0015] 2 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control unit 110 of this embodiment. The control device 100 includes, as its functional units, a reception unit 111, a condition acquisition unit 112, a selection unit 113, a timing unit 114, and an output unit 115.

[0016] The reception unit 111 receives an instruction ST to start audio playback. The start instruction ST is output when a condition is met, such as a predetermined timing such as every hour on the hour, a start time indicated by schedule information (not shown) stored in the storage unit 120, or schedule information obtained by a communication unit (not shown) via wireless or wired communication from an external device that supplies the schedule information.

[0017] The start instruction ST may also be, for example, a user's operation of the operation button 11. That is, the reception unit 111 may detect a user's operation and receive the detected operation. In one example of the present embodiment, the start instruction ST is described as being output from the operation button 11 when the user operates the operation button 11 (for example, the operation button 11-1; the same applies in the following description). In this example, when the user operates the operation button 11, audio playback is started.

[0018] The condition acquisition unit 112 acquires the operating conditions for audio playback. The operating conditions for audio playback are conditions for determining the playback mode MD for audio playback.

[0019] The selection unit 113 selects a playback mode MD according to the operating conditions acquired by the condition acquisition unit 112 . In one example of this embodiment, the playback mode MD includes a normal playback mode MD1 and a reduced power consumption mode MD2. The normal playback mode MD1 is a mode in the playback mode MD in which the volume and time of the voice read out by the clock 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as volume) is normal volume. The low power consumption mode MD2 is a mode of the playback mode MD in which the power consumption during reading is reduced compared to the normal playback mode MD1.

[0020] That is, the selection unit 113 selects a playback mode MD according to the operating conditions acquired by the condition acquisition unit 112 from among playback modes MD that include at least a normal playback mode MD1 and a power consumption reduction mode MD2 in which power consumption during reading is reduced more than that of the normal playback mode MD1. The reduced power consumption mode MD2 may also be referred to as the low power consumption mode. In the reduced power consumption mode MD2 (low power consumption mode), there are parts where the volume read out by the watch 1 is lower than the volume in the normal playback mode MD1. That is, in the reduced power consumption mode MD2, there are parts where the volume read out by the watch 1 is relatively low.

[0021] The timekeeping unit 114 has a calendar function and a clock function (or either the calendar function or the clock function), and generates date and time information that indicates the current date and time. The date and time information includes date information such as the current year, month, day, and day of the week, and time information such as AM / PM, hour, minute, and second in the 12-hour system. Note that the date and time information does not necessarily include any of the exemplified date information and time information (for example, information on the day of the week or information on the seconds). The timekeeping unit 114 outputs the generated date and time information to the output unit 115.

[0022] The output unit 115 outputs the date and time information generated by the clock unit 114 to the display unit 13. As a result, the display unit 13 displays the date and time based on the date and time information generated by the clock unit 114. In other words, the display unit 13 functions as a clock that displays the date and time information.

[0023] Furthermore, the output unit 115 outputs a sound based on the date and time information generated by the clock unit 114 to the speaker 12. As a result, the speaker 12 outputs a sound of the date and time based on the date and time information generated by the clock unit 114. In this embodiment, the timepiece 1 outputting sound from the speaker 12 is also referred to as "playing sound." An example of sound output by the output unit 115 will be described with reference to Fig. 3.

[0024] 3 is a diagram showing an example of an arrangement of audio elements 200 output by the output unit 115 of this embodiment. In this example of this embodiment, audio indicating the current date and time is composed of a plurality of elements 200 arranged in chronological order. The elements 200 include arranged sentence elements 210, date elements 220, and time elements 230. In addition, the audio may include silent intervals BR arranged between the plurality of elements 200 arranged in chronological order.

[0025] The sentence elements 210 include a sentence start element 211 and a sentence end element 241. The sentence start element 211 is an expression placed at the beginning of a sentence when the date and time are read out (for example, "I'm home" in Japanese or "It's" in English). The sentence end element 241 is an expression placed at the end of a sentence when the date and time are read out (for example, "desu" in Japanese). Note that, depending on the language system, there may be cases where the sentence start element 211 or the sentence end element 241 does not exist when the date and time are read out.

[0026] The date element 220 includes a year element 221, a month element 222, a day element 223, and a day of the week element 224. The year element 221 is the part of the sentence that reads out the date and time that represents the year. The month element 222 is the part of the sentence that reads out the date and time that represents the month. The day element 223 is the part of the sentence that reads out the date and time that represents the day. The day of the week element 224 is the part of the sentence that reads out the date and time that represents the day of the week. Note that there may be cases where the output unit 115 does not reproduce the date but only the time. There may also be cases where the output unit 115 does not reproduce part of the date (for example, the year, month, or day of the week). In such cases, all or part of the date elements 220 may be omitted.

[0027] The time element 230 includes an AM / PM element 231, an hour element 232, a minute element 233, and a second element 234. The AM / PM element 231 is a portion of the sentence that reads out the date and time in a 12-hour format that indicates whether it is AM or PM. The hour element 232 is a portion of the sentence that reads out the date and time that indicates the hour. The minute element 233 is a portion of the sentence that reads out the date and time that indicates the minute. The second element 234 is a portion of the sentence that reads out the date and time that indicates the second. Note that there may be cases where the output unit 115 does not reproduce part of the time (for example, seconds), and in such cases, some of the date elements 220 may be omitted.

[0028] In the example shown in the same figure, elements 200 are arranged in chronological order as follows: initial element 211 "I'm home", silent interval BR, year element 221 "Year ****", month element 222 "Month **", day element 223 "Day **", day of the week element 224 "Day of the week △", silent interval BR, am / pm element 231 "am" or "pm", hour element 232 "hour **", minute element 233 "minute **", second element 234 "second **", silent interval BR, and final element 241 "desu". In this explanation, the sound output from the speaker 12 is indicated by the characters in " ". Also, * (asterisk; same below) is any numeral that represents the current date or time. One * represents a single digit numeral. When written as **, it means a numeral with a maximum of two digits. Also, △ (upper triangle; same below) is any noun that represents the day of the week.

[0029] Of the elements 200, the playback time of the beginning element 211 is from time t11 to time t12. The playback time of the year element 221 is from time t21 to time t22. Note that the period from time t12 to time t21 is a silent section BR. Similarly, predetermined playback times are determined for each element 200 of the date element 220 and the time element 230.

[0030] The output unit 115 of this embodiment reproduces audio based on audio information stored in the storage unit 120. In one example of this embodiment, information indicating the time waveform of sound is stored as audio information in storage unit 120. Output unit 115 generates a voltage waveform based on the information indicating the time waveform of sound stored in storage unit 120, and outputs the generated voltage waveform to speaker 12. As a result, speaker 12 outputs audio corresponding to the information indicating the time waveform of sound stored in storage unit 120. With watch 1 configured in this manner, audio can be output from speaker 12 even if control unit 110 does not have a voice synthesis function.

[0031] The output unit 115 may be configured to reproduce a sound having a volume corresponding to the peak value of the time waveform of the sound stored in the storage unit 120. In this case, for example, the volume of the sound output from the speaker 12 is reduced in a portion where the peak value of the time waveform of the sound stored in the storage unit 120 is relatively small. That is, in this case, the peak value of the time waveform of the sound information pre-stored in the storage unit 120 indicates the volume of the sound output from the speaker 12. Note that indicating the volume of the sound output from the speaker 12 by the peak value is one example, and is not limited to this. For example, the storage unit 120 may store the time waveform of the sound and information indicating the volume of the sound numerically.

[0032] The output unit 115 may also have a voice synthesis function that synthesizes a voice waveform from text data. In this case, the text data is stored in the storage unit 120 as voice information. The output unit 115 generates a voltage waveform by performing voice synthesis based on the text data stored in the storage unit 120, and outputs the generated voltage waveform to the speaker 12. As a result, the speaker 12 outputs a voice corresponding to the text data stored in the storage unit 120. Generally, text data contains less information than information indicating the time waveform of sound. A watch 1 configured in this manner can reduce the amount of information stored in the storage unit 120.

[0033] An example of the audio information stored in the storage unit 120 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 is a diagram showing an example of hour audio information 121 according to this embodiment. The hour audio information 121 is audio information that indicates the hour among other audio information. The diagram shows each hour from 1 o'clock to 12 o'clock in a 12-hour system and an example of the audio corresponding to each hour.

[0034] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of minute audio information 122 of this embodiment. Minute audio information 122 is audio information indicating minutes among audio information. The figure shows each minute from 0 to 59 and an example of audio corresponding to each minute. Note that the figure omits the description of some of the minutes. 4 and 5 are merely examples, and are not limited to these. For example, the voice for "0 minutes" in the minute voice information 122 may be "exactly."

[0035] 6 is a diagram showing an example of AM / PM audio information 123 of this embodiment. AM / PM audio information 123 is audio information indicating "AM" and "PM" when expressing time in a 12-hour format. The figure shows examples of "AM" and "PM" and their corresponding audio.

[0036] 7 is a diagram showing an example of the function audio information 124 of this embodiment. The function audio information 124 is, among other audio information, information on audio that indicates the functions of the watch 1. The diagram shows examples of the functions of "chronograph" and "calendar" and the audio corresponding to each function.

[0037] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the sentence-start audio information 125 of this embodiment. The sentence-start audio information 125 is audio information of a word or phrase located at the beginning of a sentence read aloud by the watch 1, among the audio information. The figure shows words or phrases such as "I'm here" and "It's" and examples of audio corresponding to these words or phrases. Note that the figure shows the audio corresponding to "It's" using English phonetic symbols.

[0038] In the following explanation, words and phrases are collectively referred to as "sentence elements" or simply "elements." In other words, "sentence elements" and "elements" in the following explanation include not only grammatical words but also phrases.

[0039] 9 is a diagram showing an example of end-of-sentence voice information 126 of this embodiment. End-of-sentence voice information 126 is voice information of elements located at the end of a sentence read aloud by the watch 1, among the voice information. The figure shows elements such as "desu" ("this is") and "kaigo" ("this is the progress") and examples of voices corresponding to these elements.

[0040] Returning to FIG. 2, the output unit 115 searches the hour voice information 121 using the time indicated by the date and time information output by the clock unit 114 as a search key, thereby obtaining voice information for reading out the time. For example, when the time indicated by the date and time information output by the clock unit 114 is "11 o'clock," the output unit 115 acquires audio information "11 o'clock" corresponding to "11 o'clock." The output unit 115 generates an audio waveform based on the acquired audio information "11 o'clock" and outputs it to the speaker 12. As a result, the audio "11 o'clock" is reproduced from the speaker 12.

[0041] Furthermore, the output unit 115 searches the minute voice information 122 using the minute indicated by the date and time information output by the clock unit 114 as a search key, thereby obtaining voice information for reading out the minutes. For example, if the minute indicated by the date and time information output by the clock unit 114 is "34 minutes," the output unit 115 acquires audio information "34 minutes," which corresponds to "34 minutes." The output unit 115 generates an audio waveform based on the acquired audio information "34 minutes," and outputs the audio waveform to the speaker 12. As a result, the audio "34 minutes" is reproduced from the speaker 12.

[0042] The output unit 115 obtains audio information for each element 200 included in the sentence element 210, date element 220, and time element 230 by searching using the date and time information output by the timing unit 114 as a search key, but the specific operation is the same as for hours and minutes, so its explanation is omitted.

[0043] When the reception unit 111 receives the start instruction ST, the output unit 115 reproduces the date and time (for example, the current date and time) by outputting to the speaker 12 a sound based on the date and time information generated by the timer unit 114. Here, the output unit 115 includes at least a sound that reads out the minute element 233 indicating the minutes among the elements 200 of the information that represents the current date and time, and outputs a sound according to the reproduction mode MD selected by the selection unit 113. Next, a specific example of the flow of operations of the control device 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0044] [Operation flow of the control device 100] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of operations of the control device 100 of this embodiment. (Step S10) The timekeeping unit 114 measures the current date and time, and outputs the measurement result to the output unit 115 as date and time information. (Step S20) The output unit 115 displays the date and time (that is, the current date and time) on the display unit 13 based on the date and time information output by the clock unit 114 in step S10.

[0045] (Step S30) The selection unit 113 determines whether or not the reception unit 111 has received a start instruction ST. In this example, as shown in Fig. 2, when the user operates the operation button 11, the start instruction ST is output from the operation button 11 to the reception unit 111. When the start instruction ST is output from the operation button 11, the reception unit 111 receives the output start instruction ST. If the selection unit 113 determines that the reception unit 111 has not received the start instruction ST (step S30; NO), the process returns to step S10. If the selection unit 113 determines that the reception unit 111 has received the start instruction ST (step S30; YES), the process proceeds to step S100.

[0046] (Step S100) The condition acquisition unit 112 acquires the operating conditions for audio playback. (Step S110) The selection unit 113 selects a playback mode MD according to the operating conditions acquired by the condition acquisition unit 112 in step S100 from among playback modes MD that include at least the normal playback mode MD1 and the reduced power consumption mode MD2. Specifically, when the selection unit 113 determines that the playback mode MD indicated by the operating conditions is not the reduced power consumption mode MD2 (that is, the normal playback mode MD1) (step S110; NO), the selection unit 113 advances the process to step S120. If the selection unit 113 determines that the playback mode MD indicated by the operating conditions is the reduced power consumption mode MD2 (step S110; YES), the process proceeds to step S130.

[0047] (Step S120) The output unit 115 outputs the sound in the normal playback mode MD1 to the speaker 12, and the process returns to step S10. (Step S130) The output unit 115 outputs the sound in the reduced power consumption mode MD2 to the speaker 12, and the process returns to step S10. Here, the voice reading pattern output from the speaker 12 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0048] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a voice reading pattern by the clock 1 of this embodiment. Reading pattern P1 is a pattern for reading out time when expressing time in a 12-hour format. In the example shown in the figure, in reading pattern P1, the clock 1 reads out "AM," "12 o'clock," "0 minutes," and "DESU" as shown in the voice column. For reading patterns P2 to P6, the clock 1 also reads out the contents shown in the voice column in the figure.

[0049] Here, the elements included in the reading pattern include information that is highly necessary for a general user and information that is less necessary. The most important information includes the time, duration, and nouns that indicate the function of the clock 1. The less necessary information includes elements located at the beginning of a sentence, elements located at the end of a sentence, and particles (for example, "wa"). In the following description, the part of the elements contained in the reading pattern that is most necessary will also be referred to as first part 301. The part of the elements contained in the reading pattern that is least necessary will also be referred to as second part 302.

[0050] Of the examples shown in Figures 4 to 9 above, the elements included in the hour audio information 121, the minute audio information 122, and the function audio information 124 are examples of highly necessary information and are included in the first part 301. The elements included in the AM / PM audio information 123, the sentence beginning audio information 125, and the sentence ending audio information 126 are examples of less necessary information, and are included in the second part 302. As described above, the hour voice information 121 , minute voice information 122 , AM / PM voice information 123 , function voice information 124 , sentence beginning voice information 125 , and sentence ending voice information 126 are all stored in the storage unit 120 .

[0051] That is, the memory unit 120 stores playback audio information including a first part 301 including nouns indicating functions possessed by the clock 1 or nouns indicating time or hours, and a second part 302 other than the first part 301.

[0052] An example of the volume of the voice read out in the normal playback mode MD1 and an example of the volume of the voice read out in the reduced power consumption mode MD2 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0053] Here, an example will be described in which the clock 1 reads out the current time using a 12-hour clock. The reading pattern for the current time in a 12-hour clock (i.e., reading pattern P1 shown in FIG. 11) includes the AM / PM element 231, "AM (or PM)," the hour element 232, "~ o'clock," the minute element 233, "~ minute," and the sentence-end element 241, "desu." In this example, the current time is 12:00 a.m. That is, in this example, Clock 1 reads out "AM," "12 o'clock," "0 minutes," and "It's." As described above, "12 o'clock" and "0 minutes" are examples of highly necessary information and are included in the first part 301. Also, "AM" and "DESU" are examples of less necessary information and are included in the second part 302.

[0054] That is, first portion 301 includes numerals indicating time or duration, and words indicating units of time or duration (for example, hours, minutes, and seconds).

[0055] [Changes in audio output level depending on MD playback mode] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the output level of the voice read out in the normal playback mode MD1 of this embodiment. In normal playback mode MD1, the output unit 115 plays back the elements contained in the first part 301 and the elements contained in the second part 302 of the playback audio information stored in the memory unit 120 at the same output level.

[0056] Here, the output level may be the amplification factor (so-called gain) of the amplifier when the output unit 115 includes an amplifier that amplifies the audio signal. If the gain is increased, the overall volume of the reproduced audio increases. If the gain is decreased, the overall volume of the reproduced audio decreases. In this case, in normal playback mode MD1, the output unit 115 plays back the elements contained in the first part 301 and the elements contained in the second part 302 of the playback audio information stored in the memory unit 120 at the same amplification factor.

[0057] The output level may also be a reference level of amplitude information (so-called offset value of amplitude data) among the playback audio information stored in the storage unit 120. If the offset value is increased, the overall volume of the audio being played back increases. If the offset value is decreased, the overall volume of the audio being played back decreases. In this example, in normal playback mode MD1, the output unit 115 plays back the elements contained in the first part 301 and the elements contained in the second part 302 of the playback audio information stored in the memory unit 120 with the same offset value.

[0058] 13 is a diagram showing an example of the output level of the audio read out in the reduced power consumption mode MD2 of this embodiment. In the reduced power consumption mode MD2, the output unit 115 plays back the second part 302 of the playback audio information at an output level that is relatively lower than the output level of the first part 301.

[0059] More specifically, in the example shown in the same figure, the output unit 115 plays back the audio from time t1 to time t2 and from time t3 to time t4 as the second part 302, and from time t2 to time t3 as the first part 301. In this example, in the reduced power consumption mode MD2, the output unit 115 sets the first portion 301 to a high output level H and the second portion 302 to a low output level L to reproduce sound. As a result, the first portion 301 will have a louder volume and the second portion 302 will have a quieter volume.

[0060] That is, in the reduced power consumption mode MD2, the output unit 115 plays back the second portion 302 of the playback audio information with the volume thereof reduced relatively compared to the volume of the first portion 301.

[0061] As described above, the output unit 115 may be configured to reproduce a sound at a volume corresponding to information indicating the volume of the sound (for example, the peak value of the time waveform of the sound) that is stored in advance in the storage unit 120. In this case, the storage unit 120 stores in advance audio information in which the volume of the second portion 302 is made relatively lower than the volume of the first portion 301 as part of the reproduced audio information. The output unit 115 reproduces the second part 302 at a volume relatively smaller than the volume of the first part 301 by reproducing the second part 302 according to the volume indicated by the reproduction audio information read from the storage unit 120.

[0062] [Changes in current consumption for each MD playback mode] 14 is a diagram showing an example of the current consumption when a voice is read out in normal playback mode MD1 of this embodiment. The diagram shows an example of the waveform of the current supplied from battery 14 (i.e., the current consumption of battery 14) changing over time when clock 1 reads out "AM," "12 o'clock," "0 minutes," and "DESU."

[0063] 15 is a diagram showing an example of current consumption when a voice is read out in the reduced power consumption mode MD2 of this embodiment. The diagram shows an example of the waveform of the current supplied from the battery 14 (i.e., the current consumption of the battery 14) over time when the clock 1 reads out "AM," "12 o'clock," "0 minutes," and "It's," comparing the waveform in the normal playback mode MD1 with the waveform in the reduced power consumption mode MD2. As shown in the figure, in reduced power consumption mode MD2, power consumption in the second section 302 is reduced compared to normal playback mode MD1. In other words, a timepiece 1 equipped with reduced power consumption mode MD2 can reduce consumption of the battery 14.

[0064] 16 is a diagram showing an example of the supply voltage of the battery 14 when a voice is read out in the reduced power consumption mode MD2 of this embodiment. The diagram shows an example of the time-varying waveform of the supply voltage of the battery 14 when the clock 1 reads out "AM," "12 o'clock," "0 minutes," and "It's," comparing the waveform in the normal playback mode MD1 with the waveform in the reduced power consumption mode MD2. As shown in the diagram, the drop in supply voltage of the second section 302 is reduced in low power consumption mode MD2 compared to normal playback mode MD1. That is, a watch 1 equipped with low power consumption mode MD2 can reduce the degree to which the supply voltage of the battery 14 drops momentarily. As a result, a watch 1 equipped with low power consumption mode MD2 can extend the period until the battery 14 is depleted and the supply voltage of the battery 14 falls below the minimum operating level of each part of the watch 1. In other words, a watch 1 equipped with low power consumption mode MD2 can extend the life of the battery 14.

[0065] In the above example, the output unit 115 maintains a constant output level during playback of the first portion 301 in the reduced power consumption mode MD2, but this is not limiting. In the reduced power consumption mode MD2, the output unit 115 may play back the first portion 301 with the volume of the part of the word indicating the unit reduced relative to the volume of the part of the numeral.

[0066] An example will be described in which clock 1 reads out "AM," "12 o'clock," "0 minutes," and "It's." In this case, "12 o'clock" in first portion 301 is divided into a numeral portion "12" and a unit word portion "hour," and the volume of the unit word portion is played back relatively quieter than the volume of the numeral portion. Also, "0 minutes" in first portion 301 is divided into a numeral portion "0" and a unit word portion "minute," and the volume of the unit word portion is played back relatively quieter than the volume of the numeral portion.

[0067] A timepiece 1 configured in this way can further reduce the consumption of the battery 14 and extend the life of the battery 14.

[0068] [Operating conditions] As described above, the selection unit 113 selects the playback mode MD according to the operating conditions acquired by the condition acquisition unit 112. Returning to Fig. 2, an example of the operating conditions will be described.

[0069] (1) Based on user settings The condition acquisition unit 112 acquires predetermined setting information set by the user as the operating conditions. The setting information is information for switching various operations of the timepiece 1, and is information in which setting items are associated with setting values. The setting information is stored in the storage unit 120. The setting information can be rewritten by the user using the operation button 11, or other operation buttons (not shown) on the watch body 10, or an external device (not shown) that transmits information to the watch 1. The setting items of the setting information include, for example, the playback mode MD, the playback speed, and the display mode.

[0070] If the setting value of the playback mode MD in the setting information is the normal playback mode MD1, the condition acquisition unit 112 acquires, as an operating condition, that a playback operation be performed in the normal playback mode MD1. If the setting value of the playback mode MD in the setting information is the low power consumption mode MD2, the condition acquisition unit 112 acquires, as an operating condition, that the playback operation be performed in the low power consumption mode MD2.

[0071] With the timepiece 1 configured in this way, the user can select between the normal playback mode MD1 and the reduced power consumption mode MD2 as the audio playback mode MD.

[0072] (2) Based on the operation interval of the audio playback operation The reception unit 111 receives the start instruction ST (first start instruction ST). As a result, the output unit 115 reproduces the sound in the normal reproduction mode MD1. Furthermore, the reception unit 111 receives a start instruction ST (a second start instruction ST). Here, the selection unit 113 determines whether or not the time interval between the timing of receiving the first start instruction ST and the timing of receiving the second start instruction ST exceeds the operation interval threshold value TH. If the operation interval threshold value TH is exceeded (for example, if the operation interval of the operation button 11 is relatively long), the selection unit 113 reproduces the sound in the normal reproduction mode MD1 for the second start instruction ST. On the other hand, if the selection unit 113 determines that the time interval between the reception timings of the start instructions ST does not exceed the operation interval threshold TH, it plays back sound in the reduced power consumption mode MD2 for the second start instruction ST.

[0073] In this case, the timing unit 114 of the control unit 110 measures the time interval of audio reproduction by the output unit 115. The output unit 115 changes the relative difference between the loudness of the first part 301 and the loudness of the second part 302 based on the measured time interval.

[0074] With timepiece 1 configured in this way, if the user operates operation button 11 at relatively short intervals, the audio playback mode MD from the second operation onwards will be set to low power consumption mode MD2, even if the user does not perform an operation to select low power consumption mode MD2. In other words, by setting the audio playback mode MD from the second operation onwards to low power consumption mode MD2 without the user's operation, timepiece 1 can improve user convenience and reduce consumption of battery 14.

[0075] (3) Based on the state of the supply voltage of the battery 14 The condition acquisition unit 112 may acquire as an operating condition the supply voltage of the battery 14. In this case, the selection unit 113 selects the normal playback mode MD1 if the supply voltage of the battery 14 is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold voltage, and selects the reduced power consumption mode MD2 if the supply voltage of the battery 14 is lower than the predetermined threshold voltage.

[0076] That is, when the watch 1 is equipped with a battery 14 that operates the output unit 115 and a condition acquisition unit 112 that acquires the power supply state of the battery 14 as an operating condition, the output unit 115 changes the volume of the sound to be reproduced based on the detection result of the power supply state.

[0077] With a timepiece 1 configured in this way, when the battery 14 is nearing the end of its life, the audio playback mode MD is switched to the power saving mode MD2, thereby making it possible to reduce the consumption of the battery 14.

[0078] The condition acquisition unit 112 may detect various operating conditions (for example, the ambient temperature and output current value of the battery 14) related to the life of the battery 14. That is, the power supply state of the battery 14 may include the ambient temperature and output current value of the battery 14.

[0079] Note that the output unit 115 may further reduce the volume of the sound from the second portion 302 when the detection result of the power supply state of the battery 14 indicates that the power supply state has deteriorated. Here, a deterioration in the power supply state refers to a case where the supply voltage of the battery 14 drops further, or where any part of the timepiece 1 drops below its minimum operating voltage, etc.

[0080] With a timepiece 1 configured in this way, when the battery 14 is nearing the end of its life, the audio playback mode MD is switched to the power saving mode MD2, thereby making it possible to reduce the consumption of the battery 14.

[0081] (4) Based on whether or not the time is carried over The condition acquiring unit 112 may acquire, as an operating condition, whether or not the time is carried over. Here, the time is carried over when the hour unit changes from 11 AM to noon (midnight) in a 12-hour system, or from 11 PM to midnight in a 24-hour system, when the minute unit changes from 59 minutes to the hour (0 minutes), when the second unit changes from 59 seconds to 0 seconds, and so on. For example, when the minute unit of the time changes from 59 to the hour (0), the value of the hour unit increases by 1. In this case, the selection unit 113 determines that a carry-over of the time has occurred, and sets the playback mode MD to the normal playback mode MD1. Furthermore, when the selection unit 113 determines that no carryover of time has occurred since the previous start instruction ST, it sets the playback mode MD to the reduced power consumption mode MD2.

[0082] With the timepiece 1 configured in this way, the volume of the information read out that is redundant to the user can be reduced, thereby reducing the consumption of the battery 14.

[0083] (5) When based on user operations A timepiece 1 may have multiple operation buttons 11. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the watch body 10 of the timepiece 1 may have at least two types of operation buttons 11: operation button 11-1 and operation button 11-2. In this case, the condition acquisition unit 112 acquires, as the operating condition, information on which of operation button 11-1 and operation button 11-2 has been operated. The selection unit 113 may be configured to select normal playback mode MD1 when operation button 11-1 is operated, and to select low power consumption mode MD2 when operation button 11-2 is operated.

[0084] Furthermore, the condition acquisition unit 112 may acquire, as an operating condition, differences in the operation time of the operation button 11. In this case, the selection unit 113 selects the normal playback mode MD1 when the user presses the operation button 11 for a long time (for example, the operation is continued for one second or more), and selects the reduced power consumption mode MD2 when the user presses the operation button 11 for a short time (for example, the operation is completed in less than one second). Conversely, the selection unit 113 may be configured to select the power consumption reduction mode MD2 when the user presses the operation button 11 for a long time, and to select the normal playback mode MD1 when the user presses the operation button 11 for a short time.

[0085] Furthermore, the condition acquisition unit 112 may acquire, as an operation condition, that the operation button 11 has been operated during a voice read-out operation. In this case, the selection unit 113 switches to a playback mode MD different from the playback mode MD during the read-out operation. For example, if the user operates the operation button 11 while a read-out operation is being performed in the normal playback mode MD1, the reading operation is switched to a reading operation in the reduced power consumption mode MD2. Furthermore, if the user operates the operation button 11 while a read-out operation is being performed in the reduced power consumption mode MD2, the reading operation is switched to a reading operation in the normal playback mode MD1.

[0086] With a watch 1 configured in this way, the user can select their preferred playback mode MD depending on the situation, for example. Therefore, with watch 1, user convenience is improved while the user's selection can help reduce consumption of battery 14.

[0087] The selection unit 113 may switch the degree of reduction in power consumption in the power saving mode MD2 in response to a user operation of the operation button 11. In this case, the output unit 115 changes the relative difference between the volume of the sound in the first part 301 and the volume of the sound in the second part 302 based on the detected operation. With the watch 1 configured in this manner, the user can select, by operation, the trade-off between reducing the volume of the second part of the sound when reading aloud to further reduce the power consumption of the battery 14, or increasing the volume of the second part of the sound when reading aloud to increase the power consumption of the battery 14.

[0088] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment and can be appropriately modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention. The configurations described in the above-described embodiments may be combined.

[0089] Each unit included in each device in the above-described embodiments may be realized by dedicated hardware, or may be realized by a memory and a microprocessor.

[0090] In addition, each part of each device may be composed of a memory and a CPU (central processing unit), and the functions of each part of each device may be realized by loading a program into memory and executing it.

[0091] In addition, a program for realizing the functions of each unit of each device may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium may be read into a computer system and executed to perform processing by each unit of the control unit. Note that the term "computer system" here includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices.

[0092] Furthermore, if a WWW system is used, the "computer system" also includes the homepage provision environment (or display environment). "Computer-readable recording media" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, as well as storage devices such as hard disks built into computer systems. Furthermore, "computer-readable recording media" also includes devices that dynamically store programs for a short period of time, such as communication lines used when transmitting programs over networks like the Internet or over communication lines like telephone lines, and devices that store programs for a fixed period of time, such as volatile memory within computer systems that serve as servers or clients. Furthermore, the programs may be programs that implement some of the aforementioned functions, or may be programs that can realize the aforementioned functions in combination with programs already stored in the computer system. [Explanation of symbols]

[0093] 1...watch, 2...band, 10...watch body, 11...operation buttons, 12...speaker, 13...display unit, 14...battery, 100...control device, 110...control unit, 111...reception unit, 112...condition acquisition unit, 113...selection unit, 114...timekeeping unit, 115...output unit, 120...storage unit, 121...hour voice information, 122...minute voice information, 123...morning / afternoon voice information, 124...function voice information, 125...sentence beginning voice information, 126...sentence ending voice information information, 200...element, 210...sentence element, 211...initial element, 220...date element, 221...year element, 222...month element, 223...day element, 224...day of the week element, 230...time element, 231...AM / PM element, 232...hour element, 233...minute element, 234...second element, 241...end of sentence element, 301...first part, 302...second part, MD...playback mode, MD1...normal play mode, MD2...power saving mode, ST...start instruction

Claims

1. a storage unit for storing playback audio information including a first portion including a noun indicating a function of the timepiece or a noun indicating a time or hour, and a second portion other than the first portion; an output unit that reproduces the second portion of the reproduced audio information by reducing the volume of the second portion relatively to the volume of the first portion; A watch equipped with.

2. the first portion includes a numeral indicating a time or duration and a word indicating a unit of time or duration; The output unit reproduces the sound by reducing the volume of the part of the word indicating the unit relatively to the volume of the part of the numeral.

2. The watch according to claim 1.

3. a battery for operating the output unit; a condition acquisition unit that acquires a power supply state of the battery as an operating condition; Furthermore, The output unit changes the volume of the sound to be reproduced based on the detection result of the power supply state.

2. The watch according to claim 1.

4. The output unit further reduces the volume of the sound of the second part when the detection result indicates a deterioration in the power supply state.

4. The watch according to claim 3.

5. Reception section that detects user operations Furthermore, The output unit changes the relative difference between the volume of the first part and the volume of the second part based on the detected operation.

2. The watch according to claim 1.

6. a timing unit that measures the time interval between audio playback by the output unit; Furthermore, The output unit changes the relative difference between the loudness of the first part and the loudness of the second part based on the measured time interval.

2. The watch according to claim 1.

7. the storage unit pre-stores, with respect to the reproduced audio information, audio information in which the volume of the second portion is made relatively smaller than the volume of the first portion; The output unit reproduces the second part at a volume relatively smaller than the volume of the first part by reproducing the second part according to the volume indicated by the reproduction audio information read from the storage unit.

2. The watch according to claim 1.

8. Acquiring playback audio information including a first portion including a noun indicating a function of the timepiece or a noun indicating the time or hour, and a second portion other than the first portion; Reproducing the second portion of the reproduced audio information at a volume lower than the volume of the first portion; An audio reproduction method comprising:

9. The computer in the electronic watch Acquiring playback audio information including a first portion including a noun indicating a function of the timepiece or a noun indicating the time or hour, and a second portion other than the first portion; Reproducing the second portion of the reproduced audio information at a volume lower than the volume of the first portion; A program to execute.

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