SPEAKER SYSTEM, SOUND BAR, WIRELESS SPEAKER, AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING SPEAKER SYSTEM

Abstract

To provide a speaker system which enables grouping and group cancellation of a sound bar and a wireless speaker to be performed through simple operation, and a control method therefor.SOLUTION: According to a method, when a user brings a controller 3 closer to a sound bar 1, the sound bar 1 reads tag information from an RFID tag 30 of the controller 3 by means of an RFID tag reader 10, detects that an operation of bringing the controller 3 closer to the sound bar 1 is performed by the user, and checks its own group state. When the sound bar forms a group, the sound bar transmits a group cancellation notification to a wireless speaker 2 which is a participant member of the group, cancels the group, and stores information related to a slave of the cancelled group as immediately previous slave information. On the other hand, when the sound bar cancels the group, the sound bar transmits a group formation notification to the wireless speaker 2 identified by the immediately previous slave information, and forms a group with the wireless speaker 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a grouping technique for sound bars and wireless speakers. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a grouping technique for playing back audio data in a group using multiple speakers. For example, in a wireless audio system described in Patent Document 1, one of multiple wireless speakers belonging to the same group acts as a master (group leader) and downloads audio data from a media server or the like to play and output the audio data, and also transmits the played data to other wireless speakers (slaves) belonging to the same group, so that the audio data is also output from these speakers. This allows audio data to be played back in a group using multiple wireless speakers belonging to the same group.

[0003] Furthermore, sound bars have become widespread in recent years. A sound bar is a speaker system in which multiple channel speakers are housed in the same housing, and is more space efficient and easier to install than a system in which speakers for each channel are installed separately. For this reason, by using a sound bar, a surround audio playback environment can be easily realized even in an ordinary home with limited space (for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent No. 7,987,294 [Patent Document 2] JP 2009-55450 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As described above, a sound bar is a speaker system in which speakers of a plurality of channels are housed in the same housing, and a surround audio playback environment can be realized by the sound bar alone. However, if the sound bar can be grouped with a wireless speaker by a grouping technology to play audio data in a group, a higher-quality surround audio playback environment can be realized.

[0006] By the way, there may be a case where a wireless speaker grouped with a sound bar is moved to a room different from the room where the sound bar is installed and used alone. In such a case, it is necessary to remove this wireless speaker from the group. However, in the conventional grouping technology, it is not assumed that joining and leaving the group are frequently repeated, and the user has to perform settings for that every time joining and leaving the group are repeated, which is cumbersome.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to enable easy operation of grouping and ungrouping a sound bar and a wireless speaker.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, in a first aspect of the present invention, a controller such as a wireless terminal is provided with an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag in which tag information including identification information of the controller is stored, and a sound bar is provided with an RFID tag reader. Then, when the user brings the controller close to the sound bar, the sound bar reads the tag information from the RFID tag of the controller by the RFID tag reader, detects that the operation of bringing the controller close to the sound bar has been performed by the user, and checks its own group state.

[0009] If a group is formed at this time, the sound bar sends a group release notification to the wireless speakers belonging to the group to release the group, and stores information about the members of the released group as previous slave information. At this time, the last played audio content may be downloaded from the media server and played by the sound bar alone.

[0010] On the other hand, if the sound bar has not formed a group at this time, the sound bar transmits a group formation notification to the wireless speaker identified by the stored previous slave information to form a group with the wireless speaker again. At this time, the last played audio content may be downloaded from the media server and played back in the group.

[0011] For example, the first aspect of the present invention is A speaker system including a sound bar having a group playback function as a master, a wireless speaker having a group playback function as a slave, and a controller, The controller: A radio frequency identification (RFID) tag is provided in which tag information including identification information of the controller is stored. The sound bar includes: an RFID tag reader that reads the tag information from the RFID tag that has come within a communication distance; a master control means for, when the tag information read by the RFID tag reader includes identification information of the controller, sending a group release notification to the wireless speaker that is a slave belonging to the group if the sound bar itself forms a group, and storing information on the slave belonging to the group as previous slave information, and for sending a group formation notification to the wireless speaker specified by the previous slave information if the sound bar itself does not form a group, and forming a group with the wireless speaker, The wireless speaker has slave control means for leaving the group if it receives the group release notice from the sound bar that is the master of the group during group membership, and joining the group with the sound bar as the master if it receives the group formation notice from the sound bar during group withdrawal.

[0012] In addition, a second aspect of the present invention provides a controller such as a wireless terminal with an RFID tag storing tag information including the identification information of the controller, and provides a wireless speaker with an RFID tag reader. When the user brings the controller close to the wireless speaker, the wireless speaker reads the tag information from the RFID tag of the controller by the RFID tag reader, detects that the operation of bringing the controller close to the wireless speaker has been performed by the user, and checks its own group membership status.

[0013] If the wireless speaker is a member of the group at this time, it sends a group withdrawal request to the sound bar that is the master of this group to leave the group, and stores the information about the master of the withdrawn group as the previous master information. At this time, the last played audio content may be downloaded from the media server and played alone by the wireless speaker.

[0014] On the other hand, if the wireless speaker has withdrawn from the group at this time, it sends a group join request to the sound bar specified by the previously stored master information to join the group with this sound bar as the master. At this time, a group playback request for the last played audio content may be sent to the sound bar for group playback.

[0015] For example, the second aspect of the present invention is a speaker system including a sound bar having a group playback function as a master, a wireless speaker having a group playback function as a slave, and a controller. The controller has an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag in which tag information including identification information of the controller is stored, The wireless speaker has an RFID tag reader that reads the tag information from the RFID tag that has come within the communicable distance, and slave control means that, when the tag information read by the RFID tag reader includes the identification information of the controller, if the self wireless speaker is a member of a group, sends a group withdrawal request to the sound bar that is the master of the group and withdraws from the group, stores information about the master of the group as immediately previous master information, and if the self wireless speaker has withdrawn from the group, sends a group join request to the sound bar specified by the immediately previous master information and joins the group having the sound bar as the master. The sound bar has master control means that, when receiving the group withdrawal request from the wireless speaker, removes the wireless speaker from the group having the self sound bar as the master, and when receiving the group join request from the wireless speaker, allows the wireless speaker to participate as a slave in the group having the self sound bar as the master.

Advantages of the Invention

[0016] In a first aspect of the present invention, a user can move a controller closer to a sound bar to cancel or form a group in which the sound bar is the master and the wireless speaker is the slave. In a second aspect of the present invention, a user can move a controller closer to a wireless speaker to cause the wireless speaker to leave or join a group in which the sound bar is the master. In this way, according to the present invention, grouping and canceling of a sound bar and a wireless speaker can be performed with a simple operation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a speaker system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram illustrating group formation / dissolution processing by the sound bar 1 in the speaker system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram for explaining group formation / dissolution processing by the sound bar 1 in the speaker system according to one embodiment of the present invention, and is a continuation of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram illustrating group joining and leaving processing by the wireless speaker 2 in the speaker system according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram for explaining group joining and leaving processing by the wireless speaker 2 in the speaker system according to the present embodiment, and is a continuation of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic functional configuration diagram of the sound bar 1. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram for explaining the group forming / dissolving operation of the sound bar 1. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram for explaining the group joining / leaving acceptance operation of the sound bar 1. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic functional configuration diagram of the wireless speaker 2. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating the group joining and leaving operations of the wireless speaker 2. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram for explaining the group forming / disbanding receiving operation of the wireless speaker 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a speaker system according to the present embodiment.

[0020] As shown in the figure, the speaker system of this embodiment includes a sound bar 1 connected to an AV (Audio Visual) device 4 such as a television receiver via a communication interface such as HDMI (registered trademark: High Definition Multimedia Interface) or USB (Universal Serial Bus), one or more wireless speakers 2-1, 2-2 (hereinafter simply referred to as wireless speaker 2), and a controller 3 for remotely operating the sound bar 1 and the wireless speaker 2.

[0021] The sound bar 1 and the wireless speaker 2 are connected to a media server 5 via an access point 6 and a network 7 such as a wide area network (WAN) or a local area network (LAN). The sound bar 1, the wireless speaker 2, and the controller 3 are also connected to each other by short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0022] The sound bar 1 is a speaker system in which multiple channels including a center channel speaker, a left channel speaker, and a right channel speaker are housed in the same housing, and a surround audio playback environment can be realized with just one unit. That is, audio data acquired from a media server 5 or audio data received from an AV device 4 is played back and output from multiple channel speakers equipped in the sound bar 1 itself. In addition, the sound bar 1 has a group playback function as a master, and when it forms a group with the wireless speaker 2, it plays back the audio data acquired from the media server 5 or the audio data received from the AV device 4 in a group with the wireless speaker 2. That is, the audio data is played back and output from multiple channel speakers equipped in the sound bar 1 itself, and the playback data is transmitted to the wireless speaker 2 by short-distance wireless communication and output from the wireless speaker 2. This makes it possible to realize a higher quality surround audio playback environment.

[0023] The sound bar 1 also has an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag reader 10.

[0024] The wireless speaker 2 plays and outputs the audio data acquired from the media server 5. In addition, the wireless speaker 2 has a group playback function as a slave, and when the wireless speaker 2 forms a group with the sound bar 1, the wireless speaker 2 receives playback data of audio data from the sound bar 1 and outputs the data, thereby playing back the audio data in a group with the sound bar 1.

[0025] The wireless speaker 2 also includes an RFID tag reader 20 .

[0026] The controller 3 is, for example, a wireless terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet PC (Personal Computer), and has an RFID tag 30 in which tag information including a controller ID that is identification information of the controller 3 itself is stored.

[0027] In a speaker system configured as described above, a user can easily group and ungroup the soundbar 1 and the wireless speaker 2 by using the controller 3 to perform a touch operation on the soundbar 1 or the wireless speaker 2, or by bringing the controller 3 close to the soundbar 1 or the wireless speaker 2, and having the tag information stored in the RFID tag 30 of the controller 3 read by the RFID tag reader 10 of the soundbar 1 or the RFID tag reader 20 of the wireless speaker 2.

[0028] 2 and 3 are sequence diagrams for explaining group formation / dissolution processing by the sound bar 1 in the speaker system according to the present embodiment.

[0029] It is assumed that a group is formed with the sound bar 1 as the master and the wireless speakers 2-1 and 2-2 as slaves (S100). It is assumed that the user performs a touch operation on the sound bar 1 using the controller 3 (S101). As a result, the RFID tag 30 of the controller 3 enters the communication range of the RFID tag reader 10 of the sound bar 1, and the RFID tag reader 10 of the sound bar 1 reads tag information from the RFID tag 30 of the controller 3 (S102).

[0030] When the sound bar 1 recognizes that a touch operation has been performed by the controller 3 based on the controller ID included in the tag information read by the RFID tag reader 10 (S103), it checks the group status of its own sound bar 1 as "group forming" (S104). In this case, the sound bar 1 transmits a group release notification to each of the wireless speakers 2-1 and 2-2 that have joined the group in which its own sound bar 1 is the master (S105, S106), and releases the group (S107). Then, the sound bar 1 registers the information of the wireless speakers 2-1 and 2-2 that were participating members of the released group as previous slave information (S108).

[0031] Next, the sound bar 1 transmits a delivery request with a designation of the song last played by the sound bar 1 (referred to as the last played song) to the media server 5 via the access point 6 and the network 7 (S109), and acquires the last played song from the media server 5 (S110). Then, the sound bar 1 plays the acquired last played song by itself (S111). That is, the last played song is played and output from the multiple channel speakers equipped in the sound bar 1.

[0032] It is assumed that, some time after the playback of the last played song is completed, the user performs a touch operation on the sound bar 1 again using the controller 3 (S112). As a result, the RFID tag 30 of the controller 3 enters the communication range of the RFID tag reader 10 of the sound bar 1, and the RFID tag reader 10 of the sound bar 1 reads the tag information from the RFID tag 30 of the controller 3 (S113).

[0033] When the sound bar 1 recognizes that a touch operation has been performed by the controller 3 based on the controller ID included in the tag information read by the RFID tag reader 10 (S114), it checks the group status of its own sound bar 1 to be "ungrouped" (S115). In this case, it checks the previous slave information and transmits a group formation notification by short-range wireless communication to each of the wireless speakers 2-1 and 2-2 that are participating members of the group that was formed before the current group status ( S116、 Then, the sound bar 1 is configured as a master and the wireless speakers 2-1 and 2-2 are configured as slaves (S119).

[0034] Next, the sound bar 1 transmits a distribution request with a designation of the last played song to the media server 5 via the access point 6 and the network 7 (S120), and acquires the last played song from the media server 5 (S121). Then, the sound bar 1 performs group playback of the acquired last played song ( S122 That is, the last played song is played and output from the speakers of multiple channels equipped in the sound bar 1, and the playback data of this last played song is transmitted to the wireless speakers 2-1 and 2-2 by short-range wireless communication and output from the wireless speakers 2-1 and 2-2.

[0035] 4 and 5 are sequence diagrams illustrating group joining and leaving processing by the wireless speaker 2 in the speaker system according to the present embodiment.

[0036] It is assumed that a group is formed with the sound bar 1 as the master and the wireless speaker 2-2 as the slave (S130). It is assumed that the user performs a touch operation on another wireless speaker 2-1 using the controller 3 (S131). As a result, the RFID tag 30 of the controller 3 enters the communication range of the RFID tag reader 20 of the wireless speaker 2-1, and the RFID tag reader 20 of the wireless speaker 2-1 reads the tag information from the RFID tag 30 of the controller 3 (S132).

[0037] When the wireless speaker 2-1 recognizes that a touch operation has been performed by the controller 3 based on the controller ID included in the tag information read by the RFID tag reader 20 (S133), it checks the group membership status of the wireless speaker 2-1 itself, which is "leaving group" (S134). In this case, the wireless speaker 2-1 transmits a group membership request to the sound bar 1, which functions as the master of the group, by short-range wireless communication (S135). As a result, a group is formed in which the sound bar 1 is the master and the wireless speakers 2-1 and 2-2 are the slaves (S136).

[0038] Next, the wireless speaker 2-1 transmits a playback request with the designation of the last playback song of the wireless speaker 2-1 to the sound bar 1, which is the master of the group (S137). In response to this, the sound bar 1 transmits a distribution request with the designation of the last playback song to the media server 5 via the access point 6 and the network 7 (S138), and acquires the last playback song from the media server 5 (S139). Then, the acquired last playback song is played back as a group (S140). That is, the last playback song is played back and output from the speakers of the multiple channels provided in the sound bar 1, and playback data of this last playback song is transmitted to the wireless speakers 2-1 and 2-2 by short-range wireless communication, and output from the wireless speakers 2-1 and 2-2.

[0039] It is assumed that a while after the playback of the last played song is completed, the user performs a touch operation on the wireless speaker 2-1 again using the controller 3 (S141). As a result, the RFID tag 30 of the controller 3 enters the communication range of the RFID tag reader 20 of the wireless speaker 2-1, and the RFID tag reader 20 of the wireless speaker 2-1 reads the tag information from the RFID tag 30 of the controller 3 (S142).

[0040] When the wireless speaker 2-1 recognizes that a touch operation has been performed by the controller 3 based on the controller ID included in the tag information read by the RFID tag reader 20 (S143), it checks the group membership status of the wireless speaker 2-1 itself, which is "joining a group" (S144). In this case, the wireless speaker 2-1 transmits a group withdrawal request to the sound bar 1, which is the master of the group to which the wireless speaker 2-1 itself is a member (S145), and withdraws from the group. As a result, the wireless speaker 2-2 becomes the only participating member (slave) of the group with the sound bar 1 as the master (S146).

[0041] Next, the wireless speaker 2-1 transmits a distribution request including a specification of the last played song of the wireless speaker 2-1 to the media server 5 via the access point 6 and the network 7 (S147), and acquires the last played song from the media server 5 (S148). Then, the wireless speaker 2-1 independently plays the acquired last played song (S149).

[0042] Next, the sound bar 1 and the wireless speaker 2 constituting the speaker system according to the present embodiment will be described in detail. Note that, since an existing wireless terminal such as a smartphone or tablet PC having an RFID tag can be used as the controller 3, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0043] First, the details of the sound bar 1 will be described.

[0044] FIG. 6 is a schematic functional configuration diagram of the sound bar 1.

[0045] As shown in the figure, the sound bar 1 has an RFID tag reader 10, a wireless network interface (IF) unit 11, a short-range wireless communication unit 12, an audio interface (IF) unit 13, a speaker unit 14, a playback information storage unit 15, a master playback control unit 16, and a master control unit 17.

[0046] The RFID tag reader 10 reads tag information from the RFID tag 30 of the controller 3 that has come within communication distance.

[0047] The wireless network IF unit 11 is an interface for connecting to the network 7 via the access point 6 .

[0048] The short-range wireless communication unit 12 is an interface for connecting to the wireless speaker 2 and the controller 3 via short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0049] The audio IF unit 13 is an interface for receiving audio data from the AV device 4, and uses a communication interface such as HDMI (registered trademark) or USB (Universal Serial Bus).

[0050] The speaker section 14 includes a center channel speaker, a left channel speaker, and a right channel speaker.

[0051] In the reproduction information storage unit 15, information on the audio data last reproduced by the sound bar 1 (last reproduced song) is stored.

[0052] The master playback control unit 16 controls the playback of audio data according to the group state of its own sound bar 1. Specifically, when the group state of its own sound bar 1 is "group forming", the audio data to be played is played in a group together with the wireless speakers 2 that are participating members of the group, and when the group state of its own sound bar 1 is "group disbanding", the audio data to be played is played independently only by its own sound bar 1.

[0053] The master control unit 17 controls the formation and release of groups. Specifically, when the tag information read by the RFID tag reader 10 includes the controller ID of the controller 3, if the group state of the self-sound bar 1 is "group forming", a group release notification is sent to the wireless speaker 2 that is a group member to release the group, and the information of the wireless speaker 2 that is a member of the released group is stored as the previous slave information. On the other hand, if the group state of the self-sound bar 1 is "group releasing", a group formation notification is sent to the wireless speaker 2 specified by the registered previous slave information, and a group is formed with the self-sound bar 1 as the master and the wireless speaker 2 specified by the previous slave information as the slave.

[0054] Note that the functional configuration of the sound bar 1 shown in FIG. 6 may be realized hard by an integrated logic IC such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or may be realized software by a computer such as a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). Alternatively, in a general-purpose computer such as a PC equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, an auxiliary storage device such as a flash memory and a hard disk drive, a wireless LAN adapter, a short-range wireless communication device such as a Bluetooth (registered trademark) adapter, an RFID tag reader, and a plurality of speakers, it may be realized by the CPU loading a predetermined program from the auxiliary storage device onto the memory and executing it.

[0055] FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the group formation / release operation of the sound bar 1.

[0056] When the RFID tag reader 10 detects an RFID tag 30 located within a communication range (YES in S200), it reads tag information from the RFID tag 30 and passes it to the master control unit 17 (S201). In response to this, the master control unit 17 checks whether the tag information includes the controller ID of the controller 3, thereby determining whether the RFID tag 30 belongs to the controller 3 (S202). If the RFID tag 30 belongs to the controller 3 (YES in S202), it checks the group status of its own sound bar 1 (S203).

[0057] If the group state of the sound bar 1 is "group forming" (YES in S204), the master control unit 17 transmits a group release notification to the wireless speaker 2 that has participated as a slave in the group in which the sound bar 1 is the master, via the short-range wireless communication unit 12, and releases the group (S205). Then, the master control unit 17 registers information of the wireless speaker 2 that has participated as a slave in the released group as previous slave information (S206).

[0058] Next, the master control unit 17 instructs the master playback control unit 16 to play the last playback song alone. In response to this, the master playback control unit 16 transmits a delivery request accompanied by the specification of the last playback song information to the media server 5 via the wireless network IF unit 11 based on the information stored in the playback information storage unit 15, and acquires the last playback song from the media server 5 (S207). Then, the master playback control unit 16 plays the acquired last playback song alone (S208). That is, the last playback song is played and output from the speaker unit 14.

[0059] On the other hand, if the group status of the sound bar 1 itself is "ungrouping" (NO in S204), the master control unit 17 checks the previous slave information, and if the previous slave information has been registered (YES in S209), it sends a group formation notification to the wireless speaker 2 identified by the previous slave information via the short-range wireless communication unit 12, and forms a group with the sound bar 1 itself as the master and the wireless speaker 2 identified by the previous slave information as the slave (S210).

[0060] Next, the master control unit 17 instructs the master playback control unit 16 to perform group playback of the last playback song. In response to this, the master playback control unit 16 transmits a distribution request accompanied by the designation of the last playback song to the media server 5 via the wireless network IF unit 11 based on the information stored in the playback information storage unit 15, and acquires the last playback song from the media server 5 (S211). Then, the master playback control unit 16 performs group playback of the acquired last playback song (S212). That is, the last playback song is played back and output from the speaker unit 14, and the playback data of this last playback song is transmitted to the wireless speaker 2, which is a participating member of the group, via the short-range wireless communication unit 12, and is output.

[0061] On the other hand, if the previous slave information is not registered (NO in S209), a predetermined error processing is performed, such as sending a message to the controller 3 via the short-range wireless communication unit 12 recommending manual group formation since there has been no record of group formation (S213).

[0062] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram for explaining the group joining / leaving acceptance operation of the sound bar 1.

[0063] When the master control unit 17 receives a group joining request from the wireless speaker 2 via the short-range wireless communication unit 12 (YES in S220), it allows the wireless speaker 2 to join the group in which the sound bar 1 is the master (S221). At this time, if the group state of the sound bar 1 is "group-disbanding", it forms a group in which the sound bar 1 is the master, and then allows the wireless speaker 2 to join the group in which the sound bar 1 is the master.

[0064] Thereafter, when the master control unit 17 receives a playback request with a designation of the last playback song from the wireless speaker 2 that joined the group via the short-range wireless communication unit 12 (YES in S222), it instructs the master playback control unit 16 to perform group playback of the last playback song. In response to this, the master playback control unit 16 transmits a distribution request with a designation of the last playback song to the media server 5 via the wireless network IF unit 11, and acquires the last playback song from the media server 5 (S223). Then, the master playback control unit 16 performs group playback of the acquired last playback song (S224). That is, the last playback song is played back and output from the speaker unit 14, and the playback data of this last playback song is transmitted to the wireless speakers 2 that are participating members of the group via the short-range wireless communication unit 12 to be output.

[0065] Furthermore, when the master control unit 17 receives a group withdrawal request from the wireless speaker 2 via the short-range wireless communication unit 12 (YES in S225), it permits the wireless speaker 2 to withdraw from the group in which the sound bar 1 is the master (S226). At this time, if there are no other members participating in the group in which the sound bar 1 is the master (NO in S227), it cancels the group in which the sound bar 1 is the master (S228).

[0066] Next, the wireless speaker 2 will be described in detail.

[0067] FIG. 9 is a schematic functional configuration diagram of the wireless speaker 2.

[0068] As shown in the figure, the wireless speaker 2 has an RFID tag reader 20, a wireless network IF unit 21, a short-range wireless communication unit 22, a speaker unit 24, a playback information storage unit 25, a slave playback control unit 26, and a slave control unit 27.

[0069] The RFID tag reader 20 reads tag information from the RFID tag 30 of the controller 3 that has come within communication distance.

[0070] The wireless network IF unit 21 is an interface for connecting to the network 7 via the access point 6 .

[0071] The short-range wireless communication unit 22 is an interface for connecting to the sound bar 1 and the controller 3 via short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0072] The speaker unit 24 includes at least one speaker.

[0073] The reproduction information storage unit 25 stores information on the audio data last reproduced by the wireless speaker 2 (last reproduced song).

[0074] The slave playback control unit 26 controls the playback of audio data according to the group membership state of the wireless speaker 2. Specifically, when the group membership state of the wireless speaker 2 is "joining group", the audio data to be played back is played back in a group together with the other members of the group of which the wireless speaker 2 is a member, and when the group membership state of the wireless speaker 2 is "leaving group", the audio data to be played back is played back independently only by the wireless speaker 2.

[0075] The slave control unit 27 controls joining and leaving a group. Specifically, when the tag information read by the RFID tag reader 20 includes the controller ID of the controller 3, if the group joining state of the wireless speaker 2 is "joining a group", the wireless speaker 2 sends a group joining request to the sound bar 1 which is the master of the group to join the group, and stores the information of the sound bar 1 which is the master of the group from which the wireless speaker 2 has left as previous master information. On the other hand, if the group joining state of the wireless speaker 2 is "leaving a group", the wireless speaker 2 sends a group joining request to the sound bar 1 specified by the registered previous master information to join the group in which the sound bar 1 is the master.

[0076] The functional configuration of the wireless speaker 2 shown in Fig. 9 may be realized in hardware using an integrated logic IC such as an ASIC or FPGA, or in software using a computer such as a DSP, like the functional configuration of the sound bar 1 shown in Fig. 6. Alternatively, it may be realized by the CPU loading a predetermined program from the auxiliary storage device onto the memory and executing it in a general-purpose computer such as a PC that includes a CPU, a memory, an auxiliary storage device such as a flash memory or a hard disk drive, a wireless LAN adapter, a short-range wireless communication device such as a Bluetooth (registered trademark) adapter, an RFID tag reader, and multiple speakers.

[0077] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating the group joining and leaving operations of the wireless speaker 2.

[0078] When the RFID tag reader 20 detects an RFID tag 30 located within its communication range (YES in S300), it reads the tag information from the RFID tag 30 and passes it to the slave control unit 27 (S301). In response to this, the slave control unit 27 checks whether the tag information includes the controller ID of the controller 3, thereby determining whether the RFID tag 30 belongs to the controller 3 (S302). If the RFID tag 30 belongs to the controller 3 (YES in S302), it checks the group membership status of its own wireless speaker 2 (S303).

[0079] If the group membership state of the wireless speaker 2 is "joining a group" (YES in S304), the slave control unit 27 transmits a group withdrawal request to the sound bar 1 that is the master of the group to which the wireless speaker 2 has joined, via the short-range wireless communication unit 22, and withdraws from the group (S305). Then, the slave control unit 27 registers information about the sound bar 1 that is the master of the withdrawn group as previous master information (S306).

[0080] Next, the slave control unit 27 instructs the slave playback control unit 26 to play the last playback song alone. In response to this, the slave playback control unit 26 transmits a delivery request with the designation of the last playback song to the media server 5 via the wireless network IF unit 21 based on the information stored in the playback information storage unit 25, and acquires the last playback song from the media server 5 (S307). Then, the slave playback control unit 26 plays the acquired last playback song alone (S308). That is, the last playback song is played and output from the speaker unit 24.

[0081] On the other hand, if the group membership state of the wireless speaker 2 itself is “leaving group” (NO in S304), the slave control unit 27 checks the previous master information, and if the previous master information has been registered (YES in S309), it transmits a group joining request to the sound bar 1 identified by the previous master information via the short-range wireless communication unit 22, and joins / participates as a slave in the group formed by this sound bar 1 (S310).

[0082] Next, the slave control unit 27 instructs the slave playback control unit 26 to perform group playback of the last playback song. In response to this, the slave playback control unit 26 transmits a playback request accompanied by the designation of the last playback song specified by the information stored in the playback information storage unit 25 to the sound bar 1, which is the master of the participating group, via the short-range wireless communication unit 22 (S311). Then, the slave playback control unit 26 receives playback data of the last playback song from the sound bar 1, which is the master of the participating group, via the short-range wireless communication unit 22, and outputs it from the speaker unit 24. As a result, group playback of the last playback song is performed by the participating members of the group (S312).

[0083] On the other hand, if the previous master information is not registered (NO in S309), the controller 3 is notified via the short-range wireless communication unit 22 that the user has not joined the group manually because there is no record of the user joining the group. Join the group A predetermined error process is carried out, such as sending a recommended message (S313).

[0084] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram for explaining the group forming / disbanding receiving operation of the wireless speaker 2.

[0085] When the slave control unit 27 receives a group formation notification from the sound bar 1 via the short-range wireless communication unit 22 (YES in S320), it joins and participates in a group in which the sound bar 1 is the master (S321). After that, when the slave playback control unit 26 receives playback data of the last played song from the sound bar 1 that is the master of the participating group via the short-range wireless communication unit 22 (YES in S322), it outputs this from the speaker unit 24. As a result, group playback of the last played song is performed by the participating members of the group (S323).

[0086] Furthermore, when the slave control unit 27 receives a group removal notification from the sound bar 1 via the short-range wireless communication unit 22 (YES in S324), it removes itself from the group in which the sound bar 1 is the master (S325).

[0087] One embodiment of the present invention has been described above.

[0088] In this embodiment, the user can cancel a group in which the sound bar 1 is the master and the wireless speaker 2 is the slave, or can form such a group, by performing an operation of bringing the controller 3 closer to the sound bar 1. Also, the user can make the wireless speaker 2 leave or join the group in which the sound bar 1 is the master, by performing an operation of bringing the controller 3 closer to the wireless speaker 2. In this way, according to this embodiment, the sound bar 1 and the wireless speaker 2 can be grouped and canceled with a simple operation.

[0089] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when tag information read by RFID tag reader 10 includes the controller ID of controller 3, sound bar 1 plays the last played song alone if the group in which sound bar 1 is the master is canceled, and plays the last played song as a group if the group in which sound bar 1 is the master is formed. Therefore, according to this embodiment, by the user performing an operation of bringing controller 3 closer to sound bar 1, in addition to forming and canceling a group, group playback and solo playback of the last played song can be automatically performed, further improving user convenience.

[0090] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the tag information read by the RFID tag reader 20 includes the controller ID of the controller 3, if the wireless speaker 2 leaves a group, it plays the last played song alone, and if the wireless speaker 2 joins a group, it transmits a playback request for the last played song of the sound bar 1, which is the master of the group, and plays the song together with the sound bar 1 and the members of the group in group playback. Therefore, according to this embodiment, by the user performing an operation of bringing the controller 3 closer to the wireless speaker 2, it is possible to automatically perform group playback or solo playback of the last played song in addition to joining or leaving a group, further improving user convenience.

[0091] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention.

[0092] For example, in the above embodiment, the sound bar 1 automatically performs group playback or solo playback of the last playback song, which is the song last played by the sound bar 1, in addition to forming or canceling a group, when the user performs an operation of bringing the controller 3 closer to the sound bar 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Instead of the last playback song, a desired song registered in advance may be played. Similarly, the wireless speaker 2 automatically performs group playback or solo playback of the last playback song, which is the song last played by the wireless speaker 2, in addition to joining or leaving a group, when the user performs an operation of bringing the controller 3 closer to the wireless speaker 2, but instead of the last playback song, a desired song registered in advance may be played.

[0093] In the present embodiment, when a user forms a group by bringing the controller 3 closer to the sound bar 1, the sound bar 1 automatically performs group playback of music following the group formation, but the present invention is not limited to this. If solo playback is set as a priority for the sound bar 1, the music may be played individually instead of in a group. Similarly, when a user joins a group by bringing the controller 3 closer to the wireless speaker 2, the wireless speaker 2 automatically performs group playback of music following the group joining, but if solo playback is set as a priority for the wireless speaker 2, the music may be played individually instead of in a group.

[0094] In the above embodiment, the sound bar 1 automatically forms or breaks a group and then plays back a group or a single song when the user brings the controller 3 closer to the sound bar 1, but it may be configured to only form or break a group without playing back a group or a single song. Similarly, the wireless speaker 2 automatically joins or leaves a group and then plays back a group or a single song when the user brings the controller 3 closer to the wireless speaker 2, but it may be configured to only join or leave a group without playing back a group or a single song.

[0095] In the above embodiment, the communication between the sound bar 1 and the controller 3 is performed by short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), but the present invention is not limited to this. The communication may be performed via the access point 6. [Explanation of symbols]

[0096] 1: Soundbar 2, 2-1~2-2: Wireless speakers 3: Controller 4: AV equipment 5: Media server 6: Access point 7: Network 10: RFID tag reader 11: Wireless network IF section 12: Short-range wireless communication section 13: Audio IF section 14: Speaker section 15: Playback information storage section 16: Master playback control section 17: Master control unit 20: RFID tag reader 21: Wireless network IF section 22: Short-range wireless communication section 24: Speaker section 25: Playback information storage section 26: Slave playback control unit 27: Slave control unit

Claims

1. A speaker system including a sound bar having a group playback function as a master, a wireless speaker having a group playback function as a slave, and a controller, The controller: a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag in which tag information including identification information of the controller is stored; The sound bar includes: an RFID tag reader that reads the tag information from the RFID tag that has come within a communication distance; a master control means for, when the tag information read by the RFID tag reader includes identification information of the controller, sending a group release notification to the wireless speaker that is a slave belonging to the group if the sound bar itself forms a group, releasing the group, and storing information on the slave belonging to the group as previous slave information, and for sending a group formation notification to the wireless speaker specified by the previous slave information if the sound bar itself does not form a group, and forming a group with the wireless speaker, The wireless speaker includes: a slave control means for withdrawing from a group when the group withdrawal notification is received from the sound bar that is the master of the group while the sound bar is participating in the group, and for joining a group in which the sound bar is the master when the group formation notification is received from the sound bar while the sound bar is participating in the group A speaker system comprising:

2. 2. A speaker system according to claim 1, The sound bar includes: a reproduction information storage means for storing information on the last reproduced audio data; and a master playback control means for independently playing back audio data specified by the information stored in the playback information storage means when a group having the sound bar as a master is released by the master control means in a case where the tag information read by the RFID tag reader includes identification information of the controller, and for group-playing back audio data specified by the information stored in the playback information storage means together with members of the group in a case where a group having the sound bar as a master is formed by the master control means. A speaker system comprising:

3. A speaker system including a sound bar having a group playback function as a master, a wireless speaker having a group playback function as a slave, and a controller, The controller: a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag in which tag information including identification information of the controller is stored; The wireless speaker includes: an RFID tag reader that reads the tag information from the RFID tag that has come within a communication distance; a slave control means for, when the tag information read by the RFID tag reader includes identification information of the controller, if the wireless speaker has joined a group, transmitting a group withdrawal request to the sound bar which is a master of the group to withdraw from the group and storing information on the master of the group as previous master information, and, if the wireless speaker has left a group, transmitting a group joining request to the sound bar specified by the previous master information to join the group in which the sound bar is a master, The sound bar includes: a master control means for causing the wireless speaker to withdraw from the group in which the sound bar is a master when the group withdrawal request is received from the wireless speaker, and for causing the wireless speaker to join the group in which the sound bar is a master as a slave when the group joining request is received from the wireless speaker; A speaker system comprising:

4. 4. A speaker system according to claim 3, The wireless speaker includes: a reproduction information storage means for storing information on the last reproduced audio data; and a slave playback control means for independently playing back audio data specified by the information stored in the playback information storage means when the tag information read by the RFID tag reader includes identification information of the controller and, if the wireless speaker has left the group in which the sound bar is the master by the slave control means, transmitting a playback request for audio data specified by the information stored in the playback information storage means to the sound bar and playing back the audio data together with the master and members of the group when the wireless speaker has joined the group in which the sound bar is the master by the slave control means. A speaker system comprising:

5. A sound bar having a group playback function as a master, an RFID tag reader that reads tag information from an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag that has come within a communication distance; and a master control means for, when the tag information read by the RFID tag reader includes identification information of a controller, sending a group release notification to a wireless speaker that is a slave belonging to the group and releasing the group if the sound bar itself forms a group, and storing information on the slave of the group as previous slave information, and for sending a group formation notification to the wireless speaker specified by the previous slave information and forming a group with the wireless speaker if the sound bar itself does not form a group. A sound bar that features

6. A wireless speaker having a group playback function as a slave, an RFID tag reader that reads tag information from an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag that has come within a communication distance; and a slave control means for, if the tag information read by the RFID tag reader includes identification information of a controller, transmitting a group withdrawal request to a sound bar that is a master of the group and withdrawing from the group if the wireless speaker has joined the group, and storing information on the master of the group as previous master information, and, if the wireless speaker has withdrawn from the group, transmitting a group joining request to a sound bar specified by the previous master information and joining the group with the sound bar as a master. A wireless speaker characterized by:

7. A method for controlling a speaker system including a sound bar having a group playback function as a master, a wireless speaker having a group playback function as a slave, and a controller, comprising: The controller: a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag in which tag information including identification information of the controller is stored; The sound bar includes: an RFID tag reader that reads the tag information from the RFID tag that has come within a communication distance; When the RFID tag reader reads the tag information from the RFID tag, determining whether the tag information includes identification information of the controller; When the tag information includes identification information of the controller, If the sound bar itself forms a group, a group cancellation notification is sent to the wireless speaker that is a slave belonging to the group to cancel the group, and information about the slave of the group is stored as previous slave information; If the sound bar itself has not formed a group, the sound bar itself transmits a group formation notification to the wireless speaker identified by the previous slave information to form a group with the wireless speaker; The wireless speaker includes: If the group release notification is received from the sound bar that is the master of the group while the sound bar is in the group, the sound bar will leave the group. If the group formation notification is received from the sound bar while the device is leaving the group, the device joins the group with the sound bar as the master.

23. A method for controlling a speaker system comprising the steps of:

8. A method for controlling a speaker system including a sound bar having a group playback function as a master, a wireless speaker having a group playback function as a slave, and a controller, comprising: The controller: a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag in which tag information including identification information of the controller is stored; The wireless speaker includes: an RFID tag reader that reads the tag information from the RFID tag that has come within a communication distance; When the RFID tag reader reads the tag information from the RFID tag, determining whether the tag information includes identification information of the controller; When the tag information includes identification information of the controller, If the wireless speaker is a member of a group, transmit a group withdrawal request to the sound bar that is the master of the group to withdraw from the group, and store information about the master of the group as previous master information; If the wireless speaker has left the group, the wireless speaker sends a group joining request to the sound bar specified by the previous master information, and joins the group with the sound bar as the master; The sound bar includes: When the group withdrawal request is received from the wireless speaker, the wireless speaker is caused to withdraw from the group in which the sound bar is a master; When the group joining request is received from the wireless speaker, the wireless speaker is made to join the group with the sound bar as a master.

23. A method for controlling a speaker system comprising the steps of:

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