Karaoke equipment

Abstract

To reduce burden on a user in performance of a singing section in karaoke music whose version differs from karaoke music for which the singing section is registered.SOLUTION: A karaoke device 1 includes: a music data storage part 15; a singing section data storage part 16; a first determination part 21 for determining storage of first singing section data including a user ID, a first music ID and a first singing section; a music data acquisition part 22 for acquiring second music data of second music whose version differs from the first music; a second determination part 23 for determining storage of second singing section data including a second music ID, a user ID and a second singing section; a lyrics data acquisition part 24 for acquiring a second character string of the second singing section from second lyrics data; a third determination part 25 for determining whether a first character string matched with the second character string is included in first lyrics data; a specification part 26 for specifying the singing section of first music matched with the first character string; and a performance part 12 for karaoke-playing the singing section based on first music data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[[Technical Field]]

[0001] The present invention relates to a karaoke apparatus. [[Background Art]]

[0002] Conventionally, some karaoke apparatuses are provided with a fast-forward function, a rewind function for starting the performance from the portion where the user wants to start singing when performing karaoke of a music piece, a performance stop function for ending the performance at the portion where the user wants to finish singing, and the like.

[0003] Furthermore, in recent years, users who use flat-rate billing services and video sharing services via smartphones, tablet terminals, and personal computers have become able to easily enjoy music, and an increasing number of users enjoy only their favorite portions of a music piece. When such users use karaoke to enjoy singing only their favorite portion of a music piece, operations such as fast-forwarding and stopping performance are required every time they sing karaoke in order to have the desired partial singing section of the karaoke performance played.

[0004] Alternatively, in order to perform a singing section where karaoke singing is desired, for example, according to Patent Document 1, the karaoke apparatus comprises: position specifying means for specifying a midpoint position of a target performance music piece in accordance with an input operation by a predetermined input device; registration means for associating the specified position specified by the position specifying means with information of the target performance music piece and registering the association in a predetermined storage device; reading means for reading the information of the target performance music piece and the specified position registered by the registration means from the storage device; and performance control means for, when outputting the target performance music piece read by the reading means, outputting the performance music piece with the specified position registered in association with the information of the performance music piece set as the performance start position. [[Prior Art Documents]] [[Patent Documents]]

[0005] [[Patent Document 1]] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-199417 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] By the way, in order to accommodate the diverse preferences of karaoke users, karaoke operators provide multiple versions of the same song. For example, they provide karaoke versions in different data formats such as MP3 and MIDI data, karaoke versions with different arrangements such as jazz or rock, karaoke versions with different arrangements depending on the singing artist, and karaoke versions with different lengths, such as shorter versions of TV theme songs.

[0007] However, with conventional technology, even if a user registers a specific section of a karaoke song they wish to sing, if they want to enjoy singing only their favorite parts of another karaoke song of a different version, they must similarly register the desired singing sections for that other karaoke song as well. Thus, users are required to specify and register the desired singing sections for each of multiple karaoke songs of different versions, which places a burden on them through cumbersome specification and registration operations.

[0008] The objective of the present invention is to provide a karaoke device that can reduce the burden on the user when performing the same singing section in a karaoke song with a registered singing section and in a karaoke song with a different version. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] To solve the above problems, the karaoke device of the present invention includes: a song data storage unit that stores song data including song identification information, lyrics data and performance data of a song; a singing section data storage unit that stores singing section data including user identification information of a user, song identification information of a song, and a singing section for the user to sing a part of the song in association with the user; and when a user reserves a first song as the song, the karaoke device of the present invention includes: a user identification information of the user, the first song identification information which is the song identification information of the first song, and the first singing section as the singing section. A first determination unit determines whether the first singing section data, which is singing section data including the section in association with the singing section data, is stored in the singing section data storage unit; if the first determination unit determines that the first singing section data is not stored, a song data acquisition unit acquires the second song data, which is the song data of the second song, which is a different version of the first song, from the song data storage unit; the second song identification information, which is the song identification information of the second song acquired by the song data acquisition unit; one of the user identification information; and the singing section The present invention is characterized by comprising: a second determination unit that determines whether or not the second singing section data, which is singing section data that includes the second singing section in association with the second singing section, is stored in the singing section data storage unit; a lyrics data acquisition unit that, if the second determination unit determines that the second singing section data is stored, acquires a second string, which is the lyrics string for the second singing section of the second singing section data, from the second lyrics data, which is the lyrics data of the second song data acquired by the song data acquisition unit; a third determination unit that determines whether or not a first string, which is the lyrics string that matches the second string acquired by the lyrics data acquisition unit, is included in the first lyrics data, which is the lyrics data of the first song data, which is the song data of the first song; if the third determination unit determines that the first string is included, an identification unit that identifies the section that matches the first string in the first lyrics data of the first song data as the singing section of the first song; and a performance unit that performs karaoke based on the first song data of the first song, with respect to the singing section identified by the identification unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the burden on the user when performing the same singing section in a karaoke song with a registered singing section and in a karaoke song of a different version. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing a karaoke device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a table showing song data for a karaoke device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a table showing lyric data for a karaoke device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a table showing singing melody data in a karaoke device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a table showing singing interval data in a karaoke device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This flowchart shows an example of operation in a karaoke device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This is a block diagram showing a modified example of a karaoke apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] [Karaoke equipment] The following describes a karaoke device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the karaoke device 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the karaoke device 1 comprises a karaoke unit 2, a microphone 3, a speaker 4, a display device 5 such as a monitor, and a remote control device 6. The karaoke device 1 is installed in a location such as a karaoke room. The karaoke device 1 may be connected to an external server device (not shown) in a communicative manner to constitute a karaoke system.

[0013] In this embodiment, in particular, the karaoke device 1 has a function to perform normal karaoke playing of reserved karaoke songs (playing from the beginning of the karaoke song to play the entire song), as well as a function to register a portion of a karaoke song that the user wishes to sing, and a function to perform karaoke playing of that portion (playing a portion of the karaoke song), so that the user can enjoy singing only their favorite parts of the song. Furthermore, the karaoke device 1 has a function to determine the singing portion (second singing portion) in one karaoke song (first song) and another karaoke song (second song) of a different version, and a function to play a singing portion for the first song that is the same as the second singing portion.

[0014] The karaoke unit 2 is connected to the microphone 3, speaker 4, display device 5, and remote control device 6 by wire or wireless connection. The microphone 3 converts the user's singing voice into an audio signal and inputs it to the karaoke unit 2. The speaker 4 emits the user's singing voice or karaoke music based on the sound signal emitted from the karaoke unit 2. The display device 5 displays various screens based on video signals from the karaoke unit 2, for example, it displays lyrics along with background video in sync with the karaoke performance.

[0015] The remote control device 6 is primarily composed of a touch panel. The remote control device 6 displays a GUI with various screens and operation buttons on the touch panel, and accepts login and song selection operations via the touch panel. The remote control device 6 and the karaoke unit 2 are paired via wireless communication, allowing various information to be sent and received between the remote control device 6 and the karaoke unit 2.

[0016] The remote control device 6 transmits user identification information (user ID), password, and the like input in response to a user's login operation to the karaoke main body 2, so that the user logs in to the karaoke apparatus 1. The remote control device 6 accepts a user's selection of their own user ID, search for karaoke music, and song selection, and transmits the selected user ID and music identification information (music ID) of the selected karaoke music as reserved music information to the karaoke main body 2 in accordance with an operation of a reservation button.

[0017] In addition, the remote control device 6 may be configured to accept designation and registration for preregistering the above-described singing section for a karaoke music piece, and for example, is configured to include a designation button and a registration button for the singing section. The remote control device 6 accepts designation of a singing start position for starting singing in a singing section in the karaoke music and a singing end position for ending singing in the singing section in the karaoke music in accordance with an operation of the designation button. The remote control device 6 accepts registration of a singing section including the designated singing start position and singing end position in accordance with an operation of the registration button.

[0018] Specifically, after a user selects a karaoke music piece, the remote control device 6 displays the lyrics of the karaoke music piece on a screen in response to an operation of the designation button, and accepts designation of a lyric character that starts singing in a singing section (singing start character) and a lyric character that ends singing (singing end character) on the screen. Here, information about what number character the singing start character and the singing end character are counted from the first character among all lyrics of the karaoke music (that is, the character order from the first character) is taken as the singing start position and the singing end position respectively. Then, the remote control device 6 transmits the selected user ID, the music ID of the selected karaoke music, and the singing start position and singing end position designated for the singing section to the karaoke main body 2 in accordance with the user's selection of their own user ID and operation of the registration button.

[0019] The karaoke main body 2 comprises a control unit 10, a storage unit 11, a performance unit 12, and an audio input / output unit 13. The control unit 10 is configured including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like, and performs overall control of the karaoke main body 2. The storage unit 11 is configured including storage media such as ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), and HDD (Hard Disc Drive), and stores programs and data for controlling each unit and each function of the karaoke apparatus 1.

[0020] For example, the storage unit 11 stores a user ID for each user of the karaoke apparatus 1 to identify each user. The control unit 10 receives a user ID and a password input in response to a user's login operation from the remote control device 6, confirms that the received user ID is stored in the storage unit 11, and authenticates the password to accept the user's login. Thereby, the user logs into the karaoke apparatus 1. Note that the user ID and password may be stored in a server apparatus communicably connected to the karaoke apparatus 1.

[0021] The storage unit 11 functions as a music data storage unit 15 that stores music data of each karaoke music piece that can be performed by the karaoke apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the music data includes management data of the karaoke music piece, lyrics data, singing melody data, performance data, and background video data, and the management data includes a music ID, a music title, a singer name, a genre, and the like of the music piece.

[0022] The lyrics data is data representing lyrics that a user should sing in a karaoke music piece, and is, for example, data that serves as a source for lyrics telops displayed on the display device 5 during performance of the karaoke music piece. In the lyrics data, as shown in FIG. 3, timing data and event data are associated with each other. The event data is data in which characters representing lyrics are written, and the timing data is data indicating the timing at which the characters of the corresponding event data are color-changed on the display device 5.

[0023] Singing melody data is data that represents the melody that the user should sing in a karaoke song, and is composed of, for example, MIDI data. In singing melody data, timing data and event data are associated, as shown in Figure 4. Event data is data that indicates instructions for sound production and silencing, the pitch to be produced, the volume to be produced, etc., while timing data is data that indicates the timing at which the event data is executed.

[0024] The performance data represents the accompaniment sound for the karaoke performance and is composed of, for example, MIDI data. The background video data represents the background video displayed on the display device 5 during the performance of the karaoke song.

[0025] The memory unit 11 stores a reservation list for sequentially registering reserved song information for karaoke songs transmitted from the remote control device 6.

[0026] The memory unit 11 functions as a singing section data storage unit 16 that stores singing section data for certain singing sections that the user wishes to sing in a karaoke song. As shown in Figure 5, the singing section data includes the user ID of the user who registered the singing section, the song ID of the karaoke song that is the basis for the registered singing section, and the singing section itself, with the singing section including the singing start position and singing end position.

[0027] For example, the singing start position and singing end position are, as described above, information about the lyric character that starts singing the singing section (singing start character) and the lyric character that ends singing the singing section (singing end character) in the lyric data of the song data corresponding to the song ID of the singing section data (i.e., the song data of the karaoke song that is the basis of the singing section), and for example, information about which character it is from the beginning (i.e., the character order from the beginning).

[0028] Specifically, Figure 5 shows an example of singing section data in the first row, where the singing section associated with user U1's user ID "ID****U1" and song X2's song ID "ID****X2" includes a singing start position specified as the 128th lyric character from the beginning of the lyrics data, and a singing end position specified as the 152nd lyric character from the beginning of the lyrics data. Also, in Figure 5, the second row shows an example of singing section data associated with user U1's user ID "ID****U1" and song X6's song ID "ID****X6", where the singing start position specified as the 1st lyric character from the beginning of the lyrics data, and a singing end position specified as the 36th lyric character from the beginning of the lyrics data. Furthermore, in Figure 5, the third row shows an example of singing section data where the singing section associated with user U2's user ID "ID****U2" and song X1's song ID "ID****X1" includes a singing start position specified as the 24th lyric character from the beginning of the lyrics data, and a singing end position specified as the 63rd lyric character from the beginning of the lyrics data.

[0029] The performance unit 12 is configured to include a sound source such as a MIDI sound source, and is a karaoke performance means that reads the corresponding song data from the storage unit 11 in the order in which the karaoke songs reserved in the reservation list of the storage unit 11 are registered, and generates a karaoke performance signal based on the performance data of the song data. The performance unit 12 outputs the generated karaoke performance signal to the speaker 4 via the audio input / output unit 13.

[0030] The audio input / output unit 13 is connected to the microphone 3 and receives the singing audio signal from the microphone 3. The audio input / output unit 13 is also connected to the speaker 4 and outputs the karaoke performance signal and the singing audio signal to the speaker 4. The audio input / output unit 13 also includes a mixer (digital mixer) and an amplifier, which mix the karaoke performance signal and the singing audio signal, and amplify this mixed signal for output.

[0031] The control unit 10 controls each part and function of the karaoke device 1 by executing calculations based on programs and data stored in the storage unit 11. For example, in this embodiment, the control unit 10 operates as a registration unit 20, a first determination unit 21, a song data acquisition unit 22, a second determination unit 23, a lyrics data acquisition unit 24, a third determination unit 25, a specific unit 26, and a performance control unit 27 by executing a program stored in the storage unit 11. As a result, in addition to the function of performing normal karaoke performance as described above, the control unit 10 realizes a function to register singing sections, a function to perform karaoke performance of singing sections, a function to determine singing sections (second singing section) in one karaoke song (first song) and another karaoke song of a different version (second song), and a function to play a singing section similar to the second singing section for the first song.

[0032] The registration unit 20 accepts the user's request to specify a portion of the singing section within a karaoke song reserved by a user logged into the karaoke device 1, registers the singing section, and stores it as singing section data in the singing section data storage unit 16 of the storage unit 11.

[0033] For example, when the registration unit 20 receives a user ID, a song ID, and the start and end positions of the singing section from the remote control device 6, it stores singing section data in the singing section data storage unit 16 (storage unit 11) that includes the user ID, the song ID, and the singing section consisting of the start and end positions in association with each other.

[0034] Specifically, in order for user U0 to sing a portion of song X0 that they frequently watch on a video site (for example, the B section and chorus of the first verse), the remote control device 6 registers a singing section by specifying a predetermined singing start character (singing start position) and a predetermined singing end character (singing end position) from the lyrics of karaoke song X0. The registration unit 20 registers the singing section using information about which characters the singing start character and singing end character are in from the first character of the lyrics data (i.e., the character order from the first character) as the singing start position and singing end position, respectively. In this case, the registration unit 20 receives the user ID "ID****U0" of user U0, the song ID "ID****X0" of song X0, and the singing section consisting of the specified singing start position and singing end position from the remote control device 6, and stores the singing section data including these in association in the singing section data storage unit 16.

[0035] The registration unit 20 may also store singing section data that includes the singing section, provided that the number of characters in the singing section from the singing start character to the singing end character is equal to or greater than a predetermined minimum number of characters.

[0036] The first determination unit 21 determines whether the song ID of a predetermined karaoke song (first song) received from the remote control device 6 and the user ID of the user who selected the karaoke song are registered in the reservation list, and whether the timing for the start of the karaoke song's performance arrives, and whether the singing section data (first singing section data) that associates the user ID of the user, the song ID of the karaoke song (first song) (first song identification information: first song ID), and a predetermined singing section (first singing section) is stored in the singing section data storage unit 16 of the storage unit 11. In other words, the first determination unit 21 determines whether the singing section data (first singing section data) is registered in the singing section data storage unit 16 for the reserved karaoke song (first song).

[0037] For example, if user U1 operates the remote control device 6 to select their own user ID and select and reserve karaoke song X1, the first determination unit 21 determines whether or not singing section data, which associates user U1's user ID "ID****U1", karaoke song X1's song ID "ID****X1", and the singing section, is stored in the singing section data storage unit 16. Specifically, the first determination unit 21 searches the singing section data storage unit 16 for the combination of user ID "ID****U1" and song ID "ID****X1" and determines whether or not a match is found.

[0038] If the first determination unit 21 determines that the singing section data (first singing section data) for the reserved karaoke song (first song) is not stored, the song data acquisition unit 22 searches the song data storage unit 15 of the storage unit 11 for song data (second song data) of another karaoke song (second song) that is the same song as the first song but a different version. The song data acquisition unit 22 may also search for and acquire data for multiple other karaoke songs that are different versions from the first song X1.

[0039] For example, the music data acquisition unit 22 acquires other karaoke songs with the same title as the first song X1, other karaoke songs with the same title as the first song X1 but with a version name such as "Bossa Nova Version" added, and other karaoke songs with the same title as the first song X1 with the version name removed, as second songs X2 with different versions. The version name may be attached either before or after the title. If the music data includes the phonetic spelling of the title and the phonetic spelling is set to the title without the version name, the music data acquisition unit 22 may select other karaoke songs with the same phonetic spelling as the first song X1 as second songs X2 with different versions. The music data acquisition unit 22 may determine that a song is the same song as the first song but a different version (second song) if, in addition to having the same title as the first song X1, the lyricist and composer are also the same.

[0040] The second determination unit 23, when the song data acquisition unit 22 acquires a second song that is a different version from the reserved first song, determines whether or not singing section data (second singing section data) that includes the song ID of the second song (second song identification information: second song ID), the user ID of the user who reserved the first song, and a predetermined singing section (second singing section) is stored in the singing section data storage unit 16 of the storage unit 11.

[0041] For example, the second determination unit 23 determines whether the second singing section data, which associates the second song ID "ID****X2" of the second song X2 acquired by the song data acquisition unit 22, the user ID "ID****U1" of user U1, and the second singing section, is stored in the singing section data storage unit 16. Specifically, the second determination unit 23 searches the singing section data storage unit 16 for the combination of user ID "ID****U1" and second song ID "ID****X2" and determines whether a match is found.

[0042] In addition, the song data acquisition unit 22 may acquire multiple karaoke songs that are different versions from the first song. In this case, the second determination unit 23 may sequentially search the singing section data storage unit 16 for combinations of the song ID of each karaoke song and the user's user ID and select the first combination that hits. Alternatively, the second determination unit 23 may search the singing section data storage unit 16 for all combinations of the song ID of the karaoke song and the user's user ID and, if multiple combinations hit, randomly select one of them. The second determination unit 23 then determines that the second singing section data corresponding to the selected combination is stored in the singing section data storage unit 16.

[0043] If the second determination unit 23 determines that the second singing section data of the second song is stored in the singing section data storage unit 16, the lyrics data acquisition unit 24 acquires the lyrics string (second string) for the second singing section of the second singing section data from the lyrics data (second lyrics data) of the second song data of the second song acquired by the song data acquisition unit 22.

[0044] For example, if the second determination unit 23 determines that the second singing section data for the combination of user ID "ID****U1" and song ID "ID****X2" is stored in the singing section data storage unit 16, the lyrics data acquisition unit 24 obtains the lyrics string for the second singing section of the said second singing section data from the lyrics data of the second song data of the second song X2 acquired by the song data acquisition unit 22.

[0045] Specifically, the second determination unit 23 determines, based on the combination of user ID "ID****U1" and song ID "ID****X2", that the second singing section data is stored in the singing section data storage unit 16 as shown in Figure 5. In this case, the lyrics data acquisition unit 24 acquires the lyric string "aiueo...hahifuheho" contained between the 128th and 152nd characters from the beginning of the lyrics data of the second song X2, based on the singing start position "128" and singing end position "152" of the second singing section of the second singing section data, as the second string in the second singing section.

[0046] The third determination unit 25 determines whether the lyrics string (first string) that matches the second string obtained by the lyrics data acquisition unit 24 is included in the lyrics data (first lyrics data) of the first song data of the reserved first song.

[0047] For example, when the lyrics data acquisition unit 24 acquires the second string "aiueo...hahifuheho" for the second singing section, the third determination unit 25 determines whether or not a lyrics string (first string) that matches the second string is included in the first lyrics data of the first song data of the first song X1.

[0048] Specifically, the third determination unit 25 reads each lyric character of the first lyric data of the first song data of the first song X1 in order from the first character and compares it with the first character "あ" of the second string obtained by the lyric data acquisition unit 24 to determine if they match. If the lyric character of the first lyric data matches the first character "あ" of the second string, the third determination unit 25 compares the next lyric character of the first lyric data with the second lyric character "い" of the second string to determine if they match. If all the lyric characters of the first lyric data match consecutively up to the last lyric character "ほ" of the second string, the third determination unit 25 determines that the first string that matches the second string of the second singing section is included in the first lyric data of the first song data of the first song.

[0049] Furthermore, if the lyrics for the third chorus of the second song X2 are stored in the second singing section of the second singing section data, and the first song X1 is a TV size version in which only the first verse is sung, then there will be no lyrics in the first lyric data of the first song that match the second string of the second singing section. In this case, the third determination unit 25 determines that the second string of the second singing section is not included in the first lyric data of the first song data of the first song.

[0050] If the third determination unit 25 determines that the first string of characters matching the second string of characters in the second singing section is included in the first lyric data of the first song data of the first song, the identification unit 26 identifies the section in the first lyric data of the first song data of the first song that matches the first string of characters as the singing section of the first song.

[0051] For example, if the third determination unit 25 determines that the first string "aiueo...hahifuheho" matches the second string "aiueo...hahifuheho", then the identification unit 26 identifies the section in the first lyric data that matches the first string "aiueo...hahifuheho" as the singing section of the first song.

[0052] Specifically, the identification unit 26 identifies the singing section of the first song X1 that matches the second singing section by determining which lyric character from the beginning matches the first lyric data of the first song data of the first song X1. For example, if the identification unit 26 determines that the first character "a" and the last character "ho" of the second string match the 98th and 122nd lyric characters from the beginning of the first lyric data of the first song X1, it identifies the singing start position "98" and the singing end position "122" of the singing section of the first song X1, respectively.

[0053] When the identification unit 26 identifies a singing section of the reserved first song, the performance control unit 27 controls the performance unit 12 to perform the identified singing section of the first song using the first song data.

[0054] For example, the performance control unit 27 controls the performance unit 12 to perform karaoke based on the performance data of the first song data of the first song X1, counting from the first character of the first lyric data of the first song data of the first song X1, to the section from the singing start position to the singing end position of the singing section of the first song X1. Specifically, if the singing section of the first song X1 consists of a singing start position "98" and a singing end position "122", the performance control unit 27 will perform karaoke based on the performance data of the first song data, counting from the first character of the first lyric data, to the section from the 98th character to the 122nd character.

[0055] Furthermore, if the first determination unit 21 determines that the first singing section data is registered in the singing section data storage unit 16 of the storage unit 11 for the reserved first song, the performance control unit 27 controls the performance unit 12 to perform the first singing section of the said first singing section data as karaoke based on the first song data of the first song.

[0056] Furthermore, if the music data acquisition unit 22 fails to acquire a second song with a different version from the music data storage unit 15 of the storage unit 11, the performance control unit 27 controls the performance unit 12 to perform a normal karaoke performance based on the first song data of the reserved first song.

[0057] Furthermore, if the second determination unit 23 determines that the second singing section data corresponding to a different version of the second song is not stored in the singing section data storage unit 16 of the storage unit 11, the performance control unit 27 controls the performance unit 12 to perform a normal karaoke performance based on the first song data of the reserved first song.

[0058] Furthermore, if the third determination unit 25 determines that a lyric string matching the second string of the second singing section of a second song with a different version is not included in the lyric data of the first song data of the reserved first song, the performance control unit 27 controls the performance unit 12 to perform a normal karaoke performance based on the first song data of the first song.

[0059] [Example of operation of this embodiment] Next, an example of the operation of the karaoke device 1 of this embodiment will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 6.

[0060] First, in the karaoke machine 1, when user U1 selects their own user ID using the remote control device 6 and reserves the first song X1 (step S1), the first song ID of the first song X1 and user U1's user ID are transmitted to the karaoke main unit 2.

[0061] In the control unit 10 of the karaoke machine 2, the first determination unit 21 determines whether or not first singing section data, which includes the user ID of user U1, the first song ID of first song X1, and the first singing section, is already stored in the singing section data storage unit 16 of the storage unit 11 (step S2).

[0062] If first singing section data is stored (step S2: Yes), the control unit 10 (for example, the identification unit 26) identifies the first singing section of the first singing section data as the singing section for the karaoke performance of the first song X1 (step S3), and the performance control unit 27 controls the performance unit 12 to perform the identified first singing section as a karaoke performance based on the reserved first song data of the first song X1 (step S4).

[0063] On the other hand, if the first singing section data is not stored (Step S2: No), the song data acquisition unit 22 acquires the second song data of the second song, which is the same song as the reserved first song X1 but a different version, from the song data storage unit 15 of the storage unit 11 (Step S5).

[0064] If a second song with a different version cannot be obtained (step S5: No), the performance control unit 27 controls the performance unit 12 to perform a normal karaoke performance based on the first song data of the reserved first song X1 (step S6).

[0065] On the other hand, if a second song with a different version is obtained (Step S5: Yes), the second determination unit 23 determines whether or not second singing section data, which includes the second song ID of the obtained second song X1, the user ID of user U1, and a predetermined second singing section, is stored in the singing section data storage unit 16 of the storage unit 11 (Step S7).

[0066] If the second singing section data is not stored (step S7: No), the performance control unit 27 controls the performance unit 12 to perform a normal karaoke performance based on the first song data of the reserved first song X1 (step S6).

[0067] On the other hand, if second singing section data is stored (step S7: Yes), the lyrics data acquisition unit 24 acquires the second string for the second singing section of the second singing section data from the second lyrics data of the second song data of the second song X2 (step S8).

[0068] Next, the third determination unit 25 determines whether the first string that matches the second string of the second singing section is included in the first lyrics data of the first song data of the first song X1 (step S9).

[0069] If the first string that matches the second string is not included in the first lyrics data (step S9: No), the performance control unit 27 controls the performance unit 12 to perform a normal karaoke performance based on the first song data of the reserved first song X1 (step S6).

[0070] On the other hand, if the first string that matches the second string is included in the first lyrics data (step S9: Yes), the identification unit 26 identifies the section in the first lyrics data of the first song data of the first song X1 that matches the first string as the singing section of the first song X1 (step S10).

[0071] Then, the performance control unit 27 controls the performance unit 12 to perform the specified singing section in karaoke style based on the first song data of the reserved first song X1 (step S4).

[0072] As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the karaoke device 1 includes a song data storage unit 15 that stores song data including song identification information, lyrics data and performance data of a song, a singing section data storage unit 16 that stores singing section data that associates the user's user identification information (user ID), the song's song identification information (song ID), and a singing section for the user to sing a part of the song, and when a user reserves a first song as a song, the first user ID of the user and the first song ID (the first song ID) of the first song A first determination unit 21 determines whether or not the first singing section data, which is singing section data that includes the first singing section as a singing section, is stored in the singing section data storage unit 16, if the first determination unit 21 determines that the first singing section data is not stored, a song data acquisition unit 22 acquires the second song data, which is song data for the second song, which is a different version of the first song, from the song data storage unit 15, and the second song ID (second song identification information) of the second song acquired by the song data acquisition unit 22 A second determination unit 23 determines whether or not second singing section data, which is singing section data that associates a first user ID with a second singing section as a singing section, is stored in the singing section data storage unit 16; if the second determination unit 23 determines that second singing section data is stored, a lyrics data acquisition unit 24 obtains a second string, which is the lyrics string for the second singing section of the said second singing section data, from the second lyrics data, which is the lyrics data of the second song data acquired by the song data acquisition unit 22; and the lyrics data acquisition unit 24 The system includes: a third determination unit 25 that determines whether the first string, which is a lyric string matching the acquired second string, is included in the first lyric data, which is the lyric data of the first song, which is the song data of the first song; a determination unit 26 that, if the third determination unit 25 determines that the first string is included, identifies the section in the first lyric data of the first song that matches the first string as the singing section of the first song; and a performance unit 12 that performs karaoke based on the first song data of the first song, using the singing section identified by the determination unit 26.

[0073] As a result, with the karaoke device 1 of the present invention, if a singing section is registered for one karaoke song and another karaoke song of a different version, the user can perform karaoke with the same singing section as the other karaoke song without having to perform a singing section specification operation for the first karaoke song, thereby reducing the burden on the user. Thus, with the karaoke device 1 of the present invention, even when singing a karaoke song of a different version from the karaoke song for which the singing section is registered, the user can sing only the portion corresponding to the registered singing section without having to perform any troublesome operations.

[0074] Furthermore, in the karaoke device 1 of this embodiment, the singing section of the singing section data consists of a singing start position and a singing end position, and the singing start position and singing end position are set in alphabetical order from the first character in the lyrics data of the song data corresponding to the song ID of the singing section data. The lyrics data acquisition unit 24 acquires a second string, which is the lyrics string from the singing start position to the singing end position in the second singing section of the second singing section data of the second song, from the second lyrics data of the second song data of the second song. The identification unit 26 identifies the singing section of the first song by identifying the first character and last character of the lyrics string that match the first string in the first lyrics data of the first song data of the first song, in alphabetical order from the first character of the first lyrics data of the first song data.

[0075] As a result, when a second song has a different version of the reserved first song and the second song has second song section data registered, the karaoke device 1 can more reliably determine whether the lyric string corresponding to the second string of the second song section in the second song section data is included in the first lyric data of the first song. [Differentiation]

[0076] Furthermore, as a modification of the karaoke device 1 of the above embodiment, the device may ask user U1 who has sung a singing section of the first song X1 identified by the identification unit 26 whether or not to store (register) the singing section as the first singing section data of the first song X1, and if the user U1 answers yes, the device may store (register) the combination of the first song X1, user U1, and the first singing section as the first singing section data.

[0077] In the modified configuration, the control unit 10 operates as a reception unit 28 and a memory control unit 29, as shown in Figure 7, in addition to the registration unit 20, first determination unit 21, song data acquisition unit 22, second determination unit 23, lyrics data acquisition unit 24, third determination unit 25, identification unit 26, and performance control unit 27 described above, by executing a program stored in the memory unit 11. As a result, the control unit 10 realizes functions such as receiving inquiries for storage of a specified singing section as first singing section data, and storing the first singing section data in response to the inquiry.

[0078] The reception unit 28 accepts whether or not to store the singing section of the first song identified by the identification unit 26 as the first singing section, and to store the first singing section data, which includes the user ID of the user who reserved the first song and the first song ID of the first song, in the singing section data storage unit 16 of the storage unit 11.

[0079] For example, the reception unit 28 accepts whether or not to store the first singing section data for the first song X1 reserved by user U1, which includes the singing section identified by the identification unit 26 as the first singing section, and associates it with user U1's user ID "ID****U1" and the song ID "ID****X1" of the first song X1.

[0080] Specifically, after the karaoke performance of the singing section of the first song X1 is finished, the reception unit 28 displays a screen on the display device 5 with an inquiry message such as "User U1, would you like to remember the singing section of the song X1 you sang?" and the options "Yes" and "No". The reception unit 28 then receives the selection of "Yes" or "No" on the screen by the user U1 via the remote control device 6, thereby determining whether or not to remember the data for the first singing section.

[0081] When the memory control unit 29 receives a request from the reception unit 28 to store first singing section data for the first song, it stores first singing section data in the singing section data storage unit 16 of the storage unit 11, which includes the user ID of the user who reserved the first song, the first song ID of the first song, and the first singing section identified by the identification unit 26, in association with each other. For example, the memory control unit 29 stores first singing section data in the singing section data storage unit 16, which includes the user ID "ID****U1" of user U1, the song ID "ID****X1" of the first song X1, and the identified first singing section, in association with each other.

[0082] According to the above-described modification, if a singing section is registered for one karaoke song and other karaoke songs of different versions, the same singing section can be registered for the same karaoke song as for the other karaoke songs without having to perform the singing section registration operation for the original karaoke song, thereby reducing the burden on the user.

[0083] In the above-described embodiment, an example was explained in which the registration unit 20 of the karaoke device 1 uses the designation button and registration button of the remote control device 6 to pre-register singing sections for karaoke songs. However, the present invention is not limited to this example.

[0084] In another example, the registration unit 20 may pre-register singing sections for a karaoke song in response to audio input via the microphone 3 during the karaoke performance of the song. For example, after the karaoke performance of the song begins, the registration unit 20 receives fast-forward or rewind operations via the remote control device 6 or the like to the desired performance position to start singing. The registration unit 20 then detects the section in which audio input was received via the microphone 3 from the start of the karaoke performance of the song from that performance position until the karaoke performance of the song ends or until the performance is stopped, and may designate the section from the first lyric character to the last lyric character as the singing section. .

[0085] Alternatively, in another example, the registration unit 20 may, instead of receiving voice input via the microphone 3, detect the section in which the registration button or other operation of the remote control device 6 was performed, from the start of karaoke performance of the karaoke song from the performance position until the karaoke performance of the karaoke song ends or until the performance is stopped, and designate the section from the first lyric character to the last lyric character of that section as the singing section. .

[0086] In the above-described embodiment, the performance control unit 27 of the karaoke device 1 controls the performance unit 12 to perform karaoke based on the performance data of the first song data of the first song X1, corresponding to the section from the start position to the end position of singing, for the singing section of the first song X1 identified by the identification unit 26 or the first singing section of the first singing section data of the first song X1 that has been registered in advance. However, the present invention is not limited to this example.

[0087] In other examples, the performance control unit 27 may control the performance unit 12 to start karaoke performance with a feed-in a few seconds before the singing start position (for example, 5 seconds before) based on the performance data of the first song data of the first song X1, or it may control the performance unit 12 to end karaoke performance with a fade-out a few seconds after the singing end position (for example, 5 seconds after).

[0088] Alternatively, in another example, the performance control unit 27 may control the performance unit 12 to perform karaoke versions of sections such as the A section, B section, and chorus, which include the singing section, from the beginning to the end of the section, based on the performance data of the first song data of the first song X1.

[0089] In the embodiment described above, the registration unit 20 and memory control unit 29 of the karaoke device 1 are shown to use as the starting position and ending position of the singing section, respectively, information on which character the lyrics character that starts singing (singing start character) and the lyrics character that ends singing (singing end character) are located in the lyrics data (i.e., the character order from the first character). However, the present invention is not limited to this example.

[0090] In another example, the registration unit 20 and the memory control unit 29 may register singing section data that includes singing sections where the starting note of singing (singing start note) and the ending note of singing (singing end note) in a singing section are located at the starting and ending positions of the singing section, respectively (i.e., the note order from the first note), and store this information in the singing section data storage unit 16 of the storage unit 11. In this case, the registration unit 20 and the memory control unit 29 may, for example, use the known technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-231834 to associate notes with lyric data.

[0091] In the embodiments described above, an example was explained in which the registration unit 20 and memory control unit 29 of the karaoke device 1 register the singing start position and singing end position as singing sections of singing section data and store them in the singing section data storage unit 16 of the storage unit 11. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. In other examples, the registration unit 20 and memory control unit 29 may register the lyric string from the singing start position to the singing end position as singing sections of singing section data and store them in the singing section data storage unit 16 of the storage unit 11.

[0092] Furthermore, the present invention can be modified as appropriate, as long as it does not contradict the gist or idea of ​​the invention as can be read from the claims and the specification as a whole, and karaoke devices with such modifications are also included in the technical concept of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0093] 1. Karaoke machine 10 Control Unit 11 Storage section 12 Performance Department 15. Music data storage unit 16. Singing section data storage unit 20 Registration Department 21 1st Judgment Section 22 Music Data Acquisition Unit 23 Second Judgment Section 24. Lyrics data acquisition unit 25 Third Judgment Section 26 Specific section 27 Performance Control Unit 28 Reception Department 29 Memory Control Unit

Claims

1. A music data storage unit that stores music data including music identification information, lyrics data, and performance data for a song, A singing section data storage unit stores singing section data that associates the user's user identification information, the song's song identification information, and the singing section for which the user sings a portion of the song. When one of the aforementioned users reserves the first song as the song, a first determination unit determines whether the first singing section data, which is singing section data that includes the user identification information of one of the aforementioned users, the song identification information of the first song as the song identification information, and the singing section as the first singing section, is stored in the singing section data storage unit. If the first determination unit determines that the first singing section data is not stored, the music data acquisition unit acquires the second music data, which is the music data of the second music, which is a different version of the first music, from the music data storage unit. A second determination unit determines whether the second singing section data, which includes the second song identification information of the second song acquired by the song data acquisition unit, one user identification information, and the second singing section as a singing section, is stored in the singing section data storage unit. If the second determination unit determines that the second singing section data is stored, the lyrics data acquisition unit acquires the second string, which is the lyrics string for the second singing section of the second singing section data, from the second lyrics data, which is the lyrics data of the second song data acquired by the song data acquisition unit. A third determination unit determines whether the first string, which is a lyric string matching the second string obtained by the lyric data acquisition unit, is included in the first lyric data, which is the lyric data of the first song data, which is the song data of the first song. If the third determination unit determines that the first string is included, the identification unit identifies the section in the first lyrics data of the first song data of the first song that matches the first string as the singing section of the first song, A performance unit that performs karaoke-style karaoke based on the first song data of the first song, the singing section identified by the specified unit, A karaoke device characterized by being equipped with the following features.

2. The singing section of the singing section data consists of a singing start position and a singing end position, and the singing start position and the singing end position are set in alphabetical order from the first character in the lyrics data of the song data corresponding to the song identification information of the singing section data. The lyrics data acquisition unit acquires the second string, which is the lyrics string from the start position to the end position of singing in the second singing section of the second singing section data of the second song, from the second lyrics data of the second song data of the second song. The identification unit identifies the singing section of the first song by identifying the first character and the last character of the lyric string that matches the first character in the first lyric data of the first song data of the first song, in alphabetical order from the first character of the first lyric data of the first song data of the first song. The karaoke device according to feature 1.

3. A receiving unit that receives whether or not to store the first singing section data, which includes the singing section identified by the identifying unit as the first singing section, in association with a user identification piece of the user and the first song identification piece of the first song, When the reception unit receives a request to store the first singing section data, the storage control unit stores the first singing section data in the singing section data storage unit, which includes a user identification piece, the first song identification piece, and the first singing section identified by the identification unit, in association with each other. The karaoke apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising the following:

Images