Music box apparatus and method for operating music box apparatus

Abstract

This music box apparatus comprises a music box body and a controller terminal. The music box apparatus registers music box bodies owned by a user, creates owned device list, which is a list of the registered music box bodies, extracts music box bodies in a powered-on state from the music box bodies included in the owned device list, and creates a current actually available device list, which is a list of the extracted music box bodies.

Description

Music box device and method for operating the music box device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a music box device and a method of operating a music box device.

[0002] Music boxes have their roots in spring-driven music boxes, and from an aesthetic standpoint, even electric music boxes are sometimes required to look like spring-driven music boxes. In response to this demand, Patent Document 1 discloses an electric music box that has the same appearance as a spring-driven music box but has only its functions electrically powered, resulting in excellent operability.

[0003] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses an ESL system as a system for centrally managing a management terminal by wirelessly connecting a number of devices to the management terminal.

[0004] JP 2010-044338 A Japanese Patent No. 6013629 A

[0005] The electric music box disclosed in Patent Document 1 can only accept operations to start and stop playing music, and cannot be remotely controlled. Therefore, with the electric music box disclosed in Patent Document 1, if you want to play various music pieces in order, for example, you need to operate each music box every time, which is cumbersome.

[0006] Furthermore, the ESL system disclosed in Patent Document 2 is a system configured to manage several thousand or more devices. The number of music boxes that users actually manage is significantly smaller than the number of devices that the ESL system is designed for, and managing them using the ESL system as is is unrealistic and impossible in terms of time and power consumption.

[0007] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an electric music box device that is highly energy-efficient and can be remotely controlled.

[0008] The present invention aims to advantageously solve the above problems, and provides the following music box devices and methods of operating the music box devices [1] to

[22] .

[0009] [1] A music box device comprising a music box main body and a controller terminal, wherein the controller terminal comprises: a communication unit capable of communicating with the music box main body; and a control unit, wherein the control unit executes the following steps: an owned device registration step for registering music box main bodies owned by a user, an owned device list creation step for creating an owned device list that is a list of music box main bodies registered in the owned device registration step, a current actual device extraction step for extracting music box main bodies that are powered on from music box main bodies included in the owned device list, and a current actual device list creation step for creating a current actual device list that is a list of music box main bodies extracted in the current actual device extraction step. This configuration simplifies music management and limits the number of music box main bodies that communicate with the controller terminal, contributing to power saving.

[0010] [2] The music box device according to [1], wherein the controller terminal further comprises a storage unit, and the owned device registration step is performed by the controller terminal associating initial unique identification information assigned to the music box owned by the user with manufacturing unique identification information assigned to the music box owned by the user at the time of manufacture and initial unique attribute information including the names of songs played by the music box, and storing the association results in the storage unit, and the current existing device extraction step is performed by the controller terminal making a connection request to each music box included in the owned device list, and when a connection response is received from the music box that is the destination of the connection request, assigning current unique identification information to an available music box and creating the current existing device list. This configuration simplifies music management and limits the number of music boxes that communicate with the controller terminal, contributing to power saving.

[0011] [3] In the music box device described in [1] or [2] above, the controller terminal stores the current existing device list in the storage unit. By adopting such a configuration, the process of assigning current unique identification information can be completed in one go.

[0012] [4] In the music box device according to any one of [1] to [3] above, the owned device registration step is performed by connecting the controller terminal and the music box main body with a wired cable. With this configuration, the user can register the music box main body without making an erroneous registration.

[0013] [5] The music box device according to any one of [1] to [3] above, wherein the music box body has a two-dimensional code including a link destination of an address having the manufacturing unique identification information, and the owned device registration step is performed by the controller terminal reading the two-dimensional code. With this configuration, the user can register the music box body without making an erroneous registration.

[0014] [6] The music box device according to any one of [1] to [3] above, wherein the owned device registration step is performed by wirelessly connecting the controller terminal and the music box main body, and the controller terminal further includes confirming with the user whether to register the music box main body before linking the initial unique identification information with the manufacturing unique identification information. With this configuration, the user can register the music box main body without erroneous registration even if another person's music box device is present within the wireless transmission range in a response-enabled state.

[0015] [7] In the music box device described in any one of [1] to [6] above, the information transmitted to the controller terminal in the connection response includes response slot delay time information set to prevent crosstalk with other music box bodies, and response slot interval information indicating the time interval during which the music box body can respond. With this configuration, the controller terminal can reliably communicate with the music box body without crosstalk with other music box bodies.

[0016] [8] The music box device according to any one of [1] to [7] above, wherein the control unit of the controller terminal is capable of setting a maximum number of response slots within which the music box main body can respond to communications from the controller terminal. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to realize power-saving communication while maintaining the real-time responsiveness of the music box main body.

[0017] [9] The music box device according to any one of [1] to [8] above, wherein the controller terminal receives instructions from the user for one or more of the music box bodies included in the current actual device list, and the control unit of the controller terminal transmits the received instructions from the user to the corresponding music box bodies. With this configuration, the music box bodies are operated in a power-saving mode, and the user can give instructions while checking information displayed on the output unit of the controller terminal.

[0018]

[10] The music box device according to any one of [1] to [9] above, wherein the music box main body further comprises a play button, and when the play button is pressed, the music box starts playing a piece of music, and while the music is being played in response to the play button being pressed, instructions from the controller terminal are not executed or execution is suspended. With this configuration, the music box main body can be controlled even if the controller terminal is not at hand for some reason.

[0019]

[11] The music box device according to any one of [1] to

[10] above, wherein the control unit of the controller terminal further executes a playlist creation step of creating one or more playlists based on the current existing device list. With this configuration, different pieces of music can be played consecutively.

[0020]

[12] The music box device according to any one of [1] to

[11] above, wherein the control unit of the controller terminal is capable of creating the playlist based on initial-specific attribute information. With this configuration, related pieces of music can be played consecutively.

[0021]

[13] The music box device according to any one of [1] to

[12] above, wherein the controller terminal receives an input for editing the playlist from the user, and the control unit of the controller terminal edits the playlist based on the received input from the user. With this configuration, the controller terminal does not communicate with the music box itself, and the user can edit the playlist while checking information displayed on the output unit of the controller terminal.

[0022]

[14] The music box device according to any one of [1] to

[13] above, wherein the playlist includes information about the playing speed of the music pieces. With this configuration, the user can customize the playing speed of the music pieces.

[0023]

[15] The music box device according to any one of [1] to

[14] above, wherein the control unit of the controller terminal stores the playlist in the storage unit. With this configuration, a playlist created once can be used repeatedly.

[0024]

[16] The music box device according to any one of [1] to

[15] above, wherein the music box main body comprises a music box control unit, a cylinder unit, and a pulse generator, wherein the pulse generator generates a pulse when the cylinder unit rotates once, wherein the music box control unit, upon receiving the pulse, sends a notification to the controller terminal that the song has been played once, and wherein the controller terminal, upon receiving the notification, sends a play command to the music box main body registered as the next song in the playlist. This configuration makes it possible to prevent the same song from being played repeatedly unintentionally.

[0025]

[17] The music box device according to any one of [1] to

[16] above, wherein the music box main body further comprises a charge / discharge control unit and a power storage unit. With this configuration, the music box device can be used with either a rechargeable battery or an external power source.

[0026]

[18] The music box device according to any one of [1] to

[17] above, wherein the music box main body further comprises a solar cell panel and a switching unit that switches between power from the solar cell panel and power from an external power source. With this configuration, solar power generation can be utilized, and the music box device can be adapted to be powered by either the solar cell panel or an external power source.

[0027]

[19] The music box device according to any one of the above [1] to

[18] , wherein the solar cell panel is configured to be replaceable. With this configuration, the solar cell panel can be replaced.

[0028]

[20] The music box device according to any one of [1] to

[19] above, wherein the control unit of the controller terminal further has a calendar function. With this configuration, it is possible to set the music box device to automatically play a song on a specific day or time.

[0029]

[21] The music box device according to any one of [1] to

[20] above, wherein the controller terminal is a smartphone. With this configuration, the music box device can be remotely controlled by the smartphone.

[0030]

[22] A method for operating a music box device comprising a music box main body and a controller terminal, the method including the following steps performed by the controller terminal: an owned device registration step for registering a music box main body owned by a user, an owned device list creation step for creating an owned device list that is a list of music box main bodies registered in the owned device registration step, a current actual device extraction step for extracting music box main bodies that are powered on from the music box main bodies included in the owned device list, and a current actual device list creation step for creating a current actual device list that is a list of music box main bodies extracted in the current actual device extraction step. This configuration simplifies music management and limits the number of music box main bodies that communicate with the controller terminal, contributing to power saving.

[0031] According to the music box device and the method for operating the music box device of the present disclosure, the music box device can be remotely controlled in a manner that is highly energy-efficient.

[0032] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a music box device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a music box main body according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a controller terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of a controller terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a list created by the operation of a controller terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of a controller terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a list created by the operation of a controller terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a list created by the operation of a controller terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a list created by the operation of a controller terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of an operation of a music box device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of a controller terminal according to a modified example of the present disclosure.

[0033] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, parts having the same configuration or function are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the description of this embodiment, duplicated descriptions of the same parts may be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

[0034] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a music box device 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] The music box device 1 includes a music box main body 10 and a controller terminal 20. The music box main body 10 is, for example, an electric music box. The controller terminal 20 is, for example, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet, or a PC (Personal Computer). The controller terminal 20 may be a dedicated terminal for controlling the music box main body 10. The controller terminal 20 may also be a terminal compatible with the Bluetooth (registered trademark) PAwR (Periodic Advertising with Responses) function. The example of FIG. 1 shows a case where the music box device 1 includes three music box main bodies 10. The number of music box main bodies 10 included in the music box device 1 may be any number equal to or greater than one.

[0036] The controller terminal 20 controls the operation of the music box main body 10. The controller terminal 20 can communicate with the music box main body 10 via a wireless connection.

[0037] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the music box main body 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] The music box main body 10 includes a control unit 11 , a memory unit 12 , a communication unit 13 , a music box mechanism unit 14 , a charge / discharge control unit 15 , a power storage unit 16 , a solar panel 17 , and a switching unit 18 .

[0039] The control unit 11 includes one or more processors, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The processor may be a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process. The dedicated circuit may be, for example, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The control unit 11 executes various processes related to the operation of the music box main body 10 and controls each part of the music box main body 10. The control unit 11 may realize its control functions by executing a program stored in the memory unit 12. The control unit 11 corresponds to a "music box control unit" in the claims.

[0040] The storage unit 12 includes one or more semiconductor memories, one or more magnetic memories, one or more optical memories, or a combination of at least two of these. The semiconductor memories are, for example, RAM (Random Access Memory) or ROM (Read Only Memory). The RAM is, for example, SRAM (Static RAM) or DRAM (Dynamic RAM). The ROM is, for example, EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM). The storage unit 12 functions, for example, as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 12 stores various identification information assigned to the music box main body 10.

[0041] The communication unit 13 includes one or more communication interfaces. The communication interface may be either a wired or wireless interface. The communication interface may be, for example, an interface compatible with a mobile communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), or 5G (5th Generation), or a LAN interface. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication unit 13 communicates with the controller terminal 20 using the Bluetooth (registered trademark) PAwR (Periodic Advertising with Responses) function, but the communication method with the controller terminal 20 is not limited to this. The communication unit 13 may also communicate with the controller terminal 20 directly or via a network. The communication unit 13 transmits information related to the operation of the music box main body 10 and various identification information assigned to the music box main body 10.

[0042] The music box mechanism 14 includes a cylinder 141 and a pulse generator 142. The music box mechanism 14 plays music. The music is played by the rotation of the cylinder 141, and one rotation of the cylinder 141 plays the music once. The cylinder 141 rotates using power supplied from the charge / discharge control unit 15. The pulse generator 142 generates a pulse each time the cylinder 141 rotates once.

[0043] The charge / discharge control unit 15 controls the charging and discharging of the power storage unit 16. The charge / discharge control unit 15 also supplies power to the music box mechanism unit .

[0044] The power storage unit 16 is composed of at least one secondary battery. The power storage unit 16 may include a plurality of storage battery cells. The power storage unit 16 is also referred to as a battery or a battery module. The power storage unit 16 includes, but is not limited to, a lithium-ion battery. The power storage unit 16 may include currently and future available storage batteries, including lead-acid batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, sodium-sulfur batteries, lithium-sulfur batteries, magnesium batteries, and all-solid-state batteries. The power storage unit 16 is connected to the charge / discharge control unit 15.

[0045] The solar cell panel 17 is a panel-shaped member made up of solar cells that convert incident light such as sunlight and indoor light into electricity to output electric power. The solar cell panel 17 may be arranged in a replaceable manner.

[0046] The switching unit 18 switches between power from the solar cell panel 17 and power from an external power source to be supplied to the charge / discharge control unit 15. The switching unit 18 is connected to the solar cell panel 17 and the external power source.

[0047] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the controller terminal 20 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0048] The controller terminal 20 includes a control unit 21 , a storage unit 22 , a communication unit 23 , an input unit 24 , and an output unit 25 .

[0049] The control unit 21 includes one or more processors, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination of these. The processor is a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor specialized for specific processing. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The control unit 21 executes various processes related to the operation of the controller terminal 20 and controls each unit of the controller terminal 20. The control unit 21 may realize its control functions by executing a program stored in the storage unit 22.

[0050] The storage unit 22 includes one or more semiconductor memories, one or more magnetic memories, one or more optical memories, or a combination of at least two of these. The semiconductor memories are, for example, RAM (Random Access Memory) or ROM (Read Only Memory). The RAM is, for example, SRAM (Static RAM) or DRAM (Dynamic RAM). The ROM is, for example, EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM). The storage unit 22 functions, for example, as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 22 stores information about the music box main body 10 owned by the user.

[0051] The communication unit 23 includes one or more communication interfaces. The communication interface may be either a wired or wireless communication interface. The communication interface may be, for example, an interface compatible with a mobile communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), or 5G (5th Generation), or a LAN interface. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication unit 23 communicates with the music box main body 10 using the Bluetooth (registered trademark) PAwR (Periodic Advertising with Responses) function, but the communication method with the music box main body 10 is not limited to this. The communication unit 23 may also communicate with the music box main body 10 directly or via a network.

[0052] The input unit 24 includes one or more input interfaces. The input interface is, for example, a physical key, a capacitive key, a pointing device, a touch screen integrated with a display, or a microphone that accepts voice input. The input interface may further include a camera that captures captured images or image codes, or an IC card reader. The input unit 24 accepts operations to input information used in the operation of the controller terminal 20 and sends the input information to the control unit 21.

[0053] The output unit 25 includes one or more output interfaces. The output interface is, for example, an external or built-in display that outputs information as an image or video, a speaker that outputs information as sound, or an interface for connecting to an external output device. The display is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. The output unit 25 outputs information obtained by the operation of the controller terminal 20.

[0054] The operation of the controller terminal 20 is realized by a processor included in the control unit 21 executing a program. The program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Examples of computer-readable recording media include a magnetic recording device, an optical disk, a magneto-optical recording medium, or a semiconductor memory. The program is distributed in a state recorded on a portable recording medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) or a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM on which the program is recorded. Some or all of the operation of the controller terminal 20 may be executed by a dedicated circuit included in the control unit 21.

[0055] Next, a method for remotely controlling the music box main body 10 by the controller terminal 20 will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 10. Figure 4 shows the process by which the controller terminal 20 registers the music box main body 10 as a music box owned by the user.

[0056] In step S101, the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 acquires the unique manufacturing identification information registered on the music box body 10 owned by the user. The unique manufacturing identification information is unique identification information assigned to the music box body 10 when it is manufactured. The term "user" refers not only to the person who purchased the music box body 10 but also to anyone who can recognize that they own the music box body 10. The controller terminal 20 may acquire the unique manufacturing identification information, for example, by connecting the controller terminal 20 and the music box body 10 with a wired cable and acquiring the information via serial data communication via the cable. By employing such a method, the user can register the music box body 10 without making any mistakes. The control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 stores the acquired unique manufacturing identification information and related information for the music box body 10 in the storage unit 22. The related information is, for example, information about songs that the music box body 10 can play. The information about the songs includes the song title and genre. The information about the songs may include, for example, classification of the songs by their atmosphere or information indicating that the songs are related to a particular event (such as Christmas songs).

[0057] The music box body 10 may have a two-dimensional code including a link to an address containing the music box body 10's unique identification information at the time of manufacture and related information. The controller terminal 20 may read the two-dimensional code provided on the music box body 10 via the input unit 24 to obtain the music box body 10's unique identification information at the time of manufacture and related information. By employing the above-described method, the user can register the music box body 10 without making any mistakes.

[0058] In step S102, the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 registers the music box main body 10 for which the manufacturing unique identification information has been acquired as a device owned by the user. Specifically, the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 assigns initial unique information to the music box main body 10 for which the manufacturing unique identification information has been acquired. The initial unique information includes initial unique identification information and initial unique attribute information. The initial unique identification information is unique identification information assigned to the music box main body 10 purchased and owned by the user. The initial unique attribute information includes the song title and genre. The initial unique attribute information may include, for example, a classification by the atmosphere of the song or information indicating that the song is associated with a specific event (e.g., a Christmas song). The initial unique attribute information is created based on information about the song acquired as related information. The initial unique information is linked to the manufacturing unique identification information and stored in the memory unit 22 of the controller terminal 20.

[0059] In step S103, the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 creates an owned device list that lists the music box bodies 10 registered in step S102. The owned device list is, for example, a list that links manufacturing-specific identification information and initial-specific information for each music box body 10 owned by the user. The owned device list may be created by further linking group numbers. The group number is information related to the group number assigned by the controller terminal 20 to the music box body 10. The controller terminal 20 can communicate only with music box bodies 10 that belong to a specific group. Grouping limits the communication destinations of the controller terminal 20, thereby reducing unnecessary communication and contributing to power saving. After creating the owned device list, the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 stores the list in the memory unit 22.

[0060] 5A is a diagram showing an example of an owned device list created by the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20. In the example of FIG. 5A, the owned device list includes manufacturing unique identification information, initial unique identification information, and initial unique attribute information. In the initial unique attribute information, attribute A represents the song title, attribute B represents the genre, and attribute C represents the atmosphere of the song. For example, for a music box main body 10 having manufacturing unique identification information of "Product_1," group information of "1," initial unique identification information of "Initial unique_ID1," attribute A (song title) of "A_1," attribute B (genre) of "B_1," and attribute C (music atmosphere) of "C_1" are linked.

[0061] By carrying out the above-described process, the user can manage the music box main body 10 he owns with a single registration process.

[0062] When steps S101 to S103 are performed in a situation where an owned device list has already been created, such as when an additional music box body 10 is purchased and registered, information linking the manufacturing unique identification information and the initial unique information for the music box body 10 newly registered as a user's owned device may be stored in the storage unit 22 by adding it to the existing owned device list. Fig. 5B is a diagram showing the owned device list when two new music box bodies 10 with manufacturing unique identification information "Product_5" and "Product_6" are newly registered in Fig. 5A.

[0063] Next, the operation of the controller terminal 20 to extract music box bodies 10 currently in an on state from among the music box bodies 10 owned by the user will be described with reference to Figures 6 to 8. Figure 6 is a diagram showing the process in which the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 assigns current unique identification information and creates a current existing device list.

[0064] In step S201, the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 sends a connection request via the communication unit 23 to each of the music box bodies 10 registered in the owned device list created in step S103 of FIG.

[0065] In step S202, among the music box bodies 10 that have received the connection request, those that are powered on transmit a connection response to the controller terminal 20. The music box bodies 10 that are powered on may include music box bodies 10 that are in standby mode. The connection response transmitted from the music box body 10 to the controller terminal 20 may include response slot delay time information that is set to prevent crosstalk with other music box bodies 10, and response slot interval information that indicates the time interval during which the music box body 10 can respond. A response slot is a slot within which the music box body 10 can respond to communication from the controller terminal 20. One music box body 10 can respond per response slot. The control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 can set the maximum number of response slots.

[0066] In step S203, upon receiving the connection response, the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 identifies the music box body 10 that sent the connection response. Then, the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 calls up from the storage unit 22 the initial unique identification number assigned to the identified music box body 10.

[0067] In step S204, the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 assigns current unique identification information to each music box main body 10 that has sent a connection response. The current unique identification information is unique identification information assigned to each music box main body 10 that is in a usable state among those owned by the user. The control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 may perform the processing of this step by linking the initial unique identification number called up from the storage unit 22 in step S203 with the current unique identification information.

[0068] In step S205, the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 creates a current actual device list that lists the music box bodies 10 to which current unique identification information was assigned in step S204. The current actual device list includes current unique identification information and manufacturing unique identification information or initial unique identification information. The current actual device list may be, for example, an owned device list to which current unique identification information has been added. The current actual device list may further include initial unique attribute information and the order in which the controller terminal 20 detected the music box bodies 10. The control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 stores the created current actual device list in the memory unit 22.

[0069] FIG. 7 shows a list created by the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20, in which the power status has been added to the owned device list ( FIG. 5B ). FIG. 8 shows an example of a current actual device list created by the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20. In the examples of FIGS. 7 and 8 , the storage unit 22 of the controller terminal 20 stores the owned device list shown in FIG. 5B . As a preliminary step to creating the current actual device list, the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 may add a column indicating the power status to the owned device list, assigning "Power Status: On" to the music box main body 10 identified in step S203 and "Power Status: Off" to the music box main body 10 not identified. In the example of FIG. 7 , the music box main body 10 whose initial unique identification information is "Initial unique_ID3" is powered off, and the other music box main bodies 10 are powered on. In the example of FIG. 8 , for example, a music box main body 10 having the initial unique identification information "Initial unique_ID1" is associated with a group number of "1," an attribute A (music title) of "A_1," an attribute B (genre) of "B_1," an attribute C (music atmosphere) of "C_1," and a current unique identification information of "Current unique_ID1." The current unique identification information may be assigned in the order in which the controller terminal 20 detects the music box main bodies 10. Information in a row assigned to a powered-off music box main body 10 may be deleted, and information about a powered-on music box main body 10 assigned to the end of the owned device list may be stored. In the example of FIG. 8 , information in a row assigned to "Initial unique_ID3" may be deleted, and the initial unique identification information assigned to the end of the list may instead hold information about "Initial unique_ID6." The control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 may repeat this process until there are no rows without information in the middle of the list. Instead of the above process, the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 may enter "N / A" indicating that there is no data in the current unique identification information field for a row to which a powered-off music box body 10 is assigned, or may leave the field blank, or may delete the row itself.

[0070] By carrying out the above-described processing, it is possible to create a list that extracts only the music box main bodies 10 that are in the power-on state.

[0071] The control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 may output the current existing device list or a list of music box bodies 10 included in the current existing device list to the output unit 25. The control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 may accept an instruction for one of the music box bodies 10 included in the current existing device list from the user via the input unit 24. The control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 transmits the instruction accepted from the user to the corresponding music box body 10.

[0072] Next, a playlist created by the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 will be described with reference to Figures 9A to 9D. Figures 9A to 9D are diagrams showing examples of a playlist created by the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20.

[0073] When the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 completes the processing up to step S205, it automatically creates a playlist based on the current existing device list. The playlist includes current unique identification information and information regarding the order in which songs are to be played. The playlist may further include all or any of the group number, song title, and playing speed information. When the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 creates the playlist, it stores the created playlist in the storage unit 22. In the playlist automatically created by the controller terminal 20, the order in which songs are to be played may be the order in which the controller terminal 20 detected the music box main body 10.

[0074] In the example of FIG. 9A , for example, a music box main body 10 whose current unique identification information is "Current unique_ID1" is associated with a group number of "1," an attribute A (music title) of "A_1," an attribute B (genre) of "B_1," an attribute C (music atmosphere) of "C_1," a performance order of "1," and a performance speed of "0." According to the playlist of FIG. 9A , the music box device 1 first plays the song "A_1." After the performance of the song "A_1" is finished, the music box device 1 plays the song "A_2." After the performance of the song "A_2" is finished, the music box device 1 plays the song "A_6." After the performance of the song "A_6" is finished, the music box device 1 similarly plays the songs "A_4" and "A_5" in order.

[0075] A playlist may be created with additional information requested by the user. The additional information may be, for example, the speed at which the music box main body 10 plays the music (performance speed). In the example of FIG. 9B , performance speed information is added as additional information to the playlist shown in FIG. 9A . According to the playlist of FIG. 9B , the music box device 1 first plays the music piece "A_1" at normal speed. After the performance of the music piece "A_1" is completed, the music piece "A_2" is played at a slower speed than normal. After the performance of the music piece "A_2" is completed, the music piece "A_6" is played at a faster speed than normal. After the performance of the music piece "A_6" is completed, the music piece "A_4" and the music piece "A_5" are similarly played in order at normal speed.

[0076] The control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 may create a playlist based on the initial-specific attribute information. For example, the controller terminal 20 can create a playlist of only songs in the same genre. In this case, the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 extracts songs in the same genre from the initial-specific attribute information and creates a playlist.

[0077] 9C is a diagram showing an example of a playlist created by extracting only songs of the same genre. Playlist 1 is a playlist that extracts only songs with attribute B (genre) "B_1". Playlist 2 is a playlist that extracts only songs with attribute B (genre) "B_2". As shown in FIG. 9B, the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 may create multiple playlists.

[0078] The group numbers assigned to the music box main bodies 10 by the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 may be the same within a playlist. If there are multiple playlists, a different group number may be assigned to each playlist. The control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 can set the maximum number of music box main bodies 10 assigned to one group number. This makes it possible to limit the maximum number of response slots, shorten the waiting time until the music box main body 10 responds to communication from the controller terminal 20, and maintain real-time communication.

[0079] The control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 may create a playlist based on multiple sets of initial-specific attribute information. For example, the controller terminal 20 can create a playlist containing only songs of the same genre or mood. In this case, the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 extracts songs of the same genre from the initial-specific attribute information and creates a playlist. Then, it extracts songs of the same mood from the initial-specific attribute information and adds them to the playlist. Performing this process may result in the same music box main body 10 being added to a playlist multiple times. To prevent this from happening, when the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 detects multiple rows with the same current unique identification information, it may retain only the top row and exclude the remaining rows from the playlist.

[0080] 9D is a diagram showing an example of a playlist created by extracting only songs with the same genre or musical atmosphere. In the example of FIG. 9D, the playlist is created by extracting only songs with attribute B (genre) "B_1" or attribute C (music atmosphere) "C_3." In FIG. 9D, the song in the last row is the same as the song in the row three above. Since the same song is already in the playlist, the song in the last row is excluded. After the exclusion of songs is complete, the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 assigns a performance order to each song.

[0081] The control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 may accept input from the user to create, modify, or save a desired playlist via the input unit 24. The playlist editing input accepted by the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 from the user may be, for example, changing the playing order of songs. The control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 edits the playlist based on the input from the user and stores it in the storage unit 22. The control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 may output information required for the user to input to create, modify, and save a playlist to the output unit 25.

[0082] Next, the operation of the music box device 1 to continuously play music pieces according to a playlist will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing the flow of processing in which the music box device 1 continuously plays music pieces according to a playlist.

[0083] In step S301, the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 transmits a play instruction to the music box main body 10 having the current unique identification information registered to be played first in the playlist.

[0084] In step S302, upon receiving the instruction to play, the control unit 11 of the music box main body 10 controls the music box mechanism 14 to play the music once. One play is performed by rotating the cylinder 141 of the music box mechanism 14 once.

[0085] In step S303, when the cylinder 141 of the music box mechanism 14 rotates once, the pulse generator 142 of the music box mechanism 14 generates a pulse.

[0086] In step S304, when the control unit 11 of the music box main body 10 detects the pulse generated in step S303, it stops the performance and transmits a notification to the controller terminal 20 that the music has been played once.

[0087] In step S305, when the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 receives a notification from the music box main body 10 that the music has been played once, the control unit 21 transmits a play instruction to the music box main body 10 having the current unique identification information registered to be played after the music currently being played in the playlist. After that, the music box device 1 repeats the processes from steps S302 to S305 until it has finished playing the last music in the playlist or receives an instruction from the user to stop playing.

[0088] By performing the above-described processing, the music box device 1 can continuously play the music pieces desired by the user.

[0089] Next, as a modified example of the present invention, a method in which the controller terminal 20 connects the controller terminal 20 and the music box main body 10 wirelessly without a wired connection or reading of a two-dimensional code, and thereby the controller terminal 20 registers the music box main body 10 as a music box owned by the user, will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing a modified example of the process in which the controller terminal 20 registers the music box main body 10 as a music box owned by the user.

[0090] In step S401, the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 wirelessly connects to the music box body 10 owned by the user, thereby acquiring the manufacturing unique identification information and product number registered in the music box body 10. The control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 temporarily stores the acquired manufacturing unique identification information, related information, and product number of the music box body 10 in the memory unit 22.

[0091] In step S402, the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 outputs to the output unit 25 the product number of the music box main body 10 whose manufacturing unique identification information was acquired in step S401.

[0092] In step S403, the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 confirms with the user whether or not to register the device with the output product number as a device owned by the user. If the user inputs an action to register the music box body 10 as a device owned by the user into the input unit 24 of the controller terminal 20 (step S403: Yes), the process proceeds to step S404. If the user inputs an action to not register the music box body 10 as a device owned by the user into the input unit 24 of the controller terminal 20, or if there is no action from the user for a certain period of time (step S403: No), the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 erases the temporarily stored corresponding information that does not need to be registered, such as the unique identification information at the time of manufacture of the music box body 10, related information, and product number, and terminates the process.

[0093] In step S404, the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 registers the music box main body 10 for which the manufacturing unique identification information has been acquired as a device owned by the user. Specifically, the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 assigns initial unique identification information to the music box main body 10 for which the manufacturing unique identification information has been acquired. The initial unique identification information is linked to the manufacturing unique identification information and stored in the memory unit 22 of the controller terminal 20.

[0094] In step S405, the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 creates an owned device list that lists the music box bodies 10 registered in step S404. After creating the owned device list, the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 stores the list in the storage unit 22.

[0095] By carrying out the above-described processing, it is possible to prevent a situation in which a user mistakenly registers a music box that the user does not own.

[0096] Next, a method using a calendar function will be described as another variation of an embodiment of the present invention. The control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 may further include a calendar function. In the following variation, the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 is assumed to be able to identify the current date, day of the week, and time using the calendar function.

[0097] The control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 receives an instruction from the user via the input unit 24 to play a specific piece of music at a specific time on a specific date or day of the week. The control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 stores the received instruction in the storage unit 22. When the specified time on the date or day specified by the user arrives, the control unit 21 of the controller terminal 20 transmits a play instruction to the music box main body 10 linked to the specified piece of music or to the specified music box main body 10.

[0098] By carrying out the above-described processing, it is possible to set a piece of music to be automatically played like a chime on a specific day or at a specific time.

[0099] Next, as another modification of the embodiment of the present invention, a method for controlling the music box device 1 using a performance button provided on the music box main body 10 will be described. The music box main body 10 may further include a button (performance button) for starting the performance of a piece of music. The performance button is not limited to a mechanical switch such as a physical key or button, but may also be, for example, a button displayed on a touch screen provided integrally with the display.

[0100] When the control unit 11 of the music box main body 10 detects that the play button has been pressed, it operates the music box mechanism unit 14 to start playing a song. Playing a song in response to pressing of the play button may be given a higher priority than instructions from the controller terminal 20. In this case, once playing of a song in response to pressing of the play button has started, instructions from the controller terminal 20 may not be executed or may be put on hold until the performance has finished.

[0101] With the above-described configuration, the music box main body 10 can be controlled even when the controller terminal 20 is not at hand.

[0102] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, multiple blocks shown in the block diagrams may be integrated, or one block may be divided. Instead of executing multiple steps shown in the flowcharts in chronological order as described, each step may be executed in parallel or in a different order depending on the processing capacity of the device executing each step, or as needed. Other modifications are possible within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0103] The controller terminal 20 may also have, for example, a function to instruct repeat playing of one song, a function to instruct repeat playing of a playlist, and a function to shuffle the playing order of songs in the playlist.

[0104] According to the music box device and the method for operating the music box device of the present disclosure, the music box device can be remotely controlled in a manner that is highly energy-efficient.

[0105] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Music box device 10 Music box main body 11 Control unit (music box control unit) 12 Memory unit 13 Communication unit 14 Music box mechanism unit 141 Cylinder unit 142 Pulse generator 15 Charging / discharging control unit 16 Power storage unit 17 Solar panel 18 Switching unit 20 Controller terminal 21 Control unit 22 Memory unit 23 Communication unit 24 Input unit 25 Output unit

Claims

1. A music box device comprising a music box main body and a controller terminal, wherein the controller terminal comprises: a communication unit capable of communicating with the music box main body; and a control unit, wherein the control unit executes: an owned device registration step for registering music box main bodies owned by a user; an owned device list creation step for creating an owned device list that is a list of music box main bodies registered by the owned device registration step; a current actual device extraction step for extracting music box main bodies that are powered on from music box main bodies included in the owned device list; and a current actual device list creation step for creating a current actual device list that is a list of music box main bodies extracted by the current actual device extraction step.

2. The controller terminal further comprises a memory unit, and the owned device registration step is performed by the controller terminal linking initial unique identification information assigned to the music box body owned by the user, manufacturing unique identification information assigned to the music box body owned by the user at the time of manufacture, and initial unique attribute information which is information including the name of the song to be played by the music box body, and storing the linking result in the memory unit, and the current actual device extraction step is performed by the controller terminal making a connection request to each music box body included in the owned device list, and when a connection response is received from the music box body to which the connection request is made, assigning current unique identification information to an available music box body and creating the current actual device list. A music box device as described in claim 1.

3. The music box device according to claim 2, wherein the controller terminal stores the current existing device list in the storage unit.

4. The music box device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the owned device registration step is performed by connecting the controller terminal and the music box main body with a wired cable.

5. A music box device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the music box body has a two-dimensional code including a link destination of an address having the unique identification information at the time of manufacture, and the owned device registration step is performed by the controller terminal reading the two-dimensional code.

6. The music box device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the owned device registration step is performed by wirelessly connecting the controller terminal and the music box main body, and the controller terminal further includes confirming with the user whether or not to register the music box main body before linking the initial unique identification information with the manufacturing unique identification information.

7. A music box device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the information transmitted to the controller terminal in the connection response includes response slot delay time information set to prevent interference with other music box bodies, and response slot interval information indicating the time interval during which the music box body can respond.

8. A music box device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit of the controller terminal is capable of setting a maximum number of response slots, which are slots within which the music box main body can respond to communications from the controller terminal.

9. A music box device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the controller terminal accepts instructions from the user regarding one or more of the music box bodies included in the current actual device list, and the control unit of the controller terminal transmits the accepted instructions from the user to the corresponding music box body.

10. A music box device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the music box main body further comprises a play button, which starts playing a song when the play button is pressed, and while the song is being played as a result of the play button being pressed, instructions from the controller terminal are not executed or execution is suspended.

11. A music box device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit of the controller terminal further executes a playlist creation step of creating one or more playlists based on the current existing device list.

12. The music box device according to claim 11, wherein the control unit of the controller terminal is capable of creating the playlist based on initial-specific attribute information.

13. The music box device according to claim 11, wherein the controller terminal accepts an input for editing the playlist from the user, and the control unit of the controller terminal edits the playlist based on the accepted input from the user.

14. The music box device according to claim 11, wherein the playlist includes information on the playing speed of the music pieces.

15. The music box device according to claim 11, wherein the control unit of the controller terminal stores the playlist in the storage unit.

16. The music box device of claim 11, wherein the music box main body comprises a music box control unit, a cylinder unit, and a pulse generator, the pulse generator generating a pulse when the cylinder unit rotates once, the music box control unit stopping the play upon receiving the pulse and sending a notification to the controller terminal that the song has been played once, and the controller terminal receiving the notification sending a play instruction to the music box main body registered as the next song in the playlist.

17. The music box device according to claim 16, wherein the music box main body further comprises a charge / discharge control unit and a power storage unit.

18. The music box device according to claim 17, wherein the music box main body further comprises: a solar cell panel; and a switching unit that switches between power from the solar cell panel and power from an external power source.

19. The music box device according to claim 18, wherein the solar panel is replaceable.

20. The music box device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit of the controller terminal further has a calendar function.

21. The music box device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the controller terminal is a smartphone.

22. A method for operating a music box device comprising a music box body and a controller terminal, the method including the following steps performed by the controller terminal: an owned device registration step for registering a music box body owned by a user; an owned device list creation step for creating an owned device list that is a list of music box bodies registered by the owned device registration step; a current actual device extraction step for extracting music box bodies that are powered on from music box bodies included in the owned device list; and a current actual device list creation step for creating a current actual device list that is a list of music box bodies extracted by the current actual device extraction step.

Images