Information processing apparatus and information processing method

Abstract

A game machine 12: transmits a first control signal for causing a display speaker 16 to output a first audio; and transmits a second control signal for causing a controller speaker 20 to output a second audio. The game machine 12 detects that the first audio has been acquired by a microphone 22 of a controller 18. The game machine 12 measures a time period from when the first control signal is transmitted to when the first audio is acquired by the microphone 22. The game machine 12 adjusts, on the basis of the measured time period, a timing at which the display speaker 16 is caused to output the first audio and / or a timing at which the controller speaker 20 is caused to output the second audio.

Description

Information Processing Apparatus and Information Processing Method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to data processing technology, and particularly to an information processing apparatus and an information processing method.

[0002] Among information processing apparatuses such as game machines, there are those capable of outputting sound from a plurality of speakers, such as a display speaker and a controller speaker.

[0003] A delay may occur between when the information processing apparatus instructs sound output and when the first speaker outputs sound and when the second speaker outputs sound. The inventor considered that the user experience might be improved by suitably controlling this delay. One object of the present disclosure is to provide a technique for suitably controlling the sound output timing across a plurality of speakers.

[0004] To solve the above problems, an information processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a CPU configured as follows. The CPU transmits a first control signal for outputting a first sound from a first speaker, transmits a second control signal for outputting a second sound from a second speaker different from the first speaker, detects that the first sound has been acquired by a microphone provided near the second speaker, measures the time from the transmission of the first control signal until the first sound is acquired by the microphone, and adjusts at least one of the timing for outputting the first sound from the first speaker and the timing for outputting the second sound from the second speaker based on the measured time.

[0005] Another aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing method. This method includes an information processing apparatus transmitting a first control signal for outputting a first sound from a first speaker, transmitting a second control signal for outputting a second sound from a second speaker different from the first speaker, detecting that the first sound has been acquired by a microphone provided near the second speaker, measuring the time from the transmission of the first control signal until the first sound is acquired by the microphone, and adjusting at least one of the timing for outputting the first sound from the first speaker and the timing for outputting the second sound from the second speaker based on the measured time.

[0006] Furthermore, any combination of the above components, as well as any conversion of the expressions of this disclosure between systems, computer programs, recording media storing computer programs, etc., are also valid forms of this disclosure.

[0007] According to this disclosure, the timing of audio output across multiple speakers can be suitably controlled.

[0008] This is a diagram showing the configuration of the information processing system of the embodiment. This is a block diagram showing the functional blocks of the information processing device of the embodiment. This is a flowchart showing the operation of the information processing device of the embodiment.

[0009] Figure 1 shows the configuration of the game system 10 according to the embodiment. The game system 10 is an information processing system that provides a game experience to the user. The game system 10 comprises a game machine 12, a display device 14, and a controller 18.

[0010] The functions of the components in the game console 12 may be realized in circuits or processing circuits, including general-purpose processors, application-specific processors, integrated circuits, ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), CPUs (a Central Processing Unit), conventional circuits, and / or combinations thereof, which are configured or programmed to realize the functions described herein. A processor is considered to be a circuit or processing circuit that includes transistors and other circuits. A processor may also be a programmed processor that executes a program stored in memory.

[0011] In this specification, circuits, units, and means are hardware programmed to perform or execute the functions described herein. Such hardware may be any hardware disclosed herein, or any hardware known to be programmed to perform or execute the functions described herein.

[0012] If the hardware is a processor that is considered to be a type of circuit, then the circuit, means, or unit is a combination of hardware and software used to constitute the hardware and / or processor.

[0013] The game console 12 is an information processing device (specifically, a home game console) that runs game applications. In this embodiment, the game console 12 is used as an example of an information processing device, but the game system 10 may be configured to include a general-purpose information processing device (such as a PC) capable of running various applications instead of the game console 12.

[0014] The display device 14 is connected to the game console 12 by wire or wireless connection and displays various information, including text and images, according to the control of the game console 12. The display device 14 may be a television, a computer display, or may include a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The display device 14 includes a first speaker that outputs sound according to the control of the game console 12. The first speaker will be hereinafter referred to as the "display speaker 16".

[0015] The controller 18 is an operating device that receives user inputs to the system software and application software executed by the game console 12. In this embodiment, the controller 18 is a game controller (in other words, a gamepad) held by the user. The controller 18 is connected to the game console 12 by wire or wireless connection and sequentially transmits operation information indicating the user inputs to the game console 12.

[0016] The controller 18 includes a second speaker that outputs sound according to the control of the game console 12. The second speaker is located in a different position from the first speaker and is hereinafter referred to as the "controller speaker 20". The controller 18 also includes a microphone 22, which is an acoustic device that converts sound (air vibrations) into electrical signals. The microphone 22 is located near the controller speaker 20, and in this embodiment, the microphone 22 and the controller speaker 20 are mounted in the same controller 18 housing.

[0017] The display device 14 synchronizes the display of information such as images with the audio output from the display speaker 16. Therefore, the time from when the game console 12 sends a control signal to the display device 14 until audio is output from the display speaker 16 is longer than the time from when the game console 12 sends a control signal to the controller 18 until audio is output from the controller speaker 20. Furthermore, if the display device 14 is connected to the game console 12 via an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) (trademark or registered trademark) cable, the HDMI delay is also added, making the time difference between the two even larger. In this embodiment, a technique for controlling the time difference in audio output between multiple speakers is proposed.

[0018] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the functional blocks of the game machine 12 according to the embodiment. Each block shown in the block diagrams of this specification can be realized in hardware terms by a computer processor (CPU, etc.), memory and other elements, electronic circuits, and mechanical devices, and in software terms by a computer program, etc., but here we are depicting functional blocks that are realized through the cooperation of these. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that these functional blocks can be realized in various ways by combinations of hardware and software.

[0019] The game machine 12 comprises a processing unit 30, a storage unit 32, and a communication unit 34. The processing unit 30 performs various data processing. The storage unit 32 stores data that is referenced or updated by the processing unit 30. The communication unit 34 communicates with external devices according to a predetermined communication protocol. The processing unit 30 transmits data to the display device 14 and also transmits and receives data with the controller 18 via the communication unit 34.

[0020] The memory unit 32 includes a game data memory unit 40. The game data memory unit 40 stores data for a game application (e.g., a video game).

[0021] The processing unit 30 includes an operation reception unit 50, a game execution unit 52, an audio output control unit 54, a detection unit 56, a measurement unit 58, and an adjustment unit 60. A computer program implementing the functions of these multiple functional blocks may be installed in the storage of the game console 12. The processor of the game console 12 may perform the functions of these multiple functional blocks by reading this computer program into main memory and executing it.

[0022] The operation reception unit 50 receives operation information transmitted from the controller 18. The game execution unit 52 executes the game application stored in the game data storage unit 40 and generates image data and audio data related to the execution results of the game application.

[0023] The audio output control unit 54 transmits a first control signal to cause the display speaker 16 to output a first sound. The audio output control unit 54 also transmits a second control signal to cause the controller speaker 20 to output a second sound.

[0024] The detection unit 56 detects when the first audio signal is acquired by the microphone 22 of the controller 18. The measurement unit 58 measures the time from when the audio output control unit 54 transmits the first control signal until the first audio signal is acquired by the microphone 22 of the controller 18 as the delay time.

[0025] The adjustment unit 60 adjusts at least one of the timing for outputting the first sound from the display speaker 16 and the timing for outputting the second sound from the controller speaker 20, based on the delay time measured by the measurement unit 58.

[0026] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the game machine 12 in this embodiment. The game machine 12 repeatedly executes the processes shown in Figure 3. The operation of the game system 10 in this embodiment will be described below with reference to Figure 3.

[0027] The user grasps the controller 18 and inputs operations for the game console 12 (game application, etc.) into the controller 18. The operation reception unit 50 of the game console 12 receives operation information regarding the user's operations input into the controller 18. The game execution unit 52 of the game console 12 executes the game application stored in the game data storage unit 40 in response to the user's operations and generates game audio data related to the execution result (S10).

[0028] The audio data generated in S10 includes first audio data to be output from the display speaker 16 and second audio data to be output from the controller speaker 20. The first and second audio are related to each other, for example, they are audio based on the same event in the game. The first and second audio may be the same or different. In the latter case, the first audio may be the game's theme music or BGM (Background Music), while the second audio may be a specific sound effect from the game.

[0029] The audio output control unit 54 of the game machine 12 transmits a first control signal to the display device 14 to instruct the output of the first audio signal (S11). The audio output control unit 54 also transmits a second control signal to the controller 18 to instruct the output of the second audio signal (S12).

[0030] The display device 14 outputs a first sound from the display speaker 16 according to the first control signal. The controller 18 outputs a second sound from the controller speaker 20 according to the second control signal. The microphone 22 of the controller 18 converts ambient sound into electrical signals and outputs audio data as a result of the conversion. The controller 18 transmits the audio data acquired by the microphone 22 to the game console 12.

[0031] The detection unit 56 of the game console 12 acquires audio data transmitted from the controller 18 and detected by the microphone 22. The detection unit 56 detects that the first audio has been acquired by the microphone 22 by comparing the first audio indicated by the first control signal transmitted from the audio output control unit 54 with the audio acquired by the microphone 22 (S13).

[0032] The measurement unit 58 of the game machine 12 measures the time from the transmission of the first control signal until the first sound is acquired by the microphone 22 of the controller 18 as the delay time. In this embodiment, the measurement unit 58 measures the time from the transmission of the first control signal until it detects that the first sound has been acquired by the microphone 22 as the delay time (S14). Since the controller 18 is held by the user, the delay time can also be said to be the time from when the audio output control unit 54 transmits the first control signal until the first sound reaches the user's ears.

[0033] The adjustment unit 60 of the game console 12 performs a delay adjustment process, adjusting the difference between the timing of outputting the first sound from the display speaker 16 and the timing of outputting the second sound from the controller speaker 20 (hereinafter also referred to as "sound delay") based on the delay time measured in S14 (S15). As previously described, typically, the output of the first sound from the display speaker 16 is delayed relative to the output of the second sound from the controller speaker 20.

[0034] Example 1 of delay adjustment process: The adjustment unit 60 may set a delay (referred to here as "adjustment time") based on the delay time measured in S14 between the transmission of the first control signal and the transmission of the second control signal. The audio output control unit 54 may transmit a new first control signal to the display device 14, wait for the adjustment time set by the adjustment unit 60, and then transmit a new second control signal corresponding to the new first control signal to the controller 18.

[0035] Example 2 of delay adjustment processing: The adjustment unit 60 may instruct the controller 18 to set a delay (adjustment time) based on the delay time measured in S14 between receiving the second control signal and outputting the second sound, or it may send a command indicating this instruction to the controller 18. The controller 18 may wait for the adjustment time set by the adjustment unit 60 between receiving the second control signal and outputting the second sound, and then output the second sound from the controller speaker 20.

[0036] If the time from the transmission of the second control signal to the output of the second audio signal from the controller speaker 20 can be considered as zero, the adjustment unit 60 may use the delay time measured in S14 as the adjustment time. This makes it possible to set the timing difference between the output of the first audio signal from the display speaker 16 and the output of the second audio signal from the controller speaker 20 to zero, or in other words, to synchronize the timing of both.

[0037] Furthermore, the adjustment unit 60 may calculate an adjustment time based on the delay time measured in S14 so that the audio delay becomes a predetermined time that is suitable for the performance. For example, if the time from the transmission of the second control signal to the output of the second audio from the controller speaker 20 can be considered as 0, and (the delay time measured in S14 - 100 milliseconds) is a suitable audio delay time for the performance, the adjustment unit 60 may set the adjustment time to 100 milliseconds.

[0038] According to the game console 12 of this embodiment, the timing of audio output across multiple speakers (e.g., display speaker 16, controller speaker 20) can be suitably controlled. For example, with the game console 12, the timing difference between the timing of outputting the first audio from the display speaker 16 and the timing of outputting the second audio from the controller speaker 20 can be adjusted to an arbitrary value. This helps to improve the user experience using audio.

[0039] The present disclosure has been described above based on embodiments. The embodiments are illustrative, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible in combinations of each component and each processing process, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0040] Any combination of the above-described embodiments and modifications is also useful as an embodiment of the present invention. The new embodiments resulting from these combinations will possess the combined effects of each of the embodiments and modifications. Furthermore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the functions to be performed by each constituent element described in the claims can be achieved by each component shown in the embodiments and modifications individually or in combination thereof. In this specification or in the claims, terms such as "first," "second," etc., unless otherwise specified, do not indicate any order or importance, but are used to distinguish one configuration from another.

[0041] The technical concepts described in the above embodiments and modifications can be expressed as follows: [Technology 1] An information processing device comprising a circuit configured to, the circuit, transmits a first control signal for outputting a first sound from a first speaker, transmits a second control signal for outputting a second sound from a second speaker different from the first speaker, detects that the first sound has been acquired by a microphone provided near the second speaker, measures the time from the transmission of the first control signal until the first sound is acquired by the microphone, and adjusts at least one of the timing for outputting the first sound from the first speaker and the timing for outputting the second sound from the second speaker based on the time. [Technical 2] The information processing apparatus according to Technical 1, wherein the first speaker is a speaker provided in the display device, the second speaker is a speaker provided in the controller, and the circuit sets a delay based on the time measured by the measurement unit between the transmission of the first control signal and the transmission of the second control signal. [Technical 3] The information processing apparatus according to Technical 1, wherein the first speaker is a speaker provided in the display device, the second speaker is a speaker provided in the controller, and the circuit instructs the controller to set a delay based on the time measured by the measurement unit between the reception of the second control signal and the output of the second sound.[Technical 4] An information processing method comprising: an information processing device transmitting a first control signal to cause a first sound to be output from a first speaker; transmitting a second control signal to cause a second sound to be output from a second speaker different from the first speaker; detecting that the first sound has been acquired by a microphone provided near the second speaker; measuring the time from the transmission of the first control signal until the first sound is acquired by the microphone; and adjusting at least one of the timing for causing the first sound to be output from the first speaker and the timing for causing the second sound to be output from the second speaker based on the measured time.

[0042] The technology disclosed herein can be applied to information processing devices, information processing systems, and the like.

[0043] 10 Game system, 12 Game console, 14 Display device, 16 Display speaker, 18 Controller, 20 Controller speaker, 22 Microphone, 54 Audio output control unit, 56 Detection unit, 58 Measurement unit, 60 Adjustment unit.

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising a CPU configured as follows: The CPU transmits a first control signal for outputting a first sound from a first speaker; transmits a second control signal for outputting a second sound from a second speaker different from the first speaker; detects that the first sound has been acquired by a microphone provided near the second speaker; measures the time from the transmission of the first control signal until the first sound is acquired by the microphone; and adjusts at least one of the timing for outputting the first sound from the first speaker and the timing for outputting the second sound from the second speaker based on the measured time.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first speaker is a speaker provided in the display device, the second speaker is a speaker provided in the controller, and the CPU sets a delay based on the measured time between the transmission of the first control signal and the transmission of the second control signal.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first speaker is a speaker provided in the display device, the second speaker is a speaker provided in the controller, and the CPU instructs the controller to set a delay based on the measured time between receiving the second control signal and outputting the second sound.

4. An information processing method comprising: an information processing device transmitting a first control signal to cause a first sound to be output from a first speaker; transmitting a second control signal to cause a second sound to be output from a second speaker different from the first speaker; detecting that the first sound has been acquired by a microphone provided near the second speaker; measuring the time from the transmission of the first control signal until the first sound is acquired by the microphone; and adjusting at least one of the timing for causing the first sound to be output from the first speaker and the timing for causing the second sound to be output from the second speaker based on the measured time.

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