JP3433532B2 - Electronic book device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention
E-book device that displays text information stored on an information recording medium such as a liquid crystal display on a display,
More specifically, the present invention relates to an improvement in the reproduction of audio information. BACKGROUND ART [0002] The contents of various books such as dictionaries and novels (hereinafter simply referred to as "text")
Is displayed on a display and an e-book reader for reading the information is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-202686.
Is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 9-203 (1995). According to this, the existing text is displayed as it is in its original type, and the reading sound can be heard. In addition, the handwriting can be freely saved from the electronic pen, and can be saved. [0003] In some cases, audio data is recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM in addition to data such as characters and images. For example, crying of a bird, pronunciation of a foreign language, BGM of a sound of a wave, and the like. In the case where these sounds are reproduced together with the reading sound of the text, it is necessary to devise such that both can be heard well. [0004] In addition, even when reading a text on a display silently without reading the text, if there is a function that alerts the user or compensates for a decrease in concentration during reading, It is convenient. The present invention focuses on the above points,
To provide an easy-to-use and convenient electronic book device that can efficiently reproduce various voices to perform good reading, draw attention of a user, and compensate for a decrease in concentration during reading. Is the purpose. In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to the present invention, character data and additional data are added to the character data.
Data in different frame units
From the information recording medium stored with the separate flag
An electronic book device for reproducing character data and voice data.
Recording the information together with the character data and voice data.
Based on the data identification flag read from the medium,
Identification means for identifying the voice data and the character data
And the character data identified by the identification means.
Display means for indicating, and the identification means
Audio reproducing means for obtaining additional audio from the audio data
And the character data identified by the identification means.
Voice conversion means for converting the voice to obtain a converted voice.
In addition, according to the characters displayed by the display means,
Selectively outputting either the voice or the converted voice
Corresponding to the first mode and the characters displayed by the display means.
To add and output the additional audio and the converted audio
Corresponding to the second mode and the characters displayed by the display means.
Output any of the additional sound and the converted sound.
And a third mode in which no force is applied.
Page display after character display by the display means
If a certain period of time has passed without being
The mode is shifted to the second mode.
You. [0007] The above and other objects of this invention, features, and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS While there are many possible embodiments of the present invention, a suitable number of embodiments are shown and described in detail. <Structure of Embodiment> First, the structure of the main part of the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 1, a CPU 10 includes an operation unit 12 for a user of the electronic book device to give an operation instruction and an RO for driving a CD-ROM cartridge 13.
M driver 14, decompression unit 16 for decompressing compressed information, dictionary for storing data for character display and voice conversion
A segment data section 18, a display processor 20 for performing display processing, a text analysis / synthesis parameter generation section 22 for obtaining text analysis and synthesis parameters for speech synthesis, a speech synthesis section 24 for performing speech synthesis, Is connected. A D / A converter 26 is connected to the decompression unit 16, and the speech synthesis unit 24 and the D / A converter 26
Is connected to the input side of the adder 28. The output side of the adder 28 is connected to audio output means such as a speaker (not shown). On the other hand, a display 30 is connected to the display processor 20. Next, the format of data stored in the ROM cartridge 13 set in the ROM driver 14 will be described. The basic format conforms to the well-known CD-ROM standard. However, if the main information included in the frame is only character information, the frame includes SYNC (synchronization signal) and header (address information). The subsequent subheader (coding information) is set to, for example, a logical value “0” (see FIG. 3A). For example, in the case of a novel or the like, the text is usually only characters, and the main information of each frame is only character information. In this case, since the main information is only the code data, it has a fixed length of 2312 bytes. When the main information is accompanied by audio data, the subheader is set to, for example, a logical value "1" (see FIG. 1B). For example, in the case of data such as a bird's cry, voice data of the cry is attached. In this case, since the crying data is compressed, the main information has a variable length. In the illustrated example, the size is 2292 bytes. The data structure of the entire ROM cartridge 13 is as shown in FIG. As will be described later, when the subheader is "0", it is only character data, so that the main information is converted to text-to-speech as described later. On the other hand, when the header is "1", the audio signal is extracted while decompressing the main information in the attached frame. As described above, by storing the compressed voice data in the ROM cartridge 13 while separating it from the character data,
There is an advantage that the scale of the ROM cartridge 13, that is, the recording medium can be reduced. Next, the other components will be described. The operation unit 12 includes, for example, a plurality of input keys, which are used to perform various inputs such as a page feed (page break) instruction and an operation mode instruction. . The expansion section 16 expands the compressed audio information read from the ROM cartridge 13 by the ROM driver 14. The expanded audio data is converted by a D / A converter 26 into an analog audio signal. The display processor 20 uses R
This is for performing display processing for displaying a corresponding display on the display 30 based on the data read from the OM cartridge 13. FIG. 3 shows an example of the display area of the display 30. This example is an example of a liquid crystal display device, and has 480 dots vertically and 600 dots horizontally. The upper and lower border areas 30A and 30B of 24 dots are provided, respectively, and the central part excluding these is a text area 30C. This text area 30C can display 18 characters vertically and 25 characters horizontally, depending on the size of the characters. The dictionary / segment data section 18 is referred to at the time of text analysis and speech synthesis parameter generation at the text analysis / synthesis parameter generation section 22, and stores data necessary for speech synthesis. The text analysis / synthesis parameter generation section 22 refers to the dictionary / segment data section 18 to obtain parameters necessary for the speech synthesis section 24 to perform speech synthesis. The dictionary / speech data unit 18, the text analysis / synthesis parameter generation unit 22, and the speech synthesis unit 24 constitute a text-to-speech converter. The adder 28 converts the audio signal (hereinafter simply referred to as “additional audio signal”) added to the ROM cartridge 13 supplied from the D / A converter 26 with the text conversion supplied from the audio synthesizer 24. And a converted audio signal (hereinafter simply referred to as “converted audio signal”). Next, the CPU 10 controls the operation of each unit according to the operation mode specified by the operation unit 12. FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of the basic operation of the CPU 10. First, when the apparatus is started, the system is initialized (step S10) as shown in FIG. 9A, and then the process proceeds to the main routine (step S12). In this main routine, the CPU 10 monitors which mode of operation, that is, which task is instructed. Then, when the user operates the operation unit 12 to specify one of the tasks, an interrupt routine (step S2) shown in FIG.
0). After execution, step S1 is performed again.
Return to step 2 (step S22). <Operation of Embodiment> The operation of the embodiment configured as described above will now be described. Since there are three main operation modes, each mode will be described. (1) Synthetic reproduction mode When the user selects this mode, the additional voice and the converted voice are synthesized and reproduced. For example, the text “Hoogokekyo” with the text “Uguissels sing“ Hohokyo ”
It is assumed that an actual bird's cry is added to the part. In this case, as shown in FIG.
The reading by the converted voice from the character data is performed. However, the additional sound is reproduced in the part of "Hohokekyo", and sound conversion from character data is not performed. In the next part, "sound," the converted voice from the character data is read aloud. Next, the operation of the interrupt routine in the composite reproduction mode will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the user instructs this mode with the operation unit 12, an interruption routine of this mode shown in FIG. 6 is executed. First, data is read from the ROM cartridge 13 by the ROM driver 14 (Step S).
30). Then, by the display processor 20,
Text area 30C of display 30 (see FIG. 3)
The read data is displayed (step S3).
2). If the page feed is instructed, the next page is displayed. Next, the CPU 10 refers to the subheader (see FIG. 2) of the frame of the display data. And
If the subheader is “0” (Y in step S34),
The data of the frame includes a dictionary / segment data unit 18, a text analysis / synthesis parameter generation unit 22, and a speech synthesis unit 2.
4, the text-to-speech conversion is performed, and a converted sound signal is output (step S36). On the other hand, if the subheader is "1" (N in step S34), since the compressed audio data has been added, the audio data is expanded by the expansion unit 16 and an additional audio signal is output. (Step S38). If there is a next frame, the above operation is repeated (step S
40). As described above, in the composite playback mode, step S
The operations of S36 and S38 are selectively performed, and the additional voice and the converted voice are selectively read aloud as shown in FIG. (2) Addition and reproduction mode When this mode is selected by the user, the additional sound and the converted sound are added and reproduced. For example, it is assumed that music (BGM) that represents the image of a forest is added to the text "Uguissuru squeaks."
In this case, as shown in FIG. 5 (B), the reading of the whole "Uguisuru squeaks" is converted from the character data by the converted voice. On the other hand, the additional sound of BGM is reproduced together with them, and reproduced together with the converted sound from the character data. In other words, in this mode,
The text is read aloud on the BGM. Next, the operation of the interrupt routine in the addition reproduction mode will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the user instructs this mode with the operation unit 12, an interrupt routine of this mode shown in FIG. 7 is executed. First, as in the operation mode,
Data is read from the ROM cartridge 13 by the driver 14 (step S30). Then, the read data is displayed in the text area 30C (see FIG. 3) of the display 30 by the display processor 20 (step S32). If the page feed is instructed, the next page is displayed. Next, in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 10, text / speech conversion is performed on the characters of the first frame of the display data by the dictionary / segment data unit 18, the text analysis / synthesis parameter generation unit 22, and the speech synthesis unit 24. A converted audio signal is output (Step S50). At the same time, the added compressed BGM audio data is expanded by the expansion unit 16 and an additional audio signal is output (step S5).
0). These sounds are simultaneously superimposed and reproduced.
The above operation is repeated for the subsequent frames (step S40). As described above, in the addition reproduction mode, as shown in FIG. 5B, the additional voice and the converted voice are read and reproduced in a superimposed manner. (3) Silent Reading Reproduction Mode This operation mode is a suitable operation mode in which the above-described reading is not performed, that is, the user reads the display on the display 30 silently. If the user does not turn the page after a certain period of time from the start of the silent reading, the mode is switched to one of the above-mentioned reading modes, and the reading is performed. Therefore, for example, when the concentration is reduced during the silent reading, the reading is automatically started, so that it is possible to alert the user or compensate for the decrease in the concentration during reading. Become. The operation of the interrupt routine in this operation mode will be described with reference to FIG. When the user instructs this mode with the operation unit 12, an interruption routine of this mode shown in FIG. 8 is executed. First, data is read from the ROM cartridge 13 by the ROM driver 14 (step S30). Then, the read data is displayed in the text area 30C (see FIG. 3) of the display 30 by the display processor 20 (step S32). If page turn is instructed,
The next page is displayed. These operations are the same as in the above-described mode. Next, the CPU 10 resets the internal counter and starts counting time (step S60). This count is stopped when the page is turned, then reset and restarted (step S64). However, if the page is not turned, it is counted up to a certain value (step S6).
6, S62). Then, the task is changed by the instruction of the CPU 10, and the task is executed (step S6).
8). For example, the task is changed to the above-described composite reproduction mode, and the reading operation in that mode is executed. As described above, when a certain count is performed without turning a page after a certain page is displayed, that is, when a predetermined time elapses without a page being turned after a certain page of text is displayed. , The reading of the text is done automatically. <Other Embodiments> The present invention can be variously modified based on the above disclosure, and includes, for example, the following. (1) In the above embodiment, a CD-ROM is used as a recording medium, but various types such as an FD may be used. The display device is similar, and is not limited to the liquid crystal display. (2) It is not always necessary to provide all of the above-described operation modes for sound reproduction, and only one of them may be provided. (3) The above-described embodiment is mainly for a case where the display content is mainly characters, but can be applied to a case where other information, for example, an image such as a picture or a photograph is included. As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. (1) Since the character data is converted to voice, there is no need to add voice data to all the character data stored in the recording medium. Become. In addition, the voice of the text conversion can be selected for either male or female, or can be converted to the voice of a favorite actor, singer, or the like. (2) You can enjoy reading aloud in various modes, such as synthesis playback of additional voice and converted voice, and addition playback of both voices. (3) If there is no page turning after a certain period of time after the display, the mode is automatically switched to the reading mode. Can be.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main part of the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of a data format of an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a display area of a display according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a basic operation of a CPU according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state of reading aloud in the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the embodiment. [Description of Signs] 10 CPU 12 Operating unit 13 ROM cartridge 14 ROM driver 16 Decompression unit 18 Dictionary / unit data unit 20 Display processor 22 Text analysis / synthesis parameter generation unit 24 Voice synthesis unit 26 D / A converter 28 Adder 30 Display

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] [Claim 1] Character data and the character data
The data identification file is in frame units that are different from the audio data.
From the information recording medium stored with the lag
An electronic book device for reproducing data and audio data, wherein the information recording medium is used together with the character data and audio data.
Based on the data identification flag read from
An identification unit for identifying voice data and the character data, and displaying the character data identified by the identification unit.
Display means for adding the voice data identified by the identification means.
Voice reproducing means for obtaining voice, and converting the character data identified by the identifying means into voice
Voice converting means for obtaining a converted voice by converting the additional voice corresponding to the characters displayed by the display means.
And selectively outputting one of the converted voice and the converted voice.
And the additional voice corresponding to the characters displayed by the display means.
And a second mode for adding and outputting the converted sound and the additional sound corresponding to the character displayed by the display means.
And a third mode which does not output any of the converted voices.
And a character display by the display means in the third mode.
After that, a certain period of time has passed without page turning
In such a case, the mode is shifted to the first or second mode.
An electronic book device characterized by the following .