JP2001268211A - Hands-free device for telephone - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hands-free device for telephone that can properly save the power consumption by accurately detecting a busy state. SOLUTION: When a rectifier signal level of the induced current of a radio wave received by an antenna 10 reaches a level of a radio wave by a portable telephone 2 or higher at its outgoing/incoming call, a start circuit 12 shifts a microcomputer 13 from a standby mode with low power consumption to a normal operation mode. The microcomputer 13 shifted to a normal operation mode starts supplying power to an interface section 15. Upon the receipt of the notice of the arrival of an incoming call from the telephone 2, the interface section 15 receiving power starts supply of power to transmission/reception voice amplifiers 17, 18. When receiving the operation of an off-hook switch 14 by a user or an interrupt notice from the telephone 2, the microcomputer 13 stops the supply of power to the sections 15, 17, 18, to bring itself to the standby mode.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hands-free device for a telephone, and more particularly to a technique for reducing power consumption in a hands-free device for a telephone suitable for a mobile radio telephone such as a portable telephone.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a speaker or a microphone separate from a speaker or a microphone of a mobile radio telephone such as a portable telephone has been provided, whereby a voice to be transmitted to and received from a communication partner has been input instead of the speaker or the microphone of the mobile radio telephone. A so-called hands-free device, which enables a user to make a call without using a hand by outputting the output, is becoming widespread.

As a technique for reducing power consumption in such a hands-free device, a technique described in JP-A-9-270834 and a technique described in JP-A-10-217864 are conventionally known.

The technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-270834 detects radio waves transmitted by a mobile phone at the time of calling, receiving and communicating, and hands-free only during the period when these radio waves are detected. By supplying power to the main function unit of the device, the power consumption of the hands-free device is reduced.

Further, the technology described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 10-217864 determines the presence / absence of output sound from the output sound signal level of a portable telephone, and hands-free only during a period during which it can be determined that output is present and during a certain period thereafter. By supplying power to the main function unit of the free device, the power consumption of the hands-free device is reduced.

[0006]

However, the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
In the technology described in Japanese Patent No. 270834, the following problem occurs because the radio wave transmitted by the mobile phone during communication is lower in energy than the radio wave transmitted by the mobile phone when transmitting and receiving.

That is, if the detection sensitivity is increased so that a target mobile phone can detect a radio wave transmitted during communication satisfactorily, a radio wave transmitted by another mobile phone is detected, and the target mobile phone is not detected. The power is supplied to the main function unit of the hands-free device in spite of being in the standby state, so that it is impossible to sufficiently reduce power consumption. Conversely, if the detection sensitivity is lowered so as not to detect the radio waves transmitted by other mobile phones, the target mobile phone will not be able to detect radio waves with low energy transmitted during communication. The power supply to the main function unit of the hands-free device stops even though the mobile phone is communicating. Then, in this case, even if the radio wave can be re-detected thereafter, the call cannot be made during that period.

In the technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 10-217864, if a certain period during which power is continuously supplied to the main function unit is shortened after a period in which it is determined that there is output, if communication is performed for a long time during communication, When the talk is interrupted, that is, when a long silence period occurs, power supply to the main function unit of the hands-free device stops even though the target mobile phone is communicating. Then, in this case, when the conversation between the users is resumed, a break in the sound or the like occurs due to the time lag of the power supply to the main function unit performed in response to the conversation resumption and the time point at which the conversation is resumed. Will be lost. On the other hand, if a certain period of time during which power is continuously supplied to the main function unit after a period in which it is determined that there is output is set to be sufficiently long, a period during which power is continuously supplied to the main function unit even after the call ends becomes longer, and Power consumption cannot be reduced.

In other words, in these techniques, the accuracy of detecting whether the mobile phone is in a standby (or stopped use) state or a busy state is low, so that the main function of the hands-free device during the call is low. The functional unit is stopped, or sufficient power saving cannot be achieved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a hands-free device for a telephone which can accurately detect a state in which the telephone is talking and can appropriately reduce power consumption.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object,
The hands-free device for a telephone according to the present invention is provided with interface means for inputting an incoming call notification indicating reception of a call connection request of the telephone from the telephone and a disconnection notification indicating reception of a call disconnection request of the telephone. Then, when an incoming call notification is input to the interface means, power is supplied to a voice processing circuit which outputs a voice representing a received voice signal input from the telephone and outputs a voice signal representing the input voice to the telephone. Starting, when the disconnection notification is input to the interface means, the power supply to the audio processing circuit is stopped.

[0012] Alternatively, an interface means for inputting an incoming call notification indicating reception of a call connection request of the telephone set from the telephone set and outputting a disconnection command for instructing the telephone set to disconnect the call, And a switch for receiving. Then, when the incoming call notification is input to the interface means, power supply to the voice processing circuit is started, and when the switch receives a call disconnection operation, a disconnection command is sent from the interface unit to the telephone. At the same time, the power supply to the audio processing circuit is stopped.

According to the hands-free device for a telephone according to the present invention, it is determined whether or not the telephone is in a talking state based on an incoming call notification or a disconnection notification from the telephone or a disconnection operation of the user, and the power supply of the voice processing circuit is performed. Since the start / stop is performed, the state during the call can be accurately detected, and appropriate power consumption of the voice processing circuit can be reduced.

In the present invention, when the telephone is a wireless telephone such as a portable telephone, the transmitted radio wave intensity or energy of the telephone is detected, and whether or not the detected transmitted radio wave intensity or energy is higher than a predetermined level is determined. Radio wave detection means for determining may be further provided. In this case, if the detected radio wave intensity or energy is determined to be equal to or higher than a predetermined level by the radio wave detecting means, power supply to the interface means is started. Can be operated only when the operation is necessary, and proper power consumption can be reduced.

Further, in the present invention, when the telephone is a wireless telephone such as a portable telephone, a transmission radio field intensity or energy of the telephone is detected, and when the detected transmission radio field intensity or energy is equal to or higher than a predetermined level, an activation signal is detected. May be further provided. In this case, when the start signal is output, the control means for controlling the power supply to the audio processing circuit is changed from the standby mode in which the standby is performed with relatively low power consumption to the predetermined processing with relatively high power consumption. And to the normal operation mode to perform, as the predefined processing, start and stop the power supply to the audio processing circuit, after stopping the power supply to the audio processing circuit, put itself into a standby mode. If the control is shifted, this control means can be operated only when its operation is necessary, and proper power saving can be achieved.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to an example in which a portable telephone is applied to an in-vehicle hands-free device.

FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a hands-free device according to the present embodiment.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 indicates a hands-free device, and reference numeral 2
Is a mobile phone, and reference numeral 3 is a car key (ACC).

The hands-free device 1 includes an antenna 10 and
Rectifier circuit 11, starter circuit 12, microcomputer 13, on-hook switch 14, interface unit 15, control power supply 16, reception audio amplifier 17
, A transmission audio amplifier 18, a speaker 19, and a microphone 120.

The interface unit 15 includes the portable telephone 2
Are connected to a control signal line for inputting / outputting a control signal, a receiving voice amplifier 17 is connected to a receiving voice signal line from which the mobile phone 2 outputs received voice, and a transmitting voice amplifier 18 is connected to a mobile phone 2. Is connected to a transmission audio signal line for inputting transmission audio. The microcomputer 1
3 is connected to a signal line to which a signal corresponding to the on / off state of the car key 3 is input.

The interface unit 15, the receiving audio amplifier 1
Power required for the amplifier 7 and the transmission audio amplifier 18 is supplied from a control power supply 16 under the control of the microcomputer 13. On the other hand, the electric power required for the microcomputer 13 and the starting circuit 12 is supplied by a
It is always supplied when using this hands-free device.

In such a configuration, the rectifier circuit 11
Rectifies a high-frequency current induced in the antenna 10 by a radio wave transmitted and received by the mobile phone 2 at the time of transmission or reception,
It outputs to the starting circuit 12 as a rectified signal. Starting circuit 12
Outputs a start signal to the microcomputer 13 when the level of the rectified signal becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined level set as a level corresponding to the energy of radio waves transmitted and received by the mobile phone 2 at the time of transmission and reception. here,
The predetermined level is such that the level of the rectified signal is equal to or higher than the predetermined level due to radio waves transmitted and received at the time of transmission and reception of the connected mobile phone 2, and the level of the rectified signal is equal to or higher than this level depending on the radio waves transmitted by other mobile phones. Set so that it does not become.

The microcomputer 13 is a microcomputer provided with a SLEEP mode that keeps waiting in a low power consumption state.
When a start signal is input, the mode shifts to a normal operation mode in which processing is performed while consuming normal power.

Next, the operation of the microcomputer 13 which has shifted to the normal operation mode in response to the start signal will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

By the processing described below, when the microcomputer 13 shifts to the normal operation mode by the start signal, the interface unit 15, the reception audio amplifier 17, and the transmission audio amplifier 18 receive the control power supply 16 from the control power supply 16. Is controlled so as not to be supplied yet.

In this state, as shown in the figure, the microcomputer 14 which has shifted to the normal operation mode by the start signal (step 21) first determines whether or not the car key (ACC) is on (step 21). Step 2
2) If it is in the off state, it is determined that the user is not in the vehicle, and the system shifts itself to the SLEEP mode again (step 23). On the other hand, if the car key (ACC) is in the ON state, the control power supply 16 starts power supply to the interface unit 15 (step 24).

Upon receiving the power supply and starting operation, the interface unit 15 receives the incoming call notification from the mobile phone 2 via the control signal line, and notifies the microcomputer 13 of this. Here, the incoming call notification is a signal output from the mobile phone 2 to a control signal line when an incoming call is received from a communication network.

The microcomputer 13 waits for an incoming call notification from the interface unit 15 (step 25). If there is no notification within a predetermined period, the microcomputer 13 causes the control power supply 16 to stop supplying power to the interface unit 15 (step 3).
2) Shift itself to the SLEEP mode again (step 33). On the other hand, if there is an incoming call notification from the interface unit 15 within a certain period, the control power supply 16 starts supplying power to the reception audio amplifier 17 and the transmission audio amplifier 18 (step 26). An off-hook command is transmitted to the mobile phone 2 via the control signal line (step 27).

The mobile phone 2 that has received the off-hook command from the hands-free device 1 responds to the incoming call, thereby transitioning to the communication state, and the transmission voice input from the transmission voice amplifier 18 via the transmission voice signal line. Is transmitted to the receiving voice amplifier 17 via the receiving voice signal line. On the other hand, in the hands-free device 1,
Transmission audio amplifier 18 started operation by power supply
Amplifies the input audio signal received from the microphone 120 and outputs it to the mobile phone 2 via the transmission audio signal line. The receiving voice amplifier 18 started to operate by the power supply, amplifies the received voice signal received from the mobile phone 2 via the received voice signal line, and outputs the voice from the speaker 19.

The microcomputer 13 thereafter operates the on-hook switch 14 by the user (step 28) and receives a disconnection notification from the mobile phone 2 via the control signal line in the interface unit 15 (step 28). 29) is monitored. Here, the disconnection notification is a signal output from the mobile phone 2 to the control signal line when the mobile phone 2 receives a disconnection request at the time of a call transmitted by the communication network in response to a communication end operation or the like of the communication partner. .

When the user operates the on-hook switch 14 or receives a disconnection notification at the interface unit 15, the microcomputer 13 sends the on-hook command to the portable unit via the interface unit 15 and the control signal line. An on-hook command is transmitted to the telephone 2 (step 30).

The mobile phone 2 that has received the on-hook command from the hands-free device 1 performs a call disconnection process, terminates the communication, and shifts to a standby state.

Next, the microcomputer 13 causes the control power supply 16 to stop supplying power to the receiving voice amplifier 17 and the transmitting voice amplifier 18 (step 31), and then to the power source to the interface unit 15. The supply is stopped (step 32). Then, again,
The mode shifts to the SLEEP mode (step 33).

The embodiment of the present invention has been described.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, whether or not the mobile phone 2 is in a call is determined based on the incoming call notification, the disconnection notification, and the user's off-hook operation from the mobile phone 2, and the received voice is determined. Since the start / stop of the power supply to the amplifier 17 and the transmission voice amplifier 18 is controlled, the state during the call is accurately detected, and appropriate power saving of the reception voice amplifier 17 and the transmission voice amplifier 18 is performed. Can be planned. Furthermore, the power supply of the interface unit 15 for receiving the incoming call notification and the disconnection notification from the mobile phone 2 and the microcomputer 13 for determining whether the mobile phone 2 is in a busy state
The transition from the SLEEP mode to the normal operation mode is performed when the mobile phone 2 detects radio waves having relatively large energy transmitted and received at the time of calling and receiving, so that the interface unit 15 and the microcomputer 13 are also omitted. Power consumption can be reduced.

Although the above embodiment has been described taking a hands-free device for a portable radio telephone as an example, the present invention can be widely applied to a hands-free device for a telephone.

[0037]

As described above, according to the present invention, the busy state of the telephone can be detected with high accuracy, and appropriate power consumption can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a hands-free device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation of the hands-free device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Hands-free device 2 ... Mobile telephone 3 ... Car key (ACC) 10 ... Antenna 11 ... Rectifier circuit 12 ... Start-up circuit 13 ... Microcomputer 14 ... On-hook switch 15 ... Interface part 16 ... Control power supply 17 ... Reception voice amplifier 18 ... Transmission audio amplifier 19 ... Speaker 120 ... Microphone

Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5K027 AA11 AA16 BB17 CC08 EE15 GG02 HH03 MM04 5K067 AA43 BB04 DD44 EE03 FF13 GG01 GG11 GG21 KK05

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A hands-free device for a telephone, comprising a voice processing circuit for outputting a voice represented by a received voice signal input from a telephone and outputting a voice signal representing the input voice to the telephone. Interface means for inputting an incoming notification indicating reception of a call connection request of the telephone and a disconnection notification indicating reception of a call disconnection request of the telephone; a power supply for supplying power; and an incoming notification to the interface means. Starts inputting power to the audio processing circuit from the power supply, and stops inputting power to the audio processing circuit from the power supply when the disconnection notification is input to the interface means. A hands-free device for a telephone, comprising: control means. 2. A hands-free device for a mobile radio telephone, comprising: a voice processing circuit for outputting a voice represented by a received voice signal input from a telephone and outputting a voice signal representing the input voice to the telephone. Interface means for inputting an incoming call notification indicating reception of a call connection request of the mobile radio telephone from a telephone, and outputting a disconnection command for instructing the telephone to disconnect the call, and a switch for receiving a user's call disconnection operation And a power supply for supplying power; when the incoming call notification is input to the interface means, power supply from the power supply to the voice processing circuit is started, and when the switch receives a call disconnection operation, A control means for causing the telephone to output the disconnection command from the interface unit and stopping power supply from the power supply to the audio processing circuit. A hands-free device for a telephone. 3. The hands-free device for a telephone according to claim 1, wherein the telephone is a wireless telephone, and the hands-free device for a telephone detects a transmission radio field intensity or energy of the telephone,
The apparatus further includes a radio wave detection unit that determines whether the detected transmission radio wave intensity or energy is equal to or higher than a predetermined level, wherein the control unit detects that the transmission radio wave intensity or energy detected by the radio wave detection unit is higher than a predetermined level. And starting the supply of power from the power supply to the interface means in response to the determination of the above. 4. The hands-free device for a telephone according to claim 1, wherein the telephone is a wireless telephone, and the hands-free device for a telephone detects a transmission radio field intensity or energy of the telephone,
The apparatus further includes a radio wave detection unit that outputs a start signal when the detected transmission radio wave intensity or energy is equal to or higher than a predetermined level. A transition is made to a normal operation mode in which a predefined process is performed with high power consumption.The predefined process starts and stops power supply to the audio processing circuit, and performs a process from the power source. A hands-free device for a telephone, wherein the device switches itself to a standby mode after power supply to a voice processing circuit is stopped. 5. A hands-free device for a telephone according to claim 1, wherein said telephone is a mobile radiotelephone, and said hands-free device for a telephone is a key state detector for detecting an on / off state of a car key. Means for the telephone, wherein the control means starts power supply to the voice processing circuit only when the key state detecting means detects the ON state of the car key. Hands-free device.