JP2002077314A - Telephone device for elderly person - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a telephone device for elderly persons which makes the persons, who have difficulty in hearing receive voice in a natural and highly clear way by expanding the voice band to a lower frequency band and to a higher frequency band with respect to the telephone band. SOLUTION: This telephone set comprises a telephone-circuit transmission/ reception part 101 that inputs and outputs signal to a telephone circuit; a circuit control part 102 that controls the circuit; that generates dial signal, and that detects call signal; and a band expansion part 104, the input side of which is connected to the circuit control part 102 and the output side of which is connected to a voice-outputting device 108. The band expansion part 104 adds a lower frequency-band component and ah higher frequency band component, that are not contained in the telephone-band voice to the telephone-band voice outputted from the circuit control part 102.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a telephone adapter for the elderly and a senior using the same so that a person who is not severely deaf but has become distant due to an elderly person or the like can make a telephone call smoothly. It is related to a telephone for use.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A person who is not severely deaf but who has become too distant due to an elderly person or the like needs to amplify a received sound more than usual in order to talk on the telephone. As a conventional typical method, a method of picking up a magnetic field leaking from a telephone with an induction coil of a hearing aid, and attaching an acoustic coupler to a telephone receiver,
There has been a method of inputting the output electric signal from an external input terminal to a hearing aid.

[0003] However, most people who are conscious of hearing loss, such as elderly people, do not always wear hearing aids in their daily lives and expect to wear them every time they call. Was not a practical solution.

On the other hand, there has been a telephone having a built-in function of performing a large amplification of a sound volume, a correction of a frequency characteristic, and the like in a receiving circuit. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 08-191430 describes a telephone that performs frequency correction in accordance with the hearing characteristics of a hearing-impaired person. Also, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 06-289
In Japanese Patent Publication No. 896, a frequency correction relating to a formant frequency of voice (the formant frequency is a frequency indicated by a peak on an envelope of a distribution of frequency components obtained by analyzing a voice signal of a certain time width). A telephone to be performed is described.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a telephone set described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 06-289896.

In FIG. 10, reference numeral 501 denotes a telephone line transmitting / receiving unit for inputting / outputting a signal to / from a telephone line; 502, a line control unit for performing line control, generating a dial signal and detecting a call signal; A calling signal from unit 502 is output to ringing tone generating unit 510, and a line is connected to line control unit 502 based on a detection result of hook detecting unit 511 for detecting on-hook and off-hook of handsets (including handsets) 508 and 509. And an operation processing unit 504 for outputting a signal from a key input unit 512 for inputting a dial number to the line control unit 502, and an input side connected to the line control unit 502 and an output side serving as a voice output unit. Is a frequency characteristic correction unit that is connected to the speaker 508 for compensating the hearing characteristics of the elderly.

The operation of the telephone for the elderly configured as described above will be described.

In FIG. 10, a signal from a telephone line passes through a telephone line transmitting / receiving unit 501 for transmitting / receiving a signal to / from the line, and is input to a line control unit 502 for controlling on-hook / off-hook, detecting an incoming call, and dialing. Is done. In the telephone line transmission / reception unit 501, input and output are different from those of a conventional analog telephone in which input and output are simultaneously superimposed on two lines. In a telephone such as a mobile phone, conversion between radio waves and electric signals is performed. Line to telephone line transceiver 5
The audio signal that has passed through the line control unit 502 via the line 01 is amplified by the frequency characteristic correction unit 504, the frequency characteristic is corrected, and output as a sound from the speaker 508 of the telephone body. The signal input from the microphone 509 passes through the line control unit 502 to the telephone line transmitting / receiving unit 5.
01 to the telephone line. Phone features include:
The line control unit 502 is connected to a ring tone generation unit 510, a hook detection unit 511 for detecting off-hook / on-hook, and an operation processing unit 503 for controlling operation and display from a key input unit 512 for inputting a dial number.

As described above, the telephone for the elderly in FIG.
The frequency characteristic correction unit 504 on the receiving side is configured to perform significant amplification of volume, correction of frequency characteristics, and the like.

[0010] Digital hearing aids for hearing-impaired persons have recently been realized. In a digital hearing aid, a method of digitally controlling an amplifier, a filter, a limiter, a noise reduction circuit, and the like according to the characteristics of a hearing-impaired person is used. Noise reduction is described in the document "Supre-session of Acou".
stick Noise in Speech Usin
g Spectral Subtraction ",
S. F. Ball, IEEE Trans. ASSP
Vol. 27, no. 2, pp. It has been implemented using a spectral subtraction method as described in 113-120.

As one method of fitting a hearing aid to correct the frequency characteristics of a hearing-impaired person, the POGO method (prescription of gain / out) is used.
put method). In this method, the audiogram of each hearing-impaired person is measured, and a correction value at each frequency of the audiogram is obtained by a predetermined calculation formula.

Until now, techniques relating to hearing aids for hearing-impaired persons have been developed, but the technique of hearing aids has been a technique based on a frequency characteristic with a wide band for directly talking to the other party.
In a limited frequency band of a telephone, no telephone has extended the frequency characteristics and realized correction for a hearing-impaired person.

[0013] Compared to the bandwidth of the original audio signal, the quality of the bandwidth-limited audio signal is generally less than good. For example, even a terrestrial telephone line having relatively good sound quality is about half of the original voice bandwidth (about 300 to 35).
00 Hz). As a result, the high and low ranges of the voiced sound and most of the high range of the unvoiced sound have disappeared, and the sound quality has deteriorated perceptually. There are reports suggesting that narrowing of the audio signal is a considerable obstacle in terms of ease of hearing for elderly people and other persons whose hearing has deteriorated. This is described, for example, in “Acoustic Society of Japan Lecture Papers 2-6-5, September 1996”.

[0014]

As described above, there is a conventional telephone for the elderly equipped with a sound quality correction circuit based on analog or digital signal processing, which does not perform volume amplification and correction of pitch and dynamic range. However, there is a problem that hearing loss caused by narrowing of a band, which is a fundamental problem of telephone voice, cannot be solved. In addition, although there are products that only perform the handset (receiver) portion of the telephone and perform volume amplification and pitch correction, there is no such product that solves the problem of narrow-band sound. There is no product that solves the problem of narrow-band audio even in a headset-type hands-free set that is external to the telephone. In addition, the product is only a handset (handset) part of the telephone, and volume amplification and pitch correction However, there has been a problem that there is no device that solves the problem of narrowband speech.

Further, in hearing aids sold in specialty stores, hearing characteristics of each individual are grasped and fitting to hearing aid characteristics adapted to each hearing-impaired person is carried out. However, it is difficult for a general retailer to perform a fitting operation in accordance with the auditory characteristics of each person, and it is necessary to realize a mechanism in which the user can easily perform the fitting operation.

In this telephone for the elderly, it is required that a person who is deaf due to an old age or the like can receive a speech with high clarity and naturalness by avoiding hearing loss caused by a narrow band of telephone voice. Have been.

In order to satisfy this demand, the present invention provides a telephone for the elderly, which extends the low band and the high band with respect to the telephone band so that a person with a short distance can receive a natural and high-clarity call. The purpose is to do.

[0018]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a telephone for the elderly according to the present invention comprises a telephone line transmitting / receiving section for inputting / outputting a signal to / from a telephone line, line control and generation of a dial signal. A line control unit for detecting a call signal; and a band extension unit having an input side connected to the line control unit and an output side connected to a voice output unit. There is provided a configuration for adding the component and the high frequency component to the telephone band voice output from the line control unit.

As a result, a telephone for the elderly can be obtained in which the low frequency band and the high frequency band are extended with respect to the telephone band so that a person who is far from the ear can receive a speech with high clarity and naturalness.

[0020]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A telephone for the elderly according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a telephone line transmitting / receiving unit for inputting / outputting a signal to / from a telephone line, line control, generation of dial signals, and generation of call signals. A line control unit for performing detection, and a band extending unit whose input side is connected to the line control unit and whose output side is connected to the audio output unit. The band component is added to the telephone band voice output from the line control unit.

According to this configuration, the high band and the low band that are no longer in the telephone band are generated from the voice signal in the telephone band, and the low band and the high band are extended with respect to the telephone band.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a telephone for the elderly, comprising: a telephone line transmitting / receiving unit for inputting / outputting a signal to / from a telephone line;
A line controller for controlling the line, generating a dial signal and detecting a call signal, a band extension unit whose input side is connected to the line control unit, and an input side connected to the band extension unit and an output side connected to the audio output unit A frequency characteristic correction unit for compensating for the hearing characteristics of the elderly, and a band extension unit for providing a low-frequency component not present in the telephone band sound and a high frequency component not present in the telephone band sound compensating for the elderly hearing characteristic. The component is added to the telephone band voice output from the line control unit.

[0023] With this configuration, a low band that has disappeared from the telephone band from the telephone band voice signal and a high band that is not included in the telephone band voice that compensates for the auditory characteristics of the elderly are generated.
This has the effect of compensating for reduced high-frequency sensitivity, which is a characteristic of general senile deaf people.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a telephone for the elderly, comprising: a telephone line transmitting / receiving unit for inputting / outputting a signal to / from a telephone line;
A line control unit that performs line control, generates a dial signal, and detects a call signal; a noise reduction unit that reduces noise that is superimposed on telephone voice when the input side is connected to the line control unit;
A band extending unit having an input side connected to the noise reduction unit and an output side connected to the audio output unit, wherein the band extending unit compensates for a low-frequency component not present in the telephone band voice and the hearing characteristics of the elderly. This is to add a high-frequency component not included in the voice to the telephone band voice output from the noise reduction unit.

According to this configuration, a low band which is no longer in the telephone band from the telephone band voice signal and a high band which is not in the telephone band voice compensated for the auditory characteristics of the elderly are generated.
Reduced high-frequency sensitivity, a characteristic of general presbycusis, is compensated for, and unnecessary noise is reduced in the generation of low-frequency and high-frequency bands outside the telephone band. It has the effect of being obtained.

The telephone for the elderly according to claim 4 comprises a telephone line transmitting / receiving unit for inputting / outputting a signal to / from a telephone line;
A line controller for controlling the line, generating a dial signal and detecting a call signal, a band extension unit whose input side is connected to the line control unit, and an input side connected to the band extension unit and an output side connected to the audio output unit And a recruitment compensator for compensating for the hearing characteristics of the elderly. The band extending unit includes a low-frequency component not included in the telephone-band sound and a high-frequency component not present in the telephone-band sound compensated for the elderly. Are added to the telephone band voice output from the line control unit.

[0027] With this configuration, a low band which is no longer in the telephone band from the telephone band voice signal and a high band which is not in the telephone band voice compensated for the auditory characteristics of the elderly are generated.
This has the effect of compensating for reduced sensitivity in the high frequency range, which is a characteristic of general presbycusis, and compensating for the recruitment phenomenon peculiar to presbycusis.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a telephone for the elderly, comprising a telephone body, a handset, and a telephone adapter interposed between the telephone body and the handset. A band extension unit and a frequency characteristic correction unit according to claim 2, a noise reduction unit and a band extension unit according to claim 3, or a band extension unit and a recruitment compensation unit according to claim 4 are built in a telephone adapter. It was decided that.

According to this configuration, the configuration of the telephone for the elderly can be simplified, and there is an effect that the handling and the operability are excellent.

A telephone for the elderly according to a sixth aspect is a telephone for the elderly having a telephone body and a handset, wherein the band extending part according to the first aspect, the band extending part according to the second aspect, and A frequency characteristic correction unit, a noise reduction unit and a band extension unit according to claim 3 or a band extension unit and a recruitment compensation unit according to claim 4 are incorporated in a handset.

According to this structure, the function of correcting the auditory characteristics is built in the handset, so that the structure of the telephone for the elderly can be further simplified, and the handling and the operability are further improved.

A telephone for the elderly according to claim 7 is a telephone for the elderly having a telephone main body and a headset, wherein the band extending section according to claim 1 and the band extending section according to claim 2. And a frequency characteristic correction unit, a noise reduction unit and a band extension unit according to claim 3 or a band extension unit and a recruitment compensation unit according to claim 4 are incorporated in a headset.

According to this configuration, since the headset has a built-in function for correcting the auditory characteristics, the structure of the telephone for the elderly can be further simplified, and the handling and the operability are further improved.

According to a eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a telephone for the elderly, comprising a portable telephone and an external ear pad added to an audio output device of the portable telephone. The band extender and the frequency characteristic corrector according to claim 2, the noise reducer and the band extender according to claim 3, or the band extender and the recruitment compensator according to claim 4 are built in an external ear pad. It was decided to let it.

According to this configuration, since the function of correcting the auditory characteristics is built into the external earpad, the configuration of the portable telephone for the elderly can be simplified, and it has an effect of being excellent in handling and operability.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a telephone for the elderly according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 101 denotes a telephone line transmitting / receiving unit for inputting / outputting a signal to / from a telephone line; 102, a line control unit for performing line control, generating a dial signal and detecting a call signal; A calling signal from unit 102 is output to ringing tone generating unit 110, and to line control unit 102 based on a detection result of hook detecting unit 111 for detecting on-hook and off-hook of a handset (handset) including speaker 108 and microphone 109. An operation processing unit that outputs a line connection control signal and outputs a signal from the key input unit 112 to the line control unit 102. The input side of the operation processing unit 104 is connected to the line control unit 102 and the output side is connected to the speaker 108 as a sound output device. This is the band extension unit that has been set.

The operation of the telephone for the elderly configured as described above will be described.

In FIG. 1, a signal from a telephone line passes through a telephone line transmitting / receiving unit 101 for transmitting / receiving a signal to / from the line, and is input to a line control unit 102 for controlling on-hook / off-hook, detecting an incoming call, and dialing. Is done. In the telephone line transmitting / receiving unit 101, input and output are different from those of a conventional analog telephone in which input and output are simultaneously superimposed on two lines. In mobile phones, conversion between radio waves and electric signals is performed. The audio signal transmitted from the line via the telephone line transmitting / receiving unit 101 and the line control unit 102 is transmitted to the band extending unit 10
4, the low band and the high band whose frequency band is not included in the telephone band are extended, and are output from the speaker 108 of the telephone body as sound. The signal input from the microphone 109 passes through the line control unit 102 to the telephone line transmitting / receiving unit 1.
01 to the telephone line. Phone features include:
The line control unit 102 is connected to a ring tone generation unit 110, a hook detection unit 111 for detecting off-hook / on-hook, and an operation processing unit 103 for controlling operation and display from a key input unit 112 for inputting a dial number.

Here, the operation of band extension section 104 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a high frequency extension function for extending the high frequency side.
FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing a low frequency band extension function for extending a low frequency side.

In FIG. 2, first, sampling is performed at a sampling frequency (about twice the upper limit frequency of a band, about 8 kHz for a telephone) covering a narrow band voice input of a telephone or the like, and converted into a digital signal (analog / digital conversion processing). 113). Next, frame division is performed for each determination cycle used for voice / unvoiced determination (frame division processing 114). Next, the voice converted into the digital signal is analyzed, and the unvoiced sound /
The voiced sound section is determined on the time axis (voiced / unvoiced determination 11
5). As the means, various determination methods performed in the previous stage of the voice encoding process or the like can be used. For example, using the number of zero crosses and the average frame amplitude as parameters,
The determination is made by setting a voiced threshold value. Next, by interpolating between the digital signals output from the sampling means with a value of zero, a digital signal having a double sampling frequency and consisting of an original band and a double-folded high-frequency side folded signal is generated (zero value). Interpolation processing 116). As a result, the sampling frequency is twice as large as the original sampling frequency and two times the original sampling frequency.
A digital signal is generated in which the band-pass audio signal is turned back to the high frequency side at the boundary of one-half. Alternatively, in the analog / digital conversion processing 113, sampling is performed at a sampling frequency twice as high as necessary (about 16 kHz for a telephone) and converted into a digital signal, and the value is reduced to zero every other point. Similar results are obtained by leaving the remaining points as they are or by replacing them with the average of the values of the points dropped to zero. Next, a low-pass filter is applied to the signal generated by the zero-value interpolation processing 116 using the determination result of the voiced / unvoiced determination 115 (low-pass filter processing 117). At this time, a low-pass filter having a cutoff frequency as low as the original voiced sound is applied in the voiced section, and a low-pass filter having a high cutoff frequency is applied in the unvoiced section similarly to the original unvoiced sound. For example, the cut-off frequency of a voiced section is 5 kHz, and the cut-off frequency of an unvoiced section is 7 kHz.
Switch to z. Here, instead of dividing the section into two types, voiced / unvoiced, in voiced / unvoiced determination 115, the voicedness / unvoicedness of the section is evaluated in multiple steps, and the cutoff frequency of the low-pass filter is slightly shifted for each. By applying, an effect of smoothing between frames can be obtained. Also, if a low-pass filter having a gentle attenuation characteristic reflecting the formant shape of voiced / unvoiced sound is applied to each of them, the naturalness of the voice is further improved. Next, the digital audio signal subjected to the above processing is converted into an analog signal, thereby outputting an audio signal that has been pseudo-extended to the same band as the original audio signal (digital / analog conversion processing 118). .

Next, the case of extending the low frequency side will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 3, first, a harmonic component of the voiced sound signal included in the original band is generated by performing half-wave rectification or full-wave rectification processing on the audio signal converted into the digital signal (tuning). Wave generation processing 119). Alternatively, a sampling frequency twice as much as necessary (about 16
(kHz) for rectification.
Next, a low-pass filter is applied to the output signal obtained by the harmonic generation processing to obtain a low-frequency component of the sound that has disappeared due to the narrowing of the band (low-pass filter processing 12).
0). Next, the phase and amplitude are adjusted (amplitude / phase adjustment processing 121). Here, by amplifying the low-frequency signal at an arbitrary amplification factor, it is possible to adjust the degree of the low-frequency expansion effect. Next, the signal in the original band (telephone band) and the extended high band and the signal subjected to the amplitude and phase adjustment processing are added to obtain an audio signal in which both the low band and the high band are extended.

In the telephone band signal, the person who listens to the telephone must actually detect the pitch frequency outside the telephone band as a combined sound of the voice in the telephone band. However, the document "Welfare Engineering of Sound" written by Tatsu Ifukube, Corona pp. 159
As shown in -162 ", the ability to detect combined sounds is lower in presbycusis than in healthy subjects. Therefore, reproducing the pitch frequency has an effect on speech perception. On the other hand, it is possible to improve the clarity of frictional consonants, rubbing consonants, and plosive consonants having components in the high frequency range.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, telephone line transmitting / receiving section 101 for inputting / outputting a signal to / from a telephone line.
A line control unit 102 for controlling a line, generating a dial signal, and detecting a call signal;
02 and a band extending unit 104 whose output side is connected to the audio output unit 108. The band extending unit 104 converts a low-band component and a high-band component, which are not included in telephone band voice, into the line control unit 1.
02 is added to the telephone band sound output from the telephone band sound, so that the high band and the low band which are no longer in the telephone band are generated from the telephone band sound signal. The range can be expanded, so that even a person with a short distance of ear can receive speech with natural and high clarity.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a telephone for elderly people according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

In FIG. 4, a telephone line transmitting / receiving unit 201,
Line control unit 202, operation processing unit 203, band extension unit 20
4. Speaker 208, microphone 209, ringing tone generator 210, hook detector 211, key input unit 212
Are the telephone line transmitting / receiving unit 101 and the line control unit 10 in FIG.
2, operation processing unit 103, band extension unit 104, speaker 1
08, the microphone 109, the ringing tone generating unit 110, the hook detecting unit 111, and the key input unit 112, and the description thereof is omitted. Reference numeral 205 denotes a frequency characteristic correction unit whose output side is connected to a speaker 208 as an audio output device and compensates for the auditory characteristics of the elderly.

The operation of the telephone for the elderly constituted as described above will be described.

In FIG. 4, a signal from a telephone line passes through a telephone line transmitting / receiving unit 201 for transmitting / receiving a signal to / from the line, and is input to a line control unit 202 for controlling on-hook / off-hook, detecting an incoming call, and dialing. Is done. In the telephone line transmitting / receiving unit 201, input and output are different from those of a conventional analog telephone in which input and output are simultaneously superimposed on two lines. In mobile phones, conversion between radio waves and electric signals is performed. The audio signal transmitted from the line via the telephone line transmitting / receiving unit 201 and the line control unit 202 is transmitted to the band extending unit 20.
4, the low frequency band and the high frequency band which are not in the telephone band are extended, and the frequency characteristic of the hearing characteristic of the senile deaf person including the extended frequency is corrected by the frequency characteristic correction unit 205. Is output from the speaker 208. A signal input from the microphone 209 is output to the telephone line from the telephone line transmitting / receiving unit 201 via the line control unit 202. As functions of the telephone, the line control unit 202 includes a ring tone generation unit 210, a hook detection unit 211 for detecting off-hook / on-hook, and an operation processing unit 203 for controlling operation and display from a key input unit 212 for inputting a dial number. It is connected.

For the correction of the frequency characteristic, a gain obtained by the following equations (1) to (5) is set for a typical audiogram of presbycusis.

Gain at 250 Hz = (Hearing level at 250 Hz ÷ 2) −10 (1) Gain at 500 Hz = (Hearing level at 500 Hz ÷ 2) −5 (2) Gain at 1000 Hz = (1000 Hz) (2) Gain of 2000 Hz = (Hearing level of 2000 Hz ÷ 2) (4) Gain of 4000 Hz = (Hearing level of 4000 Hz ÷ 2) (5) With this, it is possible to hear a sound in which the sensitivity is reduced due to presbycusis, with respect to the sound whose band is extended in the low band and the high band.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, telephone line transmitting / receiving section 201 for inputting / outputting a signal to / from a telephone line.
A line control unit 202 for controlling a line, generating a dial signal, and detecting a call signal;
02, and a frequency characteristic correction unit 2 that has an input side connected to the band expansion unit 204 and an output side connected to the audio output unit 208 to compensate for the hearing characteristics of the elderly.
The band extension unit 204 outputs a low-frequency component not included in the telephone band voice and a high-frequency component not included in the telephone band voice compensated for the hearing characteristics of the elderly from the telephone output from the line control unit 202. By adding to the band voice, a low band that has disappeared from the telephone band from the voice signal of the telephone band, and a high band that is not in the telephone band voice that compensated the hearing characteristics of the elderly, Since it is possible to compensate for the reduced sensitivity in the high frequency range, which is a characteristic of a general presbycusis, a person with a distant ear can naturally receive a speech with high clarity.

(Embodiment 3) FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a telephone for the elderly according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

In FIG. 5, a telephone line transmitting / receiving section 301,
Line control unit 302, operation processing unit 303, band extension unit 30
4. Speaker 308, microphone 309, ringing tone generator 310, hook detector 311, key input unit 312
Are the telephone line transmitting / receiving unit 101 and the line control unit 10 in FIG.
2, operation processing unit 103, band extension unit 104, speaker 1
08, the microphone 109, the ringing tone generating unit 110, the hook detecting unit 111, and the key input unit 112, and the description thereof is omitted. Reference numeral 306 denotes a noise reduction unit whose input side is connected to the line control unit 302 and whose output side is connected to the band extension unit 304.

The operation of the telephone for the elderly configured as described above will be described.

In FIG. 5, a signal from a telephone line passes through a telephone line transmitting / receiving section 301 for transmitting / receiving a signal to / from the line, and is input to a line control section 302 for controlling on-hook / off-hook, detecting an incoming call, and dialing. Is done. In the telephone line transmission / reception unit 301, input and output are different from those of a conventional analog telephone in which input and output are simultaneously superimposed on two lines. In mobile phones, conversion between radio waves and electric signals is performed. The audio signal transmitted from the line via the line control unit 302 via the telephone line transmission / reception unit 301 is transmitted to the noise reduction unit 30
In 6, the line noise superimposed on the telephone voice and the environmental noise of the other party are reduced, and the band expansion unit 304 extends the low band and the high band where the frequency band is not in the telephone band. 308.
The audio signal input from the microphone 309 is output to the telephone line from the telephone line transmitting / receiving unit 301 via the line control unit 302. As functions of the telephone, the line control unit 302 includes a ring tone generation unit 310, a hook detection unit 311 for detecting off-hook / on-hook, and an operation process for controlling operations and display from a key input unit 312 for inputting a dial number. The unit 303 is connected.

The noise reduction unit 306 of FIG. 5 is realized as follows.

(1) The input signal is divided into analysis frames at regular intervals.

(2) FFT analysis is performed for each analysis frame.

(3) Convert the result of FFT analysis into amplitude and phase.

(4) The amplitude of the noise signal is obtained in advance.

(5) The amplitude of the noise is subtracted from the amplitude of the result of the FFT analysis of the input signal.

(6) Inverse FFT is performed using the subtracted amplitude and the phase at the time of FFT analysis, and a waveform for each frame is obtained.

(7) The waveforms of each frame are connected to form a continuous signal.

As a result, stationary background noise superimposed on a signal from the public line at the start of a call can be reduced, and the band of noise-reduced voice can be extended to provide a steady noise component. A phone can be realized without emphasis.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, telephone line transmitting / receiving section 301 for inputting / outputting a signal to / from a telephone line.
A line control unit 302 for controlling a line, generating a dial signal, and detecting a call signal;
And a band extension unit 304 connected to the noise reduction unit 306 on the input side and connected to the audio output unit 308 on the output side. The extension unit 304 adds a low-frequency component not present in the telephone band voice and a high frequency component not present in the telephone band voice compensated for the auditory characteristics of the elderly to the telephone band voice output from the noise reduction unit 306. By doing,
Generates a low-frequency band that has disappeared from the telephone band from the voice signal of the telephone band and a high band that is not in the telephone band voice that compensates for the hearing characteristics of the elderly, which is a characteristic of a general presbycusis It can compensate for the reduced high-frequency sensitivity and reduce unnecessary noise in the generation of low-frequency and high-frequency bands outside the telephone band. In addition, reception with a high signal-to-noise ratio becomes possible.

(Embodiment 4) FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a telephone for the elderly according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

In FIG. 6, a telephone line transmitting / receiving unit 401,
Line control unit 402, operation processing unit 403, band extension unit 40
4, speaker 408, microphone 409, ringing tone generator 410, hook detector 411, key input unit 412
Are the telephone line transmitting / receiving unit 101 and the line control unit 10 in FIG.
2, operation processing unit 103, band extension unit 104, speaker 1
08, the microphone 109, the ringing tone generating unit 110, the hook detecting unit 111, and the key input unit 112, and the description thereof is omitted. Reference numeral 407 denotes a recruitment compensator for correcting the auditory characteristics of the elderly.

The operation of the telephone for the elderly configured as described above will be described.

In FIG. 6, a signal from a telephone line passes through a telephone line transmitting / receiving section 401 for transmitting / receiving a signal to / from the line, and is input to a line control section 402 for controlling on-hook / off-hook, detecting an incoming call, and dialing. Is done. In the telephone line transmitting / receiving unit 401, input and output are different from those of a conventional analog telephone in which input and output are simultaneously superimposed on two lines. In a telephone such as a mobile phone, conversion between radio waves and electric signals is performed. Line to telephone line transceiver 40
1 through the line control unit 402, the band extending unit 404 extends the low band and the high band whose frequency band is not in the telephone band, and the recruitment compensating unit 40
7, a process for correcting a recruitment phenomenon (described later) often seen in presbycusis is performed, and the result is output from the speaker 408 of the telephone body. The audio signal input from the microphone 409 is output to the telephone line from the telephone line transmitting / receiving unit 401 via the line control unit 402. As functions of the telephone, the line control unit 402 includes a ring tone generation unit 410, a hook detection unit 411 for detecting off-hook / on-hook, and an operation processing unit 4 for controlling operations and display from a key input unit 412 for inputting a dial number.
03 is connected.

In the recruitment phenomenon, when the sound above the threshold is gradually increased, the sensation of the loudness increases more rapidly than in the case of the normal ear, and finally, the same loudness as that of the normal ear In this phenomenon, the range from the minimum audible range where the smallest sound is heard to the unpleasant range where the sound is too loud and uncomfortable is narrower than normal. This phenomenon is common in presbycusis.

In response to this recruitment phenomenon, a small sound is greatly amplified so as to be larger than the minimum audible range.
Loud sounds require non-linear amplification, which is not very loud in order to stay within the unpleasant range. Further, the width of the minimum audible range and the uncomfortable range differs depending on the frequency.

Such a nonlinear amplifier is realized as a recruitment compensator. In practice, the audio band is frequency-divided, nonlinearly amplified for each band, and added.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, telephone line transmitting / receiving section 401 for inputting / outputting a signal to / from a telephone line.
A line control unit 402 for controlling a line, generating a dial signal, and detecting a call signal;
02, and a recruitment compensator 407 whose input side is connected to the band extender 404 and whose output side is connected to the audio output device 408 to compensate for the hearing characteristics of the elderly. Reference numeral 404 indicates that a low-frequency component not included in the telephone band voice and a high-frequency component not present in the telephone band voice compensated for the hearing characteristics of the elderly are added to the telephone band voice output from the line control unit 402. By
Generates a low-frequency band that has disappeared from the telephone band from the voice signal of the telephone band and a high band that is not in the telephone band voice that compensates for the hearing characteristics of the elderly, which is a characteristic of a general presbycusis It can compensate for the reduced high-frequency sensitivity and compensate for the recruitment phenomenon peculiar to presbycusis, so that even people with distant ears can receive speech with high natural clarity. .

(Embodiment 5) FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a telephone for the elderly according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention.

In FIG. 7, 1 is a handset (transmitter / receiver), 2 is, for example, a band extender 104, 204, 304,
A telephone adapter 3 with a built-in 404 is a telephone body with a built-in telephone line transmitting / receiving units 101, 201, 301, 401 and line control units 102, 202, 302, 402. As described above, the features according to the first to fourth embodiments of the present invention are incorporated in the telephone adapter 2 interposed between the handset 1 and the telephone main body 3.

The components included in the telephone adapter 2 are, for example, the band extending unit 104 of FIG. 1 and the band extending unit 2 of FIG.
04 and the frequency characteristic correction unit 205, the band extension unit 304 and the noise reduction unit 306 in FIG. 5, and the band extension unit 40 in FIG.
4 and a recruitment compensator 407. Handset 1 comprises speakers 108, 208, 308, 408 and microphones 109, 209, 309, 409. The telephone main body 3 includes components other than those included in the handset 1 and the telephone adapter 2.

With this configuration, the telephone adapter 3 according to the present embodiment is inserted and interposed between the telephone main body 3 and the handset 1 without replacing the entire telephone, so that the telephone adapter for elderly people who can cope with presbycusis Become a telephone.

Also, by incorporating the components incorporated in the telephone adapter 2 into the handset 1, a telephone for the elderly can be realized. In this case, the connector between the handset 1 and the telephone body 3 is made compatible with a handset of a normal telephone so that the connector can be replaced.

With this configuration, by replacing only the handset with a conventional handset without replacing the entire telephone, a telephone corresponding to presbycusis can be obtained.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, there is provided a telephone for the elderly having telephone body 3, handset 1, and telephone adapter 2 interposed between the telephone body and the handset. Band extension unit, the band extension unit and the frequency characteristic correction unit according to the second embodiment,
By incorporating the noise reduction unit and the band extension unit according to the third embodiment or the band extension unit and the recruitment compensation unit according to the fourth embodiment into a telephone adapter, the conventional telephone body 3 and handset 1 Since only a telephone adapter needs to be interposed between the telephone and the telephone, the configuration of the telephone for the elderly can be simplified, and the handling and the operability can be improved.

A telephone for the elderly having telephone body 3 and handset 1, wherein the band extending unit described in the first embodiment, the band extending unit and the frequency characteristic correcting unit described in the second embodiment are implemented. By incorporating the noise reduction unit and the band extension unit according to the third embodiment or the band extension unit and the recruitment compensation unit according to the fourth embodiment into a handset, the conventional handset has a function of correcting the auditory characteristics. , The configuration of the telephone for the elderly can be further simplified, and the handling and operability can be further improved.

(Embodiment 6) FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a telephone for the elderly according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention.

In FIG. 8, reference numeral 4 denotes a headset, 4a,
Reference numeral 4b denotes an earpiece of the headset 4, and 5 denotes a connector for connecting the telephone set (not shown) and the headset 4. The headset 4 includes, for example, the band extending unit 104 of FIG. 1, the band extending unit 204 and the frequency characteristic correcting unit 205 of FIG. 4, the band extending unit 304 and the noise reducing unit 306 of FIG. 5, or the band extending unit 404 of FIG. And a recruitment compensator 407.

Thus, the characteristic portions shown in the first to fourth embodiments can be realized inside the headset 4. In this case, the connector 5 between the headset and the telephone body is made compatible with an ordinary telephone handset so that it can be replaced.

With this configuration, by replacing only the headset 4 with a conventional handset without replacing the entire telephone, a telephone corresponding to presbycusis can be obtained.
This is a telephone that can be used for talking without having a receiver.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, there is provided a telephone for the elderly having a telephone body and a headset 4, wherein the band extending section described in the first embodiment and the band extending section described in the second embodiment are used. The headset 4 includes the band extending unit and the frequency characteristic correcting unit, the noise reducing unit and the band extending unit according to the third embodiment, or the band extending unit and the recruitment compensating unit according to the fourth embodiment. Since the function of correcting the hearing characteristics is incorporated in the set 4, the configuration of the telephone for the elderly can be further simplified, and the handling and the operability can be further improved.

(Embodiment 7) FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a telephone for the elderly according to Embodiment 7 of the present invention.

In FIG. 9, reference numeral 6 denotes a portable telephone, and reference numeral 7 denotes an attachment as an external ear pad connected to an earphone / microphone jack connector 6a of a speaker unit (not shown) of the portable telephone 6 via an earphone / microphone cord 8. is there. The attachment 7 includes, for example, the band extending unit 104 of FIG. 1, the band extending unit 204 and the frequency characteristic correcting unit 205 of FIG. 4, the band extending unit 304 and the noise reducing unit 306 of FIG. 5, or the band extending unit 404 of FIG. A recruitment compensator 407 is incorporated.

With this configuration, a mobile phone compatible with presbycusis can be obtained simply by attaching the attachment 7 to the mobile phone 6 and connecting the earphone / microphone cord 8.
In addition, since the attachment 7 has a structure in which the ear 7 is brought into contact with the ear without any gap, environmental noise around the caller does not disturb the call.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, there is provided a telephone for the elderly having portable telephone 6 and attachment 7 to be added to the audio output device of the portable telephone. The band extension unit and the frequency characteristic correction unit described in the second embodiment, the noise reduction unit and the band extension unit described in the third embodiment, or the band extension unit and the recruitment compensation unit described in the fourth embodiment. With the built-in earpad, the function of correcting auditory characteristics is built into the external earpad, which simplifies the configuration of mobile phones for the elderly and improves handling and operability. be able to.

[0093]

As described above, according to the telephone for the elderly according to the first aspect of the present invention, a telephone line transmitting / receiving unit for inputting / outputting a signal to / from a telephone line, line control and dial signal transmission. A line control unit for performing generation and detection of a call signal; and a band extension unit whose input side is connected to the line control unit and whose output side is connected to a voice output unit. By adding the low band component and the high band component to the telephone band voice output from the line control unit, the high band and the low band that are no longer the telephone band are generated from the telephone band voice signal, and the telephone band is generated. Since the low frequency range and the high frequency range can be extended with respect to the voice, the effect that natural and high-clarity reception can be performed even for a person who is far from the ear can be obtained.

According to the telephone set for the elderly, a telephone line transmitting / receiving section for inputting / outputting a signal to / from the telephone line, and a line for controlling the line, generating a dial signal and detecting a call signal. It has a control unit, a band extension unit whose input side is connected to the line control unit, and a frequency characteristic correction unit that is connected to the band extension unit on the input side and connected to the audio output unit on the output side to compensate for the hearing characteristics of the elderly. The band extender adds a low-frequency component not present in the telephone band voice and a high-frequency component not present in the telephone band voice compensated for the hearing characteristics of the elderly to the telephone band voice output from the line controller. As a result, a low-frequency band that is no longer in the telephone band from the voice signal in the telephone band and a high band that is not in the telephone band voice that compensates for the hearing characteristics of the elderly are generated, and the characteristics of a general presbycusis To compensate for the reduced high-frequency sensitivity It is possible to, effect is obtained that it becomes possible to high clarity of the received natural in the case of distant human ears including presbycusis.

According to the telephone set for the elderly, a telephone line transmitting / receiving unit for inputting / outputting a signal to / from the telephone line, and a line for controlling the line, generating a dial signal and detecting a call signal. A control unit, a noise reduction unit connected to the line control unit on the input side to reduce noise superimposed on telephone voice, and a band extension unit connected to the noise reduction unit on the input side and connected to the audio output unit on the output side. The band extender adds a low-frequency component not present in the telephone-band sound and a high-frequency component not present in the telephone-band sound compensating for the hearing characteristics of the elderly to the telephone-band sound output from the noise reduction unit. As a result, a low band that has disappeared from the telephone band from the voice signal of the telephone band and a high band that is not included in the telephone band voice that compensates for the hearing characteristics of the elderly are generated, and the general elderly people with hearing loss Reduced high frequency sensitivity that is characteristic Compensation and the reduction of unwanted noise in the generation of low and high bands outside the telephone band, so that it is natural, highly intelligible and has a low signal-to-noise ratio even for people with short hearing. The effect that high reception becomes possible is obtained.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a telephone line transmitting / receiving section for inputting / outputting a signal to / from a telephone line, and a line for controlling the line, generating a dial signal, and detecting a call signal. A control unit, a band extending unit having an input side connected to the line control unit, and a recruitment compensating unit for connecting the input side to the band extending unit and the output side to be connected to the audio output device to compensate for the hearing characteristics of the elderly. The band extender adds a low-frequency component not present in the telephone band voice and a high-frequency component not present in the telephone band sound compensating for the hearing characteristics of the elderly to the telephone band sound output from the line control unit. By generating a low band that is no longer in the telephone band from the voice signal in the telephone band and a high band that is not in the telephone band voice that compensates for the hearing characteristics of the elderly, the characteristics of general elderly people with hearing loss Some reduced high-frequency sensitivity It is possible to compensate for the recruitment phenomenon peculiar to presbycusis as well as to compensate for natural and high clarity even in people with distant ears including presbycusis due to recruitment phenomena. Is obtained.

According to the telephone set for the elderly according to the fifth aspect, there is provided a telephone set for the elderly comprising a telephone main body, a handset, and a telephone adapter interposed between the telephone main body and the handset. An extension unit, a band extension unit and a frequency characteristic correction unit according to claim 2, a noise reduction unit and a band extension unit according to claim 3, or a fourth embodiment.
Incorporating the band extender and the recruitment compensator described in the above into the telephone adapter, it is possible to simplify the configuration of the telephone for the elderly, and to improve the handling and operability. An advantageous effect is obtained.

According to the telephone for the elderly according to the sixth aspect, there is provided a telephone for the elderly having a telephone body and a handset.
4. A band extension unit and a frequency characteristic correction unit according to claim 3.
Since the noise reduction unit and the band extension unit according to the present invention or the band extension unit and the recruitment compensation unit according to the fourth embodiment are built in the handset, the handset has a built-in function of correcting the auditory characteristics. An advantageous effect is obtained in that the configuration of the telephone can be further simplified, and handling and operability can be further improved.

According to the telephone for the elderly according to the seventh aspect, there is provided a telephone for the elderly having a telephone body and a headset.
4. A band extension unit and a frequency characteristic correction unit according to claim 3.
Since the headset has the noise reduction unit and the band extension unit according to the first embodiment or the band extension unit and the recruitment compensation unit according to the fourth embodiment incorporated in the headset, the headset has a built-in function of correcting auditory characteristics. This has the advantageous effect of further simplifying the configuration of a telephone for a user and making it easier to handle and operate.

According to the telephone set for the elderly according to the eighth aspect, the telephone set for the elderly comprising a portable telephone and an external ear pad added to an audio output device of the portable telephone, wherein the band according to the first aspect is provided. An earpad externally attached with the extension unit, the band extension unit and the frequency characteristic correction unit according to claim 2, the noise reduction unit and the band extension unit according to claim 3, or the band extension unit and the recruitment compensation unit according to claim 4. As a result, the function of correcting the auditory characteristics is built into the external earpad, which simplifies the configuration of mobile phones for the elderly and improves handling and operability. The advantageous effect that it can be obtained is obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a telephone for the elderly according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a high frequency extension function for extending a high frequency side.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing a low-frequency extension function for extending a low-frequency side.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a telephone for the elderly according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a telephone for the elderly according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a telephone for the elderly according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a telephone for the elderly according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a telephone for the elderly according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a telephone for the elderly according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a telephone set described in the official gazette;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Handset 2 Telephone adapter 3 Telephone main body 4 Headset 4a, 4b Earpiece 5 Connector 6 Mobile phone 6a Earphone / microphone jack connector 7 Attachment 8 Earphone / microphone code 101, 201, 301, 401 Telephone line transmitting / receiving sections 102, 202, 302, 402 Line control units 103, 203, 303, 403 Operation processing units 104, 204, 304, 404 Band expansion units 108, 208, 308, 408 Speakers (audio output devices) 109, 209, 309, 409 Microphones 110, 210 , 310, 410 Ringing tone generator 111, 211, 311, 411 Hook detector 112, 212, 312, 412 Key input unit 205 Frequency characteristic correction unit 306 Noise reduction unit 407 Recruitment compensation unit

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Takashi Kimura 1006 Kazuma Kadoma, Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Inside Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Terms (reference) 5K027 AA05 BB03 DD14 DD16 DD18 HH00

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A telephone line transmitting / receiving unit for inputting / outputting a signal to / from a telephone line, a line control unit for controlling a line, generating a dial signal and detecting a call signal, and an input side connected to the line control unit. A band extending unit connected to a sound output unit on the output side, wherein the band extending unit outputs a low-band component and a high-band component which are not included in the telephone band sound, and outputs the low band component and the high band component from the line control unit. A telephone for the elderly, which is added to a telephone. 2. A telephone line transmitting / receiving unit for inputting / outputting a signal to / from a telephone line, a line control unit for controlling a line, generating a dial signal and detecting a call signal, and an input side connected to the line control unit. And a frequency characteristic correction unit whose input side is connected to the band expansion unit and whose output side is connected to the audio output unit to compensate for the hearing characteristics of the elderly, wherein the band expansion unit is a telephone band. A telephone for the elderly, wherein a low-frequency component not present in the voice and a high-frequency component not present in the telephone band voice compensated for the auditory characteristics of the elderly are added to the telephone band voice output from the line control unit. . 3. A telephone line transmitting / receiving section for inputting / outputting a signal to / from a telephone line, a line control section for controlling a line, generating a dial signal and detecting a call signal, and an input side connected to the line control section. A noise reduction unit that reduces noise superimposed on the telephone voice, and a band expansion unit whose input side is connected to the noise reduction unit and whose output side is connected to a voice output unit,
The band extending unit adds a low-frequency component not included in the telephone band sound and a high-frequency component not included in the telephone band sound that compensates for the hearing characteristics of the elderly to the telephone band sound output from the noise reduction unit. A telephone for the elderly characterized by the following. 4. A telephone line transmitting / receiving unit for inputting / outputting a signal to / from a telephone line, a line control unit for controlling a line, generating a dial signal and detecting a call signal, and an input side connected to the line control unit. And a recruitment compensating unit, the input side of which is connected to the band extending unit and the output side of which is connected to the audio output unit to compensate for the hearing characteristics of the elderly,
The band extending unit adds a low-frequency component not included in the telephone band sound and a high-frequency component not included in the telephone band sound compensated for the auditory characteristics of the elderly to the telephone band sound output from the line control unit. A telephone for the elderly characterized by the following. 5. A band telephone for elderly people, comprising a telephone body, a handset, and a telephone adapter interposed between the telephone body and the handset, wherein the band expansion unit according to claim 1 and the band according to claim 2. An elderly person wherein an extension unit and a frequency characteristic correction unit, a noise reduction unit and a band extension unit according to claim 3 or a band extension unit and a recruitment compensation unit according to claim 4 are incorporated in the telephone adapter. Phones. 6. A telephone for an elderly person having a telephone body and a handset, wherein the band extending unit according to claim 1.
A band extension unit and a frequency characteristic correction unit according to claim 2,
A telephone for the elderly, wherein the noise reduction unit and the band extension unit according to claim 3 or the band extension unit and the recruitment compensation unit according to claim 4 are incorporated in the handset. 7. A telephone for the elderly having a telephone body and a headset, wherein the band extending unit according to claim 1.
A band extension unit and a frequency characteristic correction unit according to claim 2,
A telephone for the elderly, wherein the noise reduction unit and the band extension unit according to claim 3 or the band extension unit and the recruitment compensation unit according to claim 4 are built in the headset. 8. A telephone for the elderly having a portable telephone and an external ear pad added to an audio output device of the portable telephone, wherein the band extending unit according to claim 1,
4. A band extension unit and a frequency characteristic correction unit according to claim 3.
A telephone for the aged, wherein the noise reduction unit and the band extension unit according to claim 4 or the band extension unit and the recruitment compensation unit according to claim 4 are built in the external earpad.