JP2004023432A - Voice switching distributor and voice switching distributing method in internet telephone - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To separate voices of a plurality of speakers in talking with the speakers by internet telephones and obtain a feeling of being directly talking therewith. <P>SOLUTION: A telephone allowing a user himself/herself and a plurality of other party speakers A, B to talk at the same time, utilizing the Internet, comprises sound output routes 16, 17 having a plurality of channels independent enough to clearly separate home positions of sound images of the party speakers A, B; and a voice switching distributor 13 for allotting the voices of the plurality of party speakers to their respective separate channels to distribute them. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a voice switching distribution device and a voice switching distribution method for an Internet telephone, and more particularly to a voice switching distribution device and a voice switching distribution method for an Internet telephone provided with a suitable communication environment for use with a plurality of speakers.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The so-called "Internet telephone" using the Internet has been rapidly spreading, compared to the conventional telephone using an analog line. An Internet telephone is one in which digitized voice is divided into digital signal units called "packets" and transmitted on the Internet, and is restored to a voice signal on the receiving side. As for such an Internet telephone, various ingenuity proposals have been made as disclosed in, for example, JP-A-2000-78202 and JP-A-2000-324173.
[0003]
In general, an Internet telephone refers to a general system that performs real-time voice communication using the Internet. Although common in that the Internet is used instead of the telephone company's line, various methods have been proposed for specific implementation. The cost of the Internet has a great advantage over the telephone network in which the conventional charging is performed according to the distance and the connection time. For this reason, various attempts have been made to realize “telephone” as an application on the Internet.
[0004]
The initial form is to be implemented as an application on a PC (personal computer). In this type, a headset is connected to a sound card having full-duplex input / output capability, and the above-mentioned application is activated to make a call. Various methods have been adopted for searching for a call partner, but since this method cannot be used unless the applications are basically the same, this method has not been widely spread.
[0005]
On the other hand, a system using Voice over IP (VoIP) has recently been used. Here, as a result of the standardization of the protocol, interoperability has been improved, and the use of the extension telephone or leased line has been gradually replaced by a company. Recently, the number of telecommunications carriers that provide public telephone services has been increasing. In this format, a VoIP gateway is installed at a portion connecting a telephone line and the Internet, and voice is converted into an IP (Internet Protocol) packet using VoIP and transmitted via the Internet. The voice is converted again by the gateway near the call partner and transmitted to the telephone network to realize the call.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Unlike analog telephones, which connect the other party via a circuit switch, "Internet telephones" transmit information over the network in packet units, thereby increasing transmission efficiency and greatly reducing communication costs. It is greatly expected to be. Further, in the "Internet telephone", a communication by one-to-multiple speakers is possible by using the packet transmission technology, beyond the conventional one-to-one communication between speakers.
[0007]
Here, in the case of a telephone call using the Internet, in the case of one-to-multiple talk, a microphone for transmitting own voice and a speaker for listening to the voice of the other party are integrated. The following inconvenience may occur in the conventional handset or handset.
[0008]
That is, since a plurality of other party's voices are simultaneously heard from one speaker, it is difficult to recognize which of the plurality of parties is the voice. This becomes more pronounced as the number of opponents increases. Further, depending on the voice volume of the other party, the transmission status of the other party, the communication status on the Internet, etc., the volumes of the plurality of other party voices may be different from each other, which may make it very difficult to hear.
[0009]
This will be described with reference to the configuration diagram of the embodiment according to the prior art shown in FIG. Here, it is assumed that two parties of the call are the speaker A and the speaker B. This system includes an Internet telephone connection / voice input / output device 1. The device 1 is connected to the Internet through an Internet telephone connection terminal 2, and a call with the other party can be made via an Internet communication network.
[0010]
This Internet telephone connection / voice input / output device is provided with an input terminal 3 for outputting its own transmission voice, and a voice from a microphone 4 is transmitted to the device 1 through the input terminal 3. The input / output device 1 also has audio output terminals 5 and 6 for outputting the voices of the speakers A and B on the other side, respectively. A voice adder 7 is connected to the next stage of the input / output device 1 so that the voices of the speakers A and B on the other side are input through the input terminals 8 and 9. That is, the voice output of the other speaker from the output terminals 5 and 6 of the input / output device 1 is input to the voice adder 7 through the voice input terminals 8 and 9 and mixed, and the voice is transmitted to the speaker 10.
[0011]
Here, the receiver 11 includes the microphone 4 and the speaker 10 and has a shape similar to that of a receiver including a handset of a conventional telephone unit. Here, the part of the Internet telephone connection / voice input / output device 1 and the voice adder 7 corresponds to the conventional telephone body 12.
[0012]
In the telephone using the Internet as described above, particularly in the case of one-to-multiple talk, the receiver 11 having one speaker as shown in FIG. According to a device having only an audio output path, a user cannot separate and listen to the voices of a plurality of speakers, and there is a problem that the advantage of simultaneous conversation with a plurality of other speakers cannot be fully utilized. .
[0013]
The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and has a plurality of independent voice channels in a telephone using the Internet that allows simultaneous calls with a plurality of other parties in addition to the user. Voice switching distribution in an Internet telephone having a voice output path and allocating and allocating the voices of a plurality of other speakers to respective channels so as to provide a good communication environment even in a call between one to a plurality of speakers. It is an object to provide a device and a voice switching distribution method.
[0014]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The main invention of the present application is a communication connection means of Internet telephone capable of simultaneously talking with a plurality of other speakers,
Audio output means having a plurality of independent audio channels equal to or different from the number of the other speakers,
Wherein the voice of the plurality of other speakers is allocated to any of the plurality of independent voice channels and distributed to perform voice output. is there.
[0015]
Here, it is preferable that the voice of each speaker is automatically allocated and allocated to a specific voice channel according to the number of other speakers. It is preferable that each audio channel is provided with independent volume control means. Also, each audio channel may be provided with independent volume adjusting means, and the audio volume of a plurality of other speakers may be adjusted to be substantially constant. Further, when the number of other speakers is smaller than the number of audio channels of the audio output means, it is preferable to allocate and distribute the audio of an arbitrary speaker to a plurality of audio channels. Further, when the number of other speakers is larger than the number of audio channels of the audio output means, the sounds of arbitrary plural speakers may be allocated and allocated to arbitrary audio channels.
[0016]
Another main invention of the present application is a communication connection means of an Internet telephone capable of simultaneously talking with a plurality of other parties,
Audio output means having a plurality of independent audio channels equal to or different from the other speaker,
An audio converter connected to each audio channel of the audio output means,
Wherein the plurality of voice converters are arranged at different positions with respect to oneself who talks with the plurality of other party speakers, and the plurality of other party talkers are arranged such that sound images of the voices of the plurality of other party speakers are different from each other. The present invention relates to a voice switching distribution device for an Internet telephone, which allocates and distributes a user's voice to an arbitrary channel among the plurality of independent voice channels and performs voice output.
[0017]
Here, it is preferable that the voice of the other party is allocated to the voice channel corresponding to the voice converter so that the voice of the other party is reproduced by the voice converter arranged at the predetermined position. Also, the voice of the predetermined speaker is reproduced by a plurality of voice converters arranged at predetermined positions, and the voice of the other speaker is localized so that a sound image is localized at an intermediate position of the plurality of voice converters. It is also possible to allocate and assign to audio channels corresponding to a plurality of audio converters. Further, the audio converter may be used also as the audio converter of the audio system.
[0018]
The main invention relating to the voice switching distribution method is a communication connection means of an Internet telephone capable of simultaneously talking with a plurality of other parties,
Audio output means having a plurality of independent audio channels equal to or different from the number of the other speakers,
And a method of allocating and allocating voices of the plurality of other speakers to an arbitrary channel among the plurality of independent voice channels and outputting voices, wherein a voice switching allocation method for an Internet telephone is provided. is there.
[0019]
Another invention related to a voice switching distribution method is a communication connection means of an Internet telephone capable of simultaneously talking with a plurality of other speakers,
Audio output means having a plurality of independent audio channels equal to or different from the other speaker,
An audio converter connected to each audio channel of the audio output means,
Wherein the plurality of voice converters are arranged at different positions with respect to oneself who talks with the plurality of other party speakers, and the plurality of other party talkers are arranged such that sound images of the voices of the plurality of other party speakers are different from each other. The present invention relates to a method of allocating and allocating a voice of a user to an arbitrary channel among the plurality of independent voice channels and outputting the voice, wherein the voice is switched and distributed in an Internet telephone.
[0020]
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in a telephone call using the Internet that allows simultaneous communication with a plurality of other speakers in addition to the self, an audio output path having a plurality of independent voice channels is provided. By allocating and distributing the voices of the speakers to the respective channels, it is possible to provide a suitable call environment even in a call between one-to-many speakers.
[0021]
In such aspects of the invention, the sound of each speaker can be heard from a separate sound converter, especially by connecting the sound converters to a plurality of independent sound output paths assigned to each of the other speakers. The localization of the sound image clearly identifies the other party. In addition, if multiple sound transducers are placed at some distance from each other like a stereo device, the sound image of the other party can be separated more clearly, and it is possible to talk with a sense of reality as if you were talking directly. become. Further, in the case of a call with more than two speakers, if a plurality of voice converters are arranged so as to surround themselves, as in a multi-channel audio device, it is possible to provide a more realistic environment in which a conference is held. You can get the feeling.
[0022]
In addition, by providing independent audio adjustment means for each audio channel, it is possible to appropriately adjust the audio volume of each of the other speakers. Further, if these volume adjusting means are automatically adjusted and controlled by the detected volume, the voice volume of the other speaker can be kept constant without any trouble, and conversation with a plurality of other speakers can be performed in a comfortable volume state.
[0023]
If the number of other speakers is less than the number of voice channels, the voice of any speaker is allocated and allocated to any of a plurality of voice channels. By allocating and arbitrarily arranging the voices of a plurality of speakers to the channels, it is possible to localize the sound image of the number of the other speakers at the optimum position even if the number of the other speakers and the number of the voice channels are different. Can be separated.
[0024]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
(1) Example 1
FIG. 1 shows the entire system configuration of an Internet telephone. Here, a voice signal digitized by a packet communication method is transmitted by an Internet Protocol using an Internet communication network 62. Here, a server 63 of the provider is connected to the Internet communication network 62, and a personal computer terminal 65 is connected to the server 63 via a telephone line 64. The personal computer terminal 65 constitutes a telephone.
[0025]
In such a system, a personal computer terminal 65 converts a voice analog signal into a digital signal, supplies the digital signal to a server 63 through a telephone line 64, and transmits the digital signal to the server 63 via the Internet communication network 62. To deliver digital signals to The received personal computer terminal 65 demodulates the above audio signal, converts it into an analog signal, and listens to the audio through a speaker.
[0026]
FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the personal computer terminal 65. Here, a terminal adapter 66 is connected to the CPU 67 and performs communication with the outside. The CPU 67 has an audio processing circuit 68 composed of a sound board, and the audio switching distributor 13 is connected to the audio processing circuit 68. Then, the sound switching distributor 13 is connected to the speakers 18 and 19. The microphone 4 is connected to the audio processing circuit 68.
[0027]
Note that, instead of the personal computer terminal 65 shown in FIG. 2, the function of the terminal can be achieved by an audio device having a built-in CPU 67 as shown in FIG. Here, a terminal adapter 66 and an audio processing circuit 68 are connected to the CPU 67, and this portion functions as a personal computer. A monitor 69 and a keyboard 70 are connected to a portion that performs the functions of the personal computer. The audio processing circuit 68 is connected to the switching circuit 85. The switching circuit 85 switches between a plurality of audio sources 81 to 84. Here, an Internet telephone system is added as one of the audio sources.
[0028]
The switching circuit 85 is further connected to the audio switching distributor 13, and the audio switching distributor 13 is connected to the speakers 18 and 19.
[0029]
The configuration of the Internet telephone device when the personal computer terminal 65 shown in FIG. 2 or the audio device shown in FIG. 3 is used as a terminal will be described below. First, an example of a system in which two communication parties are a speaker A and a speaker B and the number of audio output channels is two will be described with reference to FIG. This configuration corresponds to the most basic configuration of the present invention.
[0030]
The Internet telephone connection / voice input / output device 1 is connected to a voice switching distributor 13 at the next stage. The voice switching distribution unit 13 includes voice input terminals 14 and 15 for the speakers A and B on the other side, a voice L channel output terminal 16 which is the voice output of the other speaker for two channels, and a voice R channel output. A terminal 17 is provided. The output terminals 16 and 17 are connected to an L channel speaker 18 disposed on the left side and an R channel speaker 19 disposed on the right side, respectively.
[0031]
The microphone 4 is used independently by the transmitter. The Internet telephone connection / voice input / output device 1 and the voice switching distributor 13 correspond to the device main body 20 in this embodiment. Here, the Internet telephone connection / voice input / output device 1 comprises a terminal adapter 66, a CPU 67 and a voice processing circuit 68 shown in FIG. Alternatively, it is realized by being incorporated in a two-channel stereo (audio) device having two speakers 18 and 19 as shown in FIG.
[0032]
FIG. 5 shows a specific example of the voice switching distributor 13 shown in FIG. The voice input terminal 14 for receiving the voice of the other party A has a switch AL21 and a switch AR22 and is divided into two voice output channels. The voice input terminal 15 for receiving the voice of the other party B is also divided into two voice output channels, a switch BL23 and a switch BR24. Then, the voices of the speakers A and B divided into two voice output channels are mixed by a voice adder L25 and a voice adder R26, respectively, and output to a voice L channel output terminal 16 and a voice R channel output terminal 17. Is done.
[0033]
Here, according to the voice switching distributor 13 shown in FIG. 5, the voices of the speakers A and B are arbitrarily output to two voice output channels L and R by turning on / off the four switches 21 to 24. It becomes possible. For example, in the case of a call with only the speaker A, the voice of the speaker A is output to two channels of L and R by turning on the switch AL21 and the switch AR22 and turning off the other switches BL23 and BR24. it can. In the case of simultaneous talk between speaker A and speaker B, the switch A21 and switch BR24 are turned on, and the other switches AR22 and BL23 are turned off, so that the voice of speaker A is transmitted to the L channel. The voice of the person B can be assigned to the R channel and output.
[0034]
(2) Example 2 (FIGS. 6 to 8)
This embodiment is an example in which the allocation of audio output channels in the first embodiment is automatically performed. That is, the number-of-speakers information output terminal 27 is added to the Internet telephone connection / voice input / output device 1 as compared with the first embodiment. The output terminal 27 is for outputting information of a speaker during a call, for example, whether only the speaker A, only the speaker B, or whether the speakers A and B are simultaneous. In addition, a voice distribution control input terminal 28 is added to the voice switching distributor 13, and information on the number of speakers is input from an output terminal 27.
[0035]
FIG. 5 shows a specific configuration of the voice switching distributor 13 in such an embodiment. The number-of-speakers information from the voice distribution control input terminal 28 is input to the voice distribution controller 29. The switches 21 to 24 are turned on / off according to an instruction from the voice distribution controller 29.
[0036]
FIG. 8 shows a flowchart of the operation of the voice distribution controller 29 of this embodiment. According to this flowchart, when there is one speaker, the sound of that speaker is output to both the L and R channels, and when there are two speakers A and B, the speaker A Is allocated to the L channel and the voice of the speaker B is allocated to the R channel and output. The above operation is automatically performed based on the control operation of the voice distribution controller 29 based on the flowchart shown in FIG.
[0037]
(3) Example 3 (FIGS. 9 and 10)
This embodiment is configured so that the voice volume of the other speaker can be varied in the first embodiment. That is, the voice switch distributor 13 is characterized in that a variable volume device A30 and a variable volume device corresponding to the voice inputs of the speakers A and B on the other side from the voice input terminals 14 and 15 respectively. B31 is connected.
[0038]
In this way, by setting the volume of the voice of the other party A and the voice of the other party B independently by the variable volume controllers 30 and 31, the voice volume of the voice of the plurality of other parties A and B can be adjusted. It is possible to correct the difference and adjust the sound volume so that it is easy to hear.
[0039]
(4) Example 4 (FIGS. 11 and 12)
This embodiment is an example in which the sound volume of the other party's speaker in the third embodiment can be automatically varied. In particular, FIG. 12 shows a specific configuration of the voice switching distributor 13 of this embodiment.
[0040]
An externally-controlled variable volume unit A32 and an externally-controlled variable volume unit B33 are provided for the voice input terminal 14 from the speaker A and the voice input terminal 15 from the speaker B. And a vessel B35. The outputs of the respective volume detectors A34 and B35 are input to comparators A36 and B37, respectively, and are compared with a reference level provided by a reference level setting unit 38. A32 and an externally controlled variable volume control B33 can be controlled.
[0041]
By controlling the independent externally controlled variable volume controllers 32 and 33 in accordance with the reference level from the reference level setting unit 38 in this manner, the difference in the sound volume between the plurality of speakers A and B is corrected, so that the volume is easily listenable. It can be adjusted automatically.
[0042]
(5) Example 5 (FIGS. 13 and 14)
This embodiment is an example in which the allocation of the audio output channels in the second embodiment can be adjusted not by simply switching ON / OFF of a switch but by a volume changer. FIG. 14 shows the details of the voice switching distributor 13 of this embodiment.
[0043]
The four switches 21 to 24 in FIG. 7 are replaced with a volume changer AL39, a volume changer AR40, a volume changer BL41, and a volume changer BR42, respectively, so that sound can be changed by an instruction from the sound distribution control device 43. . When the movable contact piece 44 is controlled to the maximum sound volume position 45, the switch becomes equal to the ON state, and when the movable contact piece 44 is controlled to the minimum sound volume position 46, the switch is switched. It is equal to the OFF state. When the movable contact piece 44 is between the maximum position 45 and the minimum position 46, the volume is set according to the position.
[0044]
In accordance with an instruction from the voice distribution controller 43, the volume of both speakers A and B can be adjusted, and the balance of the voice to the L and R audio output channels can be adjusted.
[0045]
(6) Example 6 (FIGS. 15 to 18)
Next, a description will be given of an embodiment in which the number of voice channels of a plurality of independent parties remains two, and three parties of talker A, speaker B, and speaker C are used. FIG. 15 is a configuration diagram of this embodiment. This embodiment is an example in which the number of speakers on the other side in the fifth embodiment is reduced from two to three.
[0046]
A third party C voice output terminal 47 is added to the Internet telephone connection / voice input / output device 1, and a third party C voice input terminal 48 is added to the voice switching distributor 13. The voice is input to the voice switching distributor 13. FIG. 16 is a detailed diagram of the voice switching distributor 13 of this embodiment.
[0047]
As shown in FIG. 16, a volume changer CL49 and a volume changer CR50 are added to the configuration in FIG. 14 to distribute the voice of the speaker C to the L and R audio output channels. Is adjusted by an instruction from the voice distribution controller 51.
[0048]
FIG. 17 shows an example of an operation flowchart of the voice distribution controller 51 of this embodiment. In the example of this flowchart, when the other party is a single speaker, the voice output is divided and distributed to both the L and R channels, and to two channels of the L and R channels when the other party is two. . When there are three speakers, the sound output is distributed to the speaker A to the L channel and the speaker B to the R channel, and the movable contacts of the sound variator CL49 and the sound variator CR50 are each set to a middle volume. By setting the position, the sound output is distributed so that the sound image of the speaker C is localized between the L and R channels.
[0049]
FIG. 18 is a conceptual diagram of sound image localization of speakers A, B, and C in such a case. Thus, even when the number of speakers on the other side exceeds the number of independent audio output channels of the main unit of the apparatus, the sound image of each speaker can be localized at a specific position by optimally setting the respective volume variable devices. And clear voice separation can be realized.
[0050]
(7) Example 7 (FIGS. 19 and 20)
This embodiment is an embodiment in the case where the other party is a speaker A, a speaker B, and a speaker C, and the number of audio output channels of a plurality of independent parties is four. That is, this is an example in which the number of audio output channels of the sixth embodiment is changed from two to four. FIG. 19 shows a configuration example at that time.
[0051]
Here, the audio switching distributor 13 is provided with four terminals: an audio FL channel output terminal 52, an audio FR channel output terminal 53, an audio RL channel output terminal 54, and an audio RR channel output terminal 55. Speaker 56, front right FR channel speaker 57, rear left RL channel speaker 58, and rear right RR channel speaker 59 are connected. Although the detailed diagram of the voice switching distributor in this embodiment is omitted because it is complicated, the configuration is such that the number of voice output channels is four in FIG. 16 and the voices of three speakers are four voice output channels. It is intended to be able to arbitrarily assign and distribute to channels.
[0052]
In particular, the embodiment shown in FIG. 19 and FIG. 20 includes a plurality of loudspeakers capable of reproducing so-called multi-channel audio media having a plurality of audio channels exceeding two, such as a DVD and a super audio CD. It is easier to realize that it is incorporated in a connected multi-channel AV device. That is, a multi-channel audio device including the switching circuit 85 as shown in FIG. 3 is preferably used for a device having four speakers. FIG. 20 shows a conceptual diagram of sound image localization of three speakers A, B, and C in such an embodiment. In general, a so-called 5.1-channel speaker arrangement is generally used in a multi-channel DVD or a super audio CD. However, here, four speakers are used as an example for convenience of explanation.
[0053]
FIG. 20A shows an example in which speaker A is allocated to the FL channel speaker 56, speaker B is allocated to the FR channel speaker 57, and speaker C is allocated to the RL channel speaker 58 and the RR channel speaker 59. FIG. 20B shows speaker A in the middle between FL channel speaker 56 and FR channel speaker 57, speaker B in the middle between FL channel speaker 56 and RL channel speaker 58, and speaker C in FR channel speaker 57 and RR channel speaker. This is allocated and distributed in the middle of the speaker 59. By properly setting the volume changer of each of the voice switching distributors 13 as described above, it is possible to localize the voice sound image of each speaker at a specific position, and realize clear voice separation. Will be able to do it.
[0054]
Although the present invention has been described above with respect to the case where the number of speakers on the other side is two and three, and the case where the number of audio output channels is two and four, the present invention applies a similar configuration. Needless to say, the number of speakers and the number of audio output channels may be further increased, and in any combination, the audio sound image of each speaker can be localized at a specific position. . Although described individually in the above embodiments, the automatic assignment distribution to each speaker's audio output channel, the automatic volume control, and the like can be implemented in various combinations.
[0055]
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to a system or apparatus for connecting a plurality of externally independent speakers, the sound or sound image is localized to a specific position by a headphone or a similar sound converter having more than two channels. As long as the conversion is performed, the converter is not limited to the speaker, and may be changed to another converter. Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described so as to be mainly applied to devices such as a two-channel stereo playback device and a multi-channel AV playback device, for example, a business conference system or an education system using an Internet telephone. Application to is also possible.
[0056]
【The invention's effect】
The main invention of the present application is a communication connection means of Internet telephone capable of simultaneously talking with a plurality of other speakers, and an audio output means having a plurality of independent voice channels equal to or different from the number of the other speakers. In addition, voices of a plurality of other speakers are allocated and allocated to an arbitrary channel among a plurality of independent voice channels to output voice.
[0057]
Therefore, according to the voice switching distribution device or the voice switching distribution method in the Internet telephone, it is possible to provide a suitable communication environment, whereby a plurality of parties in the Internet telephone capable of communicating with a plurality of speakers are provided. The separation of the speaker's voice becomes better and the listening becomes easier, which greatly contributes to the improvement of the convenience of the Internet telephone.
[0058]
Another main invention of the present application is an Internet telephone communication connection means capable of simultaneously talking with a plurality of other speakers, an audio output means having a plurality of independent audio channels equal to or different from the other speaker, A voice converter connected to each voice channel of the voice output means, wherein a plurality of voice converters are arranged at different positions with respect to oneself who talks with a plurality of other speakers, and The voices of a plurality of other speakers are allocated and allocated to arbitrary channels among a plurality of independent voice channels so that the voice images of the voices of the speakers are different from each other, and voice output is performed.
[0059]
Therefore, according to the voice switching distribution device or the voice switching distribution method in the Internet telephone, since the positions of the sound images of the voices of the plurality of speakers, which are the other parties, are different from each other, the other speakers are differently localized by different sound image localizations. The identification becomes clear, the voice of each speaker is more excellently separated, and an Internet telephone with a sense of presence as if talking directly is provided.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a connection of an Internet telephone.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a personal computer terminal used as an Internet telephone.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an audio device used as an Internet telephone terminal.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the first embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the voice switching distributor.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a second embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the voice switching distributor.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an operation of the voice distribution controller.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a third embodiment.
FIG. 10 is a block diagram of the voice switching distributor.
FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a fourth embodiment.
FIG. 12 is a block diagram of the voice switch distributor.
FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a fifth embodiment.
FIG. 14 is a block diagram of the voice switching distributor.
FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a sixth embodiment.
FIG. 16 is a block diagram of the voice switching distributor.
FIG. 17 is a flowchart of the operation of the voice distribution controller.
FIG. 18 is a conceptual diagram showing the same sound image localization.
FIG. 19 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a seventh embodiment.
FIG. 20 is a conceptual diagram of the same sound image localization.
FIG. 21 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional technique.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 ‥‥ Internet telephone connection / voice input / output device, 2 ‥‥ Internet telephone connection terminal, 3 ‥‥ speaker voice input terminal, 4 ‥‥ microphone, 5 ‥‥ other party speaker A voice output terminal, 6 ‥‥ other party Speaker B voice output terminal, 7 ‥‥ voice adder, 8 ‥‥ other party A voice input terminal, 9 ‥‥ other party B voice input terminal, 10 ‥‥ speaker, 11 ‥‥ receiver, 12 ‥‥ telephone Main unit, 13 ‥‥ voice switch distributor, 14 ‥‥ other party A voice input terminal, 15 ‥‥ other party B voice input terminal, 16 ‥‥ voice L channel output terminal, 17 ‥‥ voice R channel output terminal, 18 ‥‥ L channel speaker, 19 ‥‥ R channel speaker, 20 ‥‥ device body, 21 ‥‥ switch AL, 22 ‥‥ switch AR, 23 ‥‥ switch BL, 24 ‥‥ switch BR, 25 ‥‥ audio adder L 26 sound adder R, 27 speaker number information output terminal, 28 sound distribution control input terminal, 29 sound distribution controller, 30 variable sound volume A, 31 variable sound volume B , 32 ‥‥ externally controlled variable volumer, 33 ‥‥ externally controlled variable volumer, 34 ‥‥ volume detector A, 35 ‥‥ volume detector B, 36 ‥‥ comparator A, 37 ‥‥ comparator B, 38 {Reference level setter, 39} Volume changer AL, 40 {Volume changer AR, 41} Volume changer BL, 42 {Volume changer BR, 43} Volume distribution controller, 44} Movable piece, 45 ° maximum volume position, 46 ° minimum volume position, 47 ° other party C voice output terminal, 48 ° other party C voice input terminal, 49 ° volume changer CL, 50 ° {Volume changer CR, 51} Audio distribution controller, 52 {Audio FL channel output terminal, 3 ‥‥ Audio FR channel output terminal, 54 ‥‥ Audio RL channel output terminal, 55 ‥‥ Audio RR channel output terminal, 56 ‥‥ FL channel speaker, 57 ‥‥ FR channel speaker, 58 ‥‥ RL channel speaker, 59 ‥ {RR channel speaker, 62} Internet communication network, 63 server (provider), 64 telephone line, 65 personal computer terminal, 66 terminal adapter, 67 CPU, 68 audio processing circuit ( Sound board), 69 monitor, 70 keyboard, 81-84 audio source, 85 switch circuit

Claims (12)

Internet telephone communication connection means capable of simultaneous calls with a plurality of other parties,
Audio output means having a plurality of independent audio channels equal to or different from the number of the other speakers,
Wherein the voice of the plurality of other speakers is allocated and allocated to an arbitrary channel among the plurality of independent voice channels to output a voice. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the voice of each speaker is automatically allocated and allocated to a specific voice channel in accordance with the number of other speakers. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each audio channel includes independent volume control means. 4. The voice in the Internet telephone according to claim 1, wherein each voice channel has independent volume control means, and voice volumes of a plurality of other speakers are adjusted so as to be substantially constant. Switching distribution device. 2. The voice switching in the Internet telephone according to claim 1, wherein when the number of other speakers is smaller than the number of voice channels of said voice output means, voice of an arbitrary speaker is allocated and allocated to a plurality of voice channels. Distribution device. 2. The Internet telephone according to claim 1, wherein, when the number of other speakers is greater than the number of audio channels of the audio output means, the voices of arbitrary plural speakers are allocated and allocated to arbitrary audio channels. Voice switching distribution device. Internet telephone communication connection means capable of simultaneous calls with a plurality of other parties,
Audio output means having a plurality of independent audio channels equal to or different from the other speaker,
An audio converter connected to each audio channel of the audio output means,
Wherein the plurality of voice converters are arranged at different positions with respect to oneself who talks with the plurality of other party speakers, and the plurality of other party talkers are arranged such that sound images of the voices of the plurality of other party speakers are different from each other. A voice switching distribution device for an Internet telephone, wherein a voice of a user is allocated and allocated to an arbitrary channel among the plurality of independent voice channels to output voice. The voice of the other party is allocated to an audio channel corresponding to the voice converter so that the voice of the other party is reproduced by a voice converter arranged at a predetermined position. Item 7. A voice switching distribution device for an Internet telephone according to Item 7. The voice of a predetermined partner speaker is reproduced by a plurality of voice converters arranged at a predetermined position, and the voices of the other speaker are localized so that a sound image is localized at an intermediate position of the plurality of voice converters. 8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the apparatus is assigned to an audio channel corresponding to the audio converter. 10. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the voice converter is used also as a voice converter of an audio system. Internet telephone communication connection means capable of simultaneous calls with a plurality of other parties,
Audio output means having a plurality of independent audio channels equal to or different from the number of the other speakers,
And allocating and allocating the voices of the plurality of opposite parties to an arbitrary channel among the plurality of independent voice channels and outputting the voices, and performing voice output. Internet telephone communication connection means capable of simultaneous calls with a plurality of other parties,
Audio output means having a plurality of independent audio channels equal to or different from the other speaker,
An audio converter connected to each audio channel of the audio output means,
Wherein the plurality of voice converters are arranged at different positions with respect to oneself who talks with the plurality of other party speakers, and the plurality of other party talkers are arranged such that sound images of the voices of the plurality of other party speakers are different from each other. A voice switching distribution method in an Internet telephone, wherein a voice of a caller is allocated and allocated to an arbitrary channel among the plurality of independent voice channels to output voice.

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