JP2006245693A - Telephone set - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a telephone set for outputting a tone in a proper tone volume without discomforting a user. <P>SOLUTION: The telephone set is provided with: at least one of output means comprising a receiver 107 for outputting a ringing tone and a speaker 109 for outputting tones other than the ringing tone; a panel speaker 108 for outputting the ringing tone and the other tones than the ringing tone resulting from vibration of the display panel of a display section; a setting means 112 for setting the output tone volume from the output means and the panel speaker; and a control means 110 for switching between the output means and the panel speaker on the basis of the settings of the output tone volume by the setting means so as to execute control of outputting the tone from at least either of them. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a telephone having a display, and more particularly to a telephone that can use the display as a panel speaker.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, panel speakers that are being used in portable radio telephones and the like generate sound from the panel due to the vibration of the panel due to the vibration of a vibrator disposed in the vicinity of the panel. The panel speaker has a characteristic that sound output hardly depends on frequency and radiates sound with no directivity. In addition, the panel speaker has a characteristic that the power loss due to the distance is very small compared to a normal speaker, and the sound reaches far.

  In other words, panel speakers tend to sound louder than normally used speakers and receivers. Current telephones equipped with panel speakers do not have a means to prevent inadvertent ringtones and alarms from being emitted from the panel speakers, and the user may feel uncomfortable because the speaker volume is too high. high.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a telephone set that can be used with peace of mind without causing the user to feel uncomfortable with the volume (see, for example, Patent Document 1). When this telephone detects an incoming call, it determines whether or not it can be in a reception standby state, and if it is not in the reception standby state, it rings a ring tone at a volume lower than the set volume regardless of the set volume.
JP 2000-209306 A

  However, with the conventional technology, it is not possible to appropriately control the volume of sound emitted from a telephone equipped with a panel speaker so as not to make the user feel uncomfortable.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and an object thereof is to provide a telephone with a panel speaker that emits sound at an appropriate volume without causing discomfort to the user.

  In the telephone according to the present invention, at least one output means of a receiver that outputs a received sound and a speaker that outputs a sound other than the received sound, and the display panel of the display unit vibrate to output sound from the display panel. A panel speaker, a setting means for setting the output volume of the panel speaker and the output volume of the panel speaker, and switching between the output means and the panel speaker based on the setting of the output volume by the setting means, from at least one of them Control means for performing control to output sound.

  In the telephone according to the present invention, when the display panel of the display unit vibrates and outputs a sound from the display panel, and when either the ring tone or the alarm sound is output, the vibration surface of the panel speaker is A judging means for judging whether or not it is facing the outside world, and if it is judged by the judging means that the vibration surface is facing the outside world, a sound is emitted from the panel speaker at a volume lower than a certain threshold value. And a control means for controlling to start outputting.

  The telephone of the present invention has a panel speaker that vibrates the display panel of the display unit and outputs a sound from the display panel, and the panel speaker and the user's Detection means for detecting whether or not the distance between the ear and the ear is equal to or less than a predetermined distance, and when the distance detected by the detection means is detected to be less than or equal to a predetermined distance, Control means for performing control to output sound from the panel speaker.

  According to the telephone with a panel speaker of the present invention, it is possible to emit sound at an appropriate volume without causing discomfort to the user.

  Hereinafter, a telephone according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  A portable radio telephone is taken as an example of the telephone of this embodiment, and will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the mobile radio telephone 100 according to the present embodiment includes a panel speaker 108 and is controlled by a control circuit 110 and a volume setting circuit 112. In addition, an antenna 101, RF ( radio frequency) / IF (intermediate frequency) unit 102, modulation / demodulation unit 103, digital signal processing circuit 104, audio signal processing circuit 105, microphone 106, receiver 107, speaker 109, sound generation circuit 111, display 113, PLL circuit 114, A key circuit 115, a ROM (read-only memory) 116, and a RAM (random-access memory) 117 are provided.

  The antenna 101 exchanges radio signals between, for example, the mobile radio telephone 100 and a base station or a parent device. The RF / IF unit 102 performs frequency conversion of radio signals transmitted and received by the antenna 101. The modem 103 modulates a transmission signal from the mobile radio telephone 100 or demodulates a reception signal to the mobile radio telephone 100. The digital signal processing circuit 104 converts a digital transmission signal into an analog transmission signal, and converts an analog reception signal into a digital reception signal. Also, the digital signal processing circuit 104 performs, for example, preprocessing necessary for modulation in the case of a transmission signal, and necessary preprocessing for audio signal processing in the case of a reception signal.

  The audio signal processing circuit 105 decodes the digital audio signal output from the digital signal processing circuit 104 and converts it into an analog audio signal. The audio signal processing circuit 105 converts an analog audio signal input from the microphone 106 into a digital signal by performing ADPCM (adaptive differential pulse code modulation) or PCM conversion. The audio signal processing circuit 105 outputs an analog signal that has been D / A (digital-to-analog) converted to a normal receiver 107 or panel speaker 108.

  The handset 107 outputs the voice (receiving sound) of the other party, and the panel speaker 108 is, for example, a ringtone, an alarm sound that is generated when the battery of the mobile wireless phone 100 is low, music that is linked to a video, etc. Is output.

  The panel speaker 108 generates sound from the panel by vibrating the panel when a vibrator arranged in the vicinity of the panel vibrates. The panel speaker 108 is connected to the display 113, for example, and the display screen vibrates to generate sound from the display screen. Since the panel speaker 108 has a far-reaching sound compared to the normal speaker 109 and the handset 107 and is non-directional, it can generate a louder sound than the normal speaker 109 and the handset 107. Sound leaks easily.

  The panel speaker 108 generates the type of sound output from the handset 107 and the type of sound output from the speaker 109. That is, the panel speaker 108 serves as the receiver 107 and the speaker 109. For example, the panel speaker 108 outputs the voice from the other party as the receiver 107 and the speaker 109 outputs an incoming call tone or an alarm sound for causing the user when the battery is insufficient. Alternatively, only the panel speaker 108 may be installed in the mobile radio telephone 100 as a substitute for the handset 107 and the speaker 109.

  The control circuit 110 executes various modes according to the output signal of the key circuit 115 in accordance with the program written in the ROM 116, and exchanges control data with the digital signal processing circuit 104 and various data with the RAM 117. To execute processing such as calling or receiving with the base station. The operation of the control circuit 110 will be described later with reference to FIG. 3, FIG. 4, and FIG.

  The sound generation circuit 111 outputs a sound source signal such as a ring tone, an alarm sound, or music based on the control of the control circuit 110. The volume setting circuit 112 controls the set volume by the control circuit 110 and causes the normal handset 107, the panel speaker 108, or the normal speaker 109 to generate a reception sound or a ringtone with a set volume. Further, the volume may be set by a volume setting circuit (not shown) different from the handset 107 and the speaker 109.

  The display 113 displays a moving image or a still image. The display 113 is provided with a panel speaker 108, and the display screen of the display 113 vibrates to generate sound from the display screen.

  The PLL circuit 114 changes the reception frequency and transmission frequency of the RF / IF unit 102 based on an instruction from the control circuit 110.

  The key circuit 115 is used by the user to operate the mobile radio telephone 100, and includes, for example, an on-hook / off-hook key, a numeric keypad, an up / down key, and a function key. Volume settings for ringtones, alarm sounds, etc. are made by using function keys to set a volume setting mode for ringtones, alarm sounds, etc., and up / down keys. The incoming call tone is set using the up / down key during a call. These set sound volumes are stored in the RAM 117.

  The ROM 116 stores a program executed by the control circuit 110. The RAM 117 stores data used by a program executed by the control circuit 110.

  In this embodiment, a mobile radio telephone is described as an example of the telephone of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the mobile radio telephone, and the present invention is applicable to any telephone as long as the telephone is equipped with a panel speaker. be able to.

(Volume setting level)
Next, an example of the operation of the mobile radio telephone 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. In this example, the panel speaker can be used only when the mobile wireless telephone is set to a volume level dedicated to the panel speaker, and the panel speaker cannot be used except for the volume setting.

  If the use of the panel speaker is managed in this way, the user recognizes whether or not the volume level is set exclusively for the panel speaker, so that the user feels uncomfortable because the speaker volume is too high. Will disappear.

  FIG. 2 is an example of a volume setting mode setting screen displayed on the display 113. The volume setting mode in FIG. 2 includes a special volume mode 201 and a normal mode 202 which are two types of modes. When the special volume mode 201 is set, sound is output from the panel speaker 108. When the normal mode 202 is set, sound is output from the handset 107 or the speaker 109.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the special volume mode 201 has, for example, three volume setting levels, and the normal mode 202 has, for example, five volume setting levels. In these volume setting modes, the volume is set according to the size of the indicator shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 2, the volume is the lowest at level 1, the volume gradually increases as the level proceeds to levels 2 and 3, and the volume is increased at the special volume 3. The special volume 1, which is the minimum volume of the special volume mode 201, is desirably set to a volume that does not cause the user to feel uncomfortable.

  The volume setting mode screen may be such that, for example, a mode is first selected from either the special volume mode 201 or the normal mode 202, and then the volume level in the mode can be set.

  Next, the operation of the cellular phone radio 100 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  Some current telephones not only exchange voices with other parties, but also have various functions such as mail exchange, watching music or television, and notifying when the battery is low. Therefore, current telephones do not handle ringtones (or music or messages for notifying incoming calls) and the voice of the other party during a call, unlike conventional telephones. It handles a variety of different sounds, such as voice sounds and alarm sounds when the battery is low.

  The control circuit 110 starts a process in the case of outputting a received sound, a ringtone, an alarm sound, or music from at least one of the receiver 107, the panel speaker 108, and the speaker 109 (step S301). The control circuit 110 refers to the RAM 117 and determines whether or not the volume set by the user is set to the special volume mode 201 (step S302). When the control circuit 110 determines that the special sound volume mode 201 is set, the process proceeds to step S303, whereas when it is determined that the special sound volume mode 201 is not set, the process proceeds to step S304.

  In step S303, the control circuit 110 causes the sound generation circuit 111 to generate a sound and output the sound from the panel speaker 108 at the volume set in the special volume mode 201. In step S304, the control circuit 110 causes the sound generation circuit 111 to generate a sound and output the sound from the handset 107 or the speaker 109 at the volume set in the normal mode 202.

  In addition, the control circuit 110 may control the display 113 to display the current volume setting mode or the currently usable speaker type. In this way, the user can easily check at any time whether or not the panel speaker can be used by observing the display screen.

(Exposed panel speakers)
In the next example, when the panel speaker is exposed to a position where the user can see the panel speaker and the panel speaker is close to the user's ear, the panel speaker is controlled not to output a sudden loud sound. A ringtone or an alarm sound often occurs suddenly when the user does not expect it, and such a suddenly generated sound that the user does not expect is likely to surprise and make the user uncomfortable. That the panel speaker is exposed at this position indicates that the vibration surface for outputting the sound of the panel speaker faces the outside. In this state, a loud sound is likely to be emitted from the panel speaker using air as a medium.

  This example relates to control when a ringtone or an alarm sound is generated passively (that is, not caused by an action performed by a user), and when active (ie, caused by an action performed by a user) Since there is no “sudden sound”, such control is not performed.

<Panel opening / closing>
First, a case of a foldable portable wireless telephone will be described with reference to FIG.

  The control circuit 110 starts processing when a ring tone or an alarm sound is output from the panel speaker 108 among the receiver 107, the panel speaker 108, and the speaker 109 (step S401). The control circuit 110 determines whether it is necessary to sound a ringtone or an alarm sound (step S402). If the control circuit 110 determines that it is necessary to sound, the process proceeds to step S403, and if it is determined that it is not necessary to sound, the process proceeds to another process. In step S402, the control circuit 110 may periodically make a determination at certain time intervals acquired by a timer (not shown), or the control circuit 110 has received a command to sound a ring tone or an alarm sound. In such a case, it may be set to proceed to step S403.

  In step S403, the control circuit 110 determines whether or not the panel speaker is exposed. In a general foldable portable wireless telephone, the panel speaker is exposed corresponds to a state in which the portable wireless telephone main body is open (folded panel is open). However, in this embodiment, it is not essential to change the control depending on whether or not the telephone body is open, and the control is changed depending on whether or not the panel speaker is exposed and is likely to be close to the user's ear. That is essential.

  If the control circuit 110 determines in step S403 that the panel speaker is exposed, the process proceeds to step S404, while it is not exposed (for example, the telephone body is closed, that is, the folding panel is closed). If it is determined that the process is in progress, the process proceeds to step S405. In step S404, for example, the control circuit 110 causes the volume setting circuit 112 to set the volume of the panel speaker 108 to gradually increase. Of course, it is not limited to gradually increasing the volume. It is important that the volume of the sound first generated from the panel speaker 108 is small. This volume may be set in advance by the user so that the user who puts the panel speaker 108 on his / her ear is not surprised or uncomfortable even if the sound suddenly sounds. Further, the volume of the sound initially generated from the panel speaker 108 is set to a level that does not cause anybody to be surprised or uncomfortable at the time of product shipment. In this way, the panel speaker 108 generates a sound with a low volume first, so even if the sound suddenly sounds, the user is not surprised and uncomfortable.

  In step S405, the control circuit 110 causes the volume setting circuit 112 to generate a sound with the volume set by the user. A loud sound may be generated from the panel speaker 108 from the beginning. In this case, since the panel speaker 108 is not exposed, the sound does not reach the user's ear directly from the panel speaker 108 even if the sound suddenly sounds. Don't be.

<Distance between panel speaker 108 and ear>
In the next example, when the distance between the panel speaker 108 and the user's ear is short, sudden loud volume is not output from the panel speaker. FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of the telephone 500 in this case. The telephone 500 is obtained by adding an optical sensor 501 to the portable wireless telephone 100 of FIG.

  The optical sensor 501 is a device for detecting the presence of an object within a certain distance. In the case of the portable wireless telephone 500 of the present embodiment, when the distance from the panel speaker 108 to the ear is equal to or smaller than a certain distance, the optical sensor 501 determines that the panel speaker 108 is located near the user's ear. When such a determination is made, the sensitivity of the optical sensor 501 is adjusted so that the ear is located at a place where the user is surprised by the sudden sound from the panel speaker. This sensitivity may be set so that it can be adjusted by the user. At the time of product shipment, the sensitivity is set so that no one is surprised or uncomfortable at the above-mentioned statistically determined volume.

  Next, an example of the operation of the mobile radio telephone 500 will be described with reference to FIG. Steps similar to those in the flowchart shown in FIG. 4 are given the same numbers, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

  In step S402, if the control circuit 110 determines that it is necessary to sound a ring tone or an alarm sound, the process proceeds to step S601. If it is determined that it is not necessary to sound, the process proceeds to another process.

  In step S601, the optical sensor 501 determines whether or not the panel speaker 108 is located near the user's ear, and if it is determined that the panel speaker 108 is located near the user's ear, the process proceeds to step S404. If the determination is not made, the process proceeds to step S405.

<Others>
When a callable screen is displayed on the display screen of the display unit 113, the above-described Step S403 (“Panel Open”) and Step S404, or Step S601 (“The optical sensor is the panel speaker 108 is the user's ear”). It is possible to correspond to “determining whether it is located at a position close to”) and step S404. That is, when a callable screen is displayed, the ringtone or alarm sound is reduced. The outgoing call screen is, for example, a outgoing call history screen, an incoming call history screen, an address book, or the like.
According to the embodiment described above, the user adjusts the volume so that sound is generated from the panel speaker, or whether the panel speaker is exposed (or whether the panel speaker is close to the user's ear). Is determined and the sound volume is adjusted, sound can be emitted at an appropriate sound volume without causing discomfort to the user.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

1 is a block diagram of a telephone according to an embodiment of the present invention. The figure which shows an example of the volume setting mode screen displayed on FIG. The flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of the telephone set of FIG. The flowchart which shows another example of operation | movement of the telephone set of FIG. The block diagram of the telephone which newly provided the optical sensor in the telephone of FIG. The flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of the telephone set of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100, 500 ... Mobile radio telephone, 101 ... Antenna, 102 ... RF / IF part, 103 ... Modulator / demodulator, 104 ... Digital signal processing circuit, 105 ... Audio signal processing circuit, 106 ... Microphone, 107 ... Handset, 108 ... Panel speaker 109 ... Speaker 110 ... Control circuit 111 ... Sound generation circuit 112 ... Volume setting circuit 113 ... Display unit 114 ... PLL circuit 115 ... Key circuit 116 ... ROM 117 ... RAM 201 ... Special volume mode 202: Normal mode, 501: Optical sensor.

Claims (6)

At least one output means of a receiver that outputs a received sound and a speaker that outputs a sound other than the received sound;
A panel speaker that vibrates the display panel of the display unit and outputs sound from the display panel;
Setting means for setting an output volume of the output means and the panel speaker;
A telephone comprising: control means for performing control to switch the output means and the panel speaker and output sound from at least one of them based on the output volume setting by the setting means. A panel speaker that vibrates the display panel of the display unit and outputs sound from the display panel;
A determination means for determining whether or not the vibration surface of the panel speaker is directed to the outside world when trying to output either a ringtone or an alarm sound;
Control means for controlling to start outputting sound from the panel speaker at a volume lower than a certain threshold value when it is determined by the determination means that the vibration surface is directed to the outside. A telephone characterized by that. 3. The telephone according to claim 2, wherein when the telephone is a foldable type, the determination unit considers that the vibration surface of the panel speaker does not face the outside when the telephone is in a folded state. A panel speaker that vibrates the display panel of the display unit and outputs sound from the display panel;
Detecting means for detecting whether a distance between the panel speaker and the user's ear is equal to or less than a predetermined distance when trying to output either a ring tone or an alarm sound;
Control means for performing control to output sound from the panel speaker at a volume equal to or less than a predetermined value when the distance detected by the detection means is detected to be equal to or less than a predetermined distance;
A telephone set comprising: The said control means employ | adopts the value which calculated | required the sound volume of the grade which a human does not feel uncomfortable statistically as a certain threshold value. Phone. The telephone according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the control means adopts a value set by a user of the telephone as a predetermined value.

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