JP2009000248A - Game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a game machine for stimulating the brain using sound data obtained by partially modifying actual sound. <P>SOLUTION: The game machine includes: a sound editing means for hardly audibly editing sound by partially modifying a sound element in conformity with a certain law while leaving original sound; an output means for outputting the modified sound; an input means for inputting an answer based on determination of the sound output from the output means by a player; a display means for displaying a correct/wrong answer, evaluation of the answer, and operational direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a game machine specialized in training of ability to hear sound and communication ability, using a sound that is difficult to hear normal sound according to a certain rule.

  As the number of patients with dementia is increasing, goods related to various ability training using sound (hereinafter called training of ability to listen to sounds and communication ability) are increasing. A portable terminal such as a game machine is suitable for training in the ability to listen to sounds and communication skills.

  In Patent Document 1, an input original sound signal corresponding to an input original sound input is input to a specific frequency band emphasizing unit, and a frequency component of a specific frequency band in the original sound signal is emphasized to generate a specific frequency emphasized signal. Thus, an auditory training device that focuses on the sound of a frequency component in a specific frequency band in the processed sound and awakens the hearing is disclosed.

  In Patent Document 2, a microphone for inputting self-sound and a self-speech electrical signal output from the microphone are synthesized into an audible high-frequency electrical signal having a frequency of 2500 to 10000 Hz and output as an activation electrical signal in the brain. A self-speech processing unit; and an acoustic transducer that converts the brain activation electrical signal output from the self-speech processing unit into an audible sound and causes the subject's ears to perceive the self-speech input to the microphone; An intracerebral activation device is disclosed.

Patent Document 3 includes an acoustic generator that outputs a signal generated by an oscillator as a vibration wave having a frequency calculated as a function of age, and a frequency setting unit that sets the frequency according to the age of the trainee. A right brain development training apparatus is disclosed.
JP 2002-258728 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-244003 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 05-137790

  The problem to be solved is to provide a game machine using human voice that can be used naturally by children, students, general members of society, housewives, as well as the so-called silver generation.

  In Patent Document 1, there is a mode selection means for selecting one of a language mode and a music mode, and the first and second specific frequencies are received by receiving a pulse having a period corresponding to the selected mode. It has first and second brain activation signal generating means for generating a first and second brain activation signal that emphasizes high frequency components in the band enhancement signal and activates the brain. This is not effective for elderly people who have become difficult to hear.

  In Patent Document 2, the modulator modulates self-sound, which is limited to 1000 Hz, to 4000 Hz, and synthesizes it into a 4000-Hz digital audible high-frequency signal that is difficult to hear for Japanese people and can be heard by Americans. Although it is said that the self-learning function of the brain that self-protects against a negative factor is removed, similarly to Patent Document 1, it is not effective for elderly people who have become difficult to hear high frequencies due to aging.

  In Patent Document 3, a vibration wave of 1 to 100 Hz is emitted from the sound emitting means according to the age while listening to music or the like with a sound reproducer, but it is unnatural because artificial sound is used, and 100 Hz. To experience the following sounds, the effect cannot be expected without a large speaker and a large output amplifier, so it is not suitable for a game machine that can be used easily.

  The present invention is not only for the so-called silver generation but also for children, students, ordinary adults, housewives, etc. so that everyone can expect the ability to listen to sounds using game machines, training of communication ability and brain training effect, Voice transformation means for making it difficult to hear the voice according to a certain rule, voice output means for outputting the transformed voice, and an input for outputting a response by the user judging the voice and outputting the voice The game machine includes means, display means for displaying an evaluation of correct / incorrect answer of the answer, and a CPU for controlling the means. By using normal voices that are not artificial voices, even the silver generation can participate in the game without any discomfort.

  In addition, the transformed voice may be a voice that has been intermittently deleted in time, a voice in which noise is inserted into the intermittently deleted portion, a degraded noise voice, or a voice that has been transformed by a voice of a plurality of people.

  It is also conceivable to play a game using the voice of the input person by inputting a voice signal to the input means.

  The game machine of the present invention has an ability to listen to sound by using a sound modifying means for modifying ordinary sound that is difficult to hear according to a certain rule, and a sound output means for outputting the modified sound. It provides not only communication skills but also brain training functions. By using natural human voices instead of synthesized sounds used for robots, etc., everyone from children, students, ordinary adults, housewives, etc., as well as the silver generation, can train without feeling uncomfortable, so it is expected to be effective regardless of gender it can.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components having the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a game program according to one embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, there are three types of voice partial transformation methods: zebra pattern intermittent deletion sound (hereinafter referred to as zebra sound), degraded noise voice signal, and hustle noise, but other voice transformation methods may be used. .

  When the start of the game is declared by the user in step S01 on the opening screen, sound level matching such as “Can you hear my voice?” Is first performed in step S02. Here, the user adjusts the sound output of the game machine and adjusts the output volume of the earphone or the speaker to a level at which the user can easily listen.

  In the sound level adjustment in the above step S02, if the game machine has a handwriting input means, for example, “The hearing inspection starts.“ K ”or“ A ”. Use a guidance voice that says "Please enter in katakana."

  In addition, the inspection accuracy can be further improved by an inspection method in which a simple noise such as a single syllable or a plurality of syllables or white noise is superimposed.

  When the above tests are completed, for example, “Your ear strength, XX% for single syllables, XX% for syllable words, XX% for sentences” and “Your ear strength is It is effective as a game to display a comment such as “… I am very tired.”

  The above evaluation comments should be matched to the target user's age group and job type, such as “listening craftsman level”, “satisfaction level”, “ear misalignment level”, “primary level hell ear level” It is desirable to devise a catch phrase such as.

  After the evaluation process, the screen moves to the selection screen in step S03, and a training course selection screen is displayed for the user. For example, “Now, it ’s a chance to choose a course. No. 1 is a person who wants to listen correctly, No. 2 is a person who wants to play hide-and-seek, and No. 3 is a narcissist who wants to record his voice. A game-like screen display such as “Which one to choose?” Is acceptable, and “How to listen?” Asks “How to listen?” On the selection button on the screen, there are explanations such as “Now, production! Hide and Seek of Voice (Application / Practice Training)” and “Recording Make your own training content! May be displayed.

  In the above selection screen, in addition to the course selection of voice modification methods such as zebra sound, degraded noise audio signal, and hustle noise, voice selection (gender, age, job type, dialect, language, etc. is selected by illustration) Options), difficulty level selection, etc., and options for randomly selecting various combinations.

  Further, by setting an explanation button in addition to the illustration display on the selection screen or the like, it is possible to pop up an explanation of the screen or operation on the screen at any time or to listen to an audio explanation, thereby improving convenience.

  For example, when a zebra sound is selected on the selection screen in step S03, the process proceeds to step S04, and training using the voice that is intermittently deleted is started. Here, for example, a method of setting a character as a teacher Zebra and explaining the contents of training by the teacher Zebra can be considered.

  In step S04, a voice in which noise is inserted into the intermittent deletion part of the zebra sound (step S04a) or a voice in which the intermittent deletion part is silent (step S04b) can be selected. This is because, generally speaking, it is possible to improve the understanding level by adding noise to the intermittent deletion section.

  Furthermore, it is good also as a structure which can select not only one type but the various types and amplitude for the noise inserted in the intermittent deletion part in step S04a, and the variation which changes the position and timing of the said intermittent deletion part is also considered.

  It is also conceivable to give an evaluation name such as “zebra degree” to the evaluation screen in the zebra sound training.

  When the degraded noise speech is selected on the selection screen in step S03, the process proceeds to step S05, and training using the degraded noise speech is started. As the degraded noise speech, the degraded noise speech described in JP 2007-17572 A, JP 2005-253655 A, JP 2004-194957 A, JP 2004-135068 A, or the like can be used. .

  In addition, on the evaluation screen for training using the degraded noise speech, for example, an evaluation name such as “degree of utilization in the brain” or “vocor degree (naming based on Noise-Vocoded of degraded noise)” may be considered. .

  Furthermore, on the training evaluation screen using the degraded noise voice, a method of visually displaying a brain region that is supposed to be activated using an illustration or the like is also conceivable.

  When the hustle noise is selected on the selection screen in step S03, the process proceeds to step S06, and training using the hustle noise is started. The hustle noise used here may be a sound recorded in an actual hustle, or a hustle sound for a game may be used. Further, in order to shift the masking position of the hustle noise and make it easier to hear partially, it is also possible to use a noise having a strength such as a seaside wave sound for the hustle noise.

  When the training process is completed, an end confirmation screen is displayed in step S07. If the game is to be continued, the selection returns to step S03 to display a training course selection screen.

  In the above embodiment, for the purpose of helping understanding of pronunciation, it is also conceivable to display on the screen a video in which the movement of the lips when the original voice is pronounced is synchronized with the pronunciation.

  FIG. 2A shows an example of a zebra sound waveform and a voiceprint having a silent intermittent deletion section. The display of the voice waveform 1 and the voiceprint waveform 2 can be turned on / off, so that the difficulty level can be increased for advanced users by not displaying the waveform.

  Looking at the upper voice waveform, it can be seen that the horizontal axis is time and the vertical axis is volume, and the voice is intermittently deleted on the time axis.

  The portion indicated by the arrow in the voiceprint waveform of the upper voice is a sound having the frequency distribution shown in the lower voiceprint.

  As can be seen from the figure, the intermittent deletion sound is partly forced silence of the natural sound, so the sound wave has a steep fall and a steep rise in the intermittent deletion part, so that some people may follow the hearing. It may be difficult and difficult to hear.

  FIG. 2B shows a circuit example of a zebra sound waveform and a voiceprint having a silent intermittent deletion section. When an audio signal is input from the input circuit 3, the switch 4 is switched by the switching circuit 5, and the audio is interrupted at the intermittent deletion unit timing to output an intermittent audio deletion signal to the output circuit 6.

  FIG. 3A shows an example of a zebra sound waveform and a voiceprint in which noise is inserted into the intermittent deletion unit. When comparing the voice waveform 1a and the voiceprint waveform 2a in the upper stage, it can be seen that the horizontal axis is time and the vertical axis is volume, and the voice is intermittently deleted on the time axis. It can be seen that noise is inserted in the intermittent deletion part. Also, in the voiceprint mode 2a, a change in the waveform is seen in the noise part, which has the effect of reducing the difficulty of understanding the voice.

  The part indicated by the arrow in the upper voiceprint waveform is a sound with the frequency distribution shown in the lower voiceprint, and the voice part is the same as the previous example, but the intermittent deletion part has Noise signal information can be confirmed.

  It is known that in general, the intermittently deleted sound used in the above and the sound in which noise is inserted into the intermittently deleted portion are easier to hear for the sound in which noise is inserted. This is because if the human inserts some signal (such as noise) there, the brain is more active in listening to the sound accurately even under noise, and the result of the hearing is rather This phenomenon is called “continuous listening effect”. In the game machine according to the present invention, the difficulty level of the game is adjusted using this phenomenon.

  FIG. 3B shows a circuit example of a zebra sound waveform and a voiceprint in which noise is inserted into the intermittent deletion unit. When an audio signal is input from the input circuit 3, the switch 4 is switched by the switching circuit 5, and the noise generated by the noise generating circuit 7 is inserted in place of the silent section at the intermittent deletion section timing. The audio signal is output to the output circuit 6 after being mixed with the intermittently deleted audio by 8.

  FIG. 4A shows a screen display example of a speech waveform, a voiceprint waveform, and a lip image of degraded noise speech. Comparing the voice waveform 1b of the degraded noise voice and the voiceprint waveform 2b, the voice processing is performed only on a part of the frequency band in the spectrum of the normal voice seen in the voiceprint state 2b. The waveform 1b is not so different from the original sound, but the degraded noise speech is difficult to recognize by speech alone, so that the user's attitude is formed by looking at the waveform, so the understanding is improved. The

  Furthermore, by adding not only the voice and voiceprint waveform but also the lip image 9, it is possible to make it easier to understand the degraded noise voice that is difficult to understand only by the sound. Furthermore, by embedding time information in a modified sound such as degraded noise sound using digital watermark technology and adding a synchronization signal that can be synchronized with the time information to the lip image, for example, double-speed playback or slow playback It becomes possible to develop the game by playing.

  The image of the lips can be used for adjusting the degree of difficulty as in the case of the degraded noise speech because it can help understand the speech not only for the degraded noise speech but also the zebra sound.

  In addition, the audio content used in the game is not only a method of using the degraded noise voice alone, but also the problem of degraded noise voice that has been intermittently deleted in combination with the above zebra sound can be raised as a problem of high difficulty. Training effect can be expected.

  FIG. 4B is a circuit example of a speech waveform and a voiceprint waveform of degraded noise speech. When an audio signal is input from the input circuit 3, one input is branched into a plurality of outputs by the multi-output amplifier 10, and each output is output to the individual band filters 11 to 15. Of the band filters 11 to 15, for example, the output of one band filter 11 is input to the degradation noise processing circuit 16, and the signals in the other bands are mixed without being processed by the mixing circuit 8 and output to the output circuit 6. An audio signal is output.

  In the above, it is conceivable to use a plurality of deterioration noise processing circuits 16 as well as one. Thereby, the difficulty level of the game using the deterioration noise can be changed.

  Further, in the above circuit, for example, it is possible to perform the above intermittent deletion processing on signals other than the signal processed by the degradation noise processing circuit 16, or conversely perform intermittent deletion processing only on degradation noise.

  In the above, before starting each training question, the user's motivation can be motivated by adding a encouragement comment such as “If you hit here, a super city!”

  In addition, considering that there are individual differences in the opening degree and timing of the lips, the recognition rate can be improved by using a video that captures the movement of the lips when a user knows the pronunciation. Conceivable.

  In the result display of the game machine according to the present invention, not only indexes such as ability to listen to sounds and communication ability, but also (1) attributes of sound producers (age, gender, occupation, etc.), (2) difficulty of metamorphic speech Degree, (3) Sentence content of question sentence, (3) Number of times of hearing are digitized and added up according to correct / incorrect answer results. As an evaluation item, for example, it is also possible to use it for ability determination relating to general human relations such as money accumulation power, network power, lover power, courtesy power, and power.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of a flowchart of the ability determination evaluation in the present invention. Here, scores such as money accumulation power, network power, lover power, courtesy power, and power are assigned in advance with respect to the person image and text content of the speaker as shown in Tables 1 and 2.

  For example, in Table 1, when the original voice is a child's voice, if the modified voice is highly deaf, the modified sound with a high degree of difficulty is heard and understood only once, and the correct answer is given without replaying, for example, The evaluation is made by multiplying the parent (force) by the weight. In this case, the coefficient is 10. Further, for example, in the case of a manager, the highest weight is put on the stored goods (power). Also, in Table 2, if the correct answer is given to the text content related to money (for example, 300 yen for pocket money), scoring is made as an evaluation result obtained by multiplying the accumulated power by weight.

(Table 1)

(Table 2)

  When the game starts in process P01, a character person to be heard is selected from “Auntie, boy, manager, OL, girl” described in the column item of Table 1 in process P02. Here, since the text used in the game is automatically selected from Table 2 by the game machine program, there is no need for the gamer to select it.

  The flag R is set to 5 as an initial value in the process P02 by the person and the sentence selected as described above. The flag R defines the number of times of listening and can be arbitrarily set.

  Next, when the modified voice of the question sentence is presented in process P03 and the gamer cannot understand at once, if the answer is not input in process P05, the process proceeds to process P04, and the process is performed after the flag R is decremented by 1 point each time. Returning to P03, the modified sound is reproduced repeatedly. Since the initial value of R is set to 5 in the setting in this example, the gamer can only hear the metamorphic sound up to four times.

  When the gamer understands the modified voice and inputs an answer, the process shifts from process P05 to process P06.

  In process P06, parameter n is set to 1. In processes P07 to P09, n is incremented by 1 from 1 to 6, and the human relationship power t (n) of the currently playing game is shown. ).

  T (n) indicates the score so far, and t (n) indicates the current score in the game scene being played. Here, for example, T (1) and t (1) network forces, T (2) and t (2) are lover forces, T (3) and t (3) are courtesy forces, T (4) and t (2 4) indicates power, and T (5) and t (5) indicate power accumulation.

First, in process P06, the initial value of n is set to 1, and then n and 6 are compared in process P07. If n is smaller than 6, t (n) is calculated in process P09. Here, the current score t (n) is calculated, for example, in the following manner.
t (n) = α * H (n) * N * R * B (n) (A)
α = 0.1 * 0.1 * 0.1 * 0.1 * 10 (B)
In the above, α is a product of coefficients for normalizing each variable, H (n) is a person point, and the numerical value shown in Table 1, and N is a difficulty parameter that is automatically set by the game as a sound processing difficulty point. And is set to a numerical value of 1 to 10 depending on the degree of difficulty. R is the number of times of re-listening, and is a history parameter indicating how many times the gamer has heard the modified voice of the question sentence. In this example, the number of times of re-listening is up to four times. B (n) is a sentence point, which is a numerical value determined by Table 2.

  When 5 is substituted for n and n = 6, the process shifts from the process P07 to the process P10 and deviates from the cyclic calculation route. In the process P10, first, the initial value of the parameter m is set to 1.

  Next, in the process P11, the correct / incorrect answer of the answer input in the process P05 is determined. In the case of the correct answer, m is incremented from 1 to 5 in the processing routine of the processes P16 to P19, and the human relational force T ( m) and the human relationship power t (m) of the currently playing game are calculated.

  If the answer is incorrect in the process P11, the value of the parameter m is confirmed in the next process P12. If m is smaller than 5, the process moves to the process P13. If m becomes 5, the process moves to the process P19. To do.

In process P13, a numerical comparison is made between the human relationship power T (m) and the human relationship power t (m) of the currently playing game, and the human relationship power T (m) is the human relationship of the currently playing game. If it is greater than the force t (m), the human relationship force T (m) is recalculated in the process P14 using the following formula F1, and T (m) is calculated by half the difference between T (m) and t (m). Divide from m).
T (m) = T (m)-(T (m) -t (m)) / 2 (F1)

  Thereafter, m is incremented by 1 in the process P15, and the process returns to the process P12 to check the value of the parameter m.

  If the human relationship power T (m) is not greater than the human power t (m) of the currently playing game in the process P13, the process shifts to the process P15, and after incrementing m by 1, Return to P12.

  In the process P19, first, the value of the parameter m is compared with the specified value 6. If m is smaller than 6, the human relation force T (m) and the human relation force t ( m) is compared, and if the human relationship power T (m) is smaller than the human relationship power t (m) of the currently played game, the human relationship power T (m) is obtained in process P17. Substituting the human relationship power t (m) of the game currently being played, the value of the human relationship power T (m) is updated.

  If the human relationship power T (m) is not smaller than the human relationship power t (m) of the currently playing game in the process P18, the process proceeds to the process P16.

  When the human relationship power t (m) of the currently playing game is substituted into the human relationship power T (m) in the process P17, the parameter m is incremented by 1 in the process P16, and the process proceeds to the process P19.

  When m reaches 6 in process P19, the process shifts to process P20, and after displaying the result on the game machine screen, the process ends in process P21.

  FIG. 6 shows an example in which a radar chart is used for evaluation. As evaluation items, five items are set: network power, financial power, friendly power, courtesy power, and lover power. It is effective to set the evaluation level to 10 levels and color the inside of the radar chart with a conspicuous color.

  In the above, various metamorphic sounds such as intermittently deleted sounds and deteriorated noise voices, waveform images, and voiceprint images may be generated by transforming the original data stored in the memory in the game machine with the CPU in the game machine, Data generated in advance by transformation may be stored in a memory in the game machine and reproduced.

  FIG. 7 shows a basic configuration example of a game machine having a recording function. An input circuit 3, an audio transformation circuit 18, and a display circuit 19 are connected to the CPU 17 having a built-in memory, and data processing such as audio and video is controlled by the CPU 17. In addition to the microphone 21, generic input devices such as a keyboard, a touch panel, and a mouse pad are connected to the input circuit 3. Further, an output circuit 6 for driving a speaker 20 is connected to the sound transformation circuit 18, and sound output is possible by connecting headphones or earphones (not shown) to the output circuit 6 other than the speaker 20. ing.

  When the gamer blows his / her voice by the microphone 21 built in the game machine, the voice is recorded by the recording function, and the recorded voice can be transformed by the voice transformation circuit 18. With this function, the zebra sound and the deteriorated noise sound can be generated by one's own voice and added to the game content, or used as a secret message (encryption) with family and friends.

  The voice input from the microphone 21 is not limited to the method of accumulating in the memory built in the CPU 17 by reading out characters and sentences displayed on the display circuit 19 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 17. It is also possible to convert the sound and characters into a database using the voice recognition function.

  In the above description, the audio transformation circuit 18 is independent. However, when audio transformation processing by software is performed, the audio transformation circuit 18 can also be included in the CPU 17, and the CPU 17 is a multimedia chip. In addition, the input circuit 3, the output circuit 6, and the display circuit 19 can also have an all-in-one chip configuration built in the CPU 17.

  By stimulating the brain with sounds that are partly transformed from natural sounds, rather than the unnatural sounds used in games, everyone from children to children, students, the general public, and housewives as well as the silver generation Not only can you enjoy the game without a sense of incongruity, but you can also activate the brain by forcibly using the part of the brain that you can use for training that you do not normally use, so it is expected to be used in the welfare industry for the elderly.

Game program flowchart (A) Zebra sound waveform and voiceprint example with silent intermittent deletion part (b) Zebra sound waveform and voiceprint circuit example with silent intermittent deletion part (A) Zebra sound waveform and voiceprint example with noise inserted in intermittent deletion unit (b) Zebra sound waveform and voiceprint circuit example with noise inserted in intermittent deletion unit (A) Audio waveform and voiceprint waveform of degraded noise voice, screen display example of lip image (b) Voice waveform and voiceprint waveform of degraded noise voice, circuit example of lip image Example flow chart of ability judgment evaluation Example using radar chart for evaluation Basic configuration example of a game machine with a recording function

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1a, 1b ... Voice waveform, 2, 2a, 2b ... Voiceprint state, 3 ... Input circuit, 4 ... Switch, 5 ... Switching circuit, 6 ... Output circuit, 7 ... Noise generating circuit, 8 ... Mixing circuit, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9 ... Image of lips, 10 ... Multi-output amplifier, 11 ... Band filter, 12 ... Band filter, 13 ... Band filter, 14 ... Band filter, 15 ... Band filter, 16 ... Deterioration noise processing circuit, 17 ... CPU, 18 ... Audio transformation circuit, 19 ... display circuit, 20 ... speaker, 21 ... microphone.

Claims (8)

A voice modifying means for transforming normal voice in a way that is difficult to hear according to a certain rule, a voice output means for outputting the transformed voice, and a user judging the voice output by the voice output means and inputting an answer A game machine comprising: an input means for displaying; a display means for displaying an evaluation of whether the answer is correct / incorrect; and a CPU for controlling each means. The game machine according to claim 1, wherein the transformed voice is a voice that has been intermittently deleted in time. The game machine according to claim 1, wherein the transformed voice is a voice in which noise is intermittently deleted and noise is inserted into the intermittently deleted portion. The game machine according to claim 1, wherein the transformed voice is a deteriorated noise voice. The game machine according to claim 1, wherein the transformed voice is transformed using voices of a plurality of persons. 6. The game machine according to claim 1, wherein the transformed voice is used in synchronism with a lip image synchronized with the pronunciation of the voice. The game machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a synchronization signal is embedded in the transformed voice and the image of the lip and used as a synchronization signal when the voice is reproduced at a variable speed. Game machine to play. The game machine according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a game can be played using a voice of an input person by inputting a voice signal to the input means.

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