JP2009111637A - Terminal device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a terminal device for enabling a user of a communication terminal to discriminate sounds of a plurality of application programs. <P>SOLUTION: A control part is provided with a multitask function for executing a plurality of application programs in parallel, has a 3D sound function for controlling a sound source part so as to locate sound of the application programs at prescribed positions in a three-dimensional space, wherein a control part controls the sound source part by the 3D sound function so as to locate sound of at least one application program at a position different from that of sound of other application programs when the control part executes the plurality of application programs in parallel. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a terminal device.

  A terminal device represented by a mobile phone terminal that communicates by connecting to a mobile communication network has various functions such as an address book, schedule book, mailer, browsing, multimedia player, game, etc. Is installed. Such various functions are realized by executing an application program corresponding to each function by the CPU of the terminal device. In recent years, terminal devices have become more multifunctional, and functions such as cameras, instant messengers, and non-contact IC cards are also being installed.

  In addition, in order to use various functions of terminal devices at the same time or to cooperate with each other, an increasing number of terminal devices are equipped with a multitasking function that simultaneously executes a plurality of application programs. Some apparatuses are equipped with an OS corresponding to multitasking and realize multitasking by the function of the OS.

  On the other hand, in a terminal device such as a mobile phone, a speaker and a microphone are mounted in order to realize a voice call, but the speaker in a recent terminal device is simply used to emit a call voice, a ringing tone, and a dial tone. In addition to being used, it is also used to play various operation sounds and multimedia sounds. Therefore, recent terminal devices are equipped with a sound chip and a plurality of speakers, and can reproduce audio in stereo.

  FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of the communication terminal 200 as a terminal device including the sound chip and the plurality of speakers as described above. The communication terminal 200 includes a communication unit 201 for connecting to a predetermined communication network, a display unit 202 for providing a user interface, a key input unit 203 for user operation, a control unit 204 for controlling the operation of each unit, A storage unit 205 for storing data, a voice codec unit 206 corresponding to a codec for encoding / decoding call speech, and a sound source unit 207 for generating an analog audio signal from sound data in a predetermined format Yes. When the communication terminal 200 performs a voice call with another communication terminal, the voice data received by the communication unit 201 is transferred to the voice codec unit 206, where it is decompressed and decoded as an analog voice signal. By driving the speaker 208 based on the analog voice signal, the voice for the voice call is transmitted to the user. The voice uttered by the user is converted into an analog voice signal by the microphone 209, then digitized and encoded by the voice codec unit 206, and compressed by the communication unit 201 via the communication network. Sent. On the other hand, sound data such as music and sound effects are stored in the storage unit 205, read by the control unit 204, delivered to the sound source unit 207, and the sound source unit 207 drives the speaker 210 according to the data to generate sound. .

  FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram showing a more detailed configuration of the sound source unit 207. A sound source unit 207 is a sound source chip, and is generated from a control unit interface 220 for receiving a signal from the control unit 204, a buffer 221 for temporarily storing a signal from the control unit 204, and sound data using an FM sound source system. Sequencer 222 and FM sound source unit 224 for generating a digital signal of power sound, sequencer 223 and ADPCM sound source unit 225 for generating a digital signal from sound data using the ADPCM sound source method, and an analog signal from the digital sound data A DAC unit 226 to be generated and an amplifier unit 227 for amplifying an analog signal and driving the speaker 210 are included. The sound data passed from the control unit 204 is stored in the buffer 221 via the control unit interface 220, and a digital signal is generated by the sequencer 222 and the FM sound source unit 224 or the sequencer 223 and the ADPCM sound source unit 225. The sound is generated by making it analog by 226, amplifying it by the amplifier unit 227, and driving the speaker 210.

  In addition, recently, the 3D sound technology adds a sound as if the sound source is moving three-dimensionally as well as spreading the sound more than the number and position of the speakers and further spreading the sound up and down and left and right. The terminal device corresponding to has appeared. 3D sound technology intentionally shifts the timing at which sound waves reach the listener's right and left ears by hardware or software, and the effect is as if sound waves are heard from a predetermined position in the three-dimensional space due to the time difference. Is added to the listener, and a Doppler effect, volume control, etc. are added to the sound wave. As a result, as shown in FIG. 14, the listener that is the point for listening to the sound in the 3D space and the virtual sound source that is the point at which the sound is heard can be positioned to obtain a desired acoustic effect. is there. In addition, a technique for moving the position of the virtual sound source has been proposed, and the listener can be moved.

Regarding the above-described conventional techniques, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2000-166000 and 2000-261899 disclose techniques related to 3D sound. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-253051 discloses a mobile phone terminal compatible with 3D sound technology.
JP 2000-166000 JP 2000-261899 A JP 2005-253051 A

  As described above, in a communication terminal equipped with a multitask function for executing a plurality of application programs simultaneously in parallel, it is necessary to consider the management and operation of resources used by each application program. For example, the display screen is operated to be occupied by one application program, and is operated to be shared by a plurality of application programs by a multi-window system. On the other hand, with respect to the sound function of the sound source chip, there can be considered an operation that is occupied by one application program and an operation that is shared by a plurality of application programs. However, in the former operation, for example, in a use case where a game is played while listening to music with an MP3 player, only one of the sounds can be enjoyed. Further, in the latter operation, sounds of a plurality of application programs are simultaneously generated, so that it may be difficult to determine which application program is playing a specific sound.

  In view of the situation as described above, the present invention provides a terminal device having a multitask function, and allows a user of a communication terminal to output a sound of a predetermined application using 3D sound technology while sharing a sound function of a sound source chip among a plurality of applications. It is an object to provide a terminal device that can be distinguished.

In order to solve the above problems, a first aspect of the present invention is a sound source unit that generates sound from audio data;
A storage unit storing a plurality of application programs;
A terminal device having a control unit that executes the application program stored in the storage unit and drives the sound source unit according to the operation of the application program to generate a predetermined sound;
The control unit has a multitask function for executing the plurality of application programs in parallel, and controls the sound source unit so that the sound of the application program is localized at a predetermined position in a three-dimensional space. Have
When the control unit executes the plurality of application programs in parallel, the control unit uses the 3D sound function so that the sound of at least one application program is localized at a position different from the sound of other applications. Provided is a terminal device that controls the sound source unit.

A second aspect of the present invention provides a sound source unit that generates sound from audio data;
A storage unit storing a plurality of application programs;
A terminal device having a control unit that executes the application program stored in the storage unit and drives the sound source unit according to the operation of the application program to generate a predetermined sound;
The control unit has a multitask function for executing the plurality of application programs in parallel, and the sound source unit has a 3D sound function for localizing the sound of the application program to a predetermined position in a three-dimensional space,
When the control unit executes the plurality of application programs in parallel, the control unit is arranged so that the sound of at least one application program is localized at a position different from the sound of other applications. Provided is a terminal device that controls a 3D sound function.

Furthermore, a third aspect of the present invention provides a sound source unit that generates sound from audio data;
A storage unit storing a plurality of application programs;
A terminal device having a control unit that executes the application program stored in the storage unit and drives the sound source unit according to the operation of the application program to generate a predetermined sound;
The control unit has a multitask function for executing the plurality of application programs in parallel,
And a 3D sound unit for localizing the sound generated by the sound source unit to a predetermined position in a three-dimensional space,
When the control unit executes the plurality of application programs in parallel, the control unit positions the 3D sound unit so that the sound of at least one application program is localized at a position different from the sound of another application. Provided is a terminal device characterized by controlling.

In the first to third aspects of the present invention as described above, priorities regarding sound functions are defined for each of the plurality of application programs,
It is preferable to locate the sound of the application program with the highest priority among the sounds of a plurality of application programs being executed in parallel.

  When the second application program having a higher priority regarding the sound function is activated while the first application program is being executed, the sound of the second application program is transmitted to the first application program. It is preferable to localize closer to the program. Further, when the second application program having a higher priority regarding the sound function is activated while the first application program is being executed, the position where the sound of the first application program is localized is moved away. It doesn't matter if you do.

  In the present invention as described above, there is further provided a communication unit that communicates by connecting to a network, and the second application program generates a ringtone that sounds a sound when the communication unit receives a predetermined communication. Configuration as a program is possible.

  According to the present invention, in a terminal device having a multitask function and a 3D sound function, the sound function of the sound source chip is shared by a plurality of application programs, and the sound of each application program is simultaneously played, and the 3D sound function is used. The sound of at least one application program is localized at a position different from other applications. Thus, even when the sounds of a plurality of application programs are being played simultaneously, the user can easily identify the sounds of the application programs that are localized at positions different from the sounds of other applications.

  In particular, if the priority order of the sound function is determined for each of the plurality of application programs, and the sound of the application program with the highest priority among the sounds of the plurality of application programs being executed in parallel is localized closest The sound of the application program having a high priority can be provided to the user in a state that is most easily heard and identified.

  Such control allows the sound of the second application program to be output when the second application program having a higher priority regarding the sound function is activated while the first application program is being executed. This can be realized by localizing closer to one application program. Then, when the second application program having a higher priority regarding the sound function is activated while the first application program is being executed, the position where the sound of the first application program is localized is moved away. This makes it easier to identify the sound of the second application program.

  Furthermore, when the present invention is applied to a terminal device having a communication unit that communicates by connecting to a network, a ringing tone ringing program that sounds a sound when the communication unit receives a predetermined communication is assigned a high priority. In the case of the second application program, when a communication is received while another application program is being executed, the sound of the ringtone ringing program is localized closer to the sound of the application program being executed. The sound of the ringing program can be recognized more clearly, which is preferable.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of a mobile phone 100 as a terminal device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the mobile phone 100 mainly includes a display unit 101, a key input unit 102, a storage unit 103, a control unit 106, a communication unit 107, a voice codec unit 108, and a 3D sound unit. 111 and a sound source unit 112. FIG. 2 is a view showing the appearance of the mobile phone 100. As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile phone 100 includes a first housing 100 a provided with a display unit 101 on the inside, and a second housing 100 b provided with a main part of the key input unit 102 on the inside. It has a clamshell structure that can be folded in half. Further, a receiver 109 and a stereo speaker 113 are further provided inside the first casing 100a, and a microphone 110 is further provided inside the second casing 100b.

  The display unit 101 is a liquid crystal display device or an organic liquid crystal display device, and displays the operating state of the mobile phone 100, a user interface for operating the mobile phone 100, and the like under the control of the control unit 106.

  The key input unit 102 is an input device such as a keypad provided on the second casing 100b of the mobile phone 100 and other buttons as described above, and is applied to each key or button according to a user operation. It has a function of notifying the control unit 106 of a key event that is a corresponding signal, and is used for various operations or control.

  The storage unit 103 is a readable / writable memory for storing predetermined information under the control of the control unit 106 and providing the information stored in the control unit 106. The storage unit 103 stores a predetermined application 104 and a ringing tone ringing application 105, and the functions of the predetermined application 104 are realized by each unit of the mobile phone 100 by reading and executing these by the control unit 106. Further, the function of the ringing tone sounding application 105 that sounds a desired ringing sound using the sound source unit 112 is realized.

  The control unit 106 is a functional block that is virtually configured by executing a predetermined program on a CPU (not shown), and includes a display unit 101, a key input unit 102, a storage unit 103, and a communication unit of the mobile phone 100. Various functions of the mobile phone 100 are realized by exchanging data and control signals with the respective functional blocks such as 107, voice codec unit 108, 3D sound unit 111, and sound source unit 112.

  The communication unit 107 operates under the control of the control unit 106 to wirelessly connect to the mobile phone network and communicate with other mobile phones, landline phones, and servers. Examples of the communication method here include a circuit-switched communication method performed by connecting to another communication terminal, a packet-switched communication method performed by connecting to another communication terminal or a server, and the like. Here, the former communication method realizes a voice communication service, and the latter communication method realizes a data communication service such as mail transmission / reception, chat, browsing, PTT (Push To Talk), and VoIP (Voice Over IP). . When the communication unit 107 receives a communication related to these communication services, the communication unit 107 notifies the control unit 106 of the fact, and the control unit 106 that has received the notification activates the ringtone sounding application 105 and plays a desired sound. The user of the mobile phone 100 is notified that a communication related to a predetermined communication service has arrived.

  A receiver 109 and a microphone 110 are connected to the voice codec unit 108, and is used when the mobile phone 100 performs voice communication with other terminals by the communication unit 107 using a circuit switching communication method. That is, the voice codec unit 108 decodes the voice data received from the partner terminal via the communication unit 107 and the control unit 106, reproduces it with the receiver 109, and provides it to the user. In addition, the voice input from the microphone 110 by the user is encoded by the voice codec unit 108 into voice data, and is transmitted to the partner terminal via the control unit 106 and the communication unit 107.

  A stereo speaker 113 is connected to the sound source unit 112, and when the control unit 106 controls the sound source unit 112 by passing predetermined sound data, the sound source unit 112 drives the stereo speaker 113 and a predetermined sound is produced. It is. The 3D sound unit 111 localizes the sound produced by the sound source unit 112 to a predetermined position in the three-dimensional space under the control of the control unit 106. Although there are various types of sound data, this embodiment shows a case where a plurality of sequence data, which is a data expression in which control over an output device is defined over time, is used. An example of such a data format is the SMAF format.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing details of the sound source unit 112 and the 3D sound unit 111. As shown in FIG. 3, the sound source unit 112 temporarily transmits the sequence data and the control signal related to the sound data passed from the control unit 106 and the control unit interface 121 that delivers the sound data and the control signal to the control unit 106. Are stored in a buffer 122, sequencers 123a to 123d that interpret and execute sequence data independently, FM tone generator 124 controlled by sequencers 123a and 123b, ADPCM unit 125 controlled by sequencers 123c and 123d, A DAC unit 126 that converts the generated digital signal into an analog signal, and an amplifier unit 127 that amplifies the analog signal generated by the DAC unit 126 and drives the stereo speaker 113 to produce sound. As shown in FIG. 3, the sound source unit 112 receives a digital signal obtained by controlling the FM sound source unit 124 with the sequencer 123a or 123b and a digital signal obtained by controlling the ADPCM unit 125 with the sequencer 123c or 123d, respectively. It is possible to process two superimposed signals in parallel.

  Further, the 3D sound unit 111 receives a control unit interface 131 that receives a control signal from the control unit 106, digital signals output from the FM sound source unit 124 and the ADPCM unit 125 of the sound source unit 112, and converts the 3D sound into a digital signal. The stream control units 132a and 132b to which the effect is added and the mixer unit 133 that mixes the digital signals output from the stream control units 132a and 133b and supplies them to the DAC unit of the sound source unit 126. Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the stream control units 132a and 132b can individually process the two systems of signals generated by the sound source unit 112.

  With such a configuration, the sound source unit 112 can simultaneously play two types of sound data including sequence data using the FM sound source unit 124 and sequence data using the ADPCM unit 125. Further, by using the 3D sound unit 111 in combination with the sound source unit 112, it is possible to sound both types of sound data simultaneously while localizing two types of sound data at predetermined positions in the 3D space.

  Next, the operation of the mobile phone 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an operation of starting the ring tone sounding application 105 in response to an incoming call from the state in which the predetermined application 104 is activated on the mobile phone 100 and reproducing the sound of each application.

  In this operation, first, the user operates the key input unit 102 to activate a predetermined application 104 (ST101), the control unit 106 executes the predetermined application 104, and drives the sound source unit 112 to sound a sound. (ST102). In this state, control section 106 determines whether or not there is an incoming call in communication section 107 (ST103), and proceeds to the processing after ST104 only when there is an incoming call. If there is no incoming call, it makes the determination of ST103 again. Here, the determination in ST103 can be made by determining whether or not the communication unit 107 has issued a signal indicating an incoming communication. Such a determination can be made by polling the control unit 106, for example. It may be realized or may be realized by an interrupt mechanism provided in the control unit 106.

  If it is determined in ST103 that an incoming call has been received, the multi-function function of the control unit 106 activates the ringing tone application 105 without ending the predetermined application 104 that has already been activated (ST104). The application 104 and the ring tone sounding application 105 are executed in parallel.

  Here, the control unit 106 controls the 3D sound unit 111 so as to set the virtual sound source of the predetermined application 104 far and the virtual sound source of the ringing tone application 105 close (ST105). That is, the control unit 106 notifies the 3D sound unit 111 of the position information (Cartesian coordinates or polar coordinates) of the virtual sound source of each application program, and these position information is sent to the stream control units 132a and 132b via the control unit interface 131. Supplied.

  Next, with respect to the sounds of both the predetermined application 104 and the ring tone sounding application 105, the sound source unit 112 generates a digital signal related to the sound (ST106). That is, the sound data of both the predetermined application 104 and the ringer ringing sound application 105 are sequentially transferred from the control unit 106 to the sound source unit 112. The sound source unit 112 temporarily stores each sound data in the buffer 122 via the control unit interface 121. For example, the sound data of a predetermined application 104 is interpreted by the sequencer 123a / FM sound source unit 124 and the sequencer 123c / ADPCM unit 125. Then, the sound data of the ringer ringing application 105 is interpreted by the sequencer 123b / FM sound source unit 124 and the sequencer 123d / ADPCM unit 125, thereby generating digital signals related to the sound data of each application.

  Thereafter, the digital signal generated for the sound of each application program is processed by the 3D sound unit 111 so that it can be heard from the set virtual sound source (ST107). That is, for example, a digital signal related to the sound data of the predetermined application 104 is processed by the stream control unit 132a to add a 3D sound effect that can be heard from a distant virtual sound source, and the digital signal related to the sound data of the ringing tone application 105 Is processed by the stream control unit 132b to add a 3D sound effect that can be heard from a nearby virtual sound source, and both outputs are mixed by the mixer unit 133 and returned to the sound source unit 112.

  Finally, the processed sound data is processed by the DAC unit 126 and the amplifier 127 of the sound source unit 112 to drive the stereo speaker 113, and the sound of the predetermined application 104 and the ringer ringing application 105 to which the 3D sound effect is applied, respectively. Are simultaneously reproduced (ST108), and the series of operations is terminated.

  According to the operation as described above, when the communication unit 107 receives a communication while the control unit 106 executes the predetermined application 104 and the sound source unit 112 reproduces the sound data of the predetermined application 104, the ring tone The ringing application 105 is activated, and the sound of the predetermined application 104 is localized far away by the 3D sound unit 111, and the sound of each application is reproduced at the same time while the sound of the ringing ringing ringing application 105 is localized nearby. . Therefore, the sound of the ringing tone application 105 can be played in a state that can be easily distinguished from the sound of the predetermined application 104. FIG. 5A is a diagram showing a state in which only the sound data of the predetermined application 104 is being reproduced before the incoming call, and FIG. 5B is a diagram of the sound of the predetermined application 104 and the ringing tone sounding application 105 by the incoming call. It is drawing which shows the state which is reproducing | regenerating both with a sound.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of a mobile phone 100 ′ as a terminal device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The mobile phone 100 ′ stores the first and second applications 114 and 115 in the storage unit 103 ′, and a control unit 106 that is functionally different only in part from the control unit 106 in the first embodiment. Except for using ', it is equivalent to the mobile phone 100 according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 6, the same components as those of the mobile phone 100 according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  The storage unit 103 ′ is a readable / writable memory similar to the storage unit 103 in the first embodiment, and stores the first and second applications 114 and 115 as described above. Here, the first and second applications 114 and 115 are not particularly limited, but one or both of the applications occupy the display unit 101 after activation. The control unit 106 ′ has substantially the same configuration as that of the control unit 106, but is different from the control unit 106 in that an operation described later is realized.

  Next, the operation of the mobile phone 100 ′ according to the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an operation of starting the second application 115 in a state where the first application 114 is started on the mobile phone 100 ′ and playing sounds of both applications. In the following, the description of the configuration equivalent to the operation in the first embodiment will be simplified.

  In this operation, first, the user operates the key input unit 102 to activate the first application 114 (ST201), the control unit 106 'executes the first application 114, and drives the sound source unit 112 to perform sound. Is sounded (ST202). At that time, the control unit 106 ′ causes the first application 114 to use the display unit 101 as appropriate. Next, the user activates the second application 115 (ST203). By doing so, the control unit 106 'operates the first application 114 and the second application 115 in parallel by the multitask function. As described above, in a state where the first and second applications 114 and 115 are operated in parallel, which application uses the display unit 101 depends on the design of the application. Depending on the design of the application, the application can be configured to always use the display unit 101 during execution, or the application can be configured not to use the display unit 101 even during execution.

  In this state, control unit 106 'determines whether or not first application 114 is using the screen of display unit 101 (ST204). Here, when it is determined that the first application 114 is using the display unit 101, the control unit is configured to localize the sound of the first application 114 near and the sound of the second application 115 far away. The 3D sound unit 111 is controlled by 106 '(ST205). On the other hand, if the first application 114 does not determine that the display unit 101 is being used, the sound of the first application 114 is moved far away, and the sound of the second application 115 is moved closer and moved. The control unit 106 'controls the 3D sound unit 111 (ST206).

  Then, for the sounds of both the first application 114 and the second application 115, the sound source unit 112 generates a digital signal related to the sound (ST207), and the generated digital signal is processed by the 3D sound unit 111, respectively. (ST208) The last processed digital signal is processed by the DAC unit 126 and the amplifier 127 of the sound source unit 112 to drive the stereo speaker 113, and the first and second applications 114 and 3D each having a 3D sound effect applied thereto. 115 sounds are played back simultaneously (ST209), and a series of operations is terminated.

  According to the operation as described above, when the second application 115 is activated while the first application 114 is being executed by the control unit 106 ′, the control unit 106 ′ causes the first and second applications 114 and 115 to start. Which is using the display unit 101, the sound of the active application using the display unit 101 is close, and the sound of the inactive application not using the display unit is 3D Localization can be performed by the sound unit 111. As described above, the sound of the active application is localized close to the user, and the sound of the inactive application is localized far away, so that the sound of the active application can be provided to the user in a more easily recognizable form.

  Here, the description has been made on the assumption that the control unit 106 ′ occupies the display unit 101 for one application. On the other hand, when the control unit 106 'supports multi-windows, the window for displaying the screen of each application is displayed on the active window while being configured to simultaneously display the window for displaying each application screen. A configuration may be adopted in which the sound of the application is localized nearby.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of a mobile phone 100 ″ as a terminal device according to the third embodiment of the present invention. This mobile phone 100 ″ has a storage unit 103 ″, a media player 116, and a first The game 117, the second game 118, the ringtone player 119, and the sound priority table 120 are stored, and a control unit 106 ″ that is functionally different only partially from the control unit 106 in the first embodiment is used. Is equivalent to the mobile phone 100 according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 6, the same components as those of the mobile phone 100 according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is also omitted.

  The storage unit 103 ″ is a readable / writable memory similar to the storage unit 103 in the first embodiment, and includes a media player 116 that reproduces desired sound data and moving image data, first and second games 117, and 118, each application program of the ringtone player 119 having the same function as the ring tone sounding application 105 in the first embodiment, and a sound priority table 120 are stored.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram specifically showing the data structure of the sound priority table 120. As shown in FIG. 9, the sound priority table 120 is a table in which a sound priority value is set for each application stored in the storage unit 103 ″, which is a numerical value indicating how much the sound is preferentially reproduced. Here, the case where the media player 116 is set to the sound priority value 2, the first and second games 117 and 118 are set to the sound priority value 3, and the ringtone player 119 is set to the sound priority value 1 is shown. In the sound priority value, the lower the value is, the higher the priority is. Further, the control unit 106 ″ has substantially the same configuration as the control unit 106, but is controlled in order to realize the operation described later. This is different from the unit 106.

  Next, the operation of the mobile phone 100 ″ according to the third embodiment will be described. FIG. 10 illustrates the first application (the media player 116, the first game 117, the second game 118, and the ringtone) on the mobile phone 100 ″. In a state where one of the players 119 is activated, the second application (one of the media player 116, the first game 117, the second game 118, and the ringtone player 119) is activated to It is a flowchart of the operation | movement which reproduces | regenerates a sound. In the following, the description of the configuration equivalent to the operation in the first embodiment will be simplified.

  In this operation, first, the user operates the key input unit 102 to start the first application (ST301), the control unit 106 ″ executes the first application, drives the sound source unit 112, and plays a sound (ST302). Next, the user activates the second application (ST303), so that the control unit 106 ″ operates the first application and the second application in parallel by the multitask function. Become.

In such a state, the control unit 106 ″ determines whether the sound priority value of the first application is smaller than the sound priority value of the second application (ST304). This can be done by referring to the sound priority table 120. If it is determined in ST304 that the sound priority value of the first application is small, the control unit 106 ″ performs the 3D sound so that the sound of the first application is located near and the sound of the second application is located far away. (ST 305) On the other hand, if it is not determined that the sound priority value of the first application is small, the virtual sound source of the first application is moved away, and the virtual sound source of the second application is moved closer, The control unit 106 ″ controls the 3D sound unit 111 so as to set each (ST306).
Then, for the sound of both applications, the sound source unit 112 generates a digital signal related to the sound (ST307), and the 3D sound unit 111 processes the generated digital signal so as to be localized at predetermined positions (ST308). Then, the last processed digital signal is processed by the DAC unit 126 and the amplifier 127 of the sound source unit 112 to drive the stereo speaker 113 and simultaneously reproduce the sounds of both applications to which the 3D sound effect has been applied (ST309). The series of operations is finished.

  According to the above operation, when the second application is activated while the control unit 106 ″ is executing the first application, the control unit 106 ″ sets the sound priority values of the first application and the second application. In comparison, the sound of the application with the lower sound priority and the higher priority with respect to the sound is moved closer, and the sound of the application with the lower priority is moved far away. In this way, the sound of a high priority application is localized near the user, and the sound of a low priority application is localized far away, so that the user can recognize the sound of the high priority application more easily. Can be provided.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is needless to say that various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the 3D sound unit 111 is provided independently of the sound source unit 112 has been described. However, as illustrated in FIG. 11, the sound source unit 112 ′ including the 3D sound unit 111 ′ is used. It doesn't matter if you do. Further, the shape of the mobile phone 100 is not limited to the clamshell type shown in FIG. 2, and various shapes and designs can be adopted.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where both applications are executed in parallel and one is localized near and the other is localized far away is described. However, three or more applications are executed in parallel. In this state, each application may be localized individually. Furthermore, in the third embodiment, the application stored in the storage unit 103 ″ may be added, deleted, or updated. In this case, the sound priority table 120 may be added according to the addition, deletion, or update of the application. Is preferably modified by the control unit 106 ″ or the like.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the voice codec unit 108 is provided in addition to the sound source unit 112 has been shown, but both may be configured integrally. Further, the voice from the other terminal in the voice call may be localized at a desired position by the 3D sound unit. Furthermore, in the above description, an embodiment in which the terminal device according to the present invention is a mobile phone has been described. However, a communication function such as a PDA, a set top box, a home terminal, a hard disk recorder, and a disk player having a wireless communication function is shown. The present invention can be applied to any terminal that can be provided.

The functional block diagram which shows the structure of the mobile telephone concerning 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the external appearance of the mobile telephone concerning 1st Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the detail of a sound source part and 3D sound part. The flowchart of the operation | movement in 1st Embodiment. (A) is a figure which shows the state which is reproducing the sound data of a predetermined application before an incoming call. FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating a state in which sounds of both a predetermined application and a ringing tone ringing application are being played by an incoming call. The functional block diagram which shows the structure of the mobile telephone concerning 2nd Embodiment. The flowchart of the operation | movement in 2nd Embodiment. The functional block diagram which shows the structure of the mobile telephone concerning 3rd Embodiment. The figure which shows the example of the sound priority table in 3rd Embodiment. The flowchart of the operation | movement in 3rd Embodiment. The block diagram of the sound source part which incorporated the 3D sound part. The functional block diagram which shows the structure of the communication terminal concerning a prior art example. The functional block diagram which shows the more detailed structure of the sound source part in a prior art example. Explanatory drawing of 3D sound function.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Mobile phone 101 Display part 102 Key input part 103 Memory | storage part 104 Predetermined application 105 Ringer ringing application 106 Control part 107 Communication part 108 Voice codec part 109 Receiver 110 Microphone 111 3D sound part 112 Sound source part 113 Stereo speaker

Claims (7)

A sound generator that generates sound from audio data;
A storage unit storing a plurality of application programs;
A terminal device having a control unit that executes the application program stored in the storage unit and drives the sound source unit according to the operation of the application program to generate a predetermined sound;
The control unit has a multitask function for executing the plurality of application programs in parallel, and controls the sound source unit so that the sound of the application program is localized at a predetermined position in a three-dimensional space. Have
When the control unit executes the plurality of application programs in parallel, the control unit uses the 3D sound function so that the sound of at least one application program is localized at a position different from the sound of other applications. A terminal device that controls the sound source unit. A sound generator that generates sound from audio data;
A storage unit storing a plurality of application programs;
A terminal device having a control unit that executes the application program stored in the storage unit and drives the sound source unit according to the operation of the application program to generate a predetermined sound;
The control unit has a multitask function for executing the plurality of application programs in parallel, and the sound source unit has a 3D sound function for localizing the sound of the application program to a predetermined position in a three-dimensional space,
When the control unit executes the plurality of application programs in parallel, the control unit is arranged so that the sound of at least one application program is localized at a position different from the sound of other applications. A terminal device that controls a 3D sound function. A sound generator that generates sound from audio data;
A storage unit storing a plurality of application programs;
A terminal device having a control unit that executes the application program stored in the storage unit and drives the sound source unit according to the operation of the application program to generate a predetermined sound;
The control unit has a multitask function for executing the plurality of application programs in parallel,
And a 3D sound unit for localizing the sound generated by the sound source unit to a predetermined position in a three-dimensional space,
When the control unit executes the plurality of application programs in parallel, the control unit positions the 3D sound unit so that the sound of at least one application program is localized at a position different from the sound of another application. A terminal device characterized by controlling. Priorities regarding sound functions are defined for each of the plurality of application programs,
4. The sound of an application program having the highest priority among the sounds of a plurality of application programs executed in parallel is localized closest to the sound. 5. Terminal equipment.   When the second application program having a higher priority regarding the sound function is activated while the first application program is being executed, the sound of the second application program is transmitted from the first application program. The terminal device according to claim 4, wherein the terminal device is also localized.   When the second application program having a higher priority regarding the sound function is activated while the first application program is being executed, the position where the sound of the first application program is localized is moved away. The terminal device according to claim 5. Furthermore, it has a communication unit that communicates by connecting to the network,
The terminal device according to claim 5, wherein the second application program is a ringing tone ringing program that sounds a sound when the communication unit receives a predetermined communication.

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