JP2013168845A - In-vehicle hands-free device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To control sound quality or volume in real time in response to a request from a speaking party side, even during traveling, in a device comprising a sound quality/volume control section.SOLUTION: An in-vehicle hands-free device 1 comprises a control section 5 which is connected with a mobile phone 2 disposed within a vehicle according to a Bluetooth system, a microphone 7 and a speaker 8 connected via a sound quality/volume adjusting section 9, a parameter value storage section 10 which stores a parameter value for sound quality/volume adjustment of the sound quality/volume adjusting section 9, a dial tone signal discrimination section 16 and a voice recognition system 17 for recognizing an adjustment command transmitted from a terminal device 4 at a speaking party side in the form of a dial tone signal or a voice. In response to the adjustment command, the control section 5 changes the parameter value stored in the parameter value storage section 10.

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle hands-free device that is connected to a telephone device disposed in a vehicle via a communication means to realize a hands-free call.

  In an in-vehicle hands-free device that realizes a hands-free call with a terminal device on the other side by performing short-range wireless communication with, for example, a Bluetooth (registered trademark) system with a mobile phone brought into the vehicle In order to improve the quality of hands-free calls, sound quality adjustment functions such as an echo canceller and a noise canceller are provided.

  Conventionally, a system described in Patent Document 1 is known in order to set an optimum parameter value of a sound quality adjustment function for an individual sound quality. That is, in this system, the in-vehicle hands-free device and the center device simultaneously connect the voice line and the data line. Then, in the center device, the parameter value is set so that the sound quality of the sound satisfies a predetermined level while receiving the sound uttered by the driver from the in-vehicle hands-free device. In the in-vehicle hands-free device, the parameter value received from the center device is written, and thereafter, the voice input by the microphone is transmitted according to the written parameter value. As a result, it is possible to obtain an appropriate parameter value for sound quality adjustment for each driver.

JP 2008-72582 A

  By the way, demands and dissatisfactions regarding the sound quality of the call sound in the in-vehicle hands-free device often occur on the terminal device (landline phone, mobile phone, smartphone, etc.) side of the other party that is the receiving side. The deterioration in call quality due to echo and noise is mainly caused by the vehicle side (sending side) such as running sound such as engine sound and external noise, and the sound quality adjustment needs to be performed on the in-vehicle device side. However, the sound quality adjustment function described above is practical because the driver must operate directly on the vehicle-mounted device side (sending side), but there are circumstances that prohibit screen operations while driving, etc. In addition, it is difficult for the driver to adjust the sound quality during the hands-free call.

  Further, in the system of Patent Document 1 described above, the parameter value is changed via the center device, so it is impossible to adjust the sound quality in real time during an actual call between the vehicle side and the other side. It is. There is also a problem that infrastructure development such as the need to install a center device is necessary and communication charges are incurred.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a sound quality and volume adjustment unit, and adjust the sound quality and volume in real time according to a request from the other party of the call even while traveling. It is providing the vehicle-mounted hands-free apparatus which can perform.

  In order to achieve the above object, an in-vehicle hands-free device according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises a control unit that realizes a hands-free call by being connected to a telephone device disposed in a vehicle via communication means, and the control. A voice input / output device connected to the unit, a storage unit for storing a parameter value for adjusting a sound quality and volume of a call voice input / output by the voice input / output device, and a parameter value stored in the storage unit A sound quality volume adjustment unit for adjusting the sound quality and volume of the input / output sound of the voice input / output device, and an adjustment command for the sound quality volume adjustment unit transmitted in the form of a dial tone signal or voice from the terminal device on the other side of the call Recognizing means for recognizing, and parameter value changing means for changing the parameter value stored in the storage means in response to the adjustment command.

  According to the above configuration, the sound quality volume adjustment unit can adjust the sound quality and volume of the input / output sound of the sound input / output device using the parameter value stored in the storage unit. When an adjustment command is transmitted from the terminal device at the other end of the call while the driver in the vehicle and the other end of the call are making a hands-free call, the adjustment command is recognized by the recognition means, and the parameter value The parameter value is changed by changing means.

  At this time, since the adjustment command is transmitted in the form of a dial tone signal or voice from the terminal device on the other side of the call, even if the command input from the terminal device with limited operation input means, It is possible to instruct change of the parameter value on the side. Therefore, even if the driver is prohibited from adjusting the sound quality or volume while the vehicle is running, the parameter value can be changed and the sound quality or volume adjusted in real time according to the request from the other party. be able to.

The block diagram which shows one Example of this invention and shows the structure of the system containing a vehicle-mounted hands-free apparatus roughly The flowchart which shows the process sequence regarding the change of the parameter value for sound quality volume adjustment which a control part performs The figure which shows an example of the other party's terminal device

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 schematically shows an overall configuration of a system related to a call including an in-vehicle hands-free device 1 according to the present embodiment. The in-vehicle hands-free device 1 is mounted on a vehicle (automobile), a mobile phone 2 as a telephone device brought into the vehicle, and a short-range wireless communication means such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) as a communication means. It is supposed to be connected via. Thus, the in-vehicle hands-free device 1 is connected to the mobile phone network 3 via the mobile phone 2 so that a hands-free call can be made with the terminal device 4 on the other side (receiving side).

  The in-vehicle hands-free device 1 inputs a voice uttered by a driver as a transmission voice, a control unit 5 that controls the overall operation, a communication interface unit 6 that performs wireless communication with the mobile phone 2 by, for example, the Bluetooth method, and the like. And a speaker 8 that outputs voice received via the mobile phone 2 as received voice. The microphone 7 and the speaker 8 function as a voice input / output device. Note that a plurality of speakers 8 are disposed at appropriate positions in the vehicle, and can also be used as speakers for car audio. A plurality of microphones 7 can also be provided at appropriate positions in the vehicle.

  The control unit 5 is mainly composed of a computer, and the control unit 5 is provided with a sound quality / volume adjustment unit 9 and a parameter value storage unit 10 as a storage means. The sound quality volume adjusting unit 9 adjusts the sound quality and / or volume of the input / output sound of the microphone 7 and the speaker 8, and includes a known echo canceller, noise canceller, equalizer, volume adjusting unit, and the like. ing. The parameter value storage unit 10 stores various parameter values for adjusting the sound quality and volume of the sound quality and volume adjustment unit 9 (for example, an adaptive filter coefficient of an echo canceller, a sound volume setting value, an equalizer setting value, and the like).

  The terminal device 4 includes, for example, a fixed telephone, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a personal computer, and the like, and includes a communication unit 11 that performs a voice call through the mobile phone network 3, a control unit 12 that controls the entire terminal device 4, a transmission A microphone 13 for inputting voice, a speaker 14 for outputting received voice, a display operation unit (HMI) 15 having a dial key, a display, and the like are provided. When the dial key of the display operation unit 15 is operated, a dial tone signal is generated.

  In the system described above, for example, when an incoming call is received from the other terminal device 4 to the mobile phone 2 and a hands-free call is started based on the incoming call, the mobile phone is controlled by the control unit 5 of the in-vehicle hands-free device 1. 2 is transferred to the communication interface unit 6 and is output from the speaker 8 via the sound quality volume adjusting unit 9 and the like. On the other hand, the transmission voice of the driver (vehicle occupant) input from the microphone 7 is transferred to the mobile phone 2 by the communication interface unit 6 via the sound quality volume adjusting unit 9 and the like, and is transmitted to the terminal device 4 on the other side. The

  In the in-vehicle hands-free device 1 according to the present embodiment, the control unit 5 is provided with a dial tone signal determining unit 16 and a voice recognition system 17 as determining units for determining the type of dial tone signal. Thereby, during hands-free calling, a recognition means for recognizing an adjustment command transmitted in the form of a dial tone signal or voice from the terminal device 4 on the call partner side is configured.

  At this time, at the other end of the call, for example, the sound quality volume adjustment unit 9 such as raising and lowering the volume of the received voice, adjusting the sound quality (emphasis or reduction of the low frequency range (high frequency range)), and adjusting the noise removal degree (up and down). An adjustment command is input from the microphone 13 by voice (for example, “increase volume”), or any dial key of the display operation unit 15 is operated (for example, “1” is operated when the volume is increased). Can be input. The control unit 5 functions as parameter value changing means for changing the parameter value stored in the parameter value storage unit 10 in accordance with the recognized adjustment command.

  In the present embodiment, the parameter value storage unit 10 has an appropriate (changed) parameter value for use in the adjustment of the sound quality and volume adjustment unit 9 for each telephone number of the terminal device 4 on the call partner side, and The vehicle is stored (updated) for each traveling state of the vehicle (at least for both traveling and stopping). At the start of use, a default value is set and stored in the parameter value storage unit 10 as a parameter value.

  The control unit 5 determines which dial number corresponds to which adjustment command when the dial tone signal is discriminated by the dial tone signal discriminating unit 16 (for example, the key “1” increases the volume). ) In advance to the terminal device 4 on the other end of the call, for example, a guide screen such as “Press the number 1 key during a call to increase the volume” is displayed on the display operation unit 15. To be displayed. Therefore, the control unit 5 also functions as a notification unit.

  At the same time, when the control unit 5 recognizes the adjustment command by the voice recognition of the voice recognition system 17, the voice received from the speaker 8 and the microphone 7 are input to the voice recognition system 17 during the call. Both sent voices are always given. Therefore, not only the received voice transmitted from the terminal device 4 on the call partner side but also the adjustment command based on the utterance of the driver can be recognized by the voice recognition system 17 and the parameter value can be changed.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the control unit 5 serves as a guide unit that guides, by voice or display, parameters that are effective (or changeable) to the terminal device 4 on the other party side during a call. It also has functions. At this time, the control unit 5 selects and selects effective parameters by changing the vehicle speed, the position, the output volume of the speaker 8 and the like, or the SN ratio of the input sound of the microphone 7 and the echo return amount. Judgment is made by selecting and guiding. In this case, the input sound to the microphone 7 is determined by, for example, using two microphones 7 to detect the difference between the speech sound input to each microphone 7 and the noise signal, thereby separating the noise from the speech sound. Can be done based on that.

  Although a detailed description is omitted, in the present embodiment, when the mobile phone 2 and the terminal device 4 on the other side are connected via a network such as the Internet, an operation display unit on the terminal device 4 side ( Based on the operation of HMI 15, the adjustment command can be transmitted as data to the in-vehicle hands-free device 1 in real time, and the parameter value can be changed on the in-vehicle hands-free device 1 (control unit 5) side.

  As an example thereof, FIG. 3 illustrates a case where, when the counterpart terminal device 4 is a smartphone, for example, an adjustment command is input and transmitted as data by operating the operation display unit 15 including a touch panel. The operation display unit 15 displays volume up / down keys, noise level adjustment keys, and sound quality (high range emphasis, low range emphasis) adjustment keys, and the other party operates any key. A command for adjustment can be input.

  Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, when a hands-free call is started, the received voice from the terminal device 4 on the call partner side received by the mobile phone 2 is controlled by the control unit 5 of the in-vehicle hands-free device 1. 9 is output from the speaker 8 via 9 etc., and the transmitted voice uttered by the driver (occupant) of the vehicle is input from the microphone 7 and transferred to the mobile phone 2 via the sound quality volume adjusting unit 9 etc. To the terminal device 4.

  Here, demands and dissatisfactions regarding the sound quality of the call sound when using the in-vehicle hands-free device 1 often occur on the terminal device 4 side of the other party that is the receiving side. The deterioration in the quality of the call due to the echo and noise at this time is mainly due to the vehicle side (sending side) such as running sound such as engine sound and noise from the outside, and the sound quality adjustment is performed on the in-vehicle handsfree device 1 side. Need to be The flowchart of FIG. 2 schematically shows a processing procedure related to the change of the parameter value for sound quality adjustment, which is executed by the control unit 5 of the in-vehicle hands-free device 1.

  That is, in step S1, it is determined whether the method of transmitting a request (adjustment command) from the counterpart terminal device 4 to the vehicle-mounted device (vehicle-mounted hands-free device 1) is an SCO line (phone (call) line) or a network. Is done. When the terminal device 4 and the mobile phone 2 are network-connected, in step S2, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the call partner side uses the operation display unit 15 (for example, a touch panel) of the terminal device 4 to adjust the sound quality and volume. Is performed (specifying an adjustment command for increasing the volume, changing the equalizer, etc.), the adjustment command is transmitted to the mobile phone 2 as data, and the process proceeds to step S6.

  On the other hand, if the terminal device 4 and the mobile phone 2 are connected via the SCO line in step S1, it is determined in step S3 whether the transmission mode of the adjustment command is voice or dial tone signal. The When using a dial tone signal, in step S4, when the other party of the call operates the dial key of the operation display unit 15 of the terminal device 4, a dial tone signal corresponding to the key is transmitted, and the process proceeds to step S6. Thereby, when the dial tone signal discriminating unit 16 discriminates the dial tone signal, the adjustment command is recognized, and the adjustment of the sound quality volume adjusting unit 9, that is, the change of the parameter value for adjusting the sound quality is enabled.

  At this time, as described above, the control unit 5 determines in advance the correspondence relationship of which dial number corresponds to which adjustment command (for example, the key “1” corresponds to volume increase) on the terminal device on the call partner side. 4 is displayed on the display operation unit 15, for example, “If you want to increase the volume, please press the number 1 key during a call”. Furthermore, during a call, the control unit 5 can guide, by voice or display, parameters that are effective (or changeable) if changed to the terminal device 4 on the other party side of the call.

  In step S3, when the transmission mode of the adjustment command is voice, in step S5, the other party of the call directly utters an adjustment command made up of a specific word (eg, “volume up”). An adjustment command is input from the microphone 13 of the terminal device 4, and the sound data is transmitted and output from the speaker 8 of the in-vehicle hands-free device 1. The received sound is given to the voice recognition of the voice recognition system 17, and the process proceeds to step S6. Thereby, the adjustment command is recognized by the voice recognition system 17, and the adjustment of the sound quality volume adjustment unit 9, that is, the change of the parameter value for adjusting the sound quality is enabled.

  The voice recognition system 17 also responds to the utterance of the driver (vehicle occupant), so that the parameter value can be changed not only by the other party but also by the driver's utterance. Also at this time, the control unit 5 can guide, by voice or display, parameters that are effective (or can be changed) to the terminal device 4 on the other party side during the call.

  In step S6, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is running. If the vehicle is traveling, the parameter value adjusted (changed) is set as the parameter value during traveling in step S7, and the sound quality volume adjusting unit 9 is adjusted in real time. When the vehicle is stopped, the parameter value adjusted (changed) is set as the parameter value during stopping in step S8, and the sound quality volume adjustment unit 9 is adjusted in real time. In step S9, the parameter value is stored (corrected) in the parameter value storage unit 10 for each telephone number of the other party and whether the vehicle is running or stopped, and the process is terminated.

  With the above processing, when an adjustment command is transmitted from the terminal device 4 on the call partner side while the driver in the vehicle and the call partner side are performing a hands-free call, the in-vehicle hands-free device 1 side The adjustment command is recognized, and the parameter value of the sound quality volume adjustment unit 9 is changed. At this time, the deterioration of the quality of the call due to echo or noise is mainly caused by the vehicle side, and the sound quality adjustment needs to be performed on the in-vehicle hands-free device 1 side, but screen operations and the like are prohibited during traveling. Even under such circumstances, the adjustment command is transmitted in the form of a dial tone signal or voice from the terminal device 4 on the call partner side. Therefore, even from the terminal device 4 with limited operation input means, it is possible to instruct the parameter value change from the call partner side. Moreover, no infrastructure such as a center device is used.

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, in the in-vehicle hands-free device 1 including the sound quality volume adjustment unit 9 that adjusts the sound quality and volume of the call voice using the parameter values stored in the parameter value storage unit 10, Since the adjustment command for the sound quality volume adjustment unit 9 transmitted from the partner terminal device 4 in the form of a dial tone signal or voice is recognized, the stored parameter value is changed in accordance with the adjustment command. Even when the vehicle is running, there is an excellent effect that the sound quality and volume of the call voice can be adjusted in real time according to a request from the call partner.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, the parameter value storage unit 10 stores parameter values for both running and stopping where there is a difference in the amount of noise, so that more precise and appropriate parameter values are stored. Is possible. Further, since the parameter value is stored in the parameter value storage unit 10 for each telephone number of the terminal device 4 on the call partner side, the parameter value can be set to a more appropriate parameter value according to the preference of the call partner and the environment.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the apparatus having the dial tone signal discriminating unit 16 is notified of the correspondence relationship of which dial number corresponds to which adjustment command to the terminal device 4 on the call partner side. This makes it easier for the other party to understand and make it easier to use. During the call, both the received sound and the transmitted sound are always given to the voice recognition system 17, so that not only the other party but also the vehicle occupant (driver) during traveling. Further, it is possible to obtain an advantage that parameter values can be changed (sound quality and volume adjustment) based on speech (voice recognition).

  In particular, the present embodiment is configured such that during the call, the terminal device 4 on the call partner side is guided by voice or display of effective parameters when changed. At this time, the effective parameters to be changed are selected by narrowing down according to various conditions such as the vehicle speed, the position of the vehicle, and the output volume of the speaker 8, or the S / N ratio of the input sound of the microphone 7 and the echo return amount are determined. It was made to choose. As a result, it is even easier for the other party to use and it is possible to change the effective parameter values (adjustment of sound quality and volume).

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings, and the following modifications or expansions are possible.
The communication means for performing communication between the in-vehicle hands-free device 1 and the mobile phone 2 is not limited to the Bluetooth system, and for example, a wireless LAN such as Wi-Fi can be adopted. Or the structure connected by a wire may be sufficient. When the communication means on the in-vehicle hands-free device 1 side is changed, the communication means on the mobile phone 2 (telephone device) side may be changed to a corresponding one. At that time, the communication protocol may be changed as appropriate.

  The vehicle-mounted hands-free device 1 may have a configuration combined with a vehicle navigation device. According to such a configuration, it is possible to commonly use some configurations (for example, a display device, a communication interface unit, a storage unit, a display control unit, a touch operation input unit, etc.) mounted on the navigation device. The overall configuration is simplified. In addition, the present invention can be implemented with appropriate modifications within a range not departing from the gist.

  In the drawings, 1 is an in-vehicle hands-free device, 2 is a mobile phone (telephone device), 4 is a terminal device, 5 is a control unit (parameter value changing means, notification means, guide means), 7 is a microphone, 8 is a speaker, 9 Denotes a sound quality volume adjustment unit, 10 denotes a parameter value storage unit (storage unit), 16 denotes a dial tone signal determination unit (recognition unit), and 17 denotes a voice recognition system (recognition unit).

Claims (7)

A control unit (5) connected to the telephone device (2) arranged in the vehicle via the communication means (6) to realize a hands-free call;
A voice input / output device (7, 8) connected to the control unit (5);
Storage means (10) for storing a parameter value for adjusting the sound quality and volume of the call voice input / output by the voice input / output device (7, 8);
A sound quality volume adjusting unit (9) for adjusting the sound quality and volume of the input / output sound of the sound input / output device (7, 8) using the parameter values stored in the storage means (10);
Recognizing means (16, 17) for recognizing an adjustment command for the sound quality volume adjusting unit (9) transmitted in the form of a dial tone signal or voice from the terminal device (4) on the other end of the call;
An in-vehicle hands-free device comprising: parameter value changing means (5) for changing a parameter value stored in the storage means (10) in response to the adjustment command.   2. The in-vehicle hands-free device according to claim 1, wherein the storage means stores parameter values for at least both of traveling and stopping for each traveling state of the vehicle.   3. The in-vehicle hands-free device according to claim 1, wherein a parameter value is stored in the storage unit for each telephone number of the terminal device on the call partner side.   The recognizing unit is configured to include a determining unit that determines the type of the dial tone signal, and notifies the corresponding terminal device on the other party side of which dial number corresponds to which adjustment command. The in-vehicle hands-free device according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit.   The recognition means is configured to include a voice recognition system, and during a call, both the reception sound and the transmission sound of the voice input / output device are always given to the voice recognition system. The in-vehicle hands-free device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.   The vehicle-mounted hands-free device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a guide unit that guides, by voice or display, parameters that are effective when changed to the terminal device on the other party side during a call. apparatus.   The guide means selects and selects effective parameters by changing the vehicle speed, position of the vehicle, output volume of the voice input / output device, etc., or the SN ratio of the input sound of the voice input / output device, The in-vehicle hands-free device according to claim 6, wherein an echo return amount is determined and selected.

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