JP2014233000A - Communication apparatus and method for changing voice output - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve convenience of a user without compelling an excessive processing load on a server.SOLUTION: In a communication apparatus 100 in a group communication system capable of three-party calling through a communication network, a control unit 50 of the communication apparatus identifies a speaker, and performs control to change voice output so that voice spoken by a specified speaker is more easily heard than voice spoken by another speaker.

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication device suitable for use in, for example, a group call system capable of three-party calls via a communication network, and an audio output change method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a group call service that allows a plurality of people to talk simultaneously is operated as one of telephone company services. According to this group call service, for example, when one of the speakers is in a high noise environment, it is difficult to hear because the noise is transmitted to all the speakers, or difficult to hear when multiple people speak at the same time. Occur.

  In order to solve this problem, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-228688, the server can easily listen by adjusting the received voice signal different for each terminal to a level optimized for each terminal connected in advance. A technique for realizing a group call is disclosed.

JP 2010-50695 A

  According to the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above, it is possible to provide a call system that can reliably perform mutual communication and confirmation by voice call without being disturbed by noise even in a high noise environment. It is said that. However, the processing in the server is complicated, and on the terminal side, an ear hole insertion type microphone earphone that suppresses noise from entering and a dustproof headset that supports full duplex communication equipped with a noise processing device are required. As a result, a new problem that the convenience of the user is impaired occurs.

  Further, when the other party is in a high noise environment, the problem that it is difficult to hear the other party's voice can occur not only in the group call service but also in a one-to-one call.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a communication device and an audio output change method that improve the convenience of the user without imposing an excessive processing burden on the server. Objective.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the communication device according to the first aspect of the present invention specifies a speaker and changes at least one of an output destination and an output characteristic of a voice uttered by the specified speaker. It has a control part which controls.

  The communication apparatus audio output changing method according to the second aspect of the present invention includes a step of specifying a speaker and a step of changing at least one of an output destination and an output characteristic of an audio uttered by the specified speaker. It is characterized by having.

  According to one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a communication device and an audio output change method that improve user convenience without imposing an excessive processing burden on a server.

It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the communication apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows the external appearance of the communication apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a back view which shows the external appearance of the communication apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of the communication apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the group call service using VoIP communication. It is a figure which shows the calling sequence in the group call service of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the transmission method to the third party in the call of the communication apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and an audio output destination setting screen. It is a figure which shows an example of the audio | voice output destination setting screen during the telephone call of the communication apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the audio | voice processing sequence of the communication apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the preparation operation | movement of the IP address-voice output destination list | wrist of the communication apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the audio | voice output destination switching operation | movement of the communication apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as this embodiment) will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the same numbers are assigned to the same elements throughout the description of the present embodiment.

(Configuration of the embodiment)
1 to 3 are a perspective view, a front view, and a back view, respectively, showing the appearance of the communication device 100 according to the present embodiment. Note that the communication device 100 according to the present embodiment is, for example, a mobile phone.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a communication device 100 includes a cover panel 1 and a case portion 2, and a device that forms a substantially rectangular plate shape in plan view by combining the cover panel 1 and the case portion 2. Case 3 is configured.

  The cover panel 1 has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and constitutes a part other than the peripheral part in the front part of the communication device 100. The cover panel 1 is made of, for example, transparent glass or transparent acrylic resin. The case part 2 constitutes a peripheral part, a side part and a back part on the front part of the communication device 100. The case portion 2 is made of, for example, polycarbonate resin.

  The cover panel 1 is provided with a display portion 1a for displaying various information such as characters, symbols and figures. The display portion 1a has, for example, a rectangular shape in plan view. The peripheral part 1b surrounding the display part 1a in the cover panel 1 is black by applying a film or the like, for example, and is a non-display part where no information is displayed. A touch panel 53 to be described later is attached to the inner main surface of the cover panel 1, and the user gives various instructions to the communication device 100 by operating the display portion 1a of the cover panel 1 with a finger or the like. be able to.

Inside the device case 3, a switch unit 54 including a plurality of operation buttons 54a is provided. Each operation button 54 a is a so-called “hard key”, and its surface is exposed from the lower end view of the outer main surface 10 of the cover panel 1. A hole for exposing the plurality of operation buttons 54a is formed in the lower end portion of the cover panel 1. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a piezoelectric vibration element 55 a described later is provided inside the device case 3. A normal speaker 56 (first speaker) is provided in the vicinity of the piezoelectric vibration element 55a. Note that the conduction speaker 55 using the piezoelectric vibration element 55 a is easier to hear the spoken voice than the normal speaker 56. Details will be described later.

  Note that the communication device 100 according to the present embodiment includes the operation buttons 54a that are “hard keys”. However, the number of the operation buttons 54a may be changed as appropriate, and communication that does not include the operation buttons 54a. The device 100 may be used.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a microphone hole 21 is formed on the back surface 101 of the communication device 100, in other words, on the back surface of the device case 3. An imaging lens 58 a included in an imaging unit 58 described later is exposed from the back surface 101 of the communication device 100.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the communication device 100 according to the present embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the communication device 100 includes a control unit 50, a wireless communication unit 51, a display panel 52 (display unit), a touch panel 53 (operation unit), a switch unit 54, and a conduction speaker 55 (first unit). 2 speaker), a normal speaker 56 (first speaker), a microphone 57, an imaging unit 58, an audio processing unit 59, and a battery 60. These components are housed in the device case 3. .

  The control unit 50 includes a CPU 50a, a storage unit 50b, and the like, and comprehensively manages the operation of the communication device 100 by controlling other components of the communication device 100. The storage unit 50b includes a ROM, a RAM, and the like. The control unit 50 executes various functions by the CPU 50a executing various programs in the storage unit 50b. For example, the control unit 50 (CPU 50a) specifies a speaker and changes the voice output so that the voice uttered by the specified speaker is easier to hear than other speakers.

  At this time, the control unit 50 may change and control the volume of the voice uttered by the specified speaker. Further, the voice signal processing of the voice uttered by the specified speaker may be changed and controlled. Alternatively, the conductive speaker 55 may be assigned to the specified speaker to change the output destination. The controller 50 may switch the output destination by taking in the information of the speaker specified by operating the touch panel 53 according to the speaker specifying screen displayed on the display panel 52 during the call. The speaker specifying screen is a screen on which a speaker can be specified and the output destination and output characteristics of the voice can be changed. When the control unit 50 displays a speaker specific screen on the display panel 52 during a call and detects that a touch operation for selecting a specific speaker and switching an output destination is performed, the control unit 50 responds to the specified speaker. To switch the output destination.

  Alternatively, the control unit 50 may switch the output destination by specifying a speaker by an address included in a packet arriving via a communication network such as an IP (Internet Protocol) network not shown. In this case, for example, an output destination can be set in advance for each speaker by using a screen of a telephone directory. When a packet arrives via the communication network, the speaker is specified by the address included in the packet, and the voice from the speaker is output to an output destination corresponding to the speaker (set in advance). it can.

The wireless communication unit 51 receives a signal from a communication device such as a mobile phone different from the communication device 100 or a web server connected to the IP network via the base station via the antenna 51a. The wireless communication unit 51 performs amplification processing and down-conversion on the received signal and outputs the result to the control unit 50. At this time, the control unit 50 performs a demodulation process or the like on the input reception signal, and acquires a sound signal indicating voice or music included in the reception signal. The wireless communication unit 51 performs up-conversion and amplification processing on the transmission signal including the sound signal generated by the control unit 50, and wirelessly transmits the processed transmission signal from the antenna 51a.
A transmission signal from the antenna 51a is received through a base station (not shown) by a mobile phone different from the communication device 100 or a communication device connected to the Internet.

  The display panel 52 (display unit) is, for example, a liquid crystal display panel or an organic EL panel, and displays various types of information such as characters, symbols, and figures by being controlled by the control unit 50. The information displayed on the display panel 52 is displayed on the display portion 1 a of the cover panel 1, so that the information can be visually recognized by the user of the communication device 100.

  The touch panel 53 (operation unit) is, for example, a projected capacitive touch panel, and detects a user operation on the display portion 1 a of the cover panel 1. The touch panel 53 is affixed to the inner main surface of the cover panel 1 and includes two sheet-like electrode sensors arranged to face each other. The two electrode sensors are bonded together with a transparent adhesive sheet.

  One electrode sensor is formed with a plurality of elongated X electrodes that extend along the X-axis direction (for example, the left-right direction of the communication device 100) and are arranged in parallel to each other. The other electrode sensor is formed with a plurality of elongated Y electrodes that extend along the Y-axis direction (for example, the vertical direction of the communication device 100) and are arranged in parallel to each other. When a user's finger contacts the display portion 1a of the cover panel 1, the capacitance between the X electrode and the Y electrode under the contact portion changes, so that the display on the cover panel 1 is displayed on the touch panel 53. An operation on the part 1a is detected. The capacitance change between the X electrode and the Y electrode that occurs in the touch panel 53 is transmitted to the control unit 50, and the control unit 50 is performed on the display portion 1a of the cover panel 1 based on the capacitance change. Identify the content of the operation and perform actions accordingly.

  For each of the plurality of operation buttons 54a, when the operation button 54a is pressed by the user, the switch unit 54 outputs an operation signal indicating that the operation button 54a has been pressed to the control unit 50. Based on the input operation signal, the control unit 50 identifies which operation button 54a of the plurality of operation buttons 54a has been operated, and performs an operation according to the operated operation button 54a.

  The conduction speaker 55 is a speaker using a piezoelectric vibration element that transmits a received sound to a user of the communication device 100. The conduction speaker 55 includes a piezoelectric vibration element 55 a and the cover panel 1. The piezoelectric vibration element 55a is vibrated by a drive voltage supplied from the control unit 50. The control unit 50 generates a drive voltage based on a sound signal indicating the received sound, and applies the drive voltage to the piezoelectric vibration element 55a. The piezoelectric vibrating element 55a is vibrated based on the sound signal indicating the received sound by the control unit 50, so that the cover panel 1 vibrates based on the sound signal. As a result, the user of the communication device 100 receives the received sound. Communicated. Thus, the control unit 50 also functions as a drive unit that vibrates the piezoelectric vibration element 55a based on the sound signal. The user can hear the sound clearly by bringing his / her ear into contact with the cover panel 1.

  The normal speaker 56 converts the electrical sound signal from the control unit 50 into sound and outputs the sound. The microphone 57 converts sound input from the outside of the communication device 100 into an electrical sound signal and outputs the electrical sound signal to the control unit 50. Sound from the outside of the communication device 100 is taken into the communication device 100 from the microphone hole 21 provided on the back surface 101 of the communication device 100 and input to the microphone 57.

  The imaging unit 58 includes an imaging lens 58 a and an imaging element, and captures still images and moving images based on control by the control unit 50. The image sensor is an image sensor such as a CCD or CMOS.

  The audio processing unit 59 performs input / output processing of an audio signal input through the microphone 57 and an audio signal output from the normal speaker 56 or the conduction speaker 55. That is, the audio input from the microphone 57 is amplified, analog-to-digital converted, and further subjected to signal processing such as encoding, converted into digital audio data, and output to the control unit 50. In addition, the audio data output from the control unit 50 is subjected to signal processing such as decoding, digital-analog conversion, amplification, and the like, converted into an analog audio signal, and output to the normal speaker 56 or the conduction speaker 55. Note that the audio processing unit 59 can also adjust the volume of the audio signal output to the normal speaker 56 or the conduction speaker 55.

  The battery 60 outputs a power source for the communication device 100. The power output from the battery 60 is supplied to each electronic component included in the control unit 50, the wireless communication unit 51, and the like included in the communication device 100.

(Operation of the embodiment)
Hereinafter, the operation of the communication device 100 according to the present embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

First, the group call service will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, in a VoIP (Voice over IP) call, it is assumed that a speaker A performs a conference by a group call between a speaker B who is a moderator and a speaker C. The procedure for making a call from the speaker A to the speakers B and C follows, for example, the call sequence shown in FIG. Specifically, the speaker A transmits to the speaker B (step S1), and a call is started by receiving a response from the speaker B (step S2). Thereafter, during a two-party call with speaker B (step S3), speaker A transmits to speaker C (step S4) and obtains a response from speaker C (step S5). A three-party call is realized by starting a call with C (step S6).

  FIG. 7A shows a calling method when the speaker A starts a call with the speaker C while the speaker A is in a call with the speaker B shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7A, the speaker A activates the phone book application by pressing the “Contacts” button displayed on the display panel 52, and selects the speaker C (Kyocera Hanako). A three-way call shall be initiated. At this time, the call is continued. In the communication device 100 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to make a setting as to which speaker the conductive speaker 55 is assigned during a call. Note that the sound output from the conduction speaker 55 is easier to hear than the sound output from the normal speaker 56 as described above.

  FIG. 7B shows a setting screen when the voice output destination of a specific speaker is changed from the normal speaker 56 to the conductive speaker 55 during a call. During the three-party call, when the speaker A presses the “SP” button displayed on the display panel 52 shown in FIG. 7A, the state transits to the audio output setting dialog shown in FIG. 7B. Here, when the speaker A selects either the conduction speaker 55 or the normal speaker 56 displayed as a selection item in the audio output setting dialog, the audio output destination of the speaker B (Taro Kyocera) is arbitrarily switched. It is possible.

Further, the conductive speaker 55 or the normal speaker 56 may be switched by touching an icon displayed on the display panel 52 without transitioning to the audio output setting dialog shown in FIG. For example, in the screen shown in FIG. 8, the speaker button of the speaker B (enclosed by a solid line) is that the voice uttered by the speaker B is output by the conductive speaker 55, that is, the output destination is the conductive speaker. 55. The speaker button of the speaker C (enclosed by a broken line) indicates that the voice uttered by the speaker C is output by the normal speaker 56, that is, the output destination is the normal speaker 56.

  When the speaker button of speaker B is touched on the screen shown in FIG. 8, the display of the speaker button indicates that the output destination is the normal speaker 56 (the speaker button of speaker C in FIG. 8). And the output destination of the voice uttered by the speaker B is switched from the conduction speaker 55 to the normal speaker 56. On the other hand, when the speaker button of the speaker C is touched, the display of the speaker button is switched to a display indicating that the output destination is the conductive speaker 55 (display of the speaker button of the speaker B in FIG. 8) and The output destination of the voice uttered by the person B is switched from the normal speaker 56 to the conduction speaker 55. In addition, the display of the speaker button shown in FIG. 8 is an example. What is necessary is just to change at least one of a color, a shape, a magnitude | size, a design, etc. between several speaker buttons which show a different output destination so that a user can confirm the speaker of an output destination.

  It is also possible to set an output destination in advance before a call. In this case, this can be realized by registering in advance the name of the other party to which the conductive speaker 55 is assigned, and the communication device 100 receives the IP packet having the IP address assigned to the name of the other party. Then, sound is output from the conduction speaker 55.

  FIG. 9 shows an audio processing sequence of the communication device 100 according to the present embodiment. According to FIG. 9, the communication device 100 performs (b) A / D conversion on input sound collected from the microphone 57 and (c) passes through an echo canceller (d) in uplink processing for transmitting sound. After voice compression, (e) an IP packet is assembled, and (f) packet data is output to the IP network. Conversely, in downlink processing for receiving voice, (h) voice data is decompressed from IP data of an IP packet, (c) is passed through an echo canceller, and (j) is D / A converted. (I) The speaker is specified by referring to the IP header in parallel. Then, (k) the audio output destination is switched, and (l) the conduction speaker 55, (m) or the normal speaker 56 is output.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the communication device 100 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 10 and 11.

  First, the setting operation of the audio output destination of the communication device 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. First, when the control unit 50 (CPU 50a) starts a call by the wireless communication unit 51 (step S101 “YES”), the IP address of the speaker is acquired by referring to the header portion of the IP packet (step S102). The voice output destination set according to the speaker is acquired (step 103). Here, if not set, the normal speaker 56 as the first speaker is set as the audio output destination. Then, the CPU 50a adds the correspondence information between the IP address and the voice output destination to the IP address-voice output destination list stored in the predetermined area of the storage unit 50b (step S104).

  Subsequently, the CPU 50a confirms information on the next speaker (step S105). Specifically, referring to the header portion of the IP packet, the same operation as described above is repeatedly performed to add to the IP address-voice output destination list. The above operation is repeatedly executed until there is no confirmation target speaker necessary for the call (step S106 “YES”). In order to switch the audio output destination based on the IP address in this way, the IP address-audio output destination list created in a predetermined area of the storage unit 50b is assigned and stored. This operation is dynamically executed not only immediately after the start of a call but also when the output destination is changed.

Next, an audio output destination switching operation of the communication device 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 11, when the control unit 50 (CPU 50a) first receives an IP packet via the wireless communication unit 51 (step S201), the control unit 50 (CPU 50a) obtains an IP address from the IP header portion (step S202). Based on the IP address-audio output destination list stored in the predetermined area of the storage unit 50a, the audio output destination is specified (step S203).

  Subsequently, the CPU 50a determines whether or not the setting of the voice output destination during a call has been changed (step S204), and if there is no setting change (step S204 "YES"), the IP packet received for the specified voice output destination By transmitting the audio output information included in the data portion, audio is output through the conduction speaker 55 or the normal speaker 56 (step S205). On the other hand, if there is a change (step S204 “NO”), the audio output destination associated with the change is switched and the audio output information is transmitted, so that the audio is output via the conduction speaker 55 or the normal speaker 56 that is the switching destination. (Step S206). If there is a change in the setting of the voice output destination during a call, the change is reflected in the IP address-voice output destination list. However, the setting of the output destination may be changed after the timing of referring to the list. Therefore, in step 204, the CPU 50a determines whether or not the audio output destination has been changed.

(Effect of embodiment)
As described above, according to the communication device 100 according to the present embodiment, the control unit 50 identifies a speaker and makes it easier to hear the voice uttered by the identified speaker than other speakers. Change the audio output to. Therefore, it is possible to make it easy to hear the utterance of the specified speaker, and since the speaker specification and the change of the voice output are executed inside the communication device 100, the user's processing can be performed without imposing a processing burden on the server. Convenience can be improved. At this time, the control unit 50 assigns a second speaker (conduction speaker 55) that is easier to hear the voice spoken than the first speaker (normal speaker 56) to the specified speaker, and sets the output destination. change. For this reason, it is possible to make it easier to hear the utterance of the speaker specified by a simple mechanism.

  Further, according to the communication device 100 according to the present embodiment, the control unit 50 operates the operation unit (touch panel 53) according to the speaker specifying screen displayed on the display unit (display panel 52) during a call. Takes in the information of the specified speaker and switches the output destination. Therefore, the user can easily set the output destination by guidance using a GUI (Graphical User Interface), and convenience is improved. Note that the control unit 50 may switch the output destination by specifying a speaker based on an address included in an IP packet that arrives via a communication network (IP network).

  Note that the control unit 50 controls the audio processing unit 59 to change the sound volume spoken by the specified speaker or the voice spoken by the specified speaker when changing the voice output. The audio signal processing may be changed. For example, processing such as increasing the volume of the voice uttered by the specified speaker or emphasizing or correcting the voice uttered by the specified speaker may be performed.

In the communication device 100 according to the present embodiment, in a group call system in which a three-party call is possible via a communication network, for example, the voice of a person who is in a high noise environment or a moderator (organizer) during a meeting is By assigning the second speaker (conduction speaker 55) and assigning the voices of other attendees to the first speaker (normal speaker 56), a particularly remarkable effect can be obtained. In addition, although only the mobile phone is illustrated as the communication device 100 according to the present embodiment, there are other Internet connection environments such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), a game machine, or a PC (Personal Computer). Application to all communication devices 100 is possible.

In the present embodiment, the operation of the communication device 100 in the group communication system has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the group call system, and can be similarly operated in a normal one-to-one call. That is, even in a one-to-one call, the communication device 100 specifies a speaker by an IP address or a screen operation during a call, and at least one of an output destination and output characteristics of a voice uttered by the specified speaker. Can be changed.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was explained in full detail, it cannot be overemphasized that the technical scope of this invention is not limited to the range as described in the said embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be added to the above-described embodiments. Further, it is apparent from the scope of the claims that the embodiments added with such changes or improvements can be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 50 ... Control part, 50a ... CPU, 50b ... Memory | storage part, 51 ... Wireless communication part, 52 ... Display panel (display part), 53 ... Touch panel (operation part), 54 ... Switch part, 55 ... Conductive speaker (2nd Speaker), 56 ... Normal speaker (first speaker), 57 ... Microphone, 58 ... Imaging unit, 59 ... Audio processing unit, 60 ... Battery, 100 ... Communication equipment

Claims (7)

A control unit that performs control to identify a speaker and change at least one of an output destination and an output characteristic of speech uttered by the identified speaker;
A communication device comprising: The controller is
The communication device according to claim 1, wherein a volume of a voice uttered by the specified speaker is changed. The controller is
The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein voice signal processing of voice uttered by the identified speaker is changed. A first speaker; and a second speaker;
The controller is
The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second speaker is assigned to the specified speaker to change an output destination. An operation unit and a display unit;
The controller is
When a predetermined operation for displaying a predetermined screen on the display unit during a call, specifying the speaker by the operation unit, and switching the output destination is performed, the output destination for the specified speaker The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication device is switched. The controller is
5. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output destination is switched by specifying the speaker based on an address included in a packet arriving via the communication network. A method for changing the audio output of a communication device,
Identifying the speaker,
Changing at least one of an output destination and an output characteristic of speech uttered by the specified speaker;
A method for changing an audio output in a communication device, comprising: