JP2019145901A - Communication device, communication system, and communication method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a communication device that allows for giving work and safety instructions and making calls between workers in a state in which the workers wear health protection equipment without sacrificing work efficiency at the time of work in a tunnel.SOLUTION: A communication device includes: a voice input unit that is provided on a dust-proof mask and collects a user's voice; a voice output unit that is attached to the user's ear and provided on a sound prevention tool for reducing sound from the outside, and outputs sound based on communication to the user; and a voice signal control unit that causes the voice output unit to output a voice signal transmitted from a communication device, i.e. a communication opposite party, and transmits a voice signal obtained from the voice input unit to the communication device, i.e. the communication opposite party.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication device, a communication system, and a communication method.

  In tunnel excavation work, workers work with equipment necessary for health and safety, such as helmets, goggles, soundproofing tools, dust masks, and gloves. In addition, large noise is generated due to heavy machinery work in a closed space in the tunnel. For this reason, in tunnel excavation work, it is often difficult to transmit work / safety instructions between workers or from supervisors to workers. Patent Document 1 proposes a system that is used in tunnel construction and the like and that can detect a worker's current location in real time.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-327062

  Some existing call systems use a pharyngeal microphone for calls under noisy conditions, but it is not assumed that a dust mask is always worn as in tunnel excavation work. In addition, most of them require operations such as pressing down a plurality of buttons in order to establish a call, and are currently unusable when wearing gloves and are not practical.

  In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides work / safety instructions and calls between workers when working in a tunnel, with equipment for health protection, and without reducing work efficiency. It is an object to provide a communication device, a communication system, and a communication method that can be realized.

  A communication apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is provided in a dust input mask and a voice input unit that collects a user's voice, and a soundproofing tool that is attached to the user's ear and reduces external sound, An audio output unit that outputs a sound based on communication to the user, and an audio signal transmitted from a communication device that is a communication partner is output from the audio output unit, and an audio signal obtained from the audio input unit is And an audio signal control unit that transmits to a communication apparatus that is a communication partner.

  In a communication method according to an aspect of the present invention, a voice input unit that collects a user's voice is provided in a dust mask, and a voice output unit that outputs a sound based on communication to the user is provided from the outside. Provided in a soundproofing device that reduces sound, and is output from the audio output unit to be transmitted from a communication apparatus that is a communication partner and is attached to the user's ear, and the audio signal obtained from the audio input unit is Send to communication device.

  According to the present invention, work / safety instructions and communication between workers can be realized in a state in which equipment for protecting health is attached and without reducing work efficiency.

It is explanatory drawing of the outline | summary of the communication system which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the outline | summary of the equipment of the worker who works in a tunnel. It is explanatory drawing of a structure of the soundproof tool and dustproof mask in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram which shows the outline | summary of the communication apparatus in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of a communication apparatus.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram outlining the communication system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, a worker 20 in the tunnel 10 holds a communication device 40. In the tunnel 10, a wireless device 15 is installed as a relay device that relays communication of the communication device 40 of each worker 20. The wireless device 15 is, for example, an IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN (Local Area Network) standard communication device called WiFi, and includes a wireless LAN antenna 11, a wireless LAN router 12, and the like. The wireless LAN antenna 11 transmits and receives radio waves from the communication device 40 in the tunnel 10. The wireless LAN router 12 connects to the network 14. The network 14 is an IP (Internet Protocol) network and is connected to the external Internet. In addition, outside the tunnel 10, a supervisor 21 for instructing and managing work is waiting. Similarly, the supervisor 21 holds the communication device 40. The network 14 may have a so-called intranet configuration completed only within the organization.

  Thus, in this embodiment, each worker 20 in the tunnel 10 and the supervisor 21 outside the tunnel hold the communication device 40, and the communication device 40 allows the worker 20 and the tunnel in the tunnel 10 to be used. The outside supervisor 21 can talk with each other using the wireless device 15 as a relay device. Further, the communication device 40 can be operated hands-free by a call control function using a voice command.

  The communication device 40 can be realized by installing a call program on a general-purpose portable terminal such as a smartphone. The call program has the following functions.

(1) IP phone function: Both inter-group calls and one-to-one calls can be performed within the local network.
(2) Call control function by voice command: By the operation by voice command utilizing voice recognition technology, the call can be turned on / off, the other party can be called / answered, and the volume can be adjusted.

  In addition, the worker 20 in the tunnel 10 wears various equipments in preparation for accidents and health problems. FIG. 2 shows an outline of the equipment of the worker 20 who works in the tunnel 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the worker 20 wears a helmet 31, goggles 32, a soundproofing device 33, a dustproof mask 34, and gloves 35. The helmet 31 protects the head of the worker 20 from falling objects. The goggles 32 protect the eyes of the worker 20 so that dust or the like does not directly enter the eyes. The soundproofing device 33 reduces noise from the outside and protects the ears of the worker 20. The dust mask 34 protects the mouth of the worker 20 so that dust or the like does not enter from the mouth. The gloves 35 protect the hand of the worker 20.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the configurations of the soundproofing device 33 and the dustproof mask 34 in the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3A, the soundproofing device 33 is an earplug, and includes a speaker (audio output unit) 42 and a short-range wireless communication unit 45. The earplug is inserted into the ear canal of the worker 20. The speaker 42 outputs sound to the ear of the worker 20. In addition to the earplugs, earmuffs can be used as the soundproofing device 33. Similarly, when using an ear muff, a speaker 42 for outputting sound to the ear of the operator 20 is provided. The near field communication unit 45 wirelessly connects the speaker 42 to the communication device 40 by near field communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the dust mask 34 includes a microphone (sound input unit) 41 and a short-range wireless communication unit 46. The microphone 41 is provided on the human body contact surface side inside the dust mask 34 and collects the voice of the operator 20. The short-range wireless communication unit 46 wirelessly connects the microphone 41 to the communication device 40 by short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).

  As described above, the soundproofing tool 33 worn by the worker 20 includes the speaker 42 and the dustproof mask 34 includes the microphone 41. For this reason, the worker 20 can make a call while closing his / her ears with the soundproofing device 33, covering the mouth with the dustproof mask 34, and wearing necessary equipment for health and safety.

  FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing an overview of the communication device 40 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the communication device 40 includes an audio signal control unit 401, a short-range wireless communication unit 402, a communication unit 403, an operation control unit 404, a display unit 405, a touch panel 406, and a data storage unit 407.

The audio signal control unit 401 uses the IP telephone function to output from the speaker 42 an audio signal to be transmitted from the communication device 40 that is the communication partner, and to transmit an audio signal obtained from the microphone 41 to the communication device 40 of the communication partner. Do. The audio signal control unit 401 performs control from the start of the call to the end of the call. The short-range wireless communication unit 402 wirelessly connects the microphone 41 of the dust mask 34 and the speaker 42 of the soundproofing device 33 to the communication device 40 by short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). The communication unit 403 performs wireless LAN transmission / reception control, performs voice signal transmission processing to the counterpart communication device 40, and performs processing for receiving voice signals transmitted from the counterpart communication device 40. The operation control unit 404 performs hands-free on / off of a call, calling and responding to a call partner, volume adjustment, and the like in a hands-free manner by an operation based on a voice command utilizing voice recognition technology. The display unit 405 includes any display panel such as an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) or LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), and can display various types of information. The touch panel 406 is stacked on the display portion 405, and can input coordinate positions and perform various operations.
The data storage unit 407 includes a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a flash memory, and the like, and stores various programs and various data. The data storage unit 407 stores in advance the utterance contents and the command to be executed in association with each other. Further, the data storage unit 407 stores the name of the other party and the telephone number in association with each other.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the communication apparatus.
The audio signal control unit 401 of the communication device 40 determines whether there is an incoming call from another communication device (step S101).
If there is no incoming call, the audio signal control unit 401 determines whether or not a command has been input (step S102). If no command has been input, the process returns to step S101, and the command has been input. The command is acquired (step S103).
This command is input when the operator 20 inputs a voice command from the microphone 41. The operation control unit 404 acquires a voice command via the microphone 41 and outputs the acquired voice command to the voice signal control unit 401.

When a voice command is input, the voice signal control unit 401 recognizes the voice command, and if it detects that a predetermined keyword is included in the result of voice recognition, the voice signal control unit 401 responds to the keyword. A command to be executed (calling command) is read from the data storage unit 407 (step S103), and the calling command is executed (step S104).
For example, when the utterance content of “Mr. A, call” is input from the microphone 41 as a voice command and acquired as a voice command, the “Mr. A” part is detected as the other party and the phone number of Mr. A is stored as data. Based on the keyword “calling”, the calling (calling) command is executed for the phone number of Mr. A based on the keyword “calling”.
When the call command is executed, the audio signal control unit 401 performs a call process (step S105). That is, the voice signal control unit 401 performs a call between the communication devices when the communication device on the other side responds after the communication device on the other side arrives in response to the call command. When the voice signal control unit 401 detects that the “call end” utterance has occurred based on the voice input from the microphone 41 of the communication apparatus 40 during the call, the voice signal control unit 401 ends the voice communication ( Step S106).

  On the other hand, if there is an incoming call from another communication device in step S101, the audio signal control unit 401 outputs a ring tone indicating the incoming call from the earplug speaker 42 (step S107). Then, when the utterance of “response” is detected from the worker via the microphone 41, the voice signal control unit 401 detects that a response command has been input (step S108), and performs call processing (step S108). S105). On the other hand, when the utterance of “response” is not input from the worker via the microphone 41 for a predetermined time or longer, the audio signal control unit 401 disconnects communication assuming that the command is not acquired (step S106). ).

  As described above, in the communication system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the equipment for protecting health such as the dust mask 34 and the soundproofing device 33 is attached and the work efficiency is not lowered. Work / safety instructions and communication between workers can be realized. The dustproof mask 34, the soundproofing device 33, the communication device 40, etc. can be put into practical use at a relatively low cost by using off-the-shelf products. Further, in the communication system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to talk between the workers 20 in the tunnel using the communication device 40, and the workers 20 in the tunnel can communicate with each other. It is also possible to make a call between the communication device 40 used and the communication device 40 used by the supervisor 21 outside the tunnel. Furthermore, the worker 20 in the tunnel can talk with a worker or supervisor who is away from the tunnel by the IP telephone function. As a telephone device used outside the tunnel, a smartphone, a mobile phone, a general telephone, or the like can be used as long as there is no noise and vibration as much as the inside of the tunnel. In addition, the present invention can be used at sites other than tunnels, and demand at many civil engineering sites is expected.

Note that a program for realizing all or part of the functions of the communication system 1 is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium is read into the computer system and executed. You may perform the process of. Here, the “computer system” includes an OS and hardware such as peripheral devices.
Further, the “computer system” includes a homepage providing environment (or display environment) if a WWW system is used.
The “computer-readable recording medium” refers to a storage device such as a flexible medium, a magneto-optical disk, a portable medium such as a ROM and a CD-ROM, and a hard disk incorporated in a computer system. Furthermore, the “computer-readable recording medium” dynamically holds a program for a short time like a communication line when transmitting a program via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. In this case, a volatile memory in a computer system serving as a server or a client in that case, and a program that holds a program for a certain period of time are also included. The program may be a program for realizing a part of the functions described above, and may be a program capable of realizing the functions described above in combination with a program already recorded in a computer system.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and includes design changes and the like without departing from the gist of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Communication system, 10 ... Tunnel, 11 ... Wireless LAN antenna, 12 ... Wireless LAN router, 14 ... Network, 15 ... Wireless equipment, 31 ... Helmet, 32 ... Goggles, 33 ... Soundproofing device, 34 ... Dust mask, 35 ... Gloves, 40 ... communication device, 41 ... microphone, 42 ... speaker

Claims (5)

A voice input unit that collects the voice of the user provided on the dust mask;
A sound output unit that is mounted on the ear of the user and is provided in a soundproofing device that reduces external sound, and outputs a sound based on communication to the user;
An audio signal control unit that outputs an audio signal transmitted from a communication device that is a communication partner from the audio output unit, and transmits an audio signal obtained from the audio input unit to the communication device that is a communication partner. . The communication according to claim 1, further comprising: an operation control unit that executes a response to a call to the communication device that is the communication partner or a response to a call from the communication device that is the communication partner based on a voice command input from the voice input unit. apparatus. A communication system comprising the communication device according to claim 1 or 2.
A communication system comprising: a relay device that is provided in a tunnel and relays communication between the communication device and another communication device. The communication system according to claim 3, wherein the relay device relays communication between a communication device used by a communication partner outside the tunnel and the communication device. A voice input part that collects the voice of the user is provided on the dust mask,
A sound output unit that outputs sound based on communication to the user is provided in a soundproofing device that reduces external sounds, and is attached to the user's ear,
A communication method in which an audio signal to be transmitted from a communication device which is a communication partner is output from the audio output unit, and an audio signal obtained from the audio input unit is transmitted to the communication device.