JP4297276B2 - In-car communication device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle communication device adapted to perform a hands-free call using a speaker and a microphone in a vehicle interior.

  In recent years, with the development of automobiles and communication technologies, telephone technologies that can be used in automobiles such as automobile phones and mobile phones are becoming widespread, but hands-free devices are used for automobiles in terms of safety and usability. . This hands-free device is a device that uses a microphone or a speaker arranged at an appropriate location in a vehicle interior and enables a telephone call without holding a mobile phone terminal or handset.

  The call processing procedure using the hands-free device is performed, for example, as follows. First, when making a call from the vehicle side, a normal hands-free call is performed. At this time, the voice of the speaker is sent from the microphone to the other party via the telephone, and the voice of the other party is output from the speaker via the telephone. The On the other hand, when there is an incoming call, it is stored in advance in a memory or the like in association with the caller telephone number (called number) received via the telephone or the called number by a control device cooperating with the telephone. The name of the called party is displayed on the display screen, and when answering (calling) the incoming call, a response key provided on the telephone or the like is operated to perform a hands-free call. If the incoming call is not answered or the call is terminated, the end line provided on the telephone or the like is operated to disconnect the telephone line.

  As described above, in a conventional in-vehicle communication device, when a hands-free call is performed, the voice of the other party of the call is generally heard by all passengers via the speaker in the passenger compartment.

As a technique related to the above-described conventional technique, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, there is a technique in which the presence / absence of a destination display and a call type such as a hands-free call are changed depending on a called party.
JP 2003-46635 A

  As described above, when there is an incoming call in a conventional on-vehicle call device, the caller (the other party) is generally talking on a one-to-one basis with the callee (that is, the content of what he / she is talking to is only the callee) In fact, it is difficult to assume that the other party is talking in consideration of the situation where the called party is located.

  For this reason, when there is only one callee (when there is no passenger), or when there is a passenger and there is a situation where a handset call is being made, there will not be much trouble, but there is a passenger In addition, when a hands-free call is being made, the following problems occur.

  For example, when a customer receives an incoming call from a person in the company (caller) while traveling with the customer, the person in the company suddenly finds the information that is confidential to the company or the customer (passenger) convenient. There may be cases where bad information is spoken. Also, if a friend (caller) receives an incoming call while driving with a family member, the friend may have a private conversation with the caller, but depending on the content of the call, he / she may not want to hear from the family (passenger) Or you may hear a bad story.

  As described above, in a conventional in-vehicle communication device, when a hands-free call is performed when an incoming call is received from the outside, there is a disadvantage in terms of privacy and secret protection for the other party (caller) when there is a passenger. There was room for improvement. Such inconvenience can occur not only when there is an incoming call from the outside but also when a call is made to the outside.

  The present invention was created in view of the problems in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide an in-vehicle communication device capable of making a call in consideration of the situation where a call partner is placed on a vehicle-side speaker. And

In order to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, an in-vehicle communication device according to the present invention is an in-vehicle communication device adapted to perform a hands-free call using a speaker and a microphone in a vehicle interior, wherein the speaker And a call means connected to the microphone for making and receiving calls, an information input means for inputting information to be instructed or set by the user, a memory means for storing a voice message prepared in advance corresponding to the passenger, Control means operably connected to the call means, the information input means and the memory means, and when there is an incoming call via the call means, the control means via the information input means When a hands-free call is instructed and it is detected that a passenger is present, a voice message corresponding to the passenger is referred to by referring to the memory means. Transmitted through, when there arises a calling via the call means, the hands-free communication via the information input unit is instructed, and when detecting that there are passenger, see the memory means Then, a voice message corresponding to the passenger is transmitted through the call means .

  According to the vehicle-mounted call device according to the present invention, when there is a passenger when performing a hands-free call when there is an incoming call (or outgoing call), a voice message corresponding to the passenger is sent to the caller outside the vehicle ( Or the called party). Therefore, since the call partner who is the caller (or the callee) can recognize that the passenger is present by the voice message, it is possible to make a call in consideration of the situation where the speaker on the vehicle side is placed. . This contributes to the protection of privacy and the like for the calling party.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an in-vehicle communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As will be described later, a part of the in-vehicle communication device 10 according to the present embodiment includes operations of devices such as an audio device, a navigation device, and an air conditioner mounted on a vehicle, function settings thereof, and operations / It is configured in the form of a control unit (also referred to as “head unit”) for displaying an operation state or the like according to the setting. The in-vehicle communication device 10 includes a telephone 11 (including a handset with a number button) and an antenna 11a for making and receiving calls as shown in the figure, a microphone 12 connected to the telephone 11, a speaker 13, and a telephone 11 An audio output unit 14 connected between the speaker 13 and the speaker 13, an operation unit 15 for inputting information to be instructed or set by the user, a passenger detection sensor 16 for detecting the presence or absence of a passenger, and a hand. A storage unit 17 for storing a predetermined voice message and other related information transmitted to the other party during a free call, and an LCD panel for displaying information on the telephone number and name of the other party And a control unit 19 operatively connected to each of the constituent members 11 to 18 (excluding the microphone 12 and the speaker 13). Eteiru.

  The telephone 11 may use either an in-vehicle telephone or a mobile telephone for the main body. The microphone 12 is disposed at an appropriate location (at least a position where the sound from the driver can be sufficiently picked up) in the ceiling portion of the vehicle interior, and the speaker 13 is provided at an appropriate location in the vehicle interior (at least by the driver). It is arranged at a position where the sound output can be sufficiently grasped. The microphone 12 and the speaker 13 are provided to perform a hands-free call related to the present invention. For example, the speaker 13 can also be used as a speaker for an in-vehicle audio apparatus. Moreover, as a medium constituting the storage unit 17, for example, a semiconductor memory such as a DRAM or a flash memory, a disk medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a DVD-ROM, or the like can be suitably used.

  In addition, as a basic operation, the audio output unit 14 performs digital / analog (D / A) conversion on an audio signal transmitted via the telephone 11 as necessary, and further amplifies and outputs the amplified signal to the speaker 13. It has a function. Furthermore, the audio output unit 14 substantially sets the level of the audio signal to be supplied to the speaker 13 based on the control from the control unit 19 during the period in which the audio message is transmitted to the other party as described later. It also has a “mute” function that reduces to zero (0) level. However, this “mute” function is used when performing a specific incoming call process and outgoing call process as will be described later.

  The passenger detection sensor 16 includes, for example, a seat sensor, a sound sensor, and the like, and is used to automatically detect that when the passenger rides. For example, when a seat sensor is used, the seat sensor is embedded in a seat (seat), and the weight (pressure) can be detected when a person sits on the seat. Therefore, the presence or absence of a passenger can be detected by providing this seat sensor in a seat other than the driver's seat.

  Of the above-described components, the control unit 19, the operation unit 15, the storage unit 17, and the display unit 18 constitute a "head unit", which is a console panel (not shown) in the vehicle cabin. The central part of the vehicle, that is, the driver and the passenger in the front passenger seat are arranged at substantially equal distances from each seat so that they can be operated. This head unit is incorporated in the console panel so that the operation unit 15 and the display unit 18 can be seen from the outside (the control unit 19 and the storage unit 17 are built in the unit and cannot be seen from the outside). The display unit 18 is disposed on the upper side of the panel, and the operation unit 15 is disposed on the lower side thereof.

  The operation unit 15 is provided with various operation keys. For example, various selection keys for selecting an operation mode for each in-vehicle device, and the function setting of the device is changed for each selected operation mode. For example, a joystick that can be operated in four or eight directions, a numeric key, a power key, and the like are further included. And a passenger setting key are provided. The hands-free call key functions as a “response key” for responding when an incoming call is received from the outside and an “end key” for disconnecting the telephone line when the hands-free call is terminated. Passenger setting key inputs passenger-related information for specifying the presence or absence of a passenger and the passenger (for example, specifying whether the passenger is a customer, family, friend, etc.) It is operated when doing.

  In addition, a voice message (information) prepared in advance corresponding to the passenger is stored in the storage unit 17, and information indicating whether there is a passenger or who is the passenger as the in-vehicle situation. Etc. For example, if there is a passenger, a voice message such as “I am currently driving and there is a passenger”, if the passenger is a customer, a voice message such as “I am currently driving and is with the customer”, In the case of a family member, a voice message such as “I am currently driving and with my family” is stored. Furthermore, passenger-related information is stored in the storage unit 17 as necessary. For example, when the passenger gets on, the driver appropriately operates the passenger setting key of the operation unit 15 and information indicating who the passenger is, together with information indicating the presence or absence of the passenger, etc. When input, these pieces of information are temporarily stored in the storage unit 17 via the control unit 19. The stored passenger-related information is used when necessary in the process of incoming call processing or outgoing call processing, as will be described later.

  The control unit 19 is constituted by a microcomputer or the like, and has a function of controlling incoming processing and outgoing processing related to a hands-free call performed by the apparatus 10 as processing related to the present invention, as will be described later.

  In the in-vehicle communication device 10 configured as described above, the telephone 11 is a “calling unit”, the voice output unit 14 is a “mute unit”, the operation unit 15 is an “information input unit”, and a passenger detection sensor. Reference numeral 16 corresponds to “sensor means”, storage section 17 corresponds to “memory means”, and control section 19 corresponds to “control means”.

  Hereinafter, an incoming call process related to a hands-free call performed by the in-vehicle call device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2 showing an example of the process flow.

  As a precondition, passenger-related information (information indicating at least who the passenger is) is based on the operation of the operation unit 15 (passenger setting key) by the driver when the passenger is present or gets on. It is assumed that it is set in advance and stored in the storage unit 17. The information indicating the presence or absence of a passenger may be set together with the above-mentioned passenger-related information, or may be detected by a passenger detection sensor 16 such as a seat sensor. The information may be used.

  First, in step S1, the control unit 19 detects that there is an incoming call via the telephone 11 (antenna 11a). At this time, based on the control from the control unit 19, a ring tone is output from the speaker 13 through the telephone 11 and the voice output unit 14, and the caller telephone is displayed on the screen of the display unit 18 as necessary. The number and the name of the caller are displayed.

  In the next step S2, the control unit 19 detects that the driver has operated the response key (hands-free call key) of the operation unit 15 to receive a call (hands-free call enabled state). At this time, the ringtone output from the speaker 13 via the telephone 11 and the voice output unit 14 is stopped based on the control from the control unit 19 (end of ringtone).

  In the next step S3, the control unit 19 refers to the passenger-related information stored in the storage unit 17 (information for instructing the presence or absence of a passenger) or the information detected by the passenger detection sensor 16, and It is determined whether there is a passenger (YES) or not (NO). If the determination result is YES, the process proceeds to step S4, and if the determination result is NO, the process skips to step S6.

  In the next step S4, the control unit 19 refers to the voice message information stored in the storage unit 17 and the passenger-related information (information indicating who the passenger is) and corresponds to the passenger. The selected voice message is selected and transmitted via the telephone 11 (antenna 11a). As a result, the caller outside the vehicle (the other party) can recognize the passenger from the voice message and who the passenger is, and can grasp the situation where the receiver is located. it can.

  In the next step S5, the control unit 19 determines whether or not the transmission of the voice message by the telephone 11 has been completed (YES) or not (NO). If the determination result is YES, the process proceeds to step S6, and if the determination result is NO, the process returns to step S4 and the above process is repeated.

  In the next step S <b> 6, a hands-free call using the telephone 11, the speaker 13, and the microphone 12 is performed based on the control from the control unit 19. At this time, since the other party knows the presence or absence of a passenger, if the passenger is present, the call can be made in consideration of the situation where the called party is placed. When the call is finished, the driver operates the end key (hands-free call key) of the operation unit 15 or the call partner hangs up to disconnect the telephone line. Then, this processing flow is “end”.

  As described above, according to the incoming call processing method (FIG. 2) performed by the on-vehicle call device 10 (FIG. 1) according to the present embodiment, when there is an incoming call (step S1), a hands-free call is instructed (step S1). Step S2) When it is detected that there is a passenger (Step S3), the voice message information stored in the storage unit 17 and the passenger-related information are referred to and a voice message corresponding to the passenger is sent. Transmission is made to the other party (caller) (step S4). In other words, as described above, depending on who is the passenger (customer, family, etc.), the contents of the voice message to the other party (for example, “I am currently driving and are with the customer”, “ I ’m driving and I ’m with my family. ”).

  As a result, the other party can recognize from the voice message that there is a passenger and who the passenger is, and based on the recognition, the callee (the speaker on the vehicle side) You can have a conversation in consideration of the situation. This greatly contributes to privacy and privacy protection for the other party. For example, to solve the inconvenience of talking about information that is inconvenient for customers (passengers) or listening to stories that the family (passengers) does not want to hear, as seen in the prior art Can do.

  In the incoming call processing method according to the above-described embodiment (FIG. 2), when a hands-free call is instructed at the time of an incoming call, the ringing tone is stopped at that time and the voice of the other party can be output from the speaker 13. There is also a possibility that contents related to privacy and the like may be output to the other party as a voice before sending a predetermined voice message when there is a passenger. The embodiments described below (FIGS. 3 and 4) are improvements.

  FIG. 3 shows another example of the incoming call processing related to the hands-free call performed by the in-vehicle call device 10. The preconditions are the same as in the case of the incoming call processing method (FIG. 2) according to the above-described embodiment.

  First, in step S11, it is detected that there is an incoming call in the same manner as in step S1 (FIG. 2) described above. At this time, a ring tone is output from the speaker 13, and a caller telephone number or the like is displayed on the screen of the display unit 18 as necessary.

  In the next step S12, the control unit 19 detects that the driver has operated the response key (hands-free call key) of the operation unit 15 to receive a call (hands-free call enabled state). At this time, based on the control from the control unit 19, the ring tone output from the speaker 13 via the telephone 11 and the voice output unit 14 is continuously output without being stopped.

  In the next step S13, it is determined whether or not the passenger is on board (YES) or not (NO) in the same manner as in step S3 (FIG. 2) described above. If the determination result is YES, the process proceeds to step S14, and if the determination result is NO, the process skips to step S18.

  In the next step S14, a voice message corresponding to the passenger is transmitted in the same manner as in step S4 (FIG. 2) described above. As a result, the caller outside the vehicle (the other party) can recognize the passenger from the voice message and who the passenger is, and can grasp the situation where the receiver is located. it can.

  While the voice message is being transmitted, the ring tone is continuously output from the speaker 13 via the telephone 11 and the voice output unit 14 based on the control from the control unit 19, while the “ The “mute” function prevents the speaker 13 from outputting the voice (speech sound) uttered by the other party during this period.

  In the next step S15, as in step S5 (FIG. 2) described above, it is determined whether transmission of the voice message has been completed (YES) or not (NO). If the determination result is YES, the process proceeds to step S16, and if the determination result is NO, the process returns to step S14 and the above process is repeated.

  In the next step S16, based on the control from the control unit 19, the ring tone continuously output from the speaker 13 via the telephone 11 and the voice output unit 14 is stopped (the ring tone ends), and the voice output unit 14 Stop the “Mute” function. At this point, the voice (speech sound) uttered by the other party can be output from the speaker 13.

  In the next step S17, a hands-free call is performed in the same manner as in step S6 (FIG. 2) described above. When the call is finished, the driver operates the end key (hands-free call key) of the operation unit 15 or the call partner hangs up to disconnect the telephone line, and the processing flow is “END”. .

  On the other hand, in step S18 (when there is no passenger), the ring tone that has been continuously output from the speaker 13 via the telephone 11 and the voice output unit 14 is stopped based on the control from the control unit 19 (end of ringing tone). . Then, the process proceeds to step S17.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of a calling process related to a hands-free call performed by the in-vehicle call device 10. The preconditions are the same as in the case of the incoming call processing method (FIGS. 2 and 3) according to the above-described embodiments.

  First, in step S21, the control unit 19 detects that there is a call via the telephone 11 (antenna 11a). At this time, a dial tone is output from the speaker 13 via the telephone 11 and the audio output unit 14 based on the control from the control unit 19.

  In the next step S22, the control unit 19 detects that the called party (calling party) has operated the response key to receive the call (hands-free call possible state). At this time, based on the control from the control unit 19, the dial tone output from the speaker 13 via the telephone 11 and the voice output unit 14 is continuously output as it is without being stopped.

  In the next step S23, it is determined whether or not the passenger is on board (YES) or not (NO) in the same manner as in step S13 (FIG. 3) described above. If the determination result is YES, the process proceeds to step S24, and if the determination result is NO, the process skips to step S28.

  In the next step S24, a voice message corresponding to the passenger is transmitted in the same manner as in step S14 (FIG. 3) described above. As a result, the caller outside the vehicle (the other party) can recognize the passenger from the voice message and who the passenger is, and can grasp the situation where the receiver is located. it can.

  While the voice message is being transmitted, the dial tone is continuously output from the speaker 13 via the telephone 11 and the voice output unit 14 based on the control from the control unit 19, while the voice output unit 14 The “mute” function prevents the speaker 13 from outputting the voice (speech sound) uttered by the other party during this period.

  In the next step S25, as in step S15 (FIG. 3) described above, it is determined whether transmission of the voice message has ended (YES) or not (NO). If the determination result is YES, the process proceeds to step S26, and if the determination result is NO, the process returns to step S24 and the above process is repeated.

  In the next step S26, based on the control from the control unit 19, the dial tone continuously output from the speaker 13 via the telephone 11 and the voice output unit 14 is stopped (the dial tone ends), and the voice output unit 14 Stop the “Mute” function. At this point, the voice (speech sound) uttered by the other party can be output from the speaker 13.

  In the next step S27, a hands-free call is performed in the same manner as in step S17 (FIG. 3) described above. When the call is finished, the driver operates the end key (hands-free call key) of the operation unit 15 or the call partner hangs up to disconnect the telephone line, and the processing flow is “END”. .

  On the other hand, in step S28 (when there is no passenger), based on the control from the control unit 19, the dial tone continuously output from the speaker 13 via the telephone 11 and the voice output unit 14 is stopped (end dial tone). . Then, the process proceeds to step S27.

  As described above, in the incoming call processing (outgoing processing) method according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 (FIG. 4), even if a hands-free call is instructed at the time of incoming (outgoing), the ringtone (outgoing tone) is not generated at that time. Since the voice of the other party is not output from the speaker 13 (mute state) until the transmission of the voice message is completed when the passenger is present, the voice of the other party is not output from the speaker 13. It is possible to eliminate the possibility that the content related to etc. will be output as audio.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle-mounted telephone apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the incoming call process concerning the hands-free call which the vehicle-mounted call apparatus of FIG. 1 performs. It is a flowchart which shows the other example of the incoming call process which concerns on the hands-free telephone call which the vehicle-mounted telephone apparatus of FIG. 1 performs. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the transmission process which concerns on the hands-free telephone call which the vehicle-mounted telephone apparatus of FIG. 1 performs.

Explanation of symbols

10: In-vehicle communication device,
11 ... Telephone (calling means),
12 ... Microphone,
13 ... Speaker,
14 ... Audio output unit (mute means),
15 ... operation part (information input means),
16 ... Passenger detection sensor (sensor means),
17 ... Storage part (memory means),
18 ... display part,
19: Control unit (control means).

Claims (6)

An in-vehicle communication device adapted to perform a hands-free call using a speaker and a microphone in a vehicle interior,
Call means connected to the speaker and microphone for making and receiving calls; and
Information input means for inputting information to be instructed or set by the user;
Memory means for storing voice messages prepared in advance for passengers;
Control means operably connected to the call means, information input means and memory means,
Wherein when there is an incoming call via the call means, when the hands-free communication via the information input unit is instructed, and detects that there are passenger, see the memory means Then, a voice message corresponding to the passenger is transmitted via the calling means ,
When a call is made via the call means, a hands-free call is instructed via the information input means and when it is detected that there is a passenger, the passenger is referred to the memory means. An in- vehicle call device characterized by transmitting a voice message corresponding to the above through the call means . The memory means further stores passenger-related information including information indicating presence / absence of a passenger set via the information input means and information specifying the passenger,
The in-vehicle communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit transmits a voice message corresponding to the passenger based on the passenger-related information. It further comprises sensor means for detecting the presence or absence of a passenger,
The in-vehicle communication device according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit transmits a voice message corresponding to the passenger based on the detection result of the sensor unit and the passenger related information. 2. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1 , further comprising a mute unit that reduces an audio signal output to the speaker through the call unit to a substantially zero level based on control from the control unit. Communication device. The control means continuously outputs a ringtone from the speaker via the call means and activates the mute means while transmitting the voice message when there is an incoming call. The in-vehicle communication device according to claim 4 . The control means continuously outputs a dial tone from the speaker via the call means and activates the mute means while transmitting the voice message when there is a call. The in-vehicle communication device according to claim 4 .

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