JP4946759B2 - Sound emission and collection system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sound emission and collection device that collects sound and emits sound, and a sound emission and collection system that connects the sound emission and collection device to a network.

  Conventionally, an apparatus for performing an intercom call has been proposed. In the intercom call, it is common to have a simultaneous call function that allows other terminals to be called all at once and to call all terminals.

However, if all terminals can talk at the same time, users who do not want to talk on the phone will participate in the call and privacy will be lost. Therefore, an intercom apparatus having a function of canceling voice transmission (transmission) from its own terminal to another terminal has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP-A-11-275238

  However, in the apparatus of Patent Document 1, it is not possible to cancel the voice (receiving call) from another terminal to the own terminal.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a sound emission and collection system that can block both transmission and reception according to the needs of a user.

  The sound emission and collection system according to the present invention is a sound emission and collection device connected to another device via a network, and calls a sound collection unit that collects sound and a sound emission unit that emits sound. An individual call operation unit for designating a device, a simultaneous call operation unit for instructing to call all devices, a shut-off operation unit for instructing to shut off from other devices, a device designated by the individual call operation unit, or the simultaneous call A control unit that transmits the collected sound to all devices instructed to be called by the call operation unit, and receives and emits the sound from the device, and the control unit is blocked by the blocking operation unit. When instructed, the voice received from the other device is not emitted, and the collected voice is not transmitted to the other device.

  In this configuration, an individual call operation unit that calls a specific terminal, a simultaneous call operation unit that calls all terminals, and a blocking operation unit that instructs blocking are provided. When blocking is instructed, the sound of other terminals is not emitted.

Further, according to the present invention, when the control unit receives a voice related to an individual call from another device in a state where the cutoff operation unit is instructed to shut down, the control unit emits a ringtone voice , When a voice related to a general call is received from another device, the voice of the ringtone is not emitted .

  In this configuration, even if the interruption is instructed, a ringing tone is emitted if there is an individual call. For this reason, it is possible to confirm that a call has been received even during the interruption.

  In addition, the present invention further includes an utterance detection unit that performs utterance detection, and the control unit, when the utterance detection unit performs utterance detection, assumes that all devices are called and collects sound to all devices. The voice is transmitted, and the voice is received and emitted from the apparatus.

  In this configuration, simultaneous calling is performed by detecting an utterance. Individual calls and blocking instructions are manually made by the user, and simultaneous calls are automatically made by speech.

Further, the present invention is further characterized by comprising a table radical 113 that displays in that the own device is a paging in, and that is in a separate call individually distinguished.

  In this configuration, it is possible to confirm from which terminal the call has been made by the display unit. As the display unit, an LCD touch panel, an LED built in the operation unit, or the like is used.

Further, according to the present invention, the control unit transmits information indicating that the terminal is in a blocked state to the other terminals when the blocking instruction is given by the blocking operation unit, and displays the display. When the blocking instruction is given by the blocking operation unit, the unit displays that the own device is in a blocking state, and receives information indicating that the own terminal is blocked from another terminal And displaying that the other device is in a shut-off state.

  In this configuration, it is displayed that the own device and the other device are in a cut-off state.

  According to the present invention, both transmission and reception can be blocked as required by the user, and privacy can be maintained.

  Hereinafter, a sound emission and collection system will be described as an embodiment according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a sound emission and collection system. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an appearance of a terminal used in the sound emission and collection system. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the terminal.

  This sound emission and collection system is used for intercom calls between terminals installed in each room, and calls can be made by calling other terminals simultaneously from each terminal by user operation, or specific terminals can be called individually. And making a phone call.

  This sound emission and collection system is realized by a plurality of terminals connected via a PLC (PowerLine Communications) network. Note that the network mode in the present invention is not limited to the PLC. In this embodiment, an A / D converter, a D / A converter, and the like are omitted, and unless otherwise specified, all audio signals transmitted through the apparatus are digital audio signals. In FIG. 2, the upper side of the paper is the back direction of the terminal, the lower side of the paper is the front direction of the terminal, the right side of the paper is the left surface direction of the terminal, and the left side of the paper is the right surface direction of the terminal.

  In FIG. 1, this sound emission and collection system includes a plurality (three in the figure) of terminals 1 to 3. Terminals 1 to 3 are installed in rooms A to C, respectively. The terminals 1 to 3 all have the same configuration and functions, and in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the configuration of the terminal 1 is shown as a representative. Note that the number of terminals is not limited to this example.

  The terminal 1 includes a speaker 11A, a speaker 11B, a speaker 11C, a microphone 12A, a microphone 12B, a microphone 13, a sound collection processing unit 30, an echo canceller 4, a control unit 5, a sound emission processing unit 7, an input / output interface (I / F). ) 9, an operation unit 15 and a display unit 17 are provided.

  The terminal 1 is composed of a compact rectangular parallelepiped housing whose shape when viewed from the top is a square (or rectangular) having a side of about 15 cm, and the microphone 12A, the microphone 12B, and the microphone 13 are covered with a mesh steel plate. It is provided at the center position of the upper surface of the housing. The speaker 11A, the speaker 11B, and the speaker 11C are provided on the upper surface of the housing at an equal distance from the housing center by 120 degrees. Although not shown, the speaker 11A, the speaker 11B, and the speaker 11C are also covered with a mesh steel plate.

  The operation unit 15 is provided in the vicinity of the front end of the upper surface of the housing, and transmits an operation signal to the control unit 5 in accordance with an operation performed by the user. The controller 5 performs various operations according to the input operation signal. The operation unit 15 includes a simultaneous call button 151, individual call buttons 152 to 154, and shutter buttons (a close button 155 and an open button 156). Each button has a built-in LED, and functions as a display unit by turning on and blinking. The LEDs provided on these buttons realize the function of the display unit 17 shown in FIG. Note that the operation unit and the display unit may be configured by an LCD touch panel.

  When the user presses the general call button 151, the terminal 1 calls all other terminals, and when the user presses the individual call buttons 152 to 154, the terminal 1 calls a specific terminal (terminal specified by the user). When the user presses the close button 155, the voices of the terminal and other terminals are blocked. Details will be described later.

  The input / output I / F 9 is provided on the front surface of the housing, and includes a power cable, an audio input terminal, and the like. Since this terminal is a terminal that performs network communication by PLC, a power cable connected to a household outlet becomes a network I / F. The terminal 1 inputs and outputs audio signals from these I / Fs. In FIG. 1, a terminal 1 transmits / receives an audio signal as audio information conforming to a predetermined protocol with other terminals in the network via an input / output I / F 9. The terminal 1 transmits voice information to all terminals (terminal 2 and terminal 3) in the network at the time of simultaneous calling. At the time of individual call, voice information is transmitted to a specific terminal (terminal 2 or terminal 3).

  In addition, the terminal 1 inputs an audio signal (analog or digital audio signal) from the audio input terminal of the input / output I / F 9 and emits sound using the speakers 11A to 11C. Send to the terminal. The arrangement of the operation unit 15 and the input / output I / F 9 is not limited to the example shown in FIG.

  The microphone 12A and the microphone 12B are bidirectional microphones. The microphone 13 is an omnidirectional microphone. The audio signal collected by these microphones is input to the sound collection processing unit 30. The sound collection processing unit 30 includes an amplifier 32A that amplifies the sound signal collected by the microphone 12A, an amplifier 32B that amplifies the sound signal collected by the microphone 12B, an amplifier 33 that amplifies the sound signal collected by the microphone 13, A post processor 35 is provided for adding the audio signals amplified by the amplifier and outputting them to the echo canceller 4 at the subsequent stage.

  The amplification amount of each amplifier and the addition mode of the post processor 35 are set by the control unit 5. When the control unit 5 performs these settings, sound collecting directivity in a plurality of directions can be provided around the casing of the terminal 1. That is, the directivity can be controlled by controlling the amplification amount and phase of an audio signal collected from a plurality of sound collection areas around the apparatus. For example, if the amplification amount of the audio signal collected by the microphone 12A and the amplification amount of the audio signal collected by the microphone 13 are set to be the same and the amplification amount of the microphone 12B is set to zero, the sound in the area in the rear side of the housing is emphasized. Directionality is set in the direction. In the present invention, it is not essential to set the directivity of the microphone.

  In FIG. 3, the echo canceller 4 inputs audio signals supplied from the sound emission processing unit 7 to the speakers 11A, 11B, and 11C. Each of these input signals is filtered and subtracted from the collected sound signal to remove the echo component. FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the echo canceller 4.

The echo canceller 4 includes an echo canceller 4A, 4B, 4C that inputs audio signals supplied to the speakers 11A, 11B, 11C, and an adder 43 that adds the signals output from the echo cancellers 4A, 4B, 4C, respectively. Yes. The echo cancellers 4A, 4B, and 4C all have the same configuration and function. Hereinafter, the configuration and function of the echo canceller 4A will be described as a representative. The echo canceller 4A includes an adaptive filter 41A and an adder 42A, and inputs an audio signal supplied from the sound emission processing unit 7 to the speaker 11A to the adaptive filter 41A. The adaptive filter 41A filters this audio signal, and generates a pseudo regression sound signal that simulates the regression audio signal that circulates from the speaker to the microphone. The adder 42A removes the echo component by subtracting the pseudo regression sound signal from the collected sound signal. The collected sound signal from which the echo component has been removed is input to the adder 43. Similarly, the echo components are removed from the collected sound signals in the echo cancellers 4B and 4C and input to the adder 43. The adder 43 adds these signals and transmits them to other terminals via the input / output I / F 9. The collected sound signal from which the echo component has been removed is input to the adaptive filter 41A and used to update the filter coefficient.
The echo canceller 4 is not an essential component in the present invention. However, since the echo canceller 4 removes echo components, the echo canceller 4 is suitable for a voice conference or the like using a plurality of terminals.

  The sound emission processing unit 7 includes a delay 71A, a delay 71B, a delay 71C, an amplifier 72A, an amplifier 72B, and an amplifier 72C. The delay amount of each delay and the amplification amount of each amplifier are set by the control unit 5. By making these settings, the control unit 5 can set a virtual sound source at a specific position around the apparatus. The number of speakers and the manner of arrangement are not limited to this example, and it is not essential to set a virtual sound source in the present invention.

  Next, the operation of the sound emission and collection system will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example (Example 1) of the operation of the sound emission and collection system. The leftmost column of the table shown in the figure shows the headings (connection states 1 to 4) of each state, and the right column (connection state) shows the transmission / reception state of the sound information in the sound emission and collection system. The columns (terminal 1, terminal 2, terminal 3) indicate the states of the operation unit and display unit of each terminal. Note that the display mode (color, lighting, blinking, etc.) of the display unit is not limited to the examples of FIGS.

  First, in the state 1 of FIG. 5, all the terminals are in a disconnected state. At this time, the simultaneous call buttons 151 of all the terminals are lit in green. Among the individual call buttons, a button indicating its own terminal is lit in blue, and buttons indicating other terminals are lit in green. For example, in the terminal 1, the individual call button 152 is lit in blue, and the individual call button 153 and the individual call button 154 are lit in green. Of the shutter buttons, the close button 155 is not lit, and the open button 156 is lit green.

  In this state, when the user of the terminal 1 presses the general call button 151, the control unit 5 of the terminal 1 sets to transmit the sound collected by the terminal 1 to all other terminals (transition to state 2). To do). That is, the terminal 1 calls all the terminals in the network all at once. At this time, the control unit 5 causes the general call button 151 of the terminal 1 to blink. Moreover, the control part 5 of the terminal 2 and the terminal 3 makes the individual call button 152 blink. The user of the terminal 1 can confirm that the own terminal is in the simultaneous calling state because the simultaneous calling button 151 blinks. In addition, the user of the terminal 2 and the terminal 3 can confirm that the call is received from the terminal 1 because the individual call button 152 that is a button of the terminal 1 blinks.

  Next, when the user of the terminal 2 presses the simultaneous call button 151, the control unit 5 of the terminal 2 sets to transmit the sound collected by the terminal 2 to all other terminals (the state 3 is shifted to). ). That is, the terminal 2 calls all the terminals in the network all at once. As a result, voices are transmitted and received between the terminal 1 and the terminal 2, and the voice collected by the terminal 1 and the voice collected by the terminal 2 are emitted from the terminal 3. At this time, the control unit 5 of the terminal 1 causes the simultaneous call button 151 and the individual call button 153 to blink. In addition, the control unit 5 of the terminal 2 causes the simultaneous call button 151 and the individual call button 152 to blink. In addition, the control unit 5 of the terminal 3 causes the individual call button 152 and the individual call button 153 to blink. Since the user of the terminal 1 blinks the general call button 151 and the individual call button 153 that is a button of the terminal 2, it can confirm that the terminal 1 and the terminal 2 are in the simultaneous call state. Further, the user of the terminal 2 confirms that the general call button 151 and the individual call button 152 that is the button of the terminal 1 blink, so that the terminal is in the general call state and receives a call from the terminal 1. be able to. Further, the user of the terminal 3 confirms that the call is received from the terminal 1 and the terminal 2 because the individual call button 152 that is the button of the terminal 1 and the individual call button 153 that is the button of the terminal 2 blink. be able to.

  Next, when the user of the terminal 3 presses the simultaneous call button 151, the control unit 5 of the terminal 3 sets to transmit the sound collected by the terminal 3 to all other terminals (the state shifts to state 4). ). That is, the terminal 3 calls all the terminals in the network all at once. As a result, the terminal 1, the terminal 2, and the terminal 3 can transmit and receive audio to and from each other. At this time, the control unit 5 of the terminal 1 causes the simultaneous call button 151, the individual call button 153, and the individual call button 154 to blink. In addition, the control unit 5 of the terminal 2 causes the simultaneous call button 151, the individual call button 152, and the individual call button 154 to blink. Further, the control unit 5 of the terminal 3 causes the simultaneous call button 151, the individual call button 152, and the individual call button 153 to blink. The user of the terminal 1 blinks the general call button 151, the individual call button 153 that is the button of the terminal 2, and the individual call button 154 that is the button of the terminal 3, so that the own terminal, the terminal 2, and the terminal 3 are in the simultaneous call state It can be confirmed. In addition, since the user of the terminal 2 blinks the simultaneous call button 151, the individual call button 152 that is the button of the terminal 1, and the individual call button 154 that is the button of the terminal 3, the terminal 2, the terminal 1, and the terminal 3 are simultaneously broadcast. It can be confirmed that it is in a calling state. In addition, since the user of the terminal 3 blinks the simultaneous call button 151, the individual call button 152 that is a button of the terminal 1, and the individual call button 153 that is a button of the terminal 2, the terminal 3, the terminal 1, and the terminal 2 are simultaneously broadcasted. It can be confirmed that it is in a calling state. Thus, the user of each terminal can confirm that all terminals in the network are connected.

  Next, in the state 1 of FIG. 6, all the terminals are in a disconnected state. This state is the same as the state 1 shown in FIG. In this state, when the user of the terminal 1 presses the shutter button (close button 155), the control unit 5 of the terminal 1 sets so as not to emit sound received from other terminals (transition to state 2). . At this time, the control unit 5 of the terminal 1 lights the close button 155 in amber and puts the open button 156 in a no-light state. Here, the control unit 5 of the terminal 1 transmits information indicating that the terminal is in a blocked state to all other terminals. When receiving this information, the control unit 5 of the terminal 2 lights the individual call button 152 in amber. Moreover, the control part 5 of the terminal 3 lights the individual call button 152 to amber. The user of the terminal 1 can confirm that the own terminal is blocked (the sound of other terminals is not emitted) because the close button 155 is lit in amber. Further, the user of the terminal 2 and the terminal 3 may confirm that the terminal 1 is blocked because the individual call button 152 that is a button of the terminal 1 is lit, and that no sound is emitted from the terminal 1. it can.

  In this state, when the user of the terminal 2 presses the general call button 151, the control unit 5 of the terminal 2 sets to transmit the sound collected by the terminal 2 to all other terminals (transition to state 3). To do). That is, the terminal 2 calls all the terminals in the network all at once. Here, the terminal 1 is set not to emit the sound received from other terminals, and the sound of the terminal 2 is not emitted by the terminal 1. On the other hand, at the terminal 3, the sound collected by the terminal 2 is emitted.

  At this time, the control unit 5 of the terminal 1 causes the individual call button 153 to blink. Further, the control unit 5 of the terminal 2 causes the simultaneous call button 151 to blink. In addition, the control unit 5 of the terminal 3 causes the individual call button 153 to blink. Although the user of the terminal 1 does not hear the voice of the terminal 2, the individual call button 153 that is a button of the terminal 2 blinks, so that it can be confirmed that the terminal 2 is in a simultaneous call state. Further, the user of the terminal 2 can confirm that the own terminal is in the simultaneous calling state because the simultaneous calling button 151 blinks. Further, the user of the terminal 3 can confirm that the call is received from the terminal 2 because the individual call button 153 that is a button of the terminal 2 blinks.

  Next, when the user of the terminal 1 presses the shutter button (the close button 155 or the open button 156), the control unit 5 of the terminal 1 sets to emit sound received from other terminals (to state 4). Transition). As a result, the voice of the terminal 2 is emitted from the terminal 1. At this time, the control unit 5 of the terminal 1 turns off the close button 155 and lights the open button 156 in green. Further, the control unit 5 of the terminal 2 lights the individual call button 152 in green. In addition, the control unit 5 of the terminal 3 lights the individual call button 152 in green. The user of the terminal 1 confirms that the closing of the own terminal is released (the sound of other terminals is emitted) because the close button 155 is turned off and the open button 156 is lit green. Can do. Further, the user of the terminal 2 and the terminal 3 confirms that since the individual call button 152 which is the button of the terminal 1 is lit in green, the terminal 1 is released from being blocked and the sound is emitted from the terminal 1. Can do.

  Next, in the state 1 of FIG. 7, all the terminals are in a disconnected state, and the control unit 5 of the terminal 1 is set so as not to emit sound received from other terminals. That is, it is the same as the state 2 in FIG. In this state, when the user of the terminal 2 presses the individual call button 152, the control unit 5 of the terminal 2 calls the terminal 1 (transitions to the state 2). In addition, the control part 5 of the terminal 2 emits a ringing tone from the speakers 11A to 11C when calling an individual terminal. The voice data of the ringing tone is stored in a memory (not shown), and the controller 5 reads it and emits the sound. At this time, a voice is transmitted from the terminal 2 to the terminal 1, but the terminal 1 does not emit the voice but sounds a ringtone. That is, when receiving the voice information from the input / output I / F 9, the control unit 5 of the terminal 1 reads out and plays the ring tone voice data from the memory, and emits the sound from the speakers 11 </ b> A to 11 </ b> C. At this time, the control unit 5 of the terminal 1 causes the individual call button 153 to blink. The control unit 5 of the terminal 2 causes the individual call button 152 to blink. Further, the control unit 5 of the terminal 3 causes the individual call button 152 and the individual call button 153 to blink slowly.

  Although the user of the terminal 1 does not hear the voice of the terminal 2, the ringing tone sounds and the individual call button 153 blinks, so that it can be confirmed that an individual call is received from the terminal 2. In addition, the user of the terminal 2 can confirm that the terminal 1 is being called because the ringing tone sounds and the individual call button 152 blinks. Further, the user of the terminal 3 can confirm that the terminal 1 and the terminal 2 are individually calling because the individual call button 152 and the individual call button 153 blink slowly.

  Next, when the user of the terminal 1 presses the individual call button 153 and instructs the terminal 2 to respond, the control unit 5 of the terminal 1 sets to emit sound received from the terminal 2 (to state 3). Transition). As a result, the voice of the terminal 2 is emitted by the terminal 1, and an individual call is performed between the terminal 1 and the terminal 2. At this time, the control unit 5 of the terminal 1 turns off the close button 155 and lights the open button 156 in green. Further, the individual call button 153 is set in a slow blinking state. In addition, the control unit 5 of the terminal 2 sets the individual call button 152 in a slow blinking state of green. In addition, the control unit 5 of the terminal 3 sets the individual call button 152 in the slow blinking state of green and the individual call button 153 in the slow blinking state. The user of the terminal 1 turns off the close button 155, turns the open button 156 green, and the individual call button 153 blinks slowly. You can see what you are doing. In addition, the user of the terminal 2 can confirm that the individual call with the terminal 1 is being performed because the individual call button 152 that is a button of the terminal 1 is in a slowly blinking green state. In addition, the user of the terminal 3 can confirm that the terminal 1 and the terminal 2 are making an individual call because the individual call button 152 and the individual call button 153 are in a slowly blinking green state.

  As described above, the terminal according to the present embodiment is provided with a general call button, an individual call button, and an open / close button, and can be freely instructed to call other terminals and to be blocked from other terminals. Privacy can be maintained while maintaining. Each button can be lit and flashed in various ways to check the status of the own terminal, the status of other terminals, and the terminal being called. In addition, if there is an individual call even during the interruption, the ringing tone is sounded, so that the individual call from other users is not hindered.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which all terminals are called by the simultaneous call button 151 has been described. However, all the terminals may be called when speech detection is performed. That is, the sound collection processing unit 30 detects the signal level, and transmits speech detection information to the control unit 5 assuming that speech is detected if there is an input equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. When the utterance detection information is received, the control unit 5 transmits voice information to all terminals.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a sound emission and collection system. It is a figure which shows the external appearance of a terminal. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a terminal. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an echo canceller 4. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example (Example 1) of operation | movement of a sound emission and collection system. It is a figure which shows the other example (Example 2) of operation | movement of a sound emission and collection system. It is a figure which shows the other example (Example 3) of operation | movement of a sound emission and collection system.

Explanation of symbols

1-terminal 9-input / output I / F
12A, 12B, 13-Microphones 11A, 11B, 11C-Speaker 15-Operation unit 17-Display unit

Claims (5)

A sound emission / collection system comprising a plurality of sound emission / collection devices connected via a network,
The sound emission and collection device includes a sound collection unit that collects sound;
A sound emission part that emits sound;
An individual call operation unit for specifying a device to be called;
A general call operation unit for instructing to call all devices;
A shut-off operation unit for instructing shut-off from other devices;
A control unit that transmits the collected sound to the device designated by the individual call operation unit or all the devices designated to be called by the simultaneous call operation unit, and receives and emits the sound from the device;
With
The control unit does not emit the sound received from another device and does not transmit the collected sound to the other device when the shut-off operation unit is instructed to shut off. Sound system. When the control unit receives a voice related to an individual call from another device in a state in which the cutoff operation unit is instructed to shut down, the control unit emits a sound of a ringing tone and performs a simultaneous call from another device. The sound emission and collection system according to claim 1 , wherein when the voice is received, the voice of the ringtone is not emitted . An utterance detection unit that detects utterances
When the utterance detection unit detects the utterance, the control unit transmits the collected sound to all the devices and receives the sound from the devices and emits the sound, assuming that all the devices are called. The sound emission and collection system according to claim 1 or 2. Claim 1, claim 2 or the sound emission and collection system according to claim 3, which includes a table radical 113 that displays in that the own device is a paging in, and that is in a separate call individually distinguished. The control unit transmits information indicating that the terminal is in a blocked state to all other terminals when a blocking instruction is given by the blocking operation unit,
The display unit displays that the own device is in a blocking state when the blocking operation unit is instructed to block ,
The sound emission and collection system according to claim 4 , wherein when the information indicating that the terminal is in a blocked state is received from another terminal, the other device is displayed in a blocked state.

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