JP5890289B2 - Portable terminal, voice control program, and voice control method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable terminal, a voice control program, and a voice control method, and more particularly, to a portable terminal, a voice control program, and a voice control method used for, for example, an Internet call.

  An example of background art is disclosed in Patent Document 1. In the remote conference system of Patent Document 1, a plurality of conference rooms are provided at remote locations, and each conference room is provided with one conference terminal connected to the LAN.

  Another example of the background art is disclosed in Patent Document 2. The conference system of Patent Document 2 is installed at each base and includes a conference terminal device. A plurality of microphones are connected to the conference terminal device, one microphone is selected from the plurality of microphones according to a selection algorithm included in the conference control program, and audio signals corresponding to microphones other than the selected microphone are ignored. . Accordingly, the number of input audio signals is limited to one, and the conference always proceeds based on the voice of one speaker at each site.

Another example of the background art is disclosed in Patent Document 3. In the communication system disclosed in Patent Document 3, a marker indicating (instructing) a reference position makes a determination within a communication permission range of a certain portable information terminal, and based on the determination result, the notification unit of the marker has already entered the network. The other portable information terminals participating are instructed to notify the state of the communication environment in which the portable information terminal to be determined is placed. As a result, it is possible to easily confirm what kind of user (for example, what security policy is set, etc.) as a user of the portable state terminal that has already joined the network. Unauthorized access can be suppressed.
JP2007-60460A [H04M 3/56, H04R 3/00, H04R 1/40] JP 2006-211504 A [H04M 3/56, H04M 11/00, H04N 7/15] JP 2009-278471 A [H04W 4/02, H04W 84/12, H04W 12/00, H04W 64/00, H04W 88/02]

  However, the conference systems of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 install one conference terminal (conference terminal) at each point (base), and the Internet in which users who participate in the conference use mobile terminals respectively. It is not intended to be used for conferences over calls. Therefore, for example, when a plurality of users at a certain point meet with users at other points, when there are a plurality of users at a certain point in the vicinity, When one or more people mute the microphone of the mobile terminal, other users need to mute the microphone of their own mobile terminal or leave the user who muted the microphone of the mobile terminal. This is because the voice of the user who has muted the microphone of the mobile terminal is input through the microphone of the mobile terminal of another user in the vicinity and is heard by the user existing at another point.

  In addition, the communication system of Patent Document 3 simply instructs the other portable information terminals already participating in the network to notify the status of the communication environment in which the portable information terminal to be determined is placed. Setting according to the state of the communication environment is not automatically performed. For example, a user who knows unauthorized access needs to perform an operation such as ending communication, which is troublesome.

  Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide a novel portable terminal, voice control program, and voice control method.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a mobile terminal, a sound control program, and a sound control method capable of appropriately controlling mute.

  The present invention employs the following configuration in order to solve the above problems. The reference numerals in parentheses, supplementary explanations, and the like indicate the corresponding relationship with the embodiments described in order to help understanding of the present invention, and do not limit the present invention.

  A first aspect of the present invention is a portable terminal that transmits voice data corresponding to a user's voice input through a microphone to a network and outputs the other party's voice data received from the network from a speaker. When there is a distance detection unit that detects a distance to another terminal and another terminal whose distance detected by the distance detection unit is less than a predetermined distance, and the microphone of the other terminal is muted The mobile terminal includes a voice control unit that mutes its own microphone.

  In the first aspect, the portable terminal (10) transmits voice data corresponding to the user's voice input through the microphone (20) to the network (52, 54), and the voice data of the other party received from the network. Is output from the speaker (26). A distance detection part (12, 14, 42, S51-S75) detects the distance with another terminal. In the voice control unit (12, S5, S11, S13, S15), when there is another terminal whose distance detected by the distance detection unit is less than the predetermined distance, the microphone of the other terminal is muted. If so, mute your own microphone. For example, the predetermined distance is a distance by which the voice of the user of the portable terminal or the user of another terminal is input from the microphone of the other terminal as well as the microphone of the own terminal.

  According to the first aspect, when there is another terminal in which the microphone is muted within a predetermined distance, the own microphone is muted, so that mute control can be performed without the user being aware. Therefore, the confidentiality of the utterance of the user who has set the microphone to mute can be ensured.

  The second mode is dependent on the first mode, and the distance detected by the distance detection unit when the operation detection unit for detecting the user's operation and the operation for muting the microphone by the operation detection unit are detected. Is further provided with a notification unit that notifies other terminals that are less than the predetermined distance that their own microphone has been muted.

  In the second aspect, the operation detection unit (12, 28) detects a user operation. When the notification unit (12, 14, 38, S25, S35) detects an operation of muting its own microphone by the operation detection unit, the notification unit (12, 14, 38, S25, S35), to other terminals whose distance detected by the distance detection unit is less than a predetermined distance, Notify that the microphone has been muted (in the embodiment, “microphone mute setting information”). That is, it is notified that other terminals in the vicinity have muted the microphone.

  According to the second aspect, the other terminal in the vicinity is notified that its own microphone has been muted, so that the other terminal can mute the microphone accordingly.

  The third aspect is dependent on the second aspect, and the notification unit detects the operation of canceling mute of its own microphone by the operation detection unit, and the distance detected by the distance detection unit is less than the predetermined distance. Notify other terminals that the microphone has been unmuted.

  In the third aspect, when the notification unit detects an operation for canceling mute of its own microphone by the operation detection unit, the notification unit cancels mute of its own microphone to other terminals in the vicinity whose distance is less than the predetermined distance. Notify you.

  According to the third aspect, it is possible to notify other nearby terminals that the mute of the microphone has been released.

  The fourth aspect is dependent on any of the first to third aspects, and the voice control unit mutes its own microphone in response to the mute of the other terminal being muted, and then less than a predetermined distance. When there is no other terminal whose microphone is muted, the mute of its own microphone is released.

  In the fourth aspect, when the voice control unit has muted its own microphone in response to the microphone of the other terminal being muted, there is no other terminal whose microphone is muted within a predetermined distance. And unmute the microphone itself. If your microphone is muted in response to the microphone of another nearby device being muted, the other device no longer exists in the vicinity, or the other device releases the microphone mute. If this happens, your microphone will be unmuted.

  According to the fourth aspect, mute can be canceled without the user being aware of it.

  A fifth aspect is dependent on any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the distance detection unit includes a transmission / reception unit that transmits / receives a signal including time information, and the distance detection unit is a transmission / reception unit from another terminal. When the signal is received, the distance to the other terminal is calculated based on the time information included in the signal.

  In the fifth aspect, the distance detection unit includes a transmission / reception unit (12, 42, S59, S65), and the transmission / reception unit transmits / receives a signal including time information to / from a nearby terminal. When the transmission / reception unit receives a signal from another terminal, the distance detection unit calculates a distance from the other terminal based on time information included in the signal. Specifically, the difference between the time information (time of transmission) included in the received signal and the time of reception of the signal (time) is obtained, and the distance between the terminals is calculated by multiplying the time by the sound speed. Calculate (measure).

  According to the 5th aspect, the distance between terminals can be measured comparatively correctly by transmitting / receiving a signal.

  A 6th aspect depends on a 5th aspect, and a transmission / reception part transmits / receives a signal, when the connected base station or the other terminal with the same access point exists.

  In the sixth aspect, the transmission / reception unit transmits / receives a signal when there is another terminal having the same base station or access point connected thereto. In other words, an approximate distance is captured, and an accurate distance is measured when it is close to a certain distance.

  According to the sixth aspect, since an accurate distance is measured step by step, it is not necessary to transmit / receive a signal when an approximate positional relationship is captured and no other terminal is located nearby. . That is, useless power consumption can be suppressed.

  A seventh aspect is a voice control program for a portable terminal that transmits voice data corresponding to a user's voice input through a microphone to a network and outputs the other party's voice data received from the network from a speaker. When there is a distance detection step for detecting a distance from another terminal in the processor of the portable terminal and another terminal whose distance detected in the distance detection step is less than a predetermined distance, the microphone of the other terminal is A sound control program for executing a sound control step for muting its own microphone when it is muted.

  An eighth aspect is a computer voice control method for transmitting voice data corresponding to a user's voice input through a microphone to a network and outputting the voice data of the other party received from the network from a speaker. The computer (a) detects the distance to the other terminal, and (b) when there is another terminal whose distance detected in step (a) is less than the predetermined distance, the microphone of the other terminal is This is an audio control method for muting its own microphone when it is muted.

  In the seventh and eighth aspects, similarly to the first aspect, the mute control can be performed without the user being aware of it.

  The ninth aspect includes an operation detection unit that detects a user operation, a distance detection unit that detects a distance from another terminal, and a distance detection unit that detects an operation of muting the microphone using the operation detection unit. It is a portable terminal provided with a notification unit for notifying other terminals whose distance detected by is less than a predetermined distance that the microphone has been muted.

  In the ninth aspect, the mobile terminal (10) includes an operation detection unit (12, 28), a distance detection unit (12, 14, 42, S51-S75) and a notification unit (12, 14, 38, S9). . The operation detection unit detects a user operation. For example, a button operation or a touch operation is detected. In some cases, a voice operation is detected. The distance detection unit detects a distance from another terminal. When the operation detecting unit detects an operation to mute the microphone, the notifying unit has muted the microphone to another terminal whose distance detected by the distance detecting unit is less than the predetermined distance (in the embodiment, “microphone Mute setting information ").

  According to the ninth aspect, the other terminal in the vicinity is notified that the microphone has been muted, and accordingly, the other terminal mutes the microphone automatically or by a user operation. be able to. Shitagata and mute can be controlled appropriately.

  According to this invention, mute can be appropriately controlled.

  The above object, other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a mobile phone according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a system using the mobile phone shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a flow of audio data corresponding to the voices of the users A and C when the users A, B, and C make an internet call in the system shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a memory map of the RAM shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the voice control processing of the processor shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing microphone mute setting operation processing of the processor shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing microphone mute release operation processing of the processor shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a part of the distance detection processing of the processor shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is another part of the distance detection process of the processor shown in FIG. 1, and is a flowchart subsequent to FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 1, a mobile phone 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a processor 12, which includes a telephone line radio communication circuit 14, an A / D converter 18, and a D / A converter. 22, an input device 28, a display driver 30, a flash memory 34, a RAM 36, a short-range wireless communication circuit 38, an ultrasonic transmission / reception device 42, and the like are connected.

  The processor 12 is called a computer or CPU and controls the entire mobile phone 10. The processor 12 has a built-in RTC 12a, and the time (including date) is measured by the RTC 12a. All or part of the program stored in advance in the flash memory 34 is expanded (loaded) in the RAM 36 when used, and the processor 12 executes various processes in accordance with the program expanded in the RAM 36. At this time, the RAM 36 is used as a working area or a buffer area of the processor 12.

  The input device 28 includes hardware keys, and hardware key information (key data) operated by the user is input to the processor 12. Hereinafter, the operation by the hardware key is referred to as “key operation”.

  The input device 28 may include a touch panel and a touch panel control circuit. In such a case, coordinate data corresponding to the operation of the touch panel is input to the processor 12 from the touch panel control circuit. Hereinafter, the operation using the touch panel is referred to as “touch operation”.

  The telephone line wireless communication circuit 14 is, for example, a circuit for performing wireless communication in the CDMA system, and transmits and receives radio waves for voice communication, e-mail, Internet communication, and the like through the telephone line antenna 16. For example, when the user operates the input device 28 or the like to instruct a telephone call (calling), the telephone line wireless communication circuit 14 executes a telephone call process under the instruction of the processor 12, and the telephone line antenna. The telephone call signal is output via 16. The telephone call signal is transmitted to the other party's telephone through the telephone network 54 (see FIG. 2) including the base station. When an incoming call process is performed at the other party's telephone, a communicable state is established, and the processor 12 executes a call process.

  The normal call processing will be specifically described. First, the modulated voice signal transmitted from the other party's telephone is received by the telephone line antenna 16. Next, the received modulated audio signal is demodulated and decoded by the telephone line radio communication circuit 14. The received voice signal obtained by these processes is converted into a voice signal by the D / A converter 22 and then output from the receiver 24 or the speaker 26.

  However, the receiver 24 is used in a handset call in which the user holds the mobile phone 10 and makes a call while touching the ear or cheek. The speaker 26 is used in a hands-free call and has a higher sound pressure than the receiver 24. Received voice is output at level.

  On the other hand, the transmission voice signal captured through the microphone 20 is converted into voice data by the A / D converter 18 and then given to the processor 12. The audio data is subjected to encoding processing and modulation processing by the telephone line wireless communication circuit 14 under the instruction of the processor 12, and is output via the telephone line antenna 16. Therefore, the modulated voice signal is transmitted to the other party's telephone via the telephone line network 54.

  When a telephone call signal from the other party's telephone is received by the telephone line antenna 16, the telephone line wireless communication circuit 14 notifies the processor 12 of an incoming call (incoming call). In response to this, the processor 12 controls the display driver 30 to display the caller information (telephone number or the like) described in the incoming call notification on the display 32. In accordance with these processes, the processor 12 causes the speaker 26 to output a ring tone (sometimes called a ringing melody or a ringing voice). That is, the incoming operation is executed.

  When the user performs a response operation using a call key included in the input device 28 or a response button displayed on the display 32, the telephone line wireless communication circuit 14 performs a telephone call incoming process under the instruction of the processor 12. Execute. Further, a communicable state is established, and the processor 12 executes the above-described call processing.

  When the call end operation is performed using the end call key included in the input device 28 or the end call button displayed on the display 32 after shifting to the call ready state, the processor 12 causes the radio communication circuit 14 for the telephone line to be used. To transmit a call end signal to the other party. Then, after transmitting the call end signal, the processor 12 ends the call process. The processor 12 also terminates the call process when a call end signal is received from the other party first. Furthermore, the processor 12 also ends the call process when a call end signal is received from the telephone line network 54 regardless of the call partner.

  Note that the processor 12 controls the amplification factor (output level) of the amplifier connected to the D / A converter 22 in response to, for example, an operation for adjusting the volume by the user, so that the receiver 24 or the speaker The volume of the sound output from 26 can be adjusted.

  The display driver 52 controls display on the display 32 connected to the display driver 52 under the instruction of the processor 12. The display driver 52 includes a video memory that temporarily stores image data to be displayed. The display 32 is provided with a backlight having, for example, an LED as a light source, and the display driver 52 controls the brightness of the backlight and lighting / extinguishing according to an instruction from the processor 12.

  The short-range wireless communication circuit 38 is a circuit for performing Wi-Fi short-range wireless communication, to which the short-range wireless communication antenna 40 is connected. For example, the short-range wireless communication circuit 38 transmits and receives radio waves for voice calls, electronic mails, or Internet communication through the short-range wireless communication antenna 40. Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) is certified by a predetermined certification authority for the interoperability between wireless devices using the IEEE 802.11 series of communication standards (IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n, etc.). It is a name that indicates that it has been done. That is, Wi-Fi is a method for short-range wireless communication, and the cellular phone 10 uses a Wi-Fi short-range wireless communication circuit 38. In Wi-Fi short-range wireless communication, short-range wireless communication can be established with a device functioning as an access point. Further, when the mobile phone 10 establishes short-range wireless communication with an access point, communication establishment information such as an SSID (Service Set Identifier) and a security key is required.

  The ultrasonic transmission / reception device 42 transmits / receives an ultrasonic signal including arbitrary information. In this embodiment, time information (hour minute second) is included in the ultrasonic signal.

  With the mobile phone 10 having such a configuration, it is possible to make an Internet call with another terminal via a communication network (network) such as the Internet 52 and / or the telephone line network 54 (see FIG. 2). Other terminals may be not only mobile phones 10 of the same type as the mobile phone 10, but also mobile phones provided by other telephone operators, PDAs capable of Internet calling, tablet computers, laptop computers, and the like. . That is, the function for executing normal call processing is not an essential component. In addition, when the distance between the terminals changes dynamically, at least one terminal may be a portable terminal, so that a stationary computer capable of Internet communication is used as another terminal. Also good. However, hereinafter, for the sake of simplicity, the case of making an Internet call using only the mobile phone 10 will be described.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of a system 50 for making an internet call. As shown in FIG. 2, the system 50 includes a communication network such as the Internet 52 and a telephone line network 54, and a plurality of mobile phones 10 are connected to the communication network. In the example shown in FIG. 2, a case where three mobile phones 10 (10a, 10b, 10c) are connected is shown. Good.

  Hereinafter, when it is necessary to distinguish each mobile phone 10, they will be referred to as mobile phones 10a, 10b, and 10c.

  The Internet 52 includes a plurality of access points, and the telephone line network 54 includes a plurality of base stations.

  In the example shown in FIG. 2, when the mobile phones 10a, 10b, and 10c start (execute) Internet call processing, and call sessions are established between the mobile phones 10a, 10b, and 10c, the mobile phones 10a, 10b, Users A, B, and C of 10c can make an internet call. In this case, audio data is transmitted and received via the Internet 52 between the mobile phone 10a and the mobile phone 10c. Audio data is transmitted and received between the mobile phone 10 a and the mobile phone 10 b via the Internet 52 and the telephone line network 54. Similarly, voice data is transmitted and received between the mobile phone 10 b and the mobile phone 10 c via the Internet 52 and the telephone line network 54. At this time, for example, in the cellular phones 10 a and 10 c, audio data is transmitted / received via the short-range wireless communication circuit 38 and the short-range wireless communication antenna 40. On the other hand, in the cellular phone 10b, voice data is transmitted and received through the telephone line wireless communication circuit 14 and the telephone line antenna 16.

  In the following, it is assumed that the mobile phone 10 and another terminal (here, another mobile phone 10) participate in the same Internet call (call session). Therefore, even when simply “other terminals” or “other mobile phone 10” is shown, it means that the user is participating in the same Internet call (call session) as the mobile phone 10.

  In such a case, when the mobile phone 10a and the mobile phone 10c are located in the vicinity, that is, when the user A and the user C are sufficiently close, when the user A speaks, the voice of the user A is In addition to being input from the microphone 20 of the telephone 10a, it is also input from the microphone 20 of the nearby mobile phone 10c.

  Therefore, for example, when the user A operates the mobile phone 10a to set the microphone 20 to mute (hereinafter referred to as “microphone mute”), the voice of the user A is moved to another point. In order to prevent the existing user B from hearing, that is, in order to ensure the confidentiality of the speech of the user A set to the microphone mute, the user C sets the microphone mute by operating the mobile phone 10c. Or, it is necessary to leave to a place where the voice of the user A (mobile phone 10a) is not input.

  In such a case, after the user C operates the mobile phone 10c to set the microphone mute, the user A operates the mobile phone 10a to cancel the microphone mute, or the user A and the user When C is sufficiently separated from the user C, the user C needs to release the microphone mute by operating the mobile phone 10c in order to input voice.

  Such operations are troublesome, and when the mobile phone 10 is used, since the distance between the terminals changes dynamically, it is troublesome to set or cancel the microphone mute according to the change. is there.

  Note that the same situation can occur when the user C sets the microphone mute by operating the mobile phone 10c instead of the user A.

  When the microphone mute is set, the microphone 20 is turned off, or the audio data corresponding to the audio input from the microphone 20 is ignored without being processed by the processor 12. On the other hand, when the microphone mute is released, the microphone 20 is turned on, or voice data corresponding to the voice input from the microphone 20 is used for processing (call processing, etc.) of the processor 12.

  In order to avoid the above situation, in this embodiment, when the microphone mute is set by the user's operation, the mobile phone 10 detects the distance to the other terminal and there is another terminal in the vicinity. In this case, the fact that the microphone mute is set (hereinafter referred to as “microphone mute setting information”) is notified to other mobile phones 10 in the vicinity. In response to this, the other mobile phone 10 automatically sets the microphone mute. That is, the mobile phone 10 automatically sets the microphone mute when the microphone mute setting information is notified from another mobile phone 10 that is present within a predetermined distance.

  Here, as described above, the predetermined distance is a distance (for example, 2 to 3 m) where the voice of the user who has set the microphone mute may be input from the microphone 20 of the nearby mobile phone 10, such as an experiment. Can be obtained empirically.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3A, the user A operates the mobile phone 10a to set the microphone mute, and the user A (the mobile phone 10a) and the user C (the mobile phone 10c) When the distance is less than the predetermined distance and is sufficiently close, the microphone mute setting information is notified to the nearby mobile phone 10c, and in response thereto, the mobile phone 10c automatically sets the microphone mute. Therefore, voice data corresponding to the voices of the user A and the user C is not transmitted from the mobile phone 10a and the mobile phone 10c.

  After that, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the distance between the user A (mobile phone 10a) and the user C (mobile phone 10c) exceeds a predetermined distance, the mobile phone 10c is separated from the mobile phone 10a. The microphone mute set according to the notification of the microphone mute setting information is automatically canceled. Therefore, the voice data corresponding to the voice of the user C is transmitted from the mobile phone 10c to the mobile phone 10b, but the voice data corresponding to the voice of the user A is not transmitted from the mobile phone 10a. It is not transmitted from the mobile phone 10c.

  In other words, the mobile phone 10 sets the microphone set according to the notification of the microphone mute setting information from the other mobile phone 10 when the other mobile phone 10 for which the user has set the microphone mute does not exist within a predetermined distance. Unmute automatically. This is the same when the microphone mute set by the user's operation is canceled by the user's operation. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the microphone mute set by the user's operation is canceled by the user's operation, the microphone mute is released (hereinafter referred to as “microphone mute”). The other mobile phone 10 is notified of "release information").

  As described above, the mobile phone 10 of the user participating in the Internet call detects the distance from the mobile phone 10 of another user participating in the Internet call. In this embodiment, an approximate positional relationship is grasped with rough accuracy, and high-precision distance measurement is performed when the distance is close to a certain level. Specifically, the mobile phone 10 transmits the identification information (connection ID) of the base station or access point that it accesses (connects) to the other mobile phone 10 and is transmitted from the other mobile phone 10. A connection ID is received. However, the connection ID is a base station ID or SSID. In the mobile phone 10, when the connection IDs match, it is determined that the distance from the mobile phone 10 with the matching connection ID is closer than a certain distance. However, the distance determined to be close to a certain distance differs between the case where the base station IDs match and the case where the SSIDs match. This is because the range covered by the access point is about 50 m, whereas the range covered by the base station extends to several km.

  When there is another mobile phone 10 that is close to a certain distance, the mobile phone 10 measures the distance by transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic signal to and from the other mobile phone 10. For example, the mobile phone 10 transmits an ultrasonic signal including time information (current time at the time of transmission), and receives an ultrasonic signal including time information from another mobile phone 10. The cellular phone 10 detects time information (current time at transmission) included in the received ultrasonic signal, and calculates a difference (time) from the current time (current time at reception). Then, the distance from the other mobile phone 10 is calculated (measured) by multiplying the calculated time (sec) by the speed of sound (about 340 m / sec). When the distance is calculated, it is determined whether the distance is less than a predetermined distance. Then, when the calculated distance is less than the predetermined distance, it is determined that the other mobile phone 10 is located in the vicinity, that is, the user of the other mobile phone 10 is sufficiently close.

  Here, it is assumed that when there is another mobile phone 10 that is closer than a certain level, it is possible to receive an ultrasonic signal from the other mobile phone 10, but when the base station IDs match, In some cases, an ultrasonic signal cannot be received. This is because the range covered by the base station exceeds the reach of the ultrasonic signal. Thus, when the ultrasonic signal from the other mobile phone 10 is not received, it is determined that the mobile phone 10 and the other mobile phone 10 are not located in the vicinity.

  Further, since the ultrasonic signal is transmitted and received, the distance from the other mobile phone 10 can be detected (measured) relatively accurately.

  Furthermore, when the approximate positional relationship is captured, if another mobile phone 10 is not located nearby, it is not necessary to transmit / receive ultrasonic signals. That is, useless power consumption can be suppressed.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of the memory map 300 of the RAM 36 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the RAM 36 includes a program storage area 302 and a data storage area 304. The program storage area 302 stores a control program for the mobile phone 10, and the control program includes a main processing program 302a, a communication program 302b, an Internet call program 302c, a distance detection program 302d, a voice control program 302e, and the like.

  The main processing program 302a is a program for processing the main routine of the mobile phone 10 of this embodiment. The communication program 302b is a program for making a call (execution of normal call processing) with another mobile phone 10 and a fixed phone, or communicating with another mobile phone 10 or a computer.

  The internet call program 302 c is an application program for executing an internet call with one or more other mobile phones 10. The distance detection program 302d is a program for detecting the distance from the mobile phone 10 of another user participating in the Internet call.

  The voice control program 302e controls on / off of the microphone 20 of the mobile phone 10 in accordance with the distance detected according to the distance detection program 302c and the notification of the microphone mute setting information or the microphone mute release information from the other mobile phone 10. It is a program to do. That is, control (mute control) is performed such that the microphone 20 is muted or unmuted.

  The program storage area 302 also stores programs for executing other functions (such as alarms, schedules, and e-mails) provided in the mobile phone 10 and arbitrary application programs.

  In the data storage area 304, a transmission / reception data buffer 304a is provided. The transmission / reception data buffer 340 temporarily stores data to be transmitted to the other mobile phone 10 or temporarily stores data received from the other mobile phone 10.

  The data storage area 304 stores distance data 304b and mute data 304c. The distance data 304b is data in which the distance from another mobile phone 10 is associated with each other mobile phone 10. However, when the connection IDs do not match or when the ultrasonic signal cannot be received, the distance cannot be calculated. In this case, data indicating that measurement cannot be performed in association with the corresponding mobile phone 10 (for example, null) Data) is stored.

  The mute data 304c is data indicating whether or not the other mobile phone 10 participating in the Internet call has been set to microphone mute by the user's operation. For example, the mute data 304c is a register composed of a number of bits corresponding to the number of other mobile phones 10 participating in the Internet call. Each bit is a flag (hereinafter referred to as “mute flag”) corresponding to each of the other mobile phones 10 participating in the Internet call. When the other mobile phone 10 is set to mute mute by the user's operation, the mute flag of the mobile phone 10 is turned on, and the data value “1” is set to the corresponding bit. On the other hand, when the other mobile phone 10 is released from the microphone mute by the operation of the user, the mute flag of the mobile phone 10 is turned off, and the data value “0” is set in the corresponding bit.

  In the data recording area 304, other data necessary for executing the control program of the mobile phone 10 is stored, and other flags and timers (counters) necessary for executing the control program are provided.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the voice control process of the processor 12 shown in FIG. When the user instructs execution of the Internet call program 302c and calls a partner to call or responds to a call from the partner to establish a call session, the processor 12 starts Internet call processing. In response to this, voice control processing is also started.

  Note that the user can set whether to use Wi-Fi. When it is set not to use Wi-Fi, the mobile phone 10 is connected to the Internet 52 via the telephone line network 54 using the telephone line wireless communication circuit 14. In addition, when it is set to use Wi-Fi, the mobile phone 10 searches for an access point using the short-range wireless communication circuit 38 and, as a result of the search, for example, an access having the strongest radio wave intensity. It is connected to the Internet 52 so as to access the point. However, even if it is set to use Wi-Fi, if there is no access point in the vicinity or if the radio wave intensity is extremely weak, the telephone line network 54 is not used without using Wi-Fi. It is connected to the Internet 52 via

  When the Internet call process is started and a call session is established, a list (participant list) describing identification information (terminal ID) for each of the other mobile phones 10 that have established the call session is provided for each mobile phone. 10 is managed. However, each mobile phone 10 notifies the other mobile phone 10 of its own terminal ID when establishing a call session. For example, the terminal ID is the MAC address of the telephone line wireless communication circuit 14 or the short-range wireless communication circuit 38 used for Internet calls. Further, when another mobile phone 10 participates in the communication session later or leaves the call session on the way, the participant list is updated.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when the voice control process is started, the processor 12 determines whether or not a call is made by three or more people in step S1. Here, the processor 12 determines whether or not a call session has been established with two or more other mobile phones 10 by detecting the number of terminal IDs of the other mobile phones 10 that have established a call session.

  If “NO” in the step S1, that is, if three or more people are not talking, the mute of the microphone 20 is released in a step S15, and the process proceeds to the step S13. However, if the mute of the microphone 20 has already been released, that is, if the microphone 20 is on, the process of step S15 is not executed. On the other hand, if “YES” in the step S1, that is, if a call is made by three or more people, the distance is acquired in a step S3. Here, the distance data 304b stored in the data storage area 304 is acquired. As will be described later, when the internet call is started, the distance detection process with respect to the other mobile phone 10 is executed every predetermined time (for example, 2 to 5 seconds) separately from the internet call process. Is stored (updated).

  In the next step S5, it is determined whether there is another mobile phone 10 in the vicinity. That is, the processor 12 determines whether another mobile phone 10 is located below a predetermined distance. If “NO” in the step S5, that is, if there is no other mobile phone 10 in the vicinity, the process proceeds to a step S15.

  On the other hand, if “YES” in the step S5, that is, if there is another mobile phone 10 in the vicinity, it is determined whether or not the mobile phone 10 itself is set to the microphone mute by the operation of the user in a step S7. . If “NO” in the step S7, that is, if the mobile phone 10 itself is not set to the microphone mute by the user's operation, the process proceeds to a step S11. On the other hand, if “YES” in the step S7, that is, if the mobile phone 10 itself is set to the microphone mute by the user's operation, the microphone mute setting information is notified to other mobile phones 10 in the vicinity in a step S9. Then, the process proceeds to step S17.

  However, in step S9, the processor 12 transmits the data of the microphone mute setting information from the short-range wireless communication circuit 38 to another mobile phone 10 in the vicinity via the network (Internet 52 or / and telephone line 54). . However, the microphone mute setting information may be transmitted from the ultrasonic transmission / reception device 42. Further, the data of the microphone mute setting information includes the terminal ID of the transmission source as header information. Therefore, in the other mobile phones 10 in the vicinity that have received the data of the microphone mute setting information, the mute flag for the mobile phone 10 that is the transmission source is turned on and the microphone mute is set. The same applies to step S25 described later.

  In step S11, it is determined whether or not another nearby mobile phone 10 is set to microphone mute. Here, the processor 12 refers to the mute data 304c and determines whether or not the mute flag for the other mobile phone 10 is on.

  If “NO” in the step S11, that is, if the other mobile phone 10 in the vicinity is not set to the microphone mute, the process proceeds to a step S15. On the other hand, if “YES” in the step S11, if another nearby mobile phone 10 is set to the microphone mute, the microphone 20 is muted in the step S13, and the process proceeds to the step S17. However, when the microphone 20 is already muted, that is, when the microphone 20 is off, the process of step S13 is not executed.

  In step S17, it is determined whether or not the call has ended. Here, the processor 12 determines whether the user has instructed to end the Internet call or whether all other users have ended the Internet call.

  If “NO” in the step S17, that is, if the call is not ended, the process returns to the step S1 as it is. Therefore, even if the microphone 20 is once muted, after that, when the number of Internet calls becomes two, or when there is no other mobile phone 10 in which the microphone mute is set less than a predetermined distance. The mute of the microphone 20 is released. That is, the microphone 20 is mute-controlled according to the number of people and the distance that change dynamically without the user being aware of it. On the other hand, if “YES” in the step S17, that is, if the call is ended, the voice control process is ended.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the microphone mute setting operation process of the processor 12, and FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the microphone mute release operation process of the processor 12. Hereinafter, these processes will be described, but steps having the same processing contents as those described above will be described briefly.

  Note that the microphone mute setting operation process shown in FIG. 6 and the microphone mute release operation process shown in FIG. 7 are executed when an internet call is made by three or more people, and otherwise, the microphone mute is simply set. The microphone mute is set according to the operation to be performed, and the microphone mute is canceled according to the operation to cancel the microphone mute.

  When there is a microphone mute setting operation, as shown in FIG. 6, a microphone mute setting operation process is started, and the distance is acquired in step S21. Note that the user performs an operation for setting the microphone mute using the input device 28, and the processor 12 detects the operation data input from the input device 28, and when the operation data indicates the microphone mute setting, the microphone 12 The mute setting operation process starts.

  In the next step S23, it is determined whether there is another mobile phone 10 in the vicinity. If “NO” in the step S23, the process proceeds to a step S27 as it is, the microphone 20 is muted, and the microphone mute setting operation process is ended. On the other hand, if “YES” in the step S23, the microphone mute setting information is notified to other mobile phones in the vicinity in a step S25, and the process proceeds to the step S27. That is, when the microphone mute is set, if there is another mobile phone 10 in the vicinity, the microphone mute setting information is notified to the other mobile phone 10. The mute flag for the mobile phone 10 is turned on, and microphone mute is set.

  If there is an operation for canceling the microphone mute, as shown in FIG. 7, the microphone mute canceling operation process is started, and the distance is acquired in step S31. Note that the user performs an operation for canceling the microphone mute using the input device 28, and the processor 12 detects the operation data input from the input device 28, and when the operation data indicates the cancellation of the microphone mute, Start mute release operation processing.

  In the next step S33, it is determined whether there is another mobile phone 10 in the vicinity. If “NO” in the step S33, the process proceeds to a step S39 as it is. On the other hand, if “YES” in the step S33, the microphone mute release information is notified to other mobile phones in the vicinity in a step S35, and the process proceeds to the step S37.

  In step S37, it is determined whether or not the other mobile phone 10 in the vicinity is set to microphone mute. If “YES” in the step S37, the microphone mute releasing operation process is ended as it is. In other words, even if the microphone mute is released, the microphone 20 remains muted if another nearby mobile phone 10 is set to the microphone mute. On the other hand, if “NO” in the step S37, the mute canceling operation process is ended after the mute of the microphone 20 is released in a step S39.

  In this embodiment, in step S35, the processor 12 transmits microphone mute release information data from the short-range wireless communication circuit 38 to another mobile phone 10 in the vicinity via the network. However, the microphone mute release information may be transmitted from the ultrasonic transmission / reception device 42. In addition, the microphone mute release information data includes the terminal ID of the transmission source as header information. Therefore, in the mobile phone 10 that has received the microphone mute release information data, the mute flag for the transmission source mobile phone 10 is turned off.

  8 and 9 are flowcharts of distance detection processing of the processor 12 shown in FIG. As described above, when the Internet call process is started, the distance detection process is executed in parallel every predetermined time.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when the distance detection process is started, the processor 12 acquires the connection ID of the currently connected access point or base station in step S51. In the next step S53, the acquired connection ID is transmitted to all other mobile phones 10. At this time, when the mobile phone 10 is connected to the base station, the processor 12 transmits data including the connection ID from the telephone line wireless communication circuit 14 and the telephone line antenna 16. On the other hand, when the mobile phone 10 is connected to the access point, the processor 12 transmits data including the connection ID from the short-range wireless communication circuit 38 and the short-range wireless communication antenna 40. However, the data including the connection ID includes the terminal ID of the transmission source terminal (mobile phone 10) as header information.

  Subsequently, in step S55, it is determined whether or not the connection ID has been received from all the other mobile phones 10 with reference to the participant list. If “NO” in the step S55, that is, if another mobile phone 10 that has not received the connection ID remains, the process returns to the same step S55. On the other hand, if “YES” in the step S55, that is, if connection IDs are received from all other mobile telephones 10, there is a connection ID that matches the acquired connection ID in the received connection IDs in a step S57. Determine whether or not. That is, the processor 12 determines whether or not there is another mobile phone 10 that is accessing the same access point or base station as the access point or base station to which it is connected.

  If “YES” in the step S57, that is, if there is a connection ID that matches the acquired connection ID among the received connection IDs, the destination of the ultrasonic signal including the time information is not specified in the step S59. (Broadcast) and the process proceeds to step S63 shown in FIG. However, in step S59, the processor 12 acquires the current time (hour minute second) from the RTC 12a, and transmits an ultrasonic signal including time information about the current time from the ultrasonic transmission / reception device 42. However, the ultrasonic signal includes the terminal ID of the mobile phone 10 as header information.

  On the other hand, if “NO” in the step S57, that is, if all the received connection IDs do not match the acquired connection IDs, it is determined that there is no other mobile phone 10 located near a certain level, and the step S61. Thus, the distance data 304b describing the contents (null data) indicating that measurement cannot be performed for all other mobile phones 10 is stored, and the distance detection process is terminated as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 9, in step S63, a variable n is initialized (n = 1). Here, n is a variable for individually identifying other mobile phones 10 having the same connection ID. Accordingly, although not shown in the figure, numbers are assigned in order from “1” to each of the other mobile phones 10 having the same connection ID.

  In the next step S65, it is determined whether an ultrasonic signal of the terminal (mobile phone 10) indicated by the variable n has been received. As described above, since the terminal ID is included as header information in the ultrasonic signal, it is possible to easily know which mobile phone 10 has received the ultrasonic signal.

  If “YES” in the step S65, that is, if an ultrasonic signal of another mobile phone 10 indicated by the variable n is received, a distance is calculated in a step S67, and the calculated distance is associated with the mobile phone 10. And proceed to step S73. That is, in step S67, the distance data for the other mobile phone 10 indicated by the variable n in the distance data 304b is stored (updated).

  On the other hand, if “NO” in the step S65, that is, if the ultrasonic signal of the other mobile phone 10 indicated by the variable n is not received, whether or not a predetermined time (for example, 1 second) has passed in the step S69. Judging. For example, the processor 12 starts an internal timer when the reception processing of the ultrasonic signal of the other mobile phone 10 indicated by the variable n is started (when the processing of S65 is first started), and the count value It is determined whether or not the predetermined time has been exceeded.

  If “NO” in the step S69, that is, if the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process returns to the step S65 as it is. On the other hand, if “YES” in the step S69, that is, if a predetermined time has elapsed, it is determined that the other mobile phone 10 indicated by the variable n is not located at least in the vicinity, and the measurement is disabled in the step S71. The distance is stored and the process proceeds to step S73. That is, in step S71, the distance data for the mobile phone 10 indicated by the variable n in the distance data 304b is stored (updated) with contents indicating that measurement is not possible (null data).

  In step S73, it is determined whether or not the variable n has exceeded the number of other mobile phones 10 having the same connection ID. That is, the processor 12 determines whether or not the distances from all the other mobile phones 10 located near a certain distance are measured (detected).

  If “NO” in the step S73, that is, if the variable n is equal to or less than the number of other mobile phones 10 having the same connection ID, the variable n is incremented by 1 (n = n + 1) in a step S75, and the step S65 is performed. Return to. That is, the distance to the next other mobile phone 10 is detected. On the other hand, if “YES” in the step S73, if the variable n exceeds the number of other mobile phones 10 having the same connection ID, the distances to all other mobile phones 10 located near a certain distance are detected. And the distance detection process ends.

  According to this embodiment, when there are three or more participants in an Internet call, there are two or more participants in the vicinity, and at least one participant is set to mute the microphone of the mobile phone. When it becomes, the microphone of the participant's mobile phone in the vicinity is automatically set to mute, and when the situation disappears, the mute is automatically released, so the mute can be controlled appropriately. it can. Therefore, the confidentiality of the utterance of the user who has set the microphone to mute can be ensured.

  In this embodiment, in order to determine whether or not the terminals are located close to a certain distance, it is determined whether or not the connection IDs of the connected base stations and access points match. It is not necessary to be limited to. As another embodiment, the terminal may be equipped with a GPS function to directly detect the position and determine whether or not the terminal is close to a certain distance.

  In this embodiment, ultrasonic signals are transmitted and received in order to measure the distance between terminals located close to a certain distance. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, by providing Bluetooth (registered trademark) in the terminal, a radio signal may be transmitted and received using Bluetooth, and the distance may be measured (calculated) from the radio wave intensity when the radio signal is received.

  Further, in this embodiment, only audio data is transmitted / received, but video data may also be transmitted / received. A so-called video call (video chat) is also possible. In such a case, for example, the mobile phone includes a camera. However, in this embodiment, in order to prevent the user's voice set to mute from being heard by users existing at other points, processing such as turning on / off the camera according to the distance is unnecessary.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the mute of the microphone is set in the other terminal existing below the predetermined distance, the mute of the microphone is automatically set. However, the other terminal is sufficiently far away. The user may be notified by displaying on the screen the state or the state that another terminal set to mute exists nearby, or by outputting the sound or sound. By notifying in this way, it is possible to make the user perceive the state of another terminal and prompt the user to perform mute control. Even in this case, mute can be appropriately controlled.

  In this embodiment, the case where a mobile phone is used as an example of the mobile terminal has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a terminal such as a PDA, a tablet computer, or a laptop computer can be used.

  The program used in this embodiment may be stored in the HDD of the data distribution server and distributed to the mobile phone via the network. Further, the storage medium may be sold or distributed in a state where a plurality of programs are stored in a storage medium such as an optical disk such as a CD, a DVD, or a BD (Blue-Ray Disk), a USB memory, and a memory card. When the program downloaded through the server or storage medium described above is installed in a portable terminal having the same configuration as that of this embodiment, the same effect as this embodiment can be obtained.

  Further, the specific numerical values given in this embodiment are merely examples, and can be appropriately changed according to the specifications of the product to which the present invention is applied.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Mobile telephone 12 ... Processor 14 ... Radio | wireless communication circuit for telephone lines 20 ... Microphone 24 ... Receiver 26 ... Speaker 28 ... Input device 32 ... Display 36 ... RAM
38 ... Short-range wireless communication circuit 42 ... Ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 50 ... System 52 ... Internet 54 ... Telephone line network

Claims (9)

A mobile terminal that transmits voice data corresponding to a user's voice input through a microphone to a network, and outputs the voice data of the other party received from the network from a speaker.
A distance detector for detecting the distance to other terminals;
When there is the other terminal whose distance detected by the distance detection unit is less than a predetermined distance, and the microphone of the other terminal is muted, an audio control unit that mutes the microphone of its own A portable terminal. An operation detection unit for detecting the operation of the user;
When the operation detecting unit detects an operation of muting the own microphone, the other terminal whose distance detected by the distance detecting unit is less than a predetermined distance is notified that the own microphone has been muted. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit.   When the operation detecting unit detects an operation to cancel mute of the own microphone, the notifying unit notifies the other terminal whose distance detected by the distance detecting unit is less than a predetermined distance to the own microphone. The mobile terminal according to claim 2, which notifies that the mute is released.   The voice control unit, when the other terminal whose microphone is muted less than the predetermined distance does not exist after the microphone of the other terminal is muted in response to the microphone of the other terminal being muted. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the mute of the own microphone is released. The distance detection unit includes a transmission / reception unit that transmits and receives a signal including time information,
The distance detection unit calculates a distance to the other terminal based on time information included in the signal when the transmission / reception unit receives the signal from the other terminal. The portable terminal in any one of.   The mobile terminal according to claim 5, wherein the transmission / reception unit transmits and receives the signal when there is the other terminal having the same base station or access point connected thereto. A voice control program for a portable terminal that transmits voice data corresponding to a user's voice input through a microphone to a network, and outputs the voice data of the other party received from the network from a speaker.
In the processor of the portable terminal,
A distance detection step for detecting the distance to other terminals;
When there is the other terminal whose distance detected in the distance detection step is less than a predetermined distance, and when the microphone of the other terminal is muted, an audio control step for muting the microphone is executed. Voice control program. A voice control method for a computer, wherein voice data corresponding to a user's voice input through a microphone is transmitted to a network, and the voice data of the other party received from the network is output from a speaker.
The computer
(A) detecting a distance to another terminal; and (b) if there is the other terminal whose distance detected in step (a) is less than a predetermined distance, the microphone of the other terminal is muted. A voice control method for muting the microphone of its own when it is set. An operation detection unit for detecting a user's operation;
A distance detector for detecting the distance to other terminals;
A notification unit for notifying that the microphone is muted to the other terminal whose distance detected by the distance detection unit is less than a predetermined distance when an operation for muting the microphone is detected by the operation detection unit; , Mobile devices.

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