JP6677596B2 - Communication terminal - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication terminal.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been proposed an apparatus capable of handling a telephone call without emitting a voice, as described in Patent Document 1. In the device described in Patent Literature 1, a text for response is stored in advance, and the text selected at the time of response is subjected to voice synthesis conversion into a voice signal and output. Further, the audio signal may be stored in the device in advance. It is said that by preparing a response text in advance as described above, a response can be made immediately and a smooth conversation can be performed.

JP-A-2003-99081

  If the above-mentioned speech synthesis is performed by the terminal that makes the call in order to generate the synthesized speech used for the phone call, unnaturalness may remain in the synthesized speech due to the processing capability of the terminal and the application that performs the speech synthesis. . On the other hand, by creating a synthesized speech by a server that is superior in terms of computational power and storage area than the terminal, more natural synthesized speech can be used. Therefore, by obtaining and storing in advance the synthesized speech created by the server in the terminal, it is possible to make a call using a more natural synthesized speech. However, since communication between the terminal and the server is required to obtain synthesized speech, large amounts of data communication must be performed to uniformly obtain synthesized speech corresponding to text that is a candidate for telephone use. Can be Therefore, obtaining uniform synthesized speech may not always be appropriate.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a communication terminal that can appropriately acquire audio data used for communication.

  In order to achieve the above object, a communication terminal according to the present invention is a communication terminal that converts text into voice data and uses the converted voice data for communication with another communication terminal, Prior to communication, based on at least one of an input unit for inputting a text to be converted to voice data, a state of the own terminal, the text itself input by the input unit, and a communication history in the own terminal. Determining means for determining whether to obtain voice data corresponding to the input text prior to communication, and voice data corresponding to the text input by the input means, based on the determination by the determining means, Acquiring means for acquiring from another device.

  In the communication terminal according to the present invention, it is determined whether or not to acquire voice data corresponding to the text prior to communication based on at least one of the state of the own terminal, the text itself, and the communication history of the own terminal. Is done. Therefore, according to the communication terminal of the present invention, it is possible to appropriately obtain audio data used for communication.

The determining means determines that voice data corresponding to the text is acquired prior to communication when there is an incoming call to the own terminal, and the obtaining means determines that the voice data corresponding to the text is received until the voice data is obtained from another device. It intends line control to prohibit the establishment of communication. According to this configuration, when there is an incoming call to the own terminal, it is possible to appropriately obtain audio data.

Or, determining means, based on the number of times of communication shown in the history of communications, it determines whether to acquire prior to communicate voice data corresponding to the text. According to this configuration, it is possible to appropriately acquire audio data according to the number of times of communication of the own terminal.

Alternatively, the communication terminal accepts the designation of the text when performing communication, converts the designated text into voice data acquired by the acquiring unit and corresponding to the designated text, and further Ru comprising a conversion means for transmitting to the communication terminal. According to this configuration, it is possible to more appropriately acquire audio data according to at least one of the state of the own terminal and the communication history of the own terminal.

Alternatively, the communication terminal receives information indicating the text from the communication terminal of the communication partner when performing communication, and obtains the text indicated by the received information by the obtaining unit and is indicated by the received information. converts the audio data corresponding to the text, further Ru comprising a conversion means for performing an audio output based on the converted audio data. According to this configuration, the voice data corresponding to the text specified in the own terminal can be transmitted to the communication partner terminal.

Alternatively, the input unit receives a text from another communication terminal, and the determination unit determines the voice data corresponding to the text based on information stored in the own terminal and related to another communication terminal from which the text is transmitted. it determines whether to obtain prior to the communication. According to this configuration, acquisition of audio data can be appropriately performed according to another communication terminal of the transmission source.

  Further, the communication terminal according to the present invention is a communication terminal that performs communication with a communication terminal of a communication partner that converts text into voice data and uses the converted voice data for communication with another communication terminal. Prior to communication, input means for inputting a text to be converted to voice data, and transmission means for transmitting the text input by the input means to a communication terminal of a communication partner prior to communication, Is provided.

  The communication terminal according to the present invention described above corresponds to the communication terminal that acquires the above-described audio data. According to this configuration, the text can be input to the communication terminal that acquires the audio data appropriately and reliably.

  The transmitting unit may determine whether to transmit the text to the communication terminal of the communication partner based on the information on the communication terminal of the communication partner stored in the own terminal. According to this configuration, text transmission can be appropriately performed according to the communication terminal of the communication partner.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, acquisition of the audio | voice data used for communication can be performed appropriately.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a communication terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a process executed when audio data is acquired and stored in the communication terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process executed when communication is performed using stored audio data in the communication terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure showing the composition of the communication terminal concerning a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process performed when a fixed phrase is transmitted to another communication terminal in the communication terminal which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a process executed when communication is performed using stored voice data in the communication terminal according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a communication terminal according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements will be denoted by the same reference symbols, without redundant description.

<First embodiment>
FIG. 1 shows a communication terminal 10 according to the first embodiment. The communication terminal 10 is a device that is used by a user and communicates with another communication terminal 20 via the communication network N. The communication terminal 10 specifically corresponds to a mobile phone, a smartphone, or the like. The communication terminal 10 performs telephone communication for transmitting and receiving voice data by establishing a call connection, which is a communication connection for voice communication, between the communication terminals 10 and 20, as communication performed with another communication terminal 20. The communication network N is, for example, a mobile communication network or a wireless LAN (local area network). Further, the communication network N may be configured by a plurality of networks including a fixed telephone network and the like. The communication terminal 10 performs wireless communication.

  The communication terminal 10 has a function of performing communication by text as a function according to the present embodiment. Specifically, the communication terminal 10 has a function of receiving a designation of a text from a user when performing communication, converting the designated text into voice data, and transmitting the voice data to the communication terminal 20 of the communication partner. ing. That is, the communication terminal 10 converts the text into voice data and uses the converted voice data for communication with another communication terminal 20. With this function, the user of the communication terminal 10 can make a call (telephone) without making a voice. Thereby, for example, even when the user is in a public vehicle such as a train or a bus, during a meeting or in class, or in a public place such as a restroom or an elevator, Can talk without speaking.

  Note that, apart from the function according to the present embodiment, the communication terminal 10 may have a function of receiving a voice (utterance) from a user and transmitting voice data of the voice to the communication terminal 20 of the communication partner. Good. That is, the communication terminal 10 may have a function of making a telephone call as usual.

  The voice data transmitted from the communication terminal 20 of the communication partner and received by the communication terminal 10 may be directly heard by the user as voice using earphones or the like, or may be converted into text by voice recognition and displayed. You may.

  In addition, the communication terminal 10 may have a conventional function included in an ordinary mobile phone, a smartphone, or the like. Some functions of the communication terminal 10 according to the present embodiment described below are based on conventional functions. When the communication terminal 10 has the function according to the present embodiment, the communication terminal 10 also has the conventional function as a premise. More specifically, the function according to the present embodiment will be described.

  Subsequently, functions of the communication terminal 10 according to the present embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication terminal 10 includes a conversion unit 11, an input unit 12, a determination unit 13, and an acquisition unit 14.

  The conversion unit 11 accepts designation of a text when performing communication (during communication), converts the specified text into corresponding voice data, and transmits the voice data to another communication terminal 20 of the communication partner. Conversion means. The conversion unit 11 stores (saves) a text, which is a fixed sentence, and voice data in association with each other before communication. The voice data corresponding to the text relates to the voice from which the text was read aloud.

  The conversion unit 11 presents to the user, for example, by displaying a fixed phrase that is a candidate for the designated text on a display device included in the communication terminal 10 during communication. The fixed phrase that is a candidate for the designated text is a text stored in advance. The conversion unit 11 accepts a user operation to specify a fixed phrase performed in response to the presentation of the candidate. The conversion unit 11 reads out the voice data stored in association with the designated fixed phrase and transmits it to another communication terminal 20 via the communication connection established at the time of communication. The audio data stored in the conversion unit 11 is acquired by the acquisition unit 14 as described later.

  If audio data is generated and acquired during communication, a time lag of about one second to several seconds occurs depending on the time required for the generation and acquisition. As described above, by storing voice data corresponding to a fixed phrase in advance and using it for communication, a time lag can be prevented.

  Further, the conversion unit 11 may receive an input of a text other than a fixed phrase stored in advance. In that case, the conversion unit 11 acquires voice data corresponding to the text input at that time, and transmits the voice data to another communication terminal 20 of the communication partner. The conversion unit 11 acquires speech data corresponding to a text from the speech synthesis device 30 in the same manner as the method by the acquisition unit 14 described below. Alternatively, the conversion unit 11 may acquire the voice data by a method different from the method by the acquisition unit 14, for example, by a voice synthesis application or the like in the terminal 10. The voice data obtained in this manner may be stored in association with the text so that it can be used in the subsequent communication as described above.

  The input unit 12 is an input unit for inputting a fixed phrase, which is a text to be converted into voice data, prior to communication. The input unit 12 receives, for example, a user's operation of inputting a text and inputs a fixed phrase. The input of a fixed phrase by the input unit 12 is performed in a state where communication is not performed, that is, a state where a communication connection is not established.

  The generation (editing, updating) of the fixed phrase may be performed by a device other than the communication terminal 10. For example, the user may operate a PC (personal computer) or the like to input a fixed phrase to the PC, and the input unit 12 may receive and input the fixed phrase transmitted from the PC to the communication terminal 10. Alternatively, a fixed phrase used for communication may be prepared by a communication carrier. In this case, the input unit 12 may receive and input the fixed phrase sent from the server of the communication carrier. In addition, the fixed phrase in this case may be created according to the attribute of the user of the communication terminal 10 or the like. The input unit 12 outputs the input fixed phrase to the determination unit 13.

  The judging unit 13 converts the voice data corresponding to the input fixed phrase based on at least one of the state of the terminal 10, the fixed phrase itself input by the input unit 12, and the communication history of the terminal 10. This is a determining means for determining whether or not to acquire the information before communication. Acquisition of voice data is performed from the voice synthesizer 30 as described later. Therefore, communication is required to obtain the audio data. In mobile communication, there may be a limit on the amount of communication (for example, a limit on how many days and how many GB) or a charge according to the amount of communication. In addition, a large load is placed on the communication network N due to the communication of a large amount of data. Therefore, the determination unit 13 causes the audio data to be obtained only when it is appropriate to obtain the audio data. Specifically, the determination unit 13 makes a determination as follows.

  The determination unit 13 refers to the communication state of the own terminal 10 and, if the own terminal 10 can communicate with a wireless LAN (for example, Wi-Fi) (when the own terminal 10 exists in the wireless LAN area). ), It is determined that audio data is acquired prior to communication. This is because, in the case of communication using a wireless LAN, there is no restriction or billing in mobile communication.

  The determination unit 13 makes the following determination if the terminal 10 is not in a state in which communication by wireless LAN is possible but in a state in which only mobile communication is possible. The determination unit 13 determines that the voice data is to be acquired prior to the communication when the terminal 10 receives a call (at the timing of the call reception). When there is an incoming call to the communication terminal 10, a notification is sent to the user. This notification is performed, for example, by sounding a so-called ring tone. On the other hand, when the user performs a response operation on the communication terminal 10, the communication terminal 10 performs a process of establishing a communication connection with another communication terminal 20 of the communication partner, and communication starts. You.

  If there is an incoming call, voice data may be used for communication. Therefore, audio data is acquired prior to communication. In this case, control for establishing a communication connection may be performed as described later. In this case, the determination unit 13 may determine that the audio data is to be acquired according to the fixed phrase from which the audio data is to be acquired. For example, it may be determined that audio data is acquired only when the amount of the fixed phrase is equal to or less than a preset threshold. Specifically, only when the number of the fixed phrases is one, it may be determined that the audio data is acquired. Alternatively, in this case, it may be determined that audio data is to be acquired only for a fixed phrase set to be acquired in advance. For example, it is set to acquire a fixed phrase that is likely to be used in communication in advance. The setting is performed by, for example, the user of the communication terminal 10 or the creator of the fixed phrase.

  Further, this setting may be performed according to the frequency of use of fixed phrases obtained as statistical information. For example, the setting may be performed based on the number of times the voice synthesizer 30 has generated voice data. For a fixed sentence whose number of times is equal to or greater than a threshold value, audio data is set in advance to be acquired. Alternatively, for a fixed sentence whose ratio of the number of times to the sum of the number of times of all the fixed sentences is equal to or more than a threshold value, audio data is set in advance to be acquired. This setting is performed, for example, by referring to the statistical information in the speech synthesizer 30 when a communication carrier prepares a fixed phrase.

  When the voice data is acquired before the communication is established, by acquiring the voice data according to the fixed phrase as described above, the user of another communication terminal 20 of the communication partner is in a state where the acquisition of the voice data is completed. Can be sent.

  The determination unit 13 determines whether or not to acquire voice data corresponding to a fixed phrase before communication based on the number of times of communication indicated in the communication history. Specifically, the determination unit 13 makes a determination as follows.

  In the communication terminal 10, when communication (call) is performed, information indicating the time at which the communication was performed, the time (length) at which the communication was performed, and information indicating another communication terminal 20 of the outgoing / incoming call and the other party of the communication are: It is stored as a communication history. The determination unit 13 makes a determination using the above information. If it is considered that there is a high possibility that a new communication will be performed from the communication history, the voice data is acquired prior to the communication.

For example, the determination unit 13 refers to the communication history stored in the terminal 10 and calculates a value indicating the probability of arrival by the following equation.
[Total call time within last 24 hours] $ 24
MIN ([Number of incoming calls in the past week] $ 30,1)
MIN ([Number of incoming calls in one hour before and after the current time in the past week] $ 7,1)
MIN ([Number of incoming calls on the current day in the past month] $ 4,1)
Note that MIN (X, Y) in the above equation is a function that takes a small value out of X and Y. The determination unit 13 compares the calculated value with a preset threshold, which is a criterion for making the above determination. When the calculated value is equal to or larger than the threshold value, the determining unit 13 determines to acquire the audio data.

  In addition to the above, the determination unit 13 may make the determination based on the state (status) of the terminal 10 or the user as described below. For example, the determination unit 13 makes a determination based on the position of the terminal 10 itself. In this case, the communication terminal 10 estimates the position of the own terminal 10 and inputs position information indicating the estimated position of the own terminal 10 to the determination unit 13. The position of the terminal 10 can be estimated by a conventional method, for example, using a GPS (Global Positioning System) or a base station signal. The determining unit 13 determines whether or not the position indicated by the position information is within a specific range set in advance. When determining that the position is within the specific range, the determination unit 13 determines to acquire the audio data by, for example, doubling the calculated value or lowering (for example, halving) the threshold value. It may be easy to do. The specific range is, for example, a position such as a station or a bus stop where the user is considered to be moving, a position of a conference room, and the like. These positions are positions where the user cannot speak and has a high possibility of making a call using a fixed phrase.

  Further, the determination unit 13 may make the same determination as described above based on the speed or the acceleration of the terminal 10 itself. The speed or acceleration of the terminal 10 can be obtained by a time-based transition of the position indicated by the position information or by a sensor that detects them. When the determination unit 13 determines that the speed or the acceleration is equal to or higher than the preset threshold, the determination unit 13 may make it easier to determine that the voice data is to be acquired in the same manner as described above. If the speed or the acceleration is equal to or higher than a certain value, it is considered that the user is moving.

  Further, in addition to or instead of the above, the determination unit 13 may make the determination based on the schedule of the user. In this case, the communication terminal 10 stores information indicating a user's schedule by a scheduler or the like. The user's schedule may be obtained from analysis of the body of the mail using a conventional method. The information indicating the schedule is information in which the time zone of the schedule, the content of the schedule, and the like are associated. When the determining unit 13 determines that the current time or the time after a predetermined time set from the current time is included in the time zone of any schedule, the determining unit 13 determines that the voice data is to be acquired in the same manner as described above. It may be easier. Alternatively, when it is determined that the above-mentioned time is included in the time zone of a specific schedule set in advance (for example, during a meeting or during a move), it may be easier to determine that audio data is acquired. Further, when the schedule can be referred to by a user of another communication terminal 20, it is conceivable that the user makes a call during a time period when no schedule is entered. Therefore, when it is determined that the above time is included in a time zone where no schedule is included, it may be easier to determine that audio data is acquired.

  With these determinations, it is possible to reduce the possibility that voice data has not been acquired in advance, although there is a high possibility that communication using fixed phrases will be performed.

  Further, even when the speed of the mobile communication of the communication terminal 10 is being limited, it may be easy to determine that the voice data is to be acquired. This is because the pre-acquisition during the speed limit is more important than the pre-acquisition without the speed limit. During the speed limit, more time is required for acquisition, and if the acquisition is not performed in advance, the response will be further delayed. The information indicating whether or not the speed limit is being performed can be acquired from, for example, a server provided by a communication carrier of a mobile communication network. Also, when there is a high possibility that a call will be made to the communication terminal 10 such as when a call is made to another communication terminal 20 but the other party (user of the other communication terminal 20) does not appear, the same as above is performed. Is also good. In addition, when the above conditions overlap, for example, when a call is made but the other party does not answer and the user is on the move, it is easier to determine that voice data is acquired than to calculate individually. It may be. For example, the calculated value may be 6 times, that is, 2 × 2 or more. In addition, in the above-described case where it is determined that acquiring audio data is easy to determine, it may be determined that audio data is always acquired instead of making it easy to determine acquiring audio data.

  Further, the determination unit 13 may make the determination based on the remaining battery power of the terminal 10. The communication terminal 10 normally operates with a rechargeable battery. The determining unit 13 refers to the remaining battery level of the terminal 10 and determines whether the remaining battery level is equal to or less than a preset threshold. When the determination unit 13 determines that the remaining battery level is equal to or less than the threshold, the determination unit 13 may make it difficult to determine that audio data is acquired, for example, by increasing the threshold. In this case, it is possible to reduce the risk that a call itself cannot be made by consuming the battery by acquiring the audio data in advance.

  The determination unit 13 performs the above determination at the timing when, for example, a fixed phrase is input from the input unit 12. Alternatively, the above determination may be made at regular intervals. The determination at the time of the incoming call is made when the communication terminal 10 receives the incoming call. Further, when making a determination according to a fixed phrase, the determination unit 13 performs the determination for each fixed phrase. Although a plurality of determination methods have been described above, it is not necessary to perform all of them, and any determination may be made as the present invention. Also, the determination may be made by combining a plurality of conditions. For example, it may be determined that audio data is acquired if any of the conditions are satisfied, or it may be determined that audio data is acquired if all of a plurality of conditions are satisfied.

  When determining that the voice data corresponding to the input fixed phrase is to be acquired prior to the communication, the determination unit 13 outputs the fixed phrase to the acquisition unit 14. If the determination is for an incoming call, the determination unit 13 also outputs the fact to the acquisition unit 14.

  The obtaining unit 14 is an obtaining unit that obtains voice data corresponding to a fixed phrase from a voice synthesizing device 30 that is different from the communication terminal 10 based on the determination by the determining unit 13.

  The voice synthesizer 30 is a device that receives a text from the communication terminal 10 and performs voice synthesis to generate voice data corresponding to the received text (to read out the text). The voice synthesizer 30 transmits the generated voice data to the communication terminal 10. Speech synthesis itself is performed by a conventional method. The speech synthesizer 30 can create a synthesized speech that is more natural than that created by the communication terminal 10 due to differences in processing capability, applications, and the like. The communication terminal 10 and the speech synthesizer 30 can transmit and receive information to and from each other via the communication network N.

  The acquisition unit 14 downloads voice data corresponding to the fixed phrase from the voice synthesizer 30. Specifically, upon inputting a fixed phrase from the determining unit 13, the acquiring unit 14 transmits the fixed phrase to the speech synthesizer 30. The acquiring unit 14 receives and acquires the voice data corresponding to the fixed phrase sent from the voice synthesizer 30 in response to the transmission. The acquisition unit 14 outputs the fixed phrase and the acquired voice data to the conversion unit 11 in association with each other, and causes the conversion unit 11 to store the data.

  If the determination by the determining unit 13 is for an incoming call, the obtaining unit 14 performs control to prohibit establishment of communication related to the incoming call until voice data is obtained. That is, in this case, the acquisition unit 14 performs control to prohibit the process of establishing a communication connection in the own terminal 10 even if a response operation is performed by the user until the voice data is received from the voice synthesizer 30. As a result, a call can be started in a state where the voice data has been acquired. However, the acquisition unit 14 may acquire the audio data without performing the above-described prohibition control (independently of the establishment of the communication connection). In this case, audio data may be acquired after a communication connection is established.

  In this case, as described above, the audio data may be obtained at a timing corresponding to the fixed phrase. For example, for a text used at the beginning of a call, such as "I'm taking care of you," it is better to obtain voice data before establishing a communication connection. On the other hand, if the text is not used at the beginning of the call, such as "Thank you.", The voice data may be acquired after the communication connection is established (independently of the establishment of the communication connection). The above control can be performed by setting for each fixed sentence as described above. The above is the function of the communication terminal 10 according to the present embodiment.

  FIG. 2 shows a hardware configuration of the communication terminal 10 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the communication terminal 10 includes one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) 101, a random access memory (RAM) 102 and a ROM 103 (Read Only Memory) as main storage devices, an operation module 104, a wireless communication module 105, an antenna 106, a microphone 107, a speaker 108, a display 109, and other hardware. The functions of the communication terminal 10 described above are exhibited by operating these components by a program or the like. The above is the configuration of the communication terminal 10.

  Subsequently, the processing executed by the communication terminal 10 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. First, processing when audio data is acquired and stored will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

  In this processing, the input unit 12 inputs a fixed phrase, which is a text to be converted into voice data, prior to communication (S01). The input fixed phrase is output from the input unit 12 to the determination unit 13. Subsequently, the determination unit 13 corresponds to the input fixed phrase based on at least one of the state of the own terminal 10, the fixed phrase itself input by the input unit 12, and the communication history in the own terminal 10. It is determined whether or not the audio data is acquired prior to the communication, that is, whether or not the audio data is pre-downloaded (S02). This determination is performed, for example, as described above, at the timing when a fixed phrase is input, at regular intervals, and when there is an incoming call to the communication terminal 10.

  If it is determined that the pre-download of the audio data is not to be performed (NO in S03), this processing ends. When the determination is made at regular intervals, the process is restarted from S02 again after a lapse of a fixed time from the above determination. When it is determined that the audio data is to be downloaded in advance (YES in S03), the fixed phrase is output from the determination unit 13 to the acquisition unit 14. Subsequently, the acquisition unit 14 acquires and downloads the speech data corresponding to the fixed phrase from the speech synthesis apparatus 30 in advance (S04). If the judgment by the judging unit 13 is a case where there is an incoming call to the communication terminal 10, as described above, at this time, until the voice data is obtained, the obtaining unit 14 performs the communication of the incoming call. Control for prohibiting establishment may be performed. The fixed phrase and the obtained voice data are associated with each other, output from the obtaining unit 14 to the conversion unit 11, and stored by the conversion unit 11 (S05). The above is the processing when audio data is acquired and stored.

  Subsequently, processing when communication is performed using the stored audio data will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. This processing is performed when a communication connection is established between the communication terminal 10 and another communication terminal 20 and voice data is transmitted from the communication terminal 10 to another communication terminal 20.

  In the communication terminal 10, an input related to transmission to the communication terminal 20 of the communication partner is performed in communication (S11). If the input is a user's own utterance, that is, a voice input (YES in S12), the voice data of the voice is transmitted from the communication terminal 10 to the communication terminal 20 of the communication partner (S13). ). If the input is not a voice input (NO in S12), the input is input of information related to text, and the information is input to the conversion unit 11.

  If the information specifies the fixed phrase stored in the conversion unit 11 in association with the voice data (YES in S14), the conversion unit 11 associates the fixed phrase with the specified fixed phrase. The stored audio data is read and obtained (S15). Subsequently, the acquired voice data is transmitted from the conversion unit 11 to the communication terminal 20 of the communication partner (S13).

  If the information does not specify a fixed phrase stored in the conversion unit 11 in association with the audio data (NO in S14), the information is associated with the audio data in the conversion unit 11. This is a text other than the stored fixed phrase. In this case, the conversion unit 11 downloads and acquires the speech data corresponding to the input text from the speech synthesis device 30 (S16). Subsequently, the acquired voice data is transmitted from the conversion unit 11 to the communication terminal 20 of the communication partner (S13). The above is the processing when communication is performed using the stored audio data.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, based on at least one of the state of the own terminal 10, the text itself, and the communication history of the own terminal 10, whether or not to acquire voice data corresponding to the text prior to communication Is determined. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, for example, acquisition can be performed at a timing when there is a high possibility that audio data is used for communication. Alternatively, it is possible to acquire voice data for a text that is likely to be used for communication. As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to appropriately acquire audio data used for communication.

  More specifically, voice data may be acquired at the time of an incoming call. According to this configuration, when there is an incoming call to the own terminal 10, it is possible to appropriately acquire the voice data. At this time, by performing control to prohibit the establishment of communication, it is possible to start a call in a state where voice data is acquired.

  Further, as in the present embodiment, the determination may be made based on the number of times of communication indicated in the communication history. According to this configuration, acquisition can be appropriately performed at a timing when there is a high possibility that voice data will be used for communication in accordance with the number of times of communication of the own terminal.

  Also, as in the present embodiment, the designation of a text may be received, converted into voice data, and the voice data may be transmitted to the communication terminal 20 of the communication partner. That is, the voice data to be transmitted to the communication terminal 20 of the communication partner may be converted from the specified text. According to this configuration, the voice data corresponding to the text specified in the own terminal 10 can be transmitted to the communication partner terminal, and the telephone call using the text can be reliably performed.

  In the present embodiment, the communication terminal 10 is a device that performs wireless communication, but the communication terminal according to the present invention may be a device that performs wired communication.

<Second embodiment>
Subsequently, a second embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment, the transmission-side communication terminal 10 performs conversion from text to voice data. In the present embodiment, conversion from text to voice data is performed in the communication terminal on the receiving side. On the other hand, the transmitting communication terminal transmits the text related to the call.

  FIG. 5 shows communication terminals 40 and 50 according to the second embodiment. The communication terminal 40 is a receiving communication terminal that receives a text during a call, and the communication terminal 50 is a transmitting communication terminal that transmits a text during a call. That is, the communication terminal 40 is a communication terminal that converts text into voice data and uses the converted voice data for communication with another communication terminal. The communication terminal 50 is a communication terminal that communicates with the communication terminal 40. Note that the communication terminals 40 and 50 may have the same configuration as the communication terminal 10 of the first embodiment, unless specifically described. Further, one communication terminal may have the respective functions of the communication terminals 40 and 50.

  Subsequently, functions of the communication terminals 40 and 50 according to the present embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, the communication terminal 40 includes a conversion unit 41, an input unit 42, a determination unit 43, and an acquisition unit 44.

  The conversion unit 41 receives information indicating a text from the communication terminal 50 of the communication partner when performing communication (when performing communication), and converts the text indicated by the received information into corresponding voice data. Means for outputting a sound based on the converted sound data. The conversion unit 11 stores (saves) a text, which is a fixed sentence, and voice data in association with each other before communication. The voice data corresponding to the text relates to the voice from which the text was read aloud.

  The conversion unit 41 receives information indicating a fixed phrase from the communication terminal 50 of the communication partner via the communication connection established during communication. The information indicating the fixed phrase may be the fixed phrase (text) itself, or may be information identifying the fixed phrase such as an identifier of the fixed phrase. The conversion unit 41 reads out audio data stored in association with the fixed phrase indicated by the received information, and performs audio output using a microphone or the like provided in the terminal 40 itself. Alternatively, the audio output may be performed by an earphone connected to own terminal 40. The audio data stored in the conversion unit 41 is acquired by the acquisition unit 44 as described later.

  Further, the conversion unit 41 may receive a text other than the fixed phrase stored in advance from the communication terminal 50 of the communication partner. In that case, the conversion unit 41 obtains audio data corresponding to the text input at that time, and performs audio output. The conversion unit 41 acquires speech data corresponding to a text from the speech synthesis device 30 in the same manner as the method by the acquisition unit 44 described below. Alternatively, the conversion unit 41 may acquire the voice data by a method different from the method by the acquisition unit 44, for example, by a voice synthesis application or the like in the own terminal 40. The voice data obtained in this manner may be stored in association with the text so that it can be used in the subsequent communication as described above.

  The input unit 42 is an input unit for inputting a fixed phrase, which is a text to be converted into voice data, prior to communication. The input unit 42 receives a fixed phrase from a communication terminal 50 different from the own terminal 40. The transmission and reception of fixed phrases is performed by a method different from the communication connection of voice communication for communication (communication connection established by outgoing / incoming calls), for example, by transmitting and receiving a message by data communication. The input unit 42 outputs the input fixed phrase to the determination unit 43. Further, the input unit 42 outputs information indicating the communication terminal 50 that is the transmission source of the fixed phrase to the determination unit 43. The information indicating the communication terminal 50 of the transmission source is, for example, a telephone number of the communication terminal 50 or an ID preset in the communication terminal 50. The communication terminal that transmits and receives information can be specified by a method similar to the conventional method.

  The determining unit 43 converts the voice data corresponding to the input fixed phrase based on at least one of the state of the own terminal 40, the fixed phrase itself input by the input unit 42, and the communication history in the own terminal 40. This is a determining means for determining whether or not to acquire the information before communication. The determination unit 43 makes a determination in the same manner as the determination unit 13 of the first embodiment.

  Further, in the present embodiment, instead of or in addition to the above determination, the determination unit 43 determines the fixed form text based on the information related to the communication terminal 50 that has transmitted the fixed form sentence stored in the own terminal 40. It is also possible to determine whether or not to acquire the audio data corresponding to. The information related to the communication terminal 50 stored in the own terminal 40 is, for example, a telephone directory (address book), a communication history, and an e-mail transmission / reception history.

  The determination unit 43 determines whether or not the information indicating the communication terminal 50 of the transmission source of the fixed phrase input from the input unit 42 is stored in the own terminal 40, and based on the determination, converts the voice data. It is determined whether or not to acquire prior to communication. For example, the communication terminal 50 that is the transmission destination of the fixed phrase is registered in the telephone directory, the communication history with the communication terminal 50 exists, and the transmission or reception of the electronic mail with the communication terminal 50 is performed. If there is, the determination unit 43 determines that the audio data is acquired prior to the communication. Further, in the determination using the communication history (the number of times of communication) in the first embodiment, the determination may be made using only the history relating to the communication terminal 50 that is the transmission source of the fixed phrase.

  Further, in addition to the above, the determination using the information related to the communication terminal 50 of the transmission source of the fixed phrase may be performed. For example, when the body of the e-mail stored in the own terminal 40 includes a description indicating the user of the communication terminal 50, it is determined that the voice data is to be obtained prior to the communication. For example, there is a case in which an e-mail includes a description "Ask the owner of the communication terminal 50". In addition, when the user of the communication terminal 50 that has transmitted the fixed phrase refers to the published schedule of the user of the communication terminal 40, it is determined that the voice data is to be acquired prior to the communication. In this case, for example, the user who referred to the schedule is notified to the communication terminal 40.

  Also, when the user of the communication terminal 40 is a driver of a courier service and the telephone number of the user of the communication terminal 50 of the sender of the fixed phrase is registered as the delivery destination of the package in the communication terminal 40, the voice data is transmitted. Is determined to be obtained prior to

  Further, for example, the determination may be made based on an attribute (for example, a title) of the user of the communication terminal 50 that is the transmission source of the fixed phrase stored in the telephone directory. For example, when the title of the user of the communication terminal 50 is the boss, it is determined that the voice data is acquired prior to the communication. The above attribute may be determined from, for example, an e-mail stored in the own terminal 40 using a conventional technique or the like. Alternatively, for each combination of the attribute of the user and the fixed phrase, whether or not to acquire the voice data may be set in advance, and the determination may be made based on the setting.

  As described above, if the determination is made according to the communication terminal 50 of the transmission source of the fixed phrase, the voice data may not be obtained in response to the notification of the fixed phrase from the user who is unlikely to talk. it can.

  When determining that the voice data corresponding to the input fixed phrase is to be acquired prior to the communication, the determining unit 43 outputs the fixed phrase to the acquiring unit 44.

  The acquisition unit 44 is an acquisition unit that acquires speech data corresponding to a fixed phrase from the speech synthesis device 30 based on the determination by the determination unit 43. The acquisition unit 44 acquires speech data from the speech synthesis device 30 in the same manner as the acquisition unit 14 of the first embodiment. The acquisition unit 44 outputs the fixed phrase and the acquired voice data to the conversion unit 41 in association with each other, and causes the conversion unit 41 to store the same. It should be noted that voice data corresponding to the communication terminal 50 of the transmission source of the input fixed phrase may be obtained. For example, audio data may be acquired according to the gender of the user of the communication terminal 50. That is, if the user of the communication terminal 50 is a male, voice data of a male voice may be obtained, and if the user of the communication terminal 50 is a female, voice data of a female voice may be obtained. When the audio data corresponding to the communication terminal 50 is acquired, the conversion unit 41 also performs conversion to the audio data according to the communication terminal 50 of the communication partner. The above is the function of the communication terminal 40 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the communication terminal 50 includes an input unit 51 and a transmission unit 52.

  The input unit 51 is an input unit for inputting a fixed phrase, which is a text to be converted into voice data, prior to communication. The input unit 51 inputs a fixed phrase in the same manner as the input unit 12 of the first embodiment. The input unit 51 outputs the input fixed phrase to the transmission unit 52.

  The transmitting unit 52 is a transmitting unit that transmits the fixed text input by the input unit 51 to the communication terminal 40 of the communication partner prior to the communication. The communication terminal 40 of the transmission destination can be, for example, the communication terminal 40 registered in the telephone directory of the own terminal 50. Alternatively, when communication terminals 40 capable of performing communication using fixed phrases are known in the own terminal 50, those communication terminals 40 may be used.

  Further, the transmission unit 52 may determine the communication terminal 40 of the transmission destination and whether or not transmission is possible. For example, the transmission unit 52 may determine whether to transmit a fixed phrase to the communication terminal 40 of the communication partner based on information related to the communication terminal 40 of the communication partner stored in the own terminal 50. Good. This determination is made for each communication terminal 40 registered in the telephone directory of the own terminal 50, for example. Specifically, the transmission unit 52 makes the same determination as the determination unit 43. In the case of a condition similar to the condition determined by the determination unit 43 to acquire voice data prior to communication, the transmission unit 52 determines to transmit a fixed phrase to the communication terminal 40.

  The fixed text sent by the transmission unit 52 is stored in the communication terminal 50 and used during communication. Specifically, the communication terminal 50 receives a user operation for designating a fixed phrase at the time of communication, and transmits information indicating the fixed phrase to the communication terminal 40 of the communication partner. The above is the function of the communication terminal 50 according to the present embodiment.

  Subsequently, processing executed by the communication terminals 40 and 50 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 6 and 7. First, a process when a fixed phrase is transmitted to the communication terminal 40 in the communication terminal 50 will be described using the flowchart of FIG.

  In this processing, the input unit 51 inputs a fixed phrase, which is a text to be converted into voice data, prior to communication (S21). The input fixed phrase is output from the input unit 51 to the transmission unit 52. Subsequently, the transmission unit 52 determines the communication terminal 40 of the transmission destination and whether transmission is possible (S22).

  If it is determined that there is no transmission destination (NO in S23), this processing ends. When it is determined that there is a transmission destination (YES in S23), the fixed phrase is transmitted from the transmission unit 52 to the communication terminal 40 of the transmission destination (S24). The transmitted fixed phrase is stored in the communication terminal 50. The above is the processing when a fixed phrase is transmitted.

  When the fixed phrase is transmitted, the communication terminal 40 of the transmission destination performs a process when the voice data is acquired and stored. This processing is performed in the same manner as the processing described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 3 of the above-described first embodiment, except for the following points. In this process, the input unit 42 receives and inputs the fixed phrase sent from the communication terminal 50. In this processing, the determination unit 43 makes a determination according to the communication terminal 50 that is the transmission source of the fixed phrase.

  Subsequently, processing in the communication terminal 40 when communication is performed using the stored audio data will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. This process is a process performed when a communication connection is established between the communication terminals 40 and 50 and information is transmitted from the communication terminal 50.

  In the communication terminal 40, reception according to the transmission from the communication terminal 50 is performed (S31). If the reception is the reception of audio data (YES in S32), an audio output based on the audio data is performed (S33). When the reception is not the reception of the audio data (NO in S32), the reception is the reception of the information related to the text, and the information is input to the conversion unit 41.

  If the information specifies a fixed phrase stored in the conversion unit 41 in association with the voice data (YES in S34), the conversion unit 41 associates the fixed phrase with the specified fixed phrase. The stored audio data is read and obtained (S35). Subsequently, the conversion unit 41 performs audio output based on the acquired audio data (S43).

  If the information does not specify the fixed phrase stored in the conversion unit 41 in association with the voice data (NO in S34), the information is associated with the voice data in the conversion unit 41. This is a text other than the stored fixed phrase. In this case, the conversion unit 41 downloads and acquires the speech data corresponding to the input text from the speech synthesis device 30 (S36). Subsequently, the conversion unit 41 performs audio output based on the acquired audio data (S33). The above is the processing in the communication terminal 40 when communication is performed using the stored voice data.

  As described above, even in a mode in which information related to fixed phrases is transmitted and received when communication is performed, according to the communication terminal 40 of the present embodiment, voice data used for communication can be appropriately acquired. .

  In addition, if the determination is made according to the communication terminal 40 that is the source of the fixed phrase as in the present embodiment, it is possible to appropriately obtain the voice data according to the communication terminal 40 that is the source of the fixed phrase. it can. For example, as described above, by not acquiring voice data in response to a notification of a fixed phrase from a user who is unlikely to make a call, data communication fees can be reduced.

  Further, according to the communication terminal 50 of the present embodiment for transmitting a fixed sentence, the fixed sentence can be input to the communication terminal 40 that acquires voice data appropriately and reliably. Further, if it is determined whether or not a fixed phrase can be transmitted according to the communication terminal 40 of the transmission destination, the text can be appropriately transmitted according to the communication terminal 40 of the communication partner.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the voice data stored in the communication terminal 40 corresponds to the fixed phrase transmitted from the communication terminal 50 different from the communication terminal 40, but may correspond to the fixed phrase transmitted from other communication terminals. May be used. For example, similarly to the first embodiment, a user of the communication terminal 40 may receive an operation of inputting a text to the own terminal 40 and input a fixed phrase.

  Further, the function of the communication terminal 10 of the first embodiment, and the function of the communication terminal 40 and the function of the communication terminal 50 of the second embodiment may be combined and realized as one communication terminal.

  10, 20, 40, 50 communication terminal, 11 conversion unit, 12 input unit, 13 determination unit, 14 acquisition unit, 101 CPU, 102 RAM, 103 ROM, 104 operation module, 105 Wireless communication module, 106 antenna, 107 microphone, 108 speaker, 109 display, 30 voice synthesizer, 41 conversion unit, 42 input unit, 43 determination unit, 44 acquisition unit, 51 input unit , 52... A transmission unit, N... A communication network.

Claims (7)

A communication terminal that converts text to voice data and uses the converted voice data for communication with another communication terminal,
Prior to the communication, input means for inputting a text to be converted to voice data,
Based on at least one of the state of the own terminal, the text itself input by the input means, and the communication history of the own terminal, whether or not to acquire voice data corresponding to the input text prior to communication Determining means for determining
Acquiring means for acquiring, from another device, audio data corresponding to the text input by the input means, based on the determination by the determining means;
Equipped with a,
The determining means determines that the voice data corresponding to the text is obtained prior to communication when there is an incoming call to the own terminal,
The communication terminal , wherein the obtaining unit performs control to prohibit establishment of communication regarding the incoming call until voice data corresponding to the text is obtained from another device . A communication terminal that converts text to voice data and uses the converted voice data for communication with another communication terminal,
Prior to the communication, input means for inputting a text to be converted to voice data,
Based on at least one of the state of the own terminal, the text itself input by the input means, and the communication history of the own terminal, whether or not to acquire voice data corresponding to the input text prior to communication Determining means for determining
Acquiring means for acquiring, from another device, audio data corresponding to the text input by the input means, based on the determination by the determining means;
Equipped with a,
A communication terminal that determines whether or not to acquire voice data corresponding to the text prior to communication based on the number of times of communication indicated in the communication history . A communication terminal that converts text to voice data and uses the converted voice data for communication with another communication terminal,
Prior to the communication, input means for inputting a text to be converted to voice data,
Based on at least one of the state of the own terminal, the text itself input by the input means, and the communication history of the own terminal, whether or not to acquire voice data corresponding to the input text prior to communication Determining means for determining
Acquiring means for acquiring, from another device, audio data corresponding to the text input by the input means, based on the determination by the determining means;
Equipped with a,
When performing communication, a text specification is accepted, the specified text is acquired by the acquisition unit, converted into audio data corresponding to the designated text, and transmitted to the communication terminal of the communication partner. A communication terminal further comprising a conversion unit . A communication terminal that converts text to voice data and uses the converted voice data for communication with another communication terminal,
Prior to the communication, input means for inputting a text to be converted to voice data,
Based on at least one of the state of the own terminal, the text itself input by the input means, and the communication history of the own terminal, whether or not to acquire voice data corresponding to the input text prior to communication Determining means for determining
Acquiring means for acquiring, from another device, audio data corresponding to the text input by the input means, based on the determination by the determining means;
Equipped with a,
When performing communication, information indicating a text is received from a communication terminal of a communication partner, and a text indicated by the received information is acquired by the acquisition unit, and a voice corresponding to the text indicated by the received information is acquired. A communication terminal further comprising conversion means for converting data into data and outputting audio based on the converted audio data . A communication terminal that converts text to voice data and uses the converted voice data for communication with another communication terminal,
Prior to the communication, input means for inputting a text to be converted to voice data,
Based on at least one of the state of the own terminal, the text itself input by the input means, and the communication history of the own terminal, whether or not to acquire voice data corresponding to the input text prior to communication Determining means for determining
Acquiring means for acquiring, from another device, audio data corresponding to the text input by the input means, based on the determination by the determining means;
Equipped with a,
The input means receives a text from another communication terminal,
The determining means determines whether or not to acquire voice data corresponding to the text prior to communication based on information related to the another communication terminal as a text transmission source stored in the own terminal. , Communication terminal. A communication terminal that performs communication with a communication terminal of a communication partner that converts text to voice data and uses the converted voice data for communication with another communication terminal,
Prior to the communication, input means for inputting a text to be converted to voice data,
Prior to the communication, transmitting means for transmitting the text input by the input means to the communication terminal of the communication partner,
A communication terminal comprising: The communication according to claim 6 , wherein the transmitting unit determines whether to transmit the text to the communication terminal of the communication partner based on information on the communication terminal of the communication partner stored in the own terminal. Terminal.

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