JPH05172619A - Volume control circuit of notification voice - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a volume of a notification audio to be changed automatically according to change in environment for a volume-control circuit of the notification audio such as beep sound and alarm sound or that such as announcing voice. CONSTITUTION:In a title item in a configuration which is provided with an amplification means 111 for amplifying a notification voice signal with a specified amplification rate and allows an output of the amplification means 111 to be fed to a voice output means 101, a microphone 112 which collects voice at a specified range around the voice-output means 101, a noise-level measuring means 113 which obtains a noise level indicating a level of noise around the voice-output means 101, and an amplification rate specification means 114 which specifies the corresponding amplification rate according to an input of the noise level are provided.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a notification sound volume control circuit for controlling a sound volume such as a beep sound or an alarm sound for alerting a user and an announcement sound for providing information. Is.

In recent years, various devices such as facsimile machines and personal computers have been installed not only in offices and factories but also in homes, and are used for confirming user's operations and notifying completion of processing and abnormality. Various notification sounds are generated from the device. In addition, various information is announced in order to convey information to a large number of unspecified users for convenience in crowded places such as the premises of stations, train cars, and underground passages.

As described above, voice notifications are used in various scenes of modern life, and information is transmitted to users more effectively and comfortably for devices and systems that generate notification voices. Therefore, detailed human interface technology is required.

[0004]

2. Description of the Related Art As a method of effectively transmitting information to a user, there is a method of setting different volume depending on the type of notification sound.

In this case, the volume of each notification sound may be set in consideration of the urgency of transmission to the user. For example, in a facsimile machine, when the user inputs the telephone number of the transmission destination, it is considered that the user is near the machine. Therefore, in order to confirm the input operation by the user, a notification with a low volume is sent. It is enough to make a sound. On the other hand, as when the recording paper runs out during reception, the alarm sound that requests the user to perform a predetermined operation or indicates that an abnormality has occurred, regardless of whether the user is nearby or not. , It is necessary to surely transmit to the user, so a large volume is necessary.

Further, by providing a change-over switch and a volume for gradually changing the volume of the notification sound, the volume is adjusted according to the average noise level of the installation site and the hearing sensitivity of the user, thereby We were trying to respond to the environment and the individuality of the users.

There is also a method of changing the sound volume of the notification sound or stopping the generation of the notification sound depending on the time, paying attention to the temporal change of the environment. It is used as a method to control the ringtone of. As a result, it meets the demand of users who want to have a comfortable time during bedtime without being bothered by ringtones.

[0008]

By the way, the noise level in the place where each device is installed is not constant in both the office and the factory, and the noise level changes depending on the surrounding environment.
It usually changes depending on the date and time. However, in the above-described conventional notification sound adjustment method, the volume of the notification sound is fixed regardless of changes in the surrounding environment unless the user changes the volume setting. For this reason,
For example, in a factory, if the volume of the notification sound is set based on the noise level when various manufacturing devices are operating, the notification sound will ring at an unnecessarily loud volume during lunch breaks, etc. Will be given. On the contrary, if the volume of the notification sound is set based on the noise level when the manufacturing apparatus is not in operation, this may cause a case where the user cannot be notified of the apparatus abnormality or the like when necessary.

In such a case, it is troublesome for the user to judge the surrounding environment and reset the volume of the notification sound. Also, if the environment changes at the same time every day, such as during lunch breaks and working hours, it is possible to deal with it by using technology that changes the volume of the notification sound depending on the time. Cannot be dealt with when changes occur.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a notification voice volume control circuit which automatically changes the volume of the notification voice in response to changes in the environment.

[0011]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a notification sound volume control circuit according to claims 1 and 2. In FIG.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the notification sound volume control circuit is provided with the amplifying means 111 for amplifying the notification sound signal at the designated amplification rate, and the output of the amplifying means 111 is input to the sound output means 101. In the voice output means 10
Microphone 1 for collecting a predetermined range of sound around 1
12 and a noise level measuring means 113 for obtaining a noise level indicating the noise level around the audio output means 101 based on the output of the microphone 112, and an amplification means for amplifying a corresponding amplification factor according to the input of the noise level. And an amplification factor designating means 114 for designating 111.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in the notification sound volume control circuit according to the first aspect, the noise level measuring means 113 comprises:
The peak detection means 121 for detecting the peak value of the output of the microphone 112 and the peak value detected by the peak detection means 121 according to the input of the notification voice signal are held and sent to the amplification factor designating means 114 as a noise level. And peak holding means 122.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the structure of a notification sound volume control circuit according to a third aspect of the present invention. The invention of claim 3 relates to claim 1
In the notification sound volume control circuit, the noise level measuring means 113 removes the frequency component of the sound output from the sound output means 101 from the output of the microphone 112, and the peak detection for detecting the peak value of the output of the filter 131. And a means 132.

[0015]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the noise level measuring means 113 evaluates the level of the noise around the voice output means 101 based on the volume of the voice collected by the microphone 112, and the amplification factor designating means 114 determines the noise level. By designating the amplification rate corresponding to the level to the amplification means 111, the audio output means 10
It is possible to change the amplification factor of the notification voice signal according to the noise level in the vicinity of 1. Thereby, the volume of the notification sound generated by the sound output unit 101 can be changed according to the change of the surrounding environment.

The invention of claim 2 is the peak detecting means 121.
The peak holding means 122 and the peak holding means 122 evaluate the loudness of the ambient noise at the time when the notification voice signal is input, and designate the amplification factor corresponding to the loudness of the noise to the amplification means 111. Therefore, the notification voice is output. It is possible to control the volume of the notification voice in consideration of the surrounding environment at the time of performing. Further, according to the invention of claim 3, since the filter 131 removes the frequency component of the output sound by the sound output means 101, the peak detection means 132 detects the surroundings while the sound output means 101 is outputting the notification sound. The noise level can be measured, and the change in the noise level during that time can be reflected in the volume of the notification voice.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 shows the configuration of an embodiment of a facsimile apparatus to which the volume control circuit of claim 2 is applied.

In FIG. 3, the facsimile apparatus includes a reading unit 201, an image memory 202, and a compression / decompression unit 203.
, Modem 204, network control unit (NCU) 205, and recording unit 2
06 and a microprocessor (MPU) 207 are connected to each other via a bus.
It is connected to the line through 5.

The microprocessor 207 controls the above-mentioned respective parts to perform a normal transmission / reception operation, and sends a notification sound such as a ring tone or an alarm sound to the voice signal generating circuit 208 in response to a request from each part. It is configured to instruct generation of a notification voice signal for generation.

The voice signal generation circuit 208 generates a voice signal of a frequency (or a combination of a plurality of frequencies) corresponding to the notification sound designated by the instruction from the microprocessor 207, and outputs it as a notification voice signal. Is becoming Further, this notification voice signal is sent to the volume control circuit 210
Via the speaker 22 corresponding to the audio output means 101.
It is input to 1.

In FIG. 3, the microphone 112 is arranged close to the speaker 221, and the speaker 22 is provided.
1 is configured to collect the surrounding voice. Further, the output signal of the microphone 112 is transmitted via the amplifier 211 to the peak hold circuit 212 of the volume control circuit 210.
Has been entered in.

The peak hold circuit 212 is composed of a diode 213, two switches 214a and 214b, two resistors 215a and 215b, and a capacitor 216. The output of the microphone 112 described above is input to the diode 213, and the output terminal of the diode 213 is connected to one end of the resistor 215a via the switch 214a. Also, the resistor 215
A capacitor 216, a resistor 215b, and a switch 214b are connected in parallel to the other end of a and are grounded.

That is, this peak hold circuit 212
Operates as the peak detector 121 when both the switches 214a and 214b are closed.
By opening a and 214b, the electric charge of the capacitor 216 is held, the potential difference corresponding to the peak value of the output of the microphone 112 immediately before opening the switches 214a and 214b is saved, and the peak holding means 122 operates. However, this potential difference is output as a noise level.

The above-mentioned switches 214a and 214b are
The microprocessor 207 is configured to open and close according to a control signal to a control terminal S provided in each.
However, when instructing the voice signal generation circuit 208 to generate a notification voice signal, a control signal for instructing the switches 214a and 214b to be in the open state is input.

Since the peak value of the output of the microphone 112 indicates the amplitude of the noise around the facsimile machine, the noise level of the surroundings is indicated by the peak value of the output of the microphone 112. Be done. Therefore, as described above, the switches 214a and 214b are
By operating, the peak hold circuit 212 functions as the noise level measuring means 113, and the noise level around the speaker 221 immediately before the notification sound is generated can be obtained. Further, this noise level is sent to the amplification factor designating means 114.

In FIG. 3, the amplification factor designating means 114 is
The comparison unit 217 compares the noise level with at least one threshold value, and the amplification factor determination unit 218 adds the initial value of the amplification factor and the adjustment value corresponding to the above-described comparison result to amplify the noise level. The ratio is calculated and sent to the amplifier 219 corresponding to the amplification means 111.

Here, as the initial value of the amplification factor, a value set by the user through the changeover switch or the volume may be used. Further, when different sound volumes are set depending on the type of notification sound, the initial value for each notification sound is held inside the amplification factor determining unit 218, and the type of notification sound designated by the microprocessor 207 is set. The amplification rate may be determined using the corresponding initial value.

As a result, the notification voice signal amplified by the above-mentioned amplifier 219 at the amplification rate adapted to the noise level is sent to the speaker 221, and this speaker 22 is sent.
By 1, the notification sound of the volume corresponding to the above-mentioned amplification factor is output.

In this way, the amplification factor for amplifying the notification voice signal by the amplifier 219 is changed according to the noise level around the facsimile apparatus at the time when the notification sound is generated, thereby changing the surrounding environment. It is possible to automatically change the volume of the notification sound generated by the speaker 221 according to the change of.

However, in this case, the peak hold circuit 2
Since the value of the noise level at the time of starting the generation of the notification sound is held by 12, the amplification rate of the notification voice signal by the amplifier 219 is kept constant during the generation of the notification sound, and the speaker 221 outputs a constant volume. The notification sound of is generated.

Further, as described above, the volume of the notification sound is amplified by adding the adjustment value of the amplification factor corresponding to the noise level to the initial value of the amplification factor to obtain the final amplification factor. The noise level can be increased by the initial value of the rate. Therefore, the notification sound is not drowned out by ambient noise, and it is possible to prevent the user from being stressed by the generation of an extremely loud sound.

As a result, even when the noise level around the facsimile apparatus changes irregularly depending on the date and time, it is possible to always generate a notification sound of an appropriate volume, so that an incoming call or an alarm is generated. Can be reliably and comfortably notified to the user.

If a filter adapted to human auditory sensitivity is inserted between the amplifier 211 and the peak hold circuit 212 and the peak hold circuit 212 holds the peak value of the output of this filter, Since the noise level can be evaluated in consideration of the frequency characteristics of human auditory sensitivity, the volume of the notification sound can be controlled to a more appropriate volume.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, if a clamp circuit 224 and a limiter 226 are connected in parallel on the output side of the amplifier 211, the DC component of the output of the amplifier 211 will be the set potential of the clamp setting section 225. Is stabilized to
The amplitude of the AC component is limited according to the setting of the limit setting unit 227, and then sent to the peak hold circuit 212. Therefore, the volume control circuit can be operated more stably.

The volume control circuit of claim 2 is similar to the example of the facsimile apparatus described above, and the voice output means 1
If the notification voice signal is input to the speaker or the buzzer provided as 01 via the volume control circuit 210,
It can be applied to volume control of notification sound of various OA devices and home appliances.

Further, a volume control circuit 210 is added to each speaker incorporated in an announcement system such as a station or a department store, and a notification voice signal from a central control unit is input to the speaker via the volume control circuit 210. With such a configuration, the information can be provided to the user at an appropriate volume according to the difference in the noise level depending on the installation location of the speaker. In other words, on the speaker side, it is possible to adjust the volume in consideration of the environment such as whether the installation location is a crowded place like the platform at the station at rush hour or conversely a quiet place with few people. Therefore, it is not necessary for the central control device side to be aware of the volume of each place, and information can be provided to the user reliably and comfortably.

Here, the volume control circuit according to claim 2 is premised on that the surrounding environment does not change drastically before and after the notification sound is generated, and it is considered that the noise level before and after the generation of the notification sound is substantially constant. Since the configuration is such that the volume of the notification sound is changed according to the noise level immediately before the occurrence of, it is suitable when the environment changes relatively slowly.

Next, a method for flexibly responding to a drastic change in the surrounding environment before and after the notification sound is generated will be described. FIG. 5 shows the configuration of an embodiment of the volume control circuit according to claim 3.

Hereinafter, portions common to the respective portions shown in FIG. 3 will be described with the same reference numerals as those in FIG. In FIG. 5, the output of the microphone 112 is input to the filter 131 via the amplifier 211.

In this filter 131, a pair of a plurality of notch filters 231 _{1 to} 231 _n and bypass paths 232 _{1 to} 232 _n for transmitting all frequency components are connected in series via two switches provided on both sides of each pair. It is connected. In addition, the selector 233 inputs an instruction to each switch according to the input of the type of the notification voice, connects the two switches corresponding to the corresponding pair to the terminal a side, and connects the switches corresponding to the other pairs to the terminal b. It is configured to connect to the side.

That is, in the pair including the notch filter 231 for removing the frequency corresponding to the type of the notification voice by controlling the switch by the selector 233, the input signal is transmitted to the subsequent pair via the notch filter 231.
In the other pair, the signal is directly transmitted to the subsequent pair via the bypass path 232, and only the corresponding frequency component is removed.

As a result, while the notification sound is generated by the speaker 221, the output signal of the microphone 112 from which the frequency component of the notification sound is removed can be sent to the peak detection means 132.

The peak detecting means 132 includes two switches 214 from the peak hold circuit 212 shown in FIG.
In this configuration, a and 214b are removed, the diode 213 and the resistor 215a are directly connected, and the resistor 215b is directly grounded. Therefore, the capacitor 216 is charged with a time constant determined by the resistance value R ₁ of the resistor 215a and the capacitance C of the capacitor 216, and stored in the capacitor 216 with a time constant determined by the resistance value R ₂ of the resistor 215b and the capacitance C. By discharging the electric charge, as a potential difference between both ends of the capacitor 216,
A potential corresponding to the peak value of the output of the diode 213 can be obtained.

In this case, the output of the peak detecting means 132 changes while the notification sound is generated by the speaker 221, and the amplification factor set in the amplifier 216 by the amplification factor designating means 114 is changed accordingly. To be done.

That is, even while the notification sound is being generated, it is possible to monitor the noise level of the surroundings and change the volume of the notification sound according to the change of the surrounding environment. Thus, it is possible to reliably and comfortably notify the user of incoming calls and alarms.

Further, as described above, by using the notch filter 231 corresponding to the type of the notification sound, even when the notification sound is generated, the noise level close to the frequency of the notification sound is taken into consideration and the noise level is high. It is possible to measure the noise level with accuracy.

The notch filter 231 shown in FIG.
Instead of _{1 to} 231 _n , a filter that removes all the frequency components included in each notification sound is provided, and the selector 233
One of the filter and the bypass path 232 may be selected. Further, instead of the filter described above, the filter 131 may be configured by using a filter that removes the distribution range of the frequency component included in each notification sound.

Since the volume control circuit of claim 3 needs to have a filter for removing the frequency of the notification sound, it is suitable for the volume control of the notification sound of OA equipment and home appliances in which the frequency of the notification sound is fixed. There is. However, if the filter 131 is configured to include a filter that removes the range in which the frequency components of human voices are distributed, it can be applied to the control of volume such as announcements at station premises.

The configuration of the filter 131 is not limited to one in which a pair of a notch filter and a bypass path are connected in series, and when only a specific component needs to be removed,
A plurality of notch filters may be connected in parallel, and an input signal may be sent to the peak detection means 132 in the subsequent stage via any one of them.

[0050]

As described above, according to the present invention, the ambient noise level is evaluated based on the output of the microphone for collecting the ambient voice of the voice output means, and the notification voice signal of the notification voice signal is output according to the evaluation result. By changing the amplification factor, it is possible to change the volume of the notification voice in consideration of changes in the surrounding environment, and it is possible to always set the volume suitable for the surrounding environment. Information can be comfortably transmitted to users.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, by designating the amplification factor corresponding to the ambient noise level at the time of inputting the notification voice signal, the surrounding environment at the output start time of the notification voice is set to the volume of the notification voice. Can be reflected.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the filter is used to remove the frequency component of the output voice by the voice output means, so that the change in the environment can be monitored even during the output of the notification voice to notify the voice of the notification voice. Can be reflected in the volume.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a notification sound volume control circuit according to claims 1 and 2;

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a notification sound volume control circuit according to claim 3;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a facsimile apparatus to which the notification sound volume control circuit of claim 2 is applied.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of another embodiment of the notification sound volume control circuit according to claim 2;

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of a notification sound volume control circuit according to claim 3;

[Explanation of symbols]

 101 voice output means 111 amplification means 112 microphone 113 noise level measurement means 114 amplification factor designation means 121, 132 peak detection means 122 peak holding means 131 filter 201 reading unit 202 image memory 203 compression / decompression unit 204 modem 205 network control unit (NCU) ) 206 recording unit 207 microprocessor (MPU) 208 audio signal generation circuit 210 volume control circuit 211, 219 amplifier 212 peak hold circuit 213 diode 214 switch 215 resistor 216 capacitor 217 comparison unit 218 amplification factor determination unit 221 speaker 224 clamp circuit 225 clamp Setting unit 226 Limiter 227 Limit setting unit 231 Notch filter 232 Bypass path 233 Selector

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A amplifying means (111) for amplifying a notification voice signal at a designated amplification factor is provided.
A notification sound volume control circuit configured to input the output of 1) to a sound output means (101), a microphone (112) for collecting sound in a predetermined range around the sound output means (101), Noise level measuring means (113) for obtaining a noise level indicating the noise level around the audio output means (101) based on the output of the microphone (112), and corresponding to the input of the noise level. Amplification factor designating means (11) for designating the amplification factor to the amplification means (111)
4) A volume control circuit for notification voice, comprising: 2. The notification sound volume control circuit according to claim 1, wherein the noise level measuring means (113) detects the peak value of the output of the microphone (112), and the notification sound signal. In response to the input, the peak detecting means (1
21) A volume control circuit for notifying sound, comprising: a peak holding means (122) for holding the peak value detected by 21) and sending it to the amplification factor designating means (114) as a noise level. 3. The notification sound volume control circuit according to claim 1, wherein the noise level measuring means (113) changes from the output of the microphone (112) to the sound output means (10).
Volume control of notification voice, comprising a filter (131) for removing the frequency component of the voice output by 1) and a peak detection means (132) for detecting the peak value of the output of the filter (131). circuit.