JPH10290298A - Portable information terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the portable information terminal by which message information displayed on a display section is acquired by a method other than a visual sense. SOLUTION: The portable information terminal 1 is made up of an FM/AM radio reception section 3 to which an antenna 2 is connected, a pocket beeper reception section 5 to which an antenna 4 is connected, a decoder 6, an AF antenna 7, a speaker 8, a message memory 9, a controller 10, a speech synthesizer 11, a function setting memory 12, a key entry section 13, and a display section 14. Then character information demodulated by the decoder 6 is stored in the message memory 9 and fed to the speech synthesizer 11. The speech synthesizer 11 conducts voice synthesis processing based on the received character information and converts the character information into voice information, which is sounded from a speaker 8.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is used, for example, when an incoming call is made to a portable information terminal capable of displaying character information such as a pager or a radio receiver compatible with FM teletext (commonly called "visible radio"). The present invention relates to a suitable portable information terminal.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the development of portable information terminals has been remarkable due to the development of telecommunication technology and the increasing needs of users. Examples of mobile information terminals include mobile phones, simplified mobile phones (PHS), pagers, FM radio multiplex radio receivers, and portable personal computers. Combined products of these are also emerging. ing. These portable information terminals are devices for obtaining information visually except for mobile phones and the like, and have a display unit for obtaining information in the device body.

However, in a state where the portable information terminal is stored in a bag or a pocket, there is an inconvenience that the information cannot be confirmed unless the user takes out the portable information terminal and looks at the display unit. That is, at present, there is no portable information terminal capable of listening to the information displayed on the display unit by ear. In addition, mobile phones and the like are devices that obtain information by hearing, but mobile phones and the like are basically two-way devices,
Unless the information is recognized and understood in real time, it will be lost each time. That is, at present, there is no portable information terminal that stores information obtained by a portable telephone or the like.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a portable information terminal that visually obtains information displayed on a display unit. Is obtained by a method other than visual. Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable information terminal capable of confirming acquired information as needed in a portable information terminal that acquires information in real time.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a portable information terminal according to the present invention comprises a receiving means for receiving character information transmitted from a transmitting station, and a demodulating means for demodulating the character information received by the receiving means. A portable information terminal comprising: a demodulating means for performing the decoding process; a display means for displaying the character information demodulated by the demodulating means; and an operating means. Storage means for storing the demodulated character information; voice synthesis means for recognizing the character information stored in the storage means for performing voice synthesis processing; sounding means for generating the voice information synthesized by the voice synthesis means; And control means for controlling the information terminal. Conventionally, information displayed as character information on the display means of the portable information terminal is converted into voice information by voice synthesis means, and sound is generated from sound generation means (speaker or earphone). This allows the user to
For example, there is no need to take out the portable information terminal stored in a bag or a pocket and check the character information.

[0006] Further, the control means provided in the portable information terminal according to the present invention includes a caller data (telephone number, ID (Identification Code)) transmitted together with character information from a calling station.
And a keyword, etc.), and when the caller data matches the caller data registered in advance, the voice of the caller set in advance in the function setting storage means provided in the portable information terminal of the present invention. (Intonation) and a function of reproducing by audio frequency. Thereby, the user of the portable information terminal of the present invention can easily specify the caller to the portable information terminal, and the convenience for the user can be improved.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, the circuit configuration of the portable information terminal of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block circuit diagram showing an example of the portable information terminal of the present invention. Note that, in the embodiment of the present invention, as an example of a portable information terminal, a composite product in which an FM character multiplex broadcasting compatible radio receiver and a pager are combined will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, a portable information terminal 1 according to the present invention has an FM / AM radio receiving section 3 to which an antenna 2 is connected, a pager receiving section 5 to which an antenna 4 is connected, a decoder 6, and an AF. An amplifier 7, a speaker 8, a message memory 9, a controller 10 as control means, a speech synthesizer 11 as voice synthesis means, a function setting memory 12, a key input unit 13 such as a dialer, and a display unit 14 such as a liquid crystal display panel. Is done.

Next, the circuit operation of the portable information terminal of the present invention configured as described above will be described.

[0011] The FM / AM radio receiving section 3 receives an FM teletext broadcast via the antenna 2. The audio signal of the FM teletext is directly output to the AF amplifier 7, amplified to a predetermined level by the AF amplifier 7, and emitted from the speaker 8. The text signal of the FM teletext is demodulated by the decoder 6 and converted into text information.

On the other hand, the message signal to the specific recipient received via the antenna 4 is received by the pager receiving section 5 and demodulated by the decoder 6 and converted into character information. These character information are temporarily stored in the message memory 9. In the controller 10, the portable information terminal 1
To notify the user of the incoming message by ringing and vibration.

Thereafter, the character information is displayed on the display unit 14 and transmitted to the speech synthesizer 11. The speech synthesizer 11 performs a speech synthesis process on the input character information based on learning data in a ROM area in which previously learned data is stored, converts the text information into a speech signal, and outputs the speech signal to the AF amplifier 7.

In the AF amplifier 7, the audio signal received by the FM / AM radio receiver 3 and the speech synthesizer 1
The voice signal synthesized by step 1 (original character information) is selected or mixed, and an incoming message is repeated from the speaker 8 based on a predetermined operation of the key operation unit 13. This allows the user to use FM / AM
The incoming message displayed on the display unit 14 can be listened to by the voice signal together with the voice signal of the radio receiving unit 3. Further, the information which has been lost in real time can be repeatedly heard from the speaker 8 on a mobile phone or the like.

In the portable information terminal 1 of the present invention, the decoder 6
Thus, the control information of the speech synthesizer 11 can be included in the character information demodulated. That is, when the message received by the pager receiving unit 5 is a message from a caller registered in the portable information terminal 1 in advance, the control information is identified by the controller 10 and the incoming message is stored in the message memory 9. By transferring the information to the function setting memory 12, the inflection of the incoming message, the frequency, and the like can be controlled. As a result, the inflection, frequency, and the like of the incoming message generated from the speaker 8 are approximated to those of the sender, and the sender can be easily identified.

The controller 10 performs a series of operation control as described above, and controls each section of the portable information terminal 1 according to the operation content of the key input section 13. In particular,
Frequency setting of the FM / AM radio receiving unit 3, repetitive reproduction of the incoming message received by the pager receiving unit 5, confirmation / deletion of the contents of the message memory 9, change of the contents of the function setting memory 12, and characterizing the incoming message Control for displaying on the display unit 14 is performed.

Next, an application example of the portable information terminal according to the present invention will be sequentially described. In the following description, in order to facilitate understanding of the circuit configuration of the portable information terminal of the present invention, a supplementary explanation will be given on the details of the transmission contents of the transmission side.

First Embodiment First, a first embodiment of a portable information terminal according to the present invention.
Will be described with reference to FIG. 2 together with FIG. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of adaptation of the portable information terminal according to the first embodiment.

As described above, the broadcasting station 20 has put into practical use FM FM multiplex broadcasting in which text information is transmitted together with sound using FM broadcast radio waves. In order to receive this FM teletext, the portable information terminal 1 of the present invention amplifies the audio signal received by the FM / AM radio receiving unit 3 (see FIG. At the same time, the character signal is demodulated by the decoder 6 and stored in the message memory 9. Further, the demodulated character information is displayed on the display unit 14.

The operation up to now is the same as the conventional one, but the feature of the present invention is that the character information stored in the message memory 9 is converted into audio information by the speech synthesizer 11 and the speaker 8 and the monaural or stereo earphone are used. 21 (see FIG. 2) as audio information. Thereby, the user of the portable information terminal 1 can take out the portable information terminal 1 from, for example, a bag or a pocket and check the content of the FM teletext without looking at the display unit 14.

Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the portable information terminal of the present invention.
Will be described with reference to FIG. 3 together with FIG. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of adaptation of the portable information terminal according to the second embodiment.

The electronic mail 30 as shown in FIG.
In this system, a message transmitted to an individual via a network 31 can be visually confirmed using a computer 32. That is, the e-mail 30 is input to the computer 32 via the network 31 and transmitted as a radio wave A via a communication device (for example, a modem) 33 and an antenna 34.

In the portable information terminal 1 of the present invention, the antenna 4
The message received by the pager receiving unit 5 (see FIG. 1) through the decoder 6 is demodulated by the decoder 6 and converted into character information. After that, the character information is stored in the message memory 9 and the message content is displayed on the display unit 14.

On the other hand, the character information stored in the message memory 9 is voice-synthesized by the speech synthesizer 11 and output from the earphone 21 to the user's ear as voice information. In addition, since the display capacity of the display unit 14 in the portable information terminal 1 is limited, in such a case, the operation of confirming the contents of the message (switching pages, etc.) is performed by the key input unit 13 so that the speaker 8 repeats the operation. Can pronounce. In addition, the application example of the portable information terminal 1 of the present invention is not limited to the illustrated e-mail.
The present invention can also be applied to a method of listening to a specific information service that changes successively, such as a stock price and an exchange rate contracted with an information service company, like a conventional radio receiver. As a result, the immediacy of the information is increased, and the value of the information can be enhanced.

Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment in the portable information terminal of the present invention.
Will be described with reference to FIG. 4 together with FIG. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of adaptation of the portable information terminal according to the third embodiment.

The message 40 arbitrarily created by a personal computer or the like is the electronic mail 30 of the second embodiment.
Can be transmitted to the portable information terminal 1 by the same operation as described above. At this time, in the system of the present invention, the sender message 41 can be added to the transmission message and transmitted. That is, the message 40 with the sender data 41 input to the computer 32 is processed by the communication device 33 and transmitted as the radio wave A from the antenna 34.

In the portable information terminal 1 of the present invention, the antenna 4
The radio wave A is received by the pager receiving unit 5 via. Message 40 obtained by demodulating radio wave A by decoder 6
Contains the caller data 41, the controller 10
In addition to identifying the sender data 41, the message 40 is transferred from the message memory 9 to the function setting memory 12 to add the function of the speech synthesizer 11, thereby controlling the inflection and frequency of the message 40. By using this function, the inflection and frequency of the message 40 emitted from the speaker 8 are approximated to the caller, and the caller can be easily specified.

Message 40 demodulated by decoder 6
Does not include the caller data 41, it is pronounced with the intonation and frequency set in advance by the manufacturer of the portable information terminal 1.
In the portable information terminal 1 of the present invention, although the recording time is limited, the voice of the caller is compressed and stored in the message memory 9 instead of the character signal, and the voice of the caller is expanded during reproduction. It is also possible to reproduce from the speaker 8.

By applying the method of the present invention, the following specific effects can be obtained in the portable information terminal 1 of the present invention. First, character information normally displayed on the display unit can be heard from an ear via a speaker. This saves the trouble of taking out the portable information terminal stored in, for example, a bag or a pocket and checking the character information. Second, the portable information terminal of the present invention can control the inflection of a message and the voice frequency for a specific sender. For this reason, the inflection of the voice synthesis function and the voice frequency can be changed for each sender, and the sender of the received message can be easily specified. Third, in the conventional portable information terminal, the display unit is large for visually confirming the character information. However, in the present invention, since the character information can be heard from the ear, the display unit is small. And contribute to the reduction in size and weight of the portable information terminal.
Fourth, e-mails, text broadcasts, and the like displayed as text information have conventionally been often treated as non-immediate (low urgency) information. Information can be enhanced.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various embodiments are possible. For example, in the above-described embodiment, as an example of the portable information terminal, a composite product in which an FM text multiplex broadcasting compatible radio and a pager are combined has been described. However, in addition to this, a mobile phone, a simplified mobile phone (PHS), The present invention is applicable to a single or combined portable information terminal such as a portable personal computer and a personal digital assistant (PDA) that is expected to be developed in the future. In addition, it goes without saying that the present invention can be developed in various forms without being limited to the embodiment described above.

[0031]

According to the portable information terminal of the present invention described above, message information conventionally displayed as character information on the display unit of the portable information terminal is output as a speech signal by speech synthesis processing. It is possible to listen to the message information via a speaker or the like, and the convenience of the user using the portable information terminal can be improved. Further, since the portable information terminal of the present invention can control the inflection and voice frequency of message information for a specific sender, by changing the inflection and voice frequency of the voice synthesis function for each sender, This has the effect of making it easier to identify the sender.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block circuit diagram showing an example of a portable information terminal of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of adaptation of a portable information terminal according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of adaptation of a portable information terminal according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of adaptation of a portable information terminal according to a third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... portable information terminal, 2, 4, 34 ... antenna, 3 ... FM
/ AM radio receiver, 5 pager receiver, 6 decoder, 7 AF amplifier, 8 speaker, 9 message memory, 10 controller, 11 speech synthesizer, 12 function setting memory, 13 key input Part 1
4 display unit, 20 broadcast station, 21 earphone, 30 e-mail, 31 network, 32 computer
33: communication device, 40: message, 41: sender data

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI H04M 1/00 H04M 1/57 1/57 1/65 J 1/65 H04B 7/26 109T

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A receiving means for receiving character information transmitted from a transmitting station; a demodulating means for demodulating the character information received by the receiving means; and a display for displaying the character information demodulated by the demodulating means. A portable information terminal comprising: a notification unit that notifies the portable information terminal of the arrival of character information; a storage unit that stores character information demodulated by the demodulation unit; and the storage unit. A voice synthesizer for recognizing character information stored in the voice synthesizer and performing a voice synthesis process; a sound generator for generating the voice information synthesized by the voice synthesizer; and a controller for controlling the portable information terminal. A portable information terminal characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. The control means identifies sender data transmitted together with character information from an originating station, and, when the sender data matches the pre-registered sender data, transmits to the portable information terminal. 2. The portable information terminal according to claim 1, wherein the portable information terminal has a function of playing back the voice of the caller and playing back the voice with the voice frequency of the caller preset in the provided function setting storage means. 3. The control means, based on an operation of the operation means, repeatedly displays character information on the display means, repeatedly sounds voice information on the sounding means, and checks character information stored in the storage means. 2. The portable information terminal according to claim 1, wherein the portable information terminal has a function of enabling / erasing. 4. The control means, in place of the character information stored in the storage means, compresses and stores the caller's real voice for the portable information terminal, and expands the caller's real voice during reproduction. 2. The portable information terminal according to claim 1, wherein the portable information terminal has a function of playing back.