KR101780969B1 - Apparatus and method for supproting zoom microphone functionality in portable terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a zoom microphone function of a portable terminal, the portable terminal comprising: a plurality of microphones having different directivity characteristics; a camera for capturing an image; and a controller for checking a zoom step of the camera, And a controller for adjusting gains of the plurality of microphones according to the range.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for supporting a zoom microphone function in a portable terminal,

The present invention relates to a portable terminal, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for supporting a zoom microphone function in a portable terminal.

In the modern society, the popularity of handheld terminals has rapidly increased due to convenience and necessity, and now it is becoming a necessity of modern people. Accordingly, service providers and terminal manufacturers provide many additional functions to further enhance the utilization of the portable terminal. [Background Art] [0002] Recently, as the hardware performance of a portable terminal and the utilization efficiency of a wireless channel have increased, a video call function of using a video and a sound to communicate with each other has been supported. In order to provide a more efficient video communication service to the user, a function of zooming in / zooming out the camera according to the distance between the camera and the user in the portable terminal can be supported.

As the distance from the camera increases, even if the user zooms in on the camera, the microphone input gain does not change. In other words, although the distance between the portable terminal and the sound source is getting larger as the distance from the camera becomes longer, the user must directly adjust the microphone input volume in order to compensate for the decrease in the microphone input volume by a distance. However, if you simply increase the microphone input gain to pick up the voices from the distant sound source to the desired size, the ambient noise will also increase. Accordingly, there is no change or even a decrease in SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio), which may cause performance degradation.

As described above, in providing the video call function in the portable terminal, the magnitude of the micro-input sound changes as the distance between the microphone of the user and the portable terminal changes. Therefore, alternatives to improve the quality of the video call should be presented by minimizing the impact of noise and increasing only the input gain to the voice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a method for improving video call quality in a portable terminal.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a method for adaptively increasing input gain for voice in a portable terminal.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for adjusting the input volume of a microphone in accordance with zoom in / out of a camera in a portable terminal.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for adjusting a directivity characteristic of a microphone according to zoom in / out of a camera in a portable terminal.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable terminal device comprising: a plurality of microphones having different directivity characteristics; a camera for capturing an image; And a controller for adjusting gains of the plurality of microphones according to the range to which the step belongs.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of operating a portable terminal including a camera and a plurality of microphones having different directivity characteristics, the method comprising: confirming a zoom step of the camera; And adjusting the gains of the plurality of microphones according to a range to which the plurality of microphones belongs.

Zooming during Video Calls in a Portable Terminal The microphone function allows the user to adjust the volume of a voice according to the distance and distance of the subject through zooming in / zooming out of the camera lens, Improvement.

FIGS. 1A to 1C are diagrams showing the directivity characteristics of microphones provided in a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a block diagram of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with respect to a technique for adjusting the input volume of a microphone in accordance with a zoom in / out of a camera in a portable terminal.

The portable terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention has a plurality of microphones having different directivity characteristics and controls the gain of each microphone according to the zoom state of the camera. For example, a plurality of microphones may have the directivity as shown in Figs. 1A to 1C.

FIGS. 1A to 1C illustrate the directional characteristics of microphones included in the portable terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 1A shows the sensitivity and radius of an omnidirectional microphone. As shown in FIG. 1A, the omnidirectional microphone has a characteristic of responding to sounds coming from all angles with the same sensitivity. It reacts equally to sounds coming in all directions, i.e. from 0 degrees to 180 degrees.

Figure 1B shows the sensitivity and radius of a unidirectional microphone. As shown in FIG. 1B, the unidirectional microphone is sensitive only to sound coming from a specific direction. It reacts only to the front direction of the microphone, that is, the direction from the 0 degree direction and the both sides direction, that is, the direction from the 90 degree direction, that is, the 180 degree front direction, Do.

Figure 1C shows the sensitivity and radius of the supergain microphone. As shown in FIG. 1C, the response is sensitive only to a narrow angle within a range of 30 degrees from the front and hardly responds to sounds coming from other angles.

The portable terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the microphones having different directivities as described above and controls the gain of each microphone according to the zoom state of the camera. In this case, considering the zoom state of the camera, the distance from the subject, i.e., the sound source, can be estimated from the zoom state of the camera. That is, since the zoom-in is used when the subject is located far away, the fact that the camera is zoomed in assumes that the sound source is far away. In addition, since the zoom-out is used when the subject is located close to the subject, the fact that the camera is zoomed out estimates that the sound source is close. Therefore, when the camera is divided into 10 steps from the maximum zoom in to the maximum zoom out, the gain of the omnidirectional microphone is 1 to 3 near the zoom in, the gain of the unidirectional microphone is 4 to 7, The gain of the omnidirectional microphone is set to the highest. The exact value of the gain per microphone is preferably determined according to the specific embodiment and the intent of the inventor of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as to the configuration and operation of a portable terminal for controlling the input volume of a microphone as described above.

2 shows a block diagram of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2, the portable terminal includes an input unit 202, a display unit 204, a storage unit 206, a communication unit 208, a camera 210, a first microphone 212-1, A microphone 212-2, a third microphone 212-3, and a control unit 214. [

The input unit 202 recognizes an input generated by a user and provides information corresponding to the input to the control unit 214. For example, the input unit 202 processes a user input through a keyboard, a keypad, a touch screen, a touch pad, a mouse, and a special function button.

The display unit 204 displays status information generated during operation of the terminal and numbers, characters, images, and the like according to the execution of the application program. That is, the display unit 204 displays the image data provided from the control unit 214 as a visual screen. For example, the display unit 214 may be an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode), or the like.

The storage unit 206 stores basic programs, content data, application programs, and the like necessary for the operation of the portable terminal, and provides the stored data to the controller 214 at the request of the controller 214. For example, the application program includes an application for a video call.

The communication unit 208 provides an interface for transmitting and receiving signals through a wireless channel. That is, the communication unit 208 converts the transmission data into an RF signal, transmits the RF signal through the antenna, and converts the RF signal received through the antenna into reception data. At this time, the communication unit 208 performs conversion between data and RF signals according to the standard of the communication system.

The camera 210 is a block for inputting an image, and converts an image displayed on the lens into image data. At this time, the camera 210 has a zoom in / zoom out function, and the zoom in / zoom out function can be realized by digital image processing or physical lens movement. The operation of the zoom in / zoom out is performed under the control of the controller 214. [

The first microphone 212-1, the second microphone 212-2, and the third microphone 212-3 are blocks for sound input, and convert a sound signal input from an external sound source into an electrical signal . Here, the first microphone 212-1, the second microphone 212-2, and the third microphone 212-3 have different directivity characteristics. For example, the first microphone 212-1 may be an unidirectional microphone as shown in FIG. 1A, the second microphone 212-2 may be a unidirectional microphone as shown in FIG. 1B, the third microphone 212-3, May be a supergain microphone as shown in FIG. At this time, the gain of each of the first microphone 212-1, the second microphone 212-2, and the third microphone 212-3 is separately adjustable, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 214 < / RTI > In FIG. 2, three microphones including the first microphone 212-1, the second microphone 212-2, and the third microphone 212-3 are shown as one embodiment, Two or four or more microphones may be provided according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The controller 214 controls the overall function of the portable terminal. For example, the control unit 214 processes a key input of the user through the input unit 202 and provides the image data to the display unit 204. Also, the controller 214 stores or plays back image data provided from the camera 210, and controls zooming in / out of the camera 210. For example, the control unit 210 determines a zoom step of the camera 210 according to a user's operation input through the input unit 202 or a distance between the camera 210 and a subject being photographed do. The control unit 214 stores or reproduces sound data from the first microphone 212-1, the second microphone 212-2, and the third microphone 212-3, And adjusts the gain of the microphone 212-1, the second microphone 212-2, and the third microphone 212-3. The control unit 214 generates and analyzes communication packets transmitted and received through the communication unit 208.

Particularly, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the controller 214 controls the first microphone 212-1, the second microphone 212 -2) and the gain of the third microphone 212-3. Here, the zoom steps of the camera 210 are divided into N steps from the zoom-in step to the maximum zoom-out step, and the N steps are divided into the number of the plurality of microphones 212-1 to 212-3 , And each of the three ranges consists of one or more consecutive zoom steps. At this time, the three ranges correspond to each of the plurality of microphones 212-1 to 212-3, and correspond to a microphone having a higher directivity characteristic as the range is closer to the range including the maximum zooming step. Accordingly, the controller 214 adjusts the gain so that the gain of the microphone corresponding to the zoom state is the largest among the gains of the plurality of microphones. For example, when the zoom step is divided into 10 steps, the control unit 214 sets the gain of the third microphone 212-3, which is the supergain mic 1 to 3, Sets the gain of the second microphone 212-2 as a unidirectional microphone and the gain of the first microphone 212-1 as a non-directional microphone in steps 8-10.

In the configuration of the portable terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention described with reference to FIG. 2, the gain control of the microphones according to the zoom step of the camera is performed when a video call is performed. However, the adjustment of the gains of the microphones according to the zoom steps of the camera may be performed while simultaneously receiving the video and sound including the video call. For example, in the case of moving picture photographing, a gain adjustment function of the microphones according to the zoom step of the camera can be implemented.

3 illustrates an operation procedure of the portable terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the portable terminal determines in step 301 whether a video call is started.

When the video call starts, the portable terminal proceeds to step 303 and determines whether the zoom step of the current camera belongs to the first range, the second range, or the third range. Each of the three ranges consists of one or a plurality of consecutive zoom steps, and the zoom steps are divided into N steps from a maximum zooming step to a maximum zooming out step. However, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the zoom steps may be divided into two or more ranges.

If the zoom step is within the first range, the portable terminal proceeds to step 305 and adjusts the gain for each microphone so that the gain of the first microphone is maximized. If the zooming step is within the second range, the portable terminal proceeds to step 307 and adjusts the gain for each microphone so that the gain of the second microphone is maximized. If the zooming step falls within the third range, the portable terminal proceeds to step 309 and adjusts the gain for each microphone so that the gain of the third microphone is maximized. That is, each of the first range to the third range corresponds to each of the microphones having different directivity characteristics of the portable terminal. Accordingly, the portable terminal adjusts the gain for each microphone so that the gain of the microphone corresponding to the range to which the current zoom step belongs is maximized.

Then, the portable terminal proceeds to step 311 and determines whether the zoom step of the camera is adjusted. For example, the zooming step is determined according to a user's operation or a distance from the camera to a subject being photographed. In other words, the portable terminal determines whether the zoom step changes. If the zoom step is adjusted, the portable terminal returns to step 303 and determines the range to which the adjusted zoom step belongs.

On the other hand, if the zoom step is not adjusted, the portable terminal proceeds to step 313 and determines whether the video call is terminated. If the video call is not terminated, the portable terminal returns to step 311. If the video call is terminated, the portable terminal terminates the procedure.

In the operation of the portable terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention described with reference to FIG. 3, the gain adjustment of the microphones according to the zoom step of the camera is performed when a video call is performed. However, the adjustment of the gains of the microphones according to the zoom steps of the camera may be performed while simultaneously receiving the video and sound including the video call. For example, in the case of moving picture photographing, a gain adjustment function of the microphones according to the zoom step of the camera can be implemented.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but is capable of various modifications within the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited by the illustrated embodiments, but should be determined by the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

Claims (20)

In a portable terminal,
A plurality of microphones having different directivity characteristics;
camera; And
Wherein a gain of a first one of the plurality of microphones is increased in response to zooming in of the camera while receiving a video and sound related signal through the plurality of microphones and the camera, And a controller for adjusting gains of the plurality of microphones so that a gain of a second one of the plurality of microphones in response is increased,
Wherein the gain of the first microphone and the gain of the second microphone are independently adjusted.

The method according to claim 1,
The plurality of microphones may include:
A third microphone that responds to sounds from all directions with the same sensitivity and has omnidirectionality;
The first microphone having a supergiant response with a sensitivity of more than a second threshold value only to sound from a narrow direction in a range of 30 degrees; And
Wherein said second microphone has a single directionality and responds only to sounds from a direction in a range of 180 degrees with a sensitivity higher than a first threshold value.
3. The method of claim 2,
The zoom steps of the camera are divided into N steps from a maximum zooming step to a maximum zooming out step,
Wherein the N steps are divided into M ranges corresponding to the number of the plurality of microphones,
Wherein each of the M ranges comprises one or a plurality of consecutive zoom steps.
The method of claim 3,
Wherein each of the M ranges corresponds to one of the plurality of microphones.
5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the controller activates a function of adjusting gains of the plurality of microphones while receiving the image and the sound related signal.
5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the control unit determines a zoom step of the camera according to an operation of a user input through a touch screen.
5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the control unit determines a zoom step of the camera based on a distance between the camera and the subject being photographed.
A method of operating a portable terminal having a camera and a plurality of microphones having different directivity characteristics,
Receiving a video and sound related signal through the plurality of microphones and the camera; And
Wherein a gain of a first one of the plurality of microphones is increased in response to zooming in of the camera while receiving the video and sound related signals and the gain of the first microphone of the plurality of microphones is increased in response to a zoom- And adjusting gains of the plurality of microphones so that the gains of the two microphones are increased,
Wherein the gain of the first microphone and the gain of the second microphone are independently adjusted.
9. The method of claim 8,
The plurality of microphones may include:
A third microphone that responds to sounds from all directions with the same sensitivity and has omnidirectionality;
The first microphone having a supergiant response with a sensitivity of more than a second threshold value only to sound from a narrow direction in a range of 30 degrees; And
The second microphone having a unidirectional response and responsive to sound from a direction in a range of 180 degrees with a sensitivity greater than a first threshold value.
10. The method of claim 9,
The zoom steps of the camera are divided into N steps from a maximum zooming step to a maximum zooming out step,
Wherein the N steps are divided into M ranges corresponding to the number of the plurality of microphones,
Each of the M ranges being comprised of one or more successive zoom steps.
11. The method of claim 10,
Each of the M ranges corresponding to one of the plurality of microphones.
12. The method of claim 11,
And activating a function of adjusting gains of the plurality of microphones while receiving the image and the sound related signal.
12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the current zoom step of the camera is determined according to an operation of a user input through a touch screen.
12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the current zoom step of the camera is determined based on a distance between the camera and a subject being photographed.
An apparatus of a portable terminal including a camera,
A plurality of microphones having different directivity characteristics; And
Wherein a gain of a first one of the plurality of microphones is increased in response to zooming in of the camera while receiving a video and sound related signal through the plurality of microphones and the camera, And a controller for adjusting gains of the plurality of microphones so that a gain of a second one of the plurality of microphones in response is increased,
Wherein the gain of the first microphone and the gain of the second microphone are independently adjusted.
16. The method of claim 15,
The plurality of microphones may include:
A third microphone that responds to sounds from all directions with the same sensitivity and has omnidirectionality;
The first microphone having a supergiant response with a sensitivity of more than a second threshold value only to sound from a narrow direction in a range of 30 degrees; And
Wherein said second microphone responds only to sounds from directions in a range of 180 degrees with a sensitivity greater than a first threshold and has a unidirectionality.
17. The method of claim 16,
The zoom steps of the camera are divided into N steps from a maximum zooming step to a maximum zooming out step,
Wherein the N steps are divided into M ranges corresponding to the number of the plurality of microphones,
Each of the M ranges being comprised of one or more successive zoom steps.
18. The method of claim 17,
Each of the M ranges corresponding to one of the plurality of microphones.
19. The method of claim 18,
Wherein the controller activates a function of adjusting gains of the plurality of microphones while receiving the image and the sound related signal.
19. The method of claim 18,
Wherein the control unit determines a zoom step of the camera according to an operation of a user input through a touch screen.

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