Telephone and voice adjustment method for telephone

• US 8,774,397 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Togawa, Taro, Otani, Takeshi, Ota, Yasuji, Ito, Shusaku
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): LYTLE, JEFFREY P
• Application Number:
  US13/630,344
• Publication Number:
  US 20130259221A1
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 379/390.03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/02 Constructional features of telephone sets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6016 in the receiver circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/605 involving control of the receiver volume to provide a dual operational mode at close or far distance from the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A telephone includes: a housing; a voice output device that is placed inside the housing and produces voice; a contact detection unit that detects a position of an object that contacts the housing; a position offset calculation unit that calculates a distance between the contact position of the object detected by the contact detection unit and the voice output device; and a voice adjustment unit that adjusts the voice produced from the voice output device, depending on the distance.

Claims

1. A telephone comprising:

a housing;

a voice output device that is placed inside the housing and produces voice;

a contact detection unit that detects a position of an object that contacts with the housing;

a position offset calculation unit that calculates a distance between the contact position of the object detected by the contact detection unit and the voice output device; and

a voice adjustment unit that adjusts the voice produced from the voice output device, depending on the distance.

2. The telephone according to claim 1, wherein the distance is a distance between the contact position of the object detected by the contact detection unit and the voice output device, on a contact surface of the housing.

3. The telephone according to claim 1, wherein the voice adjustment unit increases volume of the voice as the distance becomes longer.

4. The telephone according to claim 1, further comprising:

a time-frequency conversion unit that generates a frequency signal, by performing time-to-frequency conversion of a first voice signal that is received as input; and

a frequency-time conversion unit that generates a second voice signal to output to the voice output device, by performing frequency-to-time conversion of the frequency signal,

wherein, as the distance becomes longer, the voice adjustment unit makes a first amount of amplification for a signal of a first frequency band included in the frequency signal greater than a second amount of amplification for a signal of a second frequency band that is higher than the first frequency band, amplifies the frequency signal using the first amount of amplification and the second amount of amplification, and outputs the amplified frequency signal to the frequency-time conversion unit.

5. The telephone according to claim 1, further comprising an object position estimation unit that finds a center of gravity or center of a region where the contact detection unit and the object contact, and, when the center of gravity or center is located in the region, detects a border of the region near the center of gravity or center as the position of the object.

6. The telephone according to claim 1, further comprising a contact area calculation unit that calculates an area of a contact region between the contact detection unit and the object,

wherein the voice adjustment unit increases the volume of the voice as the area of the contact region becomes larger.

7. A voice adjustment method for a telephone comprising a housing and a voice output device that is placed inside the housing and produces voice, the voice adjustment method comprising:

detecting a position of an object that contacts with the housing;

calculating a distance between the detected contact position between the object and the voice output device; and

adjusting the voice produced from the voice output device, depending on the distance.

8. The voice adjustment method according to claim 7, wherein the distance is a distance between the contact position of the object and the voice output device, on a contact surface of the housing.

9. The voice adjustment method according to claim 7, wherein the adjusting the voice increases volume of the voice as the distance becomes longer.

10. The voice adjustment method according to claim 7, further comprising:

generating a frequency signal, by performing time-to-frequency conversion of a first voice signal that is received as input; and

generating a second voice signal to output to the voice output device, by performing frequency-to-time conversion of an amplified frequency signal,

wherein, as the distance becomes longer, the adjusting the voice makes a first amount of amplification for a signal of a first frequency band included in the frequency signal greater than a second amount of amplification for a signal of a second frequency band that is higher than the first frequency band, and generates the amplified frequency signal by amplifying the frequency signal using the first amount of amplification and the second amount of amplification.

11. The voice adjustment method according to claim 7, further comprising:

finding a center of gravity or center of a region where the housing and the object contact; and

when the center of gravity or center is located in the region, detecting a border of the region near the center of gravity or center as the position of the object.

12. The voice adjustment method according to claim 7, further comprising:

calculating an area of a contact region between the housing and the object,

wherein the adjusting the voice increases the volume of the voice as the area of the contact region becomes larger.

13. A telephone comprising:

a housing;

a voice output device that is placed inside the housing and produces voice;

a contact area calculation unit that calculates an area of a contact region between the housing and a object; and

a voice adjustment unit that adjusts the voice produced from the voice output device, depending on the area of the contact region.

14. The telephone according to claim 13, wherein the voice adjustment unit increases volume of the voice as the area of the contact region becomes larger.

15. The telephone according to claim 13, further comprising:

a time-frequency conversion unit that generates a frequency signal, by performing time-to-frequency conversion of a first voice signal that is received as input; and

a frequency-time conversion unit that generates a second voice signal to output to the voice output device, by performing frequency-to-time conversion of the frequency signal,

wherein, as the area of the contact region becomes larger, the voice adjustment unit makes a first amount of amplification for a signal of a first frequency band included in the frequency signal greater than a second amount of amplification for a signal of a second frequency band that is higher than the first frequency band, amplifies the frequency signal using the first amount of amplification and the second amount of amplification, and outputs the amplified frequency signal to the frequency-time conversion unit.

16. The telephone according to claim 13, further comprising:

an average contact area calculation unit that calculates an average value of the area of the contact region for temporal variation of the area; and

a comparison unit that calculates a difference between a latest value of the area of the contact region and the average value,

wherein the voice adjustment unit increases the volume of the voice as an absolute value of the difference becomes bigger, when the difference is negative.

17. A voice adjustment method for a telephone comprising a housing and a voice output device that is placed inside the housing and produces voice, the voice adjustment method comprising:

calculating an area of a contact region between the housing and an object; and

adjusting the voice produced from the voice output device, depending on the area of the contact region.

18. The voice adjustment method according to claim 17, wherein the adjusting the voice increases volume of the voice as the area of the contact region becomes larger.

19. The voice adjustment method according to claim 17, further comprising:

generating a frequency signal, by performing time-to-frequency conversion of a first voice signal that is received as input; and

generating a second voice signal to output to the voice output device, by performing frequency-to-time conversion of an amplified frequency signal,

wherein, as the area of the contact region becomes larger, the adjusting the voice makes a first amount of amplification for a signal of a first frequency band included in the frequency signal greater than a second amount of amplification for a signal of a second frequency band that is higher than the first frequency band, and generates the amplified frequency signal by amplifying the frequency signal using the first amount of amplification and the second amount of amplification.

20. The voice adjustment method according to claim 17, further comprising:

calculating an average value of the area of the contact region for temporal variation of the area; and

calculating a difference between a latest value of the area of the contact region and the average value,

wherein the adjusting the voice increases the volume of the voice as an absolute value of the difference becomes bigger, when the difference is negative.