Telecommunications – Transmitter and receiver at same station – Radiotelephone equipment detail
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-28
2001-05-15
Tsang, Fan (Department: 2746)
Telecommunications
Transmitter and receiver at same station
Radiotelephone equipment detail
C455S567000, C455S355000, C455S200100, C455S569200, C455S570000, C455S575100, C379S390020, C379S378000, C379S388030, C381S057000, C381S104000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06233462
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable terminal device incorporating a function of automatically controlling a transmitting voice level and a calling sound level.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has hitherto been proposed a portable mobile telephone contrived to detect an ambient noise level and to control a level of a receiving voice from a loudspeaker in accordance with the detected noise level.
FIG. 1
is a block diagram illustrating a portable mobile telephone. Referring to
FIG. 1
, a noise level detection control circuit
43
detects a level of noise ambient to a user, which is contained in a signal component inputted from a microphone
48
. Then, a loudspeaker drive amplifier
44
is controlled corresponding to the thus detected ambient noise level, thus increasing and decreasing a voice level outputted from a loudspeaker
47
. More specifically, the noise level detection control circuit
43
increases the voice level outputted from the loudspeaker
47
when the ambient noise level rises, and decreases the voice level outputted from the loudspeaker
47
when the ambient noise level decreases, thereby eliminating an influence of the ambient noises upon the receiving voice level.
On the other hand, in this portable mobile telephone, a voice level detection control circuit
46
judges whether or not a voice of the user is inputted from the microphone
48
, and controls a gain of an output signal of the microphone
48
based on a result of this judgement. To be more specific, the gain of the output signal of the microphone
48
is decreased if the voice of the user is not inputted but is increased if inputted, thereby controlling so as not to increase the gain with respect to the noise component in the case of the voice not being inputted.
This type of portable mobile telephone is disclosed in, e.g., Japanese laid-open patent application heisei 2-117228.
This type of portable mobile telephone, however, involves the use of a noise level detection circuit for controlling the receiving voice level and a voice level detection circuit for controlling the transmitting voice level.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a primary object of the present invention, which was made to obviate the problems as described above, to provide an improved portable terminal device.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a portable terminal device capable of controlling a receiving voice level corresponding to an ambient noise level.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a portable terminal device for controlling not only the receiving voice level but also a transmitting voice level and a call notifying sound level in accordance with a detected ambient noise level.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a portable terminal device capable of, as will become obvious later on, automatically controlling the transmitting voice level, the receiving voice level and the call notifying sound level.
To accomplish the above objects, according to a first aspect of the present invention, a portable terminal device includes an input unit for inputting a voice, a transmitting unit for transmitting the inputted voice, a call notifying unit for giving a notification of a call when a receiving signal is received, a detecting unit for detecting an ambient noise level, and a sound level control unit for controlling at least one of a transmitting voice level and a calling sound level on the basis of the detected noise level. It is preferable that the detecting unit be a noise sensor provided separately from the input unit. The sound level control unit preferably compares the detected noise level with a predetermined threshold value, and thus controls the level in accordance with a result of the comparison. The portable terminal device preferably further includes a setting unit for setting the threshold value. Moreover, the portable terminal device still further includes a count unit for counting the predetermined time, and the detecting unit detects an ambient noise level at an interval of the predetermined time. The sound level control unit preferably executes the control during a speech and during a receiving process. The portable terminal device is preferably a portable telephone. The sound level control unit, when the detected noise level is smaller than the predetermined threshold value, controls the transmitting voice level to a “LARGE” level and the calling sound level to a “SMALL” level, and, when the detected noise level is larger than the predetermined threshold value, controls the transmitting voice level to the “SMALL” level and the calling sound level to the “LARGE” level. The portable terminal device preferably further includes an output unit for outputting a voice signal received, and a receiving voice level control unit for controlling a receiving voice level, coupled with the control of the transmitting voice level. The portable terminal device preferably further comprises a selecting unit for selecting whether or not the sound level control unit should control the sound level.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, a portable terminal device includes a microphone for inputting a voice, a radio unit for transmitting the inputted voice, a loudspeaker for giving a notification of a call when a receiving signal is received, a noise sensor for detecting an ambient noise level, and a control unit for controlling at least one of a transmitting voice level and a calling sound level on the basis of the detected noise level. The control unit preferably, when the detected noise level is smaller than the predetermined threshold value, controls the transmitting voice level to a “LARGE” level and the calling sound level to a “SMALL” level, and, when the detected noise level is larger than the predetermined threshold value, controls the transmitting voice level to the “SMALL” level and the calling sound level to the “LARGE” level.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, a method of controlling sound level of a portable terminal device, includes the steps of detecting an ambient noise level, and controlling at least one of a transmitting voice level and a calling sound level on the basis of the detected ambient noise level. The method of controlling the sound level of the portable terminal device preferably further includes the steps of inputting a threshold value, comparing the ambient noise level with the threshold value, and controlling, when the ambient noise level is smaller than the threshold value, the transmitting voice level to the “LARGE” level and the calling sound level to the “SMALL” level and, when the ambient noise level is larger than the threshold value, controlling the transmitting voice level to the “SMALL” level and the calling sound level to the “LARGE” level. The method of controlling the sound level of the portable terminal device preferably further includes the steps of receiving a radio signal, controlling the transmitting voice level and the calling sound level on the basis of a result in the above-described comparing step, outputting a calling sound at the controlled calling sound level, counting a first predetermined time, judging whether or not a user operates within the first predetermined time, counting a second predetermined time if the user operates within the first predetermined time, talking at the controlled transmitting voice level, and when counting the second predetermined time upon judging whether or not the second predetermined time is counted, re-detecting the ambient noise level.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a method of controlling a sound level of a portable terminal device, includes the steps of inputting a threshold value, depressing an off-hook button, inputting a number of a co-talker, calling this number, detecting an ambient noise level, comparing the ambient noise level with the threshold value, controlling, when the ambient noise level is smaller than the threshold value, a transmitting
Ferguson Keith
NEC Corporation
Scully Scott Murphy & Presser
Tsang Fan
LandOfFree
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