JP2014187458A - Radio communication device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To actualize a function to give notice with sufficient sound volume even in a state of low volume setting by a relatively simple circuit configuration or a control program without requiring a function to determine urgency of communication and means, such as a microphone, for detecting noise around if there is a call from another radio communication device.SOLUTION: In a radio communication device according to the invention, the radio communication device comprising a receiving unit including a squelch circuit, and a voice outputting unit including a volume adjusting circuit, a low frequency amplifying circuit, and voice reproduction outputting means, comprises alarm control means that, when the squelch circuit is open and volume setting in the volume adjusting circuit is set below a prescribed threshold value, performs control to reproduce and output prescribed warning sound from the voice reproduction outputting means at sound volume of volume setting larger than the volume setting in the volume adjusting circuit.

Description

  The present invention relates to a function for notifying at a sufficient volume when a call is received from another wireless communication device in a state where the volume setting is reduced in a reception standby state of the wireless communication device.

When operating the wireless communication device in the standby state, usually when the surrounding noise is loud or when calling from yourself and waiting for a response from the other party, operate the volume knob or volume button to increase the reception volume. And wait. If the ambient noise is even louder, wear earphones to make it easier to hear the received voice.
When the surroundings become quiet, this time, the volume setting is lowered to prevent the user from being surprised by a sudden loud reception.
However, there is a problem that it is difficult to notice the call from the other party when the surrounding noise increases again in the state where the reception volume is lowered in this way and waiting.
As an example of such a use situation, for example, there is a situation in which a plurality of shrines, floats, and danji pass in front of the user in order at a festival. In such a situation of use, there is a situation where noises and shouts such as lions become loud noise when a shrine, floats or danjiri approach, but there is a situation where it becomes quiet when passing by, in mutual communication using wireless communication equipment, There was a problem similar to the above.

JP-A-11-55706 Japanese Patent No. 5045655

As mentioned above, if the ambient noise level increases again when the reception volume is lowered and the unit is waiting, it is difficult to notice the call from the other party, so it is necessary to increase the volume. Such a volume adjustment operation is complicated and easy to forget.
Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for controlling so that the voice output is automatically switched to the maximum value when the wireless slave unit receives an emergency call signal from the base station.
Further, in Patent Document 2, when the squelch is opened during standby, the surrounding noise level is determined, and when the noise level when the squelch is opened is equal to or greater than a certain level and the received signal strength level is equal to or greater than a certain level, A technique for controlling to automatically increase the volume is disclosed.

However, the techniques disclosed in these patent documents automatically adjust the reception volume according to the urgency of communication and the surrounding conditions.
In order to realize such an automatic adjustment function, a function for judging the urgency of communication and a means such as a microphone for detecting ambient noise are required. There is a problem that it is difficult to adopt for a portable wireless communication device.
Therefore, the present invention reduces the volume setting with a relatively simple circuit configuration or control program without requiring a function such as a microphone for detecting the urgency of communication or a surrounding noise. The purpose of this is to realize a function of notifying at a sufficient volume when a call is made from another wireless communication device.

In the wireless communication device according to claim 1 of the present invention,
In a wireless communication device including a reception unit including a squelch circuit, a volume adjustment circuit, a low frequency amplification circuit, and an audio output unit including an audio reproduction output unit,
When the squelch circuit is opened and the volume setting in the volume adjustment circuit is set below a predetermined threshold value, a predetermined warning sound is output at a volume setting greater than the volume setting in the volume adjustment circuit. A radio communication device comprising alarm control means for controlling to reproduce and output from the audio reproduction output means.
In claim 2,
The alarm control means is configured to generate a predetermined warning sound and directly input the generated warning sound to the low-frequency amplifier circuit without going through the volume adjustment circuit.

According to the wireless communication device according to the present invention,
When the squelch circuit is opened and the volume setting in the volume adjustment circuit is set to be lower than a predetermined threshold, a predetermined warning sound is reproduced and output at a volume larger than the volume setting in the volume adjustment circuit.
If the user keeps the volume setting small and the surrounding noise becomes loud, even if there is a call, a warning sound with a sufficiently large volume is played back and the call is notified. Can be urged to increase the volume setting manually. Therefore, the user can reliably listen to the received content by setting the desired volume setting.

Note that there has been a wireless communication device with a function of automatically adjusting the reception volume according to the ambient noise conditions, but in the present invention, the user who listened to the warning sound sets the volume manually. Therefore, it is possible to receive with a desired volume setting that is neither too high nor too low as compared with the automatic reception volume adjustment technique.
In addition, since the volume setting is increased to prevent the user from noticing reception, the received signal can be heard from the earphone at a high volume without being surprised. Therefore, the volume setting can be kept small in peace.
In addition, unlike conventional wireless communication devices that have a function to automatically adjust the reception volume according to the surrounding noise conditions, a microphone for noise detection is unnecessary and can be realized with a relatively simple configuration. There is a merit that it is.

1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a wireless communication device according to the present invention. 3 is a flowchart of a control program according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a main part of a control unit according to a second embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments for implementing a wireless communication device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
In FIG.
Reference numeral 1 denotes, for example, a portable wireless communication device, which includes a receiving unit 2, an audio output unit 3, and a control unit 4. Here, description regarding the transmission unit is omitted.
The receiving unit 2 includes a circuit configuration necessary for receiving an antenna, a high-frequency signal processing circuit, a squelch circuit 21, a demodulation circuit, a detection circuit, or the like. The receiving unit 2 may be configured by digital signal processing.
The audio output unit 3 has a circuit configuration necessary for audio processing such as a volume adjustment circuit 31 such as an electronic volume, a low-frequency amplifier circuit 32, a speaker 33, an earphone connection unit 34, and the like.
The speaker 33 and the earphone connection unit 34 correspond to the sound reproduction output unit described in the claims.
The control unit 4 has a function of systematically controlling the reception unit 2, the audio output unit 3, a display unit and an operation unit (not shown), and includes an alarm control unit that constitutes a feature of the present invention. ing.

The alarm control means provided in the control unit 4 includes a condition determination means 41 and a warning control means 42.
The condition judging means 41 includes
The squelch opening information is input from the squelch circuit 21,
Volume setting information is input from the volume adjustment circuit 31,
The squelch open information indicates that the squelch circuit 21 is open, and
A warning output control signal is output when the volume setting information indicates that the current volume setting is less than a predetermined threshold value.

The warning control unit 42 generates a predetermined warning sound when the warning output control signal is output from the condition determination unit 41, and outputs a warning sound input terminal of the low frequency amplifier circuit 32 of the sound output unit 3 321 is configured to output at a predetermined volume that is larger and sufficiently larger than the volume setting in the volume adjustment circuit.
The warning audio input terminal 321 is set in a circuit portion that is subsequent to the volume adjustment circuit 31 and is not affected by the volume setting of the volume adjustment circuit 31.

  The warning sound may be a beep sound generated by a program for controlling the CPU, or may be a recorded sound or a synthesized sound read out from a storage means in which a predetermined warning sound is recorded in advance, and controls a predetermined warning sound generation circuit. It may also be generated.

  In the wireless communication device 1 configured as described above, in the state of waiting for the input feeling of the signal in the reception state, the squelch circuit 21 is closed when there is no input feeling of the signal, and the audio output unit 3 is low. No frequency signal is input. When a predetermined signal is sensed, the squelch circuit 21 opens, and a low frequency signal obtained by demodulating or detecting the received signal is input to the audio output unit 3 and connected to the speaker 33 or the earphone connection unit 34. Is output from the earphone.

In parallel with the normal voice output operation described above, the following alarm control means operates.
In the alarm control means,
The condition determination means 41 of the control unit 4 receives squelch opening information from the squelch circuit 21 and volume setting information from the volume adjustment circuit 31.
When the squelch open information indicates that the squelch circuit 21 is open and the volume setting information indicates that the current volume setting is less than a predetermined threshold value, Output warning output control signal,
Even if the squelch opening information indicates that the squelch circuit 21 is open, when the volume setting information indicates that the current volume setting is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, a warning output control is performed. No signal is output.

The warning control unit 42 generates a predetermined warning sound when the warning output control signal is output from the condition determination unit 41, and is sufficiently transmitted from the earphone connected to the speaker 33 or the earphone connection unit 34. Playback and output at a large predetermined volume.
The generated warning sound is a low-frequency amplification from the warning sound input terminal 321 provided in a circuit portion that is subsequent to the volume adjustment circuit 31 and is not affected by the volume setting of the volume adjustment circuit 31. Since the signal is input to the circuit 32, even if the volume setting in the volume adjustment circuit 31 is set to a low volume, reproduction is performed at a sufficiently high predetermined volume.

As described above, if the volume setting in the volume adjustment circuit 31 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, the received signal is reproduced at a sufficient volume, so that it is noticed that the received signal is received even when there is ambient noise. Can do.
If the volume setting in the volume adjustment circuit 31 is less than a predetermined threshold value, the playback volume of the received signal is low, so there is a high possibility that the received signal will not be noticed when the ambient noise is high. The received warning sound is reproduced and output at a sufficiently high predetermined volume regardless of the volume setting of the volume adjustment circuit 31, so that it can be noticed that it has been received even if the surrounding noise is loud. Since it can be recognized that the predetermined signal is received by the generated warning sound, the volume adjustment circuit 31 is manually operated, and the received signal is reproduced and output from the speaker 33 or the earphone at an appropriate volume. It becomes possible to do.

In this way, by providing the alarm control means, the volume adjustment circuit 31 is not automatically controlled, and by providing relatively simple means, it is possible to prevent the reception from being noticed even if the surrounding noise is large. be able to.
In addition, since the volume setting is increased to prevent the user from noticing reception, the received signal can be heard from the earphone at a high volume without being surprised. Therefore, the volume setting can be kept small in peace.
In addition, since the desired volume setting is made manually, it is possible to listen at an appropriate volume according to the ambient noise. In other words, the normal volume setting can be adjusted when the noise is low, and the volume setting can be adjusted to be large or maximum when the noise is high.

The operation of the first embodiment when the alarm control means in the control unit 4 is realized by a predetermined control program for controlling the operation of the CPU included in the control unit 4 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. To do.
The flowchart shown in FIG. 2 is a control program for the CPU, and is written in a storage unit included in the control unit 4.
In step S1,
In the standby state (reception standby state), the squelch circuit 21 monitors the squelch open / close state and loops until the squelch opens.
When the received signal is detected and the squelch is opened, the process proceeds to step S2, where the volume setting value in the volume adjusting circuit 31 is read to check whether it is less than a predetermined threshold value.
If the volume setting value is less than the predetermined threshold value, the process proceeds to step S3, and if it is greater than the predetermined threshold value, the process proceeds to step S4.
The above steps S1 to S2 are processes corresponding to the condition determining means 41.

In step S4, the received signal is reproduced and output with the volume setting as it is (above the predetermined threshold value). In this state, the volume setting value in the volume adjustment circuit 31 is read, and the predetermined threshold value is equal to or higher than the predetermined threshold value (sufficient sound volume), so that the received signal can be heard at a sufficient sound volume.
In step S3, the warning control means 42 is controlled to reproduce and output a predetermined warning sound at a sufficient volume regardless of the volume setting value in the volume adjustment circuit 31.
In step S3, after the predetermined warning sound is reproduced and output, the received signal may be reproduced and output with a slight delay. However, the received signal is reproduced at the same time as the predetermined warning sound is reproduced and output. It may be output.
The above step S3 is a process corresponding to the warning control means 42.

In this way, the main configuration of the alarm control means is realized by software, so that the volume adjustment circuit 31 is not automatically controlled, no additional parts are required, and relatively simple means (control program) By providing the control means), it is possible to prevent the reception from being noticed even if the surrounding noise is large.
In addition, since the volume is increased to prevent the user from noticing reception, the received signal can be heard from the earphone at a high volume without being surprised. Therefore, the volume can be reduced in peace.
In addition, since the desired volume setting is made manually, it is possible to listen at an appropriate volume according to the ambient noise. That is, when the noise is low, the volume can be adjusted to a normal volume, and when the noise is high, the volume can be adjusted to be large or maximum.

In the following, a second embodiment in which the alarm control means in the control unit 4 is realized by a hardware circuit configuration will be described with reference to FIG.
In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the alarm control means is realized by a hardware circuit configuration such as a comparator circuit 51, an AND circuit 52, a warning sound generation circuit 53, and a gate circuit 54. .
The comparator circuit 51 receives the volume setting voltage signal from the volume adjustment circuit 31 and compares it with a predetermined threshold value. When the comparator circuit 51 is less than the threshold value, one input of the AND circuit 52 is activated. The other input of the AND circuit 52 becomes active when the squelch circuit 21 is open.
When the output of the AND circuit 52 becomes active, the gate circuit 54 is opened, and a warning sound signal generated by the warning sound generation circuit 53 passes through the gate circuit 54 and is output from the warning sound input terminal 321. Since it is input to the low-frequency amplifier circuit 32, even if the volume setting in the volume adjustment circuit 31 is set to a low volume, it is reproduced and output at a sufficiently large predetermined volume. Note that a switch circuit or the like can be used in place of the gate circuit 54.
The comparator circuit 51 and the AND circuit 52 described above correspond to the condition determination means 41, and the warning sound generation circuit 53 and the gate circuit 54 correspond to the warning control means 42.

As described above, by realizing the alarm control means in the control unit 4 with a hardware circuit configuration, the effects of the present invention can be obtained by adding a simple circuit without providing a CPU and its control program.

The present invention can be widely used for digital simple radios, various portable radio communications devices, amateur radios, and the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Radio communication apparatus 2 Reception part 21 Squelch circuit 3 Audio | voice output part 31 Volume adjustment circuit 32 Low frequency amplifier circuit 33 Speaker, audio | voice reproduction | regeneration output means 34 Earphone connection part, audio | voice reproduction | regeneration output means 4 Control part, alarm control means 41 Condition judgment means 42 Warning control means

Claims (2)

In a wireless communication device including a reception unit including a squelch circuit, a volume adjustment circuit, a low frequency amplification circuit, and an audio output unit including an audio reproduction output unit,
When the squelch circuit is opened and the volume setting in the volume adjustment circuit is set below a predetermined threshold value, a predetermined warning sound is output at a volume setting greater than the volume setting in the volume adjustment circuit. A radio communication device comprising alarm control means for controlling to reproduce and output from the audio reproduction output means. The alarm control means is configured to generate a predetermined warning sound and directly input the generated warning sound to the low-frequency amplifier circuit without passing through the volume adjustment circuit. The wireless communication device according to claim 1.

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