JP2007096742A - Input device, its control method, and apparatus and method for voice communication - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily use an IP telephone in a computer. <P>SOLUTION: A mouse-integrated handset 1 is connected to the computer via a USB cable 13. When a lid 2 and a body 3 are opened with a hinge 4 as a fulcrum so as to open a case body, internally arranged key 8, transmitter 9, and receiver 11 are exposed so as to provide a shape as the handset. When the case body is closed, the shape of the mouse is provided where mouse keys 5A, 5B and a wheel 6 are arranged on the upper surface. When the case body is opened, a mouse function is turned off and transmission with the IP telephone is performed by inputting a telephone number from the key 8. Voice in a call is transmitted via the USB cable 13 as a digital voice signal. When the case body is closed after the termination of the call, the mouse function is turned on. An incoming call is reported by the computer via the USB cable 13, and incoming call sound is outputted in response to the notification in the mouse-integrated handset 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an input device and an input device control method suitable for use in performing voice communication via a network using a computer device, and to a voice communication device and a voice communication method.

  In recent years, with the development of data communication networks such as the Internet and computer devices, in place of conventional telephone systems that perform voice communication via an exchange, voice communication is performed in real time with a specific partner via a communication network. Call services are spreading rapidly. As such a call service for performing voice communication via a communication network, a service called an IP phone that performs a telephone call using IP (Internet Protocol) technology is known.

  In an IP phone, voice from a telephone call is converted into an analog voice signal by a predetermined voice device such as a microphone, and further converted into digital voice data and transmitted via a network. Also, digital audio data received via the network is converted into an analog audio signal, amplified by an amplifier, and output as audio using a predetermined audio device such as a speaker. The IP telephone is used by a dedicated telephone using a handset similar to a conventional telephone device, for example. An IP phone can be used by using a computer device such as a personal computer.

  A case of using an IP telephone using a personal computer will be schematically described with reference to FIG. The computer apparatus 200 is a personal computer, for example, and is connected to the Internet by wire or wireless (not shown).

  A mouse 210 is connected to the computer apparatus 200 as a pointing device. The mouse 210 has an interface by USB (Universal Serial Bus), for example, and is connected to a USB terminal provided in the computer apparatus 200. In recent years, an OS (Operating System) of the computer apparatus 200 that realizes an interface with a user using a GUI (Graphical User Interface) has become mainstream. Therefore, a pointing device such as the mouse 210 that designates an arbitrary position on the screen and performs operations such as buttons displayed on the screen is an indispensable input device for the computer apparatus 200.

  If the computer device 200 is a so-called notebook personal computer configured to be portable, a touch pad for designating a position by touching a predetermined area with a finger or the like, or a ball provided for rotation can be rotated. A pointing device such as a trackball for designating the position is previously built in. These touchpads and trackballs may be difficult to specify in detail or may be forced to operate somewhat difficult for human hands. There are many users who connect and use.

On the other hand, many users think that carrying the mouse 210 with a portable personal computer is troublesome. In order to solve such a problem, Patent Document 1 discloses that a flip-type mobile phone terminal can be separated by a hinge portion, the side provided with a display element is used as a mouse, and the side provided with a key is a numeric keypad. It is described that it is used as a pad.
JP 2004-147272 A

  Returning to the description of FIG. 8, the computer device 200 is further provided with a terminal for inputting and outputting an analog audio signal. A headset 211 can be connected to an analog audio signal input / output terminal. The headset 211 includes a headphone 211A and a microphone 211B, and can input the sound collected by the microphone 211B as an analog audio signal to the computer apparatus 200, and can output the analog audio signal output from the computer apparatus 200 to the headphones. It can be reproduced from 211A.

  The computer device 200 is loaded with software for realizing an IP phone with the computer device. This software performs outgoing calls and incoming calls by IP telephone, and makes a call by transmitting and receiving digital voice signals via the Internet.

  When using the IP phone from the computer device 200, the user makes a call using the headset 211. When making a call, for example, the user activates software that executes an IP phone on the computer device 200, performs an off-hook operation on the software, and performs a call operation by designating the telephone number of the other party. After communication is established with the other party in response to this call, a call is made using the headset 211.

  In the case of an incoming call, software for executing an IP phone is activated in advance on the computer device 200 and is placed in a waiting state for an incoming call. When there is an incoming call to the user, the software notifies the user of the incoming call by display on the screen of the computer device 200, voice output, or the like. When the user knows the incoming call by the incoming call notification, the user performs an off-hook operation on the software and makes a call using the handset 211.

  By the way, when trying to use the IP phone in the computer apparatus 200 as described above, there is a problem that it is difficult for the user to know the incoming call reliably. That is, the user cannot hear the ringtone when there is an incoming call unless the headset 211 is always connected to the computer device 200 after starting the software for executing the IP phone. In addition, when the incoming call is notified by displaying the screen, the user must always stare at the screen, which is extremely inconvenient.

  In recent years, the number of places where the Internet can be used in a wired or wireless manner is increasing outside a predetermined area such as a home or office. However, when the portable computer device 200 is carried around and used, there is a problem that the IP phone cannot be used unless the headset 211 is carried along. In particular, when the portable computer device 200 is used with the mouse 210 connected, the headset 211 must be carried along with the mouse 210, which is very troublesome.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an input device, an input device control method, a voice communication device, and a voice communication method that allow an IP phone to be used more easily from a computer device.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the first invention outputs an audio signal collected by a microphone, an input unit having at least a position detection unit that performs position detection and a button input unit that performs press input, And an audio signal processing unit configured to output an input audio signal from a speaker, and the audio signal processing unit controls the validity and invalidity of the function of the input unit.

  In addition, the second invention outputs a voice signal collected by a microphone and inputs the validity and invalidity of the function of an input unit having at least a position detection unit that performs position detection and a button input unit that performs press input. The input device control method is characterized in that control is performed from an audio signal processing unit configured to output the audio signal from a speaker.

  According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided an input unit having at least a position detection unit that performs position detection and a button input unit that performs press input, and outputs an audio signal collected by a microphone, and the input audio signal is output from a speaker. An audio signal processing unit configured to output from, an input device configured to control the validity and invalidity of the function of the input unit from the audio signal processing unit, a communication unit that performs communication via a network, at least, The output from the input unit, the audio signal output from the audio signal processing unit, the transfer unit to which the audio signal input to the audio signal processing unit is transferred, and the output from the audio signal processing unit via the transfer unit Communication that transmits the transferred audio signal to the network through the communication unit, and transfers the audio signal transmitted through the network and received by the communication unit to the audio signal processing unit through the transfer unit A voice communication device, comprising the communication device and comprising a control unit.

  In addition, the fourth invention outputs a sound signal collected by a microphone, and outputs the input sound signal from a speaker, and includes at least a position detection unit that performs position detection and a button input unit that performs press input. Audio signal processing step for controlling the validity and invalidity of the function of the input unit, at least the output from the input unit, the audio signal output by the audio signal processing step, and the audio signal processing step The audio signal transmitted and the audio signal output by the audio signal processing step and transferred by the transfer step are transmitted to the network and the audio signal transmitted through the network is transferred. And a communication control step of transferring to the audio signal processing step.

  As described above, according to the first and second inventions, the voice signal obtained by collecting the validity and invalidity of the function of the input unit having at least the position detection unit that performs position detection and the button input unit that performs press input with a microphone. And the input audio signal is controlled from the audio signal processing unit that outputs the audio signal from the speaker, so that ON / OFF of the function of the input unit is controlled according to the state of the audio signal processing unit. it can.

  Further, the third and fourth inventions output an audio signal collected by a microphone, indicating whether the function of an input unit having at least a position detection unit that performs position detection and a button input unit that performs press input is enabled or disabled. At the same time, the input audio signal is controlled from the audio signal control unit that outputs from the speaker, and is output from the audio signal processing unit and can be transferred together with at least the output from the input unit and the audio signal input to the audio signal processing. An audio signal processing unit that transmits the transferred audio signal toward the network and can transfer the audio signal transmitted through the network together with at least the output from the input unit and the audio signal output from the audio signal processing unit. Therefore, the transmission of the audio signal output from the audio signal processing unit or the reception of the received audio signal is performed over the network. Depending on the state of the input to the voice signal processing section can control the ON / OFF of the function of the input unit.

  As described above, the first and second aspects of the present invention provide an audio signal obtained by collecting the validity and invalidity of the function of an input unit having at least a position detection unit that performs position detection and a button input unit that performs press input with a microphone. And the input audio signal is controlled from the audio signal processing unit that outputs the audio signal from the speaker, so that ON / OFF of the function of the input unit is controlled according to the state of the audio signal processing unit. There is an effect that can be done.

  For example, according to the first and second inventions, when an audio signal is input to the audio signal processing unit or when an audio signal is output from the audio signal processing unit, the function of the input unit is increased. There is an effect that it is possible to perform control so that the function of the input unit is turned on in other cases.

  In addition, as described above, the third and fourth aspects of the invention collect the sound of the function of the input unit having at least the position detection unit that performs position detection and the button input unit that performs press input with a microphone. The audio signal is output from the audio signal control unit that outputs the audio signal and the input audio signal is output from the speaker, and is output from the audio signal processing unit and input to at least the output from the input unit and the audio signal processing. Audio signal transferred so that it can be transferred along with the signal can be transmitted to the network, and the audio signal transmitted via the network can be transferred with at least the output from the input unit and the audio signal output from the audio signal processing unit Therefore, transmission or reception of the audio signal output from the audio signal processing unit is performed via the network. Depending on the state of the input to the audio signal processing section of the audio signal, there is an effect of controlling the ON / OFF of the function of the input unit.

  For example, according to the third and fourth inventions, when the audio signal input to the audio signal processing unit is transmitted via the network, or the audio signal received via the network is input to the audio signal control unit. In this case, there is an effect that it is possible to perform control such that the function of the input unit is turned off and the function of the input unit is turned on in other cases.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present invention, a mouse used by connecting to a computer device such as a personal computer and a handset used for an IP telephone service for performing telephone communication using IP (Internet Protocol) technology are integrally configured. Then, the mouse integrated handset in which the mouse and the handset are integrated is provided with an audio signal processing means such as a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) for processing the audio signal, and the A / V of the audio signal by the IP telephone service is provided. Processing related to D conversion and D / A conversion is performed in this integrated configuration, and ring tone generation processing and the like are also performed.

  By integrally configuring the mouse and the handset, for example, there is an advantage that it is not necessary to carry a headset separately in order to use an IP telephone service. In addition, the user can surely know an incoming call by outputting a ring tone when receiving an incoming call notification from the computer device side.

  FIG. 1 shows an appearance of an example of a mouse-integrated handset 1 in which a mouse and a handset are integrally configured according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1A is a perspective view when the mouse-integrated handset 1 is used as a mouse, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view from the back side corresponding to FIG. 1A. FIG. 1C is a perspective view showing a state of an example when the mouse-integrated handset 1 is used as a handset.

  As shown in FIG. 1C, the mouse-integrated handset 1 according to the present invention includes a lid 2 and a main body 3 connected by a hinge 4. When the lid 2 and the main body 3 are aligned with the hinge 4 as a fulcrum and the housing of the mouse-integrated handset 1 is closed, as shown in FIG. 1A, the same shape as a general mouse is exhibited. . On the other hand, in the state where the housing of the mouse-integrated handset 1 is opened, as shown in FIG. 1C, the side closed with respect to the fulcrum of the lid 2 and the main body 3 (hereinafter simply referred to as “inside”). ), The receiving unit 11, the transmitting unit 9 and the key unit 8 are exposed, and the shape of the handset is exhibited.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, mouse buttons 5 </ b> A and 5 </ b> B and a wheel 6 are provided on the upper surface side of the mouse-integrated handset 1. In this example, two mouse buttons are provided, but one mouse button may be provided depending on the corresponding OS. Three or more mouse buttons can be provided. Further, the wheel 6 can be omitted.

  As an example is shown in FIG. 1B, a position sensor 7 is provided on the back side of the mouse-integrated handset 1. The position sensor 7 is composed of, for example, a light emitting unit such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) and an optical sensor such as a PD (Photo Diode), and the reflected light of the light emitted from the light emitting unit is received by the optical sensor to change the light reception The amount of movement is detected based on the above.

  As shown in FIG. 1C, a key unit 8 and a transmission unit 9 are provided on the main body 3 side inside the mouse-integrated handset 1. The transmitter 9 has a built-in microphone and converts voice into an electrical signal to produce an analog voice signal. The key portion 8 is a key generally used for telephones, that is, numbers “0”, “1”, “2”, “3”, “4”, “5”, “6”, “7”, “7”, “ Keys for inputting "8" and "9" and symbols "#" and "*" are provided, respectively, and a call key ("On" key for making a call or starting a call in response to an incoming call) ) And an end call key ("Off" key) for canceling the call and hanging up.

  A receiver 11 is provided on the lid 2 side. The receiver 11 has a built-in speaker, and outputs the supplied analog audio signal as audio. A display unit 12 using a display element such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) may be provided on the lid unit 2 side.

  Note that an auxiliary key unit 10 composed of various keys for assisting the IP telephone function, for example, can be provided on the main body unit 3 side. For example, a volume key for adjusting the volume of the sound output from the receiver 11 can be provided as one of the keys of the auxiliary key unit 10.

  Although illustration is omitted, the mouse-integrated handset 1 has detection means for detecting whether the housing is open or closed. For example, a switch structure can be incorporated in the hinge part 4 to detect the open / closed state. For example, a switch structure that is pushed in when the lid portion 2 and the main body portion 3 are closed can be incorporated inside the lid portion 2 and the main body portion 3. Furthermore, an optical sensor can be provided inside the lid part 2 and the main body part 3, and the open / closed state can be detected by the difference in the detected light amount.

  This mouse-integrated handset 1 uses a USB (Universal Serial Bus) as an interface to a computer device. The mouse integrated handset 1 and the computer device are connected by a USB cable 13.

  That is, a signal for notifying an incoming call is supplied from the computer device to the mouse-integrated handset 1 via the USB cable 13. In addition, signals corresponding to key operations performed on the key unit 8 of the mouse-integrated handset 1, opening / closing information of the housing, and the like are transmitted from the mouse-integrated handset 1 to the computer device via the USB cable 13. Sent. Further, digital audio data related to the call is transmitted and received via the USB cable 13 between the computer device and the mouse-integrated handset 1.

  In FIG. 1, the USB cable 13 is connected to the hinge part of the mouse-integrated handset 1, but this is not limited to this example. That is, the USB cable 13 may be connected to any position as long as it does not interfere with the operation of the mouse and the operation of the handset in the mouse-integrated handset 1. For example, the USB cable 13 can be connected to the end of the main body 3 opposite to the hinge 4.

  A use example of the mouse-integrated handset 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be schematically described with reference to FIG. The computer apparatus 20 is, for example, a personal computer, has a USB cable connection terminal corresponding to USB, and can communicate via the Internet. The computer device 20 is also equipped with software for using the IP phone with the mouse-integrated handset 1. When the user uses the IP phone on the computer device 20, the user activates the software in advance and connects the mouse-integrated handset 1 to the computer device 20 with the USB cable 13.

  When the mouse-integrated handset 1 is used as a mouse, as shown in FIG. 2A, the housing of the mouse-integrated handset 1 is closed, and the side on which the optical sensor 7 is provided is flat such as a mouse pad or a desk. Put it on the place and move it. A signal indicating the amount of movement detected by the optical sensor 7 and a signal corresponding to the operation of the mouse buttons 5A and 5B and the wheel 6 are transmitted as mouse data to the computer device 20 via the USB cable 13. The

  When the mouse-integrated handset 1 is used as an IP telephone handset, as shown in FIG. 2B, the user picks up the mouse-integrated handset 1 and opens the housing, and makes a call from the key unit 8, for example. Enter the phone number of the person you want to call and press the call key to call the other party. The telephone number can also be input from software installed in the computer device 20. The user can make a call using the mouse-integrated handset 1 by holding the transmitter unit 11 close to the ear and holding the transmitter unit 9 in a state where the user's voice can be collected.

  Note that a voice signal for a call is transmitted as a digital voice signal via the USB cable 13. Similarly, incoming notification from the computer device 20 and data input from the key unit 8 on the mouse-integrated handset 1 side are also transmitted via the USB cable 13. Further, power is supplied from the computer device 20 to the mouse-integrated handset 1 via the USB cable 13.

  When the housing of the mouse integrated handset 1 is opened, the mouse function of the mouse integrated handset 1 is disabled, and the mouse integrated handset 1 cannot be used as a mouse. For example, the functions of the mouse buttons 5A and 5B, the wheel 6, and the optical sensor 7 are disabled. For example, when the end key is pressed and the housing of the mouse-integrated handset 1 is closed, the mouse function is enabled and the mouse-integrated handset 1 can be used as a mouse.

  As described above, in the embodiment of the present invention, the mouse and the handset are integrally configured so that the respective functions can be switched and used. Therefore, the user is configured to be portable, for example. Even when the computer device 20 uses an IP phone, the user can obtain a function as a pointing device and a call function using the IP phone simply by carrying the mouse-integrated handset 1 together with the computer device 20.

  In addition, since the mouse-integrated handset 1 has a function of generating a ringtone, even if the user does not always wear the headset or stare at the screen of the computer device 20, the incoming call by the IP phone is possible. Can know.

  Next, IP telephone communication using the mouse-integrated handset 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail. FIG. 3 shows an exemplary configuration of the mouse-integrated handset 1. The mouse integrated handset 1 generally includes an optical block 30, a data input unit 40, a USB hub unit 50, and an audio unit 70.

  The optical block 30 includes an LED 31, an optical sensor, and a light receiving unit 32, and outputs an amount of movement of the mouse-integrated handset 1. For example, the optical sensor and light receiving unit 32 receives reflected light of the light emitted from the LED 31, outputs it as an electrical signal, and supplies it to the DSP 33. The DSP 33 obtains a time change of the supplied signal based on a predetermined clock, and calculates the movement amount of the mouse integrated handset 1 based on the obtained time change. The movement amount information indicating the calculated movement amount is supplied to the serial I / F 34 and output as a synchronous serial signal.

  The data input unit 40 is supplied with the movement amount information output as a synchronous serial signal from the optical block 30 and also receives data corresponding to the mouse buttons 5A and 5B and the operation on the wheel 6. Output signals from the mouse buttons 5A and 5B are supplied to the port 42. Further, the rotation of the wheel 6 is converted into a predetermined signal by the hall encoder 45 and supplied to the port 42. The port 42 converts these input signals into predetermined data. On the other hand, the synchronous serial signal supplied from the optical block 30 is supplied to the serial I / F 41. The data converted at the port 42 and the synchronous serial signal supplied to the serial I / F 41 are controlled by the control unit 43 to be supplied to the USB I / F 44. The USB I / F 44 outputs mouse data composed of these supplied signals and data using USB interrupt transfer.

  The audio unit 70 is a part responsible for the telephone function of the mouse-integrated handset 1 and includes an A / D conversion unit 71, a D / A conversion unit 72, a DSP 73, and a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 74. Further, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) 77 in which a program for operating the CPU 74 is stored is connected. The CPU 74 controls the audio unit 70 according to the program. The CPU 74 can also control other parts of the mouse-integrated handset 1, and can control the power of the optical block 30 and the data input unit 40, for example.

  Furthermore, it has a USB I / F 75 for communication with the computer device 20, for example, a digital voice signal due to an IP telephone call, a telephone function control signal output from the audio unit 70, and an incoming notification signal from the computer device 20. Are transmitted / received via the USB I / F 75. The serial I / F 76 is for communicating with each unit corresponding to the serial interface in the mouse-integrated handset 1.

  An output signal from the key unit 8 is input to the audio unit 70. When the auxiliary key unit 10 is provided in the mouse-integrated handset 1, an output signal from the auxiliary key unit 10 is also supplied to the audio unit 70. Output signals from the key unit 8 and the auxiliary key unit 10 are supplied to the CPU 74.

  An output signal of the hook detection switch 78 is input to the audio unit 70 and supplied to the CPU 74. The hook detection switch 78 is for detecting an on-hook state and an off-hook state in the telephone function of the mouse-integrated handset 1. For example, a switch structure that detects the open / closed state of the mouse-integrated handset 1 can be used. When the case of the mouse-integrated handset 1 is opened, the off-hook state is set, and when the case is closed, the on-hook state is set.

  The CPU 74 converts the output signals from the key unit 8 and the auxiliary key unit 10 and the output signal of the hook detection switch 78 into a telephone function control signal for controlling the telephone function, and supplies it to the USB I / F 75. The USB I / F 75 outputs the telephone function control signal using, for example, USB interrupt transfer.

  A microphone 9 </ b> A constituting the transmitter 9 is connected to the audio unit 70. The microphone 9 </ b> A converts the collected sound into an analog sound signal and inputs the analog sound signal to the audio unit 70. This analog audio signal is converted into a digital audio signal by the A / D converter 71 and supplied to the DSP 73. The DSP 73 executes predetermined processing on the digital audio signal in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 74. The digital audio signal output from the A / D converter 71 is subjected to predetermined signal processing by the DSP 73 and supplied to the USB I / F 75. The USB I / F 75 outputs this digital audio signal using USB isochronous transfer.

  A digital audio signal is supplied to the audio unit 70 by isochronous transfer from a USB hub unit 50 described later, and is received by the USB I / F 75. The USB I / F 75 passes this digital audio signal to the DSP 73. The digital audio signal is subjected to predetermined signal processing by the DSP 73, converted to an analog audio signal by the D / A converter 72, and supplied to the speaker 11 </ b> A constituting the receiver 11.

  The CPU 74 can further generate a predetermined audio signal using the DSP 73. For example, the CPU 74 receives an incoming call notification signal transmitted from the computer device 20 via the USB I / F 75, and outputs a command for generating a ring tone for notifying an incoming call according to the received incoming call notification signal. To do. Based on this command, the DSP 73 generates an audio signal. The generated audio signal is amplified by the amplifier 79 and output from the speaker 80. The speaker 80 is provided separately from the receiving speaker 11A.

  The USB hub unit 50 relays between a plurality of USB streams and one USB stream. In this example, the USB hub unit 50 has two ports on the downstream side. The downstream port 51 (DS port 0) is connected to the USB I / F 44 of the data input unit 40. The downstream port 52 (DS port 1) is connected to the USB I / F 75 of the audio unit 70. These downstream ports 51 and 52 are respectively subjected to a downstream port controller (DPC) 53 and an upstream controller (UPC) 54 that control downstream and upstream routing, and performs predetermined conversion processing on the stream data. It is connected to the USB I / F 56 via a SERDES (Serialzer and Deserialzer) unit 55.

  The USB I / F 56 is connected to an external computer device via the USB connector 60. In this example, the USB cable 13 is connected to the USB connector 60, and the USB cable 13 is connected to the USB connector of the computer device 20, so that the USB between the mouse integrated handset 1 and the computer device 20 is connected. It becomes the state where communication by is possible.

  The power of the mouse-integrated handset 1 is supplied from the computer device 20 via the USB cable 13 using a USB power supply function. Power is supplied from the computer apparatus 20 to the USB hub unit 50, and power is supplied to the data input unit 40 and the audio unit 70 connected to the USB hub unit 50 via the USB I / F. Power is supplied to the optical block 30 from the data input unit 40.

  As described with reference to FIG. 1, the display unit 12 can be provided for the mouse-integrated handset 1. For example, the audio unit 70 is provided with a graphic unit for converting a display control signal generated by the CPU 73 into a display signal that can be displayed by the display unit 12 using an LCD or the like as a display element. A display control signal generated by the CPU 73 is supplied to the graphic unit, converted into a display signal of a predetermined format, and supplied to the display unit 12.

  Examples of information displayed on the display unit 12 include a telephone number input using the key unit 8, a predetermined display corresponding to input by the key unit 8 and the auxiliary key unit 10, and when an incoming call is received. The telephone number or name of the other party can be considered. The name information of the called party is, for example, when software for an IP phone installed in the computer device 20 has a phone book function, and a name corresponding to the phone number of the called party is registered in the phone book. Can be displayed. The display on the display unit 12 is not limited to these examples, and for example, predetermined image data, moving image data, or the like can be displayed.

  Further, the mouse integrated handset 1 can have a camera function. For example, the image data obtained by imaging may be transferred to the computer device 20 and transmitted to the other party.

  FIG. 4 schematically illustrates an exemplary configuration of the computer apparatus 20. A CPU 81, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 82, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 83, a hard disk drive (HDD) 84, and a drive device 85 are connected to the bus 80. The CPU 81 controls the operation of the computer device 20 in accordance with a program stored in advance in the hard disk drive 84 or ROM 82. The RAM 83 is used as a work memory when the CPU 81 executes a program.

  Further, the hard disk drive 84 stores the above-described software (hereinafter referred to as an IP telephone application) for executing an IP telephone call with the mouse-integrated handset 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention as program data. ing. For example, the CPU 81 reads predetermined program data of the IP telephone application from the hard disk drive 84 in response to a predetermined operation on the computer device 20 and develops it on the RAM 83. The CPU 81 reads the program data developed on the RAM 83 and executes the program. The IP telephone application can be automatically executed when the computer device 20 is activated.

  The drive device 85 reads data recorded on a recording medium 86 such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory) or a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disc-ROM). For example, data is recorded on a recordable recording medium 86 such as a CD-R (Compact Disc-Recordable), a CD-RW (Compact Disc-ReWritable), a DVD-R (DVD Recordable), and a DVD-RW (DVD Re-recordable). It may be possible to record.

  A keyboard 87 and a graphic unit 88 are further connected to the bus 80. The keyboard 87 outputs a signal corresponding to the user's key operation. This signal is supplied to the CPU 81 via the bus 80 and is converted into character data in a predetermined manner. The graphic unit 88 converts the display control signal supplied from the CPU 81 into a signal in a format that can be displayed on a monitor 89 such as an LCD or a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube).

  Further, a USB I / F 90 and a communication I / F 91 are connected to the bus 80. The communication I / F 91 is connected to the Internet 92 and controls communication with the Internet 92. For example, communication data by IP telephone is transmitted / received to / from the Internet 92 based on the control of the communication I / F 91. The USB I / F 90 has a USB connector (not shown), communicates with a connected USB device using a protocol in accordance with the USB standard, and performs data transfer.

  For example, the mouse-integrated handset 1 according to this embodiment is connected to the USB I / F 90 by the USB cable 13. When the mouse-integrated handset 1 is used as a mouse, mouse data output from the mouse-integrated handset 1 is received by the USB I / F 90 via the USB cable 13, and is transmitted from the USB I / F 90 to the CPU 81 via the bus 80. Supplied. The CPU 81 generates a display control signal for displaying a mouse cursor on the monitor 89 based on the supplied mouse data, and executes various controls.

  When the mouse-integrated handset 1 is used as a handset, a telephone function control signal corresponding to an input from the key unit 8 or the auxiliary key unit 10 of the mouse-integrated handset 1 is received by the USB I / F 90 via the USB cable 13. Then, the data is supplied from the USB I / F 90 to the CPU 81 via the bus 80. The CPU 81 performs call control in the IP phone based on the supplied phone function control signal in accordance with the IP phone application program.

  A digital audio signal from an IP telephone call is also transferred via the USB cable 13 and transmitted / received by the USB I / F 90. At the time of transmission, the digital audio signal transmitted from the mouse-integrated handset 1 is received by the USB I / F 90 via the USB cable 13, supplied to the CPU 81 via the bus 80, and passed to the IP telephone application. . The CPU 81 transmits, for example, the supplied digital audio signal from the communication I / F 91 to the Internet 92 in accordance with the IP telephone application program.

  When receiving a call, a digital voice signal transmitted from the Internet 92 by the IP telephone is received by the communication I / F 91, supplied to the CPU 81 via the bus 80, and passed to the IP telephone application. The CPU 81 transmits the supplied digital audio signal from the USB I / F 90 to the mouse-integrated handset 1 via the USB cable 13 in accordance with the IP telephone application program.

  The above-described IP telephone application recorded on the hard disk drive 84 is provided by being recorded on a recording medium 86 such as a CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM, and is read from the recording medium 86 by the drive device 85 to be provided. Are recorded in a predetermined manner. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the IP telephone application may be supplied from the Internet 92 via the communication I / F 91. That is, program data of an IP telephone application downloaded in a predetermined manner by a command from the CPU 81 from a server (not shown) on the Internet 92 is received by the communication I / F 91 and recorded in the hard disk drive 84 in a predetermined manner.

  The program stored in the EEPROM 77 in the mouse-integrated handset 1 can be transferred from the computer device 20 and updated. For example, the computer device 20 transmits a program supplied from the Internet 92 or the recording medium 86 to the mouse-integrated handset 1 from the USB I / F 90 via the USB cable 13. The mouse-integrated handset 1 receives this program at the USB hub unit 50 and transmits it to the audio unit 70 from the downstream port 52. The audio unit 70 receives this program with the USB I / F 75. The CPU 74 writes the received program in the EEPROM 77 in a predetermined manner, and updates the program in the EEPROM 77.

  FIG. 5 shows an exemplary architecture of software in the computer apparatus 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The IP telephone application 100 includes a telephone application unit 101, an API unit 102, and a conversion unit 103, and operates on an OS (Operating System) 105. The OS 105 has a general-purpose USB driver 104 that controls USB communication. The API unit 102 is an API (Application Programming Interface) for using the functions of the conversion unit 103 from the telephone application unit 101.

  The telephone application unit 101 mainly controls communication of IP telephones. For example, processing at the time of outgoing and incoming calls, modulation and demodulation processing of digital audio signals for telephone calls, and telephone book management are performed in the telephone application unit 101. The conversion unit 103 performs data conversion processing for exchanging information between the general-purpose USB driver 104 and the telephone application unit 101. That is, the conversion unit 103 is a kind of API for controlling the general-purpose USB driver 104 from the telephone application unit 101.

  A telephone function control signal transmitted from the mouse-integrated handset 1 using interrupt transfer is received by the general-purpose USB driver 104 and passed to the conversion unit 103. The conversion unit 103 converts the received telephone function control signal into a format that can be interpreted by the telephone application unit 101 and passes it to the telephone application unit 101. The digital audio signal transmitted from the mouse-integrated handset 1 using isochronous transfer is received by the general-purpose USB driver 104 and directly passed to the telephone application unit 101.

  Based on the telephone function control signal received from the conversion unit 103, the telephone application unit 101 performs processing such as outgoing call, incoming call, and telephone call by IP phone, for example. As an example, the telephone application unit 101 issues a communication request for the Internet 92 to the OS 105, and the OS 105 receives this request and controls the communication I / F 91 by a communication driver (not shown), Enable communication. The telephone application unit 101 establishes communication with a calling party via the Internet 92 by a predetermined procedure. Then, the digital audio signal received from the general-purpose USB driver 104 is transmitted to the other party via the Internet 92.

  In addition, a digital audio signal transmitted from the other party via the Internet 92 is received by the communication I / F 91 and passed to the telephone application unit 101 in a predetermined manner based on the control of the OS 105 or the like. The telephone application unit 101 transmits this digital audio signal to the mouse-integrated handset 1 via the USB cable 13 under the control of the general-purpose USB driver 104.

  In the case of an incoming call, for example, when a signal received via the Internet 92 is determined to be addressed to the telephone application unit 101 by the OS 105 or the like, the signal is passed to the telephone application unit 101. If the signal is a signal indicating an incoming call, the telephone application unit 101 passes the signal to the conversion unit 103 and converts the signal into a format that can be interpreted by the mouse-integrated handset 1. The converted signal is transmitted to the mouse-integrated handset 1 through the USB cable 13 based on the control of the general-purpose USB driver 104.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of processing in the mouse-integrated handset 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. When the mouse-integrated handset 1 and the computer device 20 (described as PC in FIG. 6) are connected by the USB cable 13 (step S10), the computer device 20 uses the USB power supply function in the next step S11. Power is supplied to the USB hub unit 50, and power is supplied to the data input unit 40 and the audio unit 70 connected to the USB hub unit 50, respectively.

  In the next step S <b> 12, information of individual USB devices in the mouse-integrated handset 1 is transmitted to the computer apparatus 20. That is, the information as the USB device of each of the USB hub unit 50, the data input unit 40, and the audio unit 70 is transmitted to the computer apparatus 20 by USB control transfer. This information is received by the general-purpose USB driver 104 of the computer apparatus 20, and the OS 105 of the computer apparatus 20 recognizes individual USB devices in the mouse-integrated handset 1. Subsequently, in step S13, the mouse function and the audio function are turned on.

  Hereinafter, each process and determination after step S14 in the flowchart of FIG.

  In the next step S14, it is determined based on the output signal of the hook detection switch 78 whether or not it is on-hook. For example, in the case of the mouse-integrated handset 1, a state where the housing is closed is an on-hook state, and a state where the housing is opened is an off-hook state. If, for example, it is determined that the housing of the mouse-integrated handset 1 is opened and in an off-hook state, the process proceeds to step S15.

  In step S15, the optical block 30 is powered off, and the position detection function as a mouse is disabled. In the next step S16, a transmission operation is performed. For example, the key unit 8 is operated by the user and the telephone number of the destination is input. The input telephone number information is transmitted to the computer device 20, and is passed to the IP phone application 100 via the general-purpose USB driver 104 and the conversion unit 103 in the computer device 20. The IP telephone application 100 performs transmission processing in a predetermined manner based on the passed information.

  When a call is connected to the call destination in accordance with this call processing, audio processing related to the call is performed in step S17. That is, the digital audio signal transmitted from the transmission destination is received by the computer device 20 and transmitted from the IP telephone application 100 to the mouse-integrated handset 1 via the general-purpose USB driver 104. The digital audio signal is received by the USB hub unit 50 in the mouse-integrated handset 1 and supplied to the audio unit 70. The audio unit 70 performs predetermined signal processing on the supplied digital audio signal, converts the digital audio signal into an analog audio signal by the D / A conversion unit 72, and supplies the analog audio signal to the speaker 11A.

  The audio unit 70 converts the analog audio signal output from the microphone 9A into a digital audio signal by the A / D conversion unit 71, performs predetermined signal processing, and outputs the digital audio signal. The digital audio signal is transmitted from the USB hub unit 50 to the computer device 20. In the computer apparatus 20, the digital audio signal is received by the general-purpose USB driver 104 and passed to the IP telephone application 100. The IP telephone application 100 processes the received digital voice signal in a predetermined manner and transmits it to the other party of the call.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in the above-described step S14 that the state is the on-hook state, the process proceeds to step S18, and it is determined whether or not an incoming signal for notifying an incoming call is transmitted from the computer device 20. If it is determined that no incoming signal has been transmitted and there is no incoming call, the process proceeds to step S19. In step S19, if the mouse function is turned off at this point, the mouse function is turned on and the mouse-integrated handset 1 can be used as a mouse, and the process returns to step S14.

  If it is determined in step S18 that the incoming signal is transmitted from the computer device 20, the process proceeds to step S20. In step S20, an incoming voice is generated in the audio unit 70 in response to the notification of the incoming signal. This incoming voice is supplied to the speaker 80 via the amplifier 79.

  When the housing of the mouse-integrated handset 1 is opened by the user in accordance with the ringing tone to enter the off-hook state (step S21), the optical block 30 is turned off and the mouse function is turned off in the next step S22. Is done. When the mouse function is turned off, in the next step S23, the computer device 20 is notified that it has been off-hooked, and a telephone call is started in the same manner as in the process of step S17 described above.

  When the on-hook is detected (step S24) and the talk is ended, the optical block 30 is turned on and the mouse function is turned on (step S25). Then, the process returns to step S14.

  In the above description, the power supply of the optical block 30 is turned off when the mouse function is not used, such as step S15 or step S22. Thereby, power consumption can be suppressed when the handset function of the mouse-integrated handset 1 is used and the mouse function is not used.

  Further, when the power of the optical block 30 is turned off and the mouse function is turned off, the general USB driver 104 controls the computer device 20 so that the mouse is not connected. Therefore, even if the user mistakenly operates the mouse buttons 5A, 5B, the wheel 6 or the like, no reaction occurs on the computer device 20, and an unexpected operation does not occur in the computer device 20.

  In the above description, the ON / OFF of the mouse function is controlled by the ON / OFF of the power supply for the optical block 30, but this is not limited to this example. ON / OFF of the mouse function may be controlled by turning on / off the power to the data input unit 40, or may be controlled by turning on / off both the power of the optical block 30 and the data input unit 40.

  Next, a modification of the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 7 shows a configuration of an example of a mouse-integrated handset 1 'according to a modification of the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 7, the same reference numerals are given to the portions common to FIG. 3 described above, and detailed description thereof is omitted. The mouse-integrated handset 1 ′ according to the modification of this embodiment omits the USB hub portion 50 and the control portion 43 for performing mouse control, as compared with the mouse-integrated handset 1 described in FIG. is doing.

  In the case of the mouse-integrated handset 1 ′, the output of the optical block 30, the mouse buttons 5A and 5B, and the output of the wheel encoder 45 are supplied to a general-purpose CPU 120. The data is supplied to the CPU 74 of the audio unit 70 as mouse data.

More specifically, movement amount information output as a synchronous serial signal from the serial I / F 34 of the optical block 30 is received by the serial I / F 121 and passed to the CPU 120. The outputs of the mouse buttons 5A and 5B and the wheel encoder 45 are supplied to the CPU 120 and converted into predetermined data. The CPU 120 serially transfers these data as mouse data from the I ² C I / F 122 to the serial I / F 76 of the audio unit 70 and supplies the data to the CPU 74. The CPU 74 controls the mouse data output from the CPU 120, the digital audio signal related to the processing of the audio unit 70, and information indicating on-hook and off-hook, and sends them to the USB I / F 75.

The USB I / F 75 is directly connected to the USB connector 60, and data supplied to the USB I / F 75 is transmitted to, for example, the computer apparatus 20 via the USB connector 60. The CPU 120 reads a program stored in advance in the EEPROM 77 via the I ² C I / F 122 and controls these operations according to the read program.

  In this configuration, the mouse-integrated handset 1 ′ has only one USB I / F, and there is only one device as a USB device. However, the mouse-integrated handset 1 ′ according to the modification of this embodiment is to be controlled in the same manner as the operation of the mouse-integrated handset according to the above-described embodiment as already described with reference to FIG. In this case, it is necessary to be able to control the mouse function and the audio function separately.

  For this purpose, a driver capable of recognizing the mouse-integrated handset 1 ′ as a composite device in which a mouse device and an audio device are combined may be prepared on the computer apparatus 20 side. For example, the above-described general-purpose USB driver 104 is replaced with a driver that can recognize this composite device. At this time, it is conceivable that the mouse data is placed in an available endpoint buffer of the USB I / F 75 and transmitted to the computer apparatus 20.

  According to the modification of this embodiment, since the USB hub unit 50 is omitted from the mouse-integrated handset of the above-described embodiment, the cost can be further reduced.

  In the above description, the present invention has been described as being applied to an IP phone, but this is not limited to this example. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a handset used for an Internet telephone that makes a telephone call using the Internet.

  In the above description, the mouse-integrated handset 1 and the computer apparatus 20 are described as being connected by wire using USB as an interface, but this is not limited to this example. The interface applicable to the present invention is not limited to USB, and other interfaces can be used as long as mouse data transfer and digital audio signal transfer are possible. Furthermore, the connection between the mouse-integrated handset 1 and the computer device 20 is not limited to a wired connection, and may be wireless as long as a band capable of transmitting a digital audio signal can be secured.

  Furthermore, in the above description, the key unit 8 is provided for the mouse-integrated handset 1 so that a telephone number can be input from the key unit 8, but this is not limited to this example. That is, a configuration in which the key unit 8 is omitted from the mouse-integrated handset 1 and a telephone number is always input on the IP telephone application 100 side is possible.

  Furthermore, in the above description, it has been described that the calling process can be performed using the mouse-integrated handset 1, but this is not limited to this example. In other words, the mouse-integrated handset 1 may be dedicated for receiving calls, and the mouse-integrated handset 1 may not perform a call operation. In this case, the calling process is always performed on the IP telephone application 100 side. That is, when making a call, for example, the mouse-integrated handset 1 is picked up and the housing is opened and held in a state where communication is possible. Input of a telephone number and outgoing operation are performed on the IP telephone application 100. When the mouse-integrated handset 1 is used exclusively for reception, the key unit 8 is omitted.

1 is an external view of an example of a mouse-integrated handset according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating schematically the usage example of the mouse | mouth integrated handset by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of an example of a mouse | mouth integrated handset. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of an example of a computer apparatus roughly. It is an architecture figure which shows the architecture of an example of the software in the computer apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process in the mouse | mouth integrated handset by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of an example of the mouse | mouth integrated handset by the modification of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a basic diagram for demonstrating the example using an IP telephone using a personal computer.

Explanation of symbols

1 Mouse integrated handset 1
2 Lid 3 Body 4 Hinge 5A, 5B Mouse button 6 Wheel 7 Position sensor 8 Key 9 Transmitter 11 Receiver 13 USB cable 20 Computer device 30 Optical block 40 Data input unit 50 USB hub unit 70 Audio unit 74 CPU
78 Hook detector 90 USB I / F
91 Communication I / F
100 IP phone application 101 Telephone application unit 103 Conversion unit 104 General-purpose USB driver

Claims (14)

An input unit having at least a position detection unit for performing position detection and a button input unit for performing press input;
An audio signal processing unit that outputs an audio signal collected by a microphone and outputs the input audio signal from a speaker;
An input device characterized in that the audio signal processing unit controls the validity and invalidity of the function of the input unit. The input device according to claim 1,
A first structure provided with the microphone;
A second structure provided with the speaker;
A hinge portion that movably couples the first structure portion and the second structure portion;
The input device according to claim 1, wherein the first structure portion and the second structure portion are coupled to each other so that the hinge portion can be opened and closed. The input device according to claim 2,
One of the first structure part and the second structure part is provided with the position detection part, and the other is provided with the button input part. The input device according to claim 2,
The audio signal processing unit is
An input device that disables the function of the input unit when the first structure unit and the second structure unit are opened. The input device according to claim 1,
An input device, further comprising a sound generation unit that generates sound in response to a predetermined signal. The input device according to claim 1,
An input device further comprising a data input unit for inputting data. A voice signal collected by a microphone is output and the input voice signal is output from the speaker, indicating whether the function of the input unit having at least a position detection unit that performs position detection and a button input unit that performs press input is enabled or disabled. A control method for an input device, wherein the control is performed from an audio signal processing unit. An input unit having at least a position detection unit for performing position detection and a button input unit for performing press input;
An audio signal processing unit that outputs an audio signal collected by a microphone and outputs the input audio signal from a speaker;
An input device configured to control the validity and invalidity of the function of the input unit from the audio signal processing unit;
A communication unit that communicates via a network;
At least an output from the input unit, the audio signal output from the audio signal processing unit, and the transfer unit to which the audio signal input to the audio signal processing unit is transferred;
The audio signal output from the audio signal processing unit and transferred via the transfer unit is transmitted to the network via the communication unit, and the audio transmitted via the network and received by the communication unit A voice communication device comprising: a communication device including a communication control unit that transfers a signal to the voice signal processing unit via the transfer unit. The voice communication apparatus according to claim 8.
The input device is
A first structure provided with the microphone;
A second structure provided with the speaker;
A hinge portion that movably couples the first structure portion and the second structure portion;
The voice communication apparatus, wherein the first structure part and the second structure part are coupled to be able to be opened and closed with the hinge part as a fulcrum. The voice communication apparatus according to claim 9, wherein
The input device is
One of the first structure part and the second structure part is provided with the position detection part, and the other is provided with the button input part. The voice communication apparatus according to claim 9, wherein
The audio signal processing unit is
The voice communication device, wherein the function of the input unit is invalidated when the first structure unit and the second structure unit are opened. The voice communication apparatus according to claim 8.
The input device is
A voice generator that generates voice in response to a predetermined signal;
The communication device is
Voice communication characterized by transferring the predetermined signal to the input device via the transfer unit when receiving a signal for starting transmission and / or reception of the voice signal via the network apparatus. The voice communication apparatus according to claim 8.
The input device is
A data input unit for inputting data;
The communication device is
A voice communication apparatus, wherein a communication destination of the voice signal by the communication control unit via the network is set based on the data input by the data input unit and transferred via the transfer unit. Enables / disables the function of the input unit that outputs the audio signal collected by the microphone and outputs the input audio signal from the speaker, and has at least a position detection unit for detecting the position and a button input unit for pressing input. Audio signal processing steps for controlling
At least an output from the input unit, the audio signal output in the audio signal processing step, and a transfer step in which the audio signal input in the audio signal processing step is transferred;
The audio signal output by the audio signal processing step and transmitted by the transfer step is transmitted to a network, and the audio signal transmitted through the network is transmitted by the transfer step. And a communication control step of transferring to the voice communication method.

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