Network control apparatus

Abstract

To effectively reduce ambient noise mixed in transmission voice even when performing processing accompanied by communication from an office through an information processor such as a PC.SOLUTION: In association table 105, for each PC3, the identification information of the PC3 is associated with one or both of the identification information of one or more telephone terminals 5 located near the PC3 and the identification information of one or more other regions located near the PC3. When it is discriminated that the performance request of the processing accompanied by the speech from the PC3 arrives by the speech presence discrimination means, a sound collection instruction is issued to one or both of one or more telephone terminals 5 and one or more other PC3 associated with the PC3 of a performance request source by a sound collection instruction part 112. After that, the noise reduction processing unit 115 cancels the noise of the audio signal from the information processor of the performance request source by using the collected sound from one or both of one or more telephone terminals 5 and one or more other PC3 to which the sound collection instruction is issued.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for reducing noise mixed into voices transmitted from an information processing device when processing including voice communication must be performed using the information processing device, for example, in a so-called remote conference from an office. [Background technology]

[0002] In telephone communications, various mechanisms have been devised to remove noise mixed into speech in order to enable clear conversations. Patent Document 1, described later, discloses an invention that removes ambient noise components from speech by canceling out ambient noise components contained in speech collected by a transmitter in an exchange with ambient noise components collected by a microphone provided in a telephone set for hands-free conversations. Specifically, it explains that a noise canceller in an exchange removes noise components from speech by adding, with the phase reversed, ambient noise from a hands-free microphone to the speech collected by the transmitter.

[0003] Furthermore, Patent Document 2, which will be described later, discloses an invention in which, in a telephone control device, ambient noise contained in a voice from a telephone that has started a call is cancelled by using a voice collected through an uncalled telephone nearby the telephone. Specifically, the invention describes that ambient noise is cancelled from the voice transmitted from the telephone that has started a call by subtracting, from the voice transmitted from the telephone that has started a call, a voice collected by an uncalled telephone nearby and processed by a noise component processing unit, which is regarded as ambient noise. It also explains that the noise component processing unit adjusts the amplitude or phase of the input ambient noise component. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-149543 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 5494321 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In recent years, devices that enable calls are not limited to telephone terminals (telephones). Opportunities for two-way calls and remote conferences using information processing devices such as personal computers (PCs) and tablet PCs are also increasing. A two-way call using an information processing device involves using a call app (application software) launched on the information processing device to communicate with a desired party in the same way as a telephone call. Remote conferences allow multiple people to hold a conference regardless of their location by using an information processing device with communication capabilities, such as a PC. For this reason, two-way calls and remote conferences using information processing devices are widely used because they can be held even while in the office, by connecting a communication line with, for example, a person in another department, a person in another company, or a person working from home.

[0006] However, in the case of information processing devices such as PCs, which do not only process calls like telephone terminals, sufficient measures are often not taken to prevent noise from mixing into the transmitted voice. In other words, even if the other party in a call or a participant in a remote conference points out noise, there is currently no effective means of reducing the noise. For this reason, when using information processing devices such as PCs for two-way calls or remote conferences, there is an increasing need to effectively reduce the ambient noise that mixes into the transmitted voice.

[0007] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to effectively reduce ambient noise (surrounding noise) that gets mixed into transmitted voices, even when performing processing involving communication via an information processing device such as a PC from an office with many people around. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, the network control device of the invention described in claim 1 comprises: A network control device having a function of connecting one or more information processing devices connected to the device to the Internet and a function of connecting one or more telephone terminals connected to the device to a telephone network, an association storage means for storing the identification information of the information processing device in association with one or both of the identification information of one or more telephone terminals and the identification information of one or more other information processing devices located in the vicinity of the information processing device; a call presence determination means for determining whether a request from the information processing device is a request for execution of a process that involves a call; a sound collection instruction means for issuing a sound collection instruction to one or both of the one or more telephone terminals and one or more other information processing devices associated with the information processing device that is the sender of the request to execute the process involving a call, based on the information stored in the association storage means, when the call presence determination means determines that the request is for executing the process involving a call, to instruct the information processing device that is the sender of the request to execute the process involving a call to collect sound and provide it to the information processing device; a noise reduction processing means for performing a process of canceling noise components from the audio signal from the information processing device that is the execution request source, using audio signals from one or both of the one or more telephone terminals and the one or more other information processing devices to which the sound collection instruction has been provided; a transmitting means for transmitting the voice signal from the information processing device that is the execution request source, which has been processed by the noise reduction processing means so as to cancel out the noise, to a destination of the call; The present invention is characterized by comprising:

[0009] According to the network control device of the invention described in claim 1, the network control device has a function of connecting one or more information processing devices connected to the network to the Internet and a function of connecting one or more telephone terminals connected to the network to a telephone network. The correspondence storage means stores, for each information processing device, the identification information of the information processing device and one or both of the identification information of one or more telephone terminals located in the vicinity of the information processing device. It is assumed that the call connection determination means determines that a request for execution of a process involving a voice call has arrived from the information processing device.

[0010] In this case, the sound collection instruction means issues a sound collection instruction to one or both of one or more telephone terminals and one or more other information processing devices associated with the information processing device that issued the execution request. After this, the sound signals from one or both of the one or more telephone terminals and one or more other information processing devices to which the sound collection instruction was issued are used, and the noise reduction processing means cancels out the noise in the sound signal from the information processing device that issued the execution request. The sound signal from the information processing device that issued the execution request after this noise cancellation is transmitted to the other party of the call via the transmission means.

[0011] The term "call" originally means talking on the telephone. However, in this specification, the term "call" is not limited to telephone calls, but also refers to voice communication between two or more people using an information processing device such as a PC. Therefore, two-party communication using a call app running on a PC and remote conferences in which multiple people participate simultaneously and at least voice communication is used are also processes involving calls. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, even when processing involving a call is performed through an information processing device such as a PC from an office with many people around, it is possible to effectively reduce ambient noise (surrounding noise) mixed into the transmitted voice. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a network system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram for explaining an overview of noise reduction processing of a transmitted voice performed by a network control device according to an embodiment; [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a network control device according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of data stored in an operation management file of the network control device according to the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 5] 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of data stored in a neighboring device association table of the network control device according to the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a PC according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a telephone terminal according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process performed by the network control device according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process performed by a telephone terminal connected to the network control device according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] An embodiment of a network control device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the embodiment described below, an example will be given in which a network system that enables calls using telephone terminals and communications using PCs is constructed in a company office using a network control device according to the present invention.

[0015] [Network system configuration example] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a network system according to an embodiment. In FIG. 1, a wide-area network 6 shown in the center includes an external telephone network 61 and an IP (Internet Protocol) network 62. The external telephone network 61 includes a public switched telephone network, a mobile phone network, and the like, and primarily provides voice communication services. The IP network 62 refers to a computer network interconnected using Internet Protocol Suite technology, and is equivalent to the so-called "Internet." A network control device 1 is connected to the wide-area network 6 including the external telephone network 61 and the IP network 62. PCs 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), etc. are connected to the network control device 1 via a LAN (Local Area Network) 2. Furthermore, telephone terminals 5(1), 5(2), 5(3), etc. are connected to the network control device 1 via an extension telephone network 4.

[0016] The network control device 1 has a function that enables PCs 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ... connected to the network control device to communicate via an IP network 62 or a LAN 2. The network control device 1 also has a function that enables telephone terminals 5(1), 5(2), 5(3), ... connected to the network control device to make external calls or internal calls via an external telephone network 61 or an internal telephone network 4. In this way, the network control device 1, together with PCs 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ... connected to the LAN 2, constitutes a LAN system, and also, together with telephone terminals 5(1), 5(2), 5(3), ... connected to the internal telephone network 4, constitutes a business phone system. The network control device 1 also enables the use of IP telephone services using VoIP technology via the IP network 62.

[0017] Each of PCs 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ... can browse web pages stored on a web server provided on IP network 62 and send / receive e-mails via IP network 62 via network control device 1. Each of PCs 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ... can also access a conference server provided on IP network 62 via network control device 1 to set up a remote conference or participate in a set remote conference. Each of PCs 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ... can also make calls to a desired party via network control device 1 and IP network 62 by using a so-called calling application. In other words, each of PCs 1(1), 1(2), 1(3), ... is an information processing device also equipped with a communication function.

[0018] Each of the telephone terminals 5(1), 5(2), 5(3), ... can make external calls to external telephone terminals connected to the external telephone network 61 via the network control device 1, and can make internal calls to telephone terminals within the company connected to the internal telephone network 4. In this embodiment, in a company in which a network system is built, telephone terminals 5(1), 5(2), 5(3), ... are installed on desks used by employees. Also, in the company, each employee is loaned a PC 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ..., which each employee uses for work on their own desk. In other words, each employee has a desk that they can use exclusively, and on that desk is installed a PC and telephone terminal assigned to them.

[0019] Therefore, to specifically explain the case of the network system shown in Figure 1, for example, PC3(1) and telephone terminal 5(1) can be identified as being placed on the desk of person A in the development department, and PC3(1) and telephone terminal 5(2) can be identified as being placed on the desk of person B in the development department. Also, for example, PC3(3) and telephone terminal 5(3) can be identified as being placed on the desk of person C in the development department. In this way, the installation locations within the office of each of PC3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ... and each of telephone terminals 5(1), 5(2), 5(3), ... are predetermined, and it is possible to identify telephone terminals and other information processing devices located near each PC.

[0020] In such a network environment, a remote conference can be held via a conference server device 7 present on the wide area network 6 using each of the PCs 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ... connected to the network control device 1. The remote conference can be held between the PCs 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ... connected to the network control device 1 and other PCs connected to the LAN 2 or external PCs 8(1), 8(2), 8(3), 8(4), ... connected to the wide area network 6.

[0021] Consider a case where a person is participating in a remote conference using PC3(1) connected to LAN2. Because this network system is established in a company office, many other employees are working around PC3(1) in addition to the user of PC3(1). This creates various ambient noises, such as the voices of other employees and ringing telephones, which are mixed into the audio picked up by the microphone of the headset connected to PC3(1), the terminal participating in the remote conference. In this case, the audio transmitted from PC3(1) becomes difficult for other conference participants to hear.

[0022] Therefore, in the network control device 1 of this embodiment, for example, ambient noise mixed into the transmitted voice collected by the microphone of PC3(1) is canceled by using voice collected by, for example, telephone terminal 5(1) or another PC3(2) in the vicinity of PC3(1). This makes it possible to transmit the transmitted voice from PC3(1) with reduced ambient noise.

[0023] [Noise reduction processing overview] FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining an outline of noise reduction processing of transmitted voice performed by the network control device 1 of the embodiment. In FIG. 2, it is assumed that a person is participating in a remote conference using PC3(1) in the network system shown in FIG. 1. A telephone terminal 5(1) is also placed on the desk on which PC3(1) is placed. In other words, PC3(1) and telephone terminal 5(1) are located nearby and can be considered to be in the same location (the same place). In this case, the ambient noise contained in the voice collected through the microphone of the headset 310 connected to PC3(1) is also collected by the microphone installed in telephone terminal 5(1).

[0024] For this reason, the network control device 1 instructs the telephone terminal 5(1) near the PC3(1) participating in the remote conference to turn on its built-in microphone to collect ambient sound and transmit it to the network control device 1. The sound collected by the microphone of the telephone terminal 5(1) to which the sound collection instruction was issued, including ambient noise (Nz), is transmitted to the network control device 1, accepted via an extension telephone I / F 106 (described later), and supplied to a noise reduction processing unit 115. Meanwhile, the sound collected by the microphone of the headset of PC3(1) participating in the remote conference, including the transmitted voice (Au) and ambient noise (Nz), is also transmitted to the network control device 1. The sound from PC3(1) is accepted via a LAN I / F 107 (described later), and supplied to a noise reduction processing unit 115.

[0025] The noise reduction processing unit 115 subtracts the ambient noise (Nz) collected by the microphone of the nearby telephone terminal 5(1) from the voice (Au+Nz) collected by the microphone of the headset connected to PC3(1) participating in the remote conference. This makes it possible to cancel out the ambient noise from the collected voice of PC3(1). However, in reality, the voice collected by the microphone of telephone terminal 5(1) also includes the voice (outgoing voice) of the user of PC3(1), which is located nearby. For this reason, if the subtraction process is performed as is, the outgoing voice of the user of PC3(1) will also be canceled out.

[0026] The user's speech (transmitted speech) included in the audio from PC3(1) participating in the remote conference is collected by the microphone of headset 310. Headset microphones are often unidirectional, so they pick up the user's speech with high sensitivity, but the signal level of the collected ambient noise is generally lower than the user's speech. Considering these factors, even when headset 310 is used, a lot of ambient noise is collected because there is a lot of ambient noise in an office. However, in the case of audio collected by the microphone of headset 310, the signal level of the user's speech (transmitted speech component) is higher than the ambient noise, and the user's speech (transmitted speech component) is continuous while talking.

[0027] Therefore, in the network control device 1, in the audio signal from PC3(1), audio components that have a signal level higher than a predetermined level and occur continuously for a certain period of time are identified as the transmitted audio of the user of PC3(1). The transmitted audio components identified in this way may be transmitted to other participants in the remote conference, but if only the portion identified as the spoken audio is played back, it may result in an unnatural reproduced audio.

[0028] Therefore, the network control device 1 identifies the ambient noise (Nz) by subtracting the portion of the voice signal identified as the voice transmitted by the user of PC3(1) from the voice signal provided by telephone terminal 5(1). Then, the identified ambient noise (Nz) is subtracted from the voice signal (Au+Nz) from PC3(1). This cancels the ambient noise from the voice signal from PC3(1), generating a voice signal (Au) that reproduces natural voice. The voice signal (Au) from PC3(1), from which the ambient noise has been canceled, is transmitted to the conference server device 7 on the wide area network 6 via WAN I / F 109, and then transmitted to the terminal device of the remote conference participant, such as PC8(1). In this way, the network control device 1 of this embodiment cancels the ambient noise from the voice signal, providing the remote conference participant with a clearly audible voice signal, even if the remote conference participant is participating in a remote conference from a noisy environment such as a company office.

[0029] For simplicity of explanation, it has been assumed here that the telephone terminal 5(1) is located near PC3(1) participating in the remote conference, but this is not limited to this. Sound collection instructions are issued to other telephone terminals such as telephone terminals 5(2), 5(3), etc., and other PCs such as PC3(2), PC3(3), etc., which are considered to be collecting ambient noise similar to the ambient noise collected by PC3(1) participating in the remote conference. The collected audio collected by the device that issued the sound collection instruction can then be provided and used to cancel out the ambient noise.

[0030] As described above, in the audio signal from PC3(1) participating in the remote conference, audio with a signal level higher than a predetermined level and occurring continuously for a certain period of time is identified as the transmitted voice of the user of PC3(1). However, this is not limited to this. For example, it is possible to identify the transmitted voice of the user using various methods, such as recording the voice of the user of PC3(1) in advance and identifying the part of the voice that has the same voiceprint as the recorded voice as the transmitted voice of the user.

[0031] 2 has been described using an example in which a user is participating in a remote conference, but the present invention is not limited to this. Even when using various calling apps and VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) to make voice calls over the Internet, the network control device 1 can cancel out ambient noise from the voice to be transmitted to the other party, providing a natural reproduction of the voice. In other words, when PCs 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ... connected to the network control device 1 via LAN 2 execute processing involving a call, the network control device 1 can cancel out ambient noise from the voice to be transmitted to the other party.

[0032] Below, we will explain an example configuration and operation of the network control device 1, PCs 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ..., and telephone terminals 5(1), 5(2), 5(3), ... that make up the network system of this embodiment.In this embodiment, since each of the PCs 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ... has the same basic configuration, they will be collectively referred to as PC3 below unless it is necessary to distinguish them.In this embodiment, since each of the telephone terminals 5(1), 5(2), 5(3), ... has the same basic configuration, they will be collectively referred to as telephone terminal 5 below unless it is necessary to distinguish them.

[0033] [Configuration example of network control device 1] 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the network control device 1 according to the embodiment. The connection terminal 101T constitutes a connection terminal to the external telephone network 61. The telephone network I / F 101 is a part that performs communication processing via the external telephone network 61. That is, the telephone network I / F 101 converts a signal addressed to the device itself that is transmitted via the external telephone network 61 into a signal in a format that can be processed by the device itself and receives this signal. The telephone network I / F 101 also converts a signal to be transmitted from the device itself to a destination into a signal in a transmission format and sends this to the external telephone network 61 to transmit it to the destination.

[0034] The control unit 102 is a microprocessor including a central processing unit (CPU), read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), non-volatile memory, etc. (not shown), and controls each unit of the network control device 1. The storage device 103 is a device unit including a recording medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or solid state drive (SSD) and its driver, and records, changes, deletes, reads, etc. various types of data. The storage device 103 stores and holds necessary data and programs, and is also used as a working area for temporarily storing intermediate data generated in various processes.

[0035] The operation management file 104 manages information indicating the operating status of each of the PCs 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ... and the telephone terminals 5(1), 5(2), 5(3), ... connected to the network control device 1. The operating status is updated in real time in the operation management file 104 in response to requests sent from the PCs 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ... and the telephone terminals 5(1), 5(2), 5(3), .... FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of data stored in the operation management file of the network control device 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the operation management file 104 manages the operating status of the telephone terminals 5(1), 5(2), 5(3), ... connected to the extension telephone network 4 separately from the operating status of the PCs 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ... connected to the LAN 2.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 4(A), the operating status of telephone terminals is managed for each telephone terminal 5(1), 5(2), 5(3), ... identified by an extension number, with information on the operation type, incoming / outgoing call, and internal / external line. The operation type indicates the operating state of each telephone terminal 5(1), 5(2), 5(3), ..., such as waiting, in a call, or on hold. The incoming / outgoing call indicates whether the call was caused by an incoming call or an outgoing call from the terminal itself when the terminal is in a call or on hold. The internal / external line indicates whether the call is an external line or an internal line when the terminal is in a call or on hold.

[0037] This allows you to know that the telephone terminal with extension number "101" is on standby, the telephone terminal with extension number "102" is busy due to an incoming internal call, and the telephone terminal with extension number "103" is busy due to an outgoing call. You can also know that the telephone terminal with extension number "104" is busy due to an incoming external call, but is currently on hold.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 4(B), the operating status of a PC is managed by managing information on the operation type and the operating application for each PC 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ... identified by a MAC address. The operation type is information indicating whether a call-in process (a process involving a call) or a non-call process (a process not involving a call) is being executed. The operating application is information indicating the application being executed on the PC. This allows us to know that a browser is being used and a non-call process is being executed on a PC with a MAC address of "AA:BB:CC:...". Furthermore, it allows us to know that a remote conference app is being used and a call-in process is being executed on a PC with a MAC address of "11:22:33:...". Furthermore, it allows us to know that a call app is being used and a call-in process is being executed on a PC with a MAC address of "AA:11:33:...".

[0039] Nearby device correspondence table 105 holds data associating, for each of PCs 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ... connected to LAN 2, telephone terminals and other PCs located nearby. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of data stored in nearby device correspondence table 105 of network control device 1 according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, in the vicinity of a PC with a MAC address of "AA:BB:CC:...", there are telephone terminals with extension numbers "101" and "102", and PCs with MAC addresses of "11:22:..." and "CC:DD:...". Also, as shown in FIG. 5, in the vicinity of a PC with a MAC address of "11:22:33:...", there are telephone terminals with extension numbers "102" and "101", and PCs with MAC addresses of "AA:BB:..." and "33:44:...".

[0040] The data stored in the nearby device correspondence table 105 makes it possible to grasp the telephone terminals and PCs that exist near each of PC3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ... In this embodiment, for example, the vicinity of PC3(1) means a position that can collect audio similar to the audio collected by the microphone of the headset 310 connected to PC3(1). More specifically, for example, the vicinity can be defined as a circular range with a radius of 2 m (meters) centered on the installation position of PC3(1).

[0041] The connection terminal 106T constitutes a connection terminal to the extension telephone network 4. The extension telephone I / F 106 is a part that performs communication processing through the extension telephone network 4. That is, the extension telephone I / F 106 converts a signal sent to the device itself via the extension telephone network 4 into a signal in a format that can be processed by the device itself and takes in this signal. The extension telephone I / F 106 also converts a signal to be sent from the device itself to a destination into a signal in a format for transmission and sends this to the extension telephone network 4 to transmit to the destination.

[0042] The connection terminal 107T constitutes a connection terminal to the LAN2. The LANI / F 107 is a part that performs communication processing via the LAN2. That is, the LANI / F 107 converts a signal sent via the LAN2 to its own device into a signal in a format that can be processed by the device, and then takes in the converted signal. The LANI / F 107 also converts a signal to be sent from the device to a destination into a signal in a transmission format, and sends the converted signal to the LAN2 to transmit it to the destination.

[0043] Under the control of the control unit 102, the call control unit 108 performs call control such as outgoing calls, incoming calls, answers, and disconnections for the subordinate telephone terminals 5(1), 5(2), 5(3), .... As shown in Fig. 3, the call control unit 108 includes an outgoing call control unit 1081 and an incoming call control unit 1082. When the call control unit 108 receives an outgoing call (outgoing call request) from the subordinate telephone terminals 5(1), 5(2), 5(3), ..., the outgoing call control unit 1081 functions to call the specified destination, and when the destination responds, the call line is connected to enable the call.

[0044] Furthermore, when the call control unit 108 receives an incoming call addressed to itself (an outgoing call notification from the other party), the incoming call control unit 1082 functions to notify the subordinate telephone terminals 5(1), 5(2), 5(3), ... of the incoming call. As a result, a ring tone is sounded at the telephone terminals 5(1), 5(2), 5(3), ..., and the occurrence of the incoming call is notified. When an operation to answer the incoming call (an off-hook operation) is performed at the telephone terminals 5(1), 5(2), 5(3), ..., the incoming call control unit 1082 detects this, answers the incoming call, and connects a call line to the subordinate telephone terminal 5 that was off-hook, enabling the call.

[0045] In the network control device 1 of this embodiment, the processes of putting a connected call line on hold, transferring a call, and releasing a call are performed under the control of the control unit 102 in response to requests from the subordinate telephone terminals 5(1), 5(2), 5(3), .... In addition, the control unit 102 also controls the turning on / off of LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) provided in the subordinate telephone terminals 5(1), 5(2), 5(3), ... and the display on the display. Therefore, the control unit 102 receives notifications from the call control unit 108 and is aware of the connection, holding, and release states of the call line.

[0046] Connection terminal 109T constitutes the connection terminal to IP network 62. WANI / F 109 is a part that performs communication processing via IP network 62. That is, WANI / F 109 converts signals sent via IP network 62 to its own destination into signals in a format that can be processed by itself and takes these in. WANI / F 109 also converts signals to be sent from its own device to a destination into signals in a transmission format and sends these out to WAN 62 to be transmitted to the destination.

[0047] The call transmission noise reduction unit 110 performs processing to reduce ambient noise from the transmitted voice and transmit the voice when PCs 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ... connected to the unit via LAN 2 perform processing involving a call, such as a remote conference or a voice call using a call app. As shown in Fig. 3, the call transmission noise reduction unit 110 includes a call presence determination unit 111, a sound collection instruction unit 112, a main voice identification unit 113, a surrounding voice identification unit 114, and a noise reduction processing unit 115.

[0048] The call presence determination unit 111 analyzes a request received from the PC 3 via the connection terminal 107T and the LAN I / F 107, and determines whether the request is a request to execute a process involving a voice call, such as a request to participate in a remote conference or a request to start a voice call using a call application. That is, a request from the PC 3 connected to the LAN 2 includes, for example, information such as the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of a server device that provides a service, information identifying the application being used, and an email address or telephone number identifying the other party of the call.

[0049] Information specifying the URL of the conference server and the call application is registered in advance in the storage device 103 of the network control device 1. If this information in the storage device 103 matches the information included in the request from PC3 connected to LAN2, the call presence determination unit 111 determines that the request is a request to execute a process involving a call. Furthermore, if the request from PC3 connected to LAN2 contains an email address or a phone number that specifies the other party of the call, the call presence determination unit 111 determines that the request is a request to execute a process involving a call. If the call presence determination unit 111 determines that the request from PC3 connected to LAN2 is a request to execute a process involving a call, it requests the sound collection instruction unit 112 to issue a sound collection instruction.

[0050] The sound collection instruction unit 112 refers to the nearby device association table 105 using the MAC address, which is the identification information of the requesting device included in the request from PC3 and used by the call presence determination unit 111, to identify devices that exist near the requesting device. In this embodiment, the requesting devices are PCs 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ... connected to LAN 2. The nearby devices are telephone terminals 5(1), 3(2), 5(3), ... and other PCs 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ... other than the own device.

[0051] The sound collection instruction unit 112 refers to the operation management file 104 based on the identification information of a device identified as existing near the requesting device, identifies a device in a standby state, and provides a sound collection instruction to the identified device in a standby state. Here, if the device is a telephone terminal, a device in a standby state refers to a device that is not in an operating state such as an active call or on hold, and is in a state in which new call processing can be started. Also, if the device is an information processing device such as a PC, a device in a standby state refers to a device that is powered on but is not performing processing involving a call. For example, this refers to a PC 3 that is powered on but has no application running, or a PC 3 that has no application running, such as a browser, word processor, or spreadsheet application running, that is not performing call processing.

[0052] The main voice identification unit 113 analyzes the voice transmitted from the PC 3 that has transmitted a request to execute a process involving a voice call, and identifies a voice component that has a signal level higher than a predetermined level and occurs continuously for a certain period of time as the voice transmitted by the user from the requesting PC 3. Note that the user's voice may be identified using various methods, such as recording the voice of the user of the requesting PC 3(1) in advance and identifying the portion of the voice that has the same voiceprint as the recorded voice as the user's voice transmitted.

[0053] The ambient sound identification unit 114 identifies ambient noise by subtracting the transmitted voice, which is the main voice identified by the main sound identification unit 113, from the collected voice from the telephone terminal 5 to which the voice collection instruction was provided or another PC 3. The noise reduction processing unit 115 forms a transmitted voice in which the ambient noise has been cancelled out by subtracting the ambient noise identified by the ambient sound identification unit 114 from the transmitted voice from the PC 3 that has transmitted a request to execute processing involving a voice call. In this way, the transmitted voice in which the ambient noise has been cancelled out provides a natural reproduced voice, and is sent to the IP network 62 via the WAN I / F 109 and the connection terminal 109T and transmitted to the other party.

[0054] [PC3 configuration example] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example configuration of PC3 according to an embodiment. Connection terminal 301T constitutes a connection terminal to LAN2, and LAN I / F 301 converts data addressed to PC3 transmitted via LAN2 into a format processable by PC3 and imports it. It also converts data to be transmitted from PC3 into a transmission format and transmits it. Although not shown, control unit 302 is a microprocessor formed by connecting a CPU, ROM, RAM, nonvolatile memory, etc. via a bus, and realizes the function of controlling each unit of PC3. Storage device 303 is a device unit consisting of a recording medium, such as an HDD or SSD, and its driver, and performs operations such as recording, reading, modifying, and deleting various data from the recording medium. Storage device 303 stores and holds necessary data and programs, and is also used as a work area for temporarily storing intermediate data generated during various processes.

[0055] The operation unit 304 accepts instruction input from the user, converts the input into an electrical signal, and supplies the signal to the control unit 302. Specifically, the operation unit 304 is a pointing device such as a keyboard or a mouse. An LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) controller (denoted as LCDCTL in FIG. 6) 305 and an LCD 306 constitute a display output interface. An audio output processing unit 307 and a speaker 308 constitute an audio output interface. A headset 310 equipped with headphones and a microphone is connected to the codec 309 via an input / output terminal 309T. The codec 309 converts digital audio data supplied thereto into an analog audio signal and supplies this to the speaker of the headset 310. The codec 309 also converts an analog audio signal collected by the microphone of the headset 310 into digital audio data and supplies it to the speaker of the headset 310.

[0056] The camera unit 311 is equipped with an objective lens and an image sensor, and realizes the function of capturing an image of the user and importing it as digital image data, for example, when holding a remote conference. The image input processing unit 312 realizes the function of converting the digital image data from the camera unit into data in a format that can be processed by the device itself and importing it. The microphone 313 realizes the function of collecting surrounding sound and importing it as an analog audio signal. The audio input processing unit 314 realizes the function of converting the analog audio signal collected by the microphone into digital audio data and importing it.

[0057] The PC 3 is capable of executing various applications (application software) in the control unit 302 and performing various types of information processing. That is, as in the past, it can execute a word processing application to create documents, execute spreadsheet software to create materials, execute a so-called mailer to create and send / receive e-mails, and execute a browser to view web pages.

[0058] The PC 3 can be connected to a headset 310 and has a camera function, allowing it to participate in remote conferences and make so-called videophone calls. Even if the headset 310 is not used, it is possible to participate in remote conferences and make so-called videophone calls by using the audio output processing unit 307, speaker 308, microphone 313, and audio input processing unit 314.

[0059] Furthermore, in response to a request from the network control device 1, the control unit 302 also realizes the function of putting the microphone 313 and the voice input processing unit 314 into operation to collect surrounding voices and provide them to the network control device 1. In this case, when processing involving a call is executed, the control unit 302 terminates the sound collection in response to the request from the network control device 1 and the provision of the collected voice to the network control device 1. Of course, when the control unit 302 terminates the sound collection and provision processing in response to the sound collection request from the network control device 1, it can also store this history and resume the processing after the processing involving a call has ended.

[0060] [Configuration example of telephone terminal 5] FIG. 7 is a block diagram for explaining an example of the telephone terminal configuration according to an embodiment. The connection terminal 501T constitutes a connection terminal to the extension telephone network 4. The extension telephone I / F 501 realizes connection with the network control device 1 through the extension telephone network 4. That is, the extension telephone I / F 501 converts a signal sent to itself into a signal in a format that can be processed by itself and imports it into itself. The extension telephone I / F 501 also converts a signal to be sent from itself into a signal for transmission and transmits it. The telephone terminal 5 according to this embodiment is wired to the network control device 1 via the connection terminal 501T and the extension telephone I / F 501.

[0061] Although not shown, the control unit 502 is a microprocessor formed by connecting a CPU, ROM, RAM, non-volatile memory, etc. via a CPU bus, and controls each unit of the telephone terminal 5. The operation unit 503 accepts operation input from the user and provides the accepted information to the control unit 502. The operation unit 503 is provided with a numeric keypad, multiple function keys, etc. The control unit 502 forms a request or the like in response to the operation input from the user accepted through the operation unit 503, sends it to the extension telephone network 4 via the extension telephone I / F 501 and the connection terminal 501T, and provides it to the network control device 1.

[0062] The LED (Light Emitting Diode) unit 504 has multiple LEDs, and the control unit 502 controls the turning on, blinking, and turning off of the LEDs to notify the user of various states. For example, the LEDs notify the user of states such as incoming call, hold, and on-hook. The ringer 505 emits a ringtone when an incoming call is received under the control of the control unit 502. The handset 506 includes a speaker (receiver) and a microphone (transmitter). The telephone terminal 5 is configured to be in an on-hook state when the handset 506 is placed in a fixed position on the housing of the telephone terminal 5, and to be in an off-hook state when the handset 506 is removed from the fixed position on the housing of the telephone terminal 5. For this reason, the telephone terminal 5 is configured so that the control unit 502 can grasp the on-hook and off-hook states.

[0063] Codec 507 receives digital voice data, converts it into an analog voice signal, and supplies it to the speaker of off-hook handset 506. As a result, the voice from the other party is emitted from the speaker of handset 506. Codec 507 also converts an analog voice signal picked up by the microphone of off-hook handset 506 into a digital signal, compresses the data, and supplies it to control unit 502. Control unit 502 transmits the voice data from codec 507 to the other party via extension telephone I / F 501 and connection terminal 501T.

[0064] The LCD controller (denoted as LCDCTL in FIG. 7) 508 and LCD 509 constitute a display output interface. This performs processing to display various information on the display screen of LCD 509 under the control of the control unit 502. The displayed information includes various information such as the entered telephone number of the other party, the telephone number of the caller, guidance messages, and warning messages. The audio output processing unit 510 and speaker 511 constitute an audio output interface, and the microphone 512 and audio input processing unit 513 constitute an audio input interface. The existence of these audio output interface and audio input interface makes it possible to realize a so-called hands-free function, which is a function that allows calls to be made without using the handset 506. The audio output processing unit 510 and speaker 511 can also emit operation guidance and warning sounds as voice messages.

[0065] In this way, the telephone terminal 5 cooperates with the network control device 1 to connect a telephone line and enable a call. Furthermore, in response to a request from the network control device 1, the control unit 502 also realizes the function of activating the microphone 313 and the voice input processing unit 314 to collect surrounding voices and provide them to the network control device 1. In this case, if an operation to answer an incoming call or an operation to make an outgoing call is performed, the sound collection in response to the request from the network control device 1 and the provision of the collected voice to the network control device 1 are terminated. Of course, when the control unit 502 terminates the sound collection and provision process in response to the sound collection request from the network control device 1, the control unit 502 can also store this history and resume the process after the call is ended.

[0066] [Processing performed by the network control device 1 and telephone terminal 5 (PC 3)] Next, the processing performed by the network control device 1 and telephone terminal 5 configured as described above will be described with reference to a flowchart. In the following, an example will be described in which, when participating in a remote conference from PC 3, ambient noise included in the voice transmitted from PC 3 is canceled out using collected voice from a nearby telephone terminal 5. In this case, the processing when participating in a remote conference from PC 3 is the same as in the past, and therefore a description of this processing will be omitted.

[0067] Furthermore, the PC 3 may also perform processing to collect surrounding audio and provide it to the network control device 1 in response to an audio collection instruction from the network control device 1. However, this processing is performed in the same way as in the case of the telephone terminal 5. For this reason, the processing by which the telephone terminal 5 collects surrounding audio and provides it to the network control device 1 in response to an audio collection instruction from the network control device 1 will be described, and a description of the processing by the PC 3 to collect surrounding audio and provide it to the network control device 1 will be omitted.

[0068] <Processing performed by the network control device 1> 8 is a flowchart for explaining the processing performed by the network control device 1 when participating in a remote conference from PC 3, and when ambient noise included in the voice transmitted from PC 3 is canceled out by using the voice collected from a nearby telephone terminal 5. The processing of the flowchart shown in FIG. 8 is executed by the control unit 102 of the network control device 1, and is performed by the control unit 102 controlling each unit.

[0069] The control unit 102 receives a request from PC3 connected to the LAN2 through the connection terminal 107T and the LAN I / F 107 (step S101), and determines whether or not a request from PC3 has been received (step S102). If it is determined in the determination process of step S102 that a request from PC3 has not been received, the control unit 102 repeats the process from step S101 and waits for the arrival of a request from PC3. If it is determined in the determination process of step S102 that a request from PC3 has been received, the control unit 102 controls the call presence determination unit 111 to determine whether or not the received request is a request to execute a process involving a call (step S103).

[0070] If it is determined in the determination process of step S103 that the received request is not a request to execute a process involving a telephone call, the control unit 102 executes a process corresponding to the received request (step S104). The process executed in step S104 may be a process for connecting to a predetermined web page, a process for sending and receiving e-mail, or various other processes that do not involve a telephone call, in response to a request from the PC 3. When the process to be executed in step S104 is completed, the process from step S101 is repeated.

[0071] When it is determined in the determination process of step S103 that the received request is a request to execute a process involving a call, the control unit 102 executes the process involving a call in response to the request (step S105). In this step S105, various processes involving a call can be executed in response to the request from the PC 3, such as a process to join a remote conference or a process to make a voice call using a call application.

[0072] Thereafter, the control unit 102 controls the sound collection instruction unit 112 to send a sound collection instruction to the corresponding device (neighboring device) to request that it collect ambient sound and provide the collected ambient sound to the network control device 1 (step S106). Specifically, in step S106, the sound collection instruction unit 112 refers to the nearby device association table 105 based on the MAC address of the requester included in the request to execute a process involving a call, and identifies one or more telephone terminals 5 or PCs 3 located near the requester's PC 3. Next, the sound collection instruction unit 112 determines the operating status of the identified one or more telephone terminals 5 or PCs 3 by referring to the operation management file 104, and sends a sound collection instruction to the waiting telephone terminal 5 and the PCs 3 that are not executing a process involving a call.

[0073] As a result, collected voices from devices nearby the requesting PC 3, such as telephone terminals 5 on standby or PCs 3 not performing processing involving a call, are transmitted to the network control device 1. For this reason, the control unit 102 controls the main voice identification unit 113, the ambient voice identification unit 114, and the noise reduction processing unit 115 to execute noise reduction processing to cancel ambient noise from the voice transmitted from the requesting PC 3 (step S107). In the processing executed in step S107, first, the main voice identification unit 113 identifies, from the collected voice provided from the requesting PC 3, a transmitted voice whose signal level is higher than a predetermined level and which is somewhat continuous as a speaking voice.

[0074] Next, the ambient sound identification unit 114 subtracts the transmitted voice identified by the main voice identification unit 113 from the collected voice from the telephone terminal 5 that issued the voice collection instruction or another PC 3 to identify ambient noise. After this, the noise reduction processing unit 115 subtracts the ambient noise identified by the ambient voice identification unit 114 from the voice signal provided by the requesting PC 3 to cancel out the ambient noise contained in the voice signal provided by the requesting PC 3. In this way, the voice signal (transmitted voice) provided by the requesting PC 3 from which the ambient noise has been canceled is sent to the IP network 62 via the WAN I / F 109 and the connection terminal 109T, and transmitted to the participants of the conference.

[0075] Thereafter, the control unit 102 determines whether the process involving the call that was set to be executed in step S105 has ended (step S108), and if it determines that the process has not ended, repeats the process from step S107 to continue the noise reduction process. Assume that in the determination process of step S108, it is determined that the process involving the call that was set to be executed in step S105 has ended. In this case, the control unit 102 executes a predetermined termination process, such as issuing an instruction to end sound collection to the telephone number or another PC 3 that issued the sound collection instruction via the sound collection instruction unit 112 (step S109). Thereafter, the control unit 102 repeats the process from step S101.

[0076] 8, ambient noise included in the voice transmitted from PC3 that has executed the process involving a call to the other party is cancelled in the network control device 1 and transmitted to the other party. In this case, PC3 that has executed the process involving a call does not need to perform any special process to cancel the ambient noise, and the load of PC3 does not increase.

[0077] <Processing performed on telephone terminal 5> 9 is a flowchart for explaining the processing performed by the telephone terminal 5 when participating in a remote conference from the PC 3 and canceling out ambient noise included in the voice transmitted from the PC 3 using the voice collected from a nearby telephone terminal 5. The processing of the flowchart shown in FIG. 9 is executed by the control unit 502 of the telephone terminal 5, and is performed by the control unit 502 controlling each unit.

[0078] The control unit 502 receives a request (instruction) from the network control device 1 connected to the extension telephone network 4 through the connection terminal 501T and the extension telephone I / F 501 (step S201). In step S201, the control unit 502 determines whether or not a request has been received from the network control device 1 (step S202). If it is determined in the determination process of step S202 that a request has not been received from the network control device 1, the control unit 502 repeats the process from step S201 and waits for a request from the network control device 1 to arrive.

[0079] When it is determined in the determination process of step S202 that a request has been received from the network control device 1, the control unit 502 determines whether the received request is a sound collection instruction requesting the start of sound collection (step S203). It is assumed that in the determination process of step S203, the received request is determined to be a sound collection instruction requesting the start of sound collection. In this case, the control unit 502 activates the microphone 512 and the voice input processing unit 513 to start processing for collecting ambient sound via the microphone 512 and transmitting the collected sound to the network control device 1 (step S204). Thereafter, the processing from step S201 is repeated.

[0080] If it is determined in the determination process of step S203 that the received request is not a sound collection instruction requesting the start of sound collection, the control unit 502 determines whether the received request is a sound collection end instruction requesting the end of sound collection (step S205). It is assumed that in the determination process of step S205, the received request is determined to be a sound collection end instruction requesting the end of sound collection. In this case, the control unit 502 stops the functions of the microphone 512 and the voice input processing unit 513, plays back, and ends the process of transmitting the collected sound to the network control device 1 (step S206). Thereafter, the process from step S201 is repeated.

[0081] Assume that in the determination process of step S205, it is determined that the received request is not a sound collection end instruction requesting the end of sound collection. In this case, the control unit 502 executes processing in response to the request from the network control device 1 (step S207). In step S207, various processing is performed in response to the request from the network control device 1. For example, processing is performed such as ringing the ringer 505 in response to a ringer ringing request to notify of an incoming call, or lighting up a predetermined LED of the LED unit 504 in response to a request to light up an LED. After the processing of step S207, the processing from step S201 is repeated.

[0082] As a result, the telephone terminal 5 can activate the microphone in response to a sound collection instruction from the network control device 1 and provide the collected sound to the network control device 1. By utilizing the collected sound from the telephone terminal 5, the network control device 1 can perform processing to effectively cancel out ambient noise contained in the voice transmitted from the PC 3 that has started processing involving a call.

[0083] Here, the case has been described in which the telephone terminal 5 collects ambient sound in response to a sound collection instruction from the network control device 1 and provides the collected sound to the network control device 1. However, as described above, the process of collecting ambient sound in response to a sound collection instruction from the network control device 1 and providing the collected sound to the network control device 1 can also be performed by using another nearby PC 3 other than the PC 3 that executed the process involving the call. In that case, the process performed by the other PC 3 is the same as the process described using Fig. 9. The difference is that the telephone terminal 5 communicates with the network control device 1 through the internal telephone network 4, while the PC 3 communicates with the network control device 1 through the LAN 2.

[0084] [Effects of the embodiment] As described above, the network control device 1 of this embodiment can effectively reduce ambient noise (surrounding noise) mixed into transmitted voice, even when processing involving calls is performed through an information processing device such as a PC from an office with many people around. This allows for good performance of processing involving calls performed using VoIP, such as remote conferences and voice calls using a calling app. Moreover, even in the case of a PC that executes processing involving calls, there is no need to make major structural changes to the telephone terminal or PC that collects voice to cancel out ambient noise.

[0085] [Variations] When processing involving a call is executed in response to a request from a PC 3, the ambient sound used to cancel ambient noise from the sound collected by the PC 3 can be one or both of one or more telephone terminals 5 and one or more other PCs 3. When multiple telephone terminals 5 or multiple other PCs 3 are used, the collected sounds from these devices can be added together to form a single audio signal, and the level can be further adjusted to be used as an audio signal for canceling ambient noise.

[0086] Furthermore, in the network system of the above-described embodiment, for example, PC3(1) and PC3(3) may simultaneously execute processes involving calls. In this case, the network control device 1 can perform a process to cancel ambient noise from collected audio, including transmitted audio, for each PC3 that executes a process involving calls. For example, assume that PC3(1) executes a process involving calls, and PC3(3) also executes a process involving calls. In this case, the call transmission noise reduction unit 110 of the network control device 1 performs ambient noise reduction processing for the collected audio from PC3(1) using the collected audio from telephone terminal 5(1). Furthermore, for the collected audio from PC3(3), it performs ambient noise reduction processing using the collected audio from telephone terminal 5(3). In this way, the network control device 1 can independently perform ambient noise reduction processing for each PC3 that executes a process involving calls.

[0087] Furthermore, when identifying a compatible device (neighboring device) performed by the sound collection instruction unit 112, for example, a telephone terminal may be given priority, and if there is no waiting telephone terminal 5 near the PC 3 that has executed a process involving a call, another nearby PC 3 may be identified. That is, when identifying a compatible device (neighboring device) that collects ambient sound to reduce ambient noise, a priority order may be set for each device type, such as giving priority to a telephone terminal or a PC.

[0088] It is also possible to set a priority for each device. When identifying compatible devices (neighboring devices) performed by the sound collection instruction unit 112, the number of telephone terminals 5 and other PCs 3 to be identified as compatible devices (neighboring devices) is determined in advance. In order to identify this number of compatible devices (neighboring devices), it is also possible to set a priority for each device type or for each device in order to identify the compatible devices (neighboring devices).

[0089] In the above-described embodiment, the ambient noise is cancelled by subtracting the identified ambient noise from the collected sound from the PC 3 that executed the process involving a call. This subtraction can also be performed by inverting the phase of the identified ambient noise and adding it to the collected sound from the PC 3 that executed the process involving a call. Furthermore, adjusting the signal level of the identified ambient noise allows for more appropriate ambient noise reduction processing.

[0090] In the above-described embodiment, the process involving a call is described as participating in a remote conference or making a call using a call app, but is not limited thereto. For example, some application software that provides a so-called chat function also provides a voice call function or a video call function. In this way, the process involving a call is a process that uses various application software to enable calls to be made using an information processing device with an Internet connection function, such as a PC, tablet PC, or smartphone. [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] 1...network control device, 101T...connection end, 101...telephone network I / F, 102...control unit, 103...storage device, 104...operation management file, 105...neighborhood device correspondence table, 106T...connection end, 106...extension telephone I / F, 107T...connection end, 107...LAN I / F, 108...call control unit, 1081...call control unit, 1082...incoming call processing unit, 109T...connection end, 109...WAN I / F, 110...transmission noise reduction during call Noise reduction unit, 111...call presence determination unit, 112...sound collection instruction unit, 113...main sound identification unit, 114...surrounding sound identification unit, 115...noise reduction processing unit, 2...LAN, 3, 3(1), 3(2), 3(3)...PC, 310...headset, 4...internal telephone network, 5, 5(1), 5(2), 5(3)...telephone terminal, 6...wide area network, 61...external telephone network, 62...IP network, 7...conference server device, 8(1), 8(2), 8(3)...external PC

Claims

1. A network control device having a function of connecting one or more information processing devices connected to the device to the Internet and a function of connecting one or more telephone terminals connected to the device to a telephone network, an association storage means for storing the identification information of the information processing device in association with one or both of the identification information of one or more telephone terminals and the identification information of one or more other information processing devices located in the vicinity of the information processing device; a call presence determination means for determining whether a request from the information processing device is a request for execution of a process that involves a call; a sound collection instruction means for issuing a sound collection instruction to one or both of the one or more telephone terminals and one or more other information processing devices associated with the information processing device that is the sender of the request to execute the process involving a call, based on the information stored in the association storage means, when the call presence determination means determines that the request is for executing the process involving a call, to instruct the information processing device that is the sender of the request to execute the process involving a call to collect sound and provide it to the information processing device itself; a noise reduction processing means for performing a process of canceling noise components from the audio signal from the information processing device that is the execution request source, using audio signals from one or both of the one or more telephone terminals and the one or more other information processing devices to which the sound collection instruction has been provided; a transmitting means for transmitting the voice signal from the information processing device that is the execution request source, which has been processed by the noise reduction processing means so as to cancel out the noise, to a destination of the call; A network control device comprising:

2. 2. The network control device according to claim 1, a main voice identifying means for identifying a main voice component having a high signal level and continuous from the audio signal from the information processing device that is the source of the execution request; a peripheral sound specifying means for canceling out the main sound component specified by the main sound specifying means and specifying a peripheral sound component from a sound signal from one or both of the one or more telephone terminals to which the sound collection instruction has been provided and the one or more other information processing devices; Equipped with The noise reduction processing means performs processing to cancel the ambient sound component identified by the ambient sound identification means from the audio signal from the information processing device that is the source of the execution request. A network control device comprising:

3. 3. The network control device according to claim 1, an operation status storage means for storing information indicating the operation status of each of the one or more telephone terminals connected to the device itself and information indicating the operation status of each of the one or more information processing devices; The sound collection instruction means provides the sound collection instruction to one or both of the one or more telephone terminals and the one or more other information processing devices that are associated with the information processing device of the execution request and that are in a standby state, based on the information stored in the operation state storage means. A network control device comprising:

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