Information processing device and information processing system

Abstract

To improve call quality more effectively. [Solution] An information processing device is provided that is capable of communicating with other information processing devices via a communication network, and includes: an audio input unit that inputs audio; a communication unit that transmits an audio-based signal to the other information processing device based on the audio input in the audio input unit and receives an audio-based signal transmitted from the other information processing device; and a control unit that restricts audio input in the audio input unit when the communication unit receives an audio-based signal from the other information processing device.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device and an information processing system. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, technology for bidirectionally transmitting and receiving audio and video via a network has become widespread. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system for supporting web conferences. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-92424 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The system disclosed in Patent Document 1 aims to improve the quality of calls in web conferences by detecting speech from a user based on a captured image of the user and muting the microphone. However, with the system disclosed in Patent Document 1, if it is difficult to detect speech based on an image, it is also difficult to improve the quality of calls.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved information processing device and information processing system that can more effectively improve call quality. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing device capable of communicating with other information processing devices via a communication network, comprising: an audio input unit that inputs audio; a communication unit that transmits an audio-based signal to the other information processing device based on the audio input in the audio input unit and receives the audio-based signal transmitted from the other information processing device; and a control unit that restricts the audio input in the audio input unit when the communication unit receives the audio-based signal from the other information processing device.

[0007] The control unit may control input of voice in the voice input unit when the communication unit receives a signal based on voice from the other information processing device connected via a predetermined communication connection.

[0008] The information processing device may further include an audio output unit that outputs audio, and the control unit may restrict the output of audio by the audio output unit when the communication unit receives an audio-based signal from the other information processing device connected via the specified communication connection.

[0009] The predetermined communication connection may be set in accordance with WebSocket.

[0010] The communication unit may receive or transmit a signal based on voice between the information processing device that belongs to another communication connection different from the predetermined communication connection.

[0011] In addition, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing system including a plurality of information processing devices capable of communicating via a communication network, each of the information processing devices comprising: an audio input unit for inputting audio; a communication unit for transmitting an audio-based signal to another information processing device based on the audio input in the audio input unit and receiving the audio-based signal transmitted from the other information processing device; and a control unit for restricting audio input in the audio input unit when the communication unit receives the audio-based signal from the other information processing device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to more effectively improve speech quality. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1A] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 1B] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an overview of the embodiment. [Figure 1C] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an overview of the embodiment. [Figure 2] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of an information processing device 10 according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a control unit 150 according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] 10 is a diagram for explaining in more detail the audio processing in the information processing device 10 according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 5] 2 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of an information processing device 10 according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information processing system according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information processing system according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of connection setting according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is an example of a screen for confirming whether a terminal is a representative terminal according to the embodiment. [Figure 10A] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of voice detection and voice input control according to the embodiment. [Figure 10B] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of voice detection and voice input control according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of speaker setting according to the embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing a specific example of audio output control according to the embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing a specific example of audio output control according to the embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing a specific example of audio output control according to the embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing a specific example of audio output control according to the embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an information processing device 900 according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0015] In addition, in this specification and drawings, when multiple identical components are to be described separately, letters or the like may be added to the end of the reference numerals. On the other hand, when it is not necessary to distinguish between multiple identical components, the letters or the like may be omitted and a description common to all of the multiple identical components may be given.

[0016] <1. Embodiment> <<1.1. Overview>> In recent years, web conferences using multiple terminals such as personal computers (PCs) have become popular. However, when the terminals are close to each other, problems such as feedback can occur.

[0017] For example, when a web conference is held using multiple terminals at a certain location, a situation may arise in which audio picked up by a certain terminal is output from the speaker of each terminal, and the audio is further picked up by a microphone.

[0018] One method for preventing feedback is to mute the microphone of the terminal that the user is using when the user is not speaking.

[0019] However, in this case, the user must set the microphone to mute on or off every time he or she speaks, which is cumbersome.

[0020] Furthermore, as a method for reducing the above-mentioned complexity, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is a method for detecting the user's speech and automatically setting the microphone mute ON / OFF based on the detected speech.

[0021] However, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 detects speech based on the angle of the user's head and lip movements contained in the captured image, so it requires capturing images with a camera. Also, it can be difficult to ensure accuracy in image-based speech detection.

[0022] Another method for preventing feedback is to mute the microphones of multiple terminals and use one omnidirectional microphone to collect sound from the multiple terminals (users).

[0023] However, in this case, the volume of the voice input to the microphone depends on the distance between the user and the microphone, which can cause problems such as not being able to properly pick up the speech of a user who is far away from the microphone.

[0024] The technical concept of the present invention was conceived with the above points in mind, and makes it possible to more effectively improve speech quality using a simple configuration.

[0025] 1A to 1C are diagrams for explaining an overview of an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C, an information processing system according to this embodiment includes a plurality of information processing devices 10. Each of the information processing devices 10 is used by a respective one of users 50 participating in a web conference.

[0026] Furthermore, one of the features of each of the information processing devices 10 according to the present embodiment is that it belongs to a different communication connection (also simply referred to as a connection) for each location.

[0027] In the example shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C, information processing devices 10A to 10C used by users 50A to 50C at one location belong to connection 60X, and information processing device 10K used by user 50K at another location belongs to connection 60Y.

[0028] The connection may be set up in accordance with, for example, WebSocket.

[0029] One of the features of each of the information processing devices 10 according to this embodiment is that it automatically controls the mute setting of its own microphone based on the audio picked up by the audio input unit 110 of other information processing devices 10 belonging to the same connection.

[0030] For example, assume that a user 50A makes an utterance as shown in Fig. 1A. In this case, the information processing device 10A used by the user 50A detects the utterance of the user 50A using a voice input unit 110A, and transmits a signal based on the voice of the utterance to the information processing devices 10B and 10C that belong to the same connection, connection 60X, as shown in Fig. 1B.

[0031] In this case, the information processing devices 10B and 10C that have received the signal based on the voice restrict the voice input by the voice input units 110B and 110C, respectively, as shown in FIG. 1C.

[0032] The information processing devices 10B and 10C may mute the audio input units 110B and 110C, respectively, may reduce the audio input level through the audio input units 110B and 110C, or may reject the input audio.

[0033] According to the above control, it is possible to prevent the user's speech from being picked up by multiple microphones, and to effectively prevent feedback.

[0034] Furthermore, as described above, the information processing system according to this embodiment separates connections for each location, and performs the above-described voice input control for each connection.

[0035] According to this configuration, simultaneous sound collection by multiple sound input units 110 at the same location is prevented, while sound collection at other locations is permitted, thereby making it possible to ensure flexible and high-quality calls.

[0036] <<1.2.Configuration>> Next, an example of the functional configuration of the information processing system according to this embodiment will be described. As described above, the information processing system according to this embodiment includes a plurality of information processing devices 10.

[0037] The information processing device 10 may be, for example, a terminal such as a PC, a tablet, or a smartphone.

[0038] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the information processing device 10 according to this embodiment.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 2, the information processing device 10 according to this embodiment includes an audio input unit 110, an audio output unit 120, a display unit 130, a communication unit 140, and a control unit 150.

[0040] (Voice input unit 110) The audio input unit 110 collects audio under the control of the control unit 150. For this purpose, the audio input unit 110 includes a microphone.

[0041] (Audio output unit 120) The audio output unit 120 outputs audio under the control of the control unit 150. For this purpose, the audio output unit 120 includes a speaker.

[0042] (Display section 130) The display unit 130 displays various types of information under the control of the control unit 150. For this purpose, the display unit 130 includes a display.

[0043] (Communication unit 140) The communication unit 140 performs information communication conforming to a predetermined standard with other information processing devices 10 under the control of the control unit 150. For this purpose, the communication unit 140 includes various communication devices.

[0044] The communication unit 140 transmits and receives signals based on voice to and from other information processing devices 10.

[0045] (control unit 150) The control unit 150 controls each component included in the information processing device 10. The functions of the control unit 150 are realized by the cooperation of various processors and memories.

[0046] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control unit 150 according to this embodiment.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 150 according to this embodiment may include a voice control application 152, a call application 154, and a WebSocket application 156.

[0048] (Voice Control Application 152) The voice control application 152 controls voice input by the voice input unit 110 and voice output by the voice output unit 120 .

[0049] For example, the voice control application 152 restricts voice input by the voice input unit 110 based on a signal based on voice input from another information processing device 10 belonging to the same connection.

[0050] Furthermore, for example, the audio control application 152 controls audio output by the audio output unit 120 based on a signal based on audio input from another information processing device 10 belonging to the same connection.

[0051] The functions of the voice control application 152 will be described in detail later.

[0052] (Call application 154) The call application 154 controls calls (voice calls, video calls) between multiple information processing devices 10.

[0053] (WebSocket application 156) The WebSocket application 156 is an example of an application that controls information communication that complies with a predetermined standard. In this embodiment, WebSocket will be used as the predetermined standard.

[0054] The WebSocket application 156 operates as a server or a client (service) according to settings described below.

[0055] Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the audio processing in the information processing device 10 will be described in more detail.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 4, the audio input unit 110 may include a microphone array 112 that collects audio, and a sound collection control unit 114 that controls the collection of audio by the microphone array 112.

[0057] The sound collection control unit 114 performs processing such as noise removal on the sound collected by the microphone array 112 and passes the processed sound to the sound control application 152 .

[0058] 4 is merely an example, and the voice input unit 110 does not necessarily have to include multiple microphone arrays 112. As long as the voice input unit 110 is configured to be able to detect speech periods, it does not have to have an array configuration and may include a single microphone.

[0059] The voice control application 152 passes the voice input from the voice input unit 110 to the call application 154 .

[0060] The call application 154 transmits the voice input from the voice control application 152 to another information processing device 10 via the WebSocket application 156, the communication unit 140, and the network.

[0061] The call application 154 receives audio from another information processing device 10 via the WebSocket application 156, the communication unit 140, and the network.

[0062] The call application 154 passes the received audio to the voice control application 152 .

[0063] The voice control application 152 passes the voice input from the call application 154 to the voice output unit 120 .

[0064] Furthermore, the audio control application 152 controls whether or not the audio output unit 120 outputs audio.

[0065] The audio output unit 120 outputs audio from the speaker 122 (or does not output audio) under the control of the audio control application 152 .

[0066] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of the information processing device 10 according to this embodiment.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 5, the information processing device 10 according to this embodiment may include a plurality of microphone arrays 112, a display 132, and an input device such as a keyboard 162.

[0068] In the example shown in FIG. 5, the information processing device 10 includes two microphone arrays 112A and 112B arranged above the display 132.

[0069] 5 is merely an example, and the number and arrangement of the microphone array 112 are not limited to this example. As described above, the information processing device 10 may also include a single microphone.

[0070] Next, a configuration example of an information processing system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0071] 6 and 7, the information processing system according to this embodiment includes a plurality of information processing devices 10. The plurality of information processing devices 10 included in the information processing system belong to a connection that is set based on a predetermined communication standard such as WebSocket, an IP (Internet Protocol) address, a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) address, a MAC (Media Access Control) address, etc.

[0072] In the example shown in FIG. 6, the information processing system includes information processing devices 10A to 10F that belong to a connection 60X and have IP addresses shown in the figure.

[0073] Furthermore, one of the features of the information processing system according to this embodiment is that one of the multiple information processing devices 10 is designated as a representative terminal for each connection, and only audio output from the speaker 122 of the representative terminal is enabled.

[0074] In the example shown in FIG. 7, the information processing system enables only the audio output from the speaker 122A of the information processing device 10A, which is the representative terminal, and mutes the speakers 122B to 122F of the information processing devices 10B to 10F.

[0075] According to the above control, it is possible to prevent the same sound from being output from multiple speakers 122, thereby improving the quality of communication.

[0076] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7, in the information processing system according to this embodiment, a plurality of connections can be set.

[0077] In the example shown in FIG. 7, the information processing system includes information processing devices 10A to 10F that belong to a connection 60X, and an information processing device 10K that belongs to a connection 60Y.

[0078] 7, the information processing system may further include a WebSocket server 20. In this case, each WebSocket application 156 of the information processing device 10 operates as a client (service).

[0079] The functional configuration of the information processing system according to the present embodiment has been described above. However, the functional configuration described with reference to Figures 2 to 7 is merely an example, and the functional configuration of the information processing system is not limited to this example.

[0080] The functional configuration of the information processing system can be flexibly modified according to specifications, operation, and the like.

[0081] <<1.3.Function Details>> Next, the functions of the information processing system according to this embodiment will be described in detail.

[0082] First, connection setting according to this embodiment will be described.

[0083] As described above, the information processing system according to this embodiment operates with one of the plurality of information processing devices 10 as a representative terminal for each connection.

[0084] The representative terminal is the only terminal that outputs audio in each connection.

[0085] Furthermore, if the information processing system does not include the WebSocket server 20, the WebSocket application 156 of the representative terminal operates as a WebSocket server.

[0086] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of connection setting according to this embodiment.

[0087] In the example shown in FIG. 8, the voice control application 152 first starts the WebSocket application 156 (S101).

[0088] Next, the voice control application 152 displays a screen on the display unit 130 to confirm whether the terminal is the representative terminal or not (S102).

[0089] 9 is an example of a screen for confirming whether or not the information processing device 10 to be used is a representative terminal. The user sets whether or not to operate the information processing device 10 to be used as a representative terminal (also referred to as a parent device) via this screen.

[0090] For example, in the example shown in FIG. 9, the user designates the information processing device 10 to be used as the representative terminal by inputting a check mark by clicking or the like in a check box included in the screen.

[0091] The description will continue with reference to FIG.

[0092] The voice control application 152 determines whether to operate as a representative terminal or a client terminal based on the input on the screen as described above (S103).

[0093] When a representative terminal is specified on the screen, the voice control application 152 sets the information processing device 10 as the representative terminal and controls the WebSocket application 156 to operate as a WebSocket server (S104).

[0094] On the other hand, if a representative terminal is not specified on the screen, the voice control application 152 sets the information processing device 10 as a client terminal and controls the WebSocket application 156 to operate as a client (S105).

[0095] Next, the WebSocket application 156 establishes a connection between the representative terminal and the client terminal (S106).

[0096] Next, an example of the flow of voice detection and voice input control according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10A and 10B.

[0097] In the example shown in Figures 10A and 10B, the voice control application 152 of the representative terminal first determines whether the mute setting of the microphone array 112 or microphone (hereinafter collectively referred to as microphone) of the client terminal (also referred to as other terminal) within the same connection is ON (S201).

[0098] When the voice control application 152 of the representative terminal determines that the mute setting of the microphone of another terminal in the same connection is ON (S201: YES), it determines whether or not voice is detected by its own microphone (S202).

[0099] When the voice control application 152 of the representative terminal determines that voice is being detected by its own microphone (S202: YES), it turns off the mute setting of its own microphone (S203).

[0100] On the other hand, if the voice control application 152 of the representative terminal determines that no voice is detected by its own microphone (S202: NO), it does not change the mute setting of its own microphone (S204).

[0101] After the process of step S203 or S204, the voice control application 152 of the representative terminal determines whether to end voice detection (S205). This determination may be made based on, for example, whether the call application is running. If the call application has ended, the voice control application 152 of the representative terminal may determine to end voice detection.

[0102] If the voice control application 152 of the representative terminal determines that voice detection should be ended, it ends the voice detection (S205: YES). On the other hand, if the voice control application 152 of the representative terminal determines that voice detection should not be ended (S205: NO), it returns to step S201.

[0103] If the voice control application 152 of the representative terminal determines that the mute setting of the microphone of another terminal in the same connection is not ON (S201: NO), it determines whether voice is detected by the microphone of the other terminal (S206).

[0104] If the voice control application 152 of the representative terminal determines that voice is being detected by the microphone of the other terminal (S206: YES), it turns on the mute setting of the microphone of the representative terminal (S207), and proceeds to step S205.

[0105] The voice control application 152 of the representative terminal may determine whether or not voice is being detected by the microphone of the other terminal based on a signal based on voice received from the other terminal.

[0106] The signal based on the audio may be, for example, whether audio is detected, the volume of the detected audio, the detected audio itself, or a signal requesting muting of the microphone (mute setting request).

[0107] On the other hand, if the voice control application 152 of the representative terminal determines that no voice is detected by the microphone of the other terminal (S206: NO), it determines whether or not voice is detected by its own microphone (S208).

[0108] If the voice control application 152 of the representative terminal determines that it has detected voice using its own microphone (S208: YES), it turns off the mute setting of its own microphone and sends a signal based on the voice to other terminals in the same connection (S209), and proceeds to step S205.

[0109] On the other hand, if the voice control application 152 of the representative terminal determines that no voice is detected by its own microphone (S208: NO), the process proceeds to step S204.

[0110] The flow of voice detection and voice input control by the voice control application 152 of the representative terminal has been described above with an example.

[0111] The voice control application 152 of the client terminal may also perform the same operation as the voice control application 152 of the representative terminal.

[0112] That is, when the voice control application 152 of the client terminal detects voice with its own microphone, it transmits a signal based on the voice to other terminals (in this case, the representative terminal and other client terminals).

[0113] Furthermore, when the audio control application 152 of the client terminal receives a signal based on audio from another terminal, it turns on the mute setting of its own microphone.

[0114] According to the above control, it is possible to prevent feedback and improve the quality of communication.

[0115] Next, the flow of audio output control according to this embodiment will be described below. Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of speaker setting according to this embodiment.

[0116] As shown in FIG. 11, the voice control application 152 of the information processing device 10 determines whether the information processing device 10 is a representative terminal (S301).

[0117] When the voice control application 152 determines that the information processing device 10 is the representative terminal (S301: YES), it turns off the mute setting of the speaker 122 of the information processing device 10 (S302).

[0118] On the other hand, if the voice control application 152 determines that the information processing device 10 is not the representative terminal (S301: NO), it turns on the mute setting of the speaker 122 of the information processing device 10 (S303).

[0119] According to the above control, it is possible to prevent the same sound from being output from a plurality of speakers, thereby improving the quality of speech.

[0120] Next, concrete examples of audio output control according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 12 to Fig. 15. Fig. 12 to Fig. 15 are sequence diagrams showing concrete examples of audio output control according to this embodiment.

[0121] 12 to 15, information processing device 10A is an example of a representative terminal in a certain connection, and information processing device 10B is an example of a client terminal in the same connection. Note that if another client terminal is included in the same connection as information processing device 10A and information processing device 10B, the other client terminal performs the same process as information processing device 10B.

[0122] 12 to 15, "application" is abbreviated as "AP."

[0123] As shown in FIG. 12, the voice control application 152A of the information processing device 10A sets the information processing device 10A as a representative terminal (S401), and performs WebSocket activation processing (S402).

[0124] On the other hand, the voice control application 152B of the information processing device 10B sets the information processing device 10B as a client terminal (S403) and performs WebSocket connection processing (S404).

[0125] The processing in steps S402 and S404 establishes a connection between WebSocket applications 156A and 156B (S405).

[0126] Furthermore, the audio control application 152B of the client terminal turns on the mute setting of the speaker 122 (S406).

[0127] Next, a specific example of when a voice is detected by the client terminal will be described with reference to FIG.

[0128] 13, first, voice (voice uttered by the user) is input to the voice input unit 110B of the client terminal (S501). The voice input unit 110B passes data of the input voice (voice data) to the voice control application 152B (S502).

[0129] The voice control application 152B determines whether or not to process the voice data input in step S502 as speech (S503).

[0130] For example, if the volume of the sound exceeds a threshold, the voice control application 152B may determine to process the sound as speech.

[0131] When it is determined in step S503 that the voice data is to be processed as speech, the voice control application 152B transmits a mute setting request to the information processing device 10A, which is the representative terminal (S504). The mute setting request is an example of a signal based on voice.

[0132] Note that communication between the information processing devices 10A and 10B is performed via WebSocket applications 156A and 156B, but is not shown in the figure for the sake of clarity.

[0133] The voice control application 152A that has received the mute setting request in step S504 checks whether the information processing device 10A is the representative terminal (S505).

[0134] If the voice control application 152A confirms in step S505 that the information processing device is the representative terminal, it controls the speaker 122A of the voice output unit 120A so that the mute setting is turned on (S506).

[0135] On the other hand, the voice control application 152B of the client terminal performs a call process related to the voice data (S507).

[0136] The voice data generated by the call processing in step S507 is transmitted via call applications 154B and 154A (and WebSocket applications 156B and 156A) (S508 to S510) and passed to voice output unit 120A.

[0137] In accordance with the mute control in step S506, the audio output unit 120A does not output audio and discards the audio data (S511).

[0138] Furthermore, the voice control application 152B confirms that the mute setting of the speaker 122A of the representative terminal is OFF (S512), and then repeatedly performs call end determination (S513).

[0139] If it is determined in step S513 that the call has ended, the voice control application 152B transmits a mute cancellation request to the information processing device 10A, which is the representative terminal (S514).

[0140] The audio control application 152A, which has received the mute cancellation request in step S514, controls the mute setting of the speaker 122A included in the audio output unit 120A to be turned OFF (S515).

[0141] Next, a specific example in which a voice is detected by the representative terminal will be described with reference to FIG.

[0142] 14, first, a voice is input to the voice input unit 110A of the representative terminal (S601). The voice input unit 110A passes the input voice data to the voice control application 152A (S602).

[0143] The voice control application 152A determines whether or not to process the voice data input in step S602 as speech (S603).

[0144] If it is determined in step S603 that the audio data is to be processed as speech, the audio control application 152A transmits a mute setting request to all client terminals in the same connection, including the information processing device 10B (S604).

[0145] The voice control application 152B that receives the mute setting request in step S604 rejects the mute setting request without performing any processing because the mute setting for the speaker 122B is already ON as a result of the setting in step S406 of FIG.

[0146] On the other hand, the voice control application 152A of the representative terminal performs a call process related to the voice data (S605).

[0147] The voice data generated by the call processing in step S605 is transmitted via the call applications 154A and 154B (and the WebSocket applications 156A and 156B) (S606 to S608) and passed to the voice output unit 120B.

[0148] The audio output unit 120A does not output audio and discards the audio data in accordance with the setting in step S406 of FIG. 12 (S609).

[0149] Furthermore, the voice control application 152A of the representative terminal repeatedly performs call end determination (S610).

[0150] If it is determined in step S610 that the call has ended, the voice control application 152A transmits a mute cancellation request to all client terminals in the same connection, including the information processing device 10B (S611).

[0151] In step S611, the voice control application 152B receives the mute cancellation request and rejects the mute cancellation request without performing any processing because the information processing device 10B is a client terminal.

[0152] 13 and 14, a specific example of audio output control when audio is detected by a client terminal or a representative terminal has been described. Note that, if the information processing system further includes an information processing device 10 that belongs to a connection other than the connection to which the information processing devices 10A and 10B belong, the audio data detected by the information processing device 10A or 10B is transmitted to the information processing device 10 that belongs to the other connection.

[0153] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 15, audio data detected by an information processing device 10 belonging to another connection can be input to the information processing devices 10A and 10B (S701).

[0154] The audio data input from the other connection in step S701 is passed to the audio output units 120A and 120B, respectively (S702 and S703).

[0155] The audio output unit 120A outputs audio in accordance with the mute OFF setting (S704), and the audio output unit 120B does not output audio in accordance with the mute ON setting and discards the audio data (S705). <2. Hardware configuration example> Next, a description will be given of an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device 900 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The information processing device 900 is a device having a hardware configuration equivalent to that of the information processing device 10.

[0156] Note that the hardware configuration example of the information processing device 900 described below is merely an example. Therefore, the hardware configuration of the information processing device 10 may be such that unnecessary components are deleted from the hardware configuration of the information processing device 900 described below, or new components may be added.

[0157] 16 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of an information processing device 900 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The information processing device 900 includes a processor 901, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 902, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 903, a host bus 904, a bridge 905, an external bus 906, an interface 907, an input device 908, an output device 909, a storage device 910, and a communication device 911.

[0158] The processor 901 functions as an arithmetic processing device and control device, and controls the overall operation of the information processing device 900 in accordance with various programs. The ROM 902 stores programs and calculation parameters used by the processor 901. The RAM 903 temporarily stores programs used in the execution of the processor 901 and parameters that change as appropriate during the execution. These are interconnected by a host bus 904 that is composed of a CPU bus or the like.

[0159] The host bus 904 is connected to an external bus 906, such as a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect / Interface) bus, via a bridge 905. It is not necessary to configure the host bus 904, bridge 905, and external bus 906 separately, and these functions may be implemented on a single bus.

[0160] The input device 908 is composed of input means such as a mouse, keyboard, touch panel, buttons, microphone, switches, and levers that allow the user to input information, and an input control circuit that generates an input signal based on the user's input and outputs it to the processor 901. By operating this input device 908, the user operating the information processing device 900 can input various data to the information processing device 900 and instruct the information processing device 900 to perform processing operations.

[0161] The output device 909 includes, for example, a display device such as a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display device, a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) device, or a lamp, and an audio output device such as a speaker.

[0162] The storage device 910 is a device for storing data. The storage device 910 may include a storage medium, a recording device for recording data on the storage medium, a reading device for reading data from the storage medium, and a deleting device for deleting data recorded on the storage medium. The storage device 910 is configured, for example, with an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). This storage device 910 drives a hard disk and stores programs executed by the processor 901 and various data.

[0163] The communication device 911 is, for example, a communication interface configured with a communication device for connecting to a network, etc. The communication device 911 may be compatible with either wireless communication or wired communication.

[0164] <3. Conclusion> As described above, the information processing device 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an audio input unit 110 that inputs audio, a communication unit 140 that transmits audio-based signals to other information processing devices 10 based on the audio input in the audio input unit 110 and receives audio-based signals transmitted from other information processing devices 10, and a control unit 150 that restricts audio input in the audio input unit 110 when the communication unit 140 receives a signal based on audio from other information processing devices 10.

[0165] According to the above configuration, it is possible to more effectively improve the quality of communication.

[0166] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to these examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains can conceive of various modifications and alterations within the scope of the technical ideas set forth in the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0167] Furthermore, the steps of the processes described in this disclosure do not necessarily have to be processed in chronological order according to the order shown in the flowcharts or sequence diagrams. For example, the steps of the processes of each device may be processed in an order different from the order shown, or may be processed in parallel.

[0168] Furthermore, the series of processes performed by each device described in this disclosure may be realized by a program stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Each program is, for example, loaded into RAM when executed by a computer and executed by a processor such as a CPU. The storage medium may be, for example, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a flash memory. The program may also be distributed, for example, via a network, without using a storage medium. [Explanation of symbols]

[0169] 10. Information processing equipment 110 Audio input section 112 microphone array 120 Audio output section 122 speakers 130 Display section 140 Communications Department 150 control section 152 Voice Control Applications 154 Call Application 156 WebSocket Applications

Claims

1. An information processing device capable of communicating with other information processing devices via a communication network, a voice input unit for inputting voice; a communication unit that transmits a signal based on voice to the other information processing device based on voice input in the voice input unit and receives the signal based on voice transmitted from the other information processing device; a control unit that, when the communication unit receives a signal based on the voice of the other information processing device, restricts the input of voice at the voice input unit; Equipped with Information processing device.

2. The control unit controls input of voice in the voice input unit when the communication unit receives a signal based on voice from the other information processing device connected via a predetermined communication connection. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. an audio output unit that outputs audio; Furthermore, the control unit restricts output of audio by the audio output unit when the communication unit receives a signal based on audio from the other information processing device connected via the predetermined communication connection. The information processing device according to claim 2 .

4. The predetermined communication connection is set in accordance with WebSocket. The information processing device according to claim 2 .

5. the communication unit receives or transmits a signal based on voice between the information processing device belonging to another communication connection different from the predetermined communication connection; 3. The information processing device according to claim 2.

6. a plurality of information processing devices capable of communicating via a communication network; The information processing device includes: a voice input unit for inputting voice; a communication unit that transmits a signal based on a voice to another information processing device based on a voice input in the voice input unit and receives the signal based on the voice transmitted from the other information processing device; a control unit that, when the communication unit receives a signal based on the voice of the other information processing device, restricts the input of voice at the voice input unit; Equipped with Information processing system.

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