A voice processing device, voice processing method, voice processing program, and communication terminal that utilize the results of determining the type of background noise of a telephone caller using call control information.

Abstract

To efficiently mitigate background noise during telephone calls. [Solution] The call control device 20 has a determination unit 202 and a voice processing unit 203. The determination unit 202 determines the type of background noise based on the location information of the communication terminal 10 that initiated the call. The voice processing unit 203 removes the background noise from the user's speech at the communication terminal 10 using a method corresponding to the type determined by the determination unit 202.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a speech processing apparatus, a speech processing method, a speech processing program, and a communication terminal that use the determination result of the background noise type of a telephone caller utilizing call control information. [Background Art]

[0002] Conventionally, IVR (Interactive Voice Response), which is a technology for automatically responding by voice in accordance with the operation of a telephone caller, is known (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1). For example, according to IVR, the burden on operators of contact centers can be reduced.

[0003] Further, there is known a technology of generating recommendation information based on the history of operator responses to users who have called a contact center, and causing the generated recommendation information to be displayed on the operator's terminal (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] Further, a technology for suppressing noise using a filter is known (see, for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2022-059220 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012-150227 [Non-Patent Documents]

[0006] [Non-Patent Document 1] What is telephone IVR (Automatic Voice Response)? Explanation of its mechanism and types, [online], [retrieved March 11, 2025], Internet (https: / / www.ntt.com / business / services / aitelephone / lp / column-21.html) [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] However, conventional technologies have a problem in that they are sometimes unable to effectively address background noise in telephone conversations.

[0008] In recent years, with the widespread adoption of mobile and remote work environments, receiving calls from various locations and providing service to callers has become essential, and the deterioration of call quality due to background noise has become a problem.

[0009] Furthermore, the degradation of speech content recognition accuracy due to background noise is a problem when promoting AI (artificial intelligence) to assist and automate user support in service provision.

[0010] The type of background noise in a phone call is not constant for each user and may change with each call. Furthermore, different noise suppression techniques are effective depending on the type of background noise. On the other hand, conventional technologies make it difficult to predict what type of background noise will be present at the start of a call.

[0011] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and aims to efficiently address background noise in telephone calls. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] To solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objective, the present invention provides a voice processing device comprising: a determination unit that determines the type of background noise based on the location information of the communication terminal that initiated the call; and a voice processing unit that removes the background noise of the user's speech from the communication terminal using a method corresponding to the type determined by the determination unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, countermeasures against background noise in telephone calls can be efficiently implemented. [Brief Description of the Drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram outlining the system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of communication terminal information. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of call control information. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of service customer information. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram explaining an algorithm for determining a means of transportation. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of the call control device. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a computer that executes an audio processing program. [Mode for Carrying Out the Invention]

[0015] Hereinafter, an audio processing device, an audio processing method, an audio processing program, and a communication terminal that use a determination result of a background noise type of a telephone caller utilizing call control information according to the present application will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.

[0016] [First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a diagram outlining the system according to the first embodiment. The call control device 20 performs call control between a caller and a callee. Call control includes call connection, call disconnection, and the like. For example, the call control device 20 performs call control in accordance with SIP (Session Initiation Protocol). The call control device 20 may also be referred to as a call control server.

[0017] The caller and the callee are communication terminals provided with a telephone function. The communication terminals are, for example, landline telephones, IP (Internet Protocol) telephones, or smartphones.

[0018] The call control device 20 is capable of transferring a call originated from a calling source to a call destination. After the call is transferred, a call is started between the calling source and the call destination. The call is performed by utterance. The utterance may be human voice, or may be recorded or synthesized voice for automatic response.

[0019] The call control device 20 is capable of terminating a call. Note that terminating a call includes control for disconnecting a call without transferring the call.

[0020] Further, the call control device 20 is capable of recording information related to call control. For example, the call control device 20 associates and records the telephone number of the calling source, the telephone number of the call destination, the origination date and time, etc., as call control information.

[0021] In the first embodiment, the call control device 20 transfers a call originated from a communication terminal used by a user to a communication terminal of a contact center. The communication terminal 10 is used by a user. The communication terminal 30 is a communication terminal of the contact center.

[0022] The contact center in FIG. 1 includes service counters. For example, a contact center is a set of service counters that accept telephone inquiries to companies. Each of the plurality of service counters is an inquiry destination (a person in charge or a department in charge) that handles different types of inquiries from each other.

[0023] One or more operators belong to each service counter. The operator uses the communication terminal 30.

[0024] The communication terminal 10 is a mobile phone terminal including a smartphone, a fixed-line telephone terminal, a PC terminal, an IoT terminal, or the like. Further, the call control device 20 is a part of a call control device group in a communication carrier network, a group of PBX (Private Branch Exchange) devices individually introduced by each company, or the like. Further, the communication terminal 30 is a part of a service system group or the like that provides services through telephone reception at a contact center or the like.

[0025] The device equipped with the voice processing unit of the first embodiment performs voice processing for noise suppression utilizing call control information. The voice processing unit can more accurately grasp the situation of the caller (user) receiving the service, determine the type of background noise from the user's situation, and select and apply the most appropriate voice quality improvement technology, such as filtering, for each type.

[0026] In the example shown in Figure 1, each of the communication terminals 10, 20, and 30 is equipped with a voice processing unit. The effects of the first embodiment are achieved if at least one of these voice processing units is functional. For this reason, for example, it is sufficient that at least the call control unit 20 is equipped with a voice processing unit. Furthermore, the determination unit of the call control unit 20 may be provided in another device such as the communication terminal 30.

[0027] Each processing unit (for example, the audio processing unit) described below is implemented by the controller executing a program. For example, the controller is an electronic circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0028] Furthermore, each piece of information (for example, call control information) is stored in a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), or optical disc.

[0029] The communication terminal 10 has a communication unit 101 and an audio processing unit 102. The communication terminal 10 also stores communication terminal information 121.

[0030] The communication unit 101 communicates with other devices via a network. For example, the communication unit 101 communicates data with the call control device 20. The communication unit 101 may include a communication interface.

[0031] The audio processing unit 102 performs audio processing based on the type of background noise. For example, the audio processing unit 102 performs noise reduction by filtering. Details of the processing performed by the audio processing unit 102 will be described later.

[0032] The communication terminal information 121 is information about the communication terminal 10. Figure 2 shows an example of communication terminal information.

[0033] As shown in Figure 2, the communication terminal information 121 is a table-formatted data set with the items "time," "location information," "step count information," and "connection status." Note that the format of the communication terminal information 121 is not limited to that shown in Figure 2.

[0034] "Location information" refers to information indicating the location of the communication terminal 10 at each given time. For example, location information is the latitude and longitude determined using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) and GPS (Global Positioning System), etc.

[0035] "Step count information" refers to the number of steps taken by the user of the communication terminal 10. The step count is measured by a pedometer function provided in the communication terminal 10. The pedometer function may be implemented using an accelerometer and a gyroscope, etc.

[0036] "Connection status" refers to the network connection status of the communication terminal 10. For example, "Connection status" may include the MAC (Media Access Control) address, SSID (Service Set Identifier), etc., that can identify the connected WiFi® or Bluetooth® communication device (e.g., a WiFi router).

[0037] For example, Figure 2 shows that at the time "2025 / 3 / 2 13:30:00", the location of the communication terminal 10 is "x1, y1", the user's step count is "1200 steps", and the communication terminal 10 is connected to a WiFi network identified as "aaa".

[0038] Returning to Figure 1, the call control device 20 includes a call control unit 201, a determination unit 202, and a voice processing unit 203. The call control device 20 also stores call control information 221.

[0039] The call control unit 201 executes call control determined based on call control information 221, etc. Alternatively, the call control unit 201 may determine call control based on the results of call content analysis and the estimation results of the user's request obtained using a machine learning model.

[0040] The call control unit 201 executes call control determined based on call control information 221, etc. The determination unit 202 determines the type of background noise based on the caller's status. The voice processing unit 203 performs voice processing based on the type of background noise. For example, the voice processing unit 203 performs noise reduction by filtering. Details of the processing by the determination unit 202 and the voice processing unit 203 will be described later.

[0041] Call control information 221 is information related to call control. Figure 3 shows an example of call control information. As shown in Figure 3, call control information 221 is table-formatted data with the following items: "Caller ID", "Caller Contract Type", "Recipient ID", "Recipient Contract Type", "Date and Time of Call", "Call Start Date and Time", "Call End Date and Time", "Call Status", "Call Type", "Network Information", and "Location Information". Note that the format of call control information 221 is not limited to that shown in Figure 3.

[0042] "Caller ID" is information that identifies the caller (user). The caller and recipient are identified by their telephone numbers. "Caller contract type" is information about the telephone line contract of the calling user. "Recipient ID" is information that identifies the recipient. "Recipient contract type" is information about the telephone line contract of the receiving user.

[0043] The "Recipient Contract Type" includes information indicating whether the call routing function is ON or OFF. The call routing function is a function provided by the call control device 20 of the first embodiment, and is a function that realizes call control for efficiently providing high-quality telephone services.

[0044] "Call origination date and time" is the date and time the call was initiated. "Call start date and time" is the date and time the call began. "Call end date and time" is the date and time the call ended. "Call status" is the status of the call. Call statuses include "Call successful," "Call disconnected," etc.

[0045] "Call type" is information indicating the type of call (e.g., voice call and video call). "Network information" is information indicating the network used for the call (e.g., GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)). "Location information" is information indicating the location of the base station used, especially on mobile networks (e.g., latitude and longitude).

[0046] For example, Figure 3 shows that the contract for telephone number "xxx-xxxx-0111" is a "personal mobile line". Also, Figure 3 shows that the contract for telephone number "xxx-xxxx-0201" is a "corporate fixed line (distribution function: ON)". Figure 3 shows that a call originating from telephone number "xxx-xxxx-0111" was received by telephone number "xxx-xxxx-0201" at "2025 / 3 / 2 16:20", the call started at "2025 / 3 / 2 16:21", and ended at "2025 / 3 / 2 16:25". Also, Figure 3 shows that the call status of the call was "call successful". Furthermore, Figure 3 shows that the type of call was a "voice call", the network was "VoIP", and the location of the base station used was "x4,y4".

[0047] Returning to Figure 1, the communication terminal 30 has a communication unit 301 and a voice processing unit 302. The communication terminal 30 also stores service customer information 321.

[0048] The communication unit 301 communicates with other devices via a network. For example, the communication unit 301 communicates data with the call control device 20. The communication unit 301 may include a communication interface.

[0049] The audio processing unit 302 performs audio processing based on the type of background noise. For example, the audio processing unit 302 performs noise reduction by filtering. Details of the processing performed by the audio processing unit 302 will be described later.

[0050] Service customer information 321 is information about the user. Figure 4 shows an example of service customer information.

[0051] As shown in Figure 4, the service customer information 321 is a table-formatted data set with the items "telephone number," "type," and "background noise history." However, the format of the service customer information 321 is not limited to that shown in Figure 4.

[0052] "Telephone number" is a telephone number used to identify the user. "Type" is the type of communication terminal 10. "Type" includes "mobile," "fixed (office)," "fixed (home)," etc. "Mobile" means that the communication terminal 10 is a mobile device such as a mobile phone terminal. "Fixed" means that the communication terminal 10 is a fixed device such as a fixed telephone terminal. "Office" and "home" represent the location where the terminal is fixed.

[0053] "Background noise history" represents the type of background noise encountered in the past. For example, "background noise history" is the type of background noise determined by the determination unit 202.

[0054] For example, Figure 4 shows that the communication terminal 10 of a user whose phone number is "xxx-xxx-0101" is of the "mobile" type, and the type of background noise detected was "outdoor (densely populated area)".

[0055] Here, the processing of the determination unit 202 and the voice processing unit 203 will be described in detail. The voice processing unit 102 and the voice processing unit 302 can perform the same processing as the voice processing unit 203.

[0056] The determination unit 202 determines the type of background noise of the user who made the call based on the communication terminal information 121, call control information 221, and service customer information 321. The voice processing unit 203 then removes background noise from the user's speech during the call using a noise reduction method corresponding to the determination result.

[0057] The audio processing unit 203 can utilize techniques such as active noise cancellation, digital filtering, beamforming, echo cancellation, and real-time noise reduction using machine learning algorithms.

[0058] For example, when using digital filtering, the audio processing unit 203 selects a filter according to the type of background noise determined by the determination unit 202. For example, the frequencies to be cut for noise reduction may differ depending on the type of background noise. The audio processing unit 203 selects a filter according to the type of background noise from among several filters with different cut frequency bands.

[0059] Furthermore, for example, when the audio processing unit 203 uses real-time noise reduction by a machine learning algorithm, it can provide the machine learning model with information on the frequency bands to be cut according to the type of background noise. The audio processing unit 203 may also input a range of numerical values ​​representing the frequency bands to the machine learning model. Alternatively, the audio processing unit 203 may input discrete values ​​representing the type of background noise, a vector representing the characteristics of the type of background noise, or a natural language string representing the type of background noise to the machine learning model and allow the machine learning model to determine the frequency bands to be cut.

[0060] Examples of background noise types and noise content determined by the determination unit 202 are as follows: (1) Outdoors (station): Train noise, announcements, and the general chatter and noise of people around (2) Outdoors (densely populated areas): Conversations and noise of people in the surrounding area, calls to attract customers and announcements outside the store. (3) Outdoors (other): Car and motorcycle engine noises, horns, wind noise (4) Indoors (office): Conversations of people around you, sounds from phone calls and web conferences (5) Indoors (home): Noise from household appliances such as televisions, washing machines, and vacuum cleaners, and noise from pets. (6) Indoors (stores): In-store announcements and music, conversations of people around (7) Inside the car: Car driving noise (8) Inside the train: Train running sounds, in-car announcements

[0061] The determination unit 202 compares the location of the communication terminal 10 with map information. This allows the determination unit 202 to determine whether the location of the communication terminal 10 is outdoors or indoors. For example, the map information is information that can identify the latitude and longitude of buildings such as train stations, office buildings, and houses.

[0062] For example, if the location of the communication terminal 10 matches the location of a station in the map information, the determination unit 202 determines the type of background noise to be (1) outdoors (station).

[0063] Furthermore, the determination unit 202 determines whether or not the communication terminal 10 is moving. If the determination unit 202 determines that the communication terminal 10 is moving, it determines the means of movement.

[0064] The algorithm by which the determination unit 202 determines the means of transportation will be explained using Figure 5. Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the algorithm for determining the means of transportation.

[0065] First, the determination unit 202 calculates the movement speed of the communication terminal 10 based on the change in the location information of the communication terminal 10 shown in the communication terminal information 121 over a unit of time, and the change in the location information of the base station used for the call of the communication terminal 10 shown in the call control information 221 over a unit of time. Furthermore, the determination unit 202 determines, based on the step count information shown in the communication terminal information 121, whether or not the user's step count of the communication terminal 10 has increased over time.

[0066] As shown in Figure 5, the determination unit 202 determines "no movement" if there is no increase in the number of steps and the movement speed is 0 km / h. The determination unit 202 determines the mode of transportation as "bicycle travel" if there is no increase in the number of steps and the movement speed is between 10 and 30 km / h. The determination unit 202 determines the mode of transportation as "car travel" if there is no increase in the number of steps and the movement speed is between 30 and 120 km / h. The determination unit 202 determines the mode of transportation as "train travel" if there is no increase in the number of steps and the movement speed is between 40 and 160 km / h. Note that the determination result of the determination unit 202 may include multiple modes of transportation, such as "car travel or train travel".

[0067] As shown in Figure 5, the determination unit 202 determines "no movement" if there is an increase in the number of steps and the movement speed is 0 km / h. The determination unit 202 determines the mode of movement to be "walking" if there is an increase in the number of steps and the movement speed is 3 to 6 km / h. The determination unit 202 determines the mode of movement to be "train travel" if there is an increase in the number of steps and the movement speed is 40 to 160 km / h.

[0068] If the determination unit 202 determines that the means of transportation is "travel by car", it determines that the type of background noise is (7) inside the car (car). If the determination unit 202 determines that the means of transportation is "travel by train", it determines that the type of background noise is (8) inside the train (train).

[0069] For example, the audio processing unit 203 selects a filter from among the filters corresponding to each of the background noise types (1) to (8) that the determination unit 202 has determined to be the type of background noise.

[0070] Furthermore, if the determination result of the determination unit 202 includes multiple categories, such as "travel by car or travel by train," the voice processing unit 203 may select any of the filters corresponding to the multiple categories, or it may select all of the filters corresponding to the multiple categories.

[0071] In this way, the determination unit 202 calculates the speed of movement of the communication terminal 10 based on the location information of the base station used by the communication terminal 10 for the call and the change in the location information of the communication terminal 10 per unit time, determines the user's means of transportation based on the speed of movement, and determines the type of background noise based on the means of transportation.

[0072] Furthermore, the determination unit 202 acquires the user's step count information stored in the communication terminal 10, determines the user's means of transportation based on the change in the user's step count and movement speed based on the step count information, and determines the type of background noise based on the means of transportation.

[0073] As a result, the determination unit 202 can determine the type of background noise even when the specific location of the communication terminal 10 is unknown.

[0074] If the background noise history is already stored in the service customer information 321, the determination unit 202 may output the type of background noise obtained from the service customer information 321 as the determination result. If the background noise history is already stored in the service customer information 321, the determination unit 202 may perform the above determination process without determining the type of background noise obtained from the service customer information 321 each time a certain number of calls are made.

[0075] Note that the number of occurrences here may be higher when the service type is "fixed (office)" or "fixed (home)" compared to when the service type in customer information 321 is "mobile." This is because fixed-line telephone terminals are less likely to change their installation location, and therefore the type of background noise is thought to change less frequently compared to mobile phone terminals.

[0076] For example, the determination unit 202 can obtain the caller contract type from the call control information 221, which is information indicating whether the telephone number of the communication terminal 10 is mobile or landline. The type in the service customer information 321 may be information added using the call control information 221 as the information source. The determination unit 202 changes the frequency of determining the type of background noise by changing a certain number of times depending on whether the caller contract type is mobile or landline.

[0077] The voice processing unit 203 removes noise from the user's speech acquired from the communication terminal 10 and transmits the noise-free speech to the communication terminal 30.

[0078] The processing flow of the call control device 20 will be explained using Figure 6. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the call control device. The call control device 20 is an example of a voice processing device.

[0079] As shown in Figure 6, first, the determination unit 202 acquires the location information of the communication terminal 10 (step S11). Next, the determination unit 202 acquires the location information of the base station used for the call of the communication terminal 10 (step S12).

[0080] Next, the determination unit 202 determines the type of background noise from the position and speed of movement of the communication terminal 10 (step S13). Then, the voice processing unit 203 performs noise reduction on the user's voice of the communication terminal 10 in a manner corresponding to the determination result (step S14).

[0081] [System configuration, etc.] Each component of the illustrated device is a functional concept and does not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown. In other words, the specific forms of distribution and integration of each device are not limited to those shown, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed or integrated in any unit according to various loads and usage conditions. Furthermore, each processing function performed by each device can be implemented, all or any part of it, by a CPU and a program that is analyzed and executed by that CPU, or by hardware using wired logic. Note that the program may be executed not only by the CPU but also by other processors such as a GPU.

[0082] Furthermore, among the processes described in the embodiments, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be performed manually, or all or part of the processes described as being performed manually can be performed automatically by known methods. In addition, the processing procedures, control procedures, specific names, and information including various data and parameters shown in the above document and drawings can be arbitrarily changed unless otherwise specified.

[0083] The communication terminal 10 may also have the functionality of the determination unit 202 of the call control device 20. In this case, the determination unit of the communication terminal 10 determines the type of background noise based on the location information of its own device. The voice processing unit 102 then removes the background noise from the user's speech using a method corresponding to the type determined by the determination unit. In this case, an application with the functionality of the determination unit is appropriately installed on the communication terminal 10.

[0084] The communication terminal 10 may implement the functions of the determination unit using a generation AI application. The generation AI application outputs information that identifies the type of background noise based on the input information (e.g., location information).

[0085] Furthermore, the service customer information 321 may include call history for each telephone number. For example, the call history is the audio data of the call. In other words, the call history and background noise history are associated in the service customer information 321.

[0086] Here, the determination unit 202 can determine the type of background noise before the call starts using the method described above. In addition to such pre-call determination, the determination unit 202 can improve the accuracy of background noise determination by determining the type of background noise based on the user's voice after the call starts.

[0087] In this case, the determination unit 202 may determine the type of background noise using a machine learning model that has learned the relationship between the characteristics of the call history stored in the service customer information 321 and the type of background noise history. Furthermore, by using the service customer information 321 as training data, it is possible to specialize the machine learning model for each user (telephone number). In this way, the determination unit 202 can determine the type of background noise based on the past call history of the communication terminal 10 and the past background noise determination results.

[0088] [program] In one embodiment, the call control device 20 can be implemented by installing a program that performs the above processing as packaged software or online software on a desired computer. For example, by having the above program run on an information processing device, the information processing device can function as the call control device 20. The information processing device referred to here includes desktop or notebook personal computers. In addition, mobile communication terminals such as tablet terminals and smartphones are also included in the category of information processing devices.

[0089] Figure 7 shows an example configuration of a computer running an audio processing program. Computer 1000 has, for example, memory 1010 and a CPU 1020. Computer 1000 also has a hard disk drive interface 1030, a disk drive interface 1040, a serial port interface 1050, a video adapter 1060, and a network interface 1070. These components are connected by a bus 1080.

[0090] Memory 1010 includes ROM (Read Only Memory) 1011 and RAM (Random Access Memory) 1012. ROM 1011 stores, for example, a boot program such as BIOS (Basic Input Output System). The hard disk drive interface 1030 is connected to the hard disk drive 1090. The disk drive interface 1040 is connected to the disk drive 1100. For example, a removable storage medium such as a magnetic disk or optical disk is inserted into the disk drive 1100. The serial port interface 1050 is connected to, for example, a mouse 1110 and a keyboard 1120. The video adapter 1060 is connected to, for example, a display 1130.

[0091] The hard disk drive 1090 stores, for example, the OS 1091, application programs 1092, program modules 1093, and program data 1094. That is, the programs that define each process of the selection device 40 are implemented as program modules 1093 in which executable code for the computer is written. The program modules 1093 are stored, for example, in the hard disk drive 1090. For example, a program module 1093 for performing the same processes as the functional configuration of the selection device 40 is stored in the hard disk drive 1090. Note that the hard disk drive 1090 may be replaced by an SSD (Solid State Drive).

[0092] Furthermore, the configuration data used in the processing of the above-described embodiment is stored as program data 1094 in, for example, memory 1010 or hard disk drive 1090. The CPU 1020 then reads the program module 1093 and program data 1094 stored in memory 1010 or hard disk drive 1090 into RAM 1012 as needed and executes the processing of the above-described embodiment.

[0093] Furthermore, the program module 1093 and program data 1094 are not limited to being stored in the hard disk drive 1090; for example, they may be stored in a removable storage medium and read by the CPU 1020 via a disk drive 1100 or the like. Alternatively, the program module 1093 and program data 1094 may be stored in another computer connected via a network (LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), etc.). The program module 1093 and program data 1094 may then be read by the CPU 1020 from the other computer via a network interface 1070.

[0094] The functions of the elements disclosed herein may be implemented using circuits or processing circuitry that include general-purpose processors, special-purpose processors, integrated circuits, ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), conventional circuits, and / or combinations thereof that are programmed using one or more programs stored in one or more memories, or otherwise configured to perform the disclosed functions. A processor is considered processing circuitry or circuitry because it includes transistors and other circuits. A processor may be a programmed processor that executes programs stored in memory. In this disclosure, circuits, units, or means are hardware that performs the enumerated functions, or hardware programmed to perform the enumerated functions. Hardware may be any hardware disclosed herein that is programmed or configured to perform the enumerated functions.

[0095] There is memory for storing a computer program that includes computer instructions. These computer instructions provide logic and routines that enable hardware (e.g., processing circuitry or circuitry) to perform the methods disclosed herein. This computer program can be implemented in commonly known forms, such as computer-readable storage media, computer program products, memory devices, recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, and / or memory of FPGAs and ASICs. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0096] 10, 30 Communication terminals 20 Call control device 101, 301 Communications Department 102, 203 Audio Processing Unit 121 Communication terminal information 201 Call Control Unit 202 Judgment section 221 Call control information 302 Audio Processing Unit 321 Service Customer Information

Claims

1. A determination unit that determines the type of background noise based on the location information of the communication terminal that initiated the call, A voice processing unit that removes background noise from the user's speech at the communication terminal using a method corresponding to the type determined by the determination unit, It has, The determination unit is an audio processing device that obtains information from call control information indicating whether the telephone number of the communication terminal is mobile or fixed, and determines the type of background noise at a frequency corresponding to the obtained information.

2. The determination unit calculates the movement speed of the communication terminal based on the location information of the base station used by the communication terminal for the call and the change in the location information of the communication terminal over a unit of time, determines the user's means of transportation based on the movement speed, and determines the type of background noise based on the means of transportation. The voice processing device according to claim 1.

3. The determination unit acquires the user's step count information stored in the communication terminal, determines the user's means of transportation based on the change in the user's step count and the movement speed, and determines the type of background noise based on the means of transportation. The audio processing device according to claim 2.

4. The determination unit determines the type of background noise based on the past call history of the communication terminal and the past background noise determination results. The voice processing device according to claim 1.

5. Based on the location information of the communication terminal that initiated the call, the type of background noise is determined. Remove background noise from the user's speech on the communication terminal using a method corresponding to the determined type. The computer performs the process, The process for making the determination described above is an audio processing method that obtains information from call control information indicating whether the telephone number of the communication terminal is mobile or fixed, and determines the type of background noise at a frequency corresponding to the obtained information.

6. Based on the location information of the communication terminal that initiated the call, the type of background noise is determined. Remove background noise from the user's speech on the communication terminal using a method corresponding to the determined type. Let the computer perform the process, The process for making the determination described above is an audio processing program that obtains information from call control information indicating whether the telephone number of the communication terminal is mobile or fixed, and determines the type of background noise at a frequency corresponding to the obtained information.

7. A communication terminal that initiates a call, A determination unit that determines the type of background noise based on the position information of the device, A voice processing unit removes background noise from the user's speech using a method corresponding to the type determined by the determination unit. It has, The determination unit obtains information from call control information indicating whether the telephone number of the communication terminal is mobile or fixed, and determines the type of background noise at a frequency corresponding to the obtained information.

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