Information providing apparatus

Abstract

The information providing apparatus (10) of the present application starts voice guidance from a speaker (20) to a driver of a vehicle (12) when the vehicle (12) reaches a sound starting point (Xs), and has a driver sound speed setting section (42A), a sound type judging section (44), and a sound starting point calculating section (50) which calculates the sound starting point (Xs) or sound starting distance (Ds) of the voice guidance from the voice sound speed (Saud) corresponding to the judged sound type (TS), the number of sound words of the voice guidance, and the vehicle speed (Vv) of the vehicle (12), Xs (Ds) = Xe (De) + (sound amount / Saud) x Vv, so that the sound of the voice guidance ends at a prescribed sound ending point (Xe), wherein Xs is the sound starting point, Ds is the sound starting distance, Xe is the sound ending point, sound amount is the number of sound words, Saud is the voice sound speed, and Vv is the vehicle speed.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application filed on May 31, 2019, with application number 201910469652.2 and title "Information Providing Device". Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to an information providing device that, when a vehicle in motion arrives at a sound initiation point (location), initiates voice guidance to the driver of the vehicle via a loudspeaker. Background Technology

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-158573 (hereinafter referred to as JPA2015-158573) discloses a vehicle voice response system that, based on the occupant's voice input command, causes the information processing unit to operate external devices such as the vehicle's air conditioner, and determines the tone and speed of the response voice from the vehicle regarding the operation result based on the tone and speed of the occupant's voice input command (paragraphs 0051-0054 of JPA2015-158573).

[0004] Existing technical documents

[0005] Patent documents

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-158573 Summary of the Invention

[0007] However, the vehicle voice response system described in the background art has the problem that it will not work unless a user's voice input command is issued.

[0008] The present invention was made in view of this problem, and its object is to provide an information providing device that can initiate voice guidance at a speed corresponding to the driver's voice at an accurate start point of speech.

[0009] One aspect of the present invention is an information providing device that, when a vehicle in motion reaches a sound initiation point, initiates voice guidance to the driver of the vehicle via a loudspeaker. The information providing device includes: a driver voice speed setting unit that sets a driver voice speed corresponding to the driver's voice speed; a voice type determining unit that determines which of a plurality of voice types the set driver voice speed belongs to, pre-assigned based on the voice guidance voice speed output from the loudspeaker; and a sound initiation point calculation unit that calculates the sound initiation point of the voice guidance based on the voice voice speed corresponding to the determined voice type and the number of words in the voice guidance.

[0010] Invention Effects

[0011] According to the present invention, voice guidance can be initiated at a precise starting point and at a corresponding speaking speed to the driver.

[0012] The above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages can be readily understood from the following embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information providing device in an implementation embodiment.

[0014] Figure 2 It is seen from the rear of the vehicle that it is equipped with Figure 1 The information shown is an interior view of the vehicle's interior.

[0015] Figure 3 It means Figure 1 A chart showing the contents of the voice type table stored in the voice type storage section.

[0016] Figure 4 This is an example diagram of traffic conditions used in the operation description of the information providing device in the implementation method.

[0017] Figure 5 This is a flowchart used in the operation description of the information providing device in the implementation method.

[0018] Figure 6 This is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a method for calculating the start point of speech guidance that ends at the same phonation end point. Detailed Implementation

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings to illustrate the information providing apparatus of the present invention.

[0020] [constitute]

[0021] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the information providing device 10 in an embodiment. Figure 2 It is seen from the rear of the vehicle that it is equipped with Figure 1 The diagram shows the interior of the vehicle 12 of the information providing device 10.

[0022] like Figure 1 As shown, the information providing device 10 basically consists of a navigation device 14, and a microphone 16, a power switch 18, a speaker 20, a GPS antenna 22 for capturing satellite radio waves from GNSS satellites, such as GPS satellites, and a vehicle speed sensor 24, all electrically connected to the navigation device 14.

[0023] In addition, the power switch 18 is a switch that replaces the traditional ignition switch and can be switched to the off mode, ACC power mode, and start mode to start the power system.

[0024] like Figure 2 As shown in the example, microphone 16 is located on steering wheel 26 inside vehicle 12, and power switch 18 is located below the center of instrument panel 28. Speaker 20 is located on the footwells of the two front doors, and GPS antenna 22 ( Figure 2 (Not shown) It is located inside the upper surface of the instrument panel 28. Alternatively, the microphone 16 can also utilize the built-in microphone of the navigation device 14.

[0025] Furthermore, the navigation device 14 is located in the center of the front of the instrument panel 28 and has a touch display (also called touch panel 30A or display 30B) 30 that serves as both a touch panel and a display.

[0026] The turn signal handle (direction indicator) 31 is located on the left side of the steering column, which covers the shaft of the steering wheel 26.

[0027] In addition, the vehicle speed sensor 24, which outputs the vehicle speed Vv, is located on an axle not shown.

[0028] like Figure 1 As shown, the navigation device 14 includes a gyroscope sensor 32 and an orientation sensor 34 for autonomous navigation, a map database 36 containing specific road information, and a GPS receiver 38 for detecting the position of the vehicle 12 (the vehicle itself).

[0029] Furthermore, the navigation device 14 includes: a voice guidance voice control unit (hereinafter also referred to as the control unit) 40, which functions as a computer having a processor such as a CPU and a memory, and executes programs stored in the memory through the CPU; a driver voice speed setting learning unit (driver voice speed setting unit 42A or driver voice speed learning unit 42B) 42; a voice type judgment unit 44; and a voice type storage unit 46. The control unit 40 includes a voice start point calculation unit 50 and a voice end point calculation unit 52.

[0030] Figure 3 This indicates the contents of the sound type table 60 stored in the sound type storage unit 46 of the navigation device 14.

[0031] In the speech type table 60, the speech type TS, which is achieved by changing the playback speed without changing the pitch through signal processing by the control unit 40, is assigned to three types: "slow", "normal", and "fast". The speech speed Saud for "slow" is set to 7.5 [mora / sec], the speech speed Saud for "fast" is set to 9.5 [mora / sec], and the speech speed Saud for "normal" is set to 8.5 [mora / sec].

[0032] In addition, 1 [mora / sec] is a unit representing the number of syllables produced when a speech lasts for 1 second is written in hiragana.

[0033] When the driver's voice speed Sdriv, as set or learned as described below, is less than 8.0 [mora / sec], the voice speed Saud of voice type TS is judged as "slow" at 7.5 [mora / sec]. When the driver's voice speed Sdriv is 8.0 [mora / sec] or higher but less than 9.0 [mora / sec], the voice speed Saud of voice type TS is judged as "normal" at 8.5 [mora / sec]. When the driver's voice speed Sdriv exceeds 9.0 [mora / sec], the voice speed Saud of voice type TS is judged as "fast" at 9.5 [mora / sec].

[0034] [action]

[0035] by Figure 4 The traffic conditions shown are examples of voice guidance, and refer to... Figure 5 The flowchart is used to illustrate the operation of the information providing device 10, which is basically configured as described above.

[0036] Figure 4 This is an explanatory diagram used in the explanation of a vehicle 12 traveling on road 53 at a speed of Vv = 40 [km / h] towards intersection 54 and turning left at intersection 54. The diagram shows the distance Ds from intersection 54, i.e., the starting point Xs of the voice prompt, which is the voice guidance from the speaker 20 of the information providing device 10 that says "Please turn left at the next intersection" (the Japanese hiragana pronunciation is 18 characters, i.e., "つぎのこうさてんをさせつしてください").

[0037] In this case, the sound termination point Xe is set at a distance De 30 [m] before the intersection 54 where the driver operates the turn signal handle 31 (to execute the left turn sign).

[0038] exist Figure 5In step S1, the control unit 40 determines whether the power switch 18 has been set to the start mode (power switch start) by the driver while the vehicle 12 is parked.

[0039] When the control unit 40 detects the start mode (step S1: Yes), in step S2, the driver voice speed setting learning unit 42 prompts the driver to input whether he is an elderly person, for example, whether he is over 70 years old, through voice from the speaker 20 or display on the display 30B for a specified time, such as a few seconds.

[0040] When the driver voice speed setting unit 42A detects an input of "I am an elderly person." from the microphone 16 or an input of "I am an elderly person." from the touch panel 30A (step S2: Yes), in step S3, the driver voice speed setting unit 42A sets the driver voice speed Sdriv to the default 7.5 [mora / sec] for the elderly (voice type TS = slow) and proceeds to step S4.

[0041] On the other hand, in step S2, when the judgment is negative (step S2: no), that is, when there is no input from the microphone 16 and the touch panel 30A based on the driver's input within the above-mentioned few seconds, or when the input from the microphone 16 and the touch panel 30A indicates that the person is not elderly, in step S5, the driver's voice speed learning unit 42B prompts the driver to pronounce a fixed sentence through the voice from the speaker 20 and the display on the display 30B for a predetermined time, such as a few seconds.

[0042] Here, the fixed phrases are pre-registered phrases such as "Good morning.", which can be changed arbitrarily.

[0043] If no fixed-statement voice is detected from the driver within the specified time (step S5: No), in step S6, it is determined whether the previous voice type TS is stored in the voice type storage unit 46. If it is not stored (step S6: No), in step S7, the driver voice speed setting unit 42A sets the driver's voice type TS to the default "slow", and this setting is stored in the voice type storage unit 46 in step S8.

[0044] If the previous sound type TS is stored (step S6: Yes), proceed to step S9.

[0045] It should be noted that if no elderly person is entered in step S2, and if the previous voice type is not stored in the voice type storage unit 46 in step S6, the voice type TS is set to the default "slow".

[0046] On the other hand, in step S5, when the microphone 16 detects that the driver has performed a fixed statement (step S5: yes), in step S10, the driver voice speed learning unit 42B learns (acquires) the driver's voice speed Sdriv [mora / sec].

[0047] Next, in step S4, the sound type determination unit 44 refers to Figure 3 The voice type table 60 shown is used to determine the driver's voice type TS.

[0048] That is, in step S4, when the driver's vocal speed Sdriv learned in step S10 is less than 8.0 (Sdriv < 8.0), it is determined that the vocal type is TS = slow; when 8.0 ≤ Sdriv < 9.0, it is determined that the vocal type is TS = normal; and when Sdriv > 9.0, it is determined that the vocal type is TS = fast.

[0049] Furthermore, when the driver's vocal speed Sdriv is set to 7.5 [mora / sec] in step S3, the vocal type TS is determined to be "slow" in step S4.

[0050] Next, in step S8, the sound type determination unit 44 rewrites and stores the sound type TS determined in step S4 and the sound type TS set in step S7 into the sound type storage unit 46.

[0051] After the sound type TS is stored in step S8, and the judgment in step S6 is positive (the previous sound type TS is stored), the vehicle 12 starts driving.

[0052] Next, after step S9, the navigation device 14 obtains the location information (vehicle position) of the vehicle (this vehicle) 12 by receiving GPS radio waves from GPS satellites, and displays the vehicle position (the current location of this vehicle) on the map shown on the display 30B with arrows and other markers.

[0053] Furthermore, the navigation device 14 displays the road to the destination on the display 30B through the route guidance function, and provides road guidance to the driver of the vehicle 12 in motion through voice guidance, etc.

[0054] Next, in step S11, the voice ending point calculation unit 52 calculates the next voice-guided voice ending point Xe based on the GPS reception results from step S9.

[0055] When turning left at intersection 54, the sound termination point Xe is calculated and set to a location 30 [m] before intersection 54 (refer to...). Figure 4 ).

[0056] That is, control is performed so that the pronunciation of the last "turn" syllable (the last "i" syllable in Japanese) in the speech guidance "Please turn left at the next intersection" from the speaker 20 ends at a determined end point Xe = 30 [m], independent of the speech speed Saud (Saud = 7.5, 8.5, 9.5).

[0057] In order to control the voice guidance so that it ends at the determined voice ending point Xe = 30 [m] without depending on the voice speed Saud, in step S12, the voice start point calculation unit 50 reads the driver's voice type TS stored in the voice type storage unit 46 and obtains the vehicle speed Vv [km / h] from the vehicle speed sensor 24. In step S13, the distance Ds from the intersection 54 to the voice start point Xs is calculated by substituting the following formula (1), that is, the voice start point Xs is calculated.

[0058] Xs(Ds)=Xe(De)+(vocal volume / Saud)×Vv…(1)

[0059] In the above formula (1), Xs is the starting point of the sound (Ds is the distance from the start of the sound), Xe is the ending point of the sound (De is the distance from the end of the sound), the sound volume is the number of hiragana characters, Saud is the speech speed, and Vv is the vehicle speed.

[0060] If we illustrate this with a specific example, in step S4, when the driver's vocalization type TS is set to "normal", the vehicle speed Vv is Vv = 40 [km / h], and the number of hiragana characters is 18, the vocalization start point Xs is calculated as Xs(Ds) ≒ 30 [m] + (18 / 8.5) × 11.1 [m / s] ≒ 54 [m] (refer to...) Figure 4 ).

[0061] Furthermore, the calculation point (calculation location) for the starting point of the voice Xs is, for example, a location a few hundred meters before the intersection 54 where a left turn is desired. At that location, for example, a voice guidance is given stating, "Turn left at the intersection approximately 300 meters ahead."

[0062] Figure 6 The following is an example of a method for calculating the phonation start point Xs, which means that when the speech phonation speed Saud is different from 7.5, 8.5, and 9.5 [mora / sec], the speech guidance can end at the same (determined) phonation end point Xe by setting the phonation start point Xs (Xs = A, B, C) based on the above formula (1) without depending on the speech phonation speed Saud.

[0063] When the sound type TS is set to "slow", the sound start point Xs is set to the position farthest from intersection 54 (0 [m]) where Xs = A. When the sound type TS is set to "normal", the sound start point Xs is set to Xs = B. When the sound type TS is set to "fast", the sound start point Xs is set to the position closest to intersection 54 where Xs = C.

[0064] In any case, in step S14, the voice guidance "Please turn left at the next intersection" is spoken at a varying speed, thereby ending the voice guidance at the same point Xe {30 [m] away from the intersection}.

[0065] [Summarize]

[0066] When the vehicle 12 in motion reaches the sound start point Xs, the information providing device 10 of the above embodiment starts voice guidance for the driver of the vehicle 12 from the speaker 20. The information providing device 10 includes: a driver voice speed setting unit 42A, which sets a driver voice speed Sdriv corresponding to the driver's voice speed; a voice type determination unit 44, which determines which of a plurality of voice types Ts pre-assigned according to the voice guidance voice speed Saud output from the speaker 20; and a sound start point calculation unit 50, which calculates the sound start point Xs of the voice guidance from the voice speed Saud corresponding to the determined voice type Ts and the number of words in the voice guidance.

[0067] With this configuration, the starting point Xs of the voice guidance is calculated based on the voice type TS to which the driver's voice speed Sdriv belongs, the voice speed Saud corresponding to the voice type TS, and the number of words in the voice guidance. Therefore, voice guidance at the voice speed Saud corresponding to the driver can start at the accurate starting point Xs.

[0068] Furthermore, in the information providing device 10, the driver voice speed setting unit 42A may set a driver voice speed Sdriv (Sdriv = 7.5 [mora / sec]) that is slower than that of a non-elderly person (young person) when the driver is an elderly person (step S2: yes).

[0069] Therefore, assuming the driver is elderly, the speech rate can be set to a suitable level for the elderly, i.e., slower than that of a younger person (not elderly), at a speech rate of Sdriv = 7.5 [mora / sec]. Thus, the navigation device 14 can provide voice guidance with ease even when the driver is elderly.

[0070] Furthermore, in the information providing device 10, the driver voice speed setting unit 42A may also be a driver voice speed learning unit 42B that learns and sets the driver voice speed Sdriv (step S10).

[0071] In this way, by learning and setting the driver's vocal speed Sdriv, it is possible to accurately determine the vocal type TS corresponding to the driver's vocal speed Sdriv.

[0072] Furthermore, the information providing device 10 can also include a sound emission start point calculation unit 50 that calculates the sound emission start point Xs in response to the vehicle speed Vv of the vehicle 12.

[0073] Based on this, voice guidance can be initiated at appropriate times in conjunction with the vehicle speed Vv, which is the driving state. For example, even if the speech rate is slowed down, Saud can still complete the voice guidance at the required timing.

[0074] Furthermore, the information providing device 10 may also include a voice start point calculation unit 50 that calculates the voice start point Xs in such a way that the voice-guided voice ends at a predetermined voice end point Xe.

[0075] Therefore, the phonation start point Xs is calculated to make the phonation guided by the speech end at the specified phonation end point Xe. Thus, it is possible to control the necessary speech guidance without relying on the speech rate change of the speech rate Saud, so that the phonation ends reliably at the phonation end point Xe.

[0076] Furthermore, the information providing device 10 can also set the specified sound termination point Xe at a time when a specified sign based on the vehicle 12 is executed, such as the operation of the turn signal handle 31 is executed.

[0077] Therefore, the prescribed marker can be reliably executed at the designated end point of the sound production.

[0078] Furthermore, in the information providing device 10, the sound type TS is classified into three types: slow, normal, and fast, with the default setting being slow, thus enabling a setting that is friendly to the elderly.

[0079] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, as an example of traffic conditions other than intersections, it can also be applied to situations such as fork guidance on toll roads and warnings for merging traffic, and guidance to destinations on ordinary roads. Basically, it can be applied to situations where voice guidance based on navigation device 14 depends on points on a map. Of course, based on the contents of this specification, various configurations can be adopted.

Claims

1. An information providing device (10) that, when a moving vehicle (12) reaches a sound initiation point (Xs), initiates voice guidance to the driver of the vehicle (12) from a loudspeaker (20), the information providing device (10) being characterized in that it has: The driver's voice speed setting unit (42A) sets the driver's voice speed (Sdriv) corresponding to the driver's voice speed. The voice type determination unit (44) determines which of a plurality of voice types (TS) the set driver voice speed (Sdriv) belongs to based on the voice speed guided by the speech output from the speaker (20), i.e., the speech speed (Saud); and The speech start point calculation unit (50) calculates the speech start point (Xs) or speech start distance (Ds) of the speech guidance based on the speech rate (Saud) corresponding to the determined speech type (TS), the number of words in the speech guidance, and the vehicle speed (Vv) of the vehicle (12), where Xs = Xe + (voice volume / Saud) × Vv or Ds = De + (voice volume / Saud) × Vv, so that the speech guidance ends at a predetermined speech end point (Xe). Xs is the starting point of the sound, Ds is the distance from the start of the sound, Xe is the ending point of the sound, De is the distance from the end of the sound, the volume of the sound is the number of words spoken, Saud is the speech rate, and Vv is the vehicle speed.

2. The information providing device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The driver's voice speed setting unit (42A) sets a slower driver's voice speed (Sdriv) than that for non-elderly drivers when the driver is an elderly person.

3. The information providing device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The driver voice speed setting unit (42A) is configured as a driver voice speed learning unit (42B) that learns and sets the driver voice speed (Sdriv).

4. The information providing device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The specified sounding end point (Xe) is set at the timing when the specified sign based on the vehicle (12) is started to be executed.

5. The information providing device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vocal type is categorized into three types: slow, normal, and fast, with slow being the default setting.

6. An information providing device (10) that, when a moving vehicle (12) reaches a sound initiation point (Xs), initiates voice guidance to the driver of the vehicle (12) from a loudspeaker (20), the information providing device (10) being characterized in that it has: The driver's voice speed setting unit (42A) sets the driver's voice speed (Sdriv) corresponding to the driver's voice speed. The voice type determination unit (44) determines which of a plurality of voice types (TS) the set driver voice speed (Sdriv) belongs to based on the voice speed guided by the speech output from the speaker (20), i.e., the speech speed (Saud); and The voice guidance voice control unit (40) sets the voice guidance voice start point (Xs) based on the voice voice speed (Saud) corresponding to the determined voice type (TS), the number of words in the voice guidance, and the vehicle speed (Vv) of the vehicle (12), so that the voice guidance voice ends at a predetermined voice end point (Xe).

7. The information providing device (10) according to claim 6, characterized in that, The driver's voice speed setting unit (42A) sets a slower driver's voice speed (Sdriv) than that for non-elderly drivers when the driver is an elderly person.

8. The information providing device (10) according to claim 6, characterized in that, The driver voice speed setting unit (42A) is configured as a driver voice speed learning unit (42B) that learns and sets the driver voice speed (Sdriv).

9. The information providing device (10) according to claim 6, characterized in that, The specified sounding end point (Xe) is set at the timing when the specified sign based on the vehicle (12) is started to be executed.

10. The information providing device (10) according to claim 6, characterized in that, The vocal type is categorized into three types: slow, normal, and fast, with slow being the default setting.

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