Automatic door opening / closing device, automatic door opening / closing method, and program

Abstract

To provide a voice operated automatic door opening / closing device that can suppress unintended opening / closing.SOLUTION: An automatic door opening / closing device 1000 includes a door 1800 that opens and closes an entrance, voice acquiring units 1101 to 110N that are installed around the entrance to acquire voice, a determining unit 1200 that calculates a position of a generation source of the voice acquired by the voice acquiring units 1101 to 110N to determine whether the calculated position of the generation source is included in a command receiving area, a voice recognition unit 1300 that recognizes voice command included in the voice of the generation source within the command receiving area upon determination of the position of the generation source being included in the command receiving area, an operation determining unit 1400 that determines an operation for the door 1800 based on the voice command recognized by the voice recognition unit 1300, and a driving unit 1700 that opens and closes the door 1800 according to the operation determined by the operation determining unit 1400.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an automatic door opening / closing device that opens and closes with voice, etc.

Background Art

[0002] Due to the spread of infectious diseases such as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), there is a desire to avoid contact with objects touched by an unspecified number of people.

[0003] In a method of opening and closing a door by detecting the approach of a user with an infrared sensor or the like, the door may open in response to a passerby near the door. Also, in a method of opening and closing a door by acquiring the voice of a user with a microphone and recognizing the user, the user may inadvertently emit a voice for opening and closing the door, and the door may be opened and closed unintentionally.

[0004] [[ID=2而, in Patent Document 1, a method is disclosed in which a terminal having identification information unique to a vehicle is carried, and door opening / closing control can be performed for a user whose personal information (voiceprint information) is registered in the vehicle.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, with the door opening and closing device described in Patent Document 1, only users who carry a terminal with identification information and have registered their voiceprint information can open and close the door. Furthermore, regardless of the user's intention to open or close the door, if the microphone picks up voices containing words for opening and closing the door spoken by a user who carries a terminal with identification information and has registered their voiceprint information while passing near the door, the door may open unintentionally. Moreover, since the door is opened and closed by voice without any action by the user, the door may open suddenly, potentially startling the user or people near the door, or causing them to collide with the door and get injured.

[0007] Therefore, the purpose of this disclosure is to provide an automatic door opening and closing device that can be opened and closed by voice and can prevent unintended opening and closing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The automatic door opening and closing device according to this disclosure is an automatic door opening and closing device comprising: a door for opening and closing an entrance / exit; a sound acquisition unit installed around the entrance / exit and for acquiring sound; a determination unit that calculates the location of the sound source acquired by the sound acquisition unit and determines whether or not the calculated location of the source is included in a command reception area; a sound recognition unit that, if it is determined that the location of the source is included in the command reception area, recognizes a sound command included in the sound of the source included in the command reception area; an action determination unit that determines an action for the door based on the sound command recognized by the sound recognition unit; and a drive unit that opens and closes the door according to the action determined by the action determination unit.

[0009] The automatic door opening and closing method according to this disclosure is an automatic door opening and closing method performed by an automatic door opening and closing device having a door for opening and closing an entrance, and includes: a sound acquisition step for acquiring sound; a determination step for calculating the location of the sound source acquired in the sound acquisition step and determining whether the calculated location of the source is included in a command reception area; a sound recognition step for recognizing a sound command included in the sound of the source included in the command reception area if it is determined that the location of the source is included in the command reception area; an action determination step for determining an action for the door based on the sound command recognized in the sound recognition step; and a drive step for opening and closing the door according to the action determined in the action determination step.

[0010] The program disclosed herein is a program that causes a computer to execute the automatic door opening and closing method described above.

[0011] These comprehensive or specific embodiments may be implemented as a system, method, integrated circuit, computer program, or recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM, or as any combination of a system, method, integrated circuit, computer program, and recording medium. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to this disclosure, an automatic door opening and closing device that operates using voice commands can suppress unintended opening and closing. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an automatic door opening and closing device according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of a command reception area in Embodiment 1. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an automatic door opening and closing device according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 4]This figure shows an example of obstacle detection when the obstacle is a moving object in Embodiment 2. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of obstacle detection when the obstacle is a fixed object in Embodiment 2. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of obstacle detection in Embodiment 2 when the type of obstacle detection changes from a moving object to a stationary object. [Figure 7] This flowchart shows an example of an automatic door opening and closing method according to another embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0015] The embodiments described below are all general or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, components, arrangement and connection configurations of components, steps, and the order of steps shown in the following embodiments are examples only and are not intended to limit this disclosure.

[0016] (Embodiment 1) Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of an automatic door opening and closing device 1000 according to Embodiment 1. In Figure 1, an example is shown in which the voice controller unit 1500 is composed of a memory unit 1501 and a sound generation unit 1502, but the voice controller unit 1500 may be composed of at least one of the memory unit 1501 and the sound generation unit 1502.

[0017] The automatic door opening / closing device 1000 has a door 1800 that opens and closes an entrance / exit, and is a device for automatically opening and closing the door 1800 by voice. The automatic door opening / closing device 1000 includes voice acquisition units 1101 to 110N, a determination unit 1200, a voice recognition unit 1300, an operation determination unit 1400, a voice controller unit 1500, an adjustment unit 1600, a drive unit 1700, and a voice output unit 1900. Hereinafter, as shown in FIG. 1, an example in which the door 1800 is, for example, a hinged door will be described, but the door 1800 is not limited to a hinged door and may be a sliding door or a folding door, etc.

[0018] The voice acquisition units 1101 to 110N are installed around the entrance / exit opened and closed by the door 1800, and acquire the voice uttered by a person who has the intention of opening and closing the door 1800. The voice acquisition units 1101 to 110N are, for example, microphones, and by providing a plurality of microphones to form a microphone array, as will be described later, the determination unit 1200 can calculate the position of the voice generation source (person).

[0019] The determination unit 1200 calculates the position of the voice generation source of the voice acquired by the voice acquisition units 1101 to 110N (specifically, the direction and distance of the voice generation source with respect to the voice acquisition units 1101 to 110N). For the calculation of the direction and distance, beamforming (a technique of transmitting radio waves, sound waves, or ultrasonic waves in a specific direction or receiving them from a specific direction) may be used, or other methods may be used. The determination unit 1200 determines whether or not the calculated position of the voice generation source is included in the command reception area. Details of the command reception area will be described later.

[0020] When the determination unit 1200 determines that the position of the sound source of the voice is included in the command reception area (that is, when the voice acquired by the voice acquisition units 1101 to 110N is a voice for which a command is to be received), the voice recognition unit 1300 recognizes the voice command included in the voice of the sound source included in the command reception area. In other words, when the position of the sound source of the voice is not included in the command reception area, the voice of the sound source is not an object of voice recognition. For voice recognition, voice feature amounts may be used, or other methods may be used.

[0021] By using this configuration to determine the position of the sound source of the voice, it is possible to determine the position of a person without the person carrying a terminal having identification information unique to a vehicle or the like. Further, by performing voice recognition only when the position of the sound source of the voice is a desired position, it is possible to prevent the unintentional opening and closing of the door 1800.

[0022] The operation determination unit 1400 determines an operation on the door 1800 based on the voice command recognized by the voice recognition unit 1300. The voice command is, for example, a command such as "Open" or a similar command, or a command such as "Close" or a similar command. When the voice command recognized by the voice recognition unit 1300 is a command such as "Open" or a similar command, the operation determination unit 1400 determines an operation to open the door 1800. At this time, after a sufficient amount of time has elapsed for a person to pass through the door 1800, the operation determination unit 1400 may determine an operation to close the door 1800. When the voice command recognized by the voice recognition unit 1300 is a command such as "Close" or a similar command, the operation determination unit 1400 determines an operation to close the door 1800.

[0023] The adjustment unit 1600 adjusts the opening and closing of the door 1800 according to the operation determined by the operation determination unit 1400. For example, the adjustment unit 1600 may generate information for opening and closing the door 1800 in multiple stages. For example, the adjustment unit 1600 may determine the rotation angle of the door 1800. For example, the adjustment unit 1600 may determine the rotation speed of the door 1800.

[0024] The drive unit 1700 opens and closes the door 1800 according to information from the adjustment unit 1600. For example, if the drive unit 1700 determines that the door 1800 should be opened, it opens the door 1800 according to the information from the adjustment unit 1600, and if the drive unit 1700 determines that the door 1800 should be closed, it closes the door 1800 according to the information from the adjustment unit 1600. Note that the automatic door opening and closing device 1000 does not necessarily have an adjustment unit 1600. In this case, the drive unit 1700 opens and closes the door 1800 according to the operation determined by the operation determination unit 1400. In other words, in this case, the door 1800 does not need to open and close in stages, or open and close with adjusted rotation angle, or open and close with adjusted rotation speed; it may simply open and close.

[0025] If the voice command recognized by the voice recognition unit 1300 is "open" or a similar command, the action determination unit 1400 instructs the voice controller unit 1500 and the drive unit 1700 to perform the process of opening the door 1800. After sufficient time has elapsed for a person to pass through the door 1800, the action determination unit 1400 may also instruct the voice controller unit 1500 and the drive unit 1700 to perform the process of closing the door 1800.

[0026] Furthermore, if the voice command recognized by the voice recognition unit 1300 is "close" or a similar command, the operation determination unit 1400 instructs the drive unit 1700 and the voice controller unit 1500 to perform the process of closing the door 1800.

[0027] The audio output unit 1900 outputs a warning sound when the door 1800 is opened or closed. The audio output unit 1900 is an example of a warning sound output unit. The audio output unit 1900 is, for example, a speaker. The memory unit 1501 stores multiple sound data used as warning sounds when the door 1800 is opened or closed. The sound generation unit 1502 generates sound data used as warning sounds when the door 1800 is opened or closed.

[0028] The audio controller unit 1500 selects at least one sound data from a plurality of sound data stored in the memory unit 1501 according to the operation determined by the operation determination unit 1400. Alternatively, the audio controller unit 1500 instructs the sound generation unit 1502 to generate sound data according to the operation determined by the operation determination unit 1400, and selects the sound data generated by the sound generation unit 1502.

[0029] Here, the process for opening the door 1800 will be described. When the operation determination unit 1400 instructs the sound controller unit 1500 and the drive unit 1700 to perform the process for opening the door 1800, the sound controller unit 1500 selects a warning sound or warning voice (hereinafter referred to as "warning sound, etc.") for opening the door 1800 from among the multiple sound data stored in the built-in memory unit 1501 and outputs it from the sound output unit 1900. However, the sound controller unit 1500 is not limited to selecting from the warning sounds, etc. stored in the memory unit 1501, but may also select a warning sound, etc. generated by the built-in sound generation unit 1502. Furthermore, the sound controller unit 1500 may use a combination of the warning sounds, etc. stored in the memory unit 1501 and the warning sounds, etc. generated by the sound generation unit 1502. After the sound output unit 1900 outputs the warning sound, etc., the drive unit 1700 performs the operation to open the door 1800.

[0030] When using the built-in memory unit 1501 to emit warning sounds, the output warning sounds can be freely set by changing the audio data stored in the memory unit 1501. Furthermore, by using the built-in sound generation unit 1502, the memory unit 1501 becomes unnecessary, and costs can be reduced by eliminating the memory unit 1501. In addition, by using the built-in memory unit 1501 and the sound generation unit 1502, it is possible to generate warning sounds that combine warning sounds and warning voices.

[0031] Next, the process for closing the door 1800 will be explained. When the operation determination unit 1400 instructs the sound controller unit 1500 to perform the process for closing the door 1800, the sound controller unit 1500 selects a warning sound, etc., for closing the door 1800, and the drive unit 1700 performs the operation to close the door 1800. The rest of the process is the same as the process for opening the door 1800, as described above, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0032] By emitting a warning sound before the door 1800 opens or closes, the possibility of passersby being startled by the opening or closing of the door 1800, or being injured by colliding with the opening or closing door 1800, can be reduced.

[0033] The adjustment unit 1600 may generate information for opening and closing the door 1800 in multiple stages, send this information to the drive unit 1700, and the drive unit 1700 may have the function of receiving this information from the adjustment unit 1600 and opening the door 1800 in multiple stages according to the information. In this way, the opening and closing of the door 1800 may be specified to be done in multiple stages rather than opening and closing it all at once. For example, if the door 1800 is to be opened in three stages, it can be opened in stages such as latch release, 30 degrees, 170 degrees, etc. This suppresses the sudden opening and closing of the door 1800, and reduces the possibility of passersby being startled or injured by colliding with the opening and closing door 1800.

[0034] Furthermore, the adjustment unit 1600 may have a function to determine the rotation angle of the door 1800 and send information regarding the rotation angle to the drive unit 1700, and the drive unit 1700 may have a function to receive information regarding the rotation angle from the adjustment unit 1600 and control the rotation of the door 1800 according to that information. In this way, the opening and closing angle of the door 1800 may be specified at each stage. This makes it possible to open the door 1800 only by the required angle, thereby preventing a decrease in heating and cooling efficiency.

[0035] Furthermore, the adjustment unit 1600 may have a function to determine the rotation speed of the door 1800 and send information regarding the rotation speed to the drive unit 1700, and the drive unit 1700 may have a function to receive information regarding the rotation speed from the adjustment unit 1600 and control the rotation speed of the door 1800 according to that information. In this way, the rotation speed when the door 1800 is opened and closed may be specified at each stage. This allows the door 1800 to be opened and closed safely according to the amount of traffic, etc.

[0036] Next, we will explain the command reception area using Figure 2.

[0037] Figure 2 shows an example of the command reception area 2000 in Embodiment 1. In Figure 2, the voice acquisition units 1101 to 110N are shown as voice acquisition units 2101 to 210N, the door 1800 is shown as door 2800, and the voice output unit 1900 is shown as voice output unit 2900. Figure 2 is a view of the area around door 2800 from vertically above.

[0038] The command reception area 2000 is configured so that only voices emitted from the command reception area 2000 are subject to voice recognition. For example, the command reception area 2000 is the area in front of the voice acquisition units 2101 to 210N, and the command reception area 2000 can be configured as a desired area by adjusting the orientation of the voice acquisition units 2101 to 210N and their mounting position on the door 2800. In Figure 2, the voice emitted by speaker 220A, who is within the command reception area 2000 set in front of the voice acquisition units 2101 to 210N, is received, the voice command contained in the voice is recognized, and the door 2800 is opened and closed according to the voice command. Since speakers 220B and 220C are outside the command reception area 2000, voices from speakers 220B and 220C are not received. Note that the command reception area 2000 is not necessarily set to face the front of the door, but may also be set to face the direction of speaker 220B or speaker 220C.

[0039] By adjusting the settings of the command reception area 2000 (direction and distance to the voice acquisition units 2101-210N), it is possible to respond to changes in the standing position of a person who intends to open or close the door 2800, due to factors such as the direction of opening and closing of the door 2800 and the placement of the door 2800. For example, without physically tilting the orientation or moving the mounting position of the voice acquisition units 2101-210N, it is possible to change only the command reception area while maintaining the same tilt or position by performing beamforming or other processing on the sound acquired by the voice acquisition units 2101-210N.

[0040] As explained above, for doors that do not require security and are used by a large number of people, voice recognition can be used to detect voices only from specific locations, thereby preventing unintended opening and closing caused by the words of people passing near the door. In addition, since automatic opening and closing is performed, it prevents the loss of heating and cooling efficiency in the room that can occur when doors are left open or not closed completely when opened and closed manually, making it an effective initiative for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

[0041] (Embodiment 2) Embodiment 2 describes a case in which obstacle detection is performed within the rotation range of the door.

[0042] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of an automatic door opening and closing device 3000 according to Embodiment 2. In Figure 3, an example is shown in which the voice controller unit 3500 is composed of a memory unit 3501 and a sound generation unit 3502, but the voice controller unit 3500 may be composed of at least one of the memory unit 3501 and the sound generation unit 3502. Also in Figure 3, an obstacle 3910 present around the door 3800 is shown.

[0043] The automatic door opening and closing device 3000 has a door 3800 that opens and closes an entrance and exit, and is a device for automatically opening and closing the door 3800 by voice. The automatic door opening and closing device 3000 has voice acquisition units 3101 to 310N, a determination unit 3200, a voice recognition unit 3300, an operation determination unit 3400, a voice controller unit 3500, an adjustment unit 3600, a drive unit 3700, and a voice output unit 3900. In the following description, as shown in Figure 3, an example will be given in which the door 3800 is, for example, a hinged door, but the door 3800 is not limited to a hinged door, but may be a sliding door or a folding door.

[0044] The voice acquisition units 3101-310N, determination unit 3200, voice recognition unit 3300, operation determination unit 3400, voice controller unit 3500, adjustment unit 3600, drive unit 3700, and voice output unit 3900 basically have the same functions as the voice acquisition units 1101-110N, determination unit 1200, voice recognition unit 1300, operation determination unit 1400, voice controller unit 1500, adjustment unit 1600, drive unit 1700, and voice output unit 1900 in Embodiment 1. Therefore, the description of similar functions will be omitted below, and the differences will be explained in detail.

[0045] The audio output unit 3900 outputs a sound to detect obstacles 3910 when the door 3800 is automatically opened and closed. The audio output unit 3900 is an example of an obstacle detection sound output unit. Specifically, after the audio output unit 3900 outputs a warning sound indicating that the door 3800 is opening, the audio controller unit 3500 selects sound data to be used to detect obstacles 3910 from the obstacle detection sound data stored in the memory unit 3501 or the obstacle detection sound data generated by the sound generation unit 3502, and outputs the sound for obstacle detection from the audio output unit 3900. The sound for obstacle detection may be an audible sound or an ultrasonic sound outside the audible range. The sound for obstacle detection output from the audio output unit 3900 is reflected by obstacles 3910 present around the door 3800, and the sound acquisition units 3101 to 310N acquire the reflected sound. The sound acquisition units 3101 to 310N output sound data to the determination unit 3200 that indicates the reflected sound that has been reflected back by the obstacle 3910 from the sound output unit 3900. The determination unit 3200 detects the obstacle 3910 located around the door 3800 from the reflected sound (sound data) that has been reflected back by the obstacle 3910 and input from the sound acquisition units 3101 to 310N, and determines the position of the detected obstacle 3910 (specifically, its direction and distance relative to the sound acquisition units 3101 to 310N). Specifically, the determination unit 3200 calculates the direction and distance of the obstacle 3910 relative to the sound acquisition units 3101 to 310N based on the elapsed time from when the sound for obstacle detection is output by the sound output unit 3900 until the sound is acquired by the sound acquisition units 3101 to 310N for the reflected sound acquired by the sound acquisition units 3101 to 310N. Beamforming may be used to calculate direction and distance, or other methods may be used.

[0046] The operation determination unit 3400 determines the opening and closing operation of the door 3800 according to the calculated position of the obstacle 3910.

[0047] For example, the audio controller unit 3500 may select a warning sound for the obstacle 3910 when the determination unit 3200 detects an obstacle 3910 around the door 3800, and the audio output unit 3900 may output the warning sound for the obstacle 3910 selected by the audio controller unit 3500.

[0048] The adjustment unit 3600 generates information to open and close the door 3800 in accordance with the opening and closing operation of the door 3800 determined by the operation determination unit 3400, based on the position of the obstacle 3910 calculated by the determination unit 3200, so as not to come into contact with the obstacle 3910, and sends this information to the drive unit 3700.

[0049] The drive unit 3700 opens and closes the door 3800 in accordance with the information generated by the adjustment unit 3600, so as not to come into contact with the obstacle 3910. For example, the drive unit 3700 interrupts the opening and closing of the door 3800 before it reaches the obstacle 3910 so as not to come into contact with the obstacle 3910 while the door 3800 is opening or closing.

[0050] If the position of the obstacle 3910 determined by the determination unit 3200 is not within the rotation range of the door 3800, that is, if no obstacle 3910 is detected around the door 3800, the operation determination unit 3400 determines the opening and closing operation of the door 3800 as described in Embodiment 1.

[0051] If the location of the obstacle 3910 determined by the determination unit 3200 is within the rotation range of the door 3800, that is, if an obstacle 3910 located around the door 3800 is detected, the operation determination unit 3400 instructs the voice controller unit 3500 to output a warning sound for the obstacle 3910. The voice controller unit 3500 selects a warning sound for the obstacle 3910 stored in the memory unit 3501, a warning sound generated by the sound generation unit 3502, or a combination thereof, and outputs it from the voice output unit 3900.

[0052] For example, the determination unit 3200 may calculate the position of the obstacle 3910 multiple times.

[0053] The determination unit 3200 determines that an obstacle 3910 is a stationary object if the positions of the obstacle 3910 calculated multiple times are the same. Furthermore, the determination unit 3200 determines that an obstacle 3910 is a moving object if the positions of the obstacle 3910 calculated multiple times include different positions.

[0054] If the obstacle 3910 is determined to be a moving object, the operation determination unit 3400 instructs the audio controller unit 3500 to select a warning sound for the obstacle 3910, and the audio output unit 3900 outputs the warning sound for the obstacle 3910 selected by the audio controller unit 3500, and continues to output sound to detect the obstacle 3910 until the obstacle 3910 is no longer detected or until the obstacle 3910 is determined to be a stationary object that does not move.

[0055] The adjustment unit 3600 determines the rotation angle of the door 3800 to an angle that does not come into contact with the obstacle 3910, based on the calculated position of the obstacle 3910, and sends information indicating the rotation angle to the drive unit 3700.

[0056] The drive unit 3700 receives information indicating the rotation angle determined by the adjustment unit 3600 and controls the rotation of the door 3800 according to that information.

[0057] If the above series of operations related to obstacle detection are repeated multiple times and the position of the obstacle 3910 calculated by the determination unit 3200 changes, the obstacle 3910 is determined to be a moving object. If the position of the obstacle 3910 does not change, the obstacle 3910 is determined to be a stationary object.

[0058] This allows for the detection of obstacles 3910 within the rotational range of the door 3800 when it is opening or closing, and interruption of the opening or closing of the door 3800 if an obstacle 3910 is present, all within the existing configuration and without additional cost. Furthermore, by emitting a warning sound, the possibility of startling passersby, including users, or being injured by colliding with the opening or closing door 3800 can be reduced.

[0059] Figure 4 shows an example of obstacle detection in Embodiment 2 when the obstacle is a moving object. In Figure 4, the case where the obstacle is a moving object (person) is shown. In Figure 4, the voice acquisition units 3101 to 310N are shown as voice acquisition units 4101 to 410N, the door 3800 is shown as door 4800, the voice output unit 3900 is shown as voice output unit 4900, and the obstacle 3910 is shown as obstacles 400A and 400A'. Figure 4 is a view of the area around door 4800 from vertically above.

[0060] If the determination unit 3400 determines that the obstacle 400A is within the rotation range of the door 4800 and is moving, it instructs the drive unit 3700 not to perform the process of opening the door 4800. The determination unit 3200 continues to calculate the position of the obstacle 400A multiple times, and when the obstacle 400A moves outside the rotation range of the door 4800, as in obstacle 400A', the obstacle is no longer detected, and the process of opening the door 4800 as described in Embodiment 1 is performed.

[0061] By repeatedly detecting (calculating the position of) the obstacle 400A multiple times, it is possible to determine whether the obstacle 400A is a fixed or moving object, and if the obstacle 400A moves outside the rotation range of the door 4800, it becomes possible to open and close the door 4800 without issuing another voice command.

[0062] Figure 5 shows an example of obstacle detection in Embodiment 2 when the obstacle is a fixed object. In Figure 5, the case where the obstacle is a fixed object is shown. In Figure 5, the voice acquisition units 3101 to 310N are shown as voice acquisition units 5101 to 510N, the door 3800 is shown as door 5800, the voice output unit 3900 is shown as voice output unit 5900, and the obstacle 3910 is shown as obstacle 5001. Figure 5 is a view of the area around door 5800 from vertically above.

[0063] If it is determined that the obstacle 5001 is within the rotation range of the door 5800 and is stationary, the operation determination unit 3400 instructs the drive unit 3700 to open the door 5800. However, the operation determination unit 3400 instructs the adjustment unit 3600 to set the rotation angle of the door 5800 to an angle that does not come into contact with the obstacle 5001. The adjustment unit 3600 determines the rotation angle of the door 5800 to an angle that does not come into contact with the obstacle 5001 and sends information regarding the rotation angle to the drive unit 3700. Based on the information regarding the rotation angle from the adjustment unit 3600, the drive unit 3700 specifies the rotation angle of the door 5800 to an angle that does not come into contact with the obstacle 5001 and opens the door 5800 to the position of door 5800' by the door opening process described in Embodiment 1.

[0064] If a fixed obstacle 5001 is within the rotation range of the door 5800, the rotation of the door 5800 can be automatically controlled to avoid contact with the obstacle 5001, without any special settings, and the door can be opened and closed accordingly. Therefore, automatic opening and closing is possible not only for permanently installed obstacles 5001 but also for temporarily fixed obstacles 5001.

[0065] Figure 6 shows an example of obstacle detection in Embodiment 2 when the obstacle determination changes from a moving object to a stationary object. In Figure 6, the case where the obstacle is a moving object (person) is shown. In Figure 6, the voice acquisition units 3101 to 310N are shown as voice acquisition units 6101 to 610N, the door 3800 is shown as door 6800, the voice output unit 3900 is shown as voice output unit 6900, and the obstacle 3910 is shown as obstacles 600B and 600B'. Figure 6 is a view of the area around door 6800 from vertically above.

[0066] If the operation determination unit 3400 determines that the obstacle 600B is within the rotation range of the door 6800 and is moving, it instructs the drive unit 3700 not to open the door 6800. The determination unit 3200 continues to calculate the position of the obstacle 600B multiple times, and if the obstacle 600B is determined to be a stationary object because it has come to rest within the rotation range of the door 6800, like obstacle 600B', the operation determination unit 3400 instructs the drive unit 3700 to open the door 6800. However, the operation determination unit 3400 instructs the adjustment unit 3600 to set the rotation angle of the door 6800 to an angle that does not come into contact with the obstacle 600B'. The adjustment unit 3600 determines the rotation angle of the door 6800 to an angle that does not come into contact with the obstacle 600B' and sends information regarding the rotation angle to the drive unit 3700. Based on the rotation angle information from the adjustment unit 3600, the drive unit 3700 specifies the rotation angle of the door 6800 to an angle that does not come into contact with the obstacle 600B', and opens the door 6800 to the position of door 6800' by the door opening process described in Embodiment 1.

[0067] Even if the obstacle 600B is a moving object, for example, if a pedestrian moving within the rotational range of the door 6800 stops within the rotational range of the door 6800 in response to a warning sound or the like when the door 6800 is opened or closed, the door 6800 can be opened or closed at an angle that does not come into contact with the pedestrian without waiting for the pedestrian to move out of the rotational range of the door 6800.

[0068] (Other embodiments) The automatic door opening and closing devices according to one or more embodiments of this disclosure have been described above based on embodiments, but this disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. Without departing from the spirit of this disclosure, various modifications that a person skilled in the art can conceive of may be applied to each embodiment, and forms constructed by combining components from different embodiments may also be included within the scope of one or more embodiments of this disclosure.

[0069] For example, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which the automatic door opening and closing device includes an audio controller unit and an audio output unit, but the automatic door opening and closing device does not have to include an audio controller unit and an audio output unit. In other words, it does not have to output a warning sound, nor does it have to output a sound for detecting obstacles.

[0070] For example, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which the automatic door opening and closing device is equipped with an adjustment unit, but the automatic door opening and closing device does not need to be equipped with an adjustment unit. In other words, the opening and closing of the door does not need to be adjusted.

[0071] For example, this disclosure can be implemented not only as an automatic door opening and closing device, but also as an automatic door opening and closing method that includes steps (processes) performed by the components constituting the automatic door opening and closing device.

[0072] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of an automatic door opening and closing method according to another embodiment.

[0073] The automatic door opening and closing method is an automatic door opening and closing method performed by an automatic door opening and closing device having a door for opening and closing an entrance, and as shown in Figure 7, includes: a voice acquisition step (step S11) for acquiring voice; a determination step (step S12) for calculating the location of the source of the voice acquired in the voice acquisition step and determining whether or not the calculated location of the source is included in the command reception area; a voice recognition step (step S13) for recognizing the voice command included in the voice of the source included in the command reception area if it is determined that the location of the source is included in the command reception area (Yes in step S12); an action determination step (step S14) for determining an action for the door based on the voice command recognized in the voice recognition step; and a drive step (step S15) for opening and closing the door according to the action determined in the action determination step.

[0074] For example, this disclosure can be implemented as a program that causes a computer (processor) to execute the steps included in an automatic door opening and closing method. Furthermore, this disclosure can be implemented as a non-temporary computer-readable recording medium, such as a CD-ROM, on which the program is recorded.

[0075] For example, if this disclosure is implemented in a program (software), each step is executed by the program using hardware resources such as the computer's CPU, memory, and input / output circuits. In other words, each step is executed by the CPU obtaining data from memory or input / output circuits, performing calculations, and outputting the calculation results to memory or input / output circuits.

[0076] In the above embodiment, each component included in the automatic door opening and closing device may be implemented by dedicated hardware or by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may also be implemented by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory.

[0077] Some or all of the functions of the automatic door opening and closing device according to the above embodiment are typically implemented as an LSI (Large-Scale Integrated Circuit). These may be individually integrated onto a single chip, or some or all of them may be integrated onto a single chip. Furthermore, the implementation is not limited to an LSI; it may also be implemented using a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor. An FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), which can be programmed after the LSI is manufactured, or a reconfigurable processor that allows for the reconfiguration of the connections and settings of the circuit cells inside the LSI may also be used.

[0078] Furthermore, if advances in semiconductor technology or other derived technologies lead to the emergence of integrated circuit technologies that replace LSIs, then naturally, these technologies may be used to integrate each component included in the automatic door opening and closing device.

[0079] Furthermore, this disclosure also includes forms obtained by applying various modifications to the embodiments that a person skilled in the art could conceive, and forms realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions of each embodiment without departing from the spirit of this disclosure.

[0080] (Note) Based on the above description of embodiments, the following technologies are disclosed.

[0081] (Technical 1) An automatic door opening and closing device comprising: a door for opening and closing an entrance; a sound acquisition unit installed around the entrance and closing area for acquiring sound; a determination unit that calculates the location of the sound source acquired by the sound acquisition unit and determines whether the calculated location of the source is included in a command reception area; a sound recognition unit that, when it is determined that the location of the source is included in the command reception area, recognizes a sound command included in the sound of the source included in the command reception area; an action determination unit that determines an action for the door based on the sound command recognized by the sound recognition unit; and a drive unit that opens and closes the door according to the action determined by the action determination unit.

[0082] According to this system, for doors that do not require security and are used by a large number of people, unintended opening and closing caused by words spoken by people passing near the door can be suppressed by using voice recognition only for voices from a specific location (command reception area). Furthermore, because automatic opening and closing is performed, it prevents the loss of heating and cooling efficiency in the room due to forgetting to close the door or the door not closing completely when manually opened and closed, making it an effective initiative for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

[0083] (Technology 2) The automatic door opening and closing device according to Technology 1, further comprising a warning sound output unit that outputs a warning sound when the door is opened or closed.

[0084] According to this, by emitting a warning sound when the door opens or closes, it is possible to reduce the chances of people near the door being startled or injured by colliding with the opening or closing door.

[0085] (Technical 3) The automatic door opening and closing device further includes a memory unit that stores a plurality of sound data used as a warning sound, and a sound controller unit that selects at least one sound data from the plurality of sound data stored in the memory unit in accordance with the operation determined by the operation determination unit, and the warning sound output unit outputs the warning sound based on the sound data selected by the sound controller unit, the automatic door opening and closing device according to Technical 2.

[0086] According to this, the warning sound to be output can be freely set by changing the sound data stored in the memory.

[0087] (Technical 4) The automatic door opening and closing device further comprises a sound generation unit that generates sound data to be used as a warning sound, and a voice controller unit that instructs the sound generation unit to generate sound data according to the operation determined by the operation determination unit and selects the sound data generated by the sound generation unit, and the warning sound output unit outputs the warning sound based on the sound data selected by the voice controller unit, the automatic door opening and closing device according to Technical 2.

[0088] According to this, since the sound data used as a warning sound is generated each time, a memory unit for pre-storing the sound data used as a warning sound is unnecessary, thus reducing costs.

[0089] (Technical 5) The automatic door opening and closing device further includes an adjustment unit that adjusts the opening and closing of the door according to the operation determined by the operation determination unit, and the drive unit opens and closes the door according to information from the adjustment unit, as described in any one of Technical 1 to Technical 4.

[0090] According to this, the opening and closing of the door can be adjusted.

[0091] (Technical 6) The automatic door opening and closing device according to Technical 5, wherein the adjustment unit generates information for opening and closing the door in stages in multiple steps, and the drive unit opens and closes the door in stages in multiple steps according to the information generated by the adjustment unit.

[0092] According to this, the opening and closing of the door can be adjusted in multiple stages.

[0093] (Technical 7) An automatic door opening and closing device according to Technical 5 or 6, wherein the adjustment unit determines the rotation angle of the door, and the drive unit controls the rotation of the door according to the information regarding the rotation angle determined by the adjustment unit.

[0094] According to this, the opening and closing of the door can be adjusted to a specific rotation angle.

[0095] (Technical 8) An automatic door opening and closing device according to any one of Technical 5 to Technical 7, wherein the adjustment unit determines the rotation speed of the door, and the drive unit controls the rotation speed of the door according to the information regarding the rotation speed determined by the adjustment unit.

[0096] According to this, the opening and closing of the door can be adjusted to a specific rotation speed.

[0097] (Technology 9) The automatic door opening and closing device according to any one of Techniques 5 to 8, further comprising an obstacle detection sound output unit that outputs sound when the door is opened and closed automatically, the sound acquisition unit acquires reflected sound of the sound output from the obstacle detection sound output unit, the determination unit detects obstacles present around the door from the reflected sound and calculates the position of the detected obstacles, the adjustment unit generates information for opening and closing the door so as not to contact the obstacles according to the position of the obstacles calculated by the determination unit, and the drive unit opens and closes the door so as not to contact the obstacles according to the information generated by the adjustment unit.

[0098] According to this, if an obstacle is detected around the door (for example, within the door's rotation range), the door can be opened and closed in a way that avoids contact with the obstacle.

[0099] (Technical 10) The automatic door opening and closing device according to Technical 9, wherein the determination unit calculates the position of the obstacle multiple times, determines that the obstacle is a stationary object that does not move if the positions of the obstacle calculated multiple times are equal to each other, and determines that the obstacle is a moving object if the positions of the obstacle calculated multiple times include different positions.

[0100] According to this, different processing can be performed depending on whether the obstacle is a stationary or moving object. For example, if the obstacle is a moving object, the door can be prevented from opening or closing.

[0101] (Technical 11) An automatic door opening and closing device according to Technical 10, which references any of Technical 2 to Technical 4, wherein when the obstacle is determined to be a moving object, the operation determination unit causes the voice controller unit to select the warning sound for the obstacle, the warning sound output unit outputs the warning sound for the obstacle selected by the voice controller unit, and the obstacle detection sound output unit continues to output sound for detecting the obstacle until the obstacle is no longer detected or until the obstacle is determined to be a stationary object that does not move.

[0102] According to this system, if an obstacle around the door is a moving object, a warning sound is emitted to alert the obstacle that the door is opening and closing. This allows the obstacle to move away from the door, enabling the door to open and close without contact with it. Furthermore, the sound output for detecting the obstacle continues until the obstacle is no longer detected or until it is determined that the obstacle is a stationary object, allowing it to be determined whether the moving obstacle has since moved away from the door or is still standing there.

[0103] (Technical 12) An automatic door opening and closing device according to any one of Technical 9 to 11, wherein the adjustment unit determines the rotation angle of the door to an angle that does not come into contact with the obstacle based on the calculated position of the obstacle, and the drive unit controls the rotation of the door according to the information determined by the adjustment unit.

[0104] According to this, the door can be opened and closed at a rotation angle that does not come into contact with any obstacles.

[0105] (Technical 13) An automatic door opening and closing method performed by an automatic door opening and closing device having a door for opening and closing an entrance, comprising: a sound acquisition step for acquiring sound; a determination step for calculating the location of the sound source acquired in the sound acquisition step and determining whether the calculated location of the source is included in a command reception area; a sound recognition step for recognizing a sound command included in the sound of the source included in the command reception area if it is determined that the location of the source is included in the command reception area; an action determination step for determining an action for the door based on the sound command recognized in the sound recognition step; and a drive step for opening and closing the door according to the action determined in the action determination step.

[0106] According to this, it is possible to provide an automatic door opening and closing method that can suppress unintended opening and closing in an automatic door opening and closing device that operates by voice.

[0107] (Technical 14) A program for causing a computer to execute the automatic door opening and closing method described in Technical 13.

[0108] According to this, it is possible to provide a program that can suppress unintended opening and closing in an automatic door opening and closing device that operates by voice. [Industrial applicability]

[0109] This disclosure can be applied to automatic doors that open and close using voice commands. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0110] 1000, 3000 Automatic Door Opening and Closing Devices 1101~110N, 2101~210N, 3101~310N, 4101~410N, 5101~510N, 6101~610N: Voice acquisition unit 1200, 3200 Judgment section 1300, 3300 Voice Recognition Unit 1400, 3400 Operation Determination Unit 1500, 3500 Voice Controller Unit 1501, 3501 Memory section 1502, 3502 Sound generation section 1600, 3600 adjustment section 1700, 3700 drive unit 1800, 2800, 3800, 4800, 5800, 5800', 6800, 6800' Door 1900, 2900, 3900, 4900, 5900, 6900 Audio output section 2000 Command reception area 220A~220C Speakers 3910, 400A, 400A', 5001, 600B, 600B' Obstacles

Claims

1. An automatic door opening and closing device, Doors that open and close the entrance and exit, a voice acquisition unit that is installed around the entrance and acquires voice; a determination unit that calculates a position of a source of the voice acquired by the voice acquisition unit and determines whether the calculated position of the source is included in a command reception area; a voice recognition unit that recognizes a voice command included in a voice of the generation source included in the command receiving area when it is determined that the position of the generation source is included in the command receiving area; an operation determination unit that determines an operation for the door based on the voice command recognized by the voice recognition unit; a drive unit that opens and closes the door in accordance with the operation determined by the operation determination unit; Automatic door opening and closing device.

2. The automatic door opening and closing device further includes a warning sound output unit that outputs a warning sound when the door is opened or closed. The automatic door opening and closing device according to claim 1.

3. The automatic door opening and closing device further comprises: a memory unit for storing a plurality of sound data to be used as the warning sound; a sound controller unit that selects at least one piece of sound data from the plurality of pieces of sound data stored in the memory unit in accordance with the action determined by the action determination unit, The warning sound output unit outputs the warning sound based on sound data selected by the sound controller unit.

3. The automatic door opening and closing device according to claim 2.

4. The automatic door opening and closing device further comprises: a sound generation unit that generates sound data to be used as the warning sound; a voice controller unit that instructs the sound generator unit to generate sound data in accordance with the action determined by the action determination unit and selects the sound data generated by the sound generator unit, The warning sound output unit outputs the warning sound based on sound data selected by the sound controller unit.

3. The automatic door opening and closing device according to claim 2.

5. The automatic door opening and closing device further includes an adjustment unit that adjusts the opening and closing of the door in accordance with the operation determined by the operation determination unit, The drive unit opens and closes the door according to information from the adjustment unit. The automatic door opening and closing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. the adjustment unit generates information for gradually opening and closing the door in a plurality of stages, The driving unit opens and closes the door in stages in accordance with the information generated by the adjusting unit.

6. The automatic door opening and closing device according to claim 5.

7. The adjustment unit determines a rotation angle of the door, The driving unit controls the rotation of the door in accordance with information about the rotation angle determined by the adjusting unit.

6. The automatic door opening and closing device according to claim 5.

8. The adjustment unit determines the rotation speed of the door, The driving unit controls the rotation speed of the door according to the information about the rotation speed determined by the adjusting unit.

6. The automatic door opening and closing device according to claim 5.

9. The automatic door opening and closing device further includes an obstacle detection sound output unit that outputs a sound when the door is automatically opened or closed, the sound acquisition unit acquires a reflected sound of the sound output from the obstacle detection sound output unit, the determination unit detects an obstacle present around the door from the reflected sound and calculates a position of the detected obstacle; the adjustment unit generates information for opening and closing the door so as not to come into contact with the obstacle, according to the position of the obstacle calculated by the determination unit; The driving unit opens and closes the door in accordance with the information generated by the adjusting unit so as not to come into contact with the obstacle.

6. The automatic door opening and closing device according to claim 5.

10. The determination unit calculates the position of the obstacle multiple times, and if the calculated positions of the obstacle are the same, determines that the obstacle is a fixed object that does not move, and if the calculated positions of the obstacle include different positions, determines that the obstacle is a moving object. The automatic door opening and closing device according to claim 9.

11. The automatic door opening and closing device further includes an adjustment unit that adjusts the opening and closing of the door in accordance with the operation determined by the operation determination unit, the drive unit opens and closes the door in accordance with information from the adjustment unit; The automatic door opening and closing device further includes an obstacle detection sound output unit that outputs a sound when the door is automatically opened or closed, the sound acquisition unit acquires a reflected sound of the sound output from the obstacle detection sound output unit, the determination unit detects an obstacle present around the door from the reflected sound and calculates a position of the detected obstacle; the adjustment unit generates information for opening and closing the door so as not to come into contact with the obstacle, according to the position of the obstacle calculated by the determination unit; the drive unit opens and closes the door in accordance with the information generated by the adjustment unit so as not to come into contact with the obstacle; the determination unit calculates the position of the obstacle multiple times, and if the calculated positions of the obstacle are the same, determines that the obstacle is a fixed object that does not move, and if the calculated positions of the obstacle include different positions, determines that the obstacle is a moving object; When it is determined that the obstacle is a moving object, the operation determination unit causes the voice controller unit to select the warning sound for the obstacle, the warning sound output unit outputs the warning sound for the obstacle selected by the voice controller unit, and the obstacle detection sound output unit continues to output the sound for detecting the obstacle until the obstacle is no longer detected or until it is determined that the obstacle is a fixed object that does not move. The automatic door opening and closing device according to any one of claims 3 and 4.

12. the adjustment unit determines a rotation angle of the door based on the calculated position of the obstacle so that the door does not come into contact with the obstacle; The drive unit controls the rotation of the door according to the information determined by the adjustment unit. The automatic door opening and closing device according to claim 9.

13. An automatic door opening and closing method executed by an automatic door opening and closing device having a door that opens and closes a doorway, comprising: a voice acquisition step of acquiring voice; a determination step of calculating a position of a source of the sound acquired in the sound acquisition step, and determining whether or not the calculated position of the source is included in a command reception area; a voice recognition step of recognizing a voice command included in a voice of the generation source included in the command reception area when it is determined that the position of the generation source is included in the command reception area; an action determination step of determining an action to be taken with respect to the door based on the voice command recognized in the voice recognition step; a driving step of opening and closing the door in accordance with the operation determined in the operation determining step. How to open and close an automatic door.

14. A program for causing a computer to execute the automatic door opening and closing method according to claim 13.

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