Information providing system, information providing program, and information providing method

Abstract

To provide an information providing system that can improve user convenience.SOLUTION: An information providing system 1 includes a location information acquiring unit that acquires location information indicating the user's location, and a playback processing unit that references a sound data storage unit that stores, for each guidance point, a plurality of sound data including location information and a playback order of the plurality of sound data and a playback history storage unit that stores a playback history of each of the plurality of sound data for each guide point, controls playback of the plurality of sound data based on the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit, and stores the playback history for the plurality of sound data in the playback history storage unit. When the user's location enters the guidance start range, the playback processing unit starts playing the sound data according to the playback order, targeting sound data from among the multiple sound data related to the guidance point that is not recorded as having been played in the playback history, and ends the playback of the sound data when the user's location moves out of the guidance end range.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information providing system, an information providing program, and an information providing method. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known an information providing system that provides information by sound based on user location information. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an information providing system that stores detailed sound information and simple sound information, which has less information than the detailed sound information, in a storage unit in association with a guidance area on a map, and that plays back the detailed sound information corresponding to a guidance area that the user has entered, and then plays back the simple sound information when the user enters the same guidance area again. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-173781 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the information providing system disclosed in Patent Document 1, if a user moves to another location without listening to the detailed sound information reproduced in a specific guidance range to the end and then returns to the same guidance range, the sound information reproduced is changed to simple sound information instead of detailed sound information. Therefore, if the user moves to another location when the detailed sound information has been reproduced partway and then returns to the original location, the simple sound information is reproduced, making it impossible to hear the detailed content included in the detailed sound information from the middle.

[0005] Furthermore, in the information providing system disclosed in Patent Document 1, when a user enters a specific guidance range, playback of sound information is started, and when the user leaves the specific guidance range, playback of the sound information is stopped. The guidance range used for playing sound information is not visible to the user, but is set virtually, so the user feels abrupt as if the playback of sound information suddenly starts or stops.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide an information provision system, an information provision program, and an information provision method that enable improved convenience for users. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and an information providing system according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: An information providing system that provides location information about a guide location by sound, a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating a location of a user to whom the location information is to be provided; a playback processing unit that refers to a sound data storage unit that stores, for each guide point, a plurality of pieces of sound data including the point information and a playback order for playing back the plurality of pieces of sound data, and a playback history storage unit that stores, for each guide point, a playback history for each of the plurality of pieces of sound data when the plurality of pieces of sound data are played back, controls the playback of the plurality of pieces of sound data based on the location indicated by the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit, and stores the playback history for the plurality of pieces of sound data in the playback history storage unit, The reproduction processing unit When the location enters a guidance start range based on the guidance point, among the plurality of sound data related to the guidance point, sound data that has not been recorded as having been played in the playback history is selected as a playback target, and playback of the sound data is started in the playback order; When the location moves out of a guidance end range based on the guidance point, the playback is ended.

[0008] The present invention also solves the above-mentioned problems, and an information providing system according to another aspect of the present invention comprises: An information providing system that provides location information about a guide location by sound, a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating a location of a user to whom the location information is to be provided; a playback processing unit that references a sound data storage unit that stores sound data including the point information for each of the guide points, and controls playback of the sound data based on the location indicated by the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit, The reproduction processing unit When the location enters a guidance start notice range based on the guidance point, a notice is given that reproduction of the sound data will start; When the location enters a guidance start range that is based on the guidance point and is narrower than the guidance start notice range, playback of the sound data related to the guidance point is started; When the location moves out of a guidance end notice range based on the guidance point, a notice is given that the reproduction of the sound data will end; When the location moves out of the guidance end range which is based on the guidance point and is wider than the guidance end notice range, the reproduction is ended. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to an information providing system according to one embodiment of the present invention, when a user's location enters a guidance start range, a playback processing unit selects, from among a plurality of pieces of sound data related to the guidance point, sound data that has not been recorded as having been played in the playback history as the playback target, and starts playing the sound data in the playback order. Therefore, when a user re-enters a guidance start range that the user has previously entered, sound data that has been recorded as having been played in the playback history (played sound data) is not played, and sound data that has not been recorded as having been played in the playback history (unplayed sound data) is played as a continuation of that sound data. This improves user convenience.

[0010] In another aspect of the information providing system of the present invention, the playback processing unit notifies the user that playback of sound data will begin when the user's location enters a guidance start notification range, and starts playback of the sound data when the user further enters the guidance start range. If the user's location moves outside a guidance end notification range, the playback of the sound data will end, and if the user further moves outside a guidance end range, the playback of the sound data will end. Therefore, a notification to that effect is given before the user enters the guidance start range, and a notification to that effect is given before the user moves outside the guidance end range. This improves user convenience.

[0011] Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the detailed description of the invention that follows. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an example of an information providing system 1 according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a mobile robot device 2. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a data configuration diagram showing an example of a guide point setting storage unit 241. [Figure 4] 2 is a data configuration diagram showing an example of a sound data storage unit 242 and a playback history storage unit 243 according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a management device 3. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of the information providing system 1 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a playback state of sound data 12 according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a data configuration diagram showing an example of a sound data storage unit 242 and a playback history storage unit 243 according to the second embodiment. [Figure 9]10 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of the information providing system 1 according to the second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a playback state of sound data 12 according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] (First embodiment) 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an example of an information provision system 1 according to a first embodiment. The information provision system 1 is a system that provides location information about guide locations 11 scattered throughout a usage environment 10 by sound.

[0015] The information provision system 1 is used in a specific usage environment 10, such as an exhibition facility such as a museum or art gallery, a tourist facility, an amusement facility, a commercial facility, a station, an airport, or a hospital. Note that the usage environment 10 is not limited to the above-mentioned facilities, and the information provision system 1 can be used in any usage environment 10. Furthermore, the usage environment 10 may be indoors or outdoors.

[0016] The guidance point 11 indicates a specific point in the usage environment 10 and is specified by an X coordinate and a Y coordinate. Note that the guidance point 11 may be further specified by a Z coordinate indicating the height direction, for example, to take into account differences in the number of floors of a building.

[0017] The location information is an explanatory text for guiding or explaining to the user U the characteristics of the guide location 11. The explanatory text is made up of multiple sentences. For example, if the guide location 11 is an exhibit in an art museum, the location information is made up of multiple sentences for explaining the title, artist, explanation, etc. of the exhibit.

[0018] The information provision system 1 comprises, as its main components, a plurality of mobile robot devices 2 each used by a user U, a management device 3 used by an administrator M, and a network 4 that connects the mobile robot devices 2 and the management devices 3 so that they can communicate with each other. The number of mobile robot devices 2 and management devices 3 is not limited to the example in Fig. 1 and may be changed as appropriate. The network 4 may be wired, wireless, or a combination thereof, or may be a public communication network, a private communication network, or a combination thereof.

[0019] The mobile robot device 2 is a device that performs a movement control process to autonomously move in the vicinity of the user U, and an information provision process to provide the user U with location information by sound by playing sound data including location information about the guidance location 11.

[0020] The movement control process of the mobile robot device 2 can employ a user-operated movement mode or a user-following movement mode. In the user-operated movement mode, for example, the mobile robot device 2 determines the movement speed and direction based on the amount of operation of a grip operation unit 20, which is formed by a handle or the like held by the user U, and controls a drive unit 22, which is formed by a motor or the like. In the user-following movement mode, for example, the mobile robot device 2 determines the movement speed and direction so as to follow the user U based on the recognition result of a user recognition unit 21, which is formed by a camera, distance sensor, or the like, and controls the drive unit 22. Note that the appearance of the mobile robot device 2 is not limited to the suitcase-like shape shown in FIG. 1.

[0021] The management device 3 is configured, for example, by a general-purpose or dedicated computer that functions as a server or cloud, and includes a database 300 that manages various information. The database 300 stores sound data including location information about each guide location 11 and transmits it to each mobile robot device 2. In addition, the playback history of when sound data is played back by each mobile robot device 2 is received from the mobile robot device 2 and stored.

[0022] (Configuration of mobile robot device 2) 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a mobile robot device 2. In addition to the grip operation unit 20, user recognition unit 21, and drive unit 22, the mobile robot device 2 includes a position detection unit 23 that detects position information indicating the location of the user U, a storage unit 24 configured with an HDD, SSD, memory, etc., a control unit 25 configured with a processor such as a CPU, MPU, GPU, etc., a communication unit 26 that is a communication interface with the network 4, an operation input unit 27A configured with a touch panel, buttons, etc., a sound input unit 27B configured with a microphone, etc., a display output unit 28A configured with a touch panel, lamps, etc., a sound output unit 28B configured with a speaker, etc., and a vibration unit 28C configured with a vibration generator, etc., built into the grip operation unit 20. Note that if the user U is wearing a sound output device (not shown), such as earphones or headphones, sound may be output via the sound output device instead of sound output unit 28B.

[0023] The position detection unit 23 detects the location of the user U by receiving GNSS signals from a satellite system and position signals from position information transmitters (not shown) installed at various locations in the usage environment 10. The position detection unit 23 detects the current location of the mobile robot device 2, but since the user U is located near the mobile robot device 2, the current location of the mobile robot device 2 detected by the position detection unit 23 is considered to be the location of the user U, thereby detecting the location of the user U. The position detection unit 23 may be a combination of dead reckoning and inertial navigation.

[0024] The storage unit 24 has a map data storage unit 240, a guide point setting storage unit 241, a sound data storage unit 242, and a playback history storage unit 243, and also stores a mobile robot control program 244 for causing the mobile robot device 2 to execute a movement control process, and an information provision program 245 for causing the mobile robot device 2 to execute an information provision process. The storage unit 24 may be made up of multiple storage units, or may be made up of an external storage device (or multiple external storage devices) or storage media (or multiple external storage devices).

[0025] The map data storage unit 240 stores map data of the usage environment 10. The map data may be in any data format. It is preferable that the map data be updated as needed in response to changes in the usage environment 10 over time.

[0026] 3 is a data configuration diagram showing an example of the guide point setting storage unit 241. The guide point setting storage unit 241 stores, for each guide point, a guide point position 110 indicating the position of a guide point 11 set within the usage environment 10, a guide start range 111, a guide start advance notice range 112, a guide end range 113, and a guide end advance notice range 114. At this time, a guide point ID 11a for identifying the guide point 11 is assigned to each guide point 11.

[0027] The X and Y coordinates based on the origin on the map data are registered as the guide point position 110. Note that the Z coordinate may also be registered as the guide point position 110.

[0028] The guidance start range 111 is a range based on the guidance point 11. The guidance start range 111 defines a range within which playback of sound data will begin when the mobile robot device 2 enters the range. The guidance start notice range 112 is based on the guidance point 11 and is a range wider than the guidance start range 111. The guidance start notice range 112 defines a range within which a notice (playback start notice) will be given that playback of sound data will begin when the mobile robot device 2 enters the range.

[0029] The guidance end range 113 is a range based on the guidance point 11. The guidance end range 113 defines a range within which the playback of sound data will end if the mobile robot device 2 moves outside of that range. The guidance end notice range 114 is based on the guidance point 11 and is a range narrower than the guidance end range 113. The guidance end notice range 114 defines a range within which a notice (playback end notice) is given that the playback of sound data will end if the mobile robot device 2 moves outside of that range.

[0030] The guidance start range 111, the guidance start advance notice range 112, the guidance end range 113, and the guidance end advance notice range 114 are defined, for example, as a circle (guidance point ID = "POI-001") or a rectangle (guidance point ID = "POI-002"), but are not limited to these shapes. When each range is defined as a circle, the radius of the circle is registered. When each range is defined as a rectangle, the positions of each vertex of the rectangle are registered. Note that the guidance start range 111 and the guidance end range 113 may be set as a common range, or one of the ranges may be set wider. The guidance start advance notice range 112 and the guidance end advance notice range 114 may be set as a common range, or one of the ranges may be set wider. At least one of the guidance start advance notice range 112 and the guidance end range 113 does not have to be set in the guidance point setting storage unit 241 or may not be stored in the guidance point setting storage unit 241.

[0031] 4 is a data configuration diagram showing an example of the sound data storage unit 242 and the playback history storage unit 243 according to the first embodiment. The information stored in the guide point setting storage unit 241, the sound data storage unit 242, and the playback history storage unit 243 is linked to each guide point by the guide point ID 11a.

[0032] The sound data storage unit 242 stores, for each guidance point, a plurality of pieces of sound data 12 including location information about the guidance point 11, a playback order 120 for playing back the plurality of pieces of sound data 12, a total time 121 for each of the plurality of pieces of sound data 12, and permission 122 for skipping playback of each of the plurality of pieces of sound data 12.

[0033] The plurality of sound data 12 are, for example, sound data 12 for reading out a series of explanatory text about the guide point 11, which are divided into a plurality of pieces by dividing the data into paragraphs, sentences, etc. Therefore, the playback order 120 is allocated according to the series of explanatory text. Each of the plurality of sound data 12 may be created in an audio format in which the voice of a navigator or a computer voice is recorded, or may be created in a text format and converted into audio during playback. Total time 121 indicates the time required to play the sound data 12. Playback skip permission 122 determines whether skipping of the sound data 12 is permitted (permitted) or not (prohibited) when playing back the sound data 12.

[0034] The playback history storage unit 243 stores, for each guide point, the playback history of each of the plurality of sound data 12 when the sound data 12 is played. In this embodiment, the playback history stores a playback date and time 123 and a playback rate 124 indicating the playback time when the sound data 12 is played relative to the total time 121 of the sound data 12. Sound data 12 for which "0" is stored in the playback rate 124 is unplayed sound data 12, and sound data 12 for which "1" is stored in the playback rate 124 is sound data 12 that has been played in its entirety. For example, sound data 12 for which "0.5" is stored as the playback rate 124 is sound data 12 that has been played up to a time corresponding to 50% of the total time 121.

[0035] The control unit 25 executes the mobile robot control program 244 to function as a mobile robot control unit 250. The control unit 25 also executes the information provision program 245 to function as a position information acquisition unit 251 and a playback processing unit 252.

[0036] The mobile robot control unit 250 performs a movement control process to autonomously move in the vicinity of the user U according to the movement mode set by, for example, the operation input unit 27A or the sound input unit 27B. When set to the user operation type movement mode, the mobile robot control unit 250 determines the movement speed and movement direction based on the amount of operation by the user U on the grip operation unit 20, and controls the drive unit 22. When set to the user following type movement mode, the mobile robot control unit 250 determines the movement speed and movement direction so as to follow the user U based on the recognition result of the user U by the user recognition unit 21, and controls the drive unit 22.

[0037] The position information acquisition unit 251 acquires position information indicating the location of the user U to whom the location information is to be provided. In this embodiment, the position information acquisition unit 251 acquires, as position information, the location of the user U detected by the position detection unit 23. In this case, the position information acquisition unit 251 acquires, at a predetermined position acquisition period, position information indicating the location of the user U, which changes from moment to moment as the mobile robot device 2 moves together with the user U through the movement control process.

[0038] The playback processing unit 252 refers to the sound data storage unit 242 and the playback history storage unit 243, and controls the playback of the plurality of sound data 12 based on the location of the user U indicated by the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 251, and stores the playback history for the plurality of sound data 12 in the playback history storage unit 243. When the sound data 12 is played back by the playback processing unit 252, sound based on the sound data 12 is output via the sound output unit 28B (which may be a sound output device worn by the user U). Details of the playback processing unit 252 will be described later.

[0039] (Configuration of management device 3) 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the management device 3. The management device 3 includes a storage unit 30 configured with an HDD, SSD, memory, etc., a control unit 31 configured with a processor such as a CPU, MPU, GPU, etc., a communication unit 32 which is a communication interface with the network 4, an input unit 33 configured with a mouse, keyboard, touch panel, microphone, etc., an output unit 34 configured with a display, speakers, etc., and a device connection unit 35 which is a connection interface with recording media such as a USB memory, memory card, DVD, etc., and external devices such as a scanner, printer, etc.

[0040] In addition to the database 300, the storage unit 30 also stores a management program 301 that controls the operation of the management device 3.

[0041] The database 300 stores various types of information related to the guide points 11 and the sound data 12, similar to the guide point setting storage unit 241 and the sound data storage unit 242. The database 300 is edited by the administrator M via the input unit 33 and the output unit 34, for example, by adding, deleting, or correcting. When the database 300 is edited, for example, the various types of information stored in the database 300 are transmitted to each mobile robot device 2, and used as update data for updating the guide point positions 110, etc. stored in the guide point setting storage unit 241 and the sound data 12, etc. stored in the sound data storage unit 242.

[0042] The database 300 also stores the playback history of each of the multiple sound data 12 for each guide point. The playback history stored in the database 300 is the playback history stored in the playback history storage unit 243 received from each mobile robot device 2 and accumulated, and is used, for example, as data for analysis to determine the popularity of the guide point 11.

[0043] The control unit 31 executes the management program 301 to function as an update processing unit 310 and an analysis processing unit 311 .

[0044] When various information related to the guide point 11 and the sound data 12 stored in the database 300 is edited, the update processing unit 310 transmits the edited information to each mobile robot device 2, thereby updating the guide point positions 110, etc. stored in the guide point setting storage unit 241 and the sound data 12, etc. stored in the sound data storage unit 242. When updating the sound data 12, all of the multiple sound data 12 for a specific guide point 11 may be updated, or only some of the multiple sound data 12 for a specific guide point 11 may be updated.

[0045] The analysis processing unit 311 analyzes the playback history stored in the database 300 for each guide point and for each audio data. The analysis processing unit 311 analyzes the playback history for each guide point and for each audio data to determine the popularity of the guide point 11. Specifically, the analysis processing unit 311 determines the popularity of the guide point 11 by ranking the guide points 11 based on the results of tallying up to which playback order 120 of the multiple sound data 12 for the guide point 11 has been played, and the results of tallying up the number of times and frequency of playback of each sound data 12.

[0046] (Information provision method) An information providing method realized by the information providing system 1 having the above configuration will be described.

[0047] 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the information provision system 1 according to the first embodiment. Here, a case will be described in which various data have already been stored in the guidance point setting storage unit 241 and the sound data storage unit 242, and the playback history in the playback history storage unit 243 has been initialized, and the mobile robot device 2 performs the information provision process while performing the movement control process.

[0048] First, in step S100, the position information acquisition unit 251 acquires position information indicating the location of the user U as a detection result by the position detection unit 23 after a predetermined position acquisition period has elapsed.

[0049] Then, in step S110, the playback processing unit 252 determines whether or not the user U has moved into any of the ranges based on each guidance point 11, based on the location of the user U indicated by the location information acquired in step S100. Specifically, the playback processing unit 252 determines whether or not the user U has entered a guidance start notice range 112 based on any of the guidance points 11, whether or not the user has entered a guidance start range 111 based on any of the guidance points 11, whether or not the user has moved outside a guidance end notice range 114 based on any of the guidance points 11, and whether or not the user has moved outside a guidance end range 113 based on any of the guidance points 11. In this embodiment, if there is no change from the previous determination (one position acquisition cycle before), it is determined that the user U has not moved into any of the ranges.

[0050] If the playback processing unit 252 determines in step S110 that the user U's location has entered the guidance start notice range 112 (S111: Yes), then in step S120, a notice is given that playback of the sound data 12 will start (playback start notice). The playback start notice is given, for example, by lighting up a lamp by the display output unit 28A, by sound by the sound output unit 28B (which may be a sound output device), by vibration by the vibration unit 28C, or a combination of these. The playback start notice may be given only once or may be given repeatedly.

[0051] If the playback processing unit 252 determines in step S110 that the user U's location has entered the guidance start range 111 based on one of the guidance points 11 (S112: Yes), then in step S130, playback of the sound data 12 is started according to the playback order 120, with the sound data 12 related to the guidance point 11 being the sound data 12 that is not allowed to be skipped and the sound data 12 that is not recorded as having been played in the playback history being the sound data to be played.

[0052] If the playback processing unit 252 determines in step S110 that the user U's location has moved outside the guidance end notice range 114 based on any of the guidance points 11 (S113: Yes), then in step S140, a notice is given that the playback of the sound data 12 will end (playback end notice). The playback end notice is given, for example, by lighting up a lamp by the display output unit 28A, by sound by the sound output unit 28B (which may be a sound output device), by vibration by the vibration unit 28C, or a combination of these. The playback end notice may be given only once or may be given repeatedly.

[0053] As a result of the judgment in step S110, if the playback processing unit 252 determines that the user U's location has moved outside the guidance end range 113 based on any of the guidance points 11 (S114: Yes), playback of the sound data 12 is terminated in step S150.

[0054] Next, in step S160, the playback processing unit 252 stores the playback history (playback date and time 123, playback rate 124) of the sound data 12 in the playback history memory unit 243 according to the playback status of the sound data 12 from when playback starts in step S130 to when playback ends in step S150.

[0055] Then, in step S170, the reproduction processing unit 252 determines whether or not to end the information provision processing, depending on whether or not the user U has performed an input operation to instruct the end of the information provision processing, for example.

[0056] If the playback processing unit 252 determines in step S170 that the information provision process should not be terminated, it continues the playback of the sound data 12 and returns to step S100. That is, if the sound data 12 is currently being played, it continues playing the sound data 12 according to the playback order 120 of the sound data 12, and if the sound data 12 is not currently being played, it leaves the sound data 12 unplayed. On the other hand, if the playback processing unit 252 determines in step S170 that the information provision process should be terminated, it proceeds to step S180.

[0057] Next, in step S180, the playback processing unit 252 determines whether a predetermined initialization condition is satisfied. Examples of the initialization condition include when the user U performs an input operation to instruct initialization, when the mobile robot device 2 moves to a predetermined location (e.g., an exit of a museum), when it moves outside the usage environment 10, when a specified time arrives, when a specified period of time has elapsed since the playback history was last saved, etc.

[0058] If the playback processing unit 252 determines in step S180 that the initialization condition is satisfied, then in step S190, the playback history stored in the playback history storage unit 243 is transmitted to the management device 3, the playback history stored in the playback history storage unit 243 is initialized, and the series of processes ends. Note that step S100 corresponds to a position information acquisition step, and steps S110 to S190 correspond to a playback processing step.

[0059] The playback history transmitted to the management device 3 in step S190 is stored in the database 300 by the management device 3. At this time, the playback history is transmitted from each mobile robot device 2 to the database 300, and the playback history (playback date and time 123, playback rate 124) of each of the plurality of sound data 12 for the guide point 11 is stored for each guide point. The playback history stored in the database 300 as described above is analyzed by the analysis processing unit 311 of the management device 3 for each guide point and each sound data, thereby making it possible to determine, for example, the popularity of the guide point 11.

[0060] Fig. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the playback status of the sound data 12 according to the first embodiment. Fig. 7 illustrates the playback status when the flow chart shown in Fig. 6 is executed to play back the sound data 12 related to the guide point 11 identified by the guide point ID "POI-001."

[0061] When the user U first enters the guidance start range 111 based on the guidance point 11 of "POI-001," playback of the sound data 12 related to the guidance point 11 of "POI-001" begins in step S130. Then, when the third piece of sound data 12 has been played halfway (playback rate = 0.5), the user U moves out of the guidance end range 113, and playback of the sound data 12 is stopped in step S150. Thereafter, when the user U again enters the guidance start range 111 of the guidance point 11 of "POI-001," in step S130, the sound data 12 that are not permitted to be skipped (= D-001-1) and the sound data 12 that are not recorded as having been played in the playback history (= D-001-3, D-001-4, = D-001-5) are played according to the playback order 120.

[0062] As for sound data 12 for which playback is not recorded in the playback history, as shown in Fig. 7, sound data 12 that has been played halfway (=D-001-3), i.e., sound data 12 whose playback rate 124 is not "1", may be included as a playback target, or the playback target may be limited to unplayed sound data 12, i.e., sound data 12 whose playback rate 124 is "0", without including sound data 12 that has been played halfway. Furthermore, when sound data 12 that has been played halfway (=D-001-3) is included as a playback target, playback may be started from the beginning of the sound data 12, as shown in Fig. 7, or playback may be started from a continuation of when the sound data 12 was played, based on the playback rate 124 of the sound data 12.

[0063] As described above, according to the information provision system 1 and information provision method of this embodiment, when the location of the user U enters the guidance start range 111, the playback processing unit 252 selects, as the playback target, sound data 12 that is not recorded as having been played in the playback history from among the multiple sound data 12 related to the guidance point 11, and starts playing the sound data 12 according to the playback order 120. Therefore, when the user U re-enters the guidance start range 111 that the user U has previously entered, the sound data 12 that is recorded as having been played in the playback history (played sound data 12) is not played, and the sound data 12 that is not recorded as having been played in the playback history (unplayed sound data 12) is played as a continuation of it. This improves the convenience for the user U.

[0064] At this time, the sound data storage unit 242 stores the location information for the guide location 11 divided into multiple pieces of sound data 12 together with the playback order 120 for each guide location, and the playback history storage unit 243 stores the playback history of each of the multiple pieces of sound data 12 for each guide location. This makes it possible to partially update or replace the sound data 12, facilitating the management of location information by the administrator M. Furthermore, because the playback history is stored for each guide location and for each piece of sound data, it is possible to evaluate the popularity of the guide location 11, for example, by analyzing the playback history.

[0065] Furthermore, the playback processing unit 252 notifies the user U that playback of the sound data 12 will start when the user U's location enters the guidance start notification range 112, and starts playback of the sound data 12 when the user U further enters the guidance start range 111, and notifies the user U that playback of the sound data 12 will end when the user U's location moves outside the guidance end notification range 114, and ends playback of the sound data 12 when the user U further moves outside the guidance end range 113. Therefore, a notification to that effect is given before the user U enters the guidance start range 111, and a notification to that effect is given before the user U moves outside the guidance end range 113. Therefore, the convenience for the user U can be improved.

[0066] (Second embodiment) The information provision system 1 according to the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it changes point information related to the guidance point 11 based on the playback history of sound data 12 for related points indicating other guidance points 11 associated with the guidance point 11. Since the other basic configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment, the following description will mainly focus on the characteristic parts of the information provision system 1 according to the second embodiment.

[0067] FIG. 8 is a data configuration diagram showing an example of the sound data storage unit 242 and the playback history storage unit 243 according to the second embodiment.

[0068] In the sound data storage unit 242, in comparison with the first embodiment, for each guidance point, a related local association ID 11b indicating a related point associated with the guidance point 11, one or more change sound data 13 for changing the point information related to the guidance point 11 when point information related to the related local association ID 11b is provided, and a change playback order 130 for playing back the multiple sound data 12 and the one or more change sound data 13.

[0069] In contrast to the first embodiment, the playback history storage unit 243 further stores, for each guide point, a playback history of each of the one or more change sound data 13 when the one or more change sound data 13 are played back. In this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the playback date and time 123 and the playback rate 124 are stored as the playback history.

[0070] The playback processing unit 252 refers to the sound data storage unit 242 and the playback history storage unit 243, and controls the playback of the multiple sound data 12 and the one or more change sound data 13 based on the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 251, and stores the playback history for the multiple sound data 12 and the one or more change sound data 13 in the playback history storage unit 243.

[0071] 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the information providing system 1 according to the second embodiment. Note that the same step numbers are assigned to steps in which the same processes as those in the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0072] First, in step S100, the location information acquisition unit 251 acquires location information. Next, in step S110, the playback processing unit 252 determines whether the user U has moved to any of the areas based on each guidance point 11, based on the location of the user U indicated by the location information acquired in step S100.

[0073] As a result of the determination in step S110, if the playback processing unit 252 determines that the user U's location has entered the guidance start notice range 112 (S111: Yes), a playback start notice is given in step S120.

[0074] If the playback processing unit 252 determines in step S110 that the user U's location has entered the guidance start range 111 (S112: Yes), then in step S115 it determines whether the playback history stores the fact that multiple sound data 12 related to the related points associated with the guidance point 11 have been played.

[0075] Then, when the playback processing unit 252 determines in step S115 that it has not stored the playback of multiple sound data 12 related to the related point (S115: No), in step S130, it starts playback of the sound data 12 according to the playback order 120, targeting the sound data 12 related to the guidance point 11 that is not allowed to be skipped and the sound data 12 that is not stored in the playback history as having been played.

[0076] On the other hand, when the playback processing unit 252 determines in step S115 that it has been stored that multiple pieces of sound data 12 related to the related point have been played (S115: Yes), in step S131, it starts playing the sound data 12 and the change sound data 13 according to the change playback order 130, targeting the sound data 12 and the change sound data 13 that are not allowed to be skipped and the sound data 12 and the change sound data 13 that are not stored as having been played in the playback history, out of the multiple pieces of sound data 12 and one or more change sound data 13 related to the guidance point 11.

[0077] If the playback processing unit 252 determines in step S110 that the user U's location has moved outside the guidance end notice range 114 (S113: Yes), a playback end notice is issued in step S140.

[0078] If the playback processing unit 252 determines in step S110 that the user U's location has moved outside the guidance end range 113 (S114: Yes), then in step S150, the playback processing unit 252 ends the playback of the sound data 12. Next, in step S160, the playback processing unit 252 stores the playback history of the sound data 12 (playback date and time 123, playback rate 124) in the playback history storage unit 243 according to the playback status of the sound data 12.

[0079] Then, in step S170, the reproduction processing unit 252 determines whether or not to end the information provision processing, and if it is determined not to end the information provision processing, it continues the reproduction of the sound data 12 and returns to step S100. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S170 that the information provision processing is to end, it proceeds to step S180.

[0080] Next, in step S180, playback processing unit 252 determines whether or not a predetermined initialization condition is satisfied, and if it determines that the initialization condition is satisfied, in step S190, it transmits the playback history stored in playback history storage unit 243 to management device 3, initializes the playback history stored in playback history storage unit 243, and ends the series of processes. Note that step S100 corresponds to a position information acquisition step, and steps S110 to S190 correspond to a playback processing step.

[0081] Fig. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the playback status of sound data 12 according to the second embodiment. Fig. 10 illustrates the playback status when the flow chart shown in Fig. 9 is executed to play back sound data 12 related to a guide point 11 identified by a guide point ID "POI-001". In this case, the illustration shows a case in which a related point identified by a related point ID "POI-020" is associated with the guide point 11 identified by a guide point ID "POI-001".

[0082] When the user U first enters the guidance start range 111 based on the guidance point 11 of "POI-001," playback of the sound data 12 related to the guidance point 11 of "POI-001" begins in step S130. Then, when the third piece of sound data 12 has been played halfway (playback rate = 0.5), the user U moves out of the guidance end range 113, and playback of the sound data 12 is stopped in step S150. Thereafter, when user U visits a related point of "POI-020" and the sound data 12 containing location information about the related point is played back, and then the user re-enters the guidance start range 111 of the guidance point 11 of "POI-001", in step S131, the sound data 12 (=D-001-1) and the change sound data 13 (=DC-001-1) that are not allowed to be skipped for playback, and the sound data 12 (=D-001-3) and the change sound data 13 (=DC-001-2) that are not recorded as having been played back in the playback history are targeted for playback, and the sound data 12 and the change sound data 13 are played back in the change playback order 130.

[0083] As described above, according to the information providing system 1 and the information providing method according to this embodiment, it is possible to improve convenience for the user U, similarly to the first embodiment.

[0084] Furthermore, when the location of the user U enters the guidance start range 111, and the playback history does not record that multiple sound data 12 related to the related point associated with the guidance point 11 have been played, the playback processing unit 252 starts playing the sound data 12 in accordance with the playback order 120, targeting the sound data 12 of the multiple sound data 12 related to the guidance point that is not recorded as having been played in the playback history; and when the playback history records that multiple sound data 12 related to the related point associated with the guidance point 11 have been played, the playback processing unit 252 starts playing the sound data 12 in accordance with the playback order 130, targeting the sound data 12 and the one or more change sound data 13 related to the guidance point 11 that is not recorded as having been played in the playback history. Therefore, when the user U visits the guide point 11 after visiting the related point, the change sound data 13 is played back as the playback target, so that, for example, on the assumption that the user U has heard the point information about the related point, by preparing the change sound data 13, it is possible to enrich the point information about the guide point 11. Therefore, it is possible to improve the convenience for the user U.

[0085] (Other embodiments) Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention.

[0086] In the above embodiment, the information provision system 1 is mainly composed of a mobile robot device 2 and a management device 3, and the information provision method is realized by the information provision system 1. However, the information provision system 1 and the information provision method realized by the information provision system 1 may also be realized by other device configurations.

[0087] For example, the information provision system 1 may be realized by a portable computer such as a tablet, smartphone, or laptop computer that can be carried by the user U, instead of the mobile robot device 2, or may be realized by a wearable computer such as a watch, wristband, glasses, helmet, or clothing that can be worn by the user U. In that case, the control unit of the portable computer or the control unit of the wearable computer may execute the information provision program 245 to function as the position information acquisition unit 251 and the playback processing unit 252.

[0088] Furthermore, by transmitting and receiving various data between the mobile robot device 2 (which may be the above-mentioned portable computer or wearable computer) and the management device 3, some of the functions realized by the mobile robot device 2 may be realized by the management device 3. For example, some or all of the guide point setting storage unit 241, the sound data storage unit 242, and the playback history storage unit 243 may be stored in the storage unit 30 (which may use the database 300) of the management device 3, and some or all of the processing by the playback processing unit 252 (playback processing step) may be executed by the control unit 31 of the management device 3.

[0089] In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which sound based on the sound data 12 is output when the sound data 12 is played back, but a moving image or a still image may be output together with the sound via the display output unit 28A. In that case, the sound data 12 may be stored in the sound data storage unit 242 as data including moving image data and still image data.

[0090] In the above embodiment, the case where the information providing system 1 operates according to the flowcharts shown in Figures 6 and 9 has been described, but the order of execution of the steps may be changed as appropriate, or some steps may be omitted. For example, in step S160, the playback processing unit 252 may store the playback history of each sound data 12 in the playback history storage unit 243 individually at the timing when each sound data 12 is played, instead of storing the playback history of each sound data 12 collectively in the playback history storage unit 243.

[0091] In the above embodiment, the case where the sound data storage unit 242 stores the playback skip permission 122 for each of the multiple sound data 12 has been described, but the playback skip permission 122 may be omitted. In that case, the playback processing unit 252 may select the sound data 12 to be played back based only on the playback history in steps S130 and S131, without taking the playback skip permission 122 into consideration, and start playing the sound data 12.

[0092] In the above embodiment, the playback history storage unit 243 has been described as storing the playback rate 124 for each of the plurality of sound data 12, but as long as it stores a playback history, it is not limited to the playback rate 124. The playback history may be, for example, the playback time when the sound data 12 is played back, or whether or not the sound data 12 has been played back.

[0093] In the above embodiment, the mobile robot control program 244, the information provision program 245, and the management program 301 have been described as being stored in a storage unit, but they may also be provided by being recorded in an installable or executable file format on a computer-readable recording medium such as a USB memory, CD-ROM, or DVD. The mobile robot control program 244, the information provision program 245, and the management program 301 may also be stored on a computer connected to the network 4 and provided by being downloaded via the network. The mobile robot control program 244, the information provision program 245, and the management program 301 have been described as separate programs, but the information provision program 245 may also be realized as a program that includes the functions of the mobile robot control program 244 and the management program 301. [Explanation of symbols]

[0094] 1...information provision system, 2...mobile robot device, 3...management device, 4...network, 10...usage environment, 11...guidance point, 12...sound data, 13...sound data for change, 20...grasping operation unit, 21...user recognition unit, 22...driving unit, 23...position detection unit, 24...storage unit, 25...control unit, 26...communication unit, 27A...operation input unit, 27B...sound input unit, 28A...display output unit, 28B...sound output unit, 28C...vibration unit, 30...storage unit, 31...control unit, 32...Communication unit, 33...Input unit, 34...Output unit, 35...Device connection unit, 240...Map data storage unit, 241...Guidance point setting storage unit, 242...Sound data storage unit, 243...Playback history storage unit, 244...Mobile robot control program, 245...Information provision program, 250...Mobile robot control unit, 251...Location information acquisition unit, 252...Playback processing unit, 300...Database, 301...Management program, 310...Update processing unit, 311...Analysis processing unit

Claims

1. An information providing system that provides location information about a guide location by sound, a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating a location of a user to whom the location information is to be provided; a playback processing unit that refers to a sound data storage unit that stores, for each guide point, a plurality of pieces of sound data including the point information and a playback order for playing back the plurality of pieces of sound data, and a playback history storage unit that stores, for each guide point, a playback history for each of the plurality of pieces of sound data when the plurality of pieces of sound data are played back, controls the playback of the plurality of pieces of sound data based on the location indicated by the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit, and stores the playback history for the plurality of pieces of sound data in the playback history storage unit, The reproduction processing unit When the location enters a guidance start range based on the guidance point, among the plurality of sound data related to the guidance point, sound data that has not been recorded as having been played in the playback history is selected as a playback target, and playback of the sound data is started in the playback order; When the location moves out of a guidance end range based on the guidance point, the playback is ended. Information provision system.

2. The sound data storage unit whether or not the reproduction of each of the plurality of sound data items can be skipped is further stored for each of the guide points; The reproduction processing unit When the location enters a guidance start range based on the guidance point, among the plurality of sound data related to the guidance point, the sound data for which the playback skip is not permitted and the sound data for which playback is not stored in the playback history are targeted for playback, and playback of the sound data is started in the playback order. The information providing system according to claim 1 .

3. The playback history storage unit storing, as the playback history, a playback rate indicating a playback time when the sound data is played back relative to a total time of the sound data; The reproduction processing unit when starting the reproduction of the sound data to be reproduced, the reproduction is started from a continuation of when the sound data was reproduced, based on the reproduction rate of the sound data. The information providing system according to claim 1 .

4. The sound data storage unit further storing, for each of the guide points, related points indicating other guide points associated with the guide point, one or more pieces of change sound data for changing the point information related to the guide point when the point information related to the related point is provided, and a change playback order for playing back the plurality of sound data and the one or more change sound data; The playback history storage unit further storing a playback history of each of the one or more sound data for change when the one or more sound data for change are played back for each of the guidance points; The reproduction processing unit referring to the sound data storage unit and the playback history storage unit, and controlling playback of the plurality of sound data and the one or more replacement sound data based on the location indicated by the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit, and storing the playback history for the plurality of sound data and the one or more replacement sound data in the playback history storage unit; When the location enters a guidance start range based on the guidance point, and when the playback history does not store the fact that the plurality of sound data related to the related point associated with the guidance point has been played, the sound data of the plurality of sound data related to the guidance point that is not stored as having been played in the playback history is set as the playback target, and playback of the sound data is started in the playback order; when the playback history stores the fact that the plurality of sound data related to the related point associated with the guidance point has been played, the sound data and the one or more change sound data of the plurality of sound data related to the guidance point that is not stored as having been played in the playback history are set as the playback target, and playback of the sound data and the change sound data is started in the change playback order; When the location moves out of a guidance end range based on the guidance point, the playback is ended. The information providing system according to claim 1 .

5. The reproduction processing unit When the location enters a guidance start notice range that is based on the guidance point and is wider than the guidance start range, a notice is given that reproduction of the sound data will start. The information providing system according to claim 1 .

6. The reproduction processing unit When the location moves out of a guidance end notice range that is based on the guidance point and is narrower than the guidance end range, a notice is given that the reproduction of the sound data will end. The information providing system according to claim 1 .

7. an analysis processing unit that analyzes the playback history stored in the playback history storage unit for each of the guide points and each of the audio data; The information providing system according to claim 1 .

8. The reproduction processing unit When a predetermined initialization condition is satisfied, the playback history stored in the playback history storage unit is initialized. The information providing system according to claim 1 .

9. An information providing system that provides location information about a guide location by sound, a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating a location of a user to whom the location information is to be provided; a playback processing unit that references a sound data storage unit that stores sound data including the point information for each of the guide points, and controls playback of the sound data based on the location indicated by the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit, The reproduction processing unit When the location enters a guidance start notice range based on the guidance point, a notice is given that reproduction of the sound data will start; When the location enters a guidance start range that is based on the guidance point and is narrower than the guidance start notice range, playback of the sound data related to the guidance point is started; When the location moves out of a guidance end notice range based on the guidance point, a notice is given that the reproduction of the sound data will end; When the location goes out of the guidance end range which is based on the guidance point and is wider than the guidance end notice range, the reproduction is ended. Information provision system.

10. An information providing program for causing a computer to function as each unit included in the information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. An information providing method in which a computer provides location information regarding a guide location by sound, comprising: a location information acquisition step of acquiring location information indicating the location of a user to whom the location information is to be provided; a playback processing step of referring to a sound data storage unit that stores, for each guide point, a plurality of sound data including the point information and a playback order for playing back the plurality of sound data, and a playback history storage unit that stores, for each guide point, a playback history of each of the plurality of sound data when the plurality of sound data is played back, and controlling the playback of the plurality of sound data based on the location indicated by the location information acquisition step, and storing the playback history for the plurality of sound data in the playback history storage unit, The regeneration treatment step includes: When the location enters a guidance start range based on the guidance point, among the plurality of sound data related to the guidance point, sound data that has not been recorded as having been played in the playback history is selected as a playback target, and playback of the sound data is started in the playback order; When the location moves out of a guidance end range based on the guidance point, the playback is ended. Information provision method.

12. An information providing method in which a computer provides location information regarding a guide location by sound, comprising: a location information acquisition step of acquiring location information indicating the location of a user to whom the location information is to be provided; a playback processing unit that references a sound data storage unit that stores sound data including the location information for each of the guide locations, and controls playback of the sound data based on the location indicated by the location information acquired in the location information acquisition step, The reproduction processing unit When the location enters a guidance start notice range based on the guidance point, a notice is given that reproduction of the sound data will start; When the location enters a guidance start range that is based on the guidance point and is narrower than the guidance start notice range, playback of the sound data related to the guidance point is started; When the location moves out of a guidance end notice range based on the guidance point, a notice is given that the reproduction of the sound data will end; When the location goes out of the guidance end range which is based on the guidance point and is wider than the guidance end notice range, the reproduction is ended. Information provision method.

Images