Information processing device, information processing method, program, and information processing system

Abstract

The aim is to improve tour participants' satisfaction with the tour. [Solution] The information processing device 3 according to this embodiment includes a tour information transmission unit 332 that transmits tour identification information for identifying a tour that a tour guide will guide a tour participant to a guide terminal used by the tour guide, a tour information receiving unit 333 that receives the tour identification information from a participant terminal used by the tour participant, and a voice transmission unit 336 that transmits voice data indicating the guide's voice received from the guide terminal to the participant terminal that transmitted the tour identification information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, a program, and an information processing system for assisting a tour guided by a tour guide.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there is known an audio guide system in which audio guide data generated based on an audio guide manuscript created by a manuscript creation device is transmitted to a user terminal, and the user terminal can reproduce an audio according to the audio guide data (see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the method of reproducing a guide audio according to a manuscript created in advance as in Patent Document 1 above, the guide audio may not match the situation at the tour site, and the satisfaction of tour participants with the tour may decrease.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of these points, and an object thereof is to improve the satisfaction of tour participants with the tour.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An information processing device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes: a tour information transmission unit that transmits tour identification information for identifying a tour that a tour guide will guide a tour participant to a guide terminal used by the tour guide; a tour information receiving unit that receives the tour identification information from a participant terminal used by the tour participant; and a voice transmission unit that transmits voice data representing the voice of the tour guide received from the guide terminal to the participant terminal that transmitted the tour identification information.

[0007] The tour information receiving unit may receive the tour identification information transmitted by the participant terminal by reading the tour code corresponding to the tour identification information displayed on the guide terminal, which is then read by the participant terminal.

[0008] The information processing device may further include a display processing unit that causes the number of participant terminals that have transmitted the tour identification information to the information processing device to be displayed on the display unit of the guide terminal.

[0009] The information processing device may further include a storage unit that stores the number of tour participants in association with the tour identification information, and a display processing unit that causes the display unit of the guide terminal to display information indicating that the number of participant terminals that have transmitted the tour identification information to the information processing device has become equal to the number of tour participants.

[0010] If the information processing device receives information from the guide terminal indicating that the tour has ended, the audio transmission unit may refrain from transmitting the audio data to the participant terminal that transmitted the tour identification information corresponding to the completed tour.

[0011] The information processing device may further include a tour information generation unit that generates tour identification information corresponding to tour participants who do not wish to speak in the tour and tour identification information corresponding to tour participants who wish to speak in the tour. The voice transmission unit may transmit voice data indicating the voice of the person who wishes to speak, received from the participant terminal of the person who wishes to speak, to at least one of the participant terminals of other tour participants and the guide terminal.

[0012] The information processing device may further include a tour information generation unit that generates tour identification information corresponding to the language of the tour guide's voice as desired by the tour participant, and the voice transmission unit may transmit to the participant terminal voice data indicating the tour guide's voice converted to the language corresponding to the tour identification information transmitted by the participant terminal to the information processing device.

[0013] The information processing device may further include a display processing unit that, when it receives information from the guide terminal indicating that the tour guide permits chatting among the tour participants, causes the information processing device to display the characters indicated by the character information received from the participant terminal on the display unit of the participant terminal, and when it receives information from the guide terminal indicating that the tour guide does not permit chatting among the tour participants, prevents the information processing device from displaying the characters indicated by the character information received from the participant terminal on the display unit of the participant terminal.

[0014] A second aspect of the present invention relates to an information processing method comprising the steps of: transmitting tour identification information, which is executed by a computer for identifying a tour guide that a tour guide is guiding a tour participant, to a guide terminal used by the tour guide; receiving the tour identification information from a participant terminal used by the tour participant; and transmitting audio data representing the voice of the tour guide received from the guide terminal to the participant terminal that transmitted the tour identification information.

[0015] A program according to a third aspect of the present invention causes a processor in a data processing device to function as a tour information transmission unit that transmits tour identification information for identifying a tour that a tour guide is guiding a tour participant to a guide terminal used by the tour guide; a tour information receiving unit that receives the tour identification information from a participant terminal used by the tour participant; and a voice transmission unit that transmits voice data representing the voice of the tour guide received from the guide terminal to the participant terminal that transmitted the tour identification information.

[0016] An information processing system according to a fourth aspect of the present invention comprises a guide terminal used by a tour guide, a participant terminal used by a tour participant, and an information processing device capable of sending and receiving data with the guide terminal and the participant terminal, wherein the information processing device includes a tour information transmission unit that transmits tour identification information to the guide terminal for identifying a tour that the tour guide will guide the tour participant to, a tour information receiving unit that receives the tour identification information from the participant terminal, and a voice transmission unit that transmits voice data indicating the voice of the tour guide received from the guide terminal to the participant terminal that transmitted the tour identification information, the guide terminal has a guide communication unit that receives the tour identification information from the information processing device and transmits the voice data to the information processing device, and the participant terminal has a participant communication unit that transmits the tour identification information to the information processing device and receives the voice data from the information processing device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the satisfaction of tour participants with the tour. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0018] [Figure 1] This is a diagram illustrating the overview of the information processing system S. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the configuration of guide terminal 1. [Figure 3]It is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the participant terminal 2. [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing device 3. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing an example of the tour management table. [Figure 6] It is a diagram showing an example of the tour number table. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing an example of the setting screen displayed on the participant terminal 2. [Figure 8] It is a diagram showing an example of the reading status confirmation screen displayed on the guide terminal 1. [Figure 9] It is a diagram showing an example of the chat control screen displayed on the guide terminal 1. [Figure 10] It is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow executed by the information processing device 3 before the tour starts. [Figure 11] It is a diagram showing an example of the tour code reading screen displayed on the guide terminal 1. [Figure 12] It is a diagram showing another example of the tour management table.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] [Overview of the Information Processing System S] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the overview of the information processing system S. The information processing system S is a system for transmitting the voice of a tour guide to a participant terminal used by a tour participant. The information processing system S includes a guide terminal 1, a participant terminal 2, and an information processing device 3.

[0020] The guide terminal 1 is an information terminal used by the guide G who is a tour guide, and is a portable information terminal such as a tablet or a smartphone. The participant terminal 2 is an information terminal used by the participant P who is a tour participant, and is a portable information terminal such as a tablet or a smartphone. The information processing device 3 is a computer that transmits the voice of the guide G to the participant terminal 2, and is, for example, a server. The information processing device 3 can transmit and receive data with the guide terminal 1 and the participant terminal 2.

[0021] The basic operation of the information processing system S will be explained below with reference to Figure 1. When the information processing device 3 receives information indicating the start of a tour from the guide terminal 1 or the computer of the travel company operating the tour, it generates a tour ID. The tour ID is tour identification information used to identify the tour that guide G will lead to participant P. The information processing device 3 transmits a tour code containing the generated tour ID to the guide terminal 1 (see (1) in Figure 1). The tour code is, for example, a barcode or a two-dimensional code. A two-dimensional code is, for example, a QR code (registered trademark).

[0022] Guide terminal 1 displays the received tour code. Participant P reads the tour code displayed on guide terminal 1 using participant terminal 2 before the tour starts (see (2) in Figure 1). As a result, participant terminal 2 transmits the tour ID corresponding to the read tour code to information processing device 3 (see (3) in Figure 1). In this way, participant terminal 2 transmits the tour ID corresponding to the tour code received by guide terminal 1 from information processing device 3 to information processing device 3. As a result, guide G and participant P are associated with a common tour ID in information processing device 3.

[0023] When the tour begins, the information processing device 3 receives audio data from the guide terminal 1 indicating the voice of guide G (see (4) in Figure 1). The information processing device 3 then transmits the received audio data of guide G to the participant terminal 2 used by participant P, which is associated with guide G in the information processing device 3 (see (5) in Figure 1). As a result, participant P can hear the voice of guide G, who is guiding them on the tour, through the participant terminal 2 they are using.

[0024] In this way, the information processing device 3 can transmit the audio data from guide G received from guide terminal 1 to participant terminal 2 when participant P reads the tour code with participant terminal 2. This eliminates the need for guide G and participant P to carry a dedicated guide device during the tour, which has traditionally been used to deliver the tour guide's audio to tour participants. Furthermore, since audio data can be sent and received between guide terminal 1 and participant terminal 2, guide G can flexibly respond to the situation at the tour site or the reactions of the participants, and adjust the guide content according to the participants' interests. As a result, participant P's satisfaction with the tour can be improved.

[0025] Even if participant P can use participant terminal 2, this does not preclude participant P from using the aforementioned dedicated guide device. Guide G and participant P may use the dedicated guide device instead of participant terminal 2, or together with participant terminal 2, for example, if the tour site is in a location where the radio wave conditions for communication used by participant terminal 2 are poor, or if some participant P does not have a smartphone. For example, guide G may use guide terminal 1 and the audio transmitter, which is the main unit of the dedicated guide device, in conjunction to provide guidance. Participant P who has a smartphone may listen to the guide audio using participant terminal 2, while participant P who does not have a smartphone may listen to the guide audio using the audio receiver, which is the sub-unit of the dedicated guide device.

[0026] [Configuration of Guide Terminal 1] Figure 2 shows an example of the configuration of the guide terminal 1. The guide terminal 1 comprises a guide communication unit 11, a display unit 12, an operation unit 13, a microphone 14, a speaker 15, a storage unit 16, and a control unit 17. The control unit 17 comprises a display processing unit 171, an operation reception unit 172, a voice reception unit 173, and a voice processing unit 174.

[0027] The guide communication unit 11 is a communication interface for communicating with the information processing device 3 via a communication network such as the Internet. The guide communication unit 11 inputs the tour ID received from the information processing device 3 into the display processing unit 171. The guide communication unit 11 transmits audio data indicating the voice of guide G, which has been input from the voice reception unit 173, to the information processing device 3. The guide communication unit 11 inputs audio data indicating the voice of participant P, which has been received from the information processing device 3, into the audio processing unit 174.

[0028] The display unit 12 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. The display unit 12 displays various information in accordance with the control of the display processing unit 171. The display unit 12 displays, for example, a tour code. The operation unit 13 is a device that receives operation from the guide G, and is, for example, a keyboard, mouse, or touch panel.

[0029] Microphone 14 is a device for inputting the voice of guide G. Speaker 15 is a device for outputting the voice of participant P.

[0030] The memory unit 16 is a storage medium including ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory). The memory unit 16 stores the program that the control unit 17 executes. For example, the memory unit 16 stores a program that causes the control unit 17 to function as a display processing unit 171, an operation reception unit 172, a voice reception unit 173, and a voice processing unit 174.

[0031] The control unit 17 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). By executing a program stored in the memory unit 16, the control unit 17 functions as a display processing unit 171, an operation reception unit 172, a voice reception unit 173, and a voice processing unit 174.

[0032] The display processing unit 171 displays various types of information on the display unit 12. For example, the display processing unit 171 displays the tour code corresponding to the tour ID input from the guide communication unit 11 on the display unit 12.

[0033] The operation reception unit 172 receives various operations from the guide G and inputs data indicating the received content to the guide communication unit 11.

[0034] The voice reception unit 173 receives the voice of guide G and inputs the voice data indicating the received voice of guide G to the guide communication unit 11.

[0035] The audio processing unit 174 outputs the voice of participant P, indicated by the audio data input from the guide communication unit 11, to the speaker 15.

[0036] [Participant Terminal 2 Configuration] Figure 3 shows an example of the configuration of participant terminal 2. Participant terminal 2 comprises a participant communication unit 21, a display unit 22, an operation unit 23, a microphone 24, a speaker 25, an imaging unit 26, a storage unit 27, and a control unit 28. The control unit 28 comprises a display processing unit 281, an operation reception unit 282, an audio reception unit 283, an audio processing unit 284, and an image reception unit 285.

[0037] The participant communication unit 21 is a communication interface for communicating with the information processing device 3 via a communication network such as the Internet. The participant communication unit 21 transmits the tour ID entered from the image reception unit 285 to the information processing device 3. The participant communication unit 21 inputs the audio data indicating the voice of guide G, received from the information processing device 3, to the audio processing unit 284. The participant communication unit 21 transmits the audio data indicating the voice of participant P, entered from the audio reception unit 283, to the information processing device 3.

[0038] The display unit 22 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The display unit 22 displays various information in accordance with the control of the display processing unit 281. The operation unit 23 is a device that receives operations from participant P, and is, for example, a keyboard, mouse, or touch panel.

[0039] Microphone 24 is a device for inputting participant P's voice. Speaker 25 is a device for outputting guide G's voice. The imaging unit 26 is a device for capturing images, such as a camera. The imaging unit 26 captures an image, for example, an image containing the tour code displayed on the guide terminal 1.

[0040] The memory unit 27 is a storage medium including ROM and RAM. The memory unit 27 stores the program that the control unit 28 will execute. For example, the memory unit 27 stores a program that causes the control unit 28 to function as a display processing unit 281, an operation reception unit 282, a voice reception unit 283, a voice processing unit 284, and an image reception unit 285.

[0041] The control unit 28 is, for example, a CPU. The control unit 28 functions as a display processing unit 281, an operation reception unit 282, a voice reception unit 283, a voice processing unit 284, and an image reception unit 285 by executing a program stored in the memory unit 27.

[0042] The display processing unit 281 displays various information on the display unit 22. The operation reception unit 282 receives various operations from participant P and inputs data indicating the received content to the participant communication unit 21.

[0043] The voice reception unit 283 receives the voice of participant P and inputs the voice data representing the received voice of participant P to the participant communication unit 21.

[0044] The audio processing unit 284 outputs the audio of guide G, indicated by the audio data input from the participant communication unit 21, to the speaker 25.

[0045] The image reception unit 285 receives the image and inputs the tour ID corresponding to the tour code contained in the received image into the participant communication unit 21.

[0046] [Configuration of Information Processing Device 3] Figure 4 shows an example of the configuration of the information processing device 3. The information processing device 3 comprises a device communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, and a control unit 33. The control unit 33 comprises a tour information generation unit 331, a tour information transmission unit 332, a tour information reception unit 333, a display processing unit 334, an audio reception unit 335, and an audio transmission unit 336.

[0047] The device communication unit 31 is a communication interface for communicating with the guide terminal 1 and the participant terminal 2 via a communication network such as the Internet. The device communication unit 31 transmits the tour ID entered from the tour information transmission unit 332 to the guide terminal 1. The device communication unit 31 inputs the tour ID received from the participant terminal 2 to the tour information receiving unit 333. The device communication unit 31 inputs the audio data indicating the voice of guide G, received from the guide terminal 1, to the audio receiving unit 335. The device communication unit 31 transmits the audio data indicating the voice of guide G, entered from the audio transmission unit 336, to the participant terminal 2.

[0048] The memory unit 32 is a storage medium including ROM and RAM. The memory unit 32 stores programs executed by the control unit 33. For example, the memory unit 32 stores information processing programs that cause the control unit 33 to function as a tour information generation unit 331, a tour information transmission unit 332, a tour information reception unit 333, a display processing unit 334, a voice reception unit 335, and a voice transmission unit 336. The memory unit 32 also stores a tour management table and a tour participant table.

[0049] Figure 5 shows an example of a tour management table. In the tour management table, the participant ID, guide ID, tour ID, tour status, preferred language, and speaking preference are associated. The participant ID is information used to identify participant P of the tour. The guide ID is information used to identify guide G. The tour status indicates the status of the tour, specifically "On Tour" indicating that the tour is ongoing, or "Finished" indicating that the tour has ended.

[0050] "Preferred language" is the language of Guide G's audio that Participant P prefers. "Desire to speak" indicates whether or not Participant P wishes to speak through Participant Terminal 2 during the tour. In the following, Participant P who wishes to speak will be referred to as a Subspeaker, and Participant P who does not wish to speak will be referred to as a Listener.

[0051] Figure 6 shows an example of a tour participant table. In the tour participant table, the tour ID and the number of tour participants are associated. The number of tour participants is the total number of participants P who are scheduled to participate in one tour.

[0052] The control unit 33 is, for example, a CPU. The control unit 33 functions as a tour information generation unit 331, a tour information transmission unit 332, a tour information reception unit 333, a display processing unit 334, an audio reception unit 335, and an audio transmission unit 336 by executing an information processing program stored in the memory unit 32.

[0053] The tour information generation unit 331 generates a tour ID in response to receiving information from the guide terminal 1 or the travel agency's computer indicating that the tour is starting. The tour information generation unit 331 generates a tour code that includes the generated tour ID, for example. The tour information generation unit 331 inputs the generated tour code into the tour information transmission unit 332.

[0054] The tour information transmission unit 332 transmits the tour ID to the guide terminal 1. The tour information transmission unit 332 transmits, for example, the tour code entered from the tour information generation unit 331 to the guide terminal 1. The tour information transmission unit 332 associates the transmitted tour ID, the tour status (in tour) corresponding to the tour ID, and the guide ID of the guide G using the guide terminal 1 to which the tour ID was transmitted, and stores them in the storage unit 32 as a tour management table (Figure 5).

[0055] When the tour code displayed by guide terminal 1 is read by participant terminal 2, a settings screen is displayed on participant terminal 2 allowing them to select their preferred language and whether or not they wish to speak during the tour.

[0056] Figure 7 shows an example of a settings screen displayed on participant terminal 2. In the screen shown in Figure 7, when participant P enters their name, selects their preferred language and whether or not they wish to speak during the tour, and then selects "Send," participant terminal 2 sends the tour ID corresponding to the scanned tour code, along with the selected preferred language and setting information indicating whether or not they wish to speak, to the information processing device 3. Note that, if personal information protection is a priority, the settings screen shown in Figure 7 may not require participant P to enter their name.

[0057] The tour information receiving unit 333 receives the tour ID from the participant terminal 2. For example, the tour information receiving unit 333 receives the tour ID transmitted by the participant terminal 2 when the participant terminal 2 reads the tour code corresponding to the tour ID displayed on the guide terminal 1. Along with the tour ID, the tour information receiving unit 333 may also receive setting information indicating the name of participant P, the preferred language selected by participant P, and whether or not participant P wishes to speak. Each time the tour ID is received, the tour information receiving unit 333 may input tour ID reception information indicating that the tour ID has been received into the display processing unit 334.

[0058] The tour information receiving unit 333 associates the participant ID of participant P using participant terminal 2 that transmitted the tour ID to information processing device 3, the preferred language indicated by the received setting information, and whether or not the participant wishes to speak, as indicated by the received setting information, and stores this information in the storage unit 32 as a tour management table (Figure 5).

[0059] The display processing unit 334 displays the number of participant terminals 2 that have sent the tour ID to the information processing unit 3 on the display unit 12 of the guide terminal 1. For example, each time tour ID reception information is input from the tour information receiving unit 333, the display processing unit 334 increments the number of participants P who have read the tour code by 1. Then, for example, the display processing unit 334 displays the number of participants P who have read the tour code after the increment on the display unit 12 of the guide terminal 1. Because the display processing unit 334 operates in this way, the guide G can grasp the status of tour code reading in real time, making it easier to manage the tour.

[0060] The display processing unit 334 may identify participant P whose name is not included in the received names indicated by the setting information received by the tour information receiving unit 333, among the participant names included in the participant management table (not shown) which stores the tour ID and participant name in association with each other, as participant P who has not yet read the tour code. By operating in this manner, the guide G can have participant P who has not yet read the tour code read the tour code, thereby enabling the tour to start smoothly.

[0061] Figure 8 shows an example of the reading status confirmation screen displayed on guide terminal 1. Figure 8(a) shows an example of the reading status confirmation screen when there is a participant P who has not yet read the tour code. Guide G can determine the number of people whose codes have been read (3) and the total number of tour participants (4) by referring to the screen shown in Figure 8(a). Guide G can also determine the name (Sato) of participant P whose tour code has not yet been read.

[0062] The display processing unit 334 may cause the display unit 12 of the guide terminal 1 to display information indicating that the number of participant terminals 2 that have sent the tour ID to the information processing device 3 has become equal to the number of tour participants P. For example, when the number of people read after counting up becomes equal to the number of tour participants P identified by referring to the tour participant table shown in Figure 6, the display processing unit 334 may cause the display unit 12 of the guide terminal 1 to display a mark indicating that the guide G may begin speaking.

[0063] Figure 8(b) shows an example of a screen displaying the confirmation status when all participants P have read the tour code. As shown in Figure 8(b), the display processing unit 334 displays a microphone icon, which indicates that the guide G may begin speaking. The display processing unit 334 operates in this way, allowing the guide G to understand that all participants P have read the tour code and that it is okay to begin speaking.

[0064] The display processing unit 334 may control whether or not to enable the chat function between participants P in accordance with the instructions of Guide G. The chat function is a function for sending and receiving text or images. For example, if the information processing unit 3 receives information from Guide Terminal 1 indicating that Guide G allows chat between participants P, the display processing unit 334 will display the characters indicated by the character information received from Participant Terminal 2 on the display unit 22 of Participant Terminal 2. On the other hand, if the information processing unit 3 receives information from Guide Terminal 1 indicating that Guide G does not allow chat between participants P, the display processing unit 334 will not display the characters indicated by the character information received from Participant Terminal 2 on the display unit 22 of Participant Terminal 2.

[0065] Guide G can increase participant P's satisfaction with the tour by allowing chat in places where it would be convenient (such as during a normal tour, in noisy areas, or on a moving bus), enabling participants P to communicate with each other through chat. On the other hand, by not allowing chat in places where it is unsuitable for participants P to chat (such as dangerous areas with poor footing or visibility), Guide G can prevent participants P from walking while looking at participant device 2, thereby ensuring their safety.

[0066] Figure 9 shows an example of a chat control screen displayed on the guide terminal 1. In the screen shown in Figure 9, the guide G can select "Allow" to indicate that chat between participants P is permitted, or "Do not allow" to indicate that chat between participants P is not permitted. If "Allow" is selected, the display processing unit 334 may also display the chat content between participants P on the display unit 12 of the guide terminal 1, as shown in Figure 9.

[0067] In this case, the display processing unit 334 may also display an indicator (S) next to the participant P's name indicating that participant P is a sub-speaker or an indicator (L) indicating that participant P is a listener. This allows guide G to provide flexible guidance, such as speaking in a questioning tone to sub-speakers who have posted chat messages, while speaking in an explanatory tone to listeners who have posted chat messages.

[0068] The audio receiving unit 335 receives audio data representing the voice of guide G from the guide terminal 1. The audio receiving unit 335 may also receive audio data representing the voice of participant P from the participant terminal 2. The audio receiving unit 335 inputs the received audio data to the audio transmitting unit 336.

[0069] The audio transmission unit 336 transmits audio data indicating the voice of guide G received from guide terminal 1 to participant terminal 2, which sent the tour ID. For example, the audio transmission unit 336 transmits audio data indicating the voice of guide G input from audio reception unit 335 to participant terminal 2, which is used by participant P associated with guide G in the tour management table (Figure 5).

[0070] The audio transmission unit 336 may transmit audio data received from the participant terminal 2 of a participant P (sub-speaker) who wishes to speak during the tour to at least one of the participant terminals 2 of other participants P and the guide terminal 1 of guide G. A sub-speaker is, for example, a participant P whose desire to speak is "desired" in the tour management table (Figure 5).

[0071] With the audio transmission unit 336 operating in this manner, participant P, who is a sub-speaker, can not only listen to guide G's audio but also speak, thus increasing the sub-speaker's immersion in the tour. In addition, participant P, who is a listener, can hear not only guide G's audio but also the sub-speaker's audio, allowing them to learn information that they might not have received from guide G and to experience the lively atmosphere.

[0072] The audio transmission unit 336 may convert the audio data from guide G received from guide terminal 1 into the language desired by participant P, and then transmit the converted language to participant P's participant terminal 2. The language desired by participant P is, for example, the language set as "desired language" in the tour management table (Figure 5). The audio transmission unit 336 may also use an existing translation tool to perform the conversion to the desired language.

[0073] Because the audio transmission unit 336 operates in this manner, participants P who speak a different language from the one used by guide G can understand what guide G's voice is conveying, thus increasing their satisfaction with the tour. In addition, guide G's burden is reduced because they no longer need to provide separate explanations in the different language used by participants P.

[0074] The voice transmission unit 336 may invalidate the tour code after the tour ends. That is, if the information processing device 3 receives information from the guide terminal 1 indicating that the tour has ended, the voice transmission unit 336 may refrain from sending voice data to the participant terminal 2 that sent the tour ID corresponding to the completed tour. For example, if the information processing device 3 receives information from the guide terminal 1 including a completed tour ID indicating that the tour has ended, the voice transmission unit 336 may refrain from sending voice data to the participant terminal 2 of participant P associated with the completed tour ID in the tour management table (Figure 5).

[0075] By invalidating the tour code after the tour ends, the voice transmission unit 336 can prevent the tour code from being reused for another tour. The claimant who bills the travel agency using the tour code will bill the travel agency for the amount corresponding to the number of people who read the tour code for each tour. Therefore, by preventing the reuse of tour codes, it becomes easier for the claimant to manage the billing amount, and it is possible to prevent travel agencies from being billed for the wrong amount.

[0076] [Processing flow executed by the information processing device 3] Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow performed by the information processing device 3 before the start of a tour. The tour information generation unit 331 generates a tour ID (S1) in response to receiving information indicating the start of a tour from the guide terminal 1 or the travel company's computer.

[0077] The tour information transmission unit 332 transmits a tour code, including the generated tour ID, to the guide terminal 1 (S2). The tour information receiving unit 333 receives the tour ID transmitted by the participant terminal 2 when the participant terminal 2 reads the tour code displayed on the guide terminal 1 (S3).

[0078] The display processing unit 334 increments the number of participants P whose tour code has been read by 1 each time the tour information receiving unit 333 receives a tour ID (S4). The display processing unit 334 then displays the incremented number of participants on the display unit 12 of the guide terminal 1 (S5).

[0079] The display processing unit 334 determines whether the number of people read after the count-up is equal to the number of participants in the tour identified by referring to the tour participant table shown in Figure 6 (S6). If the display processing unit 334 determines that the number of people read is not equal to the number of participants in the tour (S6: NO), the process returns to S3, and the tour information receiving unit 333 receives the tour ID from the participant terminal 2. In this way, the tour information receiving unit 333 continues the process of receiving the tour ID from the participant terminal 2 until the number of people read becomes equal to the number of participants in the tour.

[0080] On the other hand, if the display processing unit 334 determines that the number of people read is equal to the number of tour participants (S6: YES), it displays a mark (microphone mark) on the display unit 12 of the guide terminal 1 indicating that guide G may begin speaking (S7). This allows guide G to begin the audio guide with all participants P able to hear guide G's voice through the participant terminals 2.

[0081] <Variation> In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the tour information generation unit 331 generates one tour ID for one tour. However, the tour information generation unit 331 may generate different tour IDs within a single tour, depending on the participant P's preferred language and whether or not they wish to speak.

[0082] The tour information generation unit 331 may generate a subtour ID corresponding to the language of the guide G's voice, as requested by the tour participant P. The tour information generation unit 331 may also generate a tour ID corresponding to a tour participant P (listener) who does not wish to speak during the tour, and a subtour ID corresponding to a tour participant P who wishes to speak during the tour (subspeaker).

[0083] The tour information generation unit 331 generates a subtour ID for each participant P, for example, based on their preferred language and whether or not they wish to speak. As an example, the tour information generation unit 331 may generate "T001_JP_SB" as the subtour ID for participants P in the T001 tour who have requested Japanese as the guide G's voice and who are also a participant (sub-speaker).

[0084] The tour information generation unit 331 may generate a tour code corresponding to each of the generated subtour IDs. As a result, the guide terminal 1 will display different tour codes depending on the desired language and whether or not the user wishes to speak.

[0085] Figure 11 shows an example of the tour code reading screen displayed on guide terminal 1. Participant P reads the tour code that corresponds to their preferred language and speaking preference from the tour codes displayed on the tour code reading screen using participant terminal 2. In this modified example, participant P does not need to select their preferred language and speaking preference from the settings screen shown in Figure 7, thus reducing the burden of work that participant P must do before the tour starts.

[0086] The participant terminal 2 transmits the subtour ID corresponding to the scanned tour code to the information processing device 3. The tour information receiving unit 333 receives the subtour ID transmitted from the participant terminal 2 and stores the received subtour ID in the storage unit 32 as a tour management table.

[0087] Figure 12 shows another example of a tour management table. In this tour management table, the subtour ID, tour status, preferred language, speaking preference, guide ID, and participant ID are associated. The subtour ID is the subtour ID received by the tour information receiving unit 333. The preferred language and speaking preference are the preferred language and speaking preference corresponding to the subtour ID received by the tour information receiving unit 333.

[0088] The audio transmission unit 336 may transmit audio data indicating the voice of a person who wishes to speak (sub-speaker), received from the participant terminal 2 of the person who wishes to speak, to at least one of the participant terminals 2 and guide terminal 1 of other tour participants P. The audio transmission unit 336 may also transmit audio data indicating the voice of guide G, converted into the language corresponding to the sub-tour ID transmitted by participant terminal 2 to the information processing device 3, to participant terminal 2.

[0089] [Effects of the Information Processing Device 3] As explained above, the audio transmission unit 336 in the information processing device 3 transmits audio data representing the voice of guide G received from guide terminal 1 to participant terminal 2. This eliminates the need for participants to carry a dedicated guide device, as has been done in the past, and allows guide G to respond flexibly to the situation at the tour site or the reactions of the participants, and to adjust the guide content according to the participants' interests. As a result, participant P's satisfaction with the tour can be improved.

[0090] Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of its gist. For example, all or part of the apparatus can be configured by functionally or physically distributing and integrating in any unit. Furthermore, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effects of the new embodiments resulting from the combinations are combined with the effects of the original embodiments. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0091] 1 Guide terminal 11 Guide Communications Department 12 Display section 13 Control section 14 Microphones 15 speakers 16 Memory section 17 Control Unit 171 Display Processing Unit 172 Operation Reception Section 173 Voice Reception Department 174 Audio Processing Unit 2. Participant terminals 21 Participant Communications Department 22 Display section 23 Control section 24 Microphones 25 speakers 26 Imaging Department 27 Memory section 28 Control Unit 281 Display Processing Unit 282 Operation Reception Section 283 Voice Reception Department 284 Audio Processing Unit 285 Image Reception Department 3. Information Processing Device 31. Device Communication Unit 32 Storage section 33 Control Unit 331 Tour Information Generation Department 332 Tour Information Transmission Department 333 Tour Information Receiving Unit 334 Display Processing Unit 335 Voice Receiver 336 Voice transmission unit S Information Processing System

Claims

1. A tour information transmission unit transmits tour identification information to a guide terminal used by the tour guide, which identifies the tour that the tour guide is guiding the tour participants through. A tour information receiving unit receives the aforementioned tour identification information from a participant terminal used by the tour participant, A voice transmission unit that transmits voice data representing the tour guide's voice received from the guide terminal to the participant terminal that transmitted the tour identification information, An information processing device having

2. The tour information receiving unit receives the tour identification information transmitted by the participant terminal by reading the tour code corresponding to the tour identification information displayed on the guide terminal, which is read by the participant terminal. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The system further includes a display processing unit that causes the number of participant terminals that have transmitted the tour identification information to the information processing unit to be displayed on the display unit of the guide terminal. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

4. A storage unit that stores the number of tour participants in association with the tour identification information, A display processing unit causes the display unit of the guide terminal to display information indicating that the number of participant terminals that have transmitted the tour identification information to the information processing device has become equal to the number of tour participants. It further possesses, The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

5. When the information processing device receives information from the guide terminal indicating that the tour has ended, the audio transmission unit will not transmit the audio data to the participant terminal that transmitted the tour identification information corresponding to the completed tour. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

6. The information processing device further includes a tour information generation unit that generates tour identification information corresponding to tour participants who do not wish to speak in the tour and tour identification information corresponding to tour participants who wish to speak in the tour. The voice transmission unit transmits the voice data representing the voice of the person wishing to speak, received from the participant terminal of the person wishing to speak, to at least one of the participant terminals and guide terminals of other tour participants. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

7. The information processing device further includes a tour information generation unit that generates tour identification information corresponding to the language of the tour guide's voice, as requested by the tour participant. The voice transmission unit transmits to the participant terminal voice data that represents the voice of the tour guide, converted into the language corresponding to the tour identification information transmitted by the participant terminal to the information processing device. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

8. The information processing device further includes a display processing unit that, when it receives information from the guide terminal indicating that the tour guide permits chatting among the tour participants, causes the information processing device to display the characters indicated by the character information received from the participant terminal on the display unit of the participant terminal, and when it receives information from the guide terminal indicating that the tour guide does not permit chatting among the tour participants, causes the information processing device to prevent the characters indicated by the character information received from the participant terminal from being displayed on the display unit of the participant terminal. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

9. A computer executes The steps include: transmitting tour identification information, which identifies the tour that the tour guide will be leading to the tour participants, to the guide terminal used by the tour guide; The steps include receiving the aforementioned tour identification information from a participant terminal used by the tour participant, The steps include: transmitting audio data representing the tour guide's voice received from the guide terminal to the participant terminal that sent the tour identification information; An information processing method having

10. The processor in the data processing device A tour information transmission unit transmits tour identification information to a guide terminal used by the tour guide, which identifies the tour that the tour guide is guiding the tour participants through. A tour information receiving unit receives the aforementioned tour identification information from a participant terminal used by the tour participant, A voice transmission unit that transmits voice data representing the tour guide's voice received from the guide terminal to the participant terminal that transmitted the tour identification information, A program designed to function as such.

11. The system comprises a guide terminal used by the tour guide, a participant terminal used by the tour participants, and an information processing device capable of sending and receiving data between the guide terminal and the participant terminal. The aforementioned information processing device is A tour information transmission unit transmits tour identification information to the guide terminal to identify the tour that the tour guide will be guiding the tour participants to. A tour information receiving unit receives the aforementioned tour identification information from the participant terminal, A voice transmission unit that transmits voice data representing the tour guide's voice received from the guide terminal to the participant terminal that transmitted the tour identification information, It has, The guide terminal has a guide communication unit that receives the tour identification information from the information processing device and transmits the audio data to the information processing device. The participant terminal has a participant communication unit that transmits the tour identification information to the information processing device and receives the audio data from the information processing device. Information processing system.

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