Audio guidance device and parking lot processing device

Abstract

To provide a voice guidance device for preventing voice output from being hindered while preventing rainwater from entering an enclosure, and having a product structure capable of realizing these at a low cost, and a parking lot processor equipped with the same.SOLUTION: A voice guidance device includes: an enclosure having an external aperture for outputting voice output from a speaker having a diaphragm to the outside; a speaker unit provided inside the enclosure and including the speaker having the diaphragm; and a voice guidance output unit for outputting a special sound at a timing that is not a timing of an operation to output voice guidance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a product structure and function that prevents rainwater from entering and makes the voice easy to hear in a voice guidance device, such as a parking lot processing machine installed in an outdoor or semi-outdoor parking lot. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, techniques have been disclosed for preventing intrusion of rainwater into outdoor products while not impeding audio output.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 aims to provide a speaker that can generate sufficient sound pressure to drain water that has seeped into the speaker grill of a portable wireless communication device, and discloses a technology in which the voltage applied to an AF amplifier is made higher than when an audio signal is output, and then a continuous low-frequency drainage signal is input to the amplifier instead of the audio signal, making the voltage applied to the AF amplifier higher than when an audio signal is output and increasing the amplitude of the output voltage to the speaker, and also inputting a continuous low-frequency signal instead of the audio signal to the amplifier, enabling the speaker to generate high sound pressure, and using that sound pressure to drain water that has seeped into the speaker grill.

[0004] Also, for example, Patent Document 2 discloses an outdoor terminal device that aims to provide an outdoor terminal device that ensures both sound volume and watertightness without increasing the size, and discloses a technology in which the main body case has an outer ridge around the speaker hole that penetrates the top plate, forming a gap space between the cover, the outer ridge having a cutout that connects the inside and outside of the gap space, and an approximately T-shaped inner ridge is provided between the speaker hole and the cutout in the gap space, and sound emitted from the speaker is released to the outside of the main body case via the speaker hole, the gap space and the cutout. However, even if water seeps in through the cutout, the interaction between the outer ridge and the T-shaped inner ridge, such as capillary action and surface tension, limits the intrusion of water into the speaker hole.

[0005] Furthermore, for example, Patent Document 3 discloses an electronic device that has a built-in sound source component such as a speaker and is waterproof, and aims to ensure good acoustic performance during use. In the cover member that is attached to a housing and covers a waterproof speaker, a blasting process is performed on the back surface of the cover member, in an area where there are numerous sound emission holes through which the sound from the speaker passes, to ensure a predetermined roughness that reduces the interfacial tension with water, and improves the affinity with water around each sound emission hole, thereby preventing water that has adhered to the sound emission hole from remaining there due to surface tension and preventing the sound emission hole from being blocked by water. In addition, a configuration is disclosed in which multiple vertically arranged sound emission holes are connected by guide grooves, and water that has adhered to the sound emission holes is effectively allowed to flow downward via the guide grooves. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-041292 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2011-087175 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2004-193291 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In the technology of Patent Document 1 mentioned above, when draining water from a portable wireless communication device, high sound pressure is applied to the speaker to drain the water, but this requires the user to determine whether water has entered the device or not, and the user has to go through the trouble of performing the operation to drain the water, which is cumbersome.

[0008] Furthermore, while the technology of Patent Document 2 above may indeed reduce water intrusion, it is difficult for sound to reach the outside of the housing, and from the perspective of a user being able to hear sound, it is difficult to say that this is an effective countermeasure.

[0009] Furthermore, in the technique of Patent Document 3, blast processing and the like requires expense and labor, resulting in increased costs.

[0010] The objective of the technology of the present invention is to realize a voice guidance device having a product structure that can prevent rainwater from entering the inside of the casing while preventing audio output from being obstructed, and that can achieve these goals inexpensively, as well as a parking lot processing machine equipped with the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] 1) In order to solve the above problems, the first voice guidance device of the present invention comprises: A housing and a speaker unit provided inside the housing and including a speaker having a diaphragm; Equipped with the housing has an external opening through which sound output from the speaker is output to the outside of the housing, the speaker unit has a plurality of internal openings at positions corresponding to the positions of the diaphragms of the speakers; the external opening and the plurality of internal openings are arranged across a space so as not to overlap with each other when viewed from the front of the housing, the external opening is configured by arranging a plurality of elongated holes having different lengths in a vertical direction in a front view of the housing, and is disposed below the internal opening hole in the front view, The lower ends of the plurality of long holes of the external opening are all formed at the same height position, and the height position is flush with the bottom surface of the space portion. It is characterized by:

[0012] According to the voice guidance device described in 1) above, even if rainwater or the like falls on the device and seeps in through the external opening, the bottom of the space (gutter) and the lower end of the long hole are at the same height, so the water is immediately drained to the outside and rainwater does not accumulate inside. In addition, since the external opening is formed of a plurality of long holes of different lengths, even if a water film forms on the external opening due to the surface tension of water, the balance with the surface tension of water is different for any of the external openings of different lengths, so the water film does not form on all of the external openings, and the voice output is not hindered, making it difficult for the user to hear. In addition, since the external opening and the plurality of internal opening holes are arranged so as not to overlap each other when viewed from the front, separated by the space, rainwater or the like does not directly fall into the internal opening holes.

[0013] 2) In order to solve the above problems, the second voice guidance device of the present invention is the first voice guidance device, A voice guidance output unit is provided, The voice guidance output unit outputs a special sound at a timing other than the timing of an operation for outputting voice guidance. It is characterized by:

[0014] According to the voice guidance device described in 2) above, the effect of the special sound makes it difficult for pests, etc. to invade the inside of the external opening, and prevents pests, etc. and their corpses from accumulating in the space, obstructing the flow of sound and making it difficult to hear.

[0015] 3) In order to solve the above problems, the third voice guidance device of the present invention is the second voice guidance device, The special sound includes a frequency sweep sound and an infrasonic hum sound, The voice guidance output unit periodically switches between the frequency sweep sound and the hum sound at the timing of outputting the special sound. It is characterized by:

[0016] According to the voice guidance device described in 3) above, it is possible to eliminate various pests by using anti-mosquito sounds that are said to be effective against mosquitoes, sweep sounds containing multiple frequencies that are said to be effective against other pests, and hum sounds that propagate mainly as vibrations in the air.

[0017] 4) In order to solve the above problems, the parking fee payment machine of the present invention comprises: The vehicle is equipped with the voice guidance device described in 2) or 3), The voice guidance device includes: A voice guidance operation related to the settlement operation is output from the start to the end of the settlement operation, The special sound is output at a timing other than the settlement operation.

[0018] According to the parking fee payment machine described in 4) above, users will not feel uncomfortable due to special sounds. Effect of the Invention

[0019] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a voice guidance device having a product structure that can prevent rainwater from entering the inside of the housing while preventing audio output from being obstructed, and to provide these features at low cost, as well as a parking lot processing machine equipped with the same. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a parking lot according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is an external view of a parking fee settlement machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 is a block diagram of a parking fee payment machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a control function block diagram of a CPU 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 1 is a diagram showing the mounting structure of the internal components of the audio output unit of a parking fee payment machine according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 6] 1 is a detailed installation diagram of internal components of the audio output unit of the parking fee payment machine according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a parking fee payment machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are preferred specific examples of the present invention and disclose various preferred techniques, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to these aspects.

[0022] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a parking lot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of an entrance lane 191 and an exit lane 192 of the parking lot 1 installed outdoors. As shown in FIG. 1, the parking lot 1 is provided with an entrance lane 191 and an exit lane 192, and an island 193 is provided between the entrance lane 191 and the exit lane 192. On the island 193, a parking ticket issuing machine (entrance ticket issuing machine) 100a and an entrance gate opening / closing machine 194 are provided toward the entrance lane 191 side, and an exit payment machine 100c and an exit gate opening / closing machine 195 are provided toward the exit lane 192 side. On the opposite side of the other island 193 across the exit lane 192, a prepayment machine 100b is provided. A protective roof 195 is provided to cover the parking ticket issuing machine 100a, the exit payment machine 100c, and the prepayment machine 100b from above.

[0023] Although the entrance lane 191, the exit lane 192, and the equipment placed in the vicinity are protected by a protective roof 195 as shown in the figure, rainwater cannot be completely prevented. The protective roof 195 can only function to protect users, rather than the equipment, from getting wet as much as possible in the event of rain, etc.

[0024] 2 is a perspective view of a parking fee adjustment machine 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Here, the parking fee adjustment machine 100 is a collective term for the parking ticket issuing machine 100a, the exit adjustment machine 100c, and the advance adjustment machine 100b.

[0025] The parking fee payment machine 100 is rectangular and has a front panel 1311 covering the entire upper part of the side facing the user. On this front panel 1311, a touch panel display (operation unit) 134 is arranged at the upper center, a ticket insertion / removal opening 1312 for a parking ticket or card at the central center, a bill insertion / dispensing shutter section 1314 at the lower center, a QR code reader (QR code is a registered trademark) 182 at the lower left side, and a change / receipt removal opening 1318 at the lower right side.

[0026] The front panel 1311 further includes a non-contact IC card reader 136 at the center left side, and a coin slot 1315, a payment cancellation button 137, and an attendant call button 1317 at the center right side. The touch panel display 134 may be replaced by buttons, a numeric keypad, or the like, as the operation unit.

[0027] The touch panel display 134 has a screen that displays the date and time of use, the name of the parking lot, the parking fee, an explanation of how to operate the parking lot, etc. The touch panel display 134 displays various selection keys for the user to use for settlement, receipt issuing, and, in the case of an individually locking (flap type) parking lot, to input the parking space number, etc.

[0028] The QR code reader 182 is, for example, an optical reading device with a built-in laser scanner. The QR code reader 182 scans a laser beam from inside to outside, covered by a transparent cover on the front panel 1311, to read a code printed on a receipt or the like held up to the transparent cover. It is also possible to read a code included in an image output on the screen of a mobile terminal such as a smartphone held by a user.

[0029] The parking fee settlement machine 100 is equipped with a contactless IC card reader 136 that can handle various types of electronic money payments in addition to payments with regular bills and coins. This contactless IC card reader 136 is a multi-type IC card reader that can read contactless IC cards with electronic money functions, such as transportation electronic money, distribution electronic money, and unique IC cards issued by the parking facility. Note that media using contactless IC chips are not limited to cards, and also include contactless IC tags and smartphones equipped with contactless IC chips. In this application, contactless readers for these various media are collectively referred to as contactless IC card readers. Furthermore, the above-mentioned QR code reader 182 capable of reading codes is also a type of contactless reader.

[0030] In the parking fee payment machine 100 equipped with these multiple payment methods, the operation method may be displayed as animation or the like on the touch panel display 134 to guide the user in understanding the operation method for the payment process, and further has a function of outputting sound from the sound output unit 140 to guide the user's operation. For this purpose, the sound output unit 140 is provided with a speaker 141 described later inside a plurality of openings (speaker holes 146) opened in the front door 145 below the front panel 1311, and is adapted to output sound from the openings (speaker holes 146).

[0031] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the parking fee payment machine of FIG.

[0032] The parking fee adjustment machine 100 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 110 as a control device, a memory 120, and an interface unit 130 connected to these via a bus 125. The memory 120 is composed of a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a flash memory, etc., and stores programs for executing various functions of the CPU 110 described later, various parking data, etc.

[0033] The interface unit 130 is further connected to a touch panel display 134, a card reader / writer 135, a non-contact IC card reader 136, a settlement cancellation button 137, a receipt printer 131, a coin selector 132, a bill / coin dispensing device 133, a bill reader 138, an audio output unit 140, a communication unit 160, an I / O signal terminal 171, and a vehicle sensor (vehicle detection unit) 172.

[0034] The audio output unit 140 also includes a speaker 141, an amplifier circuit (not shown), and an amplifier power switching circuit (not shown). However, sound source data for voice synthesis and the like is stored in the memory 120.

[0035] In addition, when the parking fee adjustment machine 100 is a pre-payment machine 100b, instead of the above-mentioned I / O signal terminal 171 and vehicle sensor (vehicle detection unit) 172, a human presence sensor 181, a QR code reader 182, and an intercom (attendant call button) 183 are connected.

[0036] Each element connected to these interface units 130 is controlled by the CPU 110, and the user can smoothly perform operations based on, for example, screen displays on the touch panel display 134 and audio guidance from the audio output unit 140. It is also possible to talk to an operator by using the intercom 183.

[0037] Card reader / writer 135 writes predetermined information (entry date and time, discount information, vehicle number, identification number, etc.) onto the magnetic stripe of the parking ticket, and prints this predetermined information on the parking ticket. Then, card reader / writer 135 reads the predetermined information of the parking ticket inserted into ticket insertion / removal slot 1312 from the magnetic stripe, and settles the parking fee based on the entry time and discount information.

[0038] The coin selector 132 selects and counts coins inserted into the coin slot. The bill reader 138 selects and counts bills inserted into the bill insertion / dispensing shutter section. The bill / coin dispensing device 133 counts the change etc. upon settlement and dispenses it to the bill insertion / dispensing shutter 1314 or the change / receipt outlet 1318. The receipt printer 131 prints the settlement amount, entry date and time etc. on receipt paper and issues it as a receipt.

[0039] The communication unit 160 is a NIC (Network Interface Card) for communicating with other devices such as a parking lot management device (not shown) via a LAN (Local Area Network) / Internet, and may be combined with a modem, a router, or other communication devices. The LAN line may be wired or wireless.

[0040] The vehicle sensor 172 is connected to loop coils embedded in front of and behind the entrance / exit gate of the gate opening / closing device (see FIG. 1). The vehicle sensor 172 works in cooperation with the loop coil to function as a vehicle detection sensor and detects whether or not a vehicle is entering or exiting. The loop coil is made up of a pair of coils on the entrance lane side (first loop coil) and the exit lane side (second loop coil). Note that an optical sensor that uses infrared rays, for example, may be used instead as the vehicle sensor 172.

[0041] The I / O signal terminal 171 is connected to a gate opening / closing device and is a connection terminal for an input / output signal line necessary for the opening / closing operation of the entrance / exit gate. There may be an image acquisition unit that acquires an image taken by a camera installed in the entrance lane or the exit lane.

[0042] 4 is a control function block diagram of the CPU 110 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The CPU 110 includes a fee calculation unit 111, a settlement processing unit 112, a vehicle / human body detection unit 113, a settlement information transmission unit 114, an environmental information reception unit 115, an environmental information analysis unit 116, and a special sound generation output unit 117. These functional units are realized by the CPU 110 executing a program stored in the memory 120.

[0043] As described below, the fee calculation unit 111 and the settlement processing unit 112 execute the processes required for settlement of the parking lot 1 in which the parking fee settlement machine 100 is installed.

[0044] The vehicle / human body detection unit 113 detects the start and end of a payment operation, as described below. Note that the vehicle detection unit is the one in the exit payment machine 100c, and the human body detection unit is the one in the pre-payment machine 100b.

[0045] The settlement information transmitting unit 114 transmits settlement information, which is information output as a result of the processing required for settlement, to the parking lot management device or the like when the processing required for settlement by the settlement processing unit 112 is completed.

[0046] The functions of the environmental information receiving unit 115, the environmental information analyzing unit 116, and the special sound generating and outputting unit 117 will be described in detail later.

[0047] FIG. 5 shows a mounting structure for internal parts constituting the audio output unit 140 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] As shown in the figure, the audio output unit 140 has a front door 145 and a speaker unit 148.

[0049] The front door 145 is a part of the housing of the parking fee settlement machine 100, and is made of a steel plate in consideration of crime prevention. The front door 145 has a plurality of slit-shaped speaker holes 146 (external openings) with a width almost equal to the thickness of the steel plate. Each of the speaker holes 146 is a slit (long hole) with the vertical direction as the longitudinal direction. The plurality of speaker holes 146 are installed in parallel in the horizontal direction. In addition, the slit parts at both ends of the opening range of the speaker hole 146 are the longest vertically, and the length gradually decreases toward the center. However, the lower ends of the plurality of slit-shaped speaker holes 146 are aligned at the same height. As a result, the plurality of slit-shaped speaker holes 146 are opened so as to be generally concave when the front door 145 is viewed from the front.

[0050] The speaker unit 148 includes a speaker 141 , a speaker cover 142 , a speaker opening 143 , and a packing 144 .

[0051] The packing 144 abuts against the back side of the front door 145. The packing 144 has a rectangular hollow shape and is made of a flexible material. Double-sided tape is attached to the back side of the packing 144, and the packing 144 is attached to the speaker cover 142. The speaker cover 142 is made of resin, has an open space on the back side, and has a number of speaker openings 143 on the front side. Mounting parts protrude from both sides of the speaker cover 142. A mounting part (not shown) also protrudes from the back side of the front door 145. The mounting parts of the speaker cover 142 and the mounting part on the back side of the front door 145 are fitted together with the packing 144 sandwiched between the speaker cover 142 and the front door 145, and in the fitted state, the speaker cover 142 is nut-tightened from the back side with a mounting screw (not shown).

[0052] Speaker 141 is inserted into speaker cover 142 from the back side thereof and secured in place with mounting screws (not shown). With these attached, packing 144 is sandwiched between the back surface of front door 145 and the front surface of speaker cover 142, and is attached while being compressed slightly from its thickness before attachment.

[0053] Fig. 6 is a detailed installation diagram of internal parts of the audio output unit 140 of the parking fee payment machine 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The front view of Fig. 6(1) shows the relationship between the position of the speaker hole 146, the position of the packing 144, and the position of the speaker opening hole 143 when viewed from the front of the front door 145. Fig. 6(2) is a cross-sectional view of the part indicated by the arrow in the front view.

[0054] As shown in the figure, a plurality of speaker openings 143 (internal openings) are located in an area corresponding to the position of the cone (an example of a diaphragm) of speaker 141 inside speaker cover 142. Speaker hole 146 (external opening) and the plurality of speaker openings 143 (internal openings) are arranged so as not to overlap each other in a front view, separated by space 147. In this embodiment, speaker hole 146 is arranged below the area where speaker openings 143 are opened, i.e., the area corresponding to the position of the cone, in a front view.

[0055] Speaker hole 146 (external opening) is formed so as to have a plurality of vertical elongated holes of different lengths arranged side by side. Speaker hole 146 (external opening) is disposed outside the opening region of speaker opening hole 143 (internal opening). The lower ends of the elongated holes of speaker hole 146 (external opening) are formed at the same height position, and packing 144 is positioned so as to form the bottom (gutter portion) of space 147 at that height position. In other words, the vertical bottom of space 147 and the lower ends of each slit of speaker hole 136 are flush with each other.

[0056] According to the voice output unit 140 (one example of a voice guidance device) configured in this way, even if rainwater or the like falls on the device and seeps in through the speaker hole 146 (external opening), the bottom (gutter) of the space 147 and the lower end of the long hole are at the same height, so the water is immediately drained to the outside and rainwater does not accumulate inside. Also, since the speaker hole 146 (external opening) is formed of a plurality of long holes of different lengths, even if a water film forms on the speaker hole 146 (external opening) due to the surface tension of water, the balance of the surface tension of water is different between the speaker holes 146 (external openings) of different lengths, so the water film does not form on all the speaker holes 146 (external openings), and the voice output is not hindered due to the water film making it difficult for the user to hear. Furthermore, since the speaker hole 146 (external opening) and the multiple speaker opening holes 143 (internal opening holes) are arranged so as not to overlap each other when viewed from the front, separated by the space 147, rainwater, etc. will not fall directly into the speaker opening hole 143 (internal opening hole).

[0057] The speaker opening 143 (internal opening) may be protected by a waterproof membrane sheet that prevents water from entering while not interfering with the audio output of the speaker 141. Alternatively, the cone of the speaker 141 may be made of a waterproof material or treated to be waterproof. However, the waterproof membrane sheet may muffle the audio output, making it difficult for users to hear, so a water drain hole inside the speaker (not shown) may open downward without providing a waterproof membrane sheet, but it is preferable to protect the speaker opening 143 (internal opening) with a coarse-meshed sheet to prevent the entry of pests, which will be described later.

[0058] In this way, the structural features of this embodiment can prevent the deterioration of the voice guidance output performance due to the intrusion of rainwater, but on the other hand, depending on the season and the surrounding environment, it is possible that pests may enter through the speaker hole 146, which is a vertical and long slit. If pests enter the interior and their carcasses pile up, this may affect the performance of the voice guidance output. Therefore, in this embodiment, further measures are taken to exclude pests, etc.

[0059] That is, in this embodiment, the special sound is output from the voice output unit 140 at a timing other than the normal voice guidance output operation.

[0060] According to the voice output device 140 (an example of a voice guidance device) configured in this manner, the effect of the special sound makes it difficult for pests and the like to invade the inside of the external opening, and prevents pests and the like and their corpses from accumulating in the space 147, obstructing the flow of sound and making it difficult to hear.

[0061] 7 is a flow diagram of the parking fee adjustment machine 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. This example shows a case where the parking fee adjustment machine 100 is an exit adjustment machine 100c.

[0062] 7, the CPU 110 of the parking fee adjustment machine 100 monitors the first loop in step S1, and if it is ON, proceeds to step S2, stops the special sound if it has already been output, executes fee calculation and settlement processing in step S3, and then outputs a gate open signal to the exit gate operator 195 in step S4. Next, the CPU 110 monitors the second loop in step S5, and if it detects that a vehicle has passed through the exit lane 192, proceeds to step S6, outputs a gate close signal to the exit gate operator 195, and transmits parking data (parking ticket number, parking time, settlement fee, exit time, etc.) to the parking lot management device in step S7, and at the same time updates the parking data of the exited vehicle from "in" to "exited," and ends the process.

[0063] In step S1, the CPU 110 monitors the first loop, and if no vehicle is detected and the first loop is OFF, the CPU 110 proceeds to step S8 to receive environmental information, and if there is a change in the information, analyzes the content of the information. If there is no particular change, the result is NO and the process returns to step S1, but if there is a change, the process proceeds to step S9 to generate and output a special sound.

[0064] For example, when the environmental information receiving unit 115 receives weather information from an external website as environmental information and the environmental information analyzing unit 116 determines that the information is information about rainfall of a certain level or more, the special sound generating and outputting unit 117 takes into consideration the possibility of rainwater entering through the speaker hole 146, and generates and outputs a BEEP sound as described in Patent Document 1 to prevent a water film from adhering to the speaker hole 146 as much as possible. This BEEP sound is a signal in the human audible range, but it is only output when there is no vehicle near the exit fare adjustment machine 100c, so it does not interfere with the voice guidance for the user.

[0065] In short, in the parking lot adjustment machine 100 employing the technology of the present invention, voice guidance output operation related to the adjustment operation is performed from the start to the end of the adjustment operation, and the special sound is output at timing other than the adjustment operation. Therefore, the user does not feel uncomfortable by the special sound. Note that the adjustment operation in the embodiment of the present invention means a state in which operation from the user can be accepted and a state in which guidance is output to the user, and in the case of a parking ticket issuing machine, it is the operation from the start of the parking ticket issuing guidance when a vehicle enters to the detection of the completion of the passage of the vehicle.

[0066] The generation of special sounds based on the above environmental information and analysis is not limited to this. For example, the season may be determined from the outside or from the internal clock, and special sounds may be generated and output during seasons or times when mosquitoes and other pests are more prevalent, regardless of weather changes.

[0067] The special sound in this case may be a constant high frequency sound, a frequency sweep sound including frequencies from near the upper limit of the human audible range onwards, or an extremely low frequency hum sound, which may be switched periodically.

[0068] This is because various pests may be repelled by anti-mosquito sounds that are said to be effective against mosquitoes, sweep sounds containing multiple frequencies that are said to be effective against other pests, and hum sounds that propagate mainly through space as vibrations.

[0069] According to one theory, mosquitoes dislike sounds between 6 kHz (kilohertz) and 9 kHz, and between 16 kHz and 18 kHz, and audio signals of these frequencies can be generated by the CPU 110 and output as special sounds. Such signal data can be recorded in advance and output selectively depending on the situation. There is also a theory that mice and other pests dislike sounds between 15 kHz and 17 kHz, or between 20 kHz and 26 kHz. Thus, the effective frequency bands differ depending on the type of pest.

[0070] In addition, in order to deal with cockroaches, which can sometimes cause accidents such as electrical shorts if they invade inside the enclosure as pests, a method that generates a low-frequency humming sound as an audio signal and transmits it as vibrations inside the enclosure is also expected to be effective. Also, by changing the timing of the humming sound output (outputting it intermittently), it is expected that the change in the surrounding situation will induce cockroaches to take escape action, preventing them from remaining inside the space.

[0071] As in the case of cited document 1, such a humming sound is caused by air vibrations due to the vibration of the cone of speaker 141. Therefore, according to the present embodiment in which the humming sound is output as a special sound, it is possible to prevent rainwater from forming a water film and adhering to each opening including speaker hole 146 and speaker opening hole 143.

[0072] As a modification of this embodiment, the environmental information receiving unit 115 may receive information related to weather such as rain of a few millimeters, heavy rain, sudden downpours, typhoons, and snowfall, the environmental information analyzing unit 116 analyzes the received information, and the special sound generating and outputting unit 117 determines the type and output timing of the special sound to be generated. Typically, the environmental information receiving unit 115 receives the above-mentioned weather type information from a weather information website, and the environmental information analyzing unit 116 reads text from the received information to identify the weather type and the time period. According to this modified configuration, it becomes possible to output the above-mentioned BEEP sound for preventing water film at a frequency according to the frequency of water film formation predicted from the weather, thereby enhancing the effect of outputting the special sound.

[0073] The special sound generating / outputting unit 117 may read forecast information and determine the type of special sound and the scheduled output time in advance based on environmental information. It is more effective to start outputting the special sound in advance than after rain or snow actually occurs. According to this modified configuration, it is possible to output a BEEP sound or the like before a weather change, thereby improving the effect of outputting the special sound. Furthermore, when changing the direction of stopping the output or weakening the level, it is preferable to execute the change after confirming the update of numerical information such as the current amount of rainfall or snowfall. According to this modified configuration, it is possible to improve the effect of outputting the special sound based on the forecast, and then output a BEEP sound in accordance with changes in the weather such as the actual amount of rainfall, thereby improving the effect of outputting the special sound.

[0074] In the embodiments of the present invention, a parking fee payment machine 100 has been shown as an example of a parking lot device equipped with a voice guidance device, but the technology of the present invention can also be adopted in other types of devices such as a parking ticket issuing machine, a commuter pass reader, or an IC card reader that are installed outdoors or semi-outdoors and have the function of providing voice guidance to users.

[0075] Of the characteristic features of the present invention described above, at least two of the characteristic features may be combined. In other words, the various characteristic features described in each embodiment may be arbitrarily combined without distinction between the embodiments. In addition, the various effects described above are merely examples and are not limiting, and other effects may be exhibited.

[0076] Furthermore, the present invention can be modified as appropriate within the scope that does not contradict the gist or concept of the invention that can be read from the claims and the entire specification, and guidance devices and parking lot processing machines that involve such modifications are also included in the technical concept of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0077] The present invention can be used in devices that are installed outdoors or semi-outdoors and perform operations including voice guidance operations, and can be particularly suitably used in parking lot fee payment machines and the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 100...Parking fee payment machine (exit payment machine / prepayment machine) 140...Audio output device (audio guidance device) 141…Speaker 142…Speaker cover 143...Speaker opening (internal opening) 144…Packing 145…Front door 146...Speaker hole (external opening) 147…Space part 148…Speaker unit 110…CPU 115…Environmental Information Receiving Section 116…Environmental Information Analysis Department 117...Special sound generation output section

Claims

1. a housing having an external opening for outputting sound output from a speaker having a diaphragm to the outside; a speaker unit provided inside the housing and including a speaker having a diaphragm; a voice guidance output unit that outputs a special sound at a timing other than the timing of an operation for outputting voice guidance and stops output of the special sound at the timing of the operation for outputting the voice guidance; Equipped with Audio guidance device.

2. The voice guidance device according to claim 1, The special sound includes a frequency sweep sound and an infrasonic hum sound, The voice guidance output unit periodically switches between the frequency sweep sound and the hum sound at the timing of outputting the special sound. Audio guidance device.

3. The voice guidance device according to claim 2, The frequency sweep sound is an audio signal including either a 6 to 9 kHz audio signal or a 16 to 18 kHz audio signal. Audio guidance device.

4. The voice guidance device according to claim 2 or 3, The frequency sweep sound is an audio signal including either an audio signal of 15 to 17 kHz or an audio signal of 20 to 26 kHz. Audio guidance device.

5. The voice guidance device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, The voice guidance output unit controls a timing of output of the hum sound so as to output the hum sound intermittently. Audio guidance device.

6. The voice guidance device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, and an environmental information analysis unit that analyzes weather-related information received from an external source and determines the type and output timing of the special sound. Audio guidance device.

7. The voice guidance device according to claim 6, the environmental information analysis unit is configured to determine a timing of a weather change based on the information relating to the weather, and to output the special sound before the timing of the weather change. Audio guidance device.

8. The voice guidance device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is provided. The voice guidance device includes: A voice guidance output operation relating to the processing operation is performed from the start to the end of the processing operation, The special sound is output at a timing other than the processing operation. Parking lot processor.

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