Audio Output System

Abstract

To properly convey event contents to users.SOLUTION: The present invention comprises: a voice output unit for outputting a voice; a control unit 41 for exercising voice output control to actuate the voice output unit so that when an event has occurred that requires for a voice to be outputted by the voice output unit, a voice corresponding to the event is outputted; a confirmation action assessment unit 61 for assessing whether or not a confirmation action to confirm the content of the voice output in voice output control has been carried out after the voice output control was exercised; and a voice output state change setting unit 62 which, when it is assessed by the confirmation action assessment unit 61 that a confirmation action has been carried out, changes the voice output state of the voice output unit in the subsequent voice output control.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an audio output system provided with an audio output unit that outputs audio. [Background technology]

[0002] In such an audio output system, when an event occurs that requires audio data to be output, the audio data corresponding to the event is output to an audio output unit, and the audio output unit outputs the audio data, thereby communicating the content of the event that has occurred to the user (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-155956 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When the audio output unit outputs audio, the audio output state, such as the volume and speed of the audio output, is set in advance, and the audio output is performed in the set audio output state. However, audio output by the audio output unit may be performed at a timing not intended by the user, such as when an event occurs. Therefore, simply outputting audio from the audio output unit may result in the user missing the audio output, and the content of the event may not be conveyed to the user.

[0005] In view of this situation, a main object of the present invention is to provide an audio output system that can appropriately convey event contents to users. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A first characteristic configuration of the present invention is a sound output unit that outputs sound, a control unit that performs audio output control to operate the audio output unit so as to perform audio output corresponding to an event when an event occurs that requires the audio output unit to output audio data; a confirmation operation determination unit that determines whether or not a confirmation operation for confirming the content of the audio output in the audio output control has been performed after the audio output control has been performed; The device is provided with an audio output state change setting unit which, when the confirmation operation determination unit determines that a confirmation operation has been performed, changes and sets the audio output state of the audio output unit in subsequent audio output control.

[0007] When the control unit performs the audio output control and an audio output corresponding to an event is generated, if the user misses the audio output, a confirmation operation is performed to confirm the content of the audio output in the audio output control. According to this configuration, when the confirmation operation determination unit determines that the confirmation operation has been performed, the audio output state change setting unit can change and set the audio output state of the audio output unit in the audio output control after the confirmation operation, for example, by increasing the volume of the audio output after the confirmation operation or slowing down the speed of the audio output after the confirmation operation. As a result, in the audio output control after the confirmation operation, the audio output becomes easier for the user to hear, and the user is prevented from missing the audio output, so that the content of the event can be properly conveyed to the user.

[0008] A second characteristic configuration of the present invention is that the audio output state change setting unit is configured to change and set the volume of the audio output to an increased level as the audio output state when the confirmation operation determination unit determines that a confirmation operation has been performed.

[0009] According to this configuration, the volume of the audio output is increased in the audio output control after the confirmation operation is performed, making it easier for the user to hear the audio output and appropriately reducing the risk of missing the audio output.

[0010] A third characteristic configuration of the present invention is that the audio output state change setting unit is configured to change and set the audio output state to a slower speed of the audio output when the confirmation operation determination unit determines that a confirmation operation has been performed again even if the volume of the audio output has been changed and set to an increased level.

[0011] Even if the volume of the audio output is increased in the audio output control after the confirmation action is performed, if the user misses the event, the user will have to perform the confirmation action again. Therefore, according to this configuration, even if the volume of the audio output is changed and set to the increased side, if the confirmation action determination unit determines that the confirmation action has been performed again, the audio output state change setting unit changes and sets the audio output state to a slower speed of the audio output. As a result, the audio output volume is first changed and set to the increased side, and then the audio output speed is changed and set to the slower side, so that different items in the audio output state are changed sequentially, appropriately preventing the user from missing an event, and the event content can be more reliably conveyed to the user.

[0012] A fourth characteristic configuration of the present invention is that the audio output state change setting unit is configured to change and set the number of times audio output is increased as the audio output state when the confirmation operation determination unit determines that a confirmation operation has been performed.

[0013] According to this configuration, the number of times audio output is increased in the audio output control after the confirmation operation is performed, making it easier for the user to hear the audio output and appropriately reducing the risk of missing the audio output.

[0014] A fifth characteristic configuration of the present invention is a method for controlling the audio output, comprising the steps of: providing a main notification for notifying the user of an event content and a prior notification for notifying the user in advance that the main notification will be provided; The audio output state change setting unit is configured to change and set the audio output state in advance notification in subsequent audio output control when the confirmation operation determination unit determines that a confirmation operation has been performed.

[0015] According to this configuration, the control unit performs not only the main notification but also the advance notification in the audio output control, so that the user can easily recognize that the main notification will be performed later due to the advance notification, and can easily hear the contents of the main notification. Moreover, when the confirmation operation determination unit determines that the confirmation operation has been performed, the audio output state change setting unit can change and set the audio output state in the advance notification in the audio output control after the confirmation operation has been performed, for example, by lengthening the time of the advance notification or changing the contents of the audio output in the advance notification. This makes it easier for the user to hear the advance notification and can more reliably hear the subsequent main notification, so that the event contents can be properly conveyed to the user. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall schematic configuration of an audio output system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an alarm device. [Diagram 3] 1 is a flowchart showing the operation of the audio output system. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a state of audio output by audio output control in the third embodiment; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a voice output system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. This voice output system communicates various types of information, such as weather information and disaster prevention information, to users by outputting the voice data corresponding to the event when an event occurs that requires the output of voice data such as disaster prevention information and weather information.

[0018] [First embodiment] As shown in FIG. 1, this audio output system 100 is configured using an alarm device 1 installed in a facility such as a user's residence, and as shown in FIG. 2, the alarm device 1 is equipped with an audio output unit 18 to notify the user in the facility such as the residence of the content of the event.

[0019] 1, in addition to an alarm device 1, the audio output system 100 is equipped with a terminal device 2 such as a smartphone that allows a user to perform various settings and operations, a server device 3 that performs various controls and communications, and an external device 4 that notifies the occurrence of events, etc. Each of the alarm device 1, the terminal device 2, and the external device 4 is configured to be able to freely communicate various information with the server device 3 via an information and communication network 5 such as the Internet.

[0020] 2, the alarm device 1 is disposed on the ceiling 12 or a wall on the side of the ceiling 12, with the indoor space between the floor 11 and the ceiling 12 being the detection area 13. The alarm device 1 is equipped with a monitoring sensor unit 14, a human detection unit 15, a temperature and humidity sensor unit 16, a display unit 17, an audio output unit 18, a device-side control unit 19, a device-side memory unit 20, a device-side communication unit 21, etc.

[0021] The device-side memory unit 20 stores various types of information for activating the alarm device 1, and the device-side control unit 19 controls the operating state of the alarm device 1 using the various types of information stored in the device-side memory unit 20. The device-side control unit 19 is configured to be able to transmit and receive various types of information to and from the server device 3 via the device-side communication unit 21 by wired communication or wireless communication.

[0022] The monitoring sensor unit 14 is equipped with various sensors, such as a gas leak monitoring sensor, a CO (carbon monoxide) monitoring sensor, and a fire monitoring sensor, and the device-side control unit 19 monitors for gas leaks, abnormal CO concentrations, whether or not a fire has occurred, etc., based on the detection information of these sensors.

[0023] For example, when the concentration of the target gas detected by the gas leak monitoring sensor exceeds a set value, the apparatus-side control unit 19 determines that there is a gas leak and issues a gas leak alarm by displaying on the display unit 17 or outputting a voice by the voice output unit 18. When the CO concentration detected by the CO monitoring sensor exceeds a set value, the apparatus-side control unit 19 determines that there is an abnormal CO concentration and issues a CO concentration abnormal alarm by displaying on the display unit 17 or outputting a voice by the voice output unit 18. Furthermore, when the fire monitoring sensor detects smoke or heat caused by a fire, the apparatus-side control unit 19 determines that there is a fire and issues a fire alarm by displaying on the display unit 17 or outputting a voice by the voice output unit 18.

[0024] The temperature and humidity sensor unit 16 detects the temperature and humidity of an indoor space such as a kitchen including the detection area 13. The display unit 17 has lamps and LEDs and is configured as a display device capable of displaying text information, etc. The audio output unit 18 is configured, for example, as a speaker, etc. and is configured to be able to output various types of audio data.

[0025] 1, the server device 3 is equipped with a server-side control unit 41, a server-side storage unit 42, a server-side communication unit 43, etc. The server-side storage unit 42 stores various types of information, and the server-side control unit 41 controls the operating state of the server device 3 using the various types of information stored in the server-side storage unit 42. The server-side control unit 41 is configured to be able to transmit and receive various types of information to and from the alarm device 1 and the external device 4 by wired communication or wireless communication via the server-side communication unit 43.

[0026] The external device 4 is configured to notify the server device 3 of the occurrence of an external event such as disaster prevention information or weather information. For example, in the case of disaster prevention information, the external device 4 notifies the server device 3 of disaster prevention information such as "earthquake occurrence" assuming that the event occurred at the timing of an earthquake occurrence. In addition, in the case of weather information, the external device 4 notifies the server device 3 of an updated weather forecast (for example, "Today's weather is sunny") assuming that the event occurred at the timing of an update of the weather forecast.

[0027] When the server device 3 receives a notification from the external device 4 that an event has occurred, the server-side control unit 41 acquires voice data corresponding to the event from the server-side storage unit 42, and transmits the acquired voice data to the alarm device 1. As a result, in the alarm device 1, the device-side control unit 19 outputs the voice data transmitted from the server device 3 through the voice output unit 18, thereby communicating the content of the event to the user.

[0028] For example, when an earthquake occurs, the external device 4 notifies the server device 3 that an earthquake has occurred, and the server-side control unit 41 obtains voice data corresponding to the occurrence of the earthquake (voice data such as "earthquake has occurred") from the server-side storage unit 42, and transmits the voice data to the alarm device 1. In the alarm device 1, the device-side control unit 19 outputs the voice data such as "earthquake has occurred" transmitted from the server device 3 through the voice output unit 18, thereby notifying the user that an earthquake has occurred.

[0029] Furthermore, when the weather forecast is updated, the external device 4 notifies the server device 3 that the weather forecast has been updated, and the server-side control unit 41 obtains voice data corresponding to the updated weather forecast from the server-side storage unit 42 (voice data such as "Today's weather is sunny") and transmits the voice data to the alarm device 1. In the alarm device 1, the device-side control unit 19 outputs the voice data such as "Today's weather is sunny" transmitted from the server device 3 through the voice output unit 18, thereby communicating the updated weather forecast to the user.

[0030] In this way, in the audio output system 100, when an event occurs externally, the server-side control unit 41, the device-side control unit 19, and other control units communicate information corresponding to the event in the order of the external device 4 → the server device 3 → the warning device 1, and perform audio output control such that audio data corresponding to the event is output from the audio output unit 18. For example, the weather information is not limited to a weather forecast, and it is also possible to output a voice message of "approaching rain clouds" when rain clouds approach, or a voice message of "weather warning issued" when a weather warning is issued.

[0031] The event content in audio output control is not limited to disaster prevention information and weather information, but for example, audio data corresponding to news can be output when the news is updated, or audio data corresponding to traffic information can be output when traffic information is updated, and various types of event content can be applied.

[0032] In this audio output system 100, not only when an event occurs outside but also when an event occurs inside the facility, a control unit such as the device-side control unit 19 performs audio output control to output audio data corresponding to the event from the audio output unit 18. Since the audio output system 100 uses the alarm device 1 that monitors monitored events such as gas leaks, abnormal CO concentrations, and fires, when the alarm device 1 detects a monitored event such as a gas leak, abnormal CO concentrations, or fire, it determines that an event has occurred and outputs audio data corresponding to the monitored event from the audio output unit 18.

[0033] 2, when the apparatus-side control unit 19 detects the occurrence of a gas leak based on the detection information of the monitoring sensor unit 14, it determines that an event has occurred, acquires voice data corresponding to the gas leak such as "gas leak occurred" from the apparatus-side storage unit 20, and outputs the voice data corresponding to the gas leak such as "gas leak occurred" by the voice output unit 18. In addition, when the apparatus-side control unit 19 detects an abnormal CO concentration or the occurrence of a fire, it acquires voice data corresponding to the abnormal CO concentration or the occurrence of a fire from the apparatus-side storage unit 20, and outputs the acquired voice data by the voice output unit 18.

[0034] The alarm device 1 is equipped with not only the monitoring sensor unit 14 but also a temperature and humidity sensor unit 16 that detects the temperature and humidity of the indoor space including the detection area 13. Based on the detection information of the temperature and humidity sensor unit 16, the device-side control unit 19 judges whether the temperature and humidity of the indoor space have risen and there is a possibility of heat stroke or the like occurring, and whether the humidity of the indoor space has dropped and become dry, and thus whether the temperature and humidity environment of the indoor space is in an abnormal state.

[0035] When the device-side control unit 19 determines that the temperature and humidity environment in the indoor space is in an abnormal state, it acquires voice data corresponding to the temperature and humidity environment being in an abnormal state from the device-side storage unit 20, and outputs the acquired voice data by voice at the voice output unit 18. At this time, the voice data corresponding to the temperature and humidity environment being in an abnormal state can be voice data such as "Caution: Heatstroke" when there is a possibility of heatstroke or the like occurring, and voice data such as "Caution: Dryness" when the state is dry.

[0036] Also, for example, voice data of a fixed phrase such as "Today is garbage day" can be stored in the server-side storage unit 42 or the device-side storage unit 20, and the date and time for outputting the voice data of the fixed phrase can be set. As a result, when the set date and time arrives, a control unit such as the server-side control unit 41 or the device-side control unit 19 can perform voice output control to output the voice data of the fixed phrase such as "Today is garbage day" from the voice output unit 18, assuming that an event has occurred.

[0037] The occurrence of an event is a prerequisite for the audio output system 100 to perform audio output control, but the date, time, and time period during which audio output control can be executed can also be set appropriately by the user by operating the terminal device 2.

[0038] An event may not occur at a timing intended by the user, and it may be difficult to convey the contents of the event to the user by only controlling the audio output when the event occurs. Therefore, the audio output system 100 is configured to check that a person is present in the detection area 13 and then control the audio output when an event occurs.

[0039] In order to confirm whether or not a person is present in the detection area 13, the audio output system 100 is provided with a human detection unit 15 (corresponding to an object detection device) capable of detecting whether or not a person is present in the detection area 13.

[0040] In this way, in the audio output system 100, when an event occurs and the human detection unit 15 detects the presence of a person in the detection area 13, audio output control is performed by the control units such as the server-side control unit 41 and the device-side control unit 19 to output audio data corresponding to the event from the audio output unit 18. Furthermore, when an event occurs, audio output control is only performed at the first timing when the human detection unit 15 confirms the presence of a person in the detection area 13, and thereafter, even if the human detection unit 15 confirms the presence of a person in the detection area 13, audio output control is not performed.

[0041] The human presence detection unit 15 detects whether or not a person is present in a detection area 13 such as a kitchen, for example. The human presence detection unit 15 includes an infrared light projection unit 31 that projects infrared rays toward the detection area 13, an infrared detection unit 32 that detects infrared rays incident from the direction of the detection area 13, and an apparatus-side control unit 19 that determines whether or not a person is present in the detection area 13 based on detection information from the infrared detection unit 32.

[0042] The infrared projection unit 31 includes a light-emitting element capable of projecting infrared rays, and an optical lens capable of adjusting the irradiation range and irradiation angle of the infrared rays projected from the light-emitting element. The infrared detection unit 32 includes a photoelectric conversion element that is sensitive to infrared rays and can output an electric signal according to the intensity of the received infrared rays. The device-side control unit 19 compares the detection value output from the infrared detection unit 32 with a threshold value to determine whether or not a person is present in the detection area 13.

[0043] When no object such as a person exists in the detection area 13, the infrared light projected from the infrared light projector 31 is reflected by the floor 11 around the detection area 13 and detected by the infrared light detector 32. Therefore, the detection value of the infrared light detected by the infrared light detector 32 is approximately constant. On the other hand, when an object such as a person exists in the detection area 13, the infrared light projected from the infrared light projector 31 is reflected by the object such as a person existing in the detection area 13 and detected by the infrared light detector 32. Therefore, the intensity of the infrared light detected by the infrared light detector 32 increases, and the detection value of the infrared light detected by the infrared light detector 32 also increases. Therefore, the device-side control unit 19 captures how the detection value of the infrared light detected by the infrared light detector 32 is changing, and when the detection value of the infrared light detected by the infrared light detector 32 becomes larger than the threshold value, it determines that a person exists in the detection area 13.

[0044] Incidentally, the infrared detection unit 32 repeatedly performs a detection operation of detecting the presence or absence of a person based on the detection value of the infrared detection unit 32 at a set period (e.g., 1 second), and when it detects the presence of a person a set number of times (e.g., 3 times) in succession, it determines that a person is present and outputs the determined value to the server device 3, etc. Also, when the infrared detection unit 32 does not detect the presence of a person for a set period of time (e.g., 1 minute) in succession, it determines that a person is not present and outputs the determined value to the server device 3, etc.

[0045] When the audio output system 100 controls the audio output, the audio output state such as the volume and speed of the audio output are preset, and the audio output is performed in the set audio output state. However, since the user may miss the audio output, measures have been taken to prevent this.

[0046] When the audio output corresponding to an event is output by the audio output system 100 performing the audio output control, if the user misses the audio output, a confirmation operation is performed to confirm the content of the audio output in the audio output control. Therefore, in the audio output system 100, as shown in Fig. 1, the server-side control unit 41 is provided with a confirmation operation determination unit 61 that determines whether or not a confirmation operation is performed, and an audio output state change setting unit 62 that can change and set the audio output state.

[0047] The confirmation action determination unit 61 determines whether or not a confirmation action for confirming the contents of the audio output in the audio output control has been performed before a set time (e.g., about 5 minutes) has elapsed after the audio output control has been performed. Regarding the confirmation action, for example, the user operates the terminal device 2 to perform an action of viewing a history screen showing the contents of the audio output acquired from the server device 3, and therefore the action of viewing this history screen is regarded as the confirmation action.

[0048] When viewing the history screen, a request to view the history screen is generated from the terminal device 2, and based on that request, the server-side control unit 41 reads out the history information stored in the server-side memory unit 42 and transmits it to the terminal device 2. The terminal device 2 then displays the transmitted history information on the display unit, allowing the user to view the history screen.

[0049] In controlling the audio output, when an event occurs outside, the server-side control unit 41, upon receiving a notification of the event occurrence from the external device 4, knows the content of the event that occurred and the content of the audio data that was output as audio. When an event occurs inside the facility, the device-side control unit 19 knows the content of the event that occurred and the content of the audio data that was output as audio, and communicates information about the content to the server device 3. Therefore, the server-side control unit 41 knows the content of the event that occurred and the content of the audio data that was output as audio for both events that occurred outside and events that occurred inside the facility.

[0050] The confirmation operation determination unit 61 does not simply count the number of times the history screen is viewed, but tallys up the number of times the history screen is viewed separately for each content, such as event details and audio data, based on information known by the server-side control unit 41. The confirmation operation determination unit 61 does not determine that a confirmation operation has been performed even if the number of times the history screen is viewed consecutively for different content exceeds a set number (for example, twice), but determines that a confirmation operation has been performed if the number of times the history screen is viewed consecutively for the same content exceeds the set number.

[0051] For example, when the weather forecast is updated, audio data corresponding to the updated weather forecast is output. At this time, when the history screen is viewed, the number of times the content of the event that the weather forecast was updated is viewed is counted up. Next time, when an event other than the weather forecast occurs, audio data corresponding to the event content is output, and then the history screen is viewed again, the event content is different, so the confirmation action determination unit 61 does not determine that a confirmation action has been performed.

[0052] On the other hand, when the next event with the same content, that is, the weather forecast being updated, occurs, audio data corresponding to the updated weather forecast is output, and then the history screen is viewed again. Then, the number of times that the history screen for the same content of the event content, that is, the weather forecast being updated, is consecutively viewed exceeds the set number, and the confirmation operation determination unit 61 determines that a confirmation operation has been performed.

[0053] When the confirmation operation determination unit 61 determines that the confirmation operation has been performed, the audio output state change setting unit 62 changes and sets the audio output state of the audio output unit 18 in the audio output control thereafter. As an initial state for the audio output state is set in advance and stored in the server-side storage unit 42, the audio output state change setting unit 62 updates the initial state stored in the server-side storage unit 42 to the changed state that has been changed and stored in the server-side storage unit 42.

[0054] Here, the same audio output state is not set for all event contents as the initial state, but different audio output states are set as the initial state depending on the event contents. For example, for the volume of audio output, a high volume (e.g., 70 dB) is set in the initial state for event contents such as gas leakage and abnormal CO concentration, a medium volume (e.g., 66 dB) is set in the initial state for event contents requiring emergency such as earthquake occurrence and evacuation instructions, and a low volume (e.g., 63 dB) is set in the initial state for other event contents.

[0055] The audio output state change setting unit 62 is configured to first change and set the audio output state to an increased volume of the audio output, and if the confirmation action determination unit 61 determines that a confirmation action has been performed again even after the audio output volume has been changed and set to an increased volume, the audio output state change setting unit 62 changes and sets the audio output state to a slower speed of the audio output. In this way, by first changing and setting the audio output volume to an increased volume and then changing and setting the audio output speed to a slower speed, different items in the audio output state are changed sequentially, appropriately preventing the user from missing something.

[0056] The operation of the audio output system 100 will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When an event occurs and the human presence detection unit 15 detects the presence of a person in the detection area 13, the audio output system 100 determines whether there is a setting to change the audio output state (if Yes in step #1, if Yes in step #2, step #3).

[0057] If there is no change setting for the audio output state, audio output control is performed with the preset initial state as the audio output state (if No in step #3, step #4). Conversely, if there is a change setting for the audio output state, audio output control is performed with the changed state as the audio output state (if Yes in step #3, step #5).

[0058] The audio output state, whether it is an initial state where no change setting has been made to the audio output state, or a changed state where a change setting has been made, is stored in the server-side storage unit 42. Thus, when performing audio output control, the server-side control unit 41 reads out the initial state or the changed state stored in the server-side storage unit 42, associates it with audio data, and transmits it to the alarm device 1, and the device-side control unit 19 outputs audio by the audio output unit 18, taking the initial state or the changed state associated with the audio data as the audio output state.

[0059] When the human presence detection unit 15 does not detect the presence of a person in the detection area 13, the audio output system 100 prohibits the execution of audio output control (if No in step #2, step #6).

[0060] The confirmation operation determination unit 61 determines whether or not a confirmation operation has been performed before a set time (e.g., about 5 minutes) has elapsed after the audio output control has been performed (step #7). When the confirmation operation determination unit 61 determines that a confirmation operation has been performed, if the audio output volume has not been changed, the audio output state change setting unit 62 changes the audio output volume to the increased side by a set amount as the audio output state (if Yes in step #7, if No in step #8, step #9). At this time, the audio output state change setting unit 62 stores in the server-side storage unit 42 the audio output state as a changed state in which the audio output volume has been changed and set to the increased side by a set amount.

[0061] When the confirmation operation determination unit 61 determines that the confirmation operation has been performed, if the volume of the audio output has been changed, the audio output state change setting unit 62 changes and sets the audio output state to slow down the speed of the audio output by the set speed (if Yes in step #7, if Yes in step #8, step #10). At this time, the audio output state change setting unit 62 has already changed and set the volume of the audio output to increase by the set amount, so stores in the server-side storage unit 42 the changed state in which the volume of the audio output has been changed and set to increase by the set amount and the speed of the audio output has been changed and set to slow down by the set speed.

[0062] In this way, when an event occurs, the audio output system 100 can confirm that a person is present in the detection area 13 using the human presence detection unit 15, and then execute audio output control using control units such as the server-side control unit 41 and the device-side control unit 19 to output audio data corresponding to the content of the event.

[0063] However, there are various types of event contents, and some of the event contents should be output as audio by the audio output unit 18 regardless of whether or not a person is present in the detection area 13. Therefore, for all event contents, it is not necessary to uniformly output audio only after confirming that a person is present in the detection area 13, and this may actually cause inconvenience.

[0064] Therefore, a setting is made in advance so that, depending on the content of an event, a classification is made between events that should be output as audio after it is confirmed that a person exists in the detection area 13 and events that should be output as audio regardless of whether a person exists in the detection area 13. For example, events of high urgency that should be communicated to the user quickly, such as disaster prevention information and weather warnings, can be set as events that should be output as audio regardless of whether a person exists in the detection area 13, and events of low urgency that should be communicated to the user, such as weather forecasts, can be set as events that should be output as audio after it is confirmed that a person exists in the detection area 13.

[0065] Furthermore, since different initial states are set for the audio output state depending on the event content, it is also possible to set in advance the event content for which the audio output state is to be changed by the audio output state change setting unit 62. For example, since a large volume (e.g., 70 dB) is set in the initial state for event contents such as a gas leak and an abnormal CO concentration, it is possible to set the audio output state change setting unit 62 to prohibit change of the audio output state for the event contents of a gas leak, an abnormal CO concentration, and a fire, and to change the audio output state for other event contents.

[0066] Second Embodiment The second embodiment is another embodiment regarding the audio output state changed and set by the audio output state change setting unit 62. The following mainly describes the audio output state changed and set by the audio output state change setting unit 62 in the second embodiment, but since the other configurations are similar to those of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are used and the description thereof is omitted.

[0067] In the first embodiment, when the confirmation operation determination unit 61 determines that a confirmation operation has been performed, the audio output state change setting unit 62 first changes and sets the audio output state to an increased volume of the audio output, and when the confirmation operation determination unit 61 again determines that a confirmation operation has been performed even after the audio output volume has been changed and set to an increased volume, the audio output state is changed and set to a slower speed of the audio output.

[0068] In contrast, in the second embodiment, when the confirmation operation determination unit 61 determines that the confirmation operation has been performed, the audio output state change setting unit 62 changes and sets the number of audio outputs to the increased side by a set number of times (e.g., twice) as the audio output state. For example, assuming that an event occurs at the timing of an earthquake, and audio output control is performed to convey disaster prevention information such as "earthquake has occurred" to the user, the audio output state change setting unit 62 changes and sets the audio output state so that the audio data of "earthquake has occurred" etc. is increased by a set number of times (e.g., twice).

[0069] Third Embodiment Like the second embodiment, the third embodiment is also another embodiment regarding the audio output state changed and set by the audio output state change setting unit 62. The following description will focus on the audio output state changed and set by the audio output state change setting unit 62 in the third embodiment, but since the other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted by using the same reference numerals, etc.

[0070] In the first embodiment, when an event occurs, a control unit such as the server-side control unit 41 and the device-side control unit 19 performs audio output control to output audio data corresponding to the event from the audio output unit 18. Here, in the third embodiment, the control units such as the server-side control unit 41 and the device-side control unit 19 perform a main notification that notifies the contents of the event and a pre-notification that notifies the user in advance that the main notification will be made, in the audio output control, as shown in Fig. 4. When audio output is made from the audio output unit 18 by executing the audio output control, a person in the detection area 13 will hear the main notification after hearing the pre-notification, so that the pre-notification makes it easier for the person to recognize that the main notification will be made later, and makes it easier for the person to hear the contents of the main notification.

[0071] The advance notification may be, for example, a title call or a jingle sound indicating the contents of the event, and the main notification may be, for example, a statement indicating the contents of the event (for example, a statement such as "An earthquake has occurred" or "Today's weather is sunny").

[0072] In the third embodiment, when the confirmation operation determination unit 61 determines that the confirmation operation has been performed, the audio output state change setting unit 62 changes and sets the audio output state in advance notification in the audio output control thereafter. The audio output state change setting unit 62 can change and set the audio output state in advance notification by various methods, such as slowing down the speed of audio output in advance notification, lengthening the time of advance notification by a set time, or increasing the number of times advance notification is performed by a set number of times.

[0073] [Another embodiment] Other embodiments of the present invention will be described below. Note that the configurations of the embodiments described below are not limited to being applied alone, but may also be applied in combination with the configurations of other embodiments.

[0074] (1) In the above first embodiment, when the audio output state change setting unit 62 changes and sets the audio output state, first the volume of the audio output is increased, and then the speed of the audio output is slowed down. However, the priority order of which of multiple items such as volume and speed is to be given priority in the audio output state, and the number of times the change setting is repeated, can be changed as appropriate.

[0075] For example, the volume of the audio output can be changed and set to an increased volume a set number of times (e.g., twice), and then the speed of the audio output can be changed and set to a slower speed, or the speed of the audio output can be changed and set to a slower speed, and then the volume of the audio output can be changed and set to an increased volume.

[0076] (2) In the above embodiment, the audio output system 100 is constructed using an alarm device 1, but the device is not limited to the alarm device 1 and may be any device that includes an audio output device having an audio output unit 18, and the type of device used may be changed as appropriate.

[0077] (3) In the above embodiment, the server device 3 is provided. However, for example, by providing the various functions of the server side control unit 41 to the device side control unit 19 or the like, the server device 3 can be omitted.

[0078] (4) In the above embodiment, the confirmation action is viewing the history screen. However, various actions can be applied as long as the action is for the user to confirm the event contents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 18 Audio output section 19 Device side control section (control section) 41 Server side control unit (control unit) 61 Confirmation operation judgment unit 62 Audio output state change setting section 100 Audio Output System

Claims

1. an audio output unit that outputs audio; a control unit that performs audio output control to operate the audio output unit so as to perform audio output corresponding to an event when an event occurs that requires the audio output unit to output audio data; a confirmation operation determination unit that determines whether or not a confirmation operation for confirming the content of the audio output in the audio output control has been performed after the audio output control has been performed; and an audio output state change setting unit which, when it is determined by the confirmation operation determination unit that the confirmation operation has been performed, changes and sets the audio output state of the audio output unit in the subsequent audio output control to at least one of increasing the volume of the audio output, slowing down the speed of the audio output, or increasing the number of times the audio is output, The confirmation operation determination unit is an audio output system that tallyes the number of times a confirmation operation is performed to confirm the content of the audio output in the audio output control after the audio output control is performed, separated by content of the event content, and determines that a confirmation operation has been performed if the number of times the confirmation operation is performed for the same content reaches or exceeds a set number.

2. The audio output system of claim 1, wherein the audio output state change setting unit is configured to change and set the volume of the audio output to an increased level as the audio output state when the confirmation operation determination unit determines that a confirmation operation has been performed.

3. The audio output system of claim 2, wherein the audio output state change setting unit is configured to change the audio output state to a slower audio output speed when the confirmation operation determination unit determines that a confirmation operation has been performed again even if the volume of the audio output has been increased.

4. The audio output system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the audio output state change setting unit is configured to change and set the number of audio outputs to an increased side as the audio output state when the confirmation operation determination unit determines that a confirmation operation has been performed.

5. The control unit, in the audio output control, performs a main notification for notifying the user of an event content and a prior notification for notifying the user in advance that the main notification will be performed; The audio output system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the audio output state change setting unit is configured to change and set the audio output state in advance notification in subsequent audio output control when the confirmation operation determination unit determines that a confirmation operation has been performed.

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