A loudspeaker system using an unmanned aerial vehicle, a loudspeaker method, and an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a loudspeaker device

Abstract

To amplify voice properly by an unmanned flight body in a target area.SOLUTION: A method for amplifying voice using an unmanned flight body with a voice amplification device includes the steps of: acquiring the range of voice amplification by an unmanned flight body determined by positional information of the unmanned flight body and the characteristic information of the voice amplification device; and outputting the range of voice amplification in relation to the operation of the unmanned flight body or the operation of the voice amplification device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a voice amplification method using an unmanned aerial vehicle, a voice amplification system, and an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a voice amplification device.

Background Art

[0002] A method of outputting a voice message such as evacuation guidance from a speaker mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle such as a drone is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an unmanned aerial vehicle including a speaker fixed to the lower surface of the aircraft body and a direction controller for the speaker. By aligning the voice amplification direction of the speaker with the imaging direction of the camera by the direction controller and directing it toward the target person, a voice message is transmitted to the target person.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The voice transmission range from the speaker of an unmanned aerial vehicle in flight varies due to various factors. There are cases where the voice cannot be heard clearly or the sound pressure level is too high to be heard easily. For this reason, it is difficult to perform appropriate voice amplification in the target area where the voice is to be transmitted.

[0005] In view of the above-described viewpoints, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a voice amplification system using an unmanned aerial vehicle, a voice amplification method, and an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a voice amplification device that are effective for performing appropriate voice amplification in a target area.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, a voice amplification system is a voice amplification system using an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a voice amplification device, and includes a storage unit and an output unit. The storage unit stores a voice amplification range by the unmanned aerial vehicle, which is determined based on the position information of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the characteristic information of the voice amplification device. The output unit outputs the voice amplification range in relation to the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle or the operation of the voice amplification device.

[0007] Outputting the voice amplification range in relation to the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle or the operation of the voice amplification device includes outputting the voice amplification range according to the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle or the operation of the voice amplification device, or executing the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle or the operation of the voice amplification device according to the output voice amplification range.

[0008] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a voice amplification method is a voice amplification method using an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a voice amplification device, and includes a step of obtaining a voice amplification range by the unmanned aerial vehicle, which is determined based on the position information of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the characteristic information of the voice amplification device, and a step of outputting the voice amplification range in relation to the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle or the operation of the voice amplification device.

[0009] According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, the unmanned aerial vehicle is an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a voice amplification device, and includes a storage device and a control device. The storage device stores a voice amplification range by the unmanned aerial vehicle, which is determined based on the position information of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the characteristic information of the voice amplification device. The control device controls the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle or the operation of the voice amplification device according to the voice amplification range.

Advantages of the Invention

[0010] The voice amplification system, voice amplification method, and unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a voice amplification device according to the present disclosure are effective for performing appropriate voice amplification in a target area.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8A

Figure 8B

Figure 8C

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13A

Figure 13B

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. However, a more detailed description than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed descriptions of well-known matters and redundant descriptions of substantially the same configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid making the following description unnecessarily redundant and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. Note that the accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0013] In the following description, the Z-axis direction indicates the vertical direction of the unmanned aerial vehicle or the flight height direction. The X-axis orthogonal to the Z-axis and the Y-axis orthogonal to the Z-axis and the X-axis are axes that form the plane (XY plane) in which the unmanned aerial vehicle travels during flight. The "target area" indicates the area where the voice is to be amplified. The "amplification range" indicates the range in which the voice from the amplification device or speaker can be transmitted in the target area. The range in which the voice can be transmitted indicates not only the range where the voice can be heard, but also generally the range where a person can clearly distinguish the voice.

[0014] Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0015] 1. Embodiment 1 The voice amplification system or method using the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the present embodiment outputs an amplification range determined based on position information including the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle during flight and characteristic information of the voice amplification device mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle.

[0016] 1-1. Configuration 1-1-1. Configuration of the voice amplification system FIG. 1 schematically shows the overall configuration of the voice amplification system 1 according to the present embodiment. The voice amplification system 1 (an example of a voice amplification system) includes a management device 10 and a terminal device 30 that can communicate with the management device 10 via a network N. The voice amplification system 1 further includes an unmanned aerial vehicle 50 that can communicate with the management device 10, the terminal device 30, or an operation terminal (not shown).

[0017] The network N includes a wired LAN (Local Area Network), a wireless LAN, a WAN (Wide Area Network), and / or the Internet, etc. The network N also includes a wireless base station set for each predetermined area.

[0018] 1-1-2. Configuration of the management device The management device 10 shown in FIG. 2 is a computer device that functions as a server or the like, and includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a communication unit 19. The control unit 11 is an electronic circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 11 operates as an arithmetic processing device and a control device, and controls the management device 10 according to various programs to execute the functions described later. The storage unit 12 (an example of the storage unit) is a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), a FeRAM (Ferroelectric Random Access Memory), etc. The ROM, HDD, SSD, FeRAM, etc. store programs, arithmetic parameters, arithmetic results, etc. used by the control unit 11. The RAM temporarily stores programs used in the execution of the functions of the control unit 11 and parameters that change as appropriate during the execution. The communication unit 19 (an example of the output unit) is, for example, a network interface card for connecting to a wired LAN or the Internet. The communication unit 19 may be a wireless communication interface for connecting to a base station or a communication interface corresponding to a wireless LAN.

[0019] The control unit 11 (an example of the control unit) executes a predetermined program read from the storage unit 12 to execute the functions of the position information acquisition unit 111, the characteristic information acquisition unit 112, the voice amplification range determination unit 113, and the voice amplification display information generation unit 114.

[0020] The position information acquisition unit 111 acquires the position information of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 during flight. The position information of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 includes the flight altitude. The position information of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 is received at predetermined intervals from the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 via the communication unit 19 as described later. The position information includes position information including longitude and latitude in addition to the flight altitude.

[0021] Note that the position information of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 may be received from an operation terminal (not shown) of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 via the communication unit 19.

[0022] The characteristic information acquisition unit 112 acquires, from the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 during flight, the characteristic information of a speaker 62 (an example of a sound amplification device) mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 via the communication unit 19. The characteristic information includes, for example, type information indicating the specifications and performance of the speaker 62 (e.g., output sound pressure level, frequency characteristics, product name, model number, and other setting information that can acquire these information), information indicating the angle of the speaker 62 (hereinafter referred to as the speaker angle) (an example of information indicating the sound amplification direction of the sound amplification device), and the like. The volume level of the speaker 62 is set based on the output sound pressure level and frequency characteristics. The speaker angle indicates the angle θ of the speaker 62 between the Z-axis along the vertical direction of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 and the traveling direction of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 as shown in FIG. 3.

[0023] The sound amplification range determination unit 113 determines the sound amplification range of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 during flight based on the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 and the characteristic information of the speaker 62. The sound amplification range determination unit 113 refers to the sound amplification information 121a in the sound amplification information storage unit 121 of the storage unit 12.

[0024] The amplified sound information 121a shown in FIG. 5 includes an amplified sound range determined according to, for example, the speaker angle and the flight altitude at a set predetermined volume level. The amplified sound information 121a also includes information indicating the sound pressure distribution in each amplified sound range. The amplified sound information 121a is pre-acquired and stored by conducting a flight experiment of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 equipped with various speakers 62 in a predetermined environment (for example, the wind speed, wind direction, temperature, etc. that affect the amplified sound are under predetermined conditions). Since the amplified sound information 121a is related to the output sound pressure level and frequency characteristics of the speaker 62, it is generated for each type of speaker 62. Since the amplified sound range and the sound pressure distribution also vary depending on the volume level of the speaker 62, the amplified sound information 121a may be generated and stored for each different volume level (an example of characteristic information).

[0025] FIGS. 6 and 7 schematically show examples of the amplified sound ranges C11, C12, C13, C21, C22, C23, C31, C32, C33 determined based on the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 and the speaker angle θ. Each amplified sound range is defined by the distance centered on the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 during flight. FIG. 6 shows the amplified sound range in the XZ plane viewed from the Y-axis direction, with the lower part of the paper being the ground. FIG. 7 shows the amplified sound range in the XY plane viewed from the Z-axis direction, which is a view of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 during flight from above. As shown in FIG. 6, the higher the flight altitude, the larger the amplified sound range in the XZ plane. Also, as shown in FIG. 7, the larger the speaker angle, the more the amplified sound range in the XY plane extends in the direction of the speaker 62, that is, the amplified sound direction (the arrow direction shown in FIG. 7).

[0026] The amplified sound display information generation unit 114 generates amplified sound display information including the determined amplified sound range. The amplified sound display information includes the position information of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50, the amplified sound range centered on the unmanned aerial vehicle 50, the flight altitude, the volume level, etc. The amplified sound display information is transmitted to the terminal device 30 via the communication unit 19.

[0027] Note that the amplified voice display information may include information indicating the sound pressure distribution (dB) as described later. For example, a bandwidth (e.g., 1 / 3 octave band) of a predetermined center frequency (e.g., 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 2000 Hz, etc.) is set, and the sound pressure distribution on the XY plane in each bandwidth is generated.

[0028] 1-1-3. Configuration of the Terminal Device The terminal device 30 shown in FIG. 2 is a computer device capable of communicating with the management device 10 by wireless communication, and includes a control unit 31, a storage unit 32, an input unit 36, a display unit 37, and a communication unit 39. The control unit 31 is an electronic circuit such as a CPU. The control unit 31 operates as an arithmetic processing device and a control device, and controls the terminal device 30 according to various programs to execute the functions described later. The storage unit 32 is a semiconductor memory such as a ROM, a RAM, or a flash memory. The ROM and the flash memory store programs, arithmetic parameters, arithmetic results, etc. used by the control unit 31. The RAM temporarily stores programs used in the execution of the functions of the control unit 31 and parameters that change as appropriate in the execution thereof. The input unit 36 includes buttons and a touch panel. The display unit 37 (an example of an output unit) is configured by a liquid crystal display device or an organic EL display device. The display unit 37 displays the amplified voice display information including the amplified voice range of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 received from the management device 10.

[0029] The communication unit 39 is, for example, a network interface card for connecting to a wired LAN or the Internet. The communication unit 39 may be a wireless communication interface for connecting to a base station or a communication interface corresponding to a wireless LAN.

[0030] The control unit 31 (an example of a control unit) executes the function of the display control unit 311 by executing a program read from the storage unit 32. The display control unit 311 causes the display unit 37 to display the amplified voice display information received from the management device 10. The amplified voice display information may be displayed on the display unit 37 in association with existing map information using a known technique such as mashup.

[0031] The display control unit 311 may display on the display unit 37 the sound projection range of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 during flight, color-coded by the level of sound pressure level (dB). For example, when the speaker angle is 0 degrees, the display unit 37 displays the sound projection range and sound pressure distribution shown in FIG. 8A; when the speaker angle is 45 degrees, the display unit 37 displays the sound projection range and sound pressure distribution shown in FIG. 8B; and when the speaker angle is 90 degrees, the display unit 37 displays the sound projection range and sound pressure distribution shown in FIG. 8C. These sound projection ranges and sound pressure distributions may be displayed on the display unit 37 for each bandwidth of different center frequencies.

[0032] In this way, by displaying on the display unit 37 the sound projection range by the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 during flight and the sound pressure distribution in that sound projection range, the user can grasp in real time to what extent sound projection can be performed by the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 in the target area.

[0033] 1-1-4. Configuration of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle FIG. 3 shows a part of the appearance of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50, and FIG. 4 shows an example of the overall configuration of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50. The unmanned aerial vehicle 50 (an example of an unmanned aerial vehicle) is an unmanned aircraft capable of remote control and automatic flight, and performs flight operations such as ascending, moving forward, rotating, descending, and hovering in response to a flight instruction from an operation terminal (not shown). The unmanned aerial vehicle 50 includes a main body 50a, a plurality of arms 50b radially extending horizontally from the main body 50a, a plurality of legs 50c extending downward, and rotors 55 attached to the upper tips of the respective legs 50c. The unmanned aerial vehicle 50 flies by the lift generated by rotating the rotors 55 by the rotation of the motors 56, and generates a reaction force by changing the rotation direction of some of the rotors 55 to prevent the main body 50a itself from rotating. A speaker 62 is mounted on the main body 50a of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50. The speaker 62 can change its angle in the vertical direction indicated by the arrow by a speaker direction control mechanism 61. Thereby, the sound projection direction of the speaker 62 can be changed.

[0034] As shown in Fig. 4, the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 includes, as a configuration for executing flight, a control device 51, a storage device 52, a sensor group 53, a GPS receiver 54, a battery 58, and a wireless communication device 59. The control device 51 (an example of a control device) is an electronic circuit such as a CPU, functions as an arithmetic processing device and a control device, and controls the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 according to various programs for executing functions described later. The storage device 52 (an example of a storage device) is a memory such as a ROM, a RAM, or a flash memory. The ROM and the flash memory store programs, arithmetic parameters, arithmetic results, etc. used by the control device 51. The RAM temporarily stores programs used in the execution of the functions of the control device 51 and parameters that appropriately change during the execution thereof.

[0035] The sensor group 53 includes an acceleration sensor and an angular velocity sensor for detecting acceleration and angular velocity for attitude control of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50, a pressure sensor for detecting the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50, an ultrasonic sensor for altitude maintenance, a geomagnetic sensor for detecting the orientation of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50, etc. The GPS receiver 54 includes an antenna and a signal processing unit, and receives signals from GPS satellites to detect the position information of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50. The battery 58 stores and supplies electric power necessary for the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50. The wireless communication device 59 includes a wireless communication interface for wirelessly communicating with the terminal device 30. The position information of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 is transmitted to the management device 10 via the wireless communication device 59 at predetermined intervals.

[0036] The unmanned aerial vehicle 50 further includes a microphone direction control mechanism 63, a microphone 64, a camera direction control mechanism 65, and a camera 66. The microphone 64 can change the sound collection direction by changing the angle in the vertical direction in the same manner as the speaker 62 by the microphone direction control mechanism 63. The camera 66 can change the shooting direction by changing the angle in the vertical direction in the same manner as the speaker 62 by the camera direction control mechanism 65.

[0037] The control device 51 executes the functions of the flight control unit 511, the voice control unit 512, and the image control unit 513 by executing a program read from the storage device 52. The flight control unit 511 controls the rotation speed and rotation rate of the motor 56 according to a flight instruction received via the wireless communication device 59 to execute the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50. Based on the output data of the above-described sensor group 53 and the GPS receiver 54, the flight control unit 511 acquires position information including the inclination and rotation of the main body 50a shown in FIG. 3, the latitude and longitude during flight, the altitude, and the azimuth angle of the main body 50a. The storage device 52 stores a program in which an algorithm for controlling the attitude and basic flight operations of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 during flight is implemented. The program flies the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 while correcting the attitude and position of the main body 50a according to a flight instruction signal received by the wireless communication device 59. The operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 may be manually performed by the user using an operation terminal (not shown), or may be autonomously flown along a predetermined flight route.

[0038] The voice control unit 512 amplifies predetermined voice content via the speaker 62. The voice control unit 512 controls the speaker direction control mechanism 61 so as to direct the speaker 62 in a desired direction. The voice control unit 512 also transmits the voice collected by the microphone 64 to an operation terminal or the like via the wireless communication device 59. The image control unit 513 temporarily stores the video and images captured by the camera 66 in the storage device 52 and transmits them to an external device such as an operation terminal via the wireless communication device 59.

[0039] 1-2. Operations Referring to FIG. 9, the operation of the voice amplification system 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 will be described. In the terminal device 30, a predetermined program (a program for displaying the voice amplification range by the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 in flight) is activated. The position information acquisition unit 111 of the management device 10 acquires position information including the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 in flight (S101). The characteristic information acquisition unit 112 acquires the characteristic information of the speaker 62 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 (S102). The characteristic information includes information indicating the speaker angle. The voice amplification range determination unit 113 determines the voice amplification range by the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 with reference to the voice amplification information 121a (FIG. 5) (S103). For example, at a predetermined volume level, when the flight altitude is 25 m and the speaker angle is 45 degrees, the voice amplification range C22 shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 is determined. The voice amplification display information generation unit 114 generates voice amplification display information including the determined voice amplification range and transmits it to the terminal device 30 (S104).

[0040] In the terminal device 30, the display control unit 311 causes the display unit 37 to display the received voice amplification range (S105). At this time, as described above, a sound pressure distribution as shown in FIG. 8B (when the speaker angle is 45 degrees) may be displayed on the display unit 37.

[0041] The management device 10 acquires the position information of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 at predetermined intervals (S106). If there is a change in the flight altitude or speaker angle of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 (YES in S107), the process returns to step S103 to determine the voice amplification range again. For example, when the altitude changes from 25 m to 45 m, based on the voice amplification information 121a (FIG. 5), the voice amplification range C32 (FIGS. 6 and 7) is determined. Accordingly, the changed voice amplification display information is generated and displayed (S104, S105). Also, in step S107, when there is a change in the speaker angle of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 in flight, the voice amplification range is determined again in the same manner.

[0042] When there is no change in the flight altitude or speaker angle of the unmanned aircraft 50 (NO in S107), and there is a change in the position (longitude and latitude) of the unmanned aircraft 50 (YES in S108), accordingly, the voice amplification display information generation unit 114 of the management device 10 updates the voice amplification display information and transmits it to the terminal device 30 (S109). In the terminal device 30, the display control unit 311 causes the display unit 37 to display the voice amplification display information with the updated position of the unmanned aircraft 50. Unless the program ends (S110), the above processing is repeated.

[0043] 1-3. Features The voice amplification system 1 or voice amplification method using the unmanned aircraft 50 according to the above embodiment determines the voice amplification range of the speaker 62 based on the position information including the flight altitude of the unmanned aircraft 50 and the characteristic information of the speaker 62, and displays or changes the voice amplification range and sound pressure distribution according to the operations of the unmanned aircraft 50 and the speaker 62. Thereby, the user can grasp in real time to what extent the unmanned aircraft 50 can perform voice amplification in the target area. Therefore, appropriate voice amplification using the unmanned aircraft 50 can be executed.

[0044] 2. Embodiment 2 In the voice amplification system, voice amplification method, or unmanned aircraft equipped with a voice amplification device using the unmanned aircraft according to the present embodiment, the voice amplification range is selected by a user's input operation, and the operation of the unmanned aircraft is controlled according to the selected voice amplification range.

[0045] In the following description, the description of the same configuration or function as that of the voice amplification system 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 is omitted, and the same reference numerals are referred to.

[0046] 2-1. Configuration In the present embodiment, the control unit 31 of the terminal device 30 is different from that in the first embodiment in that it executes the functions of the voice amplification range specifying unit 312, the flight instruction unit 313, and the voice amplification instruction unit 314, and the display control unit 311 causes the display unit 37 to display a screen for selecting and inputting the voice amplification range.

[0047] The presentation control unit 311 causes the display unit 37 to display a selection input screen including selectable voice amplification ranges, in addition to the voice amplification display information received from the management device 10. The information including the selectable voice amplification ranges is, for example, voice amplification ranges corresponding to the voice amplification ranges C11, C12, C13, C21, C22, C23, C31, C32, and C33 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. The selection input screen includes a voice amplification range centered on the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 and includes buttons and the like for selecting this information. Note that the selectable voice amplification ranges may include sound pressure distributions (dB). The sound pressure distribution is a sound pressure distribution in a bandwidth of a predetermined center frequency (for example, 1000 Hz). In this case, the display unit 37 may display the selectable voice amplification ranges by color-coding the high and low sound pressure levels as shown in FIGS. 8A to 8C. The display unit 37 may also display the voice amplification ranges and sound pressure distributions by the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 for a plurality of bandwidths with different center frequencies.

[0048] The voice amplification range specifying unit 312 specifies the voice amplification range selected and input via the input unit 36. The voice amplification range specifying unit 312 refers to voice amplification information 121a as shown in FIG. 5 stored in advance in the storage unit 32 or the like, and specifies the selected voice amplification range. Alternatively, the voice amplification range specifying unit 312 may specify the selected voice amplification range by inquiring of the management device 10 via the communication unit 39.

[0049] The flight instruction unit 313 generates a flight instruction according to the specified voice amplification range. For example, referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, assume that the current voice amplification range is C22 and the specified voice amplification range is C32. Thereby, a flight instruction is generated to change the flight altitude from 25 m to 45 m. The voice amplification instruction unit 314 generates a voice amplification instruction according to the specified voice amplification range. For example, assume that the current voice amplification range is C22 and the specified voice amplification range is C23. Thereby, a voice amplification instruction is generated to change the speaker angle from 45 degrees to 90 degrees. Alternatively, assume that the current voice amplification range is C22 and the specified voice amplification range is C33. Thereby, a flight instruction is generated to change the flight altitude from 25 m to 45 m, and a voice amplification instruction is generated to change the speaker angle from 45 degrees to 90 degrees. The voice amplification instruction unit 314 also instructs to change the volume level of the speaker when it is necessary to change the volume level of the speaker.

[0050] The terminal device 30 may also serve as an operation terminal capable of controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 by wireless communication. In that case, the terminal device 30 may include a joystick as the input unit 36. The user controls the flight operation and voice amplification operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 by the input operation of the input unit 36. In this case, the input unit 36 can receive an input for controlling the directions of the speaker 62, the microphone 64, and the camera 66 (FIG. 4) mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle 50. The display unit 37 may display the video and images captured by the camera 66 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50. Alternatively, the terminal device 30 may transmit a flight instruction and a voice amplification instruction to a separate operation terminal via the communication unit 39, and control the flight operation and voice amplification operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 via the operation terminal. Alternatively, the flight instruction and voice amplification instruction from the terminal device 30 may be transmitted to the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 via the management device 10.

[0051] 2-2. Operations Referring to FIG. 11, the operation of the voice amplification system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. Steps S201 to S204 are the same operations as steps S101 to S104 shown in FIG. 9, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

[0052] In the terminal device 30, the display control unit 311 causes the display unit 37 to display the received voice amplification range, and also causes the display unit 37 to display a selection input screen including the selectable voice amplification ranges as described above (S205). For example, assume that the voice amplification range of the current unmanned aerial vehicle 50 is C22 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. The display control unit 311 displays voice amplification display information including the current voice amplification range C22, and also displays a selection input screen including other voice amplification ranges C11, C12, C13, C21, C23, C31, C32, C33, etc. that can be selected by the user.

[0053] In the terminal device 30, when a selection input of the voice amplification range is made via the input unit 36 (YES in S206), the voice amplification range specifying unit 312 refers to the voice amplification information stored in advance in the storage unit 32 to specify the selected voice amplification range (S207). The flight instruction unit 313 and / or the voice amplification instruction unit 314 generate a flight instruction and / or a voice amplification instruction according to the specified voice amplification range as described above, and transmit the instruction to the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 via the communication unit 39 (S208).

[0054] The unmanned aerial vehicle 50 receives a flight instruction and / or a voice amplification instruction via the wireless communication device 59. The flight control unit 511 controls the rotation of the motor 56 based on the data from the sensor group 53 and the GPS receiver 54 according to the flight instruction, and executes flight at the instructed flight altitude. The voice control unit 512 controls the speaker direction control mechanism 61 according to the voice amplification instruction to change the angle of the speaker 62.

[0055] 2-3. Features The voice amplification system 1, the voice amplification method, or the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 equipped with the speaker 62 using the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 according to the present embodiment selects a voice amplification range by a user's input operation, and controls the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the selected voice amplification range. Thereby, the user can control the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 so that voice amplification is executed within a desired voice amplification range. Therefore, appropriate voice amplification using the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 can be executed.

[0056] 2-4. Modification Examples In the second embodiment described above, the flight operation or the voice amplification operation was controlled to change the voice amplification range for the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 during flight, but the present invention is not limited to this. The voice amplification system 1 may start the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 according to the selected voice amplification range.

[0057] FIG. 12 shows the operation of the voice amplification system 1 according to this modification. The terminal device 30 shown in FIG. 10 acquires information on the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 (including the characteristic information of the speaker 62 mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle 50) (S211). This information may be received via the communication unit 39 or may be input via the input unit 36. Accordingly, the display control unit 311 causes the display unit 37 to display a selection input screen including a plurality of voice amplification ranges as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 (S212).

[0058] In the terminal device 30, the user selects and inputs a voice amplification range via the input unit 36 (S213). The voice amplification range specifying unit 312 specifies the selected voice amplification range by referring to the voice amplification information stored in advance in the storage unit 32 (S214). The flight instruction unit 313 and the voice amplification instruction unit 314 generate a flight instruction and a voice amplification instruction according to the specified voice amplification range, and transmit them to the management device 10, an operation terminal (not shown), etc. via the communication unit 39 (S215). In response to the transmitted flight instruction and voice amplification instruction, the flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 is started. Thereby, the user can start the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 so that voice amplification is executed within a desired voice amplification range. Therefore, appropriate voice amplification using the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 can be executed.

[0059] 3. Other Embodiments As described above, each embodiment has been described as an example of the technology disclosed in the present application. However, the technology in the present disclosure is not limited to this, and is also applicable to embodiments in which changes, replacements, additions, omissions, etc. are made as appropriate. It is also possible to combine the respective components described in the above embodiments to form a new embodiment. For example, the following embodiments are conceivable.

[0060] (1) In the above embodiment, the sound projection range by a single unmanned aerial vehicle 50 has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The sound projection range may be determined by flying a formation of a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles 50 and based on their position information and the characteristic information of the speaker 62. In this case, the flight control unit 511 (FIG. 4) of the control device 51 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 controls its own flight operation and sound projection operation so as to be interlocked with the operations of other unmanned aerial vehicles 50 based on the control information received from an external device such as the management device 10 or other unmanned aerial vehicles 50.

[0061] For example, as shown in FIG. 13A, two unmanned aerial vehicles 501 and 502 are flown to obtain a predetermined sound projection range. The unmanned aerial vehicle 501 is flown with a speaker angle of 0 degrees and a flight altitude of 10 m (the sound projection range C11 shown in FIGS. 5 to 7). The unmanned aerial vehicle 502 is flown with a speaker angle of 90 degrees and a flight altitude of 45 m (the sound projection range C33 shown in FIGS. 5 to 7). These sound projection ranges are integrated to form one sound projection range. Thereby, a large sound projection range in the XY plane and a large sound projection range in the XZ plane can be ensured, and the sound pressure distribution in the sound projection range can be made more uniform.

[0062] For example, as shown in FIG. 13B, three unmanned aerial vehicles 501, 502, and 503 are flown to obtain a predetermined sound projection range. The unmanned aerial vehicle 501 is flown with a speaker angle of 0 degrees and a flight altitude of 10 m (the sound projection range C11 shown in FIGS. 5 to 7). The unmanned aerial vehicle 502 is flown with a speaker angle of 45 degrees and a flight altitude of 25 m (the sound projection range C22 shown in FIGS. 5 to 7). The unmanned aerial vehicle 503 is flown with a speaker angle of 90 degrees and a flight altitude of 45 m (the sound projection range C33 shown in FIGS. 5 to 7). These sound projection ranges are integrated to form one sound projection range. Thereby, a larger sound projection range in the XY plane and a larger sound projection range in the XZ plane can be ensured, and the sound pressure distribution in the sound projection range can be made more uniform.

[0063] When flying a formation of a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles 50, different voice contents may be broadcast from the unmanned aerial vehicles 50. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 13A, the unmanned aerial vehicle 502 with a high flight altitude broadcasts voice content for a wide area, and the unmanned aerial vehicle 501 with a low flight altitude broadcasts voice content for a narrow area. For example, the unmanned aerial vehicle 502 broadcasts voice content such as "A tsunami is coming! Please evacuate!" for the entire target area. On the other hand, the unmanned aerial vehicle 501 broadcasts voice content for people in a specific location, such as "Please evacuate to the high ground in ○○!". Thereby, the broadcast range formed by the formation of the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles 50 can be effectively assigned according to the voice content.

[0064] If different voice contents are simultaneously broadcast from a formation of a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles 50, the different voices may overlap and be difficult to hear. In that case, the management device 10 may control the broadcast operation of each unmanned aerial vehicle 50 so as to shift the timing of broadcasting the voice content. In the example shown in FIG. 13A, after the unmanned aerial vehicle 502 broadcasts "A tsunami is coming! Please evacuate!", the unmanned aerial vehicle 501 broadcasts "Please evacuate to the high ground in ○○!". Then, the unmanned aerial vehicle 502 broadcasts "A tsunami is coming! Please evacuate!" again. By shifting the broadcast timing in this way, the voice can be surely heard. Note that the adjustment of the broadcast timing may be performed between the unmanned aerial vehicles 50 without going through the management device 10. In this case, the unmanned aerial vehicles 50 may wirelessly communicate with each other to notify other unmanned aerial vehicles 50 of the broadcast timing.

[0065] The speakers 62 mounted on the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles 50 may be of the same type or different types.

[0066] (2) In the above-described embodiment, the sound projection range was determined based on the speaker angle as the characteristic information of the speaker, but it is not limited thereto. Instead of the speaker angle, the sound projection range may be determined based on the magnitude of the speaker volume level. For example, the sound projection information 121a shown in FIG. 5 sets a plurality of levels for the volume level instead of the speaker angle, and includes a sound projection range determined based on the flight altitude for each volume level. The larger the volume level, the larger the sound projection range, and the smaller the volume level, the smaller the sound projection range. The speaker angle is constant. Alternatively, the sound projection information 121a may be generated for each different speaker angle, and each sound projection information 121a may include a sound projection range determined based on the flight altitude for a plurality of levels of volume levels.

[0067] In the above-described embodiment, the sound projection information 121a may include a sound projection range determined based on the speaker angle for a plurality of volume levels at a certain flight altitude. Alternatively, the sound projection information 121a may be generated for each different flight altitude and include a sound projection range determined based on the speaker angle for a plurality of volume levels. (3) In the above-described embodiment, the position information of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 may include the flight speed in addition to or instead of the flight altitude, and the sound projection range may be determined based on the flight speed. Here, the sound projection range is the sound projection range per predetermined time. The unmanned aerial vehicle 50 travels on the XY plane as shown in FIG. 7. The sound projection range by the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 moves as the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 progresses. When the flight speed is slow or in the case of hovering flight, the sound projection range per predetermined time becomes small. On the other hand, when the flight speed increases, the sound projection range for the same predetermined time becomes large. In this case, for example, the voice amplification information 121a shown in FIG. 5 sets a plurality of levels for the flight speed instead of the flight altitude, and includes a voice amplification range per predetermined time determined based on the flight speed with respect to the speaker angle or the volume level. The slower the flight speed, the smaller the voice amplification range, and the faster the flight speed, the larger the voice amplification range. The flight altitude is constant. Alternatively, the voice amplification information 121a may be generated for each different flight altitude, and each voice amplification information 121a may include a voice amplification range per predetermined time determined based on the flight speed with respect to a plurality of levels of speaker angles or volume levels.

[0068] (4) The numerical values and numerical ranges such as the flight altitude, speaker angle, distance, frequency, etc. of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 exemplified in the above embodiments are merely examples given for explaining the voice amplification system 1, voice amplification method, and unmanned aerial vehicle 50 according to the embodiments, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0069] (5) In the above embodiment, the voice amplification information 121a may be generated based on the voice amplification range and sound pressure distribution of the speaker predicted using AI (Artificial Intelligence). For example, the output sound pressure level, frequency characteristics, speaker angle, position information including the flight altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle 50 corresponding to each type of speaker, and the voice amplification range and sound pressure distribution corresponding thereto are input as learning data and machine learning is performed. By this machine learning, it may be possible to predict the voice amplification range and sound pressure distribution that change according to the flight altitude and characteristic information. (6) In the above embodiment, the voice content to be amplified may be voice content in Japanese, or voice content in a language other than Japanese. Further, the voice content may include voice content in Japanese and voice content in a language other than Japanese. In this case, the voice content in a language other than Japanese may be amplified together with the voice content in Japanese.

[0070] (7) In the above-described embodiment, each device or system can adopt a cloud computing configuration in which one function is shared and jointly processed by a plurality of devices via a network.

[0071] In the above-described embodiment, the device or system includes cases where it means a collection of a plurality of components (devices, modules (parts), etc.), regardless of whether all the components are in the same housing. Also, a plurality of devices housed in separate enclosures and connected via a network, and one device in which a plurality of modules are housed in one enclosure may both be referred to as a system in some cases.

[0072] Each step described in the above flowchart can be executed by one device or can be shared and executed by a plurality of devices. Further, when a plurality of processes are included in one step, the plurality of processes included in that one step can be executed by one device or can be shared and executed by a plurality of devices.

[0073] The execution order of the operations of the voice amplification system 1 in the above-described embodiment is not necessarily limited to the description of the above-described embodiment, and the execution order can be changed or a plurality of operations can be executed simultaneously without departing from the gist of the invention.

[0074] (8) In the above-described embodiment, the control unit or control device of each device or equipment may include a processor composed of a dedicated electronic circuit designed to realize a predetermined function according to the function required for each device or equipment. Also, the control unit or control device can be realized by various processors such as an MPU, GPU, DSP, FPGA, ASIC, etc. The control unit or control device may be composed of one or a plurality of processors.

[0075] Part or all of the storage unit or storage device of each device or equipment may be constituted by any computer-readable recording medium, such as an optical disk, a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, a magnetic tape, an HDD, an SD card, an SSD, etc., according to the functions required for each device or equipment.

[0076] The communication unit or communication device of each device or equipment may be any communication interface, such as a wireless LAN, a wired LAN, 3G (3rd Generation), LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), 5G (5th Generation), a millimeter-wave wireless communication interface, according to the functions required for each device or equipment.

[0077] (9) The computer program is not limited to that recorded on a recording medium, and may be acquired via an electric communication line, a wireless or wired communication line, a network represented by the Internet, etc. Each process of the above embodiment may be realized by hardware, or may be realized by software (including the case of being realized together with an OS (operating system), middleware, or a predetermined library). Further, each process may be realized by a mixed process of software and hardware.

Industrial Applicability

[0078] The present disclosure is applicable as a voice amplification system and a voice amplification method using an unmanned aerial vehicle.

Explanation of Signs

[0079] 1: Voice Amplification System 10: Management Device 11: Control Unit 12: Storage Unit 19: Communication Unit 30: Terminal Device 31: Control Unit 32: Storage Unit 36: Input Unit 37: Display unit 39: Wireless communication unit 50: Unmanned aerial vehicle 50a: Body 50b: Arm 50c: Legs 51: Control device 52: Memory device 53: Sensor group 54: GPS receiver 55: Rotor 56: Motor 58: Battery 59: Wireless communication device 61: Speaker direction control mechanism 62: Speaker 63: Microphone direction control mechanism 64: Microphone 65: Camera direction control mechanism 66: Camera 111: Position information acquisition unit 112: Characteristic information acquisition unit 113: Sound amplification range determination unit 114: Sound amplification display information generation unit 121: Sound amplification information storage unit 121a: Sound amplification information 311: Display control unit 312: Sound amplification range specification unit 313: Flight instruction unit 314: Sound amplification instruction unit 501,502,503: Unmanned aerial vehicle 511: Flight control unit 512: Audio control unit 513: Image control unit

Claims

1. A voice amplification system using an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a voice amplification device, comprising: a storage unit that stores a plurality of voice amplification ranges by the unmanned aerial vehicle, determined based on the position information of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the characteristic information of the voice amplification device; an output unit that outputs a selected voice amplification range among the plurality of voice amplification ranges stored in the storage unit; A voice amplification system comprising the above.

2. The position information includes at least one of the flight altitude and flight speed of the unmanned aerial vehicle. The voice amplification system according to Claim 1.

3. The characteristic information of the voice amplification device includes at least one of information indicating the voice amplification direction of the voice amplification device and the volume level. The voice amplification system according to Claim 1 or 2.

4. The output unit outputs the sound pressure distribution in the voice amplification range. The voice amplification system according to any one of Claims 1 to 3.

5. The unmanned aerial vehicle further comprises a control unit that acquires the current position information at which the unmanned aerial vehicle flies, and determines a specific voice amplification range among the plurality of voice amplification ranges stored in the storage unit based on the current position information and the characteristic information. The output unit includes a display unit, and displays the voice amplification range determined by the control unit. The voice amplification system according to any one of Claims 1 to 4.

6. The voice amplification system further comprises a control unit that operates at least one of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the voice amplification device based on the voice amplification range. The voice amplification system according to any one of Claims 1 to 5.

7. The output unit further includes an input unit that includes a display unit and receives a selection input of the voice amplification range displayed on the display unit. The control unit operates the unmanned aerial vehicle or the voice amplification device according to the selection input. The voice amplification system according to Claim 6.

8. The output unit is at least one of a communication unit that transmits a flight instruction to the unmanned aerial vehicle and a display unit that displays the voice amplification range. The voice amplification system according to any one of Claims 1 to 7.

9. The voice amplification range is one voice amplification range determined based on the position information of a plurality of the unmanned aerial vehicles and the characteristic information of the voice amplification device of each unmanned aerial vehicle. The voice amplification system according to any one of Claims 1 to 8.

10. A voice amplification method using an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a voice amplification device, comprising: storing, in a storage unit, a plurality of voice amplification ranges by the unmanned aerial vehicle, determined based on the position information of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the characteristic information of the voice amplification device; Outputting a selected voice amplification range among a plurality of voice amplification ranges stored in the memory unit; A voice amplification method including the above.

11. The step of obtaining the voice amplification range by the unmanned aerial vehicle includes obtaining one voice amplification range determined based on the position information of a plurality of the unmanned aerial vehicles and the characteristic information of the voice amplification devices of each of the unmanned aerial vehicles. The voice amplification method according to Claim 10.

12. An unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a voice amplification device, A storage device that stores a plurality of voice amplification ranges by the unmanned aerial vehicle, determined based on the position information of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the characteristic information of the voice amplification device; A control device that controls the operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle or the operation of the voice amplification device according to a selected voice amplification range among the plurality of voice amplification ranges stored in the storage device; An unmanned aerial vehicle comprising the above.

13. The control device controls the flight operation and the voice amplification operation of the unmanned aerial vehicle to be interlocked with the operations of one or more other unmanned aerial vehicles, The voice amplification range is formed together with the voice amplification ranges by the one or more other unmanned aerial vehicles. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to Claim 12.

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