Lost child search support system, lost child search support device, and lost child search support program

Abstract

To support searching for a lost child.SOLUTION: A lost child search support system 10 includes: lost child application accepting means for accepting search application of a lost child from a guardian of a search subject; use authority granting means for granting use authority of authentication data of the search subject registered in advance in relation to a collaborator who cooperates with searching for the lost child when the search application of the lost child is accepted by the lost child application accepting means; specification data input accepting means for accepting an input of specification data of a candidate of the search subject from the collaborator when the candidate of the search subject that may be the search subject is found by the collaborator; and search subject determination means for determining, when an input of the specification data is accepted by the specification data input accepting means, whether or not the search subject candidate is the search subject by using the authentication data and the specification data based on use authority of the authentication data of the search subject granted by the use authority granting means to notify the collaborator of determination results.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lost child search support system, a lost child search support device, and a lost child search support program. [Background technology]

[0002] The following solo and group person detection device is known, which classifies people into groups based on information about the people's behavior acquired from images, thereby detecting whether the people are acting alone or in a group, thereby detecting lost children (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-92396 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When searching for a lost child, it is necessary to find the person being searched for early and hand them over to their guardian to prevent them from getting involved in an accident or incident. For this reason, when a person assisting in the search for a lost child finds someone who appears to be lost, a system is required to help them determine whether that person is the person being searched for, but this point has not been considered at all in conventional devices. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The lost child search support system of the present invention is a lost child search support system for supporting the search for a lost child, and includes: lost child application acceptance means for accepting a lost child search application from a guardian of a lost child; usage authority granting means for granting a use authority for the authentication data of the search target to a collaborator who cooperates in the search for the lost child when the lost child search application is accepted by the lost child application acceptance means; identification data input acceptance means for accepting input of identification data for the search target candidate from the collaborator when a search target candidate who may be the search target is discovered by the collaborator; and search target determination means for, when input of the identification data is accepted by the identification data input acceptance means, using the authentication data and the identification data based on the use authority for the authentication data of the search target granted by the usage authority granting means, to determine whether the search target candidate is the search target or not, and notifying the collaborator of the determination result. and a permission information issuing means for issuing permission information to a collaborator who cooperates in the search for the lost child when the lost child search application receiving means accepts a search application for the lost child, for permitting the collaborator to use the authentication data of the person being searched for, and a usage authority granting means grants the collaborator permission to use the authentication data of the person being searched for using the permission information issued by the permission information issuing means. It is characterized by: The lost child search support device according to the present invention is a lost child search support device for supporting the search for a lost child, and includes: a lost child application receiving means for receiving a lost child search application from a guardian of a lost child; a usage authority granting means for granting a usage authority for the authentication data of the search target to a collaborator who cooperates in the search for the lost child when the lost child search application is received by the lost child application receiving means; an identification data input receiving means for receiving input of identification data for the search target candidate from the collaborator when a search target candidate who may be the search target is discovered by the collaborator; and a search target determination means for determining whether the search target candidate is the search target using the authentication data and the identification data based on the usage authority for the authentication data of the search target granted by the usage authority granting means when the input of the identification data is received by the identification data input receiving means, and notifying the collaborator of the determination result. and a permission information issuing means for issuing permission information to a collaborator who cooperates in the search for the lost child when the lost child search application receiving means accepts a search application for the lost child, for permitting the collaborator to use the authentication data of the person being searched for, and a usage authority granting means grants the collaborator permission to use the authentication data of the person being searched for using the permission information issued by the permission information issuing means. It is characterized by: The lost child search support program according to the present invention is a lost child search support program for supporting the search for a lost child, and includes a lost child application acceptance procedure for accepting a lost child search application from a guardian of a person to be searched for; a usage authority granting procedure for granting a use authority for the authentication data of the person to be searched for to a collaborator who cooperates in the search for the lost child when the lost child search application is accepted in the lost child application acceptance procedure; an identification data input acceptance procedure for accepting input of identification data of the person to be searched for from the collaborator when a candidate person to be searched for who may be the person to be searched for is discovered by the collaborator; and an identification data input acceptance procedure for granting a use authority ... procedure a search target determination procedure for determining whether a search target candidate is a search target using the authentication data and the identification data based on the authorization to use the authentication data of the search target granted by the search target candidate, and notifying the collaborator of the determination result; a permission information issuing procedure for issuing permission information to a collaborator who cooperates in the search for the lost child when the lost child search request is accepted in the lost child request acceptance procedure, to permit the use of authentication data of the person being searched for; It is a program that makes a computer execute The use authorization granting procedure is characterized by granting the collaborator the right to use the authentication data of the search target using the authorization information issued in the authorization information issuing procedure. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, whether or not a candidate for search is a person to be searched for is determined using pre-registered authentication data and identification data, and the determination result is notified to the helper, so that when the helper finds a candidate for search who is thought to be lost, the helper can be assisted in determining whether the person is a person to be searched for. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of a lost child search support system 10.

[0023] FIG. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a management server 100. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of a parent terminal 200. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of a collaborator terminal 300. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of guardian information recorded in a guardian DB. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of subject information recorded in a subject DB. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of collaborator information recorded in a collaborator DB. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a first diagram showing an example of updating data. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a second diagram showing an example of updating data. [Figure 10] FIG. 3 is a third diagram showing an example of updating data. [Figure 11] 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of an authorization code issuing process executed by the management server 100 in the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a lost person determination process executed by the management server 100 in the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a lost child application process executed by the parent / guardian terminal 200 in the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of voiceprint data use authority cancellation application processing executed by the parent terminal 200 in the first embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a voiceprint data use authorization granting process executed by a helper terminal 300 in the first embodiment. [Figure 16] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by the helper terminal 300 when a lost person is found in the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a lost person determination process executed by the management server 100 in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] -First embodiment- FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a lost child search support system 10 according to a first embodiment. The lost child search support system 10 is a system used to support the search for a lost person. The lost child search support system 10 includes a management server 100 that operates as a lost child search support device that executes processing to support the search for a lost child, a parent terminal 200 carried by the parent of the lost person being searched for, and a helper terminal 300 carried by a helper who cooperates in the search for the person being searched for. In this embodiment, the management server 100 and the parent terminal 200, and the management server 100 and the helper terminal 300, are connected to each other via a communication line such as the Internet or a mobile phone network. While FIG. 1 illustrates an example in which the lost child search support system 10 includes one management server 100, one parent terminal 200, and one helper terminal 300, the configuration of the lost child search support system 10 is not limited to this.

[0009] 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the management server 100 according to this embodiment. The management server 100 comprises a connection interface 101, a control device 102, and a storage medium 103.

[0010] The connection interface 101 is an interface for connecting the management server 100 to a communication line such as the Internet, and may be, for example, a wired LAN module for connecting to the Internet via a wire, or a wireless LAN module for connecting to the Internet wirelessly. In this embodiment, the management server 100 communicates with the guardian terminal 200 and the helper terminal 300 via this connection interface 101.

[0011] The control device 102 is configured with a CPU, memory, and other peripheral circuits, and controls the entire management server 100. The memory that configures the control device 102 is, for example, a volatile memory such as SDRAM. This memory is used as a work memory for the CPU to expand programs when the programs are executed, and as a buffer memory for temporarily recording data. For example, data read via the connection interface 101 is temporarily recorded in the buffer memory.

[0012] The storage medium 103 is a storage medium for recording various data stored by the management server 100, program data to be executed by the control device 102, etc., and may be, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD). The program data recorded in the storage medium 103 is provided by being recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM, or provided via a network, and the operator installs the program data acquired in the storage medium 103, allowing the control device 102 to execute the program.

[0013] The guardian terminal 200 is a terminal carried by the guardian of a person to be searched for when the child gets lost. The guardian terminal 200 may be, for example, an information terminal such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a personal computer.

[0014] 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment in which a smartphone is used as the parent terminal 200. The parent terminal 200 includes a touch panel 201, a communication module 202, a control device 203, and a microphone 204.

[0015] The touch panel 201 is an electronic component that combines a display device such as a liquid crystal panel with a position input device such as a touchpad, and is an input device that allows the user to operate the device by pressing on the display on the screen. For example, a user of the parent terminal 200 can operate the parent terminal 200 by touching or sliding a finger or a touch pen over display items such as buttons, icons, and menus displayed on the liquid crystal panel. The touch panel 201 detects operations such as touching and sliding by the user and outputs the detection signal to the control device 203.

[0016] The communication module 202 is a module for connecting to the Internet via a LAN or a mobile phone communication network, either wirelessly or by wire. The parent terminal 200 communicates with the management server 100 via this communication module 202.

[0017] The control device 203 is configured with a CPU, memory, and other peripheral circuits, and controls the entire parent terminal 200. The memory that configures the control device 203 includes, for example, volatile memory such as SDRAM and non-volatile memory such as flash memory. The volatile memory is used as a work memory for the CPU to expand programs when the programs are executed, and as a buffer memory for temporarily recording data. The non-volatile memory also stores firmware for operating the parent terminal 200 and program data for software for running various applications.

[0018] The microphone 204 is a sound collecting device for inputting the speech of a speaker, etc. The analog data input from the microphone 204 is converted into a digital signal by the control device 203.

[0019] The helper terminal 300 is a terminal carried by a helper who helps search for a lost search target. As the helper terminal 300, for example, an information terminal such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a personal computer is used.

[0020] 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment in which a smartphone is used as the helper terminal 300. The helper terminal 300 includes a touch panel 301, a communication module 302, a control device 303, and a microphone 304.

[0021] The touch panel 301 is an electronic component that combines a display device such as a liquid crystal panel with a position input device such as a touchpad, and is an input device that allows users to operate equipment by touching on the display on the screen. For example, a user of the collaborator terminal 300 can operate the collaborator terminal 300 by touching or sliding a finger or a stylus over display items such as buttons, icons, and menus displayed on the liquid crystal panel. The touch panel 301 detects user operations such as touching and sliding, and outputs the detection signal to the control device 303.

[0022] The communication module 302 is a module for connecting to the Internet via a LAN or a mobile phone communication network, wirelessly or by wire. The collaborator terminal 300 communicates with the management server 100 via this communication module 302.

[0023] The control device 303 is configured with a CPU, memory, and other peripheral circuits, and controls the entire collaborator terminal 300. The memory that configures the control device 303 includes, for example, volatile memory such as SDRAM and non-volatile memory such as flash memory. The volatile memory is used as a work memory for the CPU to expand programs when the programs are executed, and as a buffer memory for temporarily storing data. The non-volatile memory also stores firmware for operating the collaborator terminal 300 and software program data for running various applications.

[0024] The microphone 304 is a sound collecting device for inputting the speech of a speaker, etc. The analog data input from the microphone 304 is converted into a digital signal by the control device 303.

[0025] The lost child search support system 10 of this embodiment provides a mechanism for supporting the search when a lost child is identified as a search target and a helper requested by the guardian of the search target searches for the search target. Note that in this embodiment, the following explanation will be given assuming that a parent and child who are visiting a theme park get lost and the guardian requests a theme park staff member to help search for the child who is the search target.

[0026] In this embodiment, an application for using the lost child search support system 10 is pre-installed on the parent terminal 200 and the helper terminal 300. This application is assumed to have functions for the parent terminal and functions for the helper terminal. Therefore, the user of the parent terminal 200 uses the functions for the parent terminal of the application for using the lost child search support system 10, and the user of the helper terminal 300 uses the functions for the helper terminal of the application for using the lost child search support system 10. Details of the processing in the lost child search support system 10 in this embodiment will be described below.

[0027] In the lost child search support system 10 of this embodiment, guardian information about guardians, target person information about people who will be search targets in the event of a lost child, and helper information about helpers are pre-registered in the recording medium 103 of the management server 100. Information necessary for registering the guardian information and target person information is entered on the guardian terminal 200, transmitted to the management server 100, and recorded in the storage medium 103 by the control device 102, thereby pre-registering the information. Information necessary for registering helper information is entered on the helper terminal 300, transmitted to the management server 100, and recorded in the storage medium 103 by the control device 102, thereby pre-registering the information. In this embodiment, guardian information is stored in a guardian DB recorded in the storage medium 103, target person information is stored in a target DB recorded in the storage medium 103, and helper information is stored in a helper DB recorded in the storage medium 103.

[0028] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of guardian information recorded in the guardian DB. As shown in FIG. 5, the guardian information includes information such as a personal ID for identifying the guardian, a name, a telephone number, an email address, an address, a permission range, and a permission status. Here, the name may be the guardian's full name or a nickname as long as it identifies the guardian. The permission range is set as the range of contact information of the guardian that is permitted to be disclosed to a collaborator in the process described below. For example, in FIG. 5, the guardian with personal ID 1 has set a telephone number as the range of contact information that is permitted to be disclosed to a collaborator, and the guardian with personal ID 2 has set a telephone number and email as the range of contact information that is permitted to be disclosed to a collaborator. The permission status is a data item for recording information indicating whether the subject's voiceprint data is permitted to be used. Specific examples of data recorded in the permission status will be described later. In the example shown in FIG. 5, both the guardian with personal ID 1 and the guardian with personal ID 2 have registered "none," indicating that they have not permitted anyone to use their voiceprint data.

[0029] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of subject information recorded in the subject DB. As shown in FIG. 6, the subject information includes a subject ID for identifying the subject, a name, a permitted destination, a permission code, voiceprint data, and a search exclusion ID. Here, the subject ID is set to be linked to the guardian ID so that the guardian of the subject can be identified. In this embodiment, a subject registered by a guardian with a personal ID of 1 has a subject ID starting with 1, and a subject registered by a guardian with a personal ID of 2 has a subject ID starting with 2, thereby linking the guardian and the subject. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 6, Mr. C with a subject ID of 1-1 and Ms. D with a subject ID of 1-2 are subjects registered by the guardian with a personal ID of 1. The name may be the subject's name or a nickname as long as it indicates the subject. The permitted destination is a data item for recording information for identifying a collaborator who is permitted to use the subject's voiceprint data in the process described below. The permission code is a data item for recording an authorization code issued in the process described below. The search exclusion ID is a data item used to exclude voiceprint data from being matched in the process described below. Specific examples of the data recorded in the permission destination, permission code, and search exclusion ID will be described later, but in the example shown in FIG. 6, the initial value at the time of registration, "none," is registered for all of them. The voiceprint data is the audio data of the subject's voice that has been converted into voiceprint data and recorded. The audio data of the subject's voice is obtained by encouraging the subject to speak and is acquired via the microphone 204 of the parent terminal 200.

[0030] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of collaborator information recorded in the collaborator DB. As shown in FIG. 7, the collaborator information includes an individual ID for identifying the collaborator, an organization ID1, an organization ID2, a name, and an authorization code. Here, organization IDs for identifying the organization or group to which the subject belongs are recorded in organization ID1 and organization ID2. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 7, it can be seen that a collaborator with individual ID 10001 belongs to an organization with organization ID 100 and an organization with organization ID 1000. For example, if the collaborator is a theme park staff member, organization ID = 100 is set to indicate a specific zone within the theme park, and organization ID = 1000 is set to indicate the entire theme park. Furthermore, the authorization code is a data item for recording an authorization code issued in the process described below. Specific examples of data recorded in the authorization code will be described later, but in the example shown in FIG. 7, the authorization codes for all collaborators are set to "none." This indicates that no authorization code has been issued to any collaborator.

[0031] Once the registration of guardian information, target person information, and collaborator information is complete, if the target person whose target information is registered gets lost, the guardian whose guardian information is registered can request a collaborator whose collaborator information is registered to search for the lost child, and the collaborator who is requested to search for the lost child can then search for the target. The following describes the processing when the target person gets lost.

[0032] To request a helper to search for a lost child, a guardian first operates the guardian terminal 200 to submit a lost child request to request a search for a lost person. When submitting a lost child request, the guardian specifies information for identifying the person to be searched for and the destination to which the search should be requested. In this embodiment, the search destination can be an individual helper or a group or organization to which the helper belongs. The information for identifying the destination to which the search should be requested is the personal ID of the helper requesting the search or the organization ID for identifying the organization or group to which the helper requesting the search belongs. The personal ID or organization ID of the helper can be provided by the helper to whom the guardian is requesting the search and can be input by the guardian. When the guardian instructs a lost child request, the control device 203 of the guardian terminal 200 transmits lost child request information to the management server 100, the lost child request information including the personal ID of the guardian who submitted the lost child request, the target ID of the person to be searched for, and information for identifying the destination to which the search should be requested.

[0033] In the management server 100, when the control device 102 receives lost child application information from the parent / guardian terminal 200, it identifies the parent, the search target, and the search request destination based on the lost child application information. The control device 102 also issues a permission code, which is permission information for permitting the collaborator set as the search request destination to use the voiceprint data of the search target. The control device 102 then updates the parent / guardian information and the target information based on the information identified based on the lost child application information and the issued permission code.

[0034] For example, FIG. 8 shows an example of an update when a guardian with an individual ID of 1 requests a collaborator belonging to an organization with an organization ID of 1000 to search for Mr. C, whose target ID is 1-1. It is assumed here that the control device 102 issues a permission code of "123456." In this case, as shown in FIG. 8(A), the control device 102 updates the guardian DB by setting "1-1," the target ID of the person being searched, in the permission status of the guardian information of the guardian with an individual ID of 1 who filed the lost child report. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8(B), the control device 102 updates the target DB by setting "1000" as the permission destination in the target information of Mr. C, who is the search target, and setting "123456" as the permission code. It is also possible to set multiple permission destinations.

[0035] The control device 102 also transmits the issued permission code to the parent terminal 200. In the parent terminal 200, when the control device 203 receives the permission code from the management server 100, it displays information indicating the permission code on the touch panel 201. There are no particular limitations on the method for displaying the permission code, but the control device 203 may, for example, display the characters "123456" on the touch panel 101, or may convert the permission code into a two-dimensional code and then display it on the touch panel 201.

[0036] The guardian presents information indicating the authorization code displayed on the touch panel 201, such as a two-dimensional code, to the helper requesting the search, thereby permitting the helper to use the voiceprint data of the person being searched for. Upon receiving the two-dimensional code from the guardian, the helper inputs into the helper terminal 300 the personal ID or group ID indicating the search destination that was presented to the guardian when filing the lost child claim, and the authorization code displayed on the touch panel 201. The method for inputting the authorization code into the helper terminal 300 is not particularly limited; for example, the character string displayed on the touch panel 201 may be manually input by operating the touch panel 301, or the two-dimensional code displayed on the touch panel 201 may be read by a camera (not shown).

[0037] In the helper terminal 300, the control device 303 transmits voiceprint data use permission request information, including the input information indicating the search request destination and the permission code, to the management server 100, requesting permission to use the voiceprint data of the search target. In the management server 100, when the control device 102 receives the voiceprint data use permission request information from the helper terminal 300, it updates the helper DB based on the received information. For example, in the example shown in FIGS. 8(A) and 8(B), as shown in FIG. 8(C), the control device 102 updates the helper DB by setting the permission code to "123456" for the helper information of all helpers who belong to the organization with an organization ID of 1000, i.e., all helpers whose organization ID2 is set to 1000. As a result, all helpers whose organization ID2 is set to 1000 are permitted to use Mr. C's voiceprint data.

[0038] When the control device 102 sets the authorization code for the helper information and updates the helper DB, it transmits an authorization completion notification to the parent terminal 200 of the parent who made the lost child claim and the helper terminal 300 of the helper who is authorized to use the voiceprint data of the search target, notifying that authorization to use the voiceprint data has been completed for the helper. In the parent terminal 200, when the control device 203 receives the authorization completion notification from the management server 100, it displays the content of the received notification on the touch panel 201 to notify the parent. In the helper terminal 300, when the control device 303 receives the authorization completion notification from the management server 100, it displays the content of the received notification on the touch panel 301 to notify the helper. This allows the parent who made the lost child claim and the helper who is authorized to use the voiceprint data of the search target to know that authorization to use the voiceprint data has been completed.

[0039] In this embodiment, once the cooperator is permitted to use the voiceprint data of the search target through the above process, the cooperator can search for the search target using the voiceprint data. The method for searching for the search target using voiceprint data in this embodiment will be described below.

[0040] When a helper finds a person who is thought to be the search target, i.e., a lost child, the helper requests the lost child to speak while an application for using the lost child search support system 10 is running on the helper terminal 300. When the lost child's speech is input via the microphone 304, the control device 303 transmits the audio data of the input speech and verification information including the helper's personal ID to the management server 100.

[0041] In the management server 100, when the control device 102 receives the matching information from the helper terminal 300, it converts the voice data of the uttered voice into voiceprint data. The control device 102 references the helper DB and the target DB, and determines whether any of the target information registered in the target DB matches the voiceprint data included in the matching information, based on the target information registered in the target DB, whose authorization code matches the authorization code assigned to the helper and whose authorized party matches the helper's personal ID, organization ID1, or organization ID2. For example, as shown in FIG. 8(C), if authorization code 123456 is assigned to organization ID 1000 and a helper with individual ID 10001 captures the voice of a lost person, the control device 102 matches the voiceprint data of person C, whose authorization code matches the authorized party's organization ID, as shown in FIG. 8(B). The process of matching two sets of voiceprint data and determining whether they match is well known, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0042] If the voiceprint data of the subject information subjected to comparison matches the voiceprint data included in the comparison information, the control device 102 identifies the subject information with the matching voiceprint data as information on a search subject candidate. Furthermore, the control device 102 refers to the guardian DB to identify guardian information linked to the identified information on the search subject candidate. For example, if the identified information on the search subject candidate is subject information on C, the subject information on C and the guardian information of C's guardian, whose personal ID is 1, are identified.

[0043] The control device 102 transmits matching result information including information on the identified search target candidate and guardian information to the helper terminal 300. When the control device 303 of the helper terminal 300 receives the matching result information from the management server 100, it displays the received information on the touch panel 301. In this embodiment, for example, information such as "Subject: Mr. C," "Guardian: AA BB," and contact information "XXX-XXXX-1234" is displayed on the touch panel 301. At this time, the content of the contact information included in the matching result information is determined based on the permission range of the guardian information.

[0044] The helper confirms with the guardian whether the discovered search target candidate is correct based on the information about the search target candidate and the guardian information displayed on touch panel 301. In this embodiment, for example, the helper can call or email the contact number displayed on touch panel 301 to inform the guardian of the characteristics of the discovered search target candidate, and the guardian can then confirm whether the search target candidate is correct.

[0045] If the potential search target found by the helper is indeed the search target, the guardian completes the collection of the lost child by collecting the search target from the helper. When the guardian has completed collection of the lost child, the guardian uses the guardian terminal 200 to perform an operation to cancel the permission to use the target's voiceprint data that was granted for the search request. When the guardian instructs the cancellation of the permission to use the target's voiceprint data, the control device 203 transmits cancellation request information to the management server 100 to request the cancellation of the permission to use the target's voiceprint data.

[0046] In the management server 100, when the control device 102 receives the release request information from the parent terminal 200, it performs processing to release the permission to use the voiceprint data of the subject person that has been granted to the helper based on the received information. Specifically, the control device 102 updates the parent DB by deleting the data set as the permission status in the parent information of the parent who made the release request, updates the subject DB by deleting the data set as the permitted destination and the data set as the permission code in the subject information of the subject linked to the parent, and updates the collaborator DB by deleting the data set as the permission code in the collaborator information in which the permitted destination deleted from the subject information is set to group ID1 or group ID2.

[0047] As a result, the guardian DB, target DB, and collaborator DB shown in Figure 8 are updated as shown in Figure 9. That is, in Figure 9(A), the data set as the permission status in the guardian information of the guardian whose personal ID is 1 who made the release request is deleted and updated to "none." Also, in Figure 9(B), the data set as the permission destination and the data set as the permission code in the target information of Mr. C, who is linked to the guardian whose personal ID is 1, are both deleted and updated to "none." Also, in Figure 9(C), the data set as the permission code in the collaborator information, whose value set in group ID1 or group ID2 matches the permission destination deleted from the target information, is deleted.

[0048] In this embodiment, when one helper is permitted to use the voiceprint data of multiple search targets, multiple permission codes corresponding to the number of voiceprint data that the helper is permitted to use are set as the permission code in the helper information. The example shown in Fig. 9 shows an example in which the helper with personal ID 10001 is also permitted to use the voiceprint data of Mr. F, whose target ID is 2-1, based on a lost child report from a guardian with personal ID 2. That is, in the guardian DB shown in Fig. 9(A), the permission status of the guardian information of the guardian with personal ID 2 is set to "2-1." Furthermore, in the target DB shown in Fig. 9(B), "10001" is set as the permission destination of the target information of Mr. F, whose target ID is "2-1," and "234567" is set as the permission code. Furthermore, the collaborator DB shown in Figure 9(C) shows that the permission codes "123456" and "234567" were set for collaborator with personal ID 10001, but when the search for Mr. C was completed, "123456" was deleted, and only "234567" remained.

[0049] On the other hand, the helper confirms with the guardian whether the found search target candidate is the search target based on the information of the search target candidate displayed on the touch panel 301 and the guardian information, and if the found search target candidate is not the search target, the helper performs a re-match of the lost child's speech voice data. In this case, the helper inputs information on the touch panel 301 indicating that the search target candidate is not the search target. When the helper inputs information indicating that the search target candidate is not the search target, the control device 303 transmits re-match request information to the management server 100 to request a re-match of the lost child's speech voice data.

[0050] In the management server 100, when the control device 102 receives the re-matching request information from the helper terminal 300, it executes a re-matching process of the speech data of the lost person based on the received information. The re-matching process of the speech data of the lost person will be described below.

[0051] In this embodiment, in the re-matching process, the control device 102 excludes from the re-matching the voiceprint data of the subject who was determined not to be the person being searched for as a result of the previous match, and performs a re-match with the voiceprint data of the subject whose use is permitted to the collaborator, using the voiceprint data of the lost person used in the previous match. Specifically, the process is carried out as follows.

[0052] The control device 102 updates the subject DB by setting the personal ID of the helper as the search exclusion ID of the subject information of the subject whose voiceprint data matching result was incorrect, i.e., Mr. C in Fig. 8(B). As a result, for example, as shown in Fig. 10(B), the search exclusion ID of the subject information of Mr. C is set to 10001, which is the personal ID of the helper who found the lost child.

[0053] The control device 102 refers to the collaborator DB and the target DB, and excludes, from the target information registered in the target DB, targets whose search exclusion ID is set to the collaborator's personal ID, and then determines whether any of the target information for matching has voiceprint data that matches the voiceprint data included in the matching information, with the target information for matching whose permission code matches the permission code assigned to the collaborator and whose permission recipient matches the collaborator's personal ID, group ID1, or group ID2.

[0054] Here, as shown in Fig. 10(C), an example will be described in which authorization code 123456 is assigned to group ID 1000 and authorization code 234567 is assigned to individual ID 10001, and re-matching is performed using the voice of a lost person acquired by a helper with individual ID 10001. In this case, in the example shown in Fig. 10(C), the authorization code for C's voiceprint data, 123456, and the authorization code for F's voiceprint data, 234567, are set for the helper with individual ID 10001. However, since 10001 is set as the search exclusion ID in C's target information in the target person DB shown in Fig. 10(B), C's voiceprint data is excluded from matching with the speech data of the lost person found by the helper with individual ID 10001, and F's voiceprint data becomes the target for matching.

[0055] For this reason, the control device 102 excludes from the subject of re-matching the voiceprint data of Mr. C, whose personal ID = 10001 of the owner of the collaborator terminal 300 is set as the search exclusion ID in the subject DB, and performs the above-mentioned voiceprint data matching process using the voiceprint data of Mr. F, another subject whose voiceprint data is permitted to be used by the collaborator with personal ID 10001, as the subject of matching.

[0056] If the voiceprint data of the target person information to be re-matched matches the voiceprint data included in the matching information, the control device 102 identifies the target person information with the matching voiceprint data as information on a search target candidate, as in the above-described matching process, and identifies guardian information linked to the identified information on the search target candidate by referring to the guardian DB. For example, if the identified information on the search target candidate is Mr. F, the target person information of Mr. F and the guardian information of Mr. F's guardian, whose personal ID is 2, are identified.

[0057] Thereafter, as in the case of the above-described matching process, the information of the identified candidate search subject and the guardian information are displayed on the touch panel 301 of the helper terminal 300, and the helper confirms with the guardian whether the candidate search subject that was found is correct. If there is no mistake, the guardian picks up the lost child as described above, and if there is a mistake, the helper performs the matching process again as described above.

[0058] Furthermore, if there is no voiceprint data in the subject information that matches the voiceprint data included in the matching information, the control device 102 transmits no-matcher information to the helper terminal 300, indicating that there is no voiceprint data in the subject information that matches the voiceprint data of the spoken voice included in the matching information. In the helper terminal 300, when the control device 303 receives the no-matcher information from the management server 100, it displays the received information on the touch panel 301. This allows the helper to understand that the lost person they found is not the person they are searching for.

[0059] Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of the authorization code issuing process executed by the management server 100 in the first embodiment. The process shown in Fig. 11 is executed by the control device 102 as a program that is started when lost child application information is received from the parent terminal 200, as described above. Note that in Fig. 11, it is assumed that the registration of guardian information in the parent DB, the registration of target person information in the target person DB, and the registration of collaborator information in the collaborator DB have been completed in advance.

[0060] In step S10, the control device 102 identifies the guardian, the search target, and the search request destination based on the lost child application information received from the guardian terminal 200, and issues a permission code to the helper set as the search request destination to allow the helper to use the voiceprint data of the search target, as described above.The control device 102 then updates the guardian information and target information based on the information identified based on the lost child application information and the issued permission code, as described above.Then, the process proceeds to step S20.

[0061] In step S20, the control device 102 transmits the issued code to the parent terminal 200 that has made the lost child notification request, and then the process proceeds to step S30.

[0062] In step S30, the control device 102 determines whether or not the above-mentioned request information for permission to use voiceprint data has been received from the helper terminal 300. If the determination in step S30 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S40.

[0063] In step S40, the control device 102 permits the helper to use the voiceprint data of the subject by updating the helper DB based on the received information, as described above, and then ends the process.

[0064] Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of the lost child determination process executed by the management server 100 in the first embodiment. The process shown in Fig. 12 is executed by the control device 102 as a program that is started upon receiving matching information from the helper terminal 300, as described above. Note that in Fig. 12, it is assumed that the registration of guardian information in the guardian DB, the registration of subject information in the subject DB, and the registration of helper information in the helper DB have been completed in advance.

[0065] In step S110, the control device 102 converts into voiceprint data the voice data of the uttered voice included in the verification information received from the helper terminal 300. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S120.

[0066] In step S120, the control device 102, as described above, refers to the helper DB and the subject DB, and performs a process of matching the spoken voice with the voiceprint data by determining whether any of the subject information registered in the subject DB whose authorization code matches the authorization code assigned to the helper and whose authorization recipient matches the helper's personal ID, group ID1, or group ID2 matches the voiceprint data included in the matching information.Then, the process proceeds to step S130.

[0067] In step S130, the control device 102 determines whether or not the voiceprint data in the subject information matches the voiceprint data included in the matching information. If the determination in step S130 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S140.

[0068] In step S140, as described above, the control device 102 identifies the target information with matching voiceprint data as information on a search target candidate, and identifies guardian information linked to the identified information on the search target candidate by referring to the guardian DB. Then, the control device 102 transmits the identified information on the search target candidate and the guardian information to the helper terminal 300. Then, the process proceeds to step S150.

[0069] In step S150, the control device 102 determines whether or not the above-mentioned release request information has been received from the parent terminal 200. If the determination in step S150 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S160.

[0070] In step S160, as described above, the control device 102 cancels the permission given to the helper to use the voiceprint data of the subject by updating the guardian DB, subject DB, and helper DB based on the cancellation request information received from the guardian terminal 200. Thereafter, the process ends.

[0071] On the other hand, if the determination in step S150 is negative, the process proceeds to step S170, where the control device 102 determines whether or not the above-mentioned re-matching request information has been received from the helper terminal 300. If the determination in step S170 is negative, the process returns to step S150. On the other hand, if the determination in step S170 is positive, the process proceeds to step S180.

[0072] In step S180, the control device 102 executes the process of re-collating the lost person's utterance voice with the voiceprint data, as described above, and then returns to step S130.

[0073] If the determination in step S130 is negative, the process proceeds to step S190, where the control device 102 transmits no-match information to the helper terminal 300, indicating that the voiceprint data in the target person information does not match the voiceprint data of the lost person's voice. Then, the process ends.

[0074] Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of the lost child application process executed by the parent / guardian terminal 200 in the first embodiment. The process shown in Fig. 13 is executed by the control device 203 as a program that is started when a parent / guardian instructs the start of a lost child application. In Fig. 13, it is assumed that the registration of parent information in the parent DB, the registration of subject information in the subject DB, and the registration of collaborator information in the collaborator DB have been completed in advance.

[0075] In step S210, the control device 203 determines whether or not the guardian has specified search information, i.e., information for identifying the person to be searched and the destination of the search request. If the determination in step S210 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S220.

[0076] In step S220, the control device 203 transmits lost child application information to the management server 100, the lost child application information including the personal ID of the guardian who has submitted the lost child application to the management server 100, the target ID of the person to be searched for, and information for identifying the destination of the search request. Then, the process proceeds to step S230.

[0077] In step S230, the control device 203 determines whether or not the above-mentioned authorization code has been received from the management server 100. If the determination in step S230 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S240.

[0078] In step S240, the control device 203 displays information indicating the authorization code received from the management server 100, such as a two-dimensional code, on the touch panel 201. After that, the process proceeds to step S250.

[0079] In step S250, the control device 203 determines whether or not the above-mentioned authorization completion notification has been received from the management server 100. If the determination in step S250 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S260.

[0080] In step S260, the control device 204 displays the content of the notification received from the management server 100 on the touch panel 201. Thereafter, the process ends.

[0081] Fig. 14 is a flowchart showing the flow of the voiceprint data use authority cancellation application process executed by the guardian terminal 200 in the first embodiment. The process shown in Fig. 14 is executed by the control device 203 as a program that is started when the guardian issues an instruction to start an application to cancel the subject's voiceprint data use permission. In Fig. 14, it is assumed that the above-mentioned registration of guardian information in the guardian DB, registration of subject information in the subject DB, and registration of collaborator information in the collaborator DB have been completed in advance.

[0082] In step S310, as described above, the control device 203 transmits cancellation request information for requesting cancellation of permission to use the subject's voiceprint data to the management server 100. Thereafter, the process ends.

[0083] Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing the flow of the voiceprint data use authorization process executed by the helper terminal 300 in the first embodiment. The process shown in Fig. 15 is executed by the control device 303 as a program that is activated upon receiving the above-mentioned authorization completion notification from the management server 100. Note that in Fig. 15, it is assumed that the above-mentioned registration of guardian information in the guardian DB, registration of subject information in the subject DB, and registration of helper information in the helper DB have been completed in advance.

[0084] In step S410, the control device 303 displays the contents of the authorization completion notification received from the management server 100 on the touch panel 301. Thereafter, the process ends.

[0085] Fig. 16 is a flowchart showing the flow of the process executed by the helper terminal 300 when finding a lost person in the first embodiment. The process shown in Fig. 16 is executed by the control device 303 as a program that is activated when the helper instructs the start of inputting the lost person's speech. Note that in Fig. 16, it is assumed that the registration of guardian information in the guardian DB, the registration of subject information in the subject DB, and the registration of helper information in the helper DB have been completed in advance.

[0086] In step S510, the control device 303 determines whether or not the speech of the lost child has been input via the microphone 304. If the determination in step S510 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S520.

[0087] In step S520, the control device 303 transmits the voice data of the input utterance and the verification information including the personal ID of the helper to the management server 100. After that, the process proceeds to step S530.

[0088] In step S530, the control device 303 determines whether or not the above-described matching result information has been received from the management server 100. If the determination in step S530 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S540, where the control device 303 displays the matching result information received from the management server 100 on the touch panel 301. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S550.

[0089] In step S550, the control device 303 determines whether the helper has input information indicating that the search target candidate is not the search target, as described above, and has instructed to perform a re-match of the spoken voice. If the determination in step S550 is negative, the process ends. On the other hand, if the determination in step S550 is positive, the process proceeds to step S560.

[0090] In step S560, as described above, the control device 303 transmits rematch request information for requesting a rematch of the speech data of the lost child to the management server 100. Thereafter, the process returns to step S530.

[0091] If the determination in step S530 is negative, the process proceeds to step S570, where the control device 303 determines whether or not the above-described no-verifier information has been received from the management server 100. If the determination in step S570 is positive, the process proceeds to step S580.

[0092] In step S580, the control device 303 displays the received no-verifier information on the touch panel 301. Thereafter, the process ends.

[0093] According to the first embodiment described above, the following advantageous effects can be obtained. (1) The control device 102 of the management server 100 accepts a search request for a lost child from the guardian of a search target, and upon accepting the search request, grants the collaborator who cooperates in the search for the lost child access to the search target's voiceprint data. When the collaborator discovers a potential search target who may be the search target, the control device 102 accepts input of the search target's voice data from the collaborator. Upon accepting the input of the search target's voice data, the control device 102 determines whether the potential search target is a search target based on the access permission granted to the search target's voiceprint data, using pre-registered voiceprint data and the voiceprint data of the search target's voice, and notifies the collaborator of the determination result. This helps the collaborator determine whether a potential search target who is thought to be lost is a search target.

[0094] (2) The control device 102 determines whether the search target candidate is a search target by comparing the voiceprint data of the search target candidate's spoken voice with the voiceprint data of the search target candidate that the collaborator who discovered the search target candidate has permission to use from among the pre-registered voiceprint data. If the search target candidate is a search target, the control device 102 notifies the collaborator of information about the search target candidate and the search target candidate's guardian. This allows the target for which the voiceprint data of the search target candidate's spoken voice is compared to information about individuals whose voiceprint data the collaborator is authorized to use, thereby reducing the load of the comparison process. Furthermore, the collaborator can be notified of the comparison results promptly. Furthermore, since the target for which the voiceprint data of the search target candidate's spoken voice is compared to information about individuals whose voiceprint data the collaborator is authorized to use, the personal information of individuals whose voiceprint data the collaborator is not authorized to use can be protected.

[0095] (3) When the control device 102 receives a request from a guardian to search for a lost child, it issues a permission code to a helper who cooperates in the search for the lost child to permit the helper to use the voiceprint data of the person being searched for, and uses the permission code to grant the helper permission to use the voiceprint data of the person being searched for. In this way, by simply adding the permission code to the target DB and the helper DB, the helper can be granted permission to use the voiceprint data of the person being searched for.

[0096] (4) The control device 102 accepts a request from the guardian to cancel the authorization to use the voiceprint data of the search target that has been granted to the helper, and cancels the authorization to use the voiceprint data of the search target that the helper has. In this way, when the search for the search target is completed, the authorization to use the voiceprint data of the helper can be canceled.

[0097] (5) If a search target candidate determined to be a search target is not the search target candidate, the control device 102 performs a voice re-match using the voiceprint data of the target candidate information and the voiceprint data of the spoken voice of the search target candidate. This allows for a re-match when an erroneous determination occurs in the voice recognition.

[0098] (6) The control device 102 performs re-matching by excluding the voiceprint data of search target candidates who have been erroneously determined to be search targets. This allows re-matching to be performed by excluding the voiceprint data of subjects who have been determined not to be search targets, thereby improving the accuracy of determining search targets.

[0099] --Second embodiment-- In the first embodiment described above, the control device 102 in the management server 100 converts the voice data of the uttered voice into voiceprint data when receiving matching information from the helper terminal 300, and then determines whether any of the target information registered in the target DB whose authorization code matches the authorization code assigned to the helper and whose authorization recipient matches the helper's personal ID, group ID1, or group ID2 matches the voiceprint data included in the matching information. In contrast, in the second embodiment, a method will be described in which the control device 102 converts the voice data of the uttered voice into voiceprint data when receiving matching information from the helper terminal 300, and then determines whether any of the target information registered in the target DB whose voiceprint data matches the voiceprint data included in the matching information matches the voiceprint data included in the matching information. That is, in the second embodiment, an example will be described in which the voiceprint data of the subject is compared with the speech data of the lost person, using the subject information registered in the subject DB as the comparison target, regardless of whether the authorization code included in the subject information matches the authorization code given to the helper. Note that in the second embodiment, since Figures 1 to 11 and 13 to 16 are the same as those in the first embodiment, their explanation will be omitted, and the explanation will focus on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0100] In the second embodiment, when a helper finds a lost child who is thought to be the search target, the helper requests the found lost child to speak while an application for using the lost child search support system 10 is running on the helper terminal 300. When the lost child's spoken voice is input via the microphone 304, the control device 303 transmits the voice data of the input voice and matching information including the helper's personal ID to the management server 100. Then, in the management server 100, the control device 102 receives the matching information from the helper terminal 300 and converts the voice data of the spoken voice into voiceprint data.

[0101] In the second embodiment, the control device 102 refers to the subject DB, and determines whether the subject information registered in the subject DB is to be compared and whether any of the subjects has voiceprint data that matches the voiceprint data included in the comparison information. For example, in the helper information shown in Fig. 8(C), if the helper with personal ID = 10001 acquires the voice of the lost person, the control device 102 determines the subject information of Mr. C, Mr. D, and Mr. F, whose voiceprint data is registered in the subject information shown in Fig. 8(B), as the subjects to be compared.

[0102] If the control device 102 finds any subject information to be compared whose voiceprint data matches the voiceprint data contained in the comparison information, it identifies the subject information with matching voiceprint data as information on a candidate subject to search, as in the first embodiment, and identifies the guardian information linked to the information on the identified candidate subject to search.

[0103] The control device 102 then identifies the contact information, such as an email address, of the parent who filed the missing child request based on the parent information linked to the identified information on the potential search target, and notifies the parent terminal 200 carried by the parent that the potential search target has been found. This allows the parent to be automatically notified that a person believed to be lost has been found. Upon receiving the discovery notification, the parent can go to a designated collection location, such as a lost child center, or the location where the potential search target was found to collect the lost child. In this case, if the location where the lost child is to be collected is the location where the potential search target was found, the discovery notification may include information indicating the location where the potential search target was found, i.e., the current location of the helper terminal 300.

[0104] The control device 102 also determines whether the helper who discovered the search target candidate is authorized to use the voiceprint data of the search target candidate. In this embodiment, the control device 102 determines that the helper who discovered the search target candidate is authorized to use the voiceprint data of the search target candidate if the authorization code in the information of the search target candidate matches the authorization code given to the helper who discovered the search target candidate and the authorization destination in the information of the search target candidate matches the individual ID, organization ID1, or organization ID2 of the helper who discovered the search target candidate.

[0105] When the control device 102 determines that the helper who discovered the search target candidate is authorized to use the voiceprint data of the search target candidate, it transmits matching result information including the information on the search target candidate identified in the above-described process and guardian information to the helper terminal 300. For example, in the example shown in Fig. 8, if the identified search target candidate information is Mr. C, the target information on Mr. C and the guardian information of Mr. C's guardian, whose personal ID is 1, are identified. Then, in the helper terminal 300, when the control device 303 receives the matching result information from the management server 100, it displays the received information on the touch panel 301, similar to the first embodiment.

[0106] In the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the helper contacts the guardian based on the information of the search target candidate displayed on the touch panel 301 and the guardian information to confirm whether the found search target candidate is the search target candidate. Then, as in the first embodiment, if the search target candidate found by the helper is indeed the search target candidate, the guardian completes the collection of the lost child by collecting the search target from the helper, and uses the guardian terminal 200 to perform an operation to cancel the permission to use the target's voiceprint data granted for the search request. On the other hand, if the helper confirms with the guardian whether the found search target candidate is indeed the search target candidate, and the found search target candidate is not the search target candidate, the helper re-matches the lost child's voice data, as in the first embodiment. The process for canceling the permission to use the target's voiceprint data granted for the search request and the process for re-matching the lost child's voice data are the same as in the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described here.

[0107] On the other hand, if the control device 102 determines that the helper who found the search target candidate is not authorized to use the voiceprint data of the search target candidate, the control device 102 transmits information indicating that the helper is not authorized to use the voiceprint data of the search target candidate to the helper terminal 300 as matching result information. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 8 , if the identified search target candidate information is Mr. F, the helper with personal ID 10001 does not have authorization to use Mr. F's voiceprint data, and therefore, information indicating that the helper is not authorized to use the voiceprint data of the search target candidate is transmitted to the helper terminal 300 as matching result information. In the helper terminal 300, the control device 303 displays the matching result information received from the management server 100 on the touch panel 301. This enables the helper to understand that, although the target information registered in the target DB contains a target whose voiceprint data matches the lost person he or she found, he or she does not have permission to use the target's voiceprint data.

[0108] In this case, the helper cannot contact the parent because parent information is not displayed on the touch panel 301. Therefore, the helper waits for the parent's action, such as contact from the parent or the parent picking up the lost child. After that, when the parent confirms whether the candidate search target is a search target, the helper executes a process to cancel the permission to use the subject's voiceprint data granted for the search request or a process to re-match the lost child's voice data, based on the result. That is, if the candidate search target is a search target, the control device 102 executes a process to cancel the permission to use the subject's voiceprint data granted for the search request, based on an instruction from the parent. On the other hand, if the candidate search target is not a search target, the control device 102 executes a process to re-match the lost child's voice data, based on an instruction from the helper.

[0109] FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the flow of the lost person determination process executed by the management server 100 in the second embodiment. The process shown in FIG. 17 is executed by the control device 102 as a program that is activated when matching information is received from the helper terminal 300, as described above. Note that in FIG. 17, it is assumed that the registration of guardian information in the guardian DB, the registration of subject information in the subject DB, and the registration of helper information in the helper DB have already been completed. Also, in FIG. 17, the same steps as those in FIG. 12 shown in the first embodiment are assigned the same step numbers and their explanations are omitted, and the following description will focus on the differences from FIG. 12.

[0110] If the determination in step S130 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S131. In step S131, the control device 102 determines whether the helper who discovered the search target candidate is permitted to use the voiceprint data of the search target candidate, as described above. If the determination in step S131 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S140.

[0111] In step S140, as described above, the control device 102 identifies the target information with matching voiceprint data as information on a search target candidate, and identifies guardian information linked to the identified information on the search target candidate by referring to the guardian DB. Then, the control device 102 transmits the identified information on the search target candidate and the guardian information to the helper terminal 300. Then, the process proceeds to step S141.

[0112] On the other hand, if the determination in step S131 is negative, the process proceeds to step S132, where the control device 102 transmits, as described above, information indicating that the helper is not permitted to use the voiceprint data of the search target candidate as matching result information to the helper terminal 300. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S141.

[0113] In step S141, the control device 102 identifies the contact information, such as an email address, of the guardian who filed the missing child claim based on the guardian information linked to the information of the search target candidate, as described above, and notifies the guardian terminal 200 carried by the guardian that the search target candidate has been found. Then, the process proceeds to step S150.

[0114] According to the second embodiment described above, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained. (1) The control device 102 of the management server 100 compares pre-registered voiceprint data of the target person with the voiceprint data of the lost child's voice to identify the target person's voiceprint data that matches the voiceprint data of the lost child's voice, and if the collaborator has the authority to use the identified voiceprint data, notifies the collaborator of information about the candidate search target person and information about the candidate search target person's guardian. This allows the collaborator to protect the personal information of the target person and guardian, as information about the target person and guardian is notified only if the collaborator has the authority to use the voiceprint data.

[0115] (2) When the control device 102 of the management server 100 determines that the candidate is the person being searched for, it notifies the guardian who filed the missing child report that the person being searched for has been found. This allows the guardian to know that the person being searched for has been found.

[0116] -Variation- The lost child search support system of the above-described embodiment can be modified as follows. (1) In the first embodiment described above, when the voiceprint data of the subject information subjected to comparison matches the voiceprint data included in the comparison information, the control device 102 transmits comparison result information including information on the candidate search subject and guardian information to the helper terminal 300. In this case, in the first embodiment as in the second embodiment, when the voiceprint data of the subject information subjected to comparison matches the voiceprint data included in the comparison information, the control device 102 may identify the contact information, for example, an email address, of the guardian who has filed the lost child request based on the guardian information linked to the identified information on the candidate search subject, and notify the guardian terminal 200 carried by the guardian that the candidate search subject has been found.

[0117] (2) In the first and second embodiments described above, the guardian registers the subject information in advance, and the voiceprint data of the subject included in the subject information is obtained by acquiring the subject's spoken voice via the microphone 204 of the guardian terminal 200 and converting it into voiceprint data. This voiceprint data of the subject may be changed or added after registration. For example, when the guardian instructs the control device 102 to change the voiceprint data, the control device 102 may delete the already registered voiceprint data and register new voiceprint data received from the guardian terminal 200 in the subject information. This allows the subject's voiceprint data to be updated when the matching accuracy of the registered voiceprint data is low or when the subject's voice has changed due to voice change or other reasons. Furthermore, when the guardian instructs the control device 102 to add voiceprint data, the control device 102 may combine the already registered voiceprint data with the new voiceprint data received from the guardian terminal 200, perform machine learning on the voiceprint data, and update the voiceprint data included in the subject information. This allows the voice recognition accuracy to be improved by machine learning the subject's voiceprint data.

[0118] (3) In the first and second embodiments described above, an example was described in which the lost person's speech data was re-matched when the search target candidate discovered by the helper was not the search target. However, the processing when the search target candidate discovered by the helper was not the search target is not limited to this and can be modified as follows. When matching the lost person's speech voice, the control device 102 matches the lost person's speech voice data with the voiceprint data included in the target person information and identifies the target with the highest matching rate as the search target candidate voiceprint data. The control device 102 then stores the matching results. If the search target candidate discovered by the helper was not the search target, the control device 102 may store the matching results and, instead of re-matching the lost person's speech voice data, identify the target with the second highest matching rate as the search target candidate based on the stored matching results. This allows the initial voice recognition result to be used when the search target candidate discovered by the helper was not the search target, eliminating the need for re-matching and improving processing load and processing speed.

[0119] (4) In the first and second embodiments described above, an example was described in which voiceprint data was used to identify a lost person. That is, the subject's voiceprint data was registered in advance in the subject information as authentication data for authenticating the subject, and the voiceprint data of the candidate search subject's spoken voice was converted into the voiceprint data, which was used as identification data. The method described above determines whether the candidate search subject is the search subject by comparing the authentication data with the identification data. However, any authentication method other than voiceprint authentication may be used as long as it can identify a lost person. For example, the present invention can be realized using other biometric authentication methods, such as face authentication or fingerprint authentication. When face authentication is used, face authentication information of the subject is registered in the subject information as authentication data, and face image data of the lost person photographed by a helper is used as identification data, and authentication is performed using the authentication data and the identification data. When fingerprint authentication is used, fingerprint authentication information of the subject is registered in the subject information as authentication data, and fingerprint data of the lost person taken by a helper is used as identification data, and authentication is performed using the authentication data and the identification data.

[0120] (5) In the first and second embodiments described above, it is assumed that when a parent and child visit a theme park and the child gets lost, the parent, who is the guardian, requests a theme park staff member, who is the assistant, to search for the child, who is the search target. However, the search target is not limited to the child, and the guardian is not limited to the parent, as long as the person who can be the search target when the child gets lost is someone who can be the search target when the child gets lost.

[0121] The present invention is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments, as long as the characteristic functions of the present invention are not impaired. Furthermore, the present invention may be configured by combining the above-described embodiments with multiple modified examples. [Explanation of symbols]

[0122] 10. Lost Child Search Support System 100 Management Server 101 connection interface 102 Control device 103 Storage medium 200 Parental Devices 201 Touch Panel 202 Communication Module 203 Control device 204 Mike 300 Collaborator Terminal 301 Touch Panel 302 Communication Module 303 Control Device 304 Mike

Claims

1. A lost child search support system for supporting a search for a lost child, a lost child request receiving means for receiving a lost child search request from the guardian of the person to be searched; a usage authority granting means for granting a usage authority of the authentication data of the person being searched to a collaborator who cooperates in the search for the lost child when the lost child search application receiving means receives a search application for the lost child; an identification data input receiving means for receiving input of identification data from the collaborator when the collaborator finds a search target candidate who may be the search target; a search target determination means for determining whether the search target candidate is a search target using the authentication data and the identification data based on the authorization to use the authentication data of the search target granted by the authorization granting means when the input of the identification data is accepted by the identification data input accepting means, and notifying the collaborator of the determination result; a permission information issuing means for issuing permission information to a helper who cooperates in the search for the lost child when the lost child search request accepting means accepts a search request for the lost child, for allowing the helper to use the authentication data of the person to be searched for; A lost child search support system characterized in that the usage authority granting means grants the collaborator the authority to use the authentication data of the person being searched for using the permission information issued by the permission information issuing means.

2. The lost child search support system according to claim 1, The search target determination means determines whether the candidate search target is a person to be searched for by comparing the authentication data, among the authentication data registered in advance, that the helper who discovered the candidate search target has the authority to use with the identification data, and if the candidate search target is a person to be searched for, notifies the helper of information about the candidate search target and information about the person's guardian.This lost child search support system is characterized by the above.

3. The lost child search support system according to claim 1, The search target determination means compares the authentication data registered in advance with the identification data to identify the authentication data that matches the identification data, and if the collaborator has the authority to use the identified authentication data, notifies the collaborator of information regarding the candidate search target and information regarding the parent or guardian of the candidate search target. This lost child search support system is characterized by the above.

4. The lost child search support system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, a cancellation request receiving means for receiving, from the guardian, a cancellation request for the authorization to use the authentication data of the search target, which has been granted to the helper; A lost child search support system further characterized by comprising an authorization cancellation means for canceling the authorization of the collaborator to use the authentication data of the person being searched for when a cancellation application is accepted by the cancellation application acceptance means.

5. The lost child search support system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, A lost child search support system characterized by further comprising a re-matching means for re-matching using the authentication data and the identification data if the candidate search target determined by the search target determination means to be the search target is not the search target.

6. 6. The lost child search support system according to claim 5, The lost child search support system is characterized in that the re-matching means performs re-matching by excluding authentication data of the candidate search subject who has been erroneously determined to be the search subject by the search subject determination means.

7. The lost child search support system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, The lost child search support system further comprises a notification means for notifying the guardian who filed a missing child claim for the search target that the search target has been found when the search target determination means determines that the candidate search target is the search target.

8. The lost child search support system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, The authentication data is voiceprint data of a person who is a search target for a lost child, the identification data input receiving means receives input of speech data of the search target candidate as the identification data; The search target determination means converts the speech data of the candidate search target, which has been input by the identification data input receiving means, into voiceprint data and then compares it with the authentication data to determine whether the candidate search target is a person to be searched for. This is a lost child search support system characterized by the above.

9. A lost child search support device for supporting a search for a lost child, a lost child request receiving means for receiving a lost child search request from the guardian of the person to be searched; a usage authority granting means for granting a usage authority of the authentication data of the person being searched to a collaborator who cooperates in the search for the lost child when the lost child search application receiving means receives a search application for the lost child; an identification data input receiving means for receiving input of identification data of the search target candidate from the cooperator when the cooperator finds a search target candidate who may be the search target; a search target determination means for determining whether the search target candidate is a search target using the authentication data and the identification data based on the authorization to use the authentication data of the search target granted by the authorization granting means when the input of the identification data is accepted by the identification data input accepting means, and notifying the collaborator of the determination result; a permission information issuing means for issuing permission information to a helper who cooperates in the search for the lost child when the lost child search request accepting means accepts a search request for the lost child, for allowing the helper to use the authentication data of the person to be searched for; The lost child search support device is characterized in that the usage authority granting means grants the helper the authority to use the authentication data of the person being searched for using the permission information issued by the permission information issuing means.

10. The lost child search support device according to claim 9, The search target determination means determines whether the candidate search target is a person to be searched for by comparing the authentication data, among the authentication data registered in advance, that the helper who discovered the candidate search target has the authority to use with the identification data, and if the candidate search target is a person to be searched for, notifies the helper of information about the candidate search target and information about the person's guardian. This lost child search support device is characterized by the above.

11. The lost child search support device according to claim 9, The search target determination means compares the authentication data registered in advance with the identification data to identify the authentication data that matches the identification data, and if the collaborator has the authority to use the identified authentication data, notifies the collaborator of information regarding the candidate search target and information regarding the parent or guardian of the candidate search target. This lost child search support device is characterized by the above.

12. The lost child search support device according to any one of claims 9 to 11, a cancellation request receiving means for receiving, from the guardian, a cancellation request for the authorization to use the authentication data of the search target, which has been granted to the helper; A lost child search support device further characterized by comprising an authorization cancellation means for canceling the authorization of the collaborator to use the authentication data of the person being searched for when a cancellation application is accepted by the cancellation application acceptance means.

13. The lost child search support device according to any one of claims 9 to 12, A lost child search support device characterized by further comprising a re-matching means for performing a re-match using the authentication data and the identification data if the candidate search target determined by the search target determination means to be the search target is not the search target.

14. The lost child search support device according to claim 13, The lost child search support device is characterized in that the re-matching means performs re-matching by excluding authentication data of the candidate search target who has been erroneously determined to be the search target by the search target determination means.

15. The lost child search support device according to any one of claims 9 to 14, This lost child search support device is characterized by further comprising a notification means for notifying the guardian who filed a missing child claim for the search target that the search target has been found when the search target determination means determines that the candidate search target is the search target.

16. The lost child search support device according to any one of claims 9 to 15, The authentication data is voiceprint data of a person who is a search target for a lost child, the identification data input receiving means receives input of speech data of the search target candidate as the identification data; The search target determination means converts the speech data of the candidate search target, which has been input by the identification data input receiving means, into voiceprint data and then compares it with the authentication data to determine whether the candidate search target is a person to be searched for. This lost child search support device is characterized in that the search target determination means determines whether the candidate search target is a person to be searched for or not by converting the speech data of the candidate search target, which has been input by the identification data input receiving means, into voiceprint data and then comparing it with the authentication data.

17. A lost child search support program for supporting the search for a lost child, The procedure for accepting applications for the search of a lost child from the parents of the person being searched for, and a usage authority granting step of granting a usage authority of the authentication data of the person being searched to a collaborator who cooperates in the search for the lost child when the lost child search application is accepted in the lost child search application acceptance step; an identification data input receiving step of receiving input of identification data of the search target candidate from the collaborator when the collaborator finds a search target candidate who may be the search target; a search target determination procedure for determining whether the search target candidate is a search target using the authentication data and the identification data based on the access authority of the search target person granted in the access authority granting procedure when the input of the identification data is accepted in the identification data input acceptance procedure, and notifying the collaborator of the determination result; a procedure for issuing permission information to a collaborator who cooperates in the search for the lost child when a search request for a lost child is accepted in the procedure for accepting search requests for a lost child, for allowing the collaborator to use authentication data of the person being searched for, The lost child search support program is characterized in that the usage authority granting procedure grants the collaborator the authority to use the authentication data of the person being searched for using the permission information issued in the permission information issuing procedure.

18. 18. The lost child search support program according to claim 17, The search target determination procedure involves determining whether the candidate search target is a person to be searched for by comparing the authentication data, among the authentication data registered in advance, that the collaborator who discovered the candidate search target has the authority to use with the identification data, and if the candidate search target is a person to be searched for, notifying the collaborator of information about the person to be searched for and information about the person to be searched for.This is a lost child search support program characterized by the above.

19. 18. The lost child search support program according to claim 17, A lost child search support program characterized in that the search target determination procedure compares the authentication data registered in advance with the identification data to identify the authentication data that matches the identification data, and if the collaborator has the authority to use the identified authentication data, notifies the collaborator of information regarding the candidate search target and information regarding the parent or guardian of the candidate search target.

20. The lost child search support program according to any one of claims 17 to 19, a cancellation request acceptance procedure for accepting, from the guardian, an application for cancellation of the authorization to use the authentication data of the search target, which has been granted to the collaborator; A lost child search support program characterized by further comprising an authorization cancellation procedure for canceling the collaborator's authorization to use the authentication data of the person being searched for when a cancellation application is accepted in the cancellation application acceptance procedure.

21. The lost child search support program according to any one of claims 17 to 20, A lost child search support program characterized by further having a re-matching procedure for re-matching using the authentication data and the identification data if the candidate search target determined to be the search target in the search target determination procedure is not the search target.

22. 22. The lost child search support program according to claim 21, The lost child search support program is characterized in that the re-matching procedure performs re-matching by excluding authentication data of the candidate search target who was erroneously determined to be the search target in the search target determination procedure.

23. The lost child search support program according to any one of claims 17 to 22, The lost child search support program further comprises a notification procedure for notifying the guardian who filed a missing child claim for the search target that the search target has been found when the search target candidate is determined to be the search target in the search target determination procedure.

24. The lost child search support program according to any one of claims 17 to 23, The authentication data is voiceprint data of a person who is a search target for a lost child, the step of accepting input of data for identification includes accepting input of speech data of the search target candidate as the data for identification; The search target determination procedure converts the speech data of the search target candidate, which has been input in the identification data input acceptance procedure, into voiceprint data, and then compares the data with the authentication data to perform voice recognition to determine whether the search target candidate is a person to be searched for. This is a lost child search support program characterized by the above.

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