Notification system, notification method, and server device

Abstract

To provide a notification system capable of shortening the time lag from when an event occurs until when sound source data for notifying of the occurrence of the event is reproduced by an apparatus.SOLUTION: A server device 4 includes: a location information acquisition unit 14 for acquiring location information; a storage unit 18 for storing sound source data information 26; a time determination unit 16 for determining the current time; a determination unit 20 for determining sound source data by referring to the sound source data information 26; and a communication unit 24 for transmitting the sound source data determined by the determination unit 20 to a speech apparatus 6 prior to the predicted time of occurrence of an event. The speech apparatus 6 includes: a communication unit 28 for receiving the sound source data from the server device 4; a storage unit 30 for storing the sound source data received by the communication unit 28; and a reproduction unit 32 for reproducing the sound source data stored in the storage unit 30 when the event occurs at the location at the predicted time of occurrence.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a notification system, a notification method, a server device, and a device.

Background Art

[0002] There is known a household appliance having a voice function for uttering voice by playing sound source data (see, for example, Patent Document 1). When an event occurs in this type of household appliance, it utters a voice for notifying the user of the occurrence of the event. As a result, the user recognizes that an event has occurred in the household appliance.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The present disclosure provides a notification system, a notification method, a server device, and a device that can shorten the time lag from when an event occurs until sound source data for notifying the occurrence of the event is played on the device.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The notification system in this disclosure comprises equipment installed in a building and a server device capable of communicating with the equipment via a network, wherein the server device includes a first acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating the location of the building, a first storage unit that stores sound source data information indicating the correspondence between a region, a predicted time for the occurrence of an event in the region, and sound source data for notifying by voice that an event has occurred in the region, a time determination unit that determines the current time, a determination unit that, by referring to the sound source data information, determines sound source data corresponding to a region including the location indicated by the location information acquired by the first acquisition unit and a predicted time for occurrence that occurs after the current time determined by the time determination unit, and a first communication unit that transmits the sound source data determined by the determination unit to the equipment before the predicted time for occurrence, and the equipment includes a second communication unit that receives sound source data from the server device, a second storage unit that stores the sound source data received by the second communication unit, and a playback unit that plays back the sound source data stored in the second storage unit when an event occurs at the location at the predicted time for occurrence. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] The notification system described in this disclosure can shorten the time lag between the occurrence of an event and the playback of audio data to notify the event by the device. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This is a conceptual diagram showing an overview of the notification system according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the notification system according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of sound source data information according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a sequence diagram showing the operation flow of the notification system according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the operation of the notification system according to the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] (Knowledge that forms the basis of this disclosure) The inventors have found that the following problems arise with respect to the prior art described in the "Background Art" section.

[0009] In the conventional technology described above, each time an event occurs in a home appliance, it downloads audio data from a server to notify the user of the event, and then plays the audio data after the download is complete. However, because the download takes time, there is a long time lag between the occurrence of an event and the playback of the audio data in the home appliance, making it difficult to notify the user of the event in real time.

[0010] Therefore, after diligent research, the inventors have devised a notification system, notification method, server device, and device that can shorten the time lag between the occurrence of an event and the playback of sound source data to notify the occurrence of the event by the device.

[0011] The embodiments will be described in detail below, with reference to the drawings as appropriate. However, unnecessarily detailed explanations may be omitted. For example, detailed explanations of already well-known matters and redundant explanations of substantially identical configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid the following explanation becoming unnecessarily verbose and to facilitate understanding for those skilled in the art.

[0012] The present inventors provide the accompanying drawings and the following description so that those skilled in the art may fully understand the present disclosure, and do not intend to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0013] (Embodiment) The embodiments will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 5.

[0014] [1. Overview of the Notification System] First, an overview of the notification system 2 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 1. Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an overview of the notification system 2 according to the embodiment.

[0015] As shown in Figure 1, the notification system 2 comprises a server device 4 and a speech device 6 (an example of a device). The server device 4 and the speech device 6 can communicate with each other via a network 8. The network 8 is, for example, the internet. The speech device 6 is installed inside a building 12, such as the home of user 10.

[0016] Server device 4 is a cloud server for controlling the speech content of the speech device 6. Server device 4 transmits audio data to the speech device 6 via the network 8 in advance, a predetermined period before the predicted time of the natural disaster, to notify user 10 by voice that a natural disaster (an example of an event) has occurred at the location of building 12. The location of building 12 is, for example, the address of building 12 (i.e., the place of residence of user 10). The predetermined period before the predicted time of the natural disaster is, for example, one day to several days before the first day of the predicted time of the disaster.

[0017] The speaking device 6 is a home appliance used by the user 10, and has a speaker 34 (see Figure 2, described later). Specifically, the speaking device 6 is a home appliance that has a speaking function to emit sound from the speaker 34, and is, for example, a stationary, wall-mounted, or portable television receiver.

[0018] Before the predicted occurrence time of natural disasters likely to occur at the location of the building 12, the voice device 6 downloads (receives) the sound source data from the server device 4 in advance and stores the downloaded sound source data in an internal memory. Then, when a natural disaster occurs at the location of the building 12 at the predicted occurrence time, the voice device 6 reproduces the sound source data stored in the memory, and speaks the notification content indicated by the sound source data from the speaker 34. For example, when the natural disaster is a tsunami, the notification content indicated by the sound source data is the voice message "A tsunami has occurred. Please be careful."

[0019] In addition, in this embodiment, the case where the voice device 6 is a television receiver will be described, but it is not limited thereto. The voice device 6 may be any home appliance equipped with a speaker, such as an autonomous mobile robot vacuum cleaner, a ceiling light, or an intercom sub-unit (so-called door phone).

[0020] [2. Functional Configuration of Notification System] Next, the functional configuration of the notification system 2 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the notification system 2 according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the sound source data information 26 according to the embodiment.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the server device 4 includes, as a functional configuration, a location information acquisition unit 14 (an example of an acquisition unit and a first acquisition unit), a time determination unit 16, a storage unit 18 (an example of a storage unit and a first storage unit), a determination unit 20, a natural disaster occurrence information acquisition unit 22 (an example of a second acquisition unit), and a communication unit 24 (an example of a communication unit and a first communication unit).

[0022] The location information acquisition unit 14 acquires location information indicating the location of the building 12 (see FIG. 1). For example, the location information acquisition unit 14 acquires the postal code input (registered) to the voice device 6 by the user 10 at the time of installation of the voice device 6 as location information from the voice device 6 via the network 8 (see FIG. 1). The location information acquisition unit 14 outputs the acquired location information to the determination unit 20.

[0023] In this embodiment, the user 10 enters a postal code into the speech device 6 when it is set up, but this is not the only option. When setting up the speech device 6, the user 10 may, for example, (a) directly enter the address by operating the speech device 6, or (b) enter the postal code and address from a web application by operating a smartphone or tablet. In this case, the location information acquisition unit 14 may acquire the address entered into the speech device 6, or the postal code and address entered from the web application, as location information from the speech device 6 via the network 8.

[0024] Alternatively, when the speaking device 6 is installed, the speaking device 6 may, for example, (c) identify the location of the communication source (speaking device 6) from network connection information, or (d) register an address using GPS (Global Positioning System) functionality. In this case, the location information acquisition unit 14 may acquire the location identified by the speaking device 6, or the address registered by the speaking device 6, as location information from the speaking device 6 via the network 8.

[0025] The timing determination unit 16 determines the current time. The timing determination unit 16 outputs the determined current time to the decision unit 20. Note that "time" refers to a period of time, for example, in months or days.

[0026] The memory unit 18 is a memory that stores sound source data information 26. The sound source data information 26 is a data table, for example, as shown in Figure 3. As shown in Figure 3, the sound source data information 26 is correspondence information that shows the correspondence between a region in Japan, a natural disaster that is likely to occur in that region, the predicted timing of the occurrence of that natural disaster, and sound source data for notifying by voice that the natural disaster has occurred in that region. The region refers to a region at the level of a prefecture or city / town / village, and includes the location of the building 12 mentioned above.

[0027] In the example shown in Figure 3, the first line of the sound source data information 26 contains (a) "Region A (coastal side)" as the region, (b) "Tsunami" as the natural disaster likely to occur in that region, (c) "June to October" as the predicted period for the occurrence of the natural disaster, and (d) "Sound source data A" as the sound source data. Region A is a coastal region within Japan. The notification content indicated by sound source data A is, "A tsunami has occurred. Please be careful."

[0028] Furthermore, the second line of the sound source data information 26 contains (a) "Region B (mountain side)" as the region, (b) "landslide" as the natural disaster likely to occur in that region, (c) "June-July" as the predicted period for the occurrence of the natural disaster, and (d) "Sound source data B" as the sound source data. Region B is a mountainous region in Japan. The notification content indicated by sound source data B is, "A landslide has occurred. Please be careful."

[0029] Furthermore, the third line of the sound source data information 26 contains (a) "Region C (mountainous area)" as the region, (b) "heavy snow, avalanche" as the natural disaster likely to occur in that region, (c) "December to March" as the predicted period for the occurrence of the natural disaster, and (d) "Sound source data C" as the sound source data. Region C is a mountainous area in Japan. The notification content indicated by sound source data C is, "An avalanche has occurred. Please be careful."

[0030] Furthermore, the fourth line of the sound source data information 26 contains (a) "Region D (near a river)" as the region, (b) "Flooding" as the natural disaster likely to occur in that region, (c) "June to October" as the predicted period for the occurrence of the natural disaster, and (d) "Sound source data D" as the sound source data. Region D is a region near a river in Japan. The notification content indicated by sound source data D is, "A river flood has occurred. Please be careful."

[0031] Furthermore, the fifth line of the sound source data information 26 contains (a) "Region E (a region frequently affected by typhoons)" as the region, (b) "Heavy rain" as the natural disaster likely to occur in that region, (c) "June to October" as the predicted period for the occurrence of the natural disaster, and (d) "Sound source data E" as the sound source data. Region E is a region in Japan that is frequently affected by typhoons (for example, several to more than ten times a year). The notification message indicated by sound source data E is, "Heavy rain has occurred due to a typhoon. Please be careful."

[0032] Furthermore, line 6 of the sound source data information 26 contains (a) "Region F (All Regions)" as the region, (b) "Earthquake" as the natural disaster likely to occur in that region, (c) "Year-round" as the predicted time of occurrence of the natural disaster, and (d) "Sound Source Data F" as the sound source data. Region F is all regions within Japan. The notification content indicated by sound source data F is, "An earthquake has occurred. Please be careful."

[0033] Returning to Figure 2, the memory unit 18 further stores the aforementioned sound source data (sound source data A to F).

[0034] The determination unit 20, by referring to the sound source data information 26 stored in the memory unit 18, determines sound source data corresponding to the region including the location indicated by the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 14 and the predicted occurrence period that will occur after the current period determined by the period determination unit 16. For example, if the location indicated by the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 14 is included in "Region A (seaside)" and the current period determined by the period determination unit 16 is "May 30th", the determination unit 20, by referring to the sound source data information 26, determines "Sound Source Data A" corresponding to region "Region A (seaside)" and the predicted occurrence period "June to October" that will occur after the current period "May 30th".

[0035] The natural disaster occurrence information acquisition unit 22 acquires natural disaster occurrence information from an external server (not shown) that provides weather warnings, earthquake reports, etc., via the network 8, indicating that a natural disaster occurred at the location of building 12 at the predicted time of occurrence. The natural disaster occurrence information acquisition unit 22 outputs the acquired natural disaster occurrence information to the communication unit 24.

[0036] The communication unit 24 transmits and receives various data to and from the speech device 6 via the network 8. Specifically, the communication unit 24 reads the sound source data determined by the determination unit 20 from the storage unit 18 a predetermined period before the predicted time of the natural disaster, and transmits the read sound source data to the speech device 6. For example, if the sound source data determined by the determination unit 20 is "sound source data A", the communication unit 24 transmits the sound source data A read from the storage unit 18 to the speech device 6 on May 30 of the same year, which is a predetermined period before the predicted time of the tsunami in region A, "June to October".

[0037] Furthermore, the communication unit 24, triggered by the acquisition of natural disaster information by the natural disaster information acquisition unit 22, transmits a playback instruction signal to the speech device 6 to instruct it to play the sound source data.

[0038] As shown in Figure 2, the speaking device 6 has the following functional configuration: a communication unit 28 (an example of a communication unit and a second communication unit), a storage unit 30 (an example of a storage unit and a second storage unit), a playback unit 32, and a speaker 34.

[0039] The communication unit 28 transmits and receives various data to and from the server device 4 via the network 8. Specifically, the communication unit 28 receives sound source data from the server device 4 and stores the received sound source data in the storage unit 30. The communication unit 28 also receives a playback instruction signal from the server device 4 and outputs the received playback instruction signal to the playback unit 32. Furthermore, the communication unit 28 transmits the postal code entered by the user 10 when the speaking device 6 was installed to the server device 4 as location information.

[0040] The memory unit 30 is a memory that stores sound source data received by the communication unit 28.

[0041] The playback unit 32 plays back sound source data previously stored in the storage unit 30 based on a playback instruction signal received by the communication unit 28 when a natural disaster occurs at the location of the building 12 during the predicted period of occurrence. The playback unit 32 discards (deletes) the sound source data stored in the storage unit 30 after the predicted period of occurrence has elapsed (for example, the day after the last day of the predicted period).

[0042] The speaker 34 speaks aloud the notification content indicated by the sound source data played back by the playback unit 32.

[0043] [3. Operation of the communication system] Next, the operation of the notification system 2 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of operation of the notification system 2 according to the embodiment. Figure 5 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the operation of the notification system 2 according to the embodiment.

[0044] As shown in Figure 4, first, the communication unit 28 of the speaking device 6 transmits the postal code entered by the user 10 when the speaking device 6 was installed to the server device 4 as location information (S101). For example, the location indicated by the location information is an address included in region A (seaside).

[0045] Next, the location information acquisition unit 14 of the server device 4 acquires location information from the speech device 6 (S102). The location information acquisition unit 14 outputs the acquired location information to the determination unit 20.

[0046] Next, the time determination unit 16 of the server device 4 determines the current time (S103). For example, the current time determined by the time determination unit 16 is "May 30th". The time determination unit 16 outputs the determined current time to the decision unit 20.

[0047] Next, the determination unit 20 of the server device 4 refers to the sound source data information 26 stored in the storage unit 18 to determine the sound source data corresponding to the region including the location indicated by the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 14 and the predicted occurrence period that will occur after the current period determined by the period determination unit 16 (S104). For example, if the location indicated by the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 14 is included in "Region A (seaside)" and the current period determined by the period determination unit 16 is "May 30th", the determination unit 20 refers to the sound source data information 26 to determine "Sound Source Data A" corresponding to region "Region A (seaside)" and the predicted occurrence period "June to October" that will occur after the current period "May 30th".

[0048] Next, the communication unit 24 reads the sound source data determined by the determination unit 20 from the storage unit 18 a predetermined period before the predicted time of the natural disaster, and transmits the read sound source data to the speaking device 6 (S105). For example, if the sound source data determined by the determination unit 20 is "sound source data A", the communication unit 24 transmits the sound source data A read from the storage unit 18 to the speaking device 6 on May 30 of the same year, which is a predetermined period before the predicted time of the tsunami in region A, "June to October".

[0049] Next, the communication unit 28 of the speaking device 6 receives sound source data (for example, sound source data A) from the server device 4 (S106), and stores the received sound source data in the storage unit 30 (S107).

[0050] Next, the natural disaster occurrence information acquisition unit 22 of the server device 4 acquires natural disaster occurrence information indicating that a natural disaster occurred at the location of building 12 at the predicted time of occurrence (S108). For example, the natural disaster occurrence information acquisition unit 22 acquires natural disaster occurrence information indicating that a tsunami occurred on August 1st in area A where building 12 is located. The natural disaster occurrence information acquisition unit 22 outputs the acquired natural disaster occurrence information to the communication unit 24.

[0051] Next, the communication unit 24 of the server device 4, triggered by the acquisition of natural disaster information by the natural disaster information acquisition unit 22, transmits a playback instruction signal to the speech device 6 to instruct it to play the sound source data (S109).

[0052] Next, the communication unit 28 of the speech device 6 receives a playback instruction signal from the server device 4 (S110) and outputs the received playback instruction signal to the playback unit 32.

[0053] Next, the playback unit 32 of the speaking device 6 plays back sound source data that has been previously stored in the storage unit 30 based on the playback instruction signal received by the communication unit 28 (S111). For example, as shown in Figure 5, when a tsunami occurs in area A where building 12 is located on August 1, the playback unit 32 plays back sound source data A with the notification message, "A tsunami has occurred. Please be careful." This allows user 10 to know in real time that a tsunami has occurred in area A where they live.

[0054] Then, the playback unit 32 of the speech device 6 discards the sound source data stored in the memory unit 30 after the predicted period for the occurrence of a natural disaster has elapsed (S112). For example, on November 1st, which is after the predicted period for the occurrence of a tsunami in region A, "June to October," the playback unit 32 discards the sound source data A stored in the memory unit 30.

[0055] Furthermore, regarding the sound source data F in the sound source data information 26 shown in Figure 3, the communication unit 24 may read the sound source data F from the storage unit 18 when the location information acquisition unit 14 acquires the location information, and transmit the read sound source data F to the speaking device 6. In this case, since the earthquake occurrence prediction period is "all year round," the sound source data F stored in the storage unit 30 of the speaking device 6 may be stored at all times without being discarded.

[0056] [4. Effects] The notification system 2 according to the first aspect of this disclosure comprises a speaking device 6 installed in a building 12 and a server device 4 capable of communicating with the speaking device 6 via a network 8. The server device 4 includes a location information acquisition unit 14 that acquires location information indicating the location of the building 12, a storage unit 18 that stores sound source data information 26 indicating the correspondence between a region, the predicted timing of an event (e.g., a natural disaster) occurring in that region, and sound source data for notifying by voice that the event has occurred in that region, a timing determination unit 16 that determines the current time, a determination unit 20 that, by referring to the sound source data information 26, determines sound source data corresponding to a region including the location indicated by the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 14 and the predicted timing of an event occurring after the current time determined by the timing determination unit 16, and a communication unit 24 that transmits the sound source data determined by the determination unit 20 to the speaking device 6 before the predicted timing of an event. The speaking device 6 includes a communication unit 28 that receives sound source data from the server device 4, a storage unit 30 that stores the sound source data received by the communication unit 28, and a playback unit 32 that plays back the sound source data stored in the storage unit 30 when an event occurs at the location at the predicted time of occurrence.

[0057] According to this, audio data for notifying the occurrence of an event that is likely to occur at the location of building 12 is pre-stored in the storage unit 30 of the speaking device 6, prior to the predicted time of the event's occurrence. As a result, when the event occurs at the location at the predicted time, the playback unit 32 of the speaking device 6 can read the audio data stored in the storage unit 30 and play back the read audio data. Consequently, the time lag between the occurrence of the event and the playback unit 32 playing back the audio data for notifying the occurrence of the event can be shortened.

[0058] Furthermore, in the notification system 2 according to the second aspect of this disclosure, in the first aspect, the sound source data stored in the storage unit 30 is discarded after the predicted occurrence time has elapsed.

[0059] According to this, the resources of the memory unit 30 can be saved.

[0060] Furthermore, in the notification system 2 relating to the third aspect of this disclosure, in the first or second aspect, the location information acquisition unit 14 of the server device 4 acquires the postal code of the location as location information from the speaking device 6.

[0061] According to this, the location information acquisition unit 14 can easily acquire location information.

[0062] Furthermore, in the notification system 2 relating to the fourth aspect of this disclosure, in any one aspect of the first to third aspects, the event is a natural disaster.

[0063] According to this, the occurrence of a highly urgent natural disaster can be quickly notified to user 10 via voice.

[0064] Furthermore, in the notification system 2 according to the fifth aspect of this disclosure, in the fourth aspect, the server device 4 further includes a natural disaster occurrence information acquisition unit 22 that acquires natural disaster occurrence information indicating that a natural disaster has occurred at the location at the predicted time of occurrence. The communication unit 24 of the server device 4 transmits a playback instruction signal to the speech device 6 to instruct it to play sound source data, triggered by the natural disaster occurrence information acquisition unit 22 acquiring natural disaster occurrence information. The communication unit 28 of the speech device 6 receives the playback instruction signal from the server device 4. The playback unit 32 of the speech device 6 plays the sound source data stored in the storage unit 30 based on the playback instruction signal received by the communication unit 28.

[0065] According to this, the occurrence of a highly urgent natural disaster can be quickly notified to user 10 via voice.

[0066] The notification method relating to the sixth aspect of this disclosure is a notification method in a notification system 2 comprising a speaking device 6 installed in a building 12 and a server device 4 capable of communicating with the speaking device 6 via a network 8. The notification method includes the steps of: (a) the server device 4 acquiring location information indicating the location of building 12; (b) the server device 4 determining the current time; (c) the server device 4 determining sound source data corresponding to the region including the location indicated by the location information acquired in (a) and the predicted occurrence time which occurs after the current time determined in (b), by referring to sound source data information 26 indicating the correspondence between a region, the predicted occurrence time of an event in that region, and sound source data for notifying by voice that the event has occurred in that region; (d) the server device 4 transmitting the sound source data determined in (c) to the speaking device 6 before the predicted occurrence time; (e) the speaking device 6 receiving the sound source data from the server device 4; (f) the speaking device 6 storing the sound source data received in (e) in the storage unit 30; and (g) when the event occurs at the location at the predicted occurrence time, the speaking device 6 playing back the sound source data stored in the storage unit 30.

[0067] According to this, audio data for notifying the location of an event that is likely to occur at the building 12 is pre-stored in the storage unit 30 of the speaking device 6 before the predicted time of the event's occurrence. As a result, when the event occurs at the location at the predicted time, the speaking device 6 can read the audio data stored in the storage unit 30 and play back the read audio data. Consequently, the time lag between the occurrence of the event and the playback of the audio data for notifying the occurrence of the event by the speaking device 6 can be shortened.

[0068] The server device 4 according to the seventh aspect of this disclosure is a server device capable of communicating with a speaking device 6 via a network 8. The server device 4 includes a location information acquisition unit 14 that acquires location information indicating the location of a building 12 in which the speaking device 6 is installed; a storage unit 18 that stores sound source data information 26 indicating the correspondence between a region, the predicted timing of an event occurring in that region, and sound source data for notifying by voice that the event has occurred in that region; a timing determination unit 16 that determines the current time; a determination unit 20 that, by referring to the sound source data information 26, determines sound source data corresponding to a region including the location indicated by the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 14 and a predicted timing of occurrence that occurs after the current time determined by the timing determination unit 16; and a communication unit 24 that transmits the sound source data determined by the determination unit 20 to the speaking device 6 before the predicted timing of occurrence.

[0069] According to this, as described above, the time lag between the occurrence of an event and the playback of the audio data for notifying the occurrence of the event by the speaking device 6 can be shortened.

[0070] The eighth aspect of the present disclosure describes a speaking device 6 that is installed in a building 12 and can communicate with a server device 4 via a network 8. The speaking device 6 includes a communication unit 28 that receives sound source data transmitted from the server device 4 when the server device 4 determines sound source data corresponding to a region including the location of the building 12 and a predicted occurrence time that will occur later than the present time, based on sound source data information 26 that shows the correspondence between a region, the predicted time of occurrence of an event in that region, and sound source data for notifying by voice that the event has occurred in that region; a storage unit 30 that stores the sound source data received by the communication unit 28; and a playback unit 32 that plays back the sound source data stored in the storage unit 30 when the event occurs at the location at the predicted occurrence time.

[0071] According to this, as described above, the time lag between the occurrence of an event and the playback of the audio data for notifying the occurrence of the event by the speaking device 6 can be shortened.

[0072] (Variations, etc.) As described above, the above embodiments have been explained as examples of the technology disclosed in this application. However, the technology in this disclosure is not limited thereto and can be applied to embodiments that are modified, replaced, added, or omitted as appropriate. Furthermore, it is possible to create new embodiments by combining the components described in the above embodiments.

[0073] Therefore, other embodiments are illustrated below.

[0074] In the above embodiment, the event was described as a natural disaster, but it is not limited to this, and the event may be, for example, a man-made disaster, an incident, an accident, etc.

[0075] In the above embodiment, each component may be implemented by dedicated hardware or by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may also be implemented by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a non-temporary recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory.

[0076] Furthermore, some or all of the functions of the notification system 2 according to each of the above embodiments may be realized by a processor such as a CPU executing a program.

[0077] As described above, embodiments have been explained as examples of the technology in this disclosure. For this purpose, accompanying drawings and a detailed description have been provided.

[0078] Therefore, the components described in the attached drawings and detailed descriptions may include not only components essential for solving the problem, but also components that are not essential for solving the problem, provided that they illustrate the technology described above. For this reason, the mere presence of these non-essential components in the attached drawings and detailed descriptions should not be immediately assumed to mean that they are essential.

[0079] Furthermore, since the embodiments described above are for illustrative purposes of the technology described herein, various modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc., can be made within the scope of the claims or equivalents thereof. [Industrial applicability]

[0080] This disclosure can be applied to notification systems, etc., for notifying users of the occurrence of natural disasters via voice when a natural disaster occurs in the user's place of residence. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0081] 2. Notification System 4 Server devices 6. Speech device 8 Networks 10 users 12 buildings 14 Location information acquisition department 16 Timing determination section 18,30 Storage part 20 Decision Section 22. Department for Acquiring Information on Natural Disaster Occurrence 24,28 Communications Department 26. Audio Source Data Information 32 Playback Department 34 speakers

Claims

1. A notification system comprising equipment installed in a building and a server device capable of communicating with the equipment via a network, The server device is A first acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating the location of the aforementioned building, A first storage unit that stores sound source data information indicating the correspondence between a region, the predicted timing of an event occurring in the region, and sound source data for notifying by voice that the event has occurred in the region, A time determination unit that determines the current time, A second acquisition unit acquires occurrence information indicating that the aforementioned event occurred at the aforementioned location during the aforementioned predicted occurrence time, A determination unit determines the sound source data corresponding to the region including the location indicated by the location information acquired by the first acquisition unit, and the predicted occurrence time which is later than the current time determined by the time determination unit, by referring to the sound source data information. It includes a first communication unit that transmits the sound source data determined by the determination unit to the device before the predicted occurrence time, The aforementioned device is A second communication unit that receives the sound source data from the server device, A second storage unit that stores the sound source data received by the second communication unit, The system includes a playback unit that plays back the sound source data stored in the second storage unit when the aforementioned event occurs at the aforementioned location during the aforementioned predicted occurrence time, The first communication unit of the server device, triggered by the second acquisition unit acquiring the generation information, transmits a playback instruction signal to the device to instruct it to play the sound source data. The second communication unit of the aforementioned device receives the playback instruction signal from the server device, The playback unit of the device plays back the sound source data stored in the second storage unit based on the playback instruction signal. Notification system.

2. The sound source data stored in the second memory unit is discarded after the predicted occurrence time has elapsed. The notification system according to claim 1.

3. The first acquisition unit of the server device acquires the postal code of the location as location information from the device. The notification system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The aforementioned event is a natural disaster. The notification system according to claim 1 or 2.

5. A notification method in a notification system comprising equipment installed in a building and a server device capable of communicating with the equipment via a network, (a) The server device acquires location information indicating the location of the building, (b) The server device determines the current time, (c) The server device refers to sound source data information that shows the correspondence between a region, a predicted time for the occurrence of an event in the region, and sound source data for notifying by voice that the event has occurred in the region, and determines the sound source data corresponding to the region including the location indicated by the location information obtained in (a) and the predicted time for occurrence that will occur later than the current time determined in (b). (d) The server device transmits the sound source data determined in (c) to the device before the predicted occurrence time, (e) The device receives the sound source data from the server device, (f) The step of having the device store the sound source data received in (e) in a storage unit, (g) The server device acquires occurrence information indicating that the event occurred at the location at the predicted time of occurrence, (h) The server device, triggered by acquiring the generated information, transmits a playback instruction signal to the device to instruct it to play the sound source data; (i) The device plays back the sound source data stored in the storage unit based on the playback instruction signal received from the server device. Notification method.

6. A server device capable of communicating with devices via a network, An acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating the location of the building where the aforementioned equipment is installed, A storage unit that stores sound source data information indicating the correspondence between a region, the predicted timing of an event occurring in the region, and sound source data for notifying by voice that the event has occurred in the region, A time determination unit that determines the current time, A determination unit determines the sound source data corresponding to the region including the location indicated by the location information acquired by the acquisition unit, and the predicted occurrence time which is later than the current time determined by the time determination unit, by referring to the sound source data information. The system includes a communication unit that transmits the sound source data determined by the determination unit to the device before the predicted occurrence time. Server device.

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