Voice registration system and voice registration method

Abstract

To provide a voice registration program, a voice registration method, a voice registration device, and a reporting system in which users can easily change voice data.SOLUTION: A voice registration program causes a voice registration device 2, which can be connected to at least one reporting device 1, to perform the steps of: acquiring voice data in a voice data acquisition unit 203; causing the reporting device 1 to play back the acquired voice data by a playback command unit 205; and receiving registration of the voice data to the reporting device 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a voice registration program, a voice registration method, a voice registration device, and a notification system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, when an abnormality occurs in equipment such as a production machine, a notification device that notifies the abnormality by voice has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1). In such a notification device, voice data registered in a ROM in advance is read out according to an input signal to a control circuit, and this is output from a speaker.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the notification device of Patent Document 1 has a problem that since voice data is registered in advance, the user cannot change the voice data.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a voice registration program, a voice registration method, a voice registration device, and a notification system that allow a user to easily change voice data.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The voice registration program according to the present invention causes a computer of a voice registration device connectable to at least one notification device to execute steps of acquiring voice data, causing the acquired voice data to be reproduced by the notification device, and accepting registration of the voice data to the notification device.

[0007] The above-described voice registration program further includes a step of receiving input text data for generating the voice data, and the step of acquiring the voice data may include a step of connecting to an external voice data generation unit that generates voice data from text data, and a step of transmitting the received text data to the voice data generation unit and acquiring the voice data generated by the voice data generation unit.

[0008] The above-described voice registration program, after receiving input of the text data, can be made to execute the steps of acquiring the voice data and playing the acquired voice data on the notification device when it receives a command to acquire the voice data.

[0009] In the above-described voice registration program, the step of acquiring the voice data may include the steps of connecting to an external voice data storage unit that stores a plurality of voice data, and acquiring the voice data from the voice data storage unit.

[0010] The above voice registration program further includes a step of provisionally registering the acquired voice data to the notification device prior to the registration, and in the step of playing the voice data with the notification device, the program is configured to play the voice data provisionally registered to the notification device, and after the playback of the voice data, it may be configured to accept the registration of the played voice data or to accept the cancellation of the registration.

[0011] In the above-described voice registration program, when registering new voice data to replace the already registered voice data, the program can be configured to temporarily register the new voice data in a different area from the already registered voice data.

[0012] In the above-described voice registration program, at least one of the notification devices may have a plurality of playback channels on which the voice data can be registered, and may further include a step of accepting the selection of the playback channel on which the voice data will be registered prior to the acquisition of the voice data.

[0013] The voice registration method according to the present invention is a voice registration method for registering voice data in at least one notification device, comprising the steps of: acquiring voice data; playing back the acquired voice data in the notification device; and accepting the registration of the voice data to the notification device.

[0014] The voice registration device according to the present invention is a voice registration device that can be connected to at least one notification device, and comprises a voice data acquisition unit that acquires voice data, a playback command unit that causes the acquired voice data to be played back by the notification device, and a registration unit that accepts registration of the voice data to the notification device.

[0015] The first notification system according to the present invention comprises a storage medium in which any of the above-described voice registration programs is stored, and the notification device which is connectable to the voice registration device.

[0016] The second notification system according to the present invention comprises the above-described voice registration device and the notification device connectable to the voice registration device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the present invention, various sounds for notifying the state can be easily generated. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0018] [Figure 1] This is an example of the configuration of a notification system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the notification device. [Figure 3]It is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the voice registration device. [Figure 4] It is a block diagram showing the software configuration of the voice registration device. [Figure 5] It is a schematic diagram showing an example of a registration screen by the voice registration device. [Figure 6] It is a flowchart showing the operation at the time of starting the voice registration device. [Figure 7] It is a flowchart showing the process of temporary registration of voice data by the voice registration device. [Figure 8] It is a flowchart showing the process of official registration of voice data by the voice registration device. [Figure 9] It is a flowchart showing the process of playing back voice data by the voice registration device. [Figure 10] It is a flowchart showing another example of the process of official registration of voice data by the voice registration device.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the notification system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration example of the notification system, which includes at least one notification device 1 and a voice registration device 2 connected to the notification device 1. A facility 3 is connected to the notification device 1, and various voices are output by a voice control signal transmitted from the facility 3. A TTS (Text-to-Speech) service 4 is connected to the voice registration device 2 via a network 7. Hereinafter, each configuration will be described in detail.

[0020] <1. Hardware Configuration> <1-1. Notification Device> Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the notification device 1. As shown in Figure 2, the notification device 1 incorporates a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, a speaker 13, a communication interface 14, and an external interface 15. In Figure 2, the communication interface 14 is referred to as "communication I / F" and the external interface 15 as "external I / F". This is also the case in Figure 3, which will be described later.

[0021] As shown in Figure 2, the control unit 11 includes a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., and is configured to perform various information processing based on programs and data. The storage unit 12 is composed of an auxiliary storage device such as an HDD or SSD, and stores a playback program 121 for playing back audio, registered audio data 122, text data 123 corresponding to the registered audio data 122, temporarily registered audio data 124, and various data 125 for driving the notification device 1. The playback program 121 is a program for playing back the registered audio data 122 and outputting audio based on an audio control signal transmitted from the equipment 3. The storage unit 12 in this embodiment can store up to four audio data 122. However, there is no particular upper limit to the number of audio data 122 that can be stored, and it can be set appropriately depending on the type of notification device 1, for example. The audio data 122 and temporary audio data 124 are data for playing back audio, generated in formats such as mp3 or wav. In the following, the area in the memory unit 12 where the audio data 124 is stored may be referred to as the playback channel.

[0022] Speaker 13 is composed of a known speaker and outputs sound by playing audio data 122 and 124.

[0023] The communication interface 14 is, for example, a wired LAN (Local Area Network) module, a wireless LAN module, etc., and is an interface for wired or wireless communication. That is, the communication interface 14 transmits and receives various data to and from the voice registration device 2 via a wired or wireless network according to a predetermined communication protocol.

[0024] The external interface 15 is an interface for connecting to an external device and is configured appropriately depending on the external device to be connected. In this embodiment, equipment 3 is connected to this external interface 15. Equipment 3 can be various devices that provide voice notifications of changes in status or the occurrence of events (e.g., malfunctions or abnormalities), such as production equipment, printers, servers, network cameras, disaster prevention systems, security systems, access control systems, environmental monitoring systems, and order placement / receiving systems. When voice control signals are input from these devices 3 to the notification device 1 via the external interface 15, a playback program 121 executed by the control unit 11 outputs sound from the speaker 13.

[0025] <1-2. Voice Registration Device> Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the voice registration device 2. As shown in Figure 3, the voice registration device 2 incorporates a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, a communication interface 23, and an external interface 24.

[0026] As shown in Figure 3, the control unit 21 includes a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., and is configured to perform various information processing based on programs and data. The storage unit 22 is composed of an auxiliary storage device such as an HDD or SSD, and stores a voice registration program 221 for registering voice data with the notification device 1, registration-related data 222 concerning the data registered with the notification device 1, and various data 223 for driving the voice registration device 2. This data 223 includes, for example, data related to the registration screen shown in Figure 5, which will be described later.

[0027] The communication interface 23 is generally the same as that of the notification device 1 and transmits and receives various data to and from the notification device 1 via a wired or wireless network according to a predetermined communication protocol. Furthermore, this communication interface 23 is connected to an external TTS service 4 via a network such as the Internet.

[0028] A TTS service is a well-known network service that generates voice data from text data using TTS technology when text data is transmitted. In other words, it is a service provided by a device that implements a well-known TTS function. However, it does not have to be an internet service; a device that generates voice data using TTS technology when text data is input (or received) may be connected to the voice registration device 2.

[0029] The external interface 24 is generally the same as that of the notification device 1, but a display device 61 such as a display and an input device 62 such as a keyboard are connected to the external interface 24. Alternatively, a device capable of both input and display, such as a touch panel display, can also be connected. In addition, various other external devices such as printers can be connected.

[0030] Regarding the specific hardware configuration of the voice registration device 2, components can be omitted, replaced, and added as appropriate depending on the embodiment. For example, the control unit 21 may include multiple processors. The control unit 21 may also be configured using an FPGA. The storage unit 22 may be configured using RAM and ROM included in the control unit 21.

[0031] <2. Software Configuration of the Voice Registration Device> Next, the software configuration of the voice registration device 2 will be described. Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the software configuration of the voice registration device. As shown in Figure 4, the control unit 21 of the voice registration device 2 loads the voice registration program 221 stored in the storage unit 22 into RAM, interprets and executes the voice registration program 221 using the CPU, and functions as a computer equipped with a display control unit 201, a text data acquisition unit 202, a voice data acquisition unit 203, a registration unit 204, and a playback command unit 205.

[0032] The display control unit 201 has the function of displaying the registration screen 8 shown in Figure 5 on the display device 61. It also has various other functions for controlling the display on the display device 61. The registration screen 8 will be described later.

[0033] The text data acquisition unit 202 acquires text data input from an input device 62 such as a keyboard or touch panel. The acquired text data is stored in the storage unit 22 or RAM.

[0034] The voice data acquisition unit 203 transmits the acquired text data to the TTS service 4 and acquires the generated voice data.

[0035] The registration unit 204 provisionally registers or permanently registers the acquired audio data to the notification device 1. As a result, the audio data is stored in the storage unit 12 of the notification device 1. The registration unit 204 also has the function of registering text data corresponding to the permanently registered audio data to the notification device 1. As a result, the text data is stored in the storage unit 12 of the notification device 1. Furthermore, the registration unit 204 has the function of selecting the playback channel of the notification device 1 to which the audio data should be registered.

[0036] The playback command unit 205 has the function of playing back audio data that has been temporarily registered in the notification device 1. In other words, the playback command unit 205 issues a command to the notification device 1 to play back the audio data, and based on this, the notification device 1 plays back the audio data and outputs the audio from the speaker 13.

[0037] <3. How to register audio data> Next, the method for registering voice data to the notification device 1 using the voice registration device 2 configured as described above will be explained with reference to the registration screen in Figure 5 and the flowcharts in Figures 6 and 7.

[0038] First, let's explain registration screen 8. As shown in Figure 5, this registration screen 8 allows for the registration of four audio data. As described above, the notification device 1 is equipped with four playback channels CH1 to CH4, and a maximum of four audio data can be registered. In the example in Figure 5, it is shown that audio data has been registered in three of the four playback channels CH1 to CH4. That is, the registered message boxes 81 corresponding to CH1 to CH3 display the characters corresponding to the audio data: "An error has occurred," "The rotation line has been restored," and "Pipo pa pipa pipo pa pipa," respectively. On the other hand, box 81 for CH4 is blank, so no audio data has been registered.

[0039] This section explains an example of rewriting audio data registered in CH1. To rewrite the data, touch or click the rewrite button 82 (hereinafter referred to as "touch"), and when it turns ON, the rewrite process becomes possible. In this state, the message box 83 to be registered is set to receive text corresponding to the audio data from the input device 62.

[0040] When the execution button 84 for executing a voice playback command is touched, the registration unit 204 transmits the voice data to the notification device 1 and it is temporarily registered. At the same time, the playback command unit 205 plays the temporarily registered voice data to the notification device 1. When the registration button 85 is touched, the temporarily registered voice data is officially registered. On the other hand, when the cancel button 86 is touched, the official registration is canceled and the temporarily registered voice data is deleted.

[0041] Next, the operation of the voice registration device 2 at startup will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 6. First, when the voice registration device 2 starts up, it connects to the notification device 1 and the TTS service 4 (S11), and reads the data (registration-related data) from the notification device 1 (S12). This allows the registration status of playback channels CH1 to CH4 to be recognized. Subsequently, a registration screen 8 reflecting this registration status is displayed on the display device 61 (S13). Next, a provisional registration process for voice data is performed (S14).

[0042] Next, referring to the flowchart in Figure 7, the process of temporarily registering audio data on the CH1 playback channel will be explained. First, on the registration screen 8, after touching the CH1 rewrite button 82, enter the text data you want to register, namely "Please ventilate," into box 83 (S21), and then touch the execute button 84. As a result, the audio data acquisition unit 203 sends the entered text data to the TTS service 4 and requests the generation of audio data (S22). In response, the TTS service 4 generates audio data corresponding to the transmitted text data (S23) and sends it to the audio registration device 2 (S24).

[0043] The registration unit 204 of the voice registration device 2 transmits the acquired voice data to the notification device 1 and issues a provisional registration command (S25). In response, the notification device 1 provisionally registers the voice data (S26) and sends a notification of completion of provisional registration to the voice registration device 2 (S27). Upon receiving this, the playback command unit 205 of the voice registration device 2 transmits a command to the notification device 1 to play back the provisionally registered voice data (S28). In response, the notification device 1 plays back the provisionally registered voice data and outputs sound from the speaker 13 (S29).

[0044] Next, referring to the flowchart in Figure 8, the process of officially registering audio data on the CH1 playback channel will be explained. First, the user listens to the played audio, and if there is a problem (NO in S31), they touch the cancel button 86 on the registration screen 8. As a result, the registration unit 204 issues a command to the notification device 1 to delete the temporarily registered audio data (S32). In response, the notification device 1 deletes the temporarily registered audio data (S33). After that, if the user wishes to register the audio data (YES in S41), the process shown in Figure 7 is performed (S42), and if further registration is not necessary (NO in S41), the process is terminated.

[0045] On the other hand, if there are no problems with the played audio (YES in S31), touch the registration button 85 (S34). This causes the registration unit 204 to issue a formal registration command for the audio data to the notification device 1 (S35). Upon receiving the command, the notification device 1 formally registers the temporarily registered audio data. In other words, it overwrites the playback channel CH1 of the storage unit 12, and the audio data corresponding to "Please ventilate" is stored. As a result, the audio data corresponding to "An abnormality has occurred" is erased. In addition, the audio data corresponding to "Please ventilate" that was stored in the temporary registration area is also erased.

[0046] When notification device 1 transmits a notification of completion of this registration to voice registration device 2 (S36), voice registration device 2 transmits text data corresponding to the registered voice data, "Please ventilate," to notification device 1 (S37). Notification device 1 stores the received text data in association with the voice data (S38) and transmits a completion notification to voice registration device 2 (S39). After receiving this completion notification, voice registration device 2 displays a message on the registration screen 8 indicating that the text data registration is complete (S40).

[0047] If you wish to register further audio data (YES in S41), the process shown in Figure 7 is performed (S41). If further registration is not required (NO in S41), the process is terminated.

[0048] <4. Features> As described above, the following effects can be obtained according to this embodiment. (1) To register audio data to the notification device 1, simply enter the text data on the registration screen 8 and then touch the execute button 84 to generate the audio data and play the generated audio data. At this time, the audio is played back by the notification device 1, so you can check the actual audio output. If there are no problems with the audio, you can register it by touching the registration button 85. Therefore, audio data can be registered with simple operations. Furthermore, even if the audio data is obtained from an external source, you can easily check and register the audio.

[0049] (2) If you wish to register new audio data to replace already registered audio data, the new audio data will be provisionally registered and then played back. Therefore, the registered audio data will not be deleted until the new audio data has been confirmed, thus preventing accidental deletion of audio data.

[0050] <5. Variation> Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. The modifications described below can be combined as appropriate.

[0051] <5-1> In the above embodiment, after generating the audio data, the audio is played back after provisional registration with the notification device 1. However, it is also possible to play back the audio without provisional registration. For example, as shown in Figure 9, after the audio registration device 2 acquires audio data from the TTS service 4, the audio registration device 2 transmits the audio data to the notification device 1 (S55), and the audio data can be played back without provisional registration (S56). In other words, the notification device 1 can be made to stream the audio data. Other processes such as inputting text data are the same as in Figure 7, so their explanation is omitted.

[0052] In this case, the registration is performed as shown in Figure 10. That is, if there is no problem with the played audio (YES in S61), touch the registration button 85 to perform the registration of the audio data. On the other hand, if there is a problem with the played audio (NO in S61), touching the cancel button 86 will delete the audio data used for streaming playback. The other processes are the same as in Figure 8, so the explanation is omitted.

[0053] <5-2> In the notification device 1, if it is desired to register new audio data to replace already registered audio data, the registered audio data can be stored in another area of ​​the storage unit 12 before registering the new audio data. After the registration is confirmed, the audio data stored in the other area can be erased. This prevents the accidental deletion of already registered audio data.

[0054] <5-3> In the above embodiment, audio data is acquired using a TTS service, but the method of acquiring audio data is not limited to this. For example, desired audio data can be downloaded from an audio data library (audio data storage unit) that stores various types of audio data. Such an audio data library can be one that is publicly known and located on a network. Alternatively, a device (audio data storage unit) that stores various types of audio data may be connected to the audio registration device 2. In this case, the audio data library can be accessed from the registration screen 8, and after the download of the audio data is complete, the audio can be played by touching the execute button 84. It is also possible to send an audio playback command as soon as the download is complete without touching the execute button 84.

[0055] <5-4> The voice registration device 2 may be an information processing device designed specifically for the service being provided, a general-purpose desktop PC, a tablet PC, etc. Therefore, the voice registration device shown in Figure 3 is just one example and can be modified as appropriate.

[0056] <5-5> In the above embodiment, the system is configured to generate audio data and play back audio using the generated audio data simply by touching the execution button 84. However, it is also possible to separate the acquisition of audio data using a TTS service or the like, and the playback command to play back the acquired audio data on the notification device 1. For example, after acquiring the audio data, the notification device 1 can play back the audio data at a desired timing.

[0057] <5-6> The configuration of the notification device 1 is not particularly limited and can be applied to any notification device that has a communication function with the voice registration device 2 and is capable of writing voice data. Furthermore, even a notification device that does not have a communication function can be used as a notification system covered by the present invention if a communication function is added afterward. In addition, the notification system covered by the present invention includes not only the voice registration device, but also a combination of a storage medium in which the above-mentioned voice registration program is stored and the notification device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 1. Notification device 2. Voice Registration Device 221 Voice Registration Program

Claims

1. An alarm device that emits sound based on signals from equipment, A voice registration device that transmits voice data to the aforementioned notification device, Equipped with, The voice registration device is The voice data is generated based on the text data entered by the user. The audio data is transmitted to the notification device. The aforementioned notification device is The voice data received from the voice registration device is stored as a provisional registration. Play the provisionally registered audio data, After the audio data is played back, the audio data is officially registered based on the user's registration instructions. Based on the signal from the aforementioned equipment, the registered audio data is played back. When the previously registered audio data is overwritten with other audio data, the previously registered audio data is not erased while the other audio data is provisionally registered. A voice registration system characterized by the following features.

2. An alarm device that emits sound based on a signal from equipment, A voice registration device that transmits voice data to the aforementioned notification device, Equipped with, The voice registration device is The voice data is generated based on the text data entered by the user. The audio data is transmitted to the notification device. The aforementioned notification device is The voice data received from the voice registration device is stored as a provisional registration. Play the provisionally registered audio data, After the audio data is played back, the audio data is officially registered based on the user's registration instructions. Based on the signal from the aforementioned equipment, the registered audio data is played back. The notification device includes a storage unit having an area for storing the registered audio data, When the registered audio data is overwritten with other audio data, the audio data stored in the area is erased after the registration of the other audio data is confirmed. A voice registration system characterized by the following features.

3. In the voice registration system according to claim 1 or 2, The voice registration system is characterized in that the registration instruction is generated based on user operation in the voice registration device.

4. In the voice registration system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The aforementioned notification device is a voice registration system characterized by managing the registered voice data together with the corresponding input text data.

5. In the voice registration system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The voice registration device is configured to connect to an external voice data storage unit that stores multiple voice data, and to be able to acquire the voice data from the voice data storage unit, thereby forming a voice registration system.

6. In the voice registration system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The aforementioned notification device is a voice registration system characterized by its ability to receive instructions to delete registered voice data and to delete said voice data.

7. A voice registration method in a voice registration system, A process of generating audio data based on text data entered by the user, The process involves transmitting the audio data to the notification device, The notification device includes the step of storing the voice data as a provisional registration, The process of playing the provisionally registered audio data, The process of formally registering the aforementioned voice data based on registration instructions from the user, Based on the signal from the equipment, the notification device performs the step of playing back the registered audio data, Includes, When the previously registered audio data is overwritten with other audio data, the previously registered audio data is not erased while the other audio data is provisionally registered. A voice registration method characterized by the following features.

8. A voice registration method in a voice registration system, A process of generating audio data based on text data entered by the user, The process involves transmitting the audio data to the notification device, The notification device includes the step of storing the voice data as a provisional registration, The process of playing the provisionally registered audio data, The process of formally registering the aforementioned voice data based on registration instructions from the user, Based on the signal from the equipment, the notification device performs the step of playing back the registered audio data, Includes, When replacing the registered audio data with other audio data, after the registration of the other audio data is confirmed, the audio data stored in the area where the registered audio data is stored is erased. A voice registration method characterized by the following features.

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