JP2009101056A - Voice recognition controller for bathroom - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To safely keep a bathroom environment by detecting a dangerous situation in a bathroom and avoiding it. <P>SOLUTION: A voice recognition controller 10 for bathrooms includes: a mode changeover part 18 for changing over between a voice operation mode for controlling bathroom devices corresponding to a recognized voice command when a voice uttered by a user is input and the input voice is recognized to fall under a predetermined voice command, and a button operation mode for controlling the bathroom devices by the user's operation of a button of a controller; and an illuminance determination means 17 for determining whether the illuminance in the bathroom is a reference value or less; and, when the illuminance determination part 17 determines that the illuminance in the bathroom has a value below the reference value in the button operation mode, the mode changeover part 18 changes over the mode from the button operation mode to the voice operation mode. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention is an apparatus for controlling a bathroom device such as a lighting device or a ventilation fan installed in a bathroom, and recognizes a voice command issued by a user and executes control of the bathroom device according to the voice command. The present invention relates to a speech recognition control apparatus for use.

  Conventionally, in the bathroom device control device, the history information of the environmental conditions in the bathroom set by the bather in the past is stored for each bather, and by referring to this, the bath interior can be matched to each bather's preference. There is known a bathroom system that automatically controls other bathroom equipment (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  On the other hand, there is known a voice recognition control device that recognizes a voice command issued by a user and controls bathroom equipment according to the voice command. In an example of the voice recognition control device, the operation mode includes a voice operation mode in which the bathroom device is controlled based on a voice operation issued by the user, and a user operating a controller button provided in the voice recognition control device. Some have a button operation mode for controlling the device, and can switch between the voice operation mode and the button operation mode.

Moreover, in order for a user to take a bath in a relaxed mood in the bathroom, for example, the lighting device in the bathroom is turned off to darken the bathroom and produce various scenes that reduce ambient sounds. .
JP 2006-271561 A

  However, when the lighting device in the bathroom is turned off in the button operation mode and the interior of the bathroom is darkened, the user cannot visually recognize the state in the bathroom. It becomes difficult to operate buttons. Furthermore, since the operation mode is the button operation mode, the bathroom device cannot be operated by voice, and the controller is forced to operate the button to control the bathroom device, so that a situation such as a fall is likely to occur.

  In addition, when the lighting device in the bathroom is turned off, the controller can also be used to control the bathroom equipment in the same way when the user's speech is drowned out due to ambient noise and speech recognition becomes impossible. You will be forced to operate the buttons, and will likely fall over.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to detect a dangerous situation in the bathroom and avoid it so that the bathroom voice recognition control keeps the bathroom environment safe. Is to provide a device.

  A feature of the present invention is that a voice operation mode for inputting a voice uttered by a user and executing control of bathroom equipment in response to the recognized voice command when the input voice is recognized as corresponding to a predetermined voice command; A mode switching unit that switches between a button operation mode for controlling the bathroom device by a user operating a button on the controller, and an illuminance determination unit that determines whether or not the illuminance in the bathroom is equal to or less than a reference value The bathroom voice recognition control device is provided, and in the button operation mode, when the illuminance determination unit determines that the illuminance in the bathroom is below a reference value, the mode switching unit switches from the button operation mode to the voice operation mode. It is.

  When the illuminance determination unit determines that the illuminance in the bathroom is below the reference value in the button operation mode, by switching from the button operation mode to the voice operation mode, for example, due to a failure of the lighting device in the bathroom in the button operation mode Even when the light is turned off, the bathroom device can be operated by voice, so that the button operation of the controller is not required to control the bathroom device. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a dangerous situation in the bathroom and keep the bathroom environment safe.

  Here, “whether or not the illuminance in the bathroom is below the reference value” is, for example, whether or not the illuminance in the bathroom measured by the illuminance sensor is below the reference value, Whether a control signal that changes the illuminance in the bathroom to a reference value or less is sent to the device, or whether a user button operation that changes the illuminance in the bathroom to a reference value or less is performed What is necessary is just to determine. By determining whether or not the illuminance in the bathroom measured by the illuminance sensor is below the reference value, the situation in which the illuminance in the bathroom decreases even though no control signal to turn off is generated (for example, the filament of the bulb is broken) Therefore, it is possible to detect a dangerous situation in the bathroom more accurately.

  In the features of the present invention, the bathroom speech recognition control device includes a sound detection unit that detects sound in the bathroom, and whether or not the sound pressure level of the sound in the bathroom detected by the sound detection unit is equal to or higher than a threshold value. A sound pressure level determination unit that determines whether or not the sound pressure level determination unit determines that the sound pressure level of the sound in the bathroom is equal to or greater than a threshold value when the illuminance in the bathroom is equal to or less than a reference value. The brightness of the lighting device that illuminates the bathroom may be increased so that the illuminance in the bathroom is higher than the reference value.

  When the sound pressure level determination unit determines that the sound pressure level of the sound in the bathroom is equal to or higher than the threshold when the illuminance in the bathroom is below the reference value, the illuminance in the bathroom is higher than the reference value. By increasing the brightness of the lighting device that illuminates the interior of the bathroom, the user can view the interior of the bathroom, and can move in the bathroom, recognize the position of the controller, and operate the controller buttons. Become. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a dangerous situation in the bathroom and keep the bathroom environment safe.

  According to the bathroom speech recognition control apparatus of the present invention, the bathroom environment can be kept safe by detecting a dangerous situation in the bathroom and avoiding it.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

(First embodiment)
First, an overall configuration of a bathroom speech recognition control apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The bathroom voice recognition control device 10 according to the first embodiment recognizes when the user utters voice as an operation mode and recognizes that the inputted voice corresponds to a predetermined vocabulary (voice command). “Voice operation mode” for executing the control of the bathroom device 20 in response to the voice command, and “Button operation mode” for executing the control of the bathroom device by operating the button of the controller 11 by the user. This is an apparatus capable of switching between “operation mode” and “button operation mode”.

  The bathroom voice recognition control device 10 includes a controller 11 that forms a user interface, a voice recognition unit 12 that determines whether a user's voice command input via the controller 11 corresponds to a predetermined voice command, and The device control unit 13 that outputs a control signal for executing control of the bathroom device 20 according to the voice command recognized by the voice recognition unit 12 and the control signal output from the device control unit 13 to the bathroom device 20 Whether or not the sound pressure level of the sound input via the controller 11 to be transmitted, the speech synthesizer 14 that synthesizes the sound output to the user, and the controller 11 is greater than or equal to the threshold value. A sound pressure level determination unit 16 for determining

  The controller 11 picks up voices and ambient sounds uttered by the user, outputs them as electrical signals (voice signals), a voice output unit 50 that outputs a predetermined voice to the user, and user buttons An operation button unit 60 that receives an operation, a display unit 70 that displays a predetermined screen and the like for a user, and an illuminance sensor 80 that measures the illuminance in the bathroom.

  The voice input unit 40 picks up a user's utterance voice and ambient sound, converts the voice into a voice signal, an amplifier that amplifies the voice signal, and an A / D that converts the amplified voice signal into a digital signal. A conversion unit and a noise subtraction unit that removes a noise component from the digitized voice signal are provided. The speech signal from which noise has been removed by the noise subtracting unit is transmitted to the speech recognition unit 12, and the speech signal before the noise is removed by the noise subtracting unit is transmitted to the sound pressure level determining unit 16. The function of the voice input unit 40 that transmits the voice signal before the noise is removed by the noise subtraction unit to the sound pressure level determination unit 16 corresponds to a “sound detection unit that detects a sound in the bathroom”.

  The audio output unit 50 includes a D / A conversion unit that converts the audio signal synthesized by the audio synthesis unit 14 into an analog signal, an amplification unit that amplifies the analog audio signal, and the amplified audio signal as audio. And a speaker that outputs the converted signal.

  The operation button unit 60 includes various buttons for manually setting the operation of the bathroom device 20 and the like, and includes a controller on / off switch for switching an operation on / off state of the controller 11. It is.

  The display unit 70 is an LED that displays the operation status of the bathroom device 20 to the user by turning on / off / flashing, and a liquid crystal display device that displays the operation status of the bathroom device 20 to the user by an image such as a character or a picture. And have. Details of the display unit 70 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The voice recognition unit 12 includes a collation database (not shown) that stores collation data of voice commands that can be recognized by the bathroom voice recognition control device 10, and the voice signal output from the voice input unit 40 The collation data stored in the collation database is collated to determine whether the voice signal corresponds to a predetermined voice command. Specifically, the voice recognition unit 12 compares the voice signal (speech data) output from the voice input unit 40 with the collation data stored in the collation database so that the voice uttered by the user is a predetermined voice command. If it is determined that the command is a voice command, a predetermined signal corresponding to the voice command is output to the device control unit 13.

  The device control unit 13 includes a microcomputer and a predetermined storage area (RAM), and controls the operation of each component of the bathroom device 20 and the bathroom speech recognition control device 10 according to a predetermined program. Specifically, when the device control unit 13 receives a predetermined signal corresponding to the voice command recognized by the voice recognition unit 12 or receives a predetermined signal corresponding to the button operation of the operation button unit 60, the bathroom device 20 Or the control signal equivalent to the said voice command or switch operation is transmitted with respect to each component of the speech recognition control apparatus 10 for bathrooms.

  Moreover, the apparatus control part 13 is equipped with the illumination intensity determination part 17 which determines whether the illumination intensity in a bathroom is below a reference value. Note that the “reference value” corresponds to a criterion for determining whether or not the user can visually recognize the state in the bathroom and can safely move in the bathroom or operate the bathroom equipment. The determination of “whether or not the illuminance in the bathroom is below a reference value” can be made by various methods. For example, the illuminance determination unit 17 may determine whether the illuminance in the bathroom measured by the illuminance sensor 80 in the controller 11 is equal to or less than a reference value. Alternatively, since the illuminance in the bathroom is specified by the operating state of each lighting device 21, the illuminance determination unit 17 causes the device control unit 13 to change the illuminance in the bathroom to a reference value or less with respect to each lighting device 21. It may be determined whether such a control signal is transmitted. The “control signal that changes the illuminance in the bathroom below the reference value” includes a control signal that turns off each lighting device 21 and a control signal that lowers the luminance level of each lighting device 21. Alternatively, the illuminance determination unit 17 transmits a signal from the operation button unit 60 such that the illuminance in the bathroom changes to a reference value or less by the user's button operation, and whether or not the device control unit 13 has received this signal. May be determined.

As described above, the illuminance determination unit 17 determines whether or not the illuminance in the bathroom measured by the illuminance sensor 80 is equal to or less than the reference value, among various scenes produced using a plurality of lighting devices. The illuminance in the bathroom is from the pressing operation of the button for selecting a scene where the illuminance in the bathroom is below the reference value, or the pressing operation of the button to turn off the entire lighting device 21 so that the illuminance in the bathroom is below the reference value. It is possible to determine whether or not it is below the reference value.
The lighting device 21 has a plurality of lighting fixtures that are selectively used to produce various scenes in addition to a ceiling light for brightening the entire bathroom. When the input voice is recognized as corresponding to a predetermined voice command, the “voice operation mode” for controlling the bathroom device in response to the recognized voice command and the operation button unit 60 of the controller 11 are displayed. A mode switching unit 18 for switching between “button operation mode” for executing control of bathroom equipment when operated by a user is provided. In the “button operation mode”, the voice recognition function of the voice recognition unit 12 is disabled. Thereby, the malfunction of the bathroom apparatus 20 by the voice recognition part 12 misrecognizing the voice command which the user does not intend is avoided, and the user can speak freely in the bathroom. In the “voice operation mode”, the button operation of the operation button unit 60 of the controller 11 may be either invalid or valid.

  The bathroom device 20 includes a lighting device 21, a ventilation fan 22, a water heater 23, a television 24, a jet jet bath device 25, and a mist sauna device 26. The lighting device 21 is a device for illuminating the interior of the bathroom with artificial light, and the ventilation fan 22 is attached to the wall or window of the bathroom, and rotates the blades with a motor to discharge the air in the bathroom. It is an instrument. The lighting device 21 includes a plurality of lighting fixtures that are selectively used to produce various scenes, in addition to a ceiling light for brightening the entire bathroom. The jet fountain bath device 25 is a device that blows out hot water mixed with bubbles from the spouts installed at several places on the wall surface of the bathtub and hits the bather's back or legs. The mist sauna device 26 is a device that delivers mist-like water vapor that has been warmed into the bathroom, and is used in a bathing method that warms the user's body by the user taking the water vapor that is delivered.

  FIG. 2 is an external view inside the bathroom showing an example of arrangement of the bathroom speech recognition control device 10 and the bathroom equipment 20 shown in FIG. As the bathroom device 20, a ceiling light 21a and a ventilation fan 22 which are one of the lighting devices 21 are installed on the ceiling in the bathroom, a television 24 and a mist sauna device 26 are installed on the wall surface near the bathtub 3 in the bathroom, and a jet jet bath device 25 spouts 25a and suction ports 25b are installed in the bathtub 3 in the bathroom. A controller 11 of the bathroom speech recognition control device 10 is installed on the wall surface in the vicinity of the bathtub 3 in the bathroom. Components other than the water heater 23 and the jet jet bath device 25 pump device, the heat source device of the mist sauna device 26 and the controller of the bathroom speech recognition control device 10 are installed outside the bathroom. Has been.

  Note that the arrangement example shown here is an example, and the bathroom speech recognition control device 10 and the bathroom equipment 20 can take other layouts. Moreover, in FIG.1 and FIG.2, although the illuminating device 21, the ventilation fan 22, the water heater 23, the television 24, the jet jet bath apparatus 25, and the mist sauna apparatus 26 were mentioned as an example of the bathroom apparatus 20, it is not restricted to this, Bathroom The equipment 20 includes electrical appliances that play music and video stored in recording media such as cassette tapes, CDs, MDs, and DVDs, and electrical appliances that users use in the bathroom, such as heating equipment and personal computers. .

  The bathroom voice recognition control device 10 can produce various scenes by controlling the bathroom device 20. For example, by turning off the lighting device 21 to darken the interior of the bathroom and lowering the rotation speed of the ventilation fan or stopping the rotation to reduce the ambient sound, the user closes his eyes and deeply and quietly thinks. Can be produced. The user can select and bathe various scenes according to his / her preference. In addition to this, the video and audio shot while walking in the forest are played on the TV 24, and the lighting device 21 is controlled so as to obtain the same illuminance as in the forest, thereby performing a simulated forest bath. Various scenes can be produced by controlling the water heater 23, the television 24, the jet fountain bath device 25, and the mist sauna device 26, such as producing a “forest bathing scene”.

  Next, the layout of the operation surface of the controller 11 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described with reference to FIG. On the operation surface of the controller 11, a microphone 41 of the audio input unit 40, a speaker 53 of the audio output unit 50, various operation buttons 60 a to 60 i, an LED 71 as a display unit 70, and a liquid crystal display device 72 are arranged.

  The various operation buttons 60a to 60i include a menu button 60a, a confirmation button 60b, a return button 60c, a cross key 60d, a priority button 60e, a follow-up button 60f, a bath automatic button 60g, a call button 60h, and a controller on / off switch 60i. Among these buttons 60a to 60i, the priority button 60e, the follow-up button 60f, the automatic bath button 60g, and the call button 60h are used for controlling the water heater 23. The other buttons and switches are used not only for the hot water heater 23 but also for controlling each component of the bathroom device 20 and the bathroom speech recognition control device 10. Thus, the controller 11 is configured to function as both a bathroom remote controller that controls the bathroom device 20 by a switch operation and a control panel of the bathroom speech recognition control device 10.

  Specifically, the priority button 60e is a button used when it is desired to set a hot water supply temperature or a shower temperature in the bathroom. In general, water and hot water are used not only in the bathroom but also in the kitchen. For this reason, even if the hot water supply temperature and the shower temperature of the water heater 23 are set, if water or hot water is used in other places, the actual hot water supply temperature or the shower temperature may be shifted. Therefore, by pressing the priority button 60e, it is possible to give priority to the bathroom over other places, and to prevent the actual hot water supply temperature and shower temperature from being shifted. When the priority button 60e is pressed, a priority mark (not shown) is displayed on the display unit 70 by a method such as turning on the LED 71 or displaying the priority state on the liquid crystal display device 72.

  The chasing button 60f is a button used when raising the temperature of hot water in the bathtub. When the tracking button 60f is pressed, a tracking mark (not shown) is displayed on the display unit 70 in the same manner as the priority mark. The bath automatic button 60g is a button used when hot water is poured into the bathtub with a preset amount and temperature of hot water. When the automatic button 60g is pressed, an automatic mark (not shown) is displayed on the display unit 70 in the same manner as the priority mark.

  The call button 60h is a button used when making a call with a kitchen remote controller installed outside the bathroom, for example, in a kitchen. When the call button 60h is pressed, a call mark (not shown) is displayed on the display unit 70 in the same manner as the priority mark.

  The menu button 60a is a button for setting the operation of the bathroom device 20 and the bathroom voice recognition control device 10 by manual input. When the menu button 60a is pressed, the operation items of the bathroom device 20 and the bathroom voice recognition control device 10 (for example, ventilation fan off, TV power on, TV channel + 1, mist sauna device on, voice recognition unit on, etc.) are displayed on the liquid crystal display. A plurality of items are displayed on the device 72. The user selects one action item by operating the cross key 60d from the plurality of action items.

  The confirmation button 60b is a button that is pressed when the bathroom device 20 and the bathroom speech recognition control device 10 execute the action of the action item selected by operating the cross key 60d. The return button 60c is a button used when returning the screen displayed on the liquid crystal display device 72 to the previous state. For example, when only about three operation items can be displayed on the liquid crystal display device 72, the next screen can be displayed by operating the cross key 60d. If the return button 60c is pressed, the transitioned screen can be restored and the operation items of the previous screen can be displayed on the liquid crystal display device 72. The cross key 60d is a button used for temperature setting of hot water supply temperature or shower temperature, setting of hot water volume, selection of operation items, selection of on / off, and the like.

  The controller on / off switch 60i is a button for turning on or off the power supply of the controller 11. Each time the controller on / off switch 60i is pressed, the controller 11 is turned on or off. When the controller 11 is turned off by the controller on / off switch 60i, the display on the liquid crystal display device 72 is erased, and the control of the bathroom device 20 and the bathroom speech recognition control device 10 through the switch operation of the controller 11 is invalidated. In addition, the control of the bathroom device 20 and the bathroom voice recognition control device 10 by voice recognition is also invalidated.

  The operation mode is selected by operating the menu button 60a and selecting and determining one of the “button operation mode” and the “voice operation mode” displayed on the liquid crystal display device 72 with the cross key 60d and the confirmation button 60b. It is possible to switch. Alternatively, although not shown in FIG. 3, a mode switching button that switches the operation mode each time the button is pressed may be separately provided on the operation surface of the controller 11. The current operation mode is displayed as an operation mode mark (not shown) on the display unit 70 by turning on / off the LED 71 or displaying a “button operation mode” or a “voice operation mode” on the liquid crystal display device 72. Is done. Alternatively, a voice indicating that the “button operation mode” or the “voice operation mode” is output from the speaker 53 may be taught to the user. In this way, by teaching the user the current operation mode using voice or light, the user's useless speech and useless button operations can be suppressed, and the voice recognition rate can be improved.

  Further, the user operates the menu button 60a to select one of various scenes produced by controlling the bathroom device 20, such as “contemplation scene” and “forest bathing scene” displayed on the liquid crystal display device 72, with the cross key 60d and It is also possible to select a scene by selecting and determining with the confirm button 60b.

  The device control by the button operation of the various operation buttons 60a to 60i can be executed in the “button operation mode”. On the other hand, in the “voice operation mode”, the same device control as the device control by the button operation of the various operation buttons 60a to 60i can be executed by using the voice recognition function of the user's uttered voice. . That is, the collation database stores collation data of voice commands corresponding to the control equivalent to the button operation of the controller 11 described above, and the voice recognition unit 12 receives voice signals (voice data) output from the voice input unit 40. ) And the collation data stored in the collation database, voice commands corresponding to the button operations of the various operation buttons 60a to 60i can be recognized.

  The liquid crystal display device 72 displays the time, the amount and temperature of hot and cold water in the bathtub, the hot water supply temperature, the shower temperature, and the like, and displays voice commands that can be recognized by the bathroom voice recognition control device 10. Due to the limitation of the display area of the liquid crystal display device 72, the number of voice commands that can be displayed at one time is limited. If the voice command corresponding to the operation that the user actually wants to perform is not displayed in this screen, the user can use the cross key (to be described later) to scroll the screen, etc. The command can be displayed, and the voice command to be actually used can be displayed on the liquid crystal display device 72 by repeatedly scrolling the screen.

  Next, an example of the operation procedure of the bathroom speech recognition control device 10 of FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, an example of an operation procedure for switching from the button operation mode to the voice operation mode when the illuminance determination unit determines that the illuminance in the bathroom is equal to or less than the reference value in the button operation mode will be described.

  (B) First, when power is supplied to the bathroom speech recognition control device 10 and the bathroom speech recognition control device 10 is in an activated state, the bathroom speech recognition control device 10 is in the on state of the operation switch 60i of the controller 11. It is determined whether or not there is (S101). As a result of the determination, if it is in the on state (YES in S101), the process proceeds to step S103, and the device control unit 13 determines whether or not the operation mode is “button operation mode”. If it is “button operation mode” (YES in S103), the process proceeds to step S105. If it is not “button operation mode” (NO in S103), the process proceeds to step S109.

  (B) In step S105, the illuminance determination unit 17 determines whether the illuminance in the bathroom is equal to or less than a reference value. When the illuminance in the bathroom is below the reference value (YES in S105), the user cannot visually recognize the state in the bathroom, and it is difficult to safely move the bathroom and operate the buttons of the bathroom equipment. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S107, and the mode switching unit 18 changes the operation mode from the “button operation mode” to the “voice operation mode”. As a result, even when the illuminance in the bathroom changes below the reference value in the button operation mode, the bathroom device can be operated by voice, so the controller button is operated to control the bathroom device. There is no need. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a dangerous situation in the bathroom and keep the bathroom environment safe. In step S107, the liquid crystal display device 72 and the LED 71 display that the operation mode has been changed to the “voice operation mode” or output a voice indicating that the operation mode has been changed to the “voice operation mode”. You may output from the part 50. FIG.

  (C) Proceeding to step S109, it is determined whether or not the operation switch 60i of the controller 11 has been turned off. If it is turned off (YES in S109), the flowchart of FIG. 4 ends, and if it is kept on (NO in S109), the process returns to step S103.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when the illuminance in the bathroom is equal to or lower than the reference value in the button operation mode, the button operation mode is switched from the button operation mode to the voice operation mode. Even when the lighting device in the bathroom is turned off in the operation mode, the bathroom device can be operated by voice, so that it is not necessary to operate a button of the controller to control the bathroom device. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a dangerous situation in the bathroom and keep the bathroom environment safe.

  For example, when the user selects and executes a scene such as “contemplation scene” or presses the illumination-off control button, the luminance of the illumination device 21 is controlled so that the illuminance in the bathroom becomes below the reference value. In other words, the device control unit 13 changes the operation mode from the button operation mode to the voice operation mode according to the above flowchart as long as it is detected that these controls have been performed without using the illuminance sensor. When the user wants to interrupt or cancel the scene, the user can perform an operation to increase the brightness of the lighting device 21 by voice, and thus it is possible to avoid a dangerous situation in the bathroom and keep the bathroom environment safe. In addition, since voice operation is possible, button operation is not necessary, and there is no hindrance to imagination.

  By determining whether or not the illuminance in the bathroom measured by the illuminance sensor 80 is equal to or lower than a reference value, the situation where the illuminance in the bathroom decreases even though no control signal to turn off is generated (for example, the filament of the bulb is cut Therefore, it is possible to detect a dangerous situation in the bathroom more accurately. Conversely, a situation where the illumination signal in the bathroom does not fall below the reference value even though the control signal to turn off is output and the lighting device 21 is turned off, for example, lighting equipment not included in the lighting device 21 in FIG. The illuminance sensor 80 can also detect a situation in which the illuminance in the bathroom does not become a reference value or less by turning on (for example, lighting in a bathroom adjacent to the bathroom). Therefore, in such a situation, unnecessary switching from the button operation mode to the voice operation mode does not occur.

(Second Embodiment)
With reference to FIG. 5, the other example of the operation | movement procedure of the speech recognition control apparatus 10 for bathrooms of FIG. 1 is demonstrated. Here, when the illuminance in the bathroom is below the reference value, if the sound pressure level of the sound in the bathroom exceeds the threshold, the illumination that illuminates the bathroom so that the illuminance in the bathroom is higher than the reference value An example of an operation procedure for increasing the brightness of the apparatus will be described.

  (B) First, when power is supplied to the bathroom speech recognition control device 10 and the bathroom speech recognition control device 10 is in an activated state, the bathroom speech recognition control device 10 is in the on state of the operation switch 60i of the controller 11. It is determined whether or not there is (S201). As a result of the determination, if it is in the on state (YES in S201), the process proceeds to step S203, and the illuminance determination unit 17 determines whether the illuminance in the bathroom is equal to or less than a reference value. If the illuminance in the bathroom is less than or equal to the reference value (YES in S203), the process proceeds to step S205. If the illuminance in the bathroom is not less than the reference value (NO in S203), the process proceeds to step S209.

  (B) In step S205, the sound pressure level determination unit 16 determines whether or not the sound pressure level of the sound in the bathroom detected by the voice input unit (sound detection unit) 40 is equal to or higher than a threshold value. If the sound pressure level is equal to or higher than the threshold value (YES in S205), the process proceeds to step S207. If the sound pressure level is not equal to or higher than the threshold value (NO in S205), the process proceeds to step S209.

  (C) In step S207, the device control unit 13 increases the luminance of the lighting device 21 that illuminates the bathroom so that the illuminance in the bathroom is higher than the reference value. Specifically, the device control unit 13 turns on the ceiling light 21a.

  (D) Proceeding to step S209, it is determined whether or not the operation switch 60i of the controller 11 is turned off. If it is turned off (YES in S209), the flowchart of FIG. 4 ends, and if it is kept on (NO in S209), the process returns to step S203.

  FIG. 6 is a graph showing an example of a temporal change in sound pressure level averaged over a predetermined unit time. If there is a time when the sound pressure level (SPL) averaged over a predetermined unit time exceeds a threshold value, the sound pressure level determination unit 16 determines that the sound pressure level of the sound in the bathroom detected by the voice input unit 40 is the threshold. It is determined that the value is greater than or equal to the value. The “threshold value” may be determined according to a criterion for determining whether or not voice recognition becomes impossible, or may be determined according to a criterion for determining whether or not the production effect such as “contemplation scene” is drastically reduced.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the following operational effects can be obtained.

  When the lighting device 21 in the bathroom is turned off and the user's speech is drowned out due to ambient noise and speech recognition becomes impossible, the controller is forced to operate a button to control the bathroom equipment. , It will be easy to fall. Therefore, when the sound pressure level determination unit 16 determines that the sound pressure level of the sound in the bathroom is equal to or higher than the threshold when the illuminance in the bathroom is equal to or lower than the reference value, the illuminance in the bathroom is higher than the reference value. By increasing the brightness of the lighting device 21 that illuminates the interior of the bathroom so as to be higher, the user can visually recognize the state in the bathroom, movement in the bathroom, recognition of the position of the controller, button operation of the controller, etc. Is possible. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a dangerous situation in the bathroom and keep the bathroom environment safe.

  In addition, when the user selects and executes a scene such as a “contemplation scene”, the luminance of the lighting device 21 is controlled so that the illuminance in the bathroom is lower than the reference value, the sound pressure level in the bathroom is set low, and the scene becomes dark. A quiet bathroom space may be formed. If a loud sound is generated in such a state, the effect of the “contemplation scene” or the like is drastically reduced, and it may be difficult to continue the “contemplation scene” thereafter. Therefore, when the sound pressure level determination unit 16 determines that the sound pressure level of the sound in the bathroom is equal to or higher than the threshold when the illuminance in the bathroom is equal to or lower than the reference value, the illuminance in the bathroom is higher than the reference value. By increasing the brightness of the lighting device 21 that illuminates the interior of the bathroom so as to increase, the “contemplation scene” or the like can be immediately interrupted or stopped.

  As described above, the present invention has been described in terms of two embodiments, but it should not be understood that the discussion and drawings that form part of this disclosure limit the present invention. From this disclosure, various alternative embodiments, examples, and operational techniques will be apparent to those skilled in the art. That is, it should be understood that the present invention includes various embodiments not described herein. Therefore, the present invention is limited only by the invention specifying matters according to the scope of claims reasonable from this disclosure.

It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure of the speech recognition control apparatus 10 for bathrooms which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is an external view in the bathroom which shows the example of arrangement | positioning of the speech recognition control apparatus 10 for bathrooms shown in FIG. It is a front external view which shows the detail of the operation surface of the controller 11 shown in FIG. An example of the operation procedure of the bathroom speech recognition control apparatus 10 will be described. Another example of the operation procedure of the bathroom speech recognition control apparatus 10 will be described. It is a graph which shows an example of the time change of the sound pressure level averaged in predetermined unit time.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 ... Bathtub 10 ... Voice recognition control apparatus for bathrooms 11 ... Controller 12 ... Voice recognition part 13 ... Equipment control part (control part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 ... Voice synthesis part 15 ... Control IF part 16 ... Sound pressure level determination part 17 ... Illuminance determination part 18 ... Mode switching part 20 ... Bathroom equipment 21 ... Illumination device 21a ... Ceiling light 22 ... Ventilation fan 23 ... Water heater 24 ... Television 25 ... Jet jet bus device 25a ... Ejection port 25b ... Suction port 26 ... Mist sauna device 40 ... Voice input unit 41 ... Mic 50 ... Voice output unit 53 ... Speaker 60 ... Operation button unit 60a ... Menu button 60b ... Confirm button 60c ... Return Button 60d ... Cross key 60e ... Priority button 60f ... Tracking button 60g ... Automatic button 60h ... Call button 60i ... Controller on / off switch 70 ... Display unit 71 ... LED
72 ... Liquid crystal display device 80 ... Illuminance sensor

Claims (3)

Voice operation mode that executes control of bathroom equipment in response to the recognized voice command when the voice inputted by the user is input and the input voice is recognized as corresponding to the predetermined voice command, and the controller button A mode switching unit that switches between a button operation mode for controlling the bathroom device by operating,
An illuminance determination unit that determines whether or not the illuminance in the bathroom is below a reference value,
In the button operation mode, when the illuminance determination unit determines that the illuminance in the bathroom is equal to or less than a reference value, the mode switching unit switches from the button operation mode to the voice operation mode. Voice recognition control device. An illuminance sensor that measures the illuminance in the bathroom is further provided,
The bathroom voice recognition control device according to claim 1, wherein the illuminance determination unit determines whether or not the illuminance in the bathroom measured by the illuminance sensor is equal to or less than a reference value. A sound detection unit for detecting sound in the bathroom;
A sound pressure level determination unit that determines whether or not the sound pressure level of the sound in the bathroom detected by the sound detection unit is equal to or higher than a threshold value;
When the sound pressure level determination unit determines that the sound pressure level of the sound in the bathroom is equal to or higher than a threshold when the illuminance in the bathroom is equal to or less than a reference value, the illuminance in the bathroom is greater than the reference value. The brightness | luminance of the illuminating device which illuminates the inside of a bathroom is raised so that it may become high. The voice recognition control apparatus for bathrooms of Claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned.

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