JP2010231580A - System and method for supporting education - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an education support method, system and device using a voice generation device which is provided in executing education to be executed by an instructor by using an application to a learner, the education of programming of a computer, the education of the operation method of the computer, and education to equipment connected through a network. <P>SOLUTION: An application terminal 8 to be used by a plurality of users 9a to 9f is connected through a network 7 or a server side network 12 to an error information management server 2. The error information management server 2 or a robot control computer 3 generates the solving method of an error which is generated when the user 9 erroneously uses the application, and makes a robot 6 speak. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention provides education for learners in education conducted using an application running on a computer, computer programming education, computer operation method education, network device operation method education, or the like. The present invention relates to an educational support system and an educational support method for supporting

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a system for improving the efficiency of education by reducing the burden on leaders when carrying out education or promoting the understanding of learners has been utilized for various education.
For example, as a system that reduces the burden of patrol guidance performed by a teacher (instructor) on a plurality of students (learners), there is a system that can visually check the operation of the teacher and the operation of the student. The teacher's screen (display display screen) is used as an example to display on the student's screen (display display screen) to encourage students' understanding, and the student's screen is displayed on the teacher's screen to confirm the degree of student understanding. In addition, Patent Literature 1 discloses a system that facilitates the confirmation work after the tour guidance by specifying the students who have not confirmed the degree of understanding during the tour guidance.

  Further, as a system for promoting the understanding of the learner, there is a system that allows a robot to explain a solution method. For example, when a user has a question about how to use software while using software on a computer, a system that solves the question by asking the robot and answering the contents of the question is disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1. Is disclosed.

JP 2008-33732 A

“Service Execution Reason Explanation Function in Dialogue Interface Using Robot” Information Processing Society of Japan Human Interface Study Group (HI) Vol 2006-HI-117 No15 pp. 103-110 (2005)

  However, the system described in Patent Document 1 requires the teacher to check the operation screen of all students. Therefore, although the confirmation work is made more efficient by identifying the students who have not received confirmation of the operation screen during the patrol guidance, there is a problem that the work amount of the confirmation work is enormous.

Further, in the system described in Non-Patent Document 1, in order to solve a question, the student has to ask a question. In order to ask a question, the student needs to organize the question. Therefore, if the student himself cannot understand where the problem is (for example, if he / she teaches how to create a program, the error message is written in English, or the appearance and format of the output message of the error message is constant) If you cannot understand the content), you will not be able to ask appropriate questions.
Furthermore, there is a problem that it is difficult to solve a question when it is difficult for a student to ask a question, that is, when the student is young (for example, an elementary school student) or a person with a speech disability.

  Therefore, the present invention provides an environment in which the instructor can easily grasp a learner who cannot obtain a predetermined result, thereby reducing the burden of the instructor's traveling instruction. Detects errors in inputs and operations performed to obtain predetermined results, and notifies or suggests how to resolve the errors, thereby promoting the understanding of learners without any spontaneous questions An object is to provide an education support system or an education support method that can be used.

  One embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problems has an environment in which a plurality of electronic devices are connected via a communication network, and each electronic device includes input means and uses the same or compatible software. If there is an error in the input that the operator can perform a predetermined work and the operator operates the input means to the electronic device, or there is an error in the operation of the electronic device, the error has occurred An education support system for notifying or suggesting at least one of a fact and an error coping method, wherein the error information detecting means for detecting the error and at least one of error contents, explanation, coping method or information suggesting these An error information database for storing such information, voice data creation means, and a voice generator that emits voice. The information to be selected from error information database, to create a voice data by the voice data generating means based on the information, an educational support system, characterized in that to emit sound from the sound generator.

In one aspect of the present invention, the error information detecting means detects an error made by the operator and notifies the error handling method and the fact that the error has occurred, so that the operator who made the error does not ask a question spontaneously. However, information for dealing with errors is provided. Therefore, the worker can solve the error (problem) without organizing the question of the error he / she made.
Moreover, since information for resolving an error is notified by uttering a voice, not only a worker (learner) who has made an incorrect input (or operation) but also a surrounding person (another worker or a supervisor) A worker, an instructor, etc.) can also grasp the existence of the worker who made an incorrect input and the content of the error. Therefore, even when an operator who has made an incorrect input cannot correct the error he / she has made from the notified information, the surrounding person can instruct the worker on a solution. Then, the leader and the supervisor can identify the worker (learner) having a problem without confirming the input for all the members.

A typical example of the “electronic device” defined here is a computer with a built-in CPU represented by a personal computer. An apparatus that can establish a network with other devices such as a mobile phone can also be used as an “electronic device”.
Furthermore, “compatible software” here is Visual Studio. NET (software from Microsoft Corporation) and Visual Studio. Like NET 2003 (software made by Microsoft Corporation), software with different versions but having most of the functions in common, Notepad and Hidemaru Editor (installed in Windows (registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation)) Although it is a separate software, such as a limited company site-planned trademark), those with very similar functions can be mentioned

Furthermore, the input described here means that a command or the like is transmitted to an application by operating an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard, and an electrical signal is transmitted. Furthermore, “when there is an error in the input or when there is an error in operation” means that the input value cannot be read or compiled by the electronic device, or if the input operation itself is incorrect. There are limits such as upper and lower limits, etc., and it is assumed that this limit is exceeded.
For example, if the present invention is used as educational support when creating a computer program using software for creating a program, if there is an error in the programming language, grammar, and rules input to the computer, It can be included in “when there is an error in input or when there is an error in operation”. More specifically, it is a case where a mixture of English uppercase letters, kana and numbers is entered where only English lowercase letters should be entered. Or, if there is a rule that should be separated by commas or colons, etc., but it is not separated, a character or command that must be used in a specific place is missing in the grammar. It can be included in “when there is an error in operation”.

  The same applies to the case where the present invention is used for educational support of information retrieval terminals (one of electronic devices equipped with conventionally known software), and there is an error in the input language (Japanese, English, etc.), grammar, and rules. A certain case can be included in the “input error or operation error”.

  The above-mentioned “when the operation itself is wrong” means that the character key or the wrong function key is pressed even though the enter key, specific function key or switch button should be pressed. is there.

  Furthermore, the case where “the number entered etc. has a limit such as upper and lower limits, and it is assumed that this limit is exceeded” means that, for example, where the date of birth should be entered in the Western calendar, When using for the educational support of stock trading trading terminals (one of the electronic devices equipped with existing software), etc., there are cases where an excessive or too small limit is input.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the software is software for creating a program, and includes compile execution means for executing compilation on a signal input to the software, and the signal input to the software has an error. In addition, an error message output means for outputting an error message at the time of compiling is provided, and the education support system creates error-related information that executes at least one of the following: creating a translation of the error message, creating a commentary, and creating an error handling method The education support system according to claim 1, further comprising means for storing information created by the error-related information creating means in an error information database.

In the second aspect of the present invention, programming education can be efficiently implemented by using the present invention for computer programming education.
Specifically, when creating a program with computer program creation software, errors that the creator (worker) commits include errors in the description of source code and commands, reference errors in external software, etc. Because of the variety, the display format of the error message (display about the content of the error) corresponding to the error is not constant. In addition, error messages may be displayed in languages that are not routinely used by Japanese, such as English. Therefore, it is difficult for the creator to understand the content of the error for those reasons. In addition, as mentioned above, since there are a wide range of errors that the creator commits as described above, it is difficult to conduct group guidance to teach the same content to multiple creators. Therefore, it is necessary to give individual guidance, and the burden is large.

  However, using the present invention, as described above, the creator can receive the error solution method or information according to the solution method without sorting out the problems. Can be easily understood, thereby making it easier for the creator to acquire programming skills. In addition, as described above, the instructor can grasp the existence of the creator who caused the error and the content of the error, and it is not necessary to check the description contents such as the source code (command) for all the creators. The burden of patrol guidance is reduced. Furthermore, if the error is a minor error, the creator will resolve it spontaneously based on information provided by the system, thus reducing the burden of guidance. That is, it is possible to solve problems that occur due to the nature of program education.

Furthermore, in the second aspect of the present invention, the error-related information creating means executes at least one of creation of a translated sentence of an error message, creation of an explanatory sentence, and creation of an explanatory sentence of an error handling method. The error message is converted into a more easily understood expression. As a result, the effect of promoting the understanding of the worker becomes more prominent. Further, since the information created by the error related information creating means can be stored in the error information database, it is not necessary to create the same translated sentence, commentary, and explanation of the error handling method. As a result, the education support system can operate efficiently.
The compile execution means described here extracts and imports information necessary for program creation, such as source code (command), and converts it into object code (a program written in machine language). It means the means to do.
Furthermore, the “signal input to the software” described here includes the described source code (command), the runtime set on the development environment (program creation software), and the like (software referenced by the program). This refers to recording in general using electrical signals input from input means such as a mouse or keyboard.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the software is software for creating a program, and includes compile execution means for executing compilation on a signal input to the software, and the signal input to the software has an error. And an error message output means for outputting an error message at the time of compiling, and the educational support system translates the error message and explains the contents of the error from the translated contents or a countermeasure preparation means for creating a countermeasure The education support system according to claim 1, comprising at least one of the following.

In the third aspect of the present invention, as described above, programming education can be efficiently performed by using the present invention for programming education. Furthermore, by providing at least one of commentary creation means for translating error messages and explaining the contents of errors from the contents of the translations, or coping method creation means for creating countermeasures, messages output in a foreign language are natural. Since it is converted into an explanatory text written in its own language or an explanatory text on the coping method, the operator can easily understand the content of the error.
Note that the signal input to the software described here also refers to the general recording by the electrical signal input by the input means as described above.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an utterance information database storing voice data corresponding to at least one of the translation, explanation, and coping method, and the voice data creating means is stored in the utterance information database. 4. The educational support system according to claim 2, wherein voice data is created using information.

  In the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is not necessary to create voice data every time by creating voice data using information stored in the utterance information database, so that the education support system can operate efficiently. Become.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, software used in an electronic device can execute an operation for determining information for executing a predetermined work, and the software is temporarily input without performing the operation. The error information detecting means can detect the error in at least one of a temporary input state stage and a final input state stage. Item 5. The education support system according to any one of Items 1 to 4.

In the fifth aspect of the present invention, since an error can be detected even in a temporary input state, an input error can be detected at a stage before executing a predetermined operation. That is, it is possible to detect an error (an input that will become an error in the future) that is not recognized by the user of the electronic device. Therefore, it is possible to quickly detect an error that will occur in the future by the user of the electronic device and perform appropriate education.
More specifically, when the software is program development software, the temporary input state is a stage where the source code (command) or the like is described in the editor without being compiled. Normally, by executing compilation, errors in commands and descriptions in source code are detected, but according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, errors in such descriptions are performed before execution of compilation. Is detected.

  The sixth aspect of the present invention is the education support system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the sound generation device has an outer shape imitating some form.

  In the sixth aspect of the present invention, the sound generating device has an outer shape imitating some form. Here, the “outer shape imitating some form” is a real or imaginary person, animal, spirit, plant, or the like. The fantasy person is, for example, a hero of a cartoon or a novel, and the fantasy animal and spirit are, for example, a dragon, a monster, a monster change, and the like. An imaginary plant is, for example, a rotting flower or a man-eating plant. Since the voice generating device has these shapes, the worker feels as if an error is pointed out by a person or anthropomorphic person, so that the worker (learner) can easily become familiar with the system.

  The seventh aspect of the present invention is the education support system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that when the sound generation device outputs sound, a change in operation or / and appearance is accompanied. is there.

In the seventh aspect of the present invention, when the sound generating device outputs a sound, it is accompanied by a change in operation and appearance, so that a solution method and information equivalent thereto are notified or suggested not only by hearing but also visually. Therefore, it is easier to understand the operator's error than when only voice is output.
For example, when a voice generator imitating the shape of a robot emits voice, if the gesture, hand gesture, head movement, facial expression change, etc. It is possible to visually recognize the contents of the information and to whom the error solving method is presented. For this reason, the worker who is presented with the solution is more conscious of the content of the voice, which promotes understanding of the error.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the sound generation device has a display screen, and an external shape (video) imitating some form is displayed on the display screen, and the external shape (video) speaks. The education support system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the education support system is produced as described above.

In the eighth aspect of the present invention, the sound generator has a display screen, and an external shape imitating some form is displayed on the display screen. Therefore, in the case of teaching a large number of learners in a large classroom or the like using the education system of the present invention, the shape of the external shape is projected on a large display screen, which imitates some form The cost of introducing the present invention can be reduced as compared with a case where a plurality of external sound generators are provided and a learner who presents a solution or the like is assigned to each sound generator.
In addition, here, “appearance is made as if the outer shape is spoken” is a configuration in which the voice and the operation are synchronized, for example, such as Prince Shotoku or Peter Pan talking to the trainee.

  The ninth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, when the sound generation device outputs sound, the external shape is operated or / and the expression is changed. 8. The education support system according to 8.

  In the ninth aspect of the present invention, when the sound generation device outputs sound, the projected external shape is operated or / and the expression is changed, so that it is visually recognized by the operator. In addition, it is possible to notify or suggest an error resolution method and information equivalent thereto. Thereby, an operator's understanding can be promoted.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, when an operator commits an input error or an operation error when operating the input means to input to an electronic device, Information analyzing means for determining whether or not the same error has been committed, and when the information analyzing means determines that the same worker has committed the same error within a predetermined time, The education support system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the education support system is not generated.

  In the tenth aspect of the present invention, when an error of the same type occurs within a predetermined time, the operator does not notify or suggest a solution for the same error. By repeating the same type of error, the sound generation device is prevented from repeatedly emitting the same sound. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of a situation such as a delay in the sound generation apparatus from generating a sound corresponding to another error, or the sound becoming a noise and disturbing other workers. Therefore, the education support system of the present invention can be used more effectively.

  An eleventh aspect of the present invention is any one of 1 to 10, characterized in that a plurality of the sound generation devices are provided, and action control means for controlling the output order of the sounds by the plurality of sound generation devices is provided. It is an education support system described in.

  In the eleventh aspect of the present invention, a plurality of sound generators are provided, and action control means for controlling the output order of the sounds by the plurality of sound generators is provided. It is possible to avoid making it difficult to hear the content of the voice. Therefore, the present invention can be used more effectively when, for example, a plurality of sound generating devices are provided and an operator in charge of each sound generating device is assigned to use the education support system of the present invention.

  A twelfth aspect of the present invention is an education support method using the education support system according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

  Since the education support method according to the twelfth aspect of the present invention is implemented using the education support system described in the above claims, the person who performs education compared to the conventional education support method It is possible to provide an educational environment that facilitates understanding of the contents of education by those who receive education.

According to the present invention, the error information detecting means detects an error made by the operator and notifies the solution method or information equivalent thereto, so that the error can be solved even if the worker who made the error does not ask a question spontaneously. Information is provided. Therefore, there is an effect that the worker can solve the error (problem) without sorting out the question points of the error he / she has committed.
Moreover, since information for resolving an error is notified by uttering a voice, not only a worker (learner) who has made an incorrect input (or operation) but also a surrounding person (another worker or a supervisor) A worker, an instructor, etc.) can grasp the existence of the worker who made an incorrect input and the content of the error. Therefore, even if an operator who has made an incorrect input cannot correct the error he / she has made from the information for resolving the error, the surrounding humans should instruct the worker on how to solve it. Can do. As a result, the instructor and the supervisor can identify the worker (learner) having a problem without confirming the input for all the members, thereby reducing the burden on the instructor.

It is explanatory drawing which showed notionally the structure of the education assistance system concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed notionally the structure of the error information management server. It is explanatory drawing which showed notionally the structure of the robot control computer. It is explanatory drawing which showed notionally the structure of the client machine. It is a flowchart which shows an example at the time of detecting an error and transmitting information by an error information detection system. It is a flowchart which shows an example at the time of accumulating in the database the error information containing the solution corresponding to the error produced or acquired by the error information creation system, and transmitting. It is a flowchart which shows an example at the time of transmitting action information to a robot by speech information creation system. It is the perspective view which showed one Embodiment of the client machine. It is explanatory drawing which shows the flow of creation of the data used with an education assistance system. It is explanatory drawing which shows the source code when a creator does not make an error. It is explanatory drawing which shows the source code which the creator committed the error.

  An education support system and a method for providing an education support method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an outline of the configuration of the education support system 1 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the education support system 1 includes a network 7 and a server-side network 12 (each corresponding to a communication network in the claims), and a robot 6 having an utterance function in the network 7 (voice generating device in the claims) And is shaped like a conceptual robot appearing in comics, movies, etc., and is indicated by reference numerals 6a and 6b in FIG. 1 and a client machine 8 (corresponding to the electronic device in the claims). The server side network 12 includes an error information management server 2, a robot control computer 3, an error information database 4, and an utterance information database 5. The server side network 12 and the network 7 Are connected in a state where data can be transmitted and received between them. Each client machine 8 is used by a user 9 (corresponding to an operator in the claims and indicated by reference numerals 9a to 9f in FIG. 1).

  The server-side network 12 connects the error information management server 2, the robot control computer 3, the error information database 4, the utterance information database 5, and the like so that data can be transmitted and received with each other via a communication network such as a local area network (LAN). Configured.

The network 7 is a communication network such as a wide area communication network (WAN) or a local area communication network (LAN) provided outside the server side network 12. In addition, the robot 6 is connected to the network 7 in a state where data can be received, and the client machine 8 is connected in a state where data can be transmitted.
The communication network used here may be of any form, standard, transmission speed, etc. For example, wired communication using a LAN cable such as an optical fiber cable or a twisted pair cable may be used, or wireless communication using radio waves or infrared rays may be used. That is, it is only necessary that the data used by the education support system of the present invention can be transmitted or received.

As shown in FIG. 1, the error information management server 2 is connected to the client machines 8a to 8f via the server side network 12 and the network 7, and can receive data transmitted from the client machines 8a to 8f. is there. The error information management server 2 is connected to the robot control computer 3 and the error information database 4 via the server-side network 12, and can exchange data with each other.
The hardware used as the error information management server 2 is an electronic device having a computing capability, and may be a stationary computer such as a general-purpose computer (mainframe, etc.), a workstation, a personal computer, or a PDA (Personal Digital). A portable computer such as an Assistant or a Pocket PC may be used. That is, the error information management server 2 may be hardware capable of using software such as an error information creation system 21 described later.

  The error information management server 2 is installed with an error information creation system 21 (error related information creation means in claims) which is error information management software. As shown in FIG. 2, the error information creation system 21 includes error information creation means 42, solution creation means 43, and the like.

When receiving data from any of the client machines 8a to 8f, the error information creating means 42 can specify the client machine (any of 8a to 8f) that is the data transmission source, and an error can be identified from the received data. Can be obtained. These data are converted into a format that can be used in a database (corresponding to the error information database 4 and the speech information database 5 in this embodiment).
More specifically, the error information creating means 42 determines which of the client machines 8a to 8f is the client machine 8 that has transmitted the data to the error information management server 2 when receiving the data. The client machine 8 (for example, the client machine 8a) that has identified the information by acquiring information to identify the device such as an IP address (Internet Protocol Address) or ID (Identification) and has transmitted the data, or the client machine 8 is used. Data relating to the user 9 (for example, the user 9a in the case of the client machine 8a) (data relating to the name, affiliation, etc., hereinafter referred to as individual data) can be acquired.

In addition, it is possible to grasp the cause, content, and details of the error that occurred, such as the error content, the description content that caused the error, the location of the description where the error occurred, the date when it occurred, the time it occurred, etc. Contains information.
The error information creating means 42 can convert the acquired information into error information 24 (FIG. 9) which is data in a database format.

  The “database format data” described above is data that can be used as part of a collection of data that can be rearranged, searched for data, aggregated, extracted (including filtering), and the like. For example, if a tabular database used by Microsoft Soft Access (Microsoft database management software) is used, one record corresponds to that, and in that case, the content of the error described above and the description that caused the error Data such as contents, description location where an error has occurred, etc. are stored in separate fields.

In order to handle data as “data in database format” as described above, there is a method in which a plurality of pieces of information are arranged with separation to make it possible to recognize what information the information is. According to this method, the error information 24 has no information in a delimited range (including a state in which the Null data is included in the range), so that the error information 24 is information about a part corresponding to the range. It is also possible to identify that it does not have. The contents of the information arranged in these divided ranges can be added, overwritten, deleted, etc. individually.
As a specific example of the above method, there is data described in CSV (Comma Separated Value) format. More specifically, the CSV format is a format in which information indicating contents is described from the described position by describing information indicating the contents separated by commas. In addition, information indicating content separated by commas can be individually added, overwritten, deleted, and the like.
Here, the database used in the present invention is not an RDB (Relational Data Base) that is managed by software such as MicroSoft Access (Microsoft database management software) or Oracle (database management software manufactured by Oracle Corporation). Also good. For example, it may be a database having a different format such as OODB (Object Oriented Data Base) or XMLDB (Extensible Markup Language Data Base). Accordingly, the “database format data” is not limited to the above format, and may be any database that can be used in the present invention. That is, it is only necessary to handle data as a collection of data that can be rearranged, searched for data, aggregated, extracted, and the like.

Next, the solution creation means 43 (explanatory sentence creation means or coping method creation means in the claims) of the error information creation system 21 will be described. The solution creation means 43 creates an error solution and coping method for notifying or suggesting to the user 9 from the error information 24 described above.
The error solving method and coping method are created by acquiring information registered in the error information database 4 and translating the error contents from English to Japanese. At this time, conventionally well-known translation software is used for translation from English to Japanese. The created solution and countermeasure are added to the error information 24 described above, and these are managed in an integrated manner.
In this embodiment, it is assumed that the person whose native language is Japanese is the creator, and the language to be translated 7 can be freely changed according to the native language of the creator and the language used by the software. is there.

As shown in FIG. 1, the robot control computer 3 is connected to the robot 6 via the server-side network 12 and the network 7 and can collectively manage the operation of the robot 6. The robot control computer 3 is connected to the error information management server 2 and the utterance information database 5 via the server-side network 12 and can transmit / receive data to / from each other.
Here, the hardware used as the robot control computer 3 is an electronic device having a computing capability, and may be either an installed computer or a portable computer, similar to the error information management server 2 described above.

  The robot control computer 3 is installed with an utterance information creation system 22 (FIG. 3) which is robot control software. As shown in FIG. 3, the utterance information creation system 22 includes information analysis means 44, action content creation means 45, voice data creation means 46, action data creation means 47, action control means 48, and the like. Each will be described below.

The information analysis unit 44 connects to the utterance information database 5 (FIG. 1) and refers to information for identifying the received error (information such as an error solution method and a coping method of the error information 24), which will be described later. It is determined whether or not data related to the action content of the robot 6 corresponding to the error solving method and the coping method indicated by the received information is included in the data of the utterance information database 5 with respect to the database 5. Is.
In addition, the information analysis unit 44 can determine whether or not an error having the same content has occurred within a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes) from the content of the error information 24 and the content of the error information database 4.

The action content creation means 45 of the utterance information creation system 22 includes data (individual data of the error information 24) that can identify the user who has generated the error, data about the detailed content of the error, and a method for solving and coping with the error The utterance sentence and action content of the robot 6 are created based on the data relating to the above.
For example, it is assumed that the utterance sentence has the content “X-kun, Z in the Y-th line is wrong”. At this time, X is a user name or user ID, Y is the number of lines in which an error has occurred, and Z is a function name. X, Y, and Z can each be acquired from the error information 24 described above, and based on these, an utterance sentence is created using conventionally known sentence creation software.
Then, the action content of the robot corresponding to the spoken sentence is created by a conventionally known robot operation program creation device. For example, in the case of the above error, an action content (instruction code for executing the action) such as instructing an action in which the robot points to the user who issued the error or an action in which the robot face faces the user. And programs) are created.

The voice data creation means 46 of the utterance information creation system 22 creates voice data 25 (FIG. 9) from data such as utterance sentences of the robot 6 created by the action content creation means 45.
In the case of the above-mentioned utterance sentence, the utterance sentence is voiced by conventionally known speech synthesis software.

Here, speech text is voiced by converting text data created using text creation software etc. into voice data using software such as well-known speech synthesis software. It is not limited to.
For example, audio data that does not have any meaning recorded individually in hardware may be extracted and continuously output. According to this method, in the case of the above sentence, hardware (such as a hard disk) in which individual audio data such as “kun”, “line”, “no” “ga”, “wrong” is recorded. Recording media) and creating audio data such as “X”, “Y”, “Z”, etc., and in order “X”, “kun”, “Y”, “line”, “no” "... and so on.
That is, the utterance sentence created by the action content creation unit 45 does not have to be text data, and the voice generation unit of the voice data creation unit 46 is not limited to voice synthesis. From the information related to the error, the solution method corresponding to the error, the coping method, and the explanation about the error may be converted into voice data.

The behavior data creation means 47 of the utterance information creation system 22 includes the behavior information 26 which is data in a database format such as the error solution method of the error information 24, the speech sentence of the robot 6, the voice data 25, the robot behavior data, and the like. 9).
Further, in the present embodiment, the error information 24 and the behavior information 26 are managed as separate data aggregates for efficient processing, but they may be managed as a single data aggregate. That is, the behavior information 26 may be included in the error information 24. At this time, it is not necessary to provide two databases as in this embodiment. In other words, it is only necessary to store and manage an integrated collection of data in one database.
The “data in database format” described here is similar to the format of the error information 24 described above, and can be used in the database used in the present invention. Sorting, data search, aggregation, and extraction are possible. Data that can be handled as a collection of data that can be used.

The behavior control means 48 of the robot control computer 3 controls the operation of the robot 6 (voice generating device). Specifically, the timing of voice output of the robot 6 and when a plurality of robots 6 are provided. In addition, the order of outputting the voice of the robot 6 is controlled.
For example, when a plurality of errors occur in a short time and each error information 24 is transmitted, the robot 6 is made to output a sound corresponding to each error information 24 with a predetermined interval (for example, 30 seconds). . Further, when a plurality of robots 6 (6a, 6b) are connected, the utterance timing and order of the robots 6a and 6b are determined so that they are not uttered simultaneously. Thereby, the user 9 can avoid becoming difficult to hear because the robot 6a and the robot 6b speak simultaneously.

  The error information database 4 is a database in a format capable of storing the error information 24 described above.

  The utterance information database 5 is a database in a format that can store the behavior information 26 described above.

  The robot 6 is a sound generation device that has a function of outputting sound data and imitates the shape of a conceptual robot. The voice data output function of the robot 6 is a conventionally known function, and is realized by emitting sound from a known device that converts an electrical signal such as a speaker into physical vibration.

The client machine 8 is configured to be connectable to the error information management server 2 via the network 7. When the client machine 8 is connected to the error information management server 2, the client machine 8 transmits data (input data, data related to error contents, etc.). Can do.
Furthermore, an operating system (OS: Operating System) is installed in the client machine 8. Therefore, application software that can operate in the presence of the operating system can be appropriately selected and installed. The client machine 8 is provided with an error information detection system 20 (error information detection means in the claims).

As the client machine 8, for example, a conventionally provided personal computer such as an image display monitor, a CPU, a memory, a hard disk, a keyboard, and the like can be adopted. In the education support system 1, a dedicated terminal having a communication function and a function capable of inputting and outputting data may be used as the client machine 8 instead of the personal computer.
Further, as the client machine 8, an input device typified by the input / output interface 30 and the keyboard 33 and an output device typified by the monitor 36 are used, for example, a notebook type (laptop type) personal computer or generally a PDA. It is also possible to adopt a packaged configuration similar to a portable information terminal or the like referred to as (Personal Digital Assistant).

  That is, the hardware used as the client machine 8 is an electronic device having a computing capability, and may be an installed computer or a portable computer, similar to the error information management server 2 and the robot control computer 3 described above. .

  Here, the error information detection system 20 provided in the client machine 8 will be described. The error information detection system 20 includes an execution status determination unit 40 and a description information acquisition unit 41, which will be described below.

The execution status determination unit 40 determines whether or not the user has made a specific input with respect to software that can be operated and input from the client machine 8.
In the present embodiment, “software that can be operated and input from the client machine 8” is software for creating a program, and “specific input” is an operation for executing compilation. In other words, the execution status determination means 40 determines whether or not the operator has compiled the source code (command) described by the program creation software.
Here, the software for performing “operation and input” and the software for performing “specific input” may be different. That is, in this embodiment, the program creation software is used, but the source code (command) is created with an arbitrary text editor (for example, Notepad implemented in Windows (registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation)). Then, compilation may be performed using a compiler. In this case, “software that can be operated and input from the client machine 8” is a compiler, and “specific input” is also an operation for executing compilation. Then, the execution status determination unit 40 works with the compiler to obtain information such as whether the compilation has been executed and what the compiled file is.

The description information acquisition means 41 is information that causes an error when the user performs a specific operation based on an operation or input performed on the software and the information is incorrect in the specific operation. And the specific content of the error that occurred is acquired.
More specifically, in this embodiment, “software” is program creation software (application 13), “operation and input” are descriptions of source code and commands, and “specific work” is compiled. That is. In other words, the description information acquisition unit 41 compiles the source code (command) described for the program development software, and if an error occurs, acquires the description that caused the error and the content of the error.

In addition, when the user performs a specific operation based on information by the operation or input regarding the operation or input performed by the user on the software, the description information acquisition unit 41 uses the information for the specific operation. It is possible to determine whether it is not an error.
When it is determined that the error is in use for a specific work, the description information acquisition unit 41 acquires information causing the error and specific contents of the error that is predicted to occur in the future.
As described above, in this embodiment, “software” is program creation software, “operation and input” is a description of source code (command), etc., and “specific work” is compilation. . That is, the description information acquisition means 41 determines whether or not the source code (command) described for the program development software is a description that causes an error when future compilation is executed. When it is determined that an error occurs by executing compilation on the described source code (command) or the like, a description causing the error in the source code and the content of the error are acquired.
Whether or not it is a description that will generate an error when compiling in the future is determined by comparing the written source code with the correct grammar, or by compiling only to a specific range of the written source code. Any method of the comparison method, such as, may be used. That is, it suffices if it is possible to accurately detect whether the written description is an error.

  Here, the description information acquisition unit 41 can perform the above-described determination and acquisition of information even when the software that has performed “operation and input” and the software that performs “specific work” are different software. For example, even if the software that performs “operation and input” is software used to describe source code such as a text editor and the software that performs “specific work” is a compiler, the written source code is It is possible to determine whether or not it is a description that causes an error when compiling using it, and if it is determined that an error will occur, obtain the description causing the source code error and the content of the error Can do.

  The above-described education support system 1 constructs the server-side network 12 in a location different from the installation location of the client machine 8 and the robot 6 that use the application 13 in a single school campus, for example, and the client machine 8 and the robot 6 It is also possible to use in a usage form in which the network 7 composed of the above is provided at a plurality of locations, and the server side network 12 and each network 7 are connected via a communication network (LAN or the like). Hereinafter, the operation in the case of teaching the program creation method by the above-described education support system 1 will be described in detail with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.

In the present embodiment, it is assumed that each student operates a client machine 8 composed of a personal computer to perform program creation training.
Therefore, program creation software (application 13) is installed in each client machine 8, and each student creates a name program in accordance with the assignment presented by the teacher.
Here, the program creation software installed in each client device 8 uses a predetermined command, writes an operation procedure (source code) according to a predetermined grammar and rule, and writes the written operation procedure to a predetermined device or / And converting to a format that works on software.
In the program creation software, there are a temporary input state in which an input command, a procedure, and the like (input information) can be changed, and a main input state in which the command is determined through an operation for determining the input command.

More specifically, when a student operates a keyboard or the like to input a source code or a command, the source code (command) is displayed on the display of the client machine 8. However, this state is a temporary input state, and the contents can be changed by operations such as insertion, deletion, and overwriting that are performed on a daily basis. The changed command is immediately displayed on the display.
In order to confirm the input contents, for example, a specific key such as an enter key on the keyboard is operated, or the mouse cursor is moved to a specific location on the screen and clicked. As a result, a source code, a command, and the like are determined and stored in a desired memory, or compiled and converted into a machine language or the like.
In this embodiment, it is assumed that the input content is determined by operating the enter key or the like of the keyboard, and the compilation is immediately executed.

In addition, in the program creation software adopted in this embodiment, when the compilation is executed, if there is an error in the command or grammar and the conversion cannot be performed normally, an “error” appears on the display, The compilation is canceled.
However, in the program creation software adopted in the present embodiment, the display of “error” appears only when compilation is started by operating a specific key such as the enter key. There is no function to display “error” before operating keys.
That is, the program creation software (application 13) itself employed in the present embodiment is a known software and does not have a function of searching for error contents before operating the enter key or the like. "System" is software separate from the program creation software.

First, the error information detection system 20 (FIG. 4) starts to operate simultaneously with the activation of the education support system 1. In each client machine 8 (8a to 8f) used individually by the user 9 (9a to 9f), at least one of the users 9 (9a to 9f) is compiled on the application 13 (software development application). When executed, check the compiled contents for errors. In addition, the presence / absence of an error is also operated at specified time intervals (for example, once every 15 to 30 minutes) for the contents described by the user 9 (9a to 9f) for whom compilation is not executed.
More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, in step 1-1, the error information detection system 20 determines whether or not the user 9 has been compiled by the application 13 by the execution status determination means 40. To do.
First, a case where the user 9 executes compilation (in the case of YES in step 1-1) will be described. In this case, the control flow proceeds to step 1-2, and the description information acquisition means 41 of the error information detection system 20 determines whether there is an error in the created program. If there is an error, the process proceeds to step 1-3, and the description information acquisition means 41 acquires the content of the error and the input information that caused the error.

Further, a case where the user 9 has not executed compilation (in the case of No in step 1-1) will be described. In this case, the control flow proceeds to step 1-5, and it is determined whether or not the specified time has elapsed since the time when the description information acquisition means 41 determined the presence or absence of an error at the start of the system or finally.
If the specified time has elapsed (Yes in step 1-5), the control flow proceeds to step 1-6, and the description information acquisition means 41 of the error information detection system 20 starts from the currently described source code. Then, the range for executing the process of determining whether or not there is a description that will cause an error when compiling in the future is determined. That is, the range in which an error is detected is determined. If the answer is No in Step 1-5, the process returns to Step 1-1.
Here, the error detection range is, for example, a program that is executed and created, such as the range from the beginning to the part described, or a range of specific commands (for example, some specified functions) Can be arbitrarily changed according to the difficulty level of the user and the proficiency level of the creator.

  Then, the control flow proceeds to step 1-7, and the description information acquisition unit 41 determines whether or not there is a description that will cause an error when compiling in the future with respect to the determined range. As a result of the determination, if there is a description that causes an error, the process proceeds to step 1-3, and the description information acquisition unit 41 acquires the contents and the input information that causes the description from the application 13. If No in step 1-7, the process returns to step 1-1.

When the description information acquisition unit 41 acquires information in step 1-3, the control flow proceeds to step 1-4, and the information collected by the client machine 8 is transmitted to the error information management server 2. And the information acquisition means 41 will be in a standby state. That is, the description information acquisition unit 41 stands by until at least one of the users 9 (9a to 9f) compiles or one of the users 9 (9a to 9f) does not compile and a certain time elapses. . This description information acquisition means 41 repeats the above operation until the end of the education system 1.
Then, the control flow shifts to FIG.

In FIG. 6, when the error information management server 2 receives the information transmitted from the client machine 8, the control flow shifts from step 2-1 to step 2-2. As described above, the individual information is acquired by the error information generation means 42 of the error information generation system 21 provided in the error information management server 2, and the error information 24 is generated together with the contents of the received data.
The error information 24 is data that can be used in the database used in the present invention as described above and can be handled as a collection of data that can be rearranged, searched for data, aggregated, extracted, and the like. Yes, it has several free areas (empty fields when used in a tabular database) where new information can be added at the time of creation.

  When the error information 24 is created, the process proceeds to step 2-3. Then, the solution creation means 43 of the error information creation system 21 refers to the information stored in the error information database 4 on the basis of the error content data of the error information 24, and solves the error corresponding to the error content. Determine the presence or absence of method data.

  When data of an error solving method is found from the information stored in the error information database 4 (YES in step 2-3), the process proceeds to step 2-6 and an error solving method is read from the error information database 4. Alternatively, the data of the coping method is acquired and added to the error information 24 described above.

  If no error solution data is found in the error information database 4 (No in Step 2-3), the process proceeds to Step 2-4 of the control flow, and the solution creation means 43 sets the error contents. Analyzes and translations are performed to create solutions.

More specifically, it is assumed that, for example, an author has described what should be described as shown in FIG. 10 as shown in FIG. 11, and an error has occurred. At that time, the program creation software outputs the following message.
"In function 'main'
c: 7: error: missing terminating "character
c: 8: error: syntax error before '}' token "
At this time, the solution creation means 43 acquires the above-described message, and determines that “main” after “In function” which is a standard sentence is a function name. Further, the solution creation means 43 translates the second line and obtains information that “the seventh line, the end character“ (double quotation mark) is gone ”.
Then, the solution creation means 43 obtains a detailed error content that “the double quotation mark as the end character has disappeared in the seventh line of the main function”. Here, when “lost” is detected, the solution creation means 43 determines that the problem is solved by “adding”, converts the ending of the error content, and displays the end character in the seventh line of the main function. You can get the solution of adding a double quotation mark.

  When the error solving method or coping method data is created, the control flow proceeds to step 2-5, and the created error solving method or coping method data is accumulated in the error information database 4. Then, the control flow proceeds to step 2-6, and the created error solution method or coping method data is added to the error information 24 described above.

  When the solution is added to the error information 24, the control flow moves to step 2-7, and the error information management server 2 transmits the error information 24 to the robot control computer 3. Then, the control flow shifts to FIG.

In FIG. 7, when the robot control computer 3 receives the error information 24 transmitted from the error information management server 2, the control flow proceeds from step 3-1 to step 3-2. Then, the utterance information creation system 22 provided in the robot control computer 3 determines whether or not an error having the same content has occurred in the past predetermined time by the information analysis means 44.
Therefore, if the same error has not occurred within a predetermined time (No in Step 3-2), the control flow moves from Step 3-2 to Step 3-3, and the error information 24 is analyzed.
Then, the process proceeds to step 3-4, and the action information 26 corresponding to the content of the error in the error information 24 that has occurred is stored in the utterance information database 5 based on the error solution or countermeasure added to the error information 24. It is determined whether or not it is accumulated.

  If the behavior information 26 of the robot 6 corresponding to the solution is found in the utterance information database 5 (YES in step 3-4), the control flow proceeds to step 3-8.

When the action information 26 of the robot 6 corresponding to the solution is not found from the information stored in the utterance information database 5 (in the case of No in step 3-4), that is, the utterance sentence of the content uttered by the robot 6 If at least one of the voice data 25 and the action content data of the robot 6 is not found, the control flow proceeds to step 3-5. Then, the action content creation means 45 of the utterance information creation system 22 creates an utterance sentence for the error contents based on each data of the error information 24, and the action content data of the robot 6 corresponding to the created utterance sentence is obtained. Created. When these pieces of information are created, the control flow proceeds to step 3-6, and the speech data creation means 46 performs speech synthesis processing of the utterance sentence.
Therefore, the control flow moves from step 3-6 to step 3-7, and the behavior data creation means 47 creates behavior information 26 from the created data, adds the behavior information 26 to the utterance information database 5, and utterance information The database 5 is updated. Then, the control flow moves to step 3-8.

  As described above, when the behavior information 26 of the robot 6 corresponding to the error information 24 is detected or created, the control flow proceeds to step 3-8, and the behavior control unit 48 causes the order of each robot 6 to speak. And the timing is determined. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation in which a plurality of robots 6 speak at the same time and it becomes difficult to hear the speech of the robot. In addition, by providing a fixed interval for each utterance, it is possible to avoid a situation in which different stories are uttered continuously and are difficult to hear.

Then, the control flow shifts to step 3-8, and the robot 6 speaks and operates by transmitting the voice data 25 of the spoken sentence and the data of the action content to the robot 6.
As described above, when the robot 6 speaks, a user other than the user who has caused the error (for example, the user 9b to 9f if the user 9a has caused the error) or a person around the user such as a leader Also notice the error that occurred. Therefore, even if the user 9 who caused the error does not understand the cause of the error and the coping method only by the notification or suggestion of the solution or coping method by the robot 6, the surrounding people notice the occurrence of the error, It is possible to prompt the user 9 who caused the error to understand the cause of the error. Therefore, it is not necessary for the instructor to grasp the source codes of all the users 9a to 9f in detail, and the burden on instruction is reduced.

  In the present embodiment, the error information detection system 20 is provided in the client machine 8, but the hardware in which the error information detection system 20 is provided is not limited thereto, and may be provided in the error information management server 2, for example. Similarly, the hardware provided with the error information creation system 21 and the speech information creation system 22 is not limited to this. That is, in the education support system 1 of the present invention, the hardware provided with each system is arbitrary, and can be freely changed in view of the introduction cost, the hardware resources possessed, and the like.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the error information management server 2 and the robot control computer 3 are provided as separate hardware, but they may be provided as a server computer (not shown) that is a single computer. In this case, the server side computer is provided with an error information creation system 21 and an utterance information creation system 22, and the server side computer is connected via the error information database 4, the utterance information database 5, and the server side network 12 so that transmission and reception are possible. The
That is, in the education support system 1 of the present invention, the hardware configuration is not limited to the embodiment. You may change freely in consideration of the processing capability of the hardware to be used and the capacity of a storage medium such as a memory or a hard disk.

  In the present embodiment, the error information detection system 20, the error information creation system 21, and the utterance information creation system 22 are all assigned means for realizing the education support system 1, but the assignment of means is not limited to this. is not. For example, the solution creation means 43 may be provided in the utterance information creation system 22, and the action content creation means 45 and the voice data creation means 46 may be provided in the error information creation system 21. That is, you may change freely according to the content of the education to implement and the software used for education. That is, the means for realizing the education support system 1 may be provided in any software that constitutes the education support system 1.

  For example, in a case where the application 13 and the error information detection system 20 provided in the client machine 8 in the present embodiment are provided in the error information management server 2, the application 13 can be shared, and each client machine 8 (8a˜ 8f) uses the application 13 operating on the error information management server 2 via the network 7.

  In this case, the client machine 8 is provided with an input / output interface 30 as shown in FIG. 8 and connected with a communication cable 34, a keyboard 33, a mouse 35, a monitor 36, etc. for data communication. Is also possible. More specifically, the input / output interface 30 includes, for example, a connection port 31 for connecting a communication cable 34, an input device such as a keyboard 33 and a mouse 35, and an input / output port 32 for connecting an output device such as a monitor 36. Or the like. When the input / output interface 30 has such a configuration, the communication cable 34 is connected to the connection port 31 and an input device represented by the keyboard 33 and the mouse 35 and an output device such as the monitor 36 are input. A device connected to the output port 32 can be used as the client machine 8.

  In the present embodiment, six client machines 8 are provided and the education support system 1 is used in a state where there are six users 9, but the number of client machines 8 and users 9 is not limited to this. The number of client machines 8 and users 9 is not necessarily the same. Similarly, the number of robots 6 is not limited to two. It may be changed freely according to the number of users.

In the present embodiment, the robot 6 utters a voice when an error occurs or when an error is predicted in the future, but the robot 6 may utter at other timings.
For example, a function for specifying the user 9 who has not made an error for a specific time (for example, 30 minutes) may be provided, and the specified user 9 may be told, “Do you proceed smoothly?”.

  In the present embodiment, various time settings are made such as an interval for starting determination of the presence or absence of an error when the user does not compile, and an interval between different error utterances when the robot 6 emits voice. However, the time to set is not limited to this. That is, the time setting of each system constituting the education support system 1 can be arbitrarily set.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the voice generation device (robot 6) imitates the shape of a robot appearing in comics and novels, but the shape of the voice generation device is not limited to this. For example, the shape of an anthropomorphically deformed animal may be freely changed.

  In the present embodiment, the operation when the present invention is used for education of a program creation method has been described. However, the purpose of the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can be used as long as it is an education conducted using an application that runs on a computer. For example, the present invention can also be used for an education on a computer operation method and an operation method of a device connected via a network. be able to.

  For example, the education support system of the present invention may be used for education on how to use an additional function of a mobile phone. For example, in a workshop for explaining how to use additional functions of a mobile phone such as a camera function, an e-mail function, a map search function, etc., using the present invention, the knowledge of the mobile phone is insufficient and the questions are organized. It is possible to promote understanding of students who are difficult to learn, and to efficiently conduct seminars.

1 Education Support System 2 Error Information Management Server 3 Robot Control Computer 4 Error Information Database 5 Utterance Information Database 6 Robot (Sound Generator)
7 Network (communication network)
8 Client machine (client)
9 users (application users)
12 Server side network 13 Application (software)
20 Error information detection system (error information detection means)
21 Error information creation system (error related information creation means)
22 utterance information creation system 24 error information 25 voice data 26 action information 40 execution status determination means 41 description information acquisition means 42 error information creation means 43 solution creation means 44 information analysis means 45 action content creation means 46 voice data creation means 47 behavior Data creation means 48 Action control means

Claims (12)

There is an environment in which a plurality of electronic devices are connected via a communication network, and each electronic device has an input means and can execute a predetermined work using the same or compatible software. When there is an error in the input made to the electronic device by operating the means, or when there is an error in the operation of the electronic device, the fact that the error has occurred or at least one of the countermeasures for the error is notified or suggested An educational support system that
Error information detection means for detecting the error, error information database for storing at least one of error contents, explanation, coping method, or information suggesting these, voice data creation means, and a voice generation device that emits voice And selecting information corresponding to the error detected by the error information detection means from the error information database, creating voice data by the voice data creation means based on the information, and emitting voice from the voice generator A characteristic education support system.   The software is software for creating a program, and includes compile execution means for executing compilation on a signal input to the software, and outputs an error message at the time of compilation when the signal input to the software has an error. An error message output means is provided, and the education support system is provided with error related information creation means for executing at least one of translation of error messages, creation of explanations, creation of countermeasures, and is created by the error related information creation means. The education support system according to claim 1, wherein the stored information can be stored in an error information database.   The software is software for creating a program, and includes compile execution means for executing compilation on a signal input to the software, and outputs an error message at the time of compilation when the signal input to the software has an error. An error message output means is provided, and the educational support system includes at least one of a comment preparation means for translating an error message and explaining the contents of the error from the translated contents and a countermeasure method creating means for creating a countermeasure method. The education support system according to claim 1 or 2.   It has an utterance information database that stores voice data corresponding to at least one of the translation, explanation, and coping method, and the voice data creation means creates voice data using information stored in the utterance information database The education support system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein   The software used in the electronic device can execute an operation for determining information for executing a predetermined work, and the software has a temporary input state in which the operation is not performed, and a main input through the operation. 5. The error information detection means can detect the error in at least one of a temporary input state stage and a final input state stage. Education support system.   The education support system according to claim 1, wherein the sound generation device has an outer shape imitating a certain shape.   The education support system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein when the sound generation device outputs a sound, a change in operation or / and appearance is accompanied.   The sound generator has a display screen, and an external shape imitating a certain shape is displayed on the display screen, and the external shape is produced so that it speaks. The education support system according to any one of 7 above.   9. The education support system according to claim 8, wherein when the sound generation device outputs a sound, the outside shape is produced or / and the expression is changed. Whether the operator who committed the error made the same error within a specified time when the operator made an input error or an operation error when operating the input means to input to the electronic device Information analysis means to determine whether
10. The voice generation device according to claim 1, wherein when the information analysis unit determines that the same worker has committed the same error within a predetermined time, the voice generation device does not generate a voice. Education support system.   11. The education support system according to any one of 1 to 10, wherein a plurality of the sound generation devices are provided, and action control means for controlling a sound output order by the plurality of sound generation devices is provided.   An education support method using the education support system according to claim 1.

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