JP2018074552A - Terminal device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve suppression of power consumption required for acquisition of positional information.SOLUTION: A terminal device 14 includes: an acoustic communication part 60 for acquiring identification information D transmitted by acoustic communication; a positional information specification part 52 for specifying positional information L corresponding to the identification information D acquired by the acoustic communication part 60, using a reference table obtained by correlating the identification information D with the positional information L showing a place to which the identification information D is transmitted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a terminal device.

  Various techniques that use position information indicating the position of a terminal device have been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which position information of a terminal device is generated using GPS (Global Positioning System) and content related to the position information is provided to the terminal device.

JP 2002-351905 A

  However, in the configuration in which position information is acquired using GPS as in the technique of Patent Document 1, sufficient power is required for reception of radio waves from a plurality of GPS satellites and processing for extracting position information from received radio waves. There is a problem that it is difficult to reduce. In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to reduce power consumption necessary for acquiring position information.

  In order to solve the above problems, a terminal device according to a preferred aspect of the present invention indicates an acoustic communication unit that acquires identification information transmitted by acoustic communication, an identification information, and a location where the identification information is transmitted. A position information specifying unit that specifies position information corresponding to the identification information acquired by the acoustic communication unit using a reference table in which the position information is associated;

1 is a configuration diagram of a communication system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram of a terminal device. It is a schematic diagram of a reference table. It is a schematic diagram of a reference table. It is a schematic diagram of an operation screen. It is a flowchart of operation | movement of a control apparatus. It is a schematic diagram of the reference table in 2nd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the display screen in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the operation | movement in the modification of 2nd Embodiment. It is an example of a display in the modification of 2nd Embodiment. It is an example of a display in the modification of 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram of the reference table in 3rd Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram of the reference table in 4th Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram of the reference table in a modification. It is a schematic diagram of the operation screen in a modification.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a communication system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The communication system 100 of 1st Embodiment is comprised including the information provision system 12 installed in various facilities, such as a store or a station, and the terminal device 14 which the user who visited the facility carries.

  The information providing system 12 includes a plurality of sound emitting devices 16 that emit sound waves. For example, a plurality of sound emitting devices 16 are installed at different locations in one facility. For example, in a station premises, a sound emitting device 16 is installed on each of a plurality of platforms. For example, in a store such as a shopping mall, the sound emitting device 16 is installed on each of a plurality of floors.

  Each of the plurality of sound emitting devices 16 functions as a transmitter that transmits identification information D to the surroundings by acoustic communication using sound waves as air vibration as a transmission medium. The identification information D transmitted from any one sound emitting device 16 is a code for identifying the sound emitting device 16 or its installation location. As illustrated in FIG. 1, by supplying an acoustic signal X containing the identification information D as an acoustic component to each sound emitting device 16, the identification information D is transmitted from the sound emitting device 16 as a sound wave.

  A known technique can be arbitrarily employed to generate the acoustic signal X. For example, a configuration in which an acoustic signal X is generated by frequency-modulating a carrier wave such as a sine wave of a predetermined frequency with the identification information D, or using a spread modulation of the identification information D using a spreading code and a carrier wave of a predetermined frequency A configuration in which the acoustic signal X is generated by sequentially performing the frequency conversion performed is preferable. The frequency band of the acoustic signal X is a frequency band that can be emitted by the sound emitting device 16 and collected by the terminal device 14, and is higher than the frequency band of the sound that the user listens to in a normal environment. (For example, 18 kHz or more and 20 kHz or less). Therefore, the user can hardly hear the acoustic component of the identification information D. However, the frequency band of the acoustic signal X is arbitrary, and for example, the acoustic signal X within the audible band can be generated. It is also possible to mix the acoustic component of the identification information D with various acoustic components such as background music reproduced in the facility or guidance voice for guiding the facility and radiate it from the sound emitting device 16.

  The terminal device 14 is a portable information terminal such as a mobile phone or a smartphone. In practice, a large number of users can use the service of the information providing system 12, but the following description focuses on one terminal device 14 for the sake of convenience.

  FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram focusing on the function of the terminal device 14. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the terminal device 14 includes a control device 22, a storage device 24, a sound collection device 32, a communication device 34, a display device 36, and an operation device 38. The sound collection device 32 is an acoustic device (microphone) that collects ambient sounds. Specifically, the sound collection device 32 collects sound waves radiated from one sound emission device 16 of the information providing system 12 and generates an acoustic signal Y. The acoustic signal Y may contain the acoustic component of the identification information D. That is, the sound collection device 32 functions as a receiver that receives the identification information D by acoustic communication using sound waves that are air vibrations as a transmission medium. The A / D converter for converting the acoustic signal Y generated by the sound collection device 32 from analog to digital is not shown for convenience.

  The communication device 34 (an example of a wireless communication unit) can perform wireless communication with the wireless communication device 18 installed in the facility. Communication between the communication device 34 and the wireless communication device 18 is short-range wireless communication such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark). In order for the communication device 34 to perform wireless communication with the wireless communication device 18 (for example, a wireless LAN access point), identification information (SSID: Service Set Identifier) for identifying the wireless communication device 18 and encryption Connection information including the encryption key (PW: Password) is required.

  The display device 36 is composed of a liquid crystal display panel, for example, and displays various images under the control of the control device 22. The operating device 38 is an input device that receives an instruction from a user. For example, a plurality of operators operated by the user or a touch panel that detects contact with the display surface of the display device 36 is preferably used as the operation device 38.

  The control device 22 is a processing circuit that controls the overall operation of the terminal device 14, and includes, for example, a CPU. The storage device 24 stores a program executed by the control device 22 and various data used by the control device 22. For example, a known recording medium such as a semiconductor recording medium can be arbitrarily adopted. It is also possible to use a recording medium that is detachable from the terminal device 14 as the storage device 24.

  The storage device 24 of the first embodiment stores a reference table Ta and a reference table Tb. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the reference table Ta is a data table in which position information L (L1, L2,...) Is associated with each of a plurality of pieces of identification information D (D1, D2,...) That can be transmitted by acoustic communication. It is. The position information L corresponding to any one piece of identification information D is information indicating the location where the identification information D is transmitted (that is, the installation location of the sound emitting device 16). Specifically, the position information L represents the address or name (for example, “ABC shopping mall first floor”) of the place where the identification information D is transmitted. It is also possible to use position information L indicating the latitude and longitude of a specific point on the map.

  As illustrated in FIG. 4, the reference table Tb is data in which related information is associated with each of a plurality of pieces of position information L (L1, L2,...) Corresponding to different identification information D (D1, D2,...). It is a table. The related information corresponding to any one piece of position information L is information related to the place indicated by the position information L. In the first embodiment, the related information corresponding to one piece of position information L is connection information for the communication device 34 to perform wireless communication with the wireless communication device 18 installed at the location indicated by the position information L. Za (Za1, Za2,...). As described above, the connection information Za includes, for example, the identification information (SSID) and the encryption key (PW) of the wireless communication device 18.

  The control device 22 in FIG. 2 executes a program stored in the storage device 24 to thereby provide a plurality of functions (information extraction unit 42, specific processing unit 44) for providing a service corresponding to the identification information D to the user. , Display control unit 46) is realized. A configuration in which a part of the function of the control device 22 is realized by a dedicated electronic circuit, or a configuration in which the function of the control device 22 is distributed to a plurality of devices may be employed.

  The information extraction unit 42 extracts identification information D from the acoustic signal Y generated by the sound collection device 32. Specifically, the information extraction unit 42 performs a filtering process for emphasizing a band component of a frequency band including the acoustic component of the identification information D, and a demodulation process corresponding to the modulation process at the time of generating the acoustic signal X. The identification information D is extracted by executing for Y. The process for the information extraction unit 42 to extract the identification information D from the acoustic signal Y (hereinafter referred to as “information extraction process”) is repeated, for example, periodically. As understood from the above description, the sound collection device 32 and the information extraction unit 42 function as an acoustic communication unit 60 that acquires the identification information D transmitted by acoustic communication.

  The identification processing unit 44 in FIG. 2 identifies connection information Za corresponding to the identification information D acquired by the acoustic communication unit 60. The communication device 34 establishes wireless communication with the wireless communication device 18 using the connection information Za specified by the related information specifying unit 54 and communicates with other devices via the wireless communication device 18. For example, the communication device 34 receives web page data displayed on the display device 36 from the wireless communication device 18.

  As illustrated in FIG. 2, the identification processing unit 44 of the first embodiment includes a position information identification unit 52 and a related information identification unit 54. The position information specifying unit 52 specifies position information L corresponding to the identification information D acquired by the acoustic communication unit 60. For specifying the position information L by the position information specifying unit 52, the reference table Ta illustrated in FIG. 3 is used. Specifically, the position information specifying unit 52 of the first embodiment refers to the position information L corresponding to the identification information D acquired by the acoustic communication unit 60 among the plurality of pieces of identification information D registered in the reference table Ta. It is specified from Ta.

  The related information specifying unit 54 specifies related information corresponding to the position information L specified by the position information specifying unit 52. The related information specifying unit 54 of the first embodiment specifies connection information Za corresponding to the position information L as related information using the reference table Tb of FIG. 4 stored in the storage device 24. Specifically, the related information specifying unit 54 specifies, from the reference table Tb, the connection information Za corresponding to the position information L specified by the position information specifying unit 52 among the plurality of pieces of position information L registered in the reference table Tb. . That is, the connection information Za of the wireless communication device 18 at the place where the identification information D received by the acoustic communication unit 60 is transmitted is specified.

  The display control unit 46 causes the display device 36 to display an image. For example, the display control unit 46 causes the display device 36 to display the operation screen 70 illustrated in FIG. 5 in addition to the web page represented by the data received by the communication device 34. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the operation screen 70 includes a sound collection level image 72 and an operation element 74. The sound collection level image 72 is an image (pie graph) that graphically represents the volume of the band component including the acoustic component of the identification information D in the acoustic signal Y. In addition, triggered by an operation on the operation screen 70, the period of the information extraction process by the information extraction unit 42 can be shortened (the frequency of the information extraction process is increased).

  5 is an image for the user to instruct the terminal device 14 to specify related information. Specifically, when the user operates the operation element 74 using the operation device 38, the specification processing unit 44 executes a process for specifying related information corresponding to the identification information D. Specifically, the specification of the position information L by the position information specifying unit 52 and the specification of the connection information Za by the related information specifying unit 54 are executed. The operation element 74 is controlled to a valid state in which the operation by the user is accepted when the identification information D is extracted by the information extraction process, and invalid in a state in which the operation by the user is not extracted when the identification information D is not extracted. Controlled by the state. The display state (for example, color and gradation) of the operation element 74 is different between the valid state and the invalid state. For example, the operator 74 in the invalid state is displayed in black and white (gray-out display), and the operator 74 is displayed in color when the identification information D is extracted by the information extraction process and transitions to the valid state.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the operation of the control device 22 in the first embodiment. For example, the process of FIG. 6 is started in response to an instruction (program start instruction) from the user to the operation device 38. When the process of FIG. 6 is started, the information extraction unit 42 executes an information extraction process for extracting the identification information D from the acoustic signal Y generated by the sound collection device 32 (Sa1). The information extraction process is periodically repeated until the identification information D is actually extracted (Sa2: NO). When the identification information D is extracted by the information extraction process (Sa2: YES), the display control unit 46 The display mode of the operation element 74 is changed to a mode indicating the valid state (Sa3).

  The specific processing unit 44 waits until the user operates the operation element 74 (Sa4: NO). When the user operates the operation element 74 in the valid state (Sa4: YES), the identification processing unit 44 identifies the connection information Za corresponding to the identification information D extracted in the immediately preceding information extraction process (Sa5, Sa6). ). Specifically, the position information specifying unit 52 searches the reference table Ta for the position information L corresponding to the identification information D (Sa5), and the related information specifying unit 54 refers to the connection information Za corresponding to the position information L. Search from the table Tb (Sa6). When the above processing is completed, the communication device 34 starts wireless communication with the wireless communication device 18 using the connection information Za specified by the specifying processing unit 44. In addition, without waiting for the operation of the operator 74 by the user, the identification information D is extracted (Sa2: YES) and the position information L is specified (Sa5) and the connection information Za is specified (Sa6). It is also possible to do. That is, step Sa4 in FIG. 6 can be omitted.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, since the position information L corresponding to the identification information D transmitted by acoustic communication is specified, for example, the position information of the terminal device 14 is generated using GPS. In comparison, it is possible to reduce the power consumption required to acquire the position information L. Further, there is an advantage that the range in which the identification information D can be received can be easily and specifically defined by adjusting the reproduction volume by the sound emitting device 16 or installing a sound insulation wall.

  Further, in the first embodiment, since the connection information Za corresponding to the position information L is specified as related information, it is not necessary for the user to input identification information and an encryption key of the wireless communication device 18, for example. Therefore, there is an advantage that wireless communication with the wireless communication device 18 can be easily realized.

Second Embodiment
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, about the element which an effect | action or function is the same as that of 1st Embodiment in each form illustrated below, the code | symbol used in 1st Embodiment is diverted and each detailed description is abbreviate | omitted suitably.

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the reference table Tb in the second embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 7, in the reference table Tb of the second embodiment, guide information Zb (Zb1, Zb2,...) Is associated information for each of a plurality of position information L (L1, L2,...). It is associated. Guidance information Zb corresponding to any one piece of position information L represents guidance regarding a place indicated by the position information L (for example, traffic guidance or sightseeing guidance). In 2nd Embodiment, the guidance information Zb showing the question-and-answer collection (FAQs: frequently asked questions) containing the question regarding the place which the positional information L shows, and the answer with respect to the said question is illustrated. For example, in the location information L representing “Kyoto Station”, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the question “Please tell me the route from Kyoto Station to Kinkakuji” and “A from the first stop at Kyoto Station West Exit” Guide information Zb including a set of a reply “Get on the bus of the system and get off at the“ Kinkakuji-mae ”bus stop” is associated. If the guide information Zb in which the question and the answer are expressed in a plurality of languages (for example, the language of the country in which the terminal device 14 is located and the language used in the terminal device 14) is registered in the reference table Tb, the foreigner travels. The person can easily understand the question and the answer.

  A specific operation for specifying related information (guidance information Zb in the second embodiment) corresponding to the identification information D is the same as the operation of the first embodiment described with reference to FIG. That is, the identification processing unit 44 identifies the guide information Zb corresponding to the identification information D as related information, triggered by the operation of the operator 74 (Sa4: YES) after the extraction of the identification information D (Sa2: YES) ( Sa6). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the display control unit 46 causes the display device 36 to display a collection of questions and answers represented by the guidance information Zb specified by the related information specifying unit 54. It is also possible to selectively display on the display device 36 questions and answers designated by the user from the collection of questions and answers represented by the guidance information Zb. Note that it is also possible to execute specification of the position information L (Sa5) and specification of the guide information Zb (Sa6) following extraction of the identification information D (Sa2: YES). That is, step Sa4 in FIG. 6 can be omitted.

  Also in the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, it is possible to reduce the power consumption necessary for obtaining the position information L. In the second embodiment, since the guide information Zb corresponding to the position information L is specified as related information, the user is asked questions and answers that the user of the terminal device 14 is likely to desire at the location. The advantage is that it can be presented easily.

<Modification of Second Embodiment>
In the modification of the second embodiment, for example, question collection data representing a character string representing each of a plurality of questions relating to traffic or tourism in a plurality of languages is stored in the storage device 24. FIG. 9 is a flowchart of processing executed by the display control unit 46 when the operation element 74 is operated. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the display control unit 46 determines whether or not the information extraction unit 42 has extracted the identification information D (that is, whether or not the position information L can be specified) (Sb1). When the identification information D is extracted (Sb1: YES), the display control unit 46 displays on the display device 36 the question and answer collection represented by the guidance information Zb specified by the related information specifying unit 54, as in the second embodiment. (Sb2). On the other hand, when the identification information D has not been extracted (Sb1: NO), the display control unit 46 displays the collection of questions stored in the storage device 24 on the display device 36 (Sb3). Specifically, the display control unit 46 causes the display device 36 to display questions specified by the user in the question collection in a plurality of languages. The user knows the answer to the question by presenting the question displayed on the display device 36 to a guide such as a station staff.

  FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 are examples of display screens in a modification of the second embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 10, when the identification information D is extracted (when the position information L can be specified), a collection of questions and answers including questions and answers is displayed on the display device 36. On the other hand, when the identification information D is not extracted (when the position information L cannot be specified), a question collection including only the questions is displayed on the display device 36 as illustrated in FIG. The question collection data can be stored in the storage device 24 separately from the question and answer collection indicated by the guidance information Zb, but the identification information D extracts the question extracted from the question and answer collection indicated by the guidance information Zb. It is also possible to display when not done. That is, the question is shared between the case where the identification information D is extracted and the case where the identification information D is not extracted.

  As understood from the above description, in a state where the position information L can be specified by extracting the identification information D, the user knows the answer to the question by displaying the guidance information Zb including both the question and the answer. It is possible. On the other hand, in a state where the identification information D is not extracted (a state where the position information L cannot be specified), it is possible to obtain an answer to the question from the guide by presenting the question displayed on the display device 36.

  Note that the display order of the questions or the display contents can be changed according to whether the position information L is specified. For example, in a state where the position information L is not specified, a general field question is displayed, while in a state where the position information L is specified, a field question related to the user's position (for example, from a specific position). A question asking about the route to the tourist spot) is displayed preferentially or selectively.

<Third Embodiment>
FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of the reference table Tb in the third embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 12, in the reference table Tb of the third embodiment, the location information Zc (Zc1, Zc2,...) Is associated as related information with each of the plurality of pieces of position information L. The location information Zc corresponding to any one piece of location information L represents the location of the web page related to the location indicated by the location information L. For example, the location information L corresponding to the identification information D that can be acquired on a specific floor of a commercial facility is associated with the location information Zc of a web page representing the guidance (for example, floor map or event information) of the floor. For example, a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of a web page is a typical example of the location information Zc.

  A specific operation for specifying related information (location information Zc in the third embodiment) corresponding to the identification information D is the same as the operation of the first embodiment described with reference to FIG. In other words, the identification processing unit 44 identifies the location information Zc corresponding to the identification information D as related information, triggered by the operation (Sa4: YES) of the operator 74 after the identification information D is extracted (Sa2: YES) ( Sa6). The communication device 34 receives the data of the web page indicated by the location information Zc specified by the related information specifying unit 54 from the distribution server via the communication network, and the display control unit 46 displays the web indicated by the data received by the communication device 34. The page is displayed on the display device 36. Note that it is also possible to execute specification of the position information L (Sa5) and specification of the location information Zc (Sa6) following extraction of the identification information D (Sa2: YES). That is, step Sa4 in FIG. 6 can be omitted.

  In the third embodiment, as in the first embodiment, it is possible to reduce the power consumption necessary for obtaining the position information L. In the third embodiment, the location information Zc corresponding to the position information L is specified as the related information, so that the user is not required to specify the desired web page, and the web page related to the user's location. There is an advantage that can be provided.

<Fourth embodiment>
FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the reference table Tb in the fourth embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 13, in the reference table Tb of the fourth embodiment, map information Zd (Zd1, Zd2,...) Is associated as related information with each of a plurality of pieces of position information L. The map information Zd corresponding to any one piece of position information L indicates a map including the place indicated by the position information L. For example, a URL indicating the location of map image data (hereinafter referred to as “map data”) including the location indicated by the position information L is a typical example of the map information Zd. The map indicated by the map information Zd is a disaster prevention map in which facilities relating to disaster prevention such as shelters and medical institutions are displayed. For example, a map is prepared for each administrative division.

  The specific operation for specifying the related information (map information Zd in the fourth embodiment) corresponding to the identification information D is the same as the operation of the first embodiment described with reference to FIG. That is, the identification processing unit 44 identifies the map information Zd corresponding to the identification information D as related information, triggered by the operation (Sa4: YES) of the operator 74 after the extraction of the identification information D (Sa2: YES) ( Sa6). The communication device 34 receives the map data indicated by the map information Zd specified by the related information specifying unit 54 from the distribution server via the communication network, and the display control unit 46 displays the map represented by the map data received by the communication device 34. It is displayed on the display device 36. Note that it is also possible to execute the specification of the position information L (Sa5) and the specification of the map information Zd (Sa6) following the extraction of the identification information D (Sa2: YES). That is, step Sa4 in FIG. 6 can be omitted.

  In the fourth embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, it is possible to reduce the power consumption necessary for acquiring the position information L. In the fourth embodiment, since the map information Zd corresponding to the position information L is specified as the related information, a map including the location of the user can be provided without requiring the user to specify the map. There is an advantage. For example, when the user carries the terminal device 14 and moves, a map corresponding to the destination is automatically displayed on the display device 36.

  In the above description, the URL indicating the location of the map data is exemplified as the map information Zd. However, the map data may be stored in the storage device 24 of the terminal device 14 in advance. In the configuration in which the map data is stored in the storage device 24, a configuration in which the map information Zd designates a storage area in the storage device 24 in which the map data of the map including the position indicated by the position information L is stored is preferable. The display control unit 46 causes the display device 36 to display a map (that is, a map including a location indicated by the position information L) using the map data stored in the storage area specified by the map information Zd in the storage device 24. In addition, when the position information specifying unit 52 specifies new position information L, the communication device 34 receives map data including a place indicated by the position information L and stores the map data in the storage device 24. Is possible.

  It is also possible to acquire the map data indicated by the map information Zd and store it in the storage device 24 when the identification information D is extracted (Sa2: YES) (that is, without requiring an instruction from the user). When disasters such as earthquakes occur, it is assumed that communication via the communication network becomes difficult. According to the configuration in which the map data is stored in advance in the storage device 24 in response to the extraction of the identification information D, it is possible to prepare the map data before the occurrence of the disaster.

  It should be noted that in the state where the operation element 74 is set to the valid state triggered by the extraction of the identification information D (or the position information L) and the map data is stored in the storage device 24, the range of the map represented by the map data (for example, a specific When the terminal device 14 is located in the administrative district), the operation element 74 is maintained in the valid state. On the other hand, when the terminal device 14 moves outside the map range represented by the acquired map data, the identification information D received by the acoustic communication unit 60 changes. Therefore, the specification of the position information L (Sa5) and the specification of the map information Zd (Sa6) is executed again. When the communication device 34 receives the map data indicated by the map information Zd, the display control unit 46 keeps the operation element 74 in the valid state, and the communication device 34 cannot receive the map data (for example, the map data is When the distribution server is not prepared), the operation element 74 is changed from the valid state to the invalid state.

<Modification>
Each aspect illustrated above can be variously modified. Specific modifications are exemplified below. Two or more modes arbitrarily selected from the following examples can be appropriately combined within a range that does not contradict each other.

(1) Two or more forms arbitrarily selected from the first to fourth embodiments may be merged. For example, in each embodiment described above, one type of related information is associated with each piece of position information L in the reference table Tb. However, as illustrated in FIG. It is. In the reference table Tb of FIG. 14, the connection information Za exemplified in the first embodiment, the guidance information Zb exemplified in the second embodiment, the location information Zc exemplified in the third embodiment, and exemplified in the fourth embodiment. The mapped map information Zd is associated with each of the plurality of pieces of position information L.

  On the operation screen 70, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 15, a plurality of operators 74 (74a, 74b, 74c, 74d) corresponding to different related information are arranged. When an arbitrary operation element 74 is operated, processing using related information corresponding to the operation element 74 is executed. For example, when the operation element 74a is operated, wireless communication between the communication device 34 and the wireless communication device 18 using the connection information Za is executed as in the first embodiment. When the operator 74b is operated, the question and answer indicated by the guidance information Zb are displayed on the display device 36, as in the second embodiment. When the operation element 74c is operated, the web page indicated by the location information Zc is displayed on the display device 36 as in the third embodiment. When the operation element 74d is operated, the map indicated by the map information Zd is displayed on the display device 36 as in the fourth embodiment.

(2) In the second embodiment, the question and answer indicated by the guide information Zb are displayed on the display device 36. However, instead of the above configuration (or together with the above configuration), the question and answer indicated by the guide information Zb Can be reproduced as audio.

(3) The scene where the information providing system 12 is used is arbitrary. For example, in addition to the aforementioned commercial facilities or transportation facilities (for example, stations), exhibition facilities such as museums or art museums, tourist facilities such as sights or historic sites, sports facilities such as stadiums or gymnasiums, or accommodation facilities such as hotels or inns Also in the above, the above-described embodiments can be used.

(4) The type of related information associated with each of the plurality of position information L is not limited to the examples in the above-described embodiments. For example, information indicating contact information for requesting taxi dispatch, information for transferring or getting on / off transportation such as trains or buses, information on commercial facilities such as restaurants, lodging facilities or stores, or in commercial facilities It is also possible to make the information related to the product sold at the location corresponding to the position information L as related information.

(5) When information related to various amounts of money such as transportation fares and product prices is presented to the user as related information, the amount of money in a specific currency may be calculated and displayed. Is possible. For example, the exchange rate between currencies can be automatically acquired from a site that handles exchanges, etc., or a user can input an arbitrary numerical value.

(6) It is also possible to notify the user of the price of the product sold at the store indicated by the position information L as related information. For example, the specific processing unit 44 (related information specifying unit 54) of the terminal device 14 includes position information L corresponding to the identification information D received by the acoustic communication unit 60, and identification information P of the product desired by the user. The information request is transmitted from the communication device 34 to the management device (not shown) via the communication network. For example, an optically readable image added to a product (hereinafter referred to as “read image”) is captured by an imaging device (not shown) of the terminal device 14 so that the identification information P of the product can be acquired. It is. The read image is, for example, a bar code, a QR code (registered trademark), or a chameleon code (registered trademark). Further, the product itself is identified by executing analysis processing such as image recognition on the image obtained by capturing the product itself with the imaging device, and the identification information P of the product is referred to by referring to a table in which the identification information P is registered for each product. It is also possible to specify. The user may input the product identification information P by operating the operation device 38.

  A management device (for example, a web server) holds a data table (hereinafter referred to as “price table”) in which prices of each of a plurality of products are registered for each store. The price registered in the price table is an amount in a predetermined currency (hereinafter referred to as “first currency”). In addition, the management apparatus installed for every store can also hold | maintain the price table of the said store. When the information request including the location information L of the store and the product identification information P is received from the terminal device 14, the management device refers to the store price table indicated by the location information L in the information request, and requests the information request. The price of the product indicated by the identification information P (hereinafter referred to as “specific price”) is searched. The management device transmits the specific price (first currency) retrieved from the price table to the terminal device 14 that has transmitted the information request.

  When the communication device 34 receives the specific price transmitted from the management device, the related information specifying unit 54 relates the price obtained by converting the specific price into a second currency different from the first currency (hereinafter referred to as “converted price”). Calculate as information. The second currency is, for example, a currency designated by the user in the operation on the operation device 38 or a currency corresponding to a language designated by the terminal device 14 (for example, a main currency used in a country having the language as an official language). Currency). Note that the exchange rate for converting the specific price into the converted price can be automatically acquired from a site that handles, for example, a currency exchange or the like, or the user can input an arbitrary numerical value.

  The display control unit 46 causes the display device 36 to display the converted price specified as the related information by the related information specifying unit 54. For example, it is also possible to display the converted price (AR: augmented reality) so as to be superimposed on the product image (that is, the live view image) captured by the imaging device. The related information specifying unit 54 may acquire the specific price as related information from the management device, and the display control unit 46 may display the specific price on the display device 36. Both the specific price and the converted price may be displayed on the display device 36. As understood from the above description, the related information specifying unit 54 is expressed as an element that specifies the price (one or both of the specified price and the converted price) of the commodity traded at the location indicated by the position information L.

  In the above configuration, since the price of the product sold in the store indicated by the location information L is automatically presented to the user as the amount of the second currency, it is very useful for foreign tourists who shop at the store, for example. Convenient. In addition, the user can know the price of the product at the second price by a simple operation for capturing the read image or the product itself.

  In the above description, the configuration in which the management device capable of communicating with the terminal device 14 holds the price table is illustrated, but the price table may be stored in the storage device 24 of the terminal device 14. The time when the terminal device 14 acquires the price table from the management device is arbitrary, for example. For example, it is assumed that the price table is distributed to the terminal device 14 together with the program. In addition, the terminal device 14 acquires the price table from the management device when the terminal device 14 transitions to a communicable state, or the terminal device 14 acquires the price table from the management device when the program starts. The structure to do can also be employ | adopted. The related information specifying unit 54 specifies a specific price by referring to the price table of the storage device 24, and converts the specific price into a converted price. As exemplified above, if the configuration using the price table stored in the storage device 24 of the terminal device 14 and the configuration in which the user designates the exchange rate by operating the operation device 38, for example, the communication device 34 is adopted. It is possible to notify the user of the price of the desired product at the store where the user is located without requiring communication using the.

(7) One or both of the reference table Ta and the reference table Tb (hereinafter simply referred to as “reference table T”) used in the terminal device 14 is specified via a communication network such as a mobile communication network or the Internet. Are distributed from the distribution server and stored in the storage device 24. Note that the time when the reference table T is distributed from the distribution server to the terminal device 14 is arbitrary. For example, the reference table T can be periodically updated at a predetermined cycle. For example, the reference table T can be updated every time the program is started.

(8) In each of the above-described embodiments, the case where the reference table Ta and the reference table Tb are stored in the storage device 24 of the terminal device 14 has been exemplified. However, the terminal device 14 and the terminal device 14 can be It is also possible to hold the reference table T in the management server that communicates. For example, the terminal device 14 transmits a distribution request including the identification information D extracted by the information extraction unit 42 to the management server. The management server specifies the related information indicated by the identification information D in the distribution request received from the terminal device 14 from the reference table Ta and the reference table Tb, and transmits it to the requesting terminal device 14. According to the above configuration, there is an advantage that the terminal device 14 does not need to hold the reference table Ta and the reference table Tb. On the other hand, according to the configuration of each embodiment described above in which the terminal device 14 holds the reference table Ta and the reference table Tb, the position information L and the position corresponding to the identification information D are not required without communication via the communication network. There is an advantage that related information corresponding to the information L can be specified.

(9) In each of the above embodiments, the reference table Ta for associating the identification information D with the position information L and the reference table Tb for associating the position information L with the related information (Za, Zb, Zc, Zd) are exemplified. The specific processing unit 44 can also specify related information corresponding to the identification information D acquired by the acoustic communication unit 60 using a single reference table that associates the identification information D with the related information. That is, the position information L can be omitted.

(10) In the above-described embodiments, the identification information D for identifying the sound emitting device 16 or its installation location is exemplified, but various types of information other than the location can be included in the identification information D. For example, in a configuration in which the acoustic component of the identification information D is mixed with the guidance voice and emitted from the sound emitting device 16, a code for identifying the guidance voice can be added to the identification information D. According to the above configuration, since the content of the guidance voice reproduced together with the identification information D can be specified from the identification information D, information related to the guidance voice (for example, a character string of the guidance voice or a translation thereof) is stored in the terminal device 14. It can also be provided to users.

(11) The terminal device 14 according to each aspect described above is realized by the cooperation of the control device 22 and the program as illustrated in the above-described embodiments. The program according to each of the embodiments described above associates the acoustic communication unit 60 that acquires the identification information D transmitted by acoustic communication, and the positional information L that indicates the location where the identification information D is transmitted. The computer is caused to function as the position information specifying unit 52 for specifying the position information L corresponding to the identification information D acquired by the acoustic communication unit 60 using the reference table Ta. The programs exemplified above can be provided in a form stored in a computer-readable recording medium and installed in the computer. The recording medium is, for example, a non-transitory recording medium, and an optical recording medium (optical disk) such as a CD-ROM is a good example, but a known arbitrary one such as a semiconductor recording medium or a magnetic recording medium This type of recording medium can be included. Note that the non-transitory recording medium includes any recording medium except for a transient propagation signal (transitory, propagating signal), and does not exclude a volatile recording medium. It is also possible to provide a program to a computer in the form of distribution via a communication network.

(12) From the form illustrated above, for example, the following configuration is grasped.
<Aspect 1>
A terminal device according to a preferred aspect (aspect 1) of the present invention corresponds to an acoustic communication unit that acquires identification information transmitted by acoustic communication, and identification information and position information indicating a location where the identification information is transmitted. And a position information specifying unit that specifies position information corresponding to the identification information acquired by the acoustic communication unit using the reference table. In the above aspect, since the position information corresponding to the identification information transmitted by acoustic communication is specified, it is necessary to acquire the position information, for example, compared with the configuration in which the position information of the terminal device is generated using GPS. It is possible to reduce power consumption.
<Aspect 2>
A terminal device according to a preferred example of aspect 1 (aspect 2) includes a related information specifying unit that specifies related information related to the place indicated by the position information specified by the position information specifying unit. In the above aspect, it is possible to provide related information related to the location where the terminal device is located.
<Aspect 3>
A terminal device according to a preferred example of aspect 2 (aspect 3) includes a wireless communication unit capable of wireless communication with a wireless communication device, and the related information specifying unit is a position specified by the position information specifying unit. Connection information for the wireless communication unit to wirelessly communicate with a wireless communication device installed at a location indicated by the information is specified as the related information. In the above aspect, since the connection information corresponding to the position information is specified as the related information, there is an advantage that wireless communication with the wireless communication device can be easily realized.
<Aspect 4>
In a preferred example (Aspect 4) of Aspect 2 or Aspect 3, the related information specifying unit displays guidance information indicating a question regarding a location indicated by the position information specified by the position information specifying unit and an answer to the question. As specified. In the above aspect, since the guidance information corresponding to the position information is specified as the related information, there is an advantage that an information bag that is likely to be desired by the user of the terminal device can be easily presented.
<Aspect 5>
In a preferred example (Aspect 5) of any one of Aspects 2 to 4, the related information specifying unit includes location information indicating the location of a web page related to the location indicated by the location information specified by the location information specifying unit. As specified. In the above aspect, the location information corresponding to the position information is specified as the related information, so that the user can provide a web page related to the location of the user without requiring the user to specify a desired web page. There is.
<Aspect 6>
In a preferred example (aspect 6) of any one of aspects 2 to 5, the related information specifying unit specifies map information indicating a map including a location indicated by the position information specified by the position information specifying unit as the related information. To do. In the above aspect, since the map information corresponding to the position information is specified as the related information, there is an advantage that a map including the location of the user can be provided without requiring the user to specify the map.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Communication system, 12 ... Information provision system, 14 ... Terminal device, 16 ... Sound emitting device, 18 ... Wireless communication device, 22 ... Control device, 24 ... Storage device, 32 ... Sound collecting device, 34 ... Communication device, 36 ... Display device, 42 ... Information extraction unit, 44 ... Specific processing unit, 46 ... Display control unit, 52 ... Position information specification unit, 54 ... Related information specification unit, 60 ... Acoustic communication unit, 70 ... Operation screen, 72 ... Acquisition Sound level image, 74 (74a, 74b, 74c, 74d).

Claims (6)

An acoustic communication unit for acquiring identification information transmitted by acoustic communication;
A position information specifying unit for specifying position information corresponding to the identification information acquired by the acoustic communication unit, using a reference table in which the identification information is associated with position information indicating a location where the identification information is transmitted; A terminal device provided. The terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising: a related information specifying unit that specifies related information related to a place indicated by the position information specified by the position information specifying unit. A wireless communication unit capable of wireless communication with a wireless communication device;
The related information specifying unit specifies, as the related information, connection information for the wireless communication unit to perform wireless communication with a wireless communication device installed at a location indicated by the position information specified by the position information specifying unit. The terminal device according to claim 2. The terminal device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the related information specifying unit specifies, as the related information, guidance information indicating a question about a place indicated by the position information specified by the position information specifying unit and an answer to the question. The terminal device according to claim 2, wherein the related information specifying unit specifies location information indicating a location of a web page related to a location indicated by the position information specified by the position information specifying unit as the related information. The terminal device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the related information specifying unit specifies map information indicating a map including a place indicated by the position information specified by the position information specifying unit as the related information.

Images