JP2020060706A - Information acquisition device and information acquisition method - Google Patents

Abstract

To acquire information without requiring user operation.SOLUTION: An information acquisition device 10 includes: an extraction unit 113 which extracts permission information indicating permission of acquisition of provided information R from an acoustic signal X generated by a sound collection device 14 by collecting sonic emitted from a sound emission device, and identification information D corresponding to the provided information R; an acquisition unit 117 which acquires the provided information R corresponding to the identification information D extracted from the acoustic signal X; and an acquisition control unit 115 for enabling the acquisition unit 117 to perform an operation of acquiring the provided information R when the extraction unit 113 extracts the permission information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique of providing various kinds of information.

  BACKGROUND ART Techniques for providing various kinds of information to users of terminal devices have been conventionally proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a terminal device that acquires related information according to sound emitted from a sound emitting device. The identification information is extracted from the information management system by extracting the identification information from the sound collection signal generated by the sound collection of the sound emitted from the sound collection device and transmitting the information request including the identification information to the information management system. The related information corresponding to is acquired.

JP, 2016-75956, A

  However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, for example, when acquiring the related information, the user needs to perform an operation for validating the operation of acquiring the related information on the terminal device. In consideration of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to acquire information without requiring user operation.

In order to solve the above problems, an information acquisition method according to a preferred aspect of the present invention is a method of acquiring provided information from an acoustic signal generated by a sound collecting device by collecting sound emitted from the sound emitting device. The operation of extracting the permission information indicating permission and the identification information corresponding to the provision information and acquiring the provision information corresponding to the identification information extracted from the acoustic signal is effective when the permission information is extracted. If the operation is validated, the provided information is acquired by the operation.
The information acquisition device according to a preferred aspect of the present invention includes permission information indicating permission for acquisition of provision information from an acoustic signal generated by a sound collection device by collecting sound emitted from a sound emission device, and the provision information. An extraction unit that extracts identification information corresponding to information, an acquisition unit that acquires the provision information corresponding to the identification information extracted from the acoustic signal, and the acquisition unit when the extraction unit extracts the permission information. And an acquisition control unit that enables the operation of acquiring the provided information by the unit.

It is a block diagram which illustrates the composition of the information service system in a 1st embodiment. It is a block diagram which illustrates the structure of a sound emission system. It is a block diagram which illustrates the composition of an information acquisition device. It is a flow chart which illustrates processing which an information acquisition device performs. It is a block diagram which illustrates the structure of a delivery apparatus.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an information providing system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The information providing system 100 is a computer system for providing various types of information to the user U located in a specific facility. Facilities include, for example, transportation facilities such as trains or buses, commercial facilities such as retail stores or restaurants, accommodation facilities such as inns or hotels, exhibition facilities such as museums or museums, tourist facilities such as historic sites or famous places, stadiums or Exercise facilities such as gymnasiums. Further, a specific outdoor space (for example, an event venue) may be exemplified as the facility.

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, the information providing system 100 of the first embodiment includes an information acquisition device 10, a sound emitting system 20, and a distribution device 30. The user U carries the information acquisition device 10 and is located in the facility. For example, information terminals such as mobile phones and smartphones are suitable as the information acquisition device 10. The information acquisition device 10 can communicate with the distribution device 30 via a communication network 70 such as a mobile communication network or the Internet. Although a plurality of users U can actually use the service of the information providing system 100, one information acquisition device 10 will be focused on for convenience in the following description.

<Sound emitting system 20>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the sound emitting system 20. The sound emitting system 20 is an acoustic system that emits various sounds. The sound emitting system 20 is installed in the facility where the user U is located. For example, a sound (hereinafter referred to as “guidance sound”) G for notifying the user U in the facility of various kinds of guidance is emitted from the sound emitting system 20. For example, from the sound emitting system 20 installed in a transportation system such as a train or a bus, a guidance voice G or the like for notifying arrival / departure or delay of a train is emitted. In the first embodiment, information R related to the guidance voice G (hereinafter referred to as “provided information”) R is provided to the user U. The information acquisition device 10 of the first embodiment acquires, from the distribution device 30, the provision information R corresponding to the guidance voice G emitted by the sound emission system 20.

  As illustrated in FIG. 2, the sound emitting system 20 of the first embodiment includes a control device 21, a storage device 23, and a sound emitting device 25. The control device 21 is configured by a processing circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and controls each element of the sound emitting system 20 in a centralized manner. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the control device 21 realizes a plurality of functions (the modulation processing unit 212 and the mixing processing unit 214) by executing the program stored in the storage device 23. Note that some functions of the control device 21 may be realized by a dedicated electronic circuit. Further, the function of the control device 21 may be installed in a plurality of devices.

  The storage device 23 stores the program executed by the control device 21 and various data used by the control device 21. For example, a known recording medium such as a semiconductor recording medium and a magnetic recording medium, or a combination of a plurality of types of recording media can be arbitrarily adopted as the storage device 23. The storage device 23 of the first embodiment stores the voice table Ta. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the voice table Ta is a data table in which the identification information D is associated with each of the plurality of voice signals W respectively representing the plurality of different guide voices G. The plurality of audio signals W are generated in advance and registered in the audio table Ta. Each voice signal W is generated by applying a known voice synthesis process to a specific character string (for example, a character string representing the guidance voice G). Alternatively, the sound signal W is generated by collecting the sound of the specific character string by the speaker with the sound collecting device. The identification information D corresponding to the voice signal W of each guidance voice G is information for identifying the provision information R corresponding to the guidance voice G. The administrator of the sound emitting system 20 (for example, an employee of the facility) operates a plurality of operating devices (not shown) configured by a plurality of operators to generate a plurality of audio signals W stored in the storage device 23. It is possible to select any one audio signal W from Further, the storage device 23 stores information P (hereinafter referred to as “permission information”) indicating that the information acquisition device 10 is permitted to acquire the provision information R.

  The modulation processing unit 212 generates a modulation signal Y. The modulated signal Y is a signal representing the identification information D corresponding to the audio signal W selected by the administrator and the permission information P as acoustic components. The acoustic component indicating the identification information D and the acoustic component indicating the permission information P are alternately included in the modulated signal Y on the time axis. Specifically, the modulation processing unit 212, for example, performs amplitude modulation or frequency modulation that modulates a carrier wave of a predetermined frequency with the identification information D and the permission information P, or spreads the identification information D and the permission information P using a spread code. A modulation signal Y is generated by a modulation process such as modulation. The frequency band of the acoustic component representing the identification information D or the permission information P is, for example, a frequency band that can be reproduced by the sound emitting device 25, and exceeds the frequency band of the sound that the user U hears in a normal environment. The range (for example, 18 kHz or more and 20 kHz or less).

  The mixing processing unit 214 in FIG. 3 generates the acoustic signal V by mixing (for example, adding) the audio signal W selected by the administrator and the modulation signal Y generated by the modulation processing unit 212. As understood from the above description, in the audio signal V, the guide voice G selected by the administrator is mixed with the audio component representing the identification information D and the audio component representing the permission information P alternately on the time axis. It is a signal representing a mixed sound. The D / A converter for converting the acoustic signal V from digital to analog is omitted for convenience.

  The sound emitting device 25 (for example, a speaker) reproduces the sound represented by the sound signal V generated by the mixing processing unit 214. Specifically, in parallel with the sound emission of the guidance voice G, the sound component representing the identification information D and the sound component representing the permission information P are alternately emitted. That is, each of the acoustic component representing the identification information D and the acoustic component representing the permission information P is periodically emitted from the sound emitting device 25. As understood from the above description, the sound emitting device 25 of the first embodiment functions as an acoustic device that reproduces the guide voice G, and the identification information D or by the acoustic communication using the sound wave as the air vibration as the transmission medium. It also functions as a transmitter that transmits the permission information P to the surroundings. That is, in the first embodiment, the identification information D and the permission information P are transmitted to the surroundings by acoustic communication in which the sound emitting device 25 that emits the guidance voice G emits the sound of the identification information D and the permission information P. To be done.

<Information acquisition device 10>
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the information acquisition device 10. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the information acquisition device 10 includes a control device 11, a storage device 12, a communication device 13, a sound collection device 14, and a reproduction device 15. The information acquisition device 10 is typically an information terminal owned by the user U, as described above. However, a display terminal for guidance such as an electronic bulletin board installed in a transportation facility or an electronic signboard (digital signage) installed in a commercial facility may be used as the information acquisition device 10.

  The sound pickup device 14 is an audio device (microphone) that picks up ambient sounds. Specifically, the sound collecting device 14 collects the sound emitted by the sound emitting system 20 to generate the acoustic signal X representing the waveform of the sound. The acoustic signal X includes the acoustic component of the identification information D or the acoustic component of the permission information P. Note that the illustration of an A / D converter that converts the acoustic signal X generated by the sound collection device 14 from analog to digital is omitted for convenience. Further, instead of the sound collecting device 14 configured integrally with the information acquiring device 10, a separate sound collecting device 14 may be connected to the information acquiring device 10 by wire or wirelessly.

  The control device 11 (an example of a computer) is configured by a processing circuit such as a CPU, for example, and integrally controls each element of the information acquisition device 10. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the control device 11 realizes a plurality of functions (extraction unit 113, acquisition control unit 115, acquisition unit 117, and reproduction control unit 119) by executing a program stored in the storage device 12. To do. Note that some functions of the control device 11 may be realized by a dedicated electronic circuit. Further, the function of the control device 11 may be installed in a plurality of devices.

  The storage device 12 stores a program executed by the control device 11 and various data used by the control device 11. For example, a known recording medium such as a semiconductor recording medium and a magnetic recording medium, or a combination of a plurality of types of recording media can be arbitrarily adopted as the storage device 12.

  The extraction unit 113 executes a process of extracting the identification information D and the permission information P from the acoustic signal X generated by the sound collection device 14 (hereinafter referred to as “extraction process”). Specifically, the extraction process includes a filtering process for emphasizing a frequency band including the acoustic component of the identification information D in the acoustic signal X, and a demodulation process corresponding to the modulation process for the identification information D. Further, the permission information P is extracted from the acoustic signal X by the same method as the extraction of the identification information D.

  When the user U is located within a specific range (hereinafter referred to as “specific range”) in which the sound from the sound emitting system 20 can be collected by the sound collecting device 14, the identification information D and the permission information P are extracted by the extraction process. To be extracted. On the other hand, when the user U is located outside the specific range, the identification information D and the permission information P are not extracted in the extraction process. That is, when the information acquisition device 10 moves from outside the specific range to within the specific range, the identification information D and the permission information P are extracted, and when the information acquisition device 10 moves from within the specific range to outside the specific range, the identification information D and the permission. The information P is no longer extracted. In the first embodiment, the permission information P and the identification information D are alternately extracted when the user U is located within the specific range.

  The acquisition unit 117 performs an operation of acquiring the provision information R corresponding to the identification information D extracted from the acoustic signal X (hereinafter referred to as “acquisition operation”). Specifically, the acquisition unit 117 has a state in which the acquisition operation is effectively executed (a state in which the acquisition unit 117 is activated) and an invalid state in which the acquisition operation is not performed (a state in which the acquisition unit 117 is not activated). Switch to. The state in which the acquisition operation is valid is, for example, the state in which the program module functioning as the acquisition unit 117 is being executed. That is, the provision information R corresponding to the identification information D is effectively acquired by the acquisition operation. On the other hand, the state in which the acquisition operation is invalid is a state in which the program module functioning as the acquisition unit 117 is stopped. That is, the provision information R is not acquired even if the identification information D is extracted.

  The acquisition unit 117 of the first embodiment acquires the provision information R corresponding to the identification information D from the distribution device 30 by transmitting the identification information D to the distribution device 30. Specifically, when the acquisition operation is valid, the acquisition unit 117 causes the communication device 13 to transmit the identification information D to the distribution device 30, and the communication device 13 receives the provision information R from the distribution device 30. When the acquisition operation is invalid, the identification information D is not transmitted to the distribution device 30 even if the identification information D is extracted by the extraction process.

  The acquisition control unit 115 switches the acquisition unit 117 between valid and invalid. Specifically, when the extraction unit 113 extracts the permission information P, the acquisition control unit 115 switches the acquisition operation from invalid to valid. Further, the acquisition control unit 115 switches the acquisition operation from valid to invalid when the extraction unit 113 has not extracted the permission information P for a predetermined period.

  The communication device 13 is a communication device that communicates with the distribution device 30 via the communication network 70 under the control of the control device 11. Specifically, the communication device 13 transmits the identification information D extracted by the extraction unit 113 to the distribution device 30 under the control of the acquisition unit 117. The communication device 13 also receives the provision information R transmitted from the distribution device 30 under the control of the acquisition unit 117.

  The reproduction control unit 119 causes the reproduction device 15 to reproduce the provision information R received by the communication device 13. As described above, the provision information R of the first embodiment is information related to the guide voice G emitted from the sound emitting system 20. For example, a character string representing the guidance voice G, a character string obtained by translating the character string into another language, or the like is exemplified as the provision information R.

  The reproduction device 15 is an output device that reproduces the provision information R. The reproduction device 15 of the first embodiment includes a display device (for example, a liquid crystal display panel) that displays an image represented by the provision information R.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a process executed by the control device 21 of the information acquisition device 10. For example, the processing of FIG. 4 is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle. Note that, in parallel with the processing of FIG. 4, the extraction processing is periodically performed on the acoustic signal X generated by the sound collection device 14. That is, the extraction process is executed a plurality of times during the period in which the process of FIG. 4 is being executed. Before the start of the process of FIG. 4, it is assumed that the acquisition operation is invalid.

  When the process of FIG. 4 is started, the acquisition control unit 115 determines whether or not the permission information P is extracted by the extraction process of the extraction unit 113 (Sa1). That is, the extraction of the permission information P is awaited (Sa1: NO). When the permission information P is extracted (Sa1: YES), the acquisition control unit 115 switches the acquisition operation from invalid to valid (Sa2). The acquisition control unit 115 determines whether or not the identification information D extracted by the extraction process is unprocessed (Sa3). That is, it is determined whether the provision information R corresponding to the identification information D extracted by the extraction process has been acquired. For example, the identification information D extracted by the extraction process immediately after the user U enters the specific range is determined to be unprocessed. When it is determined that the identification information D is unprocessed (Sa3: YES), the acquisition unit 117 transmits the identification information D to the distribution device 30 by the communication device 13 (Sa4). The distribution device 30 identifies the provision information R corresponding to the identification information D transmitted from the information acquisition device 10, and transmits the provision information R to the information acquisition device 10. The acquisition unit 117 receives the provided information R from the distribution device 30 by the communication device 13 (Sa5). The reproduction control unit 119 causes the reproduction device 15 to reproduce the provided information R (Sa6). That is, every time unprocessed new identification information D is extracted (Sa3: YES), the transmission of the identification information D (Sa4) and the reception of the provided information R (Sa5) and reproduction (Sa6) are executed. . The processing of steps Sa4 and Sa5 is the acquisition operation.

  The identification information D is repeatedly extracted a plurality of times. When the acquisition and reproduction of the provision information R corresponding to one piece of identification information D are completed, it is determined that the same identification information D extracted thereafter is processed (Sa3: NO). When it is determined that the identification information D has been processed (Sa3: NO), or when the acquisition (Sa4, Sa5) and the reproduction (Sa6) of the provision information R are completed, the acquisition control unit 115 determines that the permission information P has been acquired. Is determined for a predetermined period of time (Sa7). The predetermined period is a period for a predetermined time length from the time when the permission information P was extracted immediately before. When the information acquisition device 10 is continuously located in the specific range, the periodic extraction of the permission information P is continued. Therefore, the permission information P is received again before the elapse of the predetermined period. When the permission information P is extracted within the predetermined period (Sa7: NO), the acquisition control unit 115 shifts the processing to step Sa3. That is, the transmission of the identification information D (Sa4) and the reception of the provision information R (Sa5) and reproduction (Sa6) are executed on the condition that the unprocessed identification information D is extracted.

  On the other hand, when the information acquisition device 10 moves from the inside to the outside of the specific range, the extraction unit 113 cannot extract the permission information P. When the permission information P cannot be extracted within the predetermined period (Sa7: YES), the acquisition control unit 115 switches the acquisition operation from valid to invalid (Sa8). Therefore, even when the identification information D is extracted, the provision information R cannot be acquired. When the acquisition operation is switched from valid to invalid, the acquisition control unit 115 shifts the processing to step Sa1 and waits for extraction of the permission information P.

<Distribution device 30>
FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the distribution device 30. The distribution device 30 is a computer system for providing the provision information R to the information acquisition device 10 that has acquired the identification information D. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the distribution device 30 of the first embodiment includes a control device 31, a storage device 33, and a communication device 35.

  The control device 31 is configured by a processing circuit such as a CPU, for example, and integrally controls each element of the distribution device 30. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the control device 31 realizes a plurality of functions (the communication control unit 312 and the specifying unit 314) by executing the program stored in the storage device 33. Note that some functions of the control device 31 may be realized by a dedicated electronic circuit. Further, the function of the control device 31 may be installed in a plurality of devices.

  The communication device 35 is a communication device that communicates with the information acquisition device 10 via the communication network 70 under the control of the control device 31. The communication device 35 of the first embodiment receives the identification information D transmitted from the information acquisition device 10 and transmits the provision information R corresponding to the identification information D to the information acquisition device 10.

  The storage device 33 stores a program executed by the control device 31 and various data used by the control device 31. For example, a known recording medium such as a semiconductor recording medium and a magnetic recording medium, or a combination of a plurality of types of recording media can be arbitrarily adopted as the storage device 33. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the storage device 33 of the first embodiment stores the provision table Tb. The provision table Tb is a data table in which a plurality of pieces of identification information D (D_1, D_2, ...) Are associated with different provision information R.

  The communication control unit 312 causes the communication device 35 to perform an operation of receiving the identification information D from the information acquisition device 10 and an operation of transmitting the provision information R corresponding to the identification information D to the information acquisition device 10 that is the transmission source. .

  The identifying unit 314 identifies the provision information R corresponding to the identification information D transmitted from the information acquisition device 10. Specifically, the provision information R corresponding to the identification information D transmitted from the information acquisition device 10 is specified from among the plurality of provision information R (R_1, R_2, ...) Registered in the provision table Tb. The provided information R identified by the identifying unit 314 is transmitted to the information acquisition device 10. As described above, the information acquisition device 10 reproduces the provided information R transmitted from the distribution device 30.

  For example, in a configuration in which the user U performs an operation for validating the acquisition operation on the information acquisition device 10 (hereinafter referred to as “comparative”), for example, the operation by the user U is performed each time the provided information R is acquired. There is a problem that it is necessary and time-consuming. On the other hand, in the first embodiment, the acquisition operation becomes effective when the permission information P is extracted from the acoustic signal X. Therefore, the provision information R can be acquired without the user U performing an operation for validating the acquisition operation on the information acquisition device 10. That is, there is an advantage that it is more convenient for the user U as compared with the case of the proportionality. Further, since the acquisition operation is invalid until the identification information D is extracted, the power consumption is reduced as compared with, for example, a configuration in which the acquisition operation is always valid.

  The first embodiment adopts a configuration in which the provision information R is acquired from the distribution device 30 by transmitting the identification information D. In the above configuration, transmitting the identification information D to the distribution device 30 each time the identification information D is extracted poses a security problem such as information leakage of the transmission source (information acquisition device 10). According to the configuration of the first embodiment that transmits the identification information D to the distribution device 30 when the permission information P is extracted, the security of the transmission source is ensured.

<Second Embodiment>
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that, in each of the following examples, elements having the same functions as those in the first embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals as those used in the description of the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be appropriately omitted.

  In the first embodiment, the acquisition operation is invalidated when the permission information P is not extracted for a predetermined period. In the second embodiment, the acquisition operation is invalidated when the extraction unit 113 extracts information that prohibits acquisition of the provided information R (hereinafter referred to as “prohibition information”).

  The sound emitting system 20 according to the second embodiment emits the same guidance voice G as that of the first embodiment, the sound representing the identification information D, the sound representing the permission information P, and the sound representing the prohibition information. To do. Specifically, the modulation processing unit 212 of the second embodiment generates a modulation signal Y that represents the identification information D, the permission information P, and the prohibition information as acoustic components, and the mixing processing unit 214 causes the modulation signal Y to be generated. And the audio signal W are mixed to generate an acoustic signal V. The sound emitting device 25 emits the sound represented by the sound signal V generated by the mixing processing unit 214.

  The sound of the permission information P and the sound of the prohibition information are emitted at different times. The administrator of the sound emitting system 20 can arbitrarily set the time at which the sound of the prohibition information is emitted. For example, if the permission information P is transmitted within the period in which a specific event is held and the prohibition information is transmitted at the end of the period, the provision of the provision information R can be limited to the period. That is, the provision of the provision information R can be limited in time. The sound of the identification information D is emitted in parallel with the guidance voice G during the event, for example. It is optional whether or not the sound of the permission information P and the sound of the prohibition information are sounded in parallel with the guidance voice G.

  The sound collection device 14 of the information acquisition device 10 of the second embodiment collects the sound emitted by the sound emission system 20 as in the first embodiment, thereby generating the acoustic signal X. The acoustic signal X includes the acoustic component of the identification information D, the acoustic component of the permission information P, or the acoustic component of the prohibition information.

  In the extraction processing by the extraction unit 113 of the second embodiment, the identification information D, the permission information P, and the prohibition information are extracted from the acoustic signal X generated by the sound collection device 14. The acquisition control unit 115 of the second embodiment switches the acquisition operation between invalid and valid, as in the first embodiment. Specifically, the acquisition control unit 115 switches the acquisition operation from invalid to valid when the permission information P is extracted by the extraction processing, and executes the acquisition operation when the prohibition information is extracted by the extraction processing. Switch from valid to invalid. Similar to the first embodiment, the acquisition unit 117 of the second embodiment acquires the provision information R by transmitting the identification information D to the distribution device 30 when the acquisition operation is valid. The reproduction control unit 119 of the second embodiment causes the reproduction device 15 to reproduce the provision information R acquired from the distribution device 30, similarly to the first embodiment. When the acquisition operation is invalid, the identification information D is not transmitted to the distribution device 30 even if the identification information D is extracted by the extraction process.

  The process executed by the control device 11 of the information acquisition device 10 according to the second embodiment is replaced with the process of step Sa7 in FIG. 4 by a process of determining whether the prohibition information is extracted. Specifically, when the prohibition information is extracted (Sa7: YES), the acquisition control unit 115 switches the acquisition operation from valid to invalid (Sa8). On the other hand, when the prohibition information has not been extracted (Sa7: NO), the acquisition control unit 115 proceeds to step Sa3.

  Also in the second embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment is realized. Further, in the first embodiment, the acquisition operation becomes invalid when the permission information P is not extracted for a predetermined period, and in the second embodiment, the acquisition operation becomes invalid when the prohibition information is extracted. Therefore, it becomes unnecessary for the user U to perform the operation of invalidating the acquisition operation on the information acquisition device 10. Note that the second embodiment has an advantage that the administrator can arbitrarily set the time when the acquisition operation is invalidated.

<Modification>
The specific modes of modification added to the above-described modes will be illustrated below. A plurality of modes arbitrarily selected from the following examples may be appropriately merged within a range not inconsistent with each other.

(1) In each of the above-described embodiments, the information related to the guidance voice G is exemplified as the provision information R, but the provision information R is not limited to the above examples. Information irrelevant to the guidance voice G may be provided information R. For example, information indicating the facility where the user U is located, information on services or products provided in the facility, coupons that can be used at the facility, advertisements relating to the facility, and information indicating the location of information relating to the facility (for example, URL). Are used as the provision information R. Note that the information unrelated to the facility where the user U is located may be the provision information R.

(2) In each of the above-described embodiments, the sound emitting system 20 emits the guide voice G, but it is not essential in the present invention that the sound emitting system 20 emits the guide voice G (that is, the sound in the audible band). . For example, a configuration is adopted in which the sound of the identification information D and the sound of the permission information P (that is, the sound in the inaudible band) are emitted without emitting the guide voice G.

(3) In each of the above-described embodiments, the guidance sound G is emitted from the sound emission system 20, but the sound emitted by the sound emission system 20 is not limited to the guidance sound G. The sound emitting device 25 may emit various sounds different from the guidance sound G or music.

(4) In each of the above-described embodiments, the process of invalidating the acquisition operation is executed, but it is not essential to execute the process of disabling the acquisition operation in the present invention.

(5) In each of the above-described embodiments, the provision information R is acquired from the distribution device 30, but the acquisition destination of the provision information R is not limited to the distribution device 30. For example, the information acquisition device 10 may acquire the provision information R corresponding to the identification information D from the internal storage device 12. The provision table Tb of FIG. 5 is stored in the storage device 12. Particularly, in the case of the provision information R that notifies an emergency (for example, a disaster such as a fire or an earthquake), it is necessary to reliably provide the provision information R to the user U. Therefore, a configuration is preferable in which the provision information R is acquired from the inside of the information acquisition device 10 without communicating with the distribution device 30. In the above configuration, when the permission information P is extracted, the provision information R corresponding to the identification information D is specified from the storage device 12 in the acquisition operation.

(6) In the second embodiment, provision of provision information is limited in time, but provision of provision information may be limited in position. For example, if the permission information P is transmitted at the entrance of a specific facility and the prohibition information is transmitted at the exit of the facility, provision of the provision information R can be limited to the inside of the facility. That is, the provision of the provision information R can be restricted in terms of position.

(7) In each of the above-described embodiments, the permission information P is transmitted from the sound emitting device 25 that emits the sound of the identification information D, but even if the permission information P is transmitted from a sound emitting device different from the sound emitting device 25. Good. For example, in the case where the guidance voice G is sounded throughout the facility, the sound of the permission information P is emitted from the sound emitting device installed within the facility where the acquisition of the provided information R is permitted. Good. Similarly in the second embodiment, the prohibition information may be transmitted from a sound emitting device different from the sound emitting device 25. For example, when the guidance voice G is emitted throughout the facility, even if the sound of the prohibition information is emitted from the sound emission device installed in the facility in a range where acquisition of the provided information R is prohibited. Good.

(8) In each of the above-described embodiments, the sound of the permission information P and the sound of the identification information D are alternately emitted in parallel with the guidance voice G. However, the sound of the permission information P and the sound of the identification information D are emitted. The temporal relationship with the sound emission of is not limited to the above examples. For example, after the sound of the permission information P is sounded, the sound of the identification information D may be sounded in parallel with the guidance voice G. Further, for example, the sound of the permission information P may be emitted in parallel with the first half of the guidance voice G, and the sound of the identification information D may be emitted in parallel with the second half of the guidance voice G.

(9) In each of the above-described embodiments, the identification information D and the permission information P are transmitted from the sound emitting system 20, but information different from the identification information D and the permission information P may be transmitted from the sound emitting system 20. For example, the sound emitting system 20 may transmit information for authenticating the validity of the sound emitting system 20 (hereinafter referred to as “authentication information”). For example, the authentication information accompanying the identification information D is transmitted to the information acquisition device 10. The storage device 12 of the information acquisition device 10 stores in advance authentication information that may be transmitted from the valid sound emitting system 20. The information acquisition device 10 which has received the authentication information from the sound emitting system 20 distributes the identification information D received together with the authentication information, when the authentication information and the authentication information stored in the storage device 12 match, for example. To obtain the provided information R. On the other hand, if the authentication information does not match, the identification information D is not transmitted to the distribution device 30. According to the above configuration, it is possible to authenticate the sound emitting system 20 and the distribution device 30.

  Further, the sound emitting system 20 may transmit the information indicating the position, time, etc. at which the acquisition of the provision information R is permitted, to the permission information P, for example.

(10) In each of the above-described embodiments, different permission information P may be used for each identification information D, or common permission information P may be used for a plurality of identification information D. Further, in the second embodiment, different prohibition information may be used for each piece of identification information D, or common prohibition information may be used for a plurality of pieces of identification information D.

(11) In each of the above-described embodiments, the sound corresponding to the voice signal W stored in advance in the storage device 23 of the sound emitting system 20 is emitted, but the guide voice G generated by the administrator is generated. The identification information D may be included in the sound signal and the sound may be emitted in real time. For example, the identification information D selected by the administrator when the guide voice G is pronounced is included in the acoustic signal.

  Further, each time the guidance voice G is emitted, the voice signal W may be generated by, for example, a voice synthesis process for a character string representing the guidance voice G. For example, the storage device 20 stores a data table in which the identification information D is associated with each of a plurality of character strings representing different guidance voices G and registered. The voice signal W is generated by the voice synthesis process for an arbitrary character string selected by the administrator from the plurality of character strings. The acoustic component of the identification information D corresponding to the character string selected by the administrator is emitted along with the guide voice G represented by the voice signal W.

(12) In each of the above-described embodiments, the provision information R is presented by the display of the reproduction device 15, but the provision information R may be presented by causing the reproduction device 15 to emit a sound representing the provision information R, for example. That is, the reproduction device 15 includes one or both of a display device that presents the provision information R by displaying an image and a sound emitting device that presents the provision information R by emitting sound.

(13) In each of the above-described modes, when the acquisition operation is valid, a configuration is suitably adopted that notifies the user U that the acquisition operation is valid. For example, the reproduction device 15 is caused to reproduce an image or sound indicating that the acquisition operation is effective.

(14) In each of the above-described embodiments, the acquisition operation is validated when the permission information P is extracted. However, for example, when providing the provision information R that notifies the occurrence of an emergency, an identification indicating the provision information R is provided. The acquisition operation may be enabled upon the extraction of the information D. That is, the provision information R can be acquired regardless of whether the permission information P is extracted.

(15) The function of the information acquisition device 10 according to each of the above-described modes is realized by cooperation of a processing circuit such as a CPU and a program as illustrated in each mode. The program according to each of the above-described modes may 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 any known recording medium such as a semiconductor recording medium or a magnetic recording medium is used. The recording medium of the form is also included. It should be noted that the non-transitory recording medium includes any recording medium other than a transient propagation signal (transitory, propagating signal), and a volatile recording medium is not excluded. Further, the program may be provided to the computer in the form of distribution via a communication network.

<Appendix>
From the above-exemplified embodiments, the following configurations are understood, for example.

  An information acquisition method according to a preferred aspect (first aspect) of the present invention is a permission indicating permission to acquire additional information from an acoustic signal generated by a sound collecting device by collecting sound emitted from the sound emitting device. The information and the identification information corresponding to the provision information are extracted, and the operation of acquiring the provision information corresponding to the identification information extracted from the acoustic signal is enabled when the permission information is extracted. When is enabled, the provided information is acquired by the operation. According to the above aspect, when the permission information is extracted from the sound signal generated by the sound collection of the sound by the sound collecting device, the operation of acquiring the provision information corresponding to the identification information extracted from the sound signal is performed. validate. Therefore, it is possible to acquire the provision information without the user performing an operation for validating the operation of acquiring the provision information.

  In the preferred example of the first aspect (second aspect), in the acquisition of the provision information, the identification information is transmitted to the distribution device, and thereby the provision information corresponding to the identification information is acquired from the distribution device. In the configuration in which the provision information is acquired from the distribution device by transmitting the identification information, transmitting the identification information to the distribution device each time the identification information is extracted poses a security problem such as information leakage of the transmission source. According to the above aspect, since the identification information is transmitted to the distribution device when the permission information is extracted, the security of the transmission source is ensured.

  In the preferred example of the first aspect or the second aspect (third aspect), the acoustic component representing the permission information is periodically emitted from the sound emitting device, and the permission information is not extracted for a predetermined period. Then, the operation of acquiring the provided information is invalidated. According to the above aspect, when the permission information is not extracted for a predetermined period of time, the operation of acquiring the additional information becomes invalid, and thus the operation of invalidating the operation of acquiring the additional information becomes unnecessary.

  In a preferred example of the first aspect or the second aspect (fourth aspect), prohibition information indicating prohibition of acquisition of the provision information is extracted from the acoustic signal, and the provision information is acquired when the prohibition information is extracted. Disable the action. According to the above aspect, when the prohibition information is extracted, the operation of acquiring the additional information becomes invalid, so that the operation of invalidating the operation of acquiring the additional information becomes unnecessary.

  The information acquisition device according to a preferred aspect (aspect 5) of the present invention is permission information indicating permission for acquisition of additional information from an acoustic signal generated by the sound collecting device by sound collection of sound emitted from the sound emitting device. And an extraction unit that extracts identification information corresponding to the provision information, an acquisition unit that acquires the provision information corresponding to the identification information extracted from the acoustic signal, and the extraction unit extracts the permission information. And an acquisition control unit that enables the operation of acquiring the provided information by the acquisition unit. According to the above aspect, when the permission information is extracted from the sound signal generated by the sound collection of the sound by the sound collecting device, the operation of acquiring the provision information corresponding to the identification information extracted from the sound signal is performed. validate. Therefore, it is possible to acquire the provision information without the user performing an operation for validating the operation of acquiring the provision information.

Reference numeral 100 ... Information providing system, 10 ... Information acquisition device, 11 ... Control device, 113 ... Extraction unit, 115 ... Acquisition control unit, 117 ... Acquisition unit, 119 ... Reproduction control unit, 12 ... Storage device, 13 ... Communication device, 14 ... sound collecting device, 15 ... reproducing device, 20 ... sound emitting system, 21 ... control device, 212 ... modulation processing unit, 214 ... mixing processing unit, 23 ... storage device, 25 ... sound emitting device, 30 ... distribution device, 31 ... Control device, 312 ... Communication control unit, 314 ... Specification unit, 33 ... Storage device, 35 ... Communication device, 70 ... Communication network.

Claims (5)

From the acoustic signal generated by the sound collecting device by collecting the sound emitted from the sound emitting device, the permission information indicating permission of acquisition of the additional information, and the identification information corresponding to the additional information is extracted,
The operation of acquiring the provision information corresponding to the identification information extracted from the acoustic signal is enabled when the permission information is extracted,
An information acquisition method implemented by a computer, which acquires the provided information by the operation when the operation is enabled. The information acquisition method according to claim 1, wherein in the acquisition of the provision information, the provision information corresponding to the identification information is acquired from the distribution device by transmitting the identification information to the distribution device. The acoustic component representing the permission information is periodically emitted from the sound emitting device,
The information acquisition method according to claim 1, wherein the operation of acquiring the provision information is invalidated when the permission information is not extracted for a predetermined period. Extracting prohibition information indicating prohibition of acquisition of the provided information from the acoustic signal,
The information acquisition method according to claim 1, wherein when the prohibition information is extracted, the operation of acquiring the provision information is invalidated. An extraction unit that extracts permission information indicating permission to acquire additional information, and identification information corresponding to the additional information, from an acoustic signal generated by the sound pickup device by collecting sound emitted from the sound emitting device. ,
An acquisition unit that acquires the provided information corresponding to the identification information extracted from the acoustic signal,
An acquisition control unit that enables the operation of acquiring the provided information by the acquisition unit when the extraction unit extracts the permission information.

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