JP4049244B2 - Message device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a message device, and more particularly to a message device suitable for reliably transmitting a message message to a designated person from among a plurality of people.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-231397 discloses a conventional message device for a plurality of people. In this prior art, when a message is to be transmitted only to a father in the family, a message message is recorded on the message device, and then a button corresponding to “Dad” of the partner button provided on the message device is specified.
[0003]
Then, when the father returns home and says a keyword to the message device, the message message addressed to the father is reproduced. Here, the keyword is a keyword in which an arbitrary word that points to itself is registered in advance by a father or another family, and the message device identifies individual members of the family by the keyword.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The conventional message device described above needs to be in contact with the message device with the awareness that the person receiving the message has a message addressed to him / herself, and forgetting the presence of the message device, There is a problem that the message cannot be transmitted. In particular, even if a message message is recorded to a child of a preschool child or an elementary school child, since the child does not pay attention to the presence of a message device, the recorded message message is not transmitted to the other party. Arise.
[0005]
In addition, in the conventional technology, since the message device uses a keyword for each person as a method for identifying the message partner designated from a plurality of persons, the message message addressed to that person is reproduced because the keyword of another person is mistakenly stated. Therefore, if the message device has a function of deleting the message message once reproduced, there is a problem that the message message cannot be transmitted to the designated message partner.
[0006]
An object of the present invention is to provide a message device capable of reliably transmitting a message message to a message partner designated from among a plurality of persons.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The message device of the present invention includes a designation means for designating a message partner, a recording means for recording a message message for the message partner designated by the designation means, a storage means for holding biometric feature information of the message partner, a sound Sound output means for monitoring the state of the sound and outputting sound when a sound is heard; and when the sound is sounded, the camera is directed toward the opponent approaching from the direction of the sound, and the image is taken into the image pickup range of the camera to pick up the opponent The biometric feature information obtained from the captured image, and the biometric feature information obtained by the obtaining means is compared with the biometric feature information of the message partner held in the storage means to determine whether or not they match And a reproducing means for reproducing the message message for the message partner when it is determined that the recognition means matches, and a message transmitted to the partner before the message message is reproduced by the reproducing means. Characterized in that it comprises a means for notifying that there is a message.
With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the message partner from listening to the message content by suddenly reproducing the message message.
[0008]
The message device of the present invention includes a designation means for designating a message partner, a recording means for recording a message message for the message partner designated by the designation means, a storage means for holding biometric feature information of the message partner, a sound Sound output means for monitoring the state of the sound and outputting sound when a sound is heard; and when the sound is sounded, the camera is directed toward the opponent approaching from the direction of the sound, and the image is taken into the image pickup range of the camera to pick up the opponent The biometric feature information obtained from the captured image, and the biometric feature information obtained by the obtaining means is compared with the biometric feature information of the message partner held in the storage means to determine whether or not they match Means, a touch sensor, and a playback means for playing back the message message to the message partner when it is determined that the recognition means match and the touch sensor senses contact. The features.
With this configuration, the message transmission effect is enhanced because the message is reproduced after the other party touches the touch sensor.
[0009]
The message device of the present invention includes a designation means for designating a message partner, a recording means for recording a message message for the message partner designated by the designation means, a storage means for holding biometric feature information of the message partner, a sound Sound output means for monitoring the state of the sound and outputting sound when a sound is heard; and when the sound is sounded, the camera is directed toward the opponent approaching from the direction of the sound, and the image is taken into the image pickup range of the camera to pick up the opponent The biometric feature information obtained from the captured image and the biometric feature information obtained by the obtaining means is compared with the biometric feature information of the message partner held in the storage means to determine whether or not they match And a reproducing means for reproducing the message message for the message partner when it is determined that the recognition means match.
With this configuration, it is possible to capture an image for recognizing the other party's biological feature information in a state where the other party is turned around.
[0010]
The message device of the present invention includes a designation means for designating a message partner, a recording means for recording a message message for the message partner designated by the designation means, a storage means for holding biometric feature information of the message partner, a sound Sound output means for monitoring the state of the sound and outputting sound when a sound is heard; and when the sound is sounded, the camera is directed toward the opponent approaching from the direction of the sound, and the image is taken into the image pickup range of the camera to pick up the opponent The biometric feature information obtained from the captured image, and the biometric feature information obtained by the obtaining means is compared with the biometric feature information of the message partner held in the storage means to determine whether or not they match Means for reproducing the message message for the message partner when it is determined that the recognition means matches, and the message transmitted by the reproduction means is tagged. Characterized in that it comprises a means for stopping again the reproduction of the same voice mail message to the hand.
With this configuration, the message is not reproduced again for the same party.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0012]
FIG. 1 is an external view of a pet type robot equipped with a message device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The reason why the message device is installed in the pet-type robot in this embodiment is to allow even a child to touch the message device unconsciously. However, as will be described later, the message device of the present invention is provided in this embodiment. It is not limited to.
[0013]
In FIG. 1, a pet-type robot 1 that performs autonomous walking has a dog shape, an imaging camera 2 is mounted on the face portion, a microphone 5 (see FIG. 2) is mounted on the ear 4 portion, A speaker 6 (see FIG. 2) is mounted on the portion. In addition, the ear 4, the limbs 8a, 8b,..., The neck 9, the tail 10 and the like are each driven by articulation, and various operations such as walking, sitting and ringing can be autonomously performed. ing.
[0014]
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a message device mounted on the pet-type robot 1. This message device is equipped with various components, which will be described later, such as a microphone 5 and a camera (imaging device) 2, but these components are not equipped exclusively for the message device, but are used for performing other functions. The robot equipped with the type robot 1 is also used.
[0015]
The message device shown in FIG. 2 includes a camera 2, a microphone 5 and a speaker 6 mounted on the head portion of the pet-type robot 1, a controller 20 mounted on the body portion, an operation panel 21, a storage unit 22, a recognition unit 23, And a power supply unit 24. The operation panel 21 is provided on the body side of the pet-type robot 1, and the operation surface is exposed to the outside by opening the cover 11 shown in FIG.
[0016]
This message device processes the image captured by the camera 2 to determine whether or not the message partner is in front of itself, and when it is determined that the message partner is nearby, there is a message. Is output from the speaker 6, the replying party utters a reply voice “play”, and when the voice output is captured from the microphone 5 and recognized, the message recorded in the storage unit 22 is played back. The output is from the speaker 6.
[0017]
In the storage unit 22 of the pet-type robot 1, for example, individual personal face images of the entire family are registered, and the recognition unit 23 calculates the feature amounts of the currently captured face image and the registered face image. In comparison, it is determined whether or not the person who is currently in front is a registered family, and in the case of a family, it is determined who the family is.
[0018]
FIG. 3 is a front view of the operation panel 21 shown in FIG. The operation panel 21 includes a display screen 31, a registration button 32, a message button 33, a selection button 34, a determination button 35, an imaging button 36, a recording button 37, a playback button 38, and an erase button 39. And are provided.
[0019]
When registering an individual face image of a family member, the registration button 32 is pressed, the face of the person to be registered is directed to the camera 2 (face of the pet-type robot 1), and the imaging button 36 is pressed. This picked-up image is displayed on the display screen 31. If the picked-up image is unclear, the delete button 39 is pressed to delete it, and the image is picked up again.
[0020]
The face image to be registered is compressed and stored in the storage unit 22. The recognizing unit 23 analyzes the face image to extract a feature amount, and stores the feature amount data in the storage unit 22 in association with the face image. When this pet type robot 1 has a learning ability, the feature amount data for each registration target person increases over time, and even when only the front image is registered first, the recognition unit It is possible to determine whether or not the user is a registrant with a profile image 23.
[0021]
A voice message that outputs the message message (in the above example, “There is a message” can also be registered arbitrarily. In this case, after pressing the registration button 32, the recording button 37 is pressed, Yes, "(or another voice message). This will register any voice message with the voice of any person.
[0022]
It is also possible to register the response voice (reply “play back” in the above example) for the output of the voice message “There is a message” for personal correspondence. When a high-performance arithmetic processing unit is installed as the recognition unit 23, it is possible not only to determine the presence / absence of a response using the response voice as a keyword, but also to check the voiceprint of the response voice.
[0023]
In order to record a message message, the message button 33 is pressed. Each time the selection button 34 is pressed, the registrant's face images are displayed one after another on the display screen 31. Therefore, when the face image to be the message partner is displayed, the decision button 35 is pressed to determine the message partner. This message partner is not limited to one person, but a plurality of persons can be specified.
[0024]
Next, the recording button 37 is pressed to record a message message toward the microphone 5 (the ear 4 of the pet robot 1). The message message is compressed as digital data and stored in the storage unit 22 formed of a semiconductor memory. If the user wants to check the message message, the user presses the play button 38 to output the message message from the speaker 6. If the user wants to correct the message message, the message message is deleted by pressing the delete button 39, and the message message is recorded again.
[0025]
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the message device having the above-described configuration. The controller 20 of the pet robot 1 monitors the state of the sound input to the microphone 5 and waits for the sound to be input (step S1). For example, when someone makes a sound of closing and the front door closes, the determination result in step S1 is affirmative (YES), the process proceeds to step S2, and the speaker 6 outputs “One One” as a voice. This has the effect of making the opponent face the direction of the pet-type robot 1.
[0026]
In the next step S3, the neck 7 of the pet-type robot 1 is moved (or the limbs 8a to 8d are moved) so as to face the direction of the sound. That is, the other party enters the imaging range of the camera 2. In step S4, the camera 2 picks up an image. In step S5, it is determined whether the partner's face image is a registered image and a message partner.
[0027]
If it is determined in step S5 that the partner is not a message partner, the process returns to step S1. If it is determined that the user is the message partner, the process proceeds to step S6, where a voice message “There is a message” is output from the speaker 6 and the value of the variable i is set to “0”.
[0028]
In the next step S7, the other party's reply is waited. If there is no response, the process proceeds to step 8 where i + 1 is entered as the value of the variable i, and it is determined whether i ≦ n in step S9. If i ≦ n, the process returns to step S7 again to wait for a response. If i> n, the process returns to step S1. As a result, it is possible to wait for the other party's reply for a required time, and when there is no reply, it is possible to give up playing the message message and wait for the next message transmission opportunity.
[0029]
When the message partner replies “replay”, the process proceeds from step S7 to step S10, and the message message for the message partner is reproduced from the speaker 6. In step S11, a message message that has been reproduced is tagged to clearly indicate that the message has been reproduced. Thereby, when the process shown in FIG. 4 is performed again, it can be determined that the message partner of the tagged message message is not the message partner in the determination of step S5, and the same message message is again sent to the same person. Against being played against.
[0030]
When the same message message is set for a plurality of people, this tag is attached to each message partner so that the message is reproduced only for the partner without the tag. In addition, when the person who recorded the message displays the message status list on the display screen 31 of the message device, it is easy to indicate who the message is transmitted to and who is not transmitted the message by displaying the tag status. Can know.
[0032]
In addition, the message message is played when there is a reply voice from the message partner, but the reply is not limited to the voice, and the message message may be played when a touch sensor touch is detected. The transmission effect will increase.
[0033]
Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the message device is mounted on the pet-type robot 1, but the present invention is not limited to the message device mounted on the pet-type robot 1. For example, with the recent spread of security systems, the number of homes and companies that install surveillance cameras inside and outside the entrance has increased, so it is possible to determine whether or not the other party is a message partner from the captured images of this surveillance camera. . Therefore, when the captured image of the surveillance camera is analyzed and it is determined that the other party is the message partner, the message message can be reproduced by the message device installed at the entrance or the like for the other party.
[0034]
Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, were subjected to recognition processing of the message party by comparison of the feature data of the face image, not the facial image, Ru possible der recognize the other party by the iris pattern.
[0035]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, it is possible to reliably transmit a message message to a partner designated from a plurality of persons.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an external view of a pet type robot equipped with a message device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a message device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a front view of the operation panel shown in FIG. 2. FIG.
4 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the message device shown in FIG. 2. FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pet type robot 2 Imaging camera 4 Ear 5 Microphone 6 Speaker 11 Cover 20 for operation panel Controller 21 Operation panel 22 Storage part 23 Recognition part 31 Display screen 32 Registration button 33 Message button 36 Imaging button 37 Recording button 38 Playback button

Claims (5)

A designation means for designating a message partner, a recording means for recording a message message for the message partner designated by the designation means, a storage means for holding the biometric feature information of the message partner, a sound status is monitored and the sound is A sound output means for outputting sound when the sound is generated, and when the sound is made, the camera is directed from the direction of the sound to the direction of the other party approaching, the image is taken in the image pickup range of the camera, and the biological feature information of the other party is captured The acquisition means acquired from the above, the recognition means for comparing the biometric feature information acquired by the acquisition means with the biometric feature information of the message partner held in the storage means, and the recognition means Reproduction means for reproducing the message message for the message partner when it is determined that they match, and that there is a message message for the other party before reproducing the message message by the reproduction means Message device, characterized in that it comprises a means for notifying. A designation means for designating a message partner, a recording means for recording a message message for the message partner designated by the designation means, a storage means for holding the biometric feature information of the message partner, a sound status is monitored and the sound is Sound output means for outputting sound when the sound is generated, and when the sound is made, the camera is directed from the direction of the sound to the direction of the other party approaching, the image is taken in the imaging range of the camera, and the biological feature information of the other party is captured An acquisition means for acquiring from, a recognition means for comparing the biometric feature information acquired by the acquisition means with the biometric feature information of the message partner held in the storage means, and a touch sensor; A message unit comprising: a reproduction unit that reproduces the message message to the message partner when it is determined that the recognition unit matches and the touch sensor senses contact. . A designation means for designating a message partner, a recording means for recording a message message for the message partner designated by the designation means, a storage means for holding the biometric feature information of the message partner, a sound status is monitored and the sound is A sound output means for outputting sound when the sound is generated, and when the sound is made, the camera is directed from the direction of the sound to the direction of the other party approaching, the image is taken in the image pickup range of the camera, and the biological feature information of the other party is captured The acquisition means acquired from the above, the recognition means for comparing the biometric feature information acquired by the acquisition means with the biometric feature information of the message partner held in the storage means, and the recognition means A message device comprising: reproduction means for reproducing the message message for the message partner when it is determined that they match. A designation means for designating a message partner, a recording means for recording a message message for the message partner designated by the designation means, a storage means for holding biometric feature information of the message partner, a sound status is monitored and the sound is A sound output means for outputting sound when the sound is generated, and when the sound is made, the camera is directed from the direction of the sound to the direction of the other party approaching, the image is taken in the image pickup range of the camera, and the biological feature information of the other party is captured An acquisition unit that acquires from the biometric feature information acquired by the acquisition unit by comparing with the biometric feature information of the message partner held in the storage unit, and the recognition unit A reproduction means for reproducing the message message for the message partner when it is determined to match, and tagging the message message reproduced by the reproduction means to the same message message to the same message partner Message device, characterized in that it comprises a means for stopping again the reproduction of di.   The message device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the message device is mounted on a pet-type robot that performs autonomous walking.

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