JP7012250B2 - Equipment control system - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a device control system in general, and more particularly to a device control system for controlling a device using voice recognition technology.

Conventionally, a control device for a lighting fixture using voice as a signal for remote control is known, and is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1. The control device for a lighting fixture described in Patent Document 1 is provided with a voice control means having a microphone and a voice recognition unit in each of the plurality of lighting fixtures. The voice control means is configured so as to be able to register in advance the identification voice of each lighting fixture and the instruction voice of lighting / extinguishing and dimming. Then, the command voice emitted with the identification voice is recognized by the voice recognition unit through the microphone, so that the lighting equipment corresponding to the identification voice is controlled.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-286275

However, in the lighting fixture control device of Patent Document 1, for example, when sound leaks from the outside of the room (space) in which the lighting fixture (equipment) exists to the room in which the lighting fixture exists, the sound leaked by the voice recognition unit. By reacting to, there was a possibility of erroneously controlling the luminaire.

The present disclosure has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a device control system capable of reducing the possibility of erroneously controlling a device due to a sound leaking from the outside.

The device control system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a sound input unit, a voice recognition unit, a human detection unit, and a control unit. The sound input unit outputs an electric signal based on the input sound. The voice recognition unit performs voice recognition based on the electric signal and outputs recognition information corresponding to the recognized voice. The person detection unit detects the presence or absence of a person in the space where the sound input unit is located, and outputs the detection result as detection information. The control unit controls the device in the space based on both the recognition information and the detection information.

The present disclosure has the advantage that the possibility of erroneously controlling the device due to the sound leaking from the outside can be reduced.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a device control system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a front view showing a lighting switch having the same device control system. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the above-mentioned device control system. 4A and 4B are conceptual diagrams for explaining the operation of the same device control system, respectively. FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the operation of the above-mentioned device control system. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a device control system according to a first modification of the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing a device control system according to a second modification of the embodiment of the present disclosure.

(1) Overview Hereinafter, the device control system 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The device control system 1 of the present embodiment is a system that controls devices installed in a facility by using voice recognition technology. The facility is, for example, a detached house, each dwelling unit of an apartment house, a store, a hospital, a school, an office, a factory, or a commercial facility. In this embodiment, a case where the device control system 1 is used for a detached house will be described as an example. Further, in the present embodiment, the device 2 to be controlled by the device control system 1 is a lighting device. Hereinafter, "equipment 2" is also referred to as "lighting equipment 2".

The lighting device 2 includes a plurality of LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) as a light source. Further, two or more of the plurality of LEDs are composed of LEDs having different emission colors. That is, in the present embodiment, the lighting device 2 has a light source capable of dimming and toning. The device control system 1 controls the lighting device 2 based on, for example, a voice emitted by a person. Specifically, the device control system 1 turns on, turns off, dims, or adjusts the color of the lighting device 2 based on the voice emitted by a person. "Voice" here refers to all sounds that a person intentionally makes, such as whistle, finger snapping sounds, and clapping sounds, in addition to the speech sounds that a person makes through the vocal organs. Includes.

The device control system 1 includes a microphone (sound input unit) 11, a voice recognition unit 12, a human detection unit 13, and a control unit 14. The microphone 11 outputs an electric signal based on the input sound. The voice recognition unit 12 performs voice recognition based on the electric signal output from the microphone 11, and outputs recognition information corresponding to the recognized voice. The "speech recognition" here includes not only the process of converting a human-generated speech into a character string, but also natural language processing such as semantic analysis and context analysis. The human detection unit 13 detects the presence or absence of a person in the space R1 (see FIG. 4A) in which the microphone 11 is located, and outputs the detection result as detection information.

The control unit 14 controls the device 2 in the space R1 based on the recognition information output by the voice recognition unit 12 and the detection information output by the human detection unit 13. That is, when a person exists in the space R1, the control unit 14 controls the device 2 in the space R1 according to the recognition information, and when the person does not exist in the space R1, the control unit 14 receives the recognition information in the space R1. It is possible not to control a certain device 2.

As described above, in the present embodiment, when there is no person in the space R1, even if the voice recognition unit 12 recognizes the voice emitted by the person, the device 2 in the space R1 is not controlled. It is possible to. Therefore, the present embodiment has an advantage that the possibility of erroneously controlling the device 2 by the sound leaking from the outside of the space R1 (for example, the sound emitted by a person outside the space R1) can be reduced. ..

(2) Details Hereinafter, the configuration of the device control system 1 of the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. As described above, the device control system 1 of the present embodiment includes a microphone 11, a voice recognition unit 12, a human detection unit 13, and a control unit 14. Further, the device control system 1 includes a storage unit 15 and an operation unit 16.

The microphone (sound input unit) 11 outputs an electric signal based on the input sound. Specifically, the microphone 11 collects a sound such as a voice emitted by a person, converts it into an electric signal, and outputs the converted electric signal to the voice recognition unit 12 and the person detection unit 13, respectively. In the present embodiment, the microphone 11 has an analog-digital conversion unit (A / D conversion unit), and converts an analog electric signal into a digital electric signal and outputs the signal.

The microphone 11 is built in a lighting switch 3 for switching on and off of the lighting device 2 (see FIG. 2). Similarly, the voice recognition unit 12, the human detection unit 13, the control unit 14, and the storage unit 15 are also built in the lighting switch 3. The lighting switch 3 is installed on the wall surface of the space R1 (hereinafter, also referred to as “first room R1”) in which the lighting device 2 is provided (see FIG. 4A). That is, the microphone 11, the human detection unit 13, and the lighting device 2 are all provided in the same space R1.

The voice recognition unit 12 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer whose main configuration is a processor and a memory. That is, the voice recognition unit 12 is realized by a computer system having a processor and a memory. Then, when the processor executes an appropriate program, the computer system functions as the voice recognition unit 12. The program may be pre-recorded in a memory, may be recorded through a telecommunication line such as the Internet, or may be recorded and provided on a non-temporary recording medium such as a memory card.

Like the voice recognition unit 12, the human detection unit 13 and the control unit 14 are each composed of, for example, a microcomputer. That is, the human detection unit 13 and the control unit 14 are also realized by a computer system having a processor and a memory, like the voice recognition unit 12.

The voice recognition unit 12 performs voice recognition based on the electric signal output from the microphone 11, and outputs recognition information corresponding to the recognized voice. Specifically, the voice recognition unit 12 compares the electric signal with a plurality of voice models stored in advance in the storage unit 15, and if a voice model that matches or is similar to the electric signal exists, the microphone 11 is used. Recognize that the input sound contains an instruction voice. The "instruction voice" here is a voice indicating an instruction to the lighting device 2. The instruction voice includes, for example, [on (or on)], [off (or off)], [brighter], [darker], [bulb color], or [lunch white].

When the voice recognition unit 12 recognizes the instruction voice, the voice recognition unit 12 outputs the recognition information corresponding to the recognized instruction voice to the control unit 14. In the present embodiment, the recognition information is a command associated with the instruction voice in advance. The "command" here means a command instructing a computer system (here, a control unit 14) to execute a specific function. In the present embodiment, the plurality of commands are associated with a plurality of instruction voices in a one-to-one manner in advance. For example, the command corresponding to the instruction voice of [turning on (or on)] is a lighting command, and the command corresponding to the instruction voice of [turning off (or off)] is a turning off command. The command corresponding to the [brighter] instruction voice is the first dimming command, and the command corresponding to the [darker] instruction voice is the second dimming command. Further, the command corresponding to the instruction voice of [bulb color] is the first toning command, and the command corresponding to the instruction voice of [lunch white] is the second toning command. The voice recognition unit 12 reads out the command corresponding to the recognized instruction voice by referring to the information indicating the correspondence relationship between the plurality of commands stored in the storage unit 15 and the plurality of instruction voices, and reads the read command. Output to the control unit 14.

In the present embodiment, the voice recognition unit 12 performs voice recognition regardless of the detection information from the human detection unit 13. That is, the voice recognition unit 12 performs voice recognition even when there is no person in the space R1. Therefore, in the present embodiment, there is an advantage that it is possible to realize a function other than the control of the lighting device 2 by using the voice recognition technology even in a situation where no person exists in the space R1.

For example, it is conceivable that the voice recognition unit 12 has a function of measuring the environmental sound of the space R1 by performing voice recognition when no person is present in the space R1. In this case, the voice recognition unit 12 can perform voice recognition after removing the environmental sound of the space R1 from the sound input to the microphone 11, and can improve the recognition accuracy of the voice emitted by a person. Further, for example, the voice recognition unit 12 recognizes the sound of a broken window glass by performing voice recognition when no person is present in the space R1, and whether or not a third party has invaded the space R1. It is conceivable that it has a function to judge whether or not. Specifically, if the voice recognition unit 12 recognizes the sound of the broken window glass and then the person detection unit 13 detects the presence of a person in the space R1, there is a possibility that a third party has invaded the space R1. Is high. In such a case, a crime prevention effect can be expected by sounding the buzzer connected to the device control system 1.

The human detection unit 13 detects the presence or absence of a person in the space R1 (that is, the space where the microphone 11 is located), and outputs the detection result as detection information. In the present embodiment, the human detection unit 13 detects the presence or absence of a person in the space R1 based on the sound input to the microphone 11, particularly the sound other than the voice used in the voice recognition by the voice recognition unit 12. Specifically, in the human detection unit 13, the sound is generated in the space R1 based on the sound pressure level of the sound input to the microphone 11 and the information of the direct wave and the reflected wave of the sound input to the microphone 11. Identify whether it has occurred. The "direct wave" here is a sound wave that is directly input to the microphone 11 from the sound source (that is, without being reflected by an object). Further, the "reflected wave" referred to here is a sound wave emitted from a sound source and input to the microphone 11 after being reflected by an object (for example, a wall, a door, etc.). For example, the human detection unit 13 identifies that the sound is generated in the space R1 when the reflected wave is input after the direct wave is input to the microphone 11.

When the person detection unit 13 determines that the sound is generated in the space R1, it detects that a person is present in the space R1. On the other hand, the person detection unit 13 detects that there is no person in the space R1 except in the above case. For example, even when a sound is input to the microphone 11, the person detection unit 13 detects that no person exists in the space R1 if it identifies that the sound is not generated in the space R1.

The human detection unit 13 outputs detection information to the control unit 14 by outputting a binary signal having two signal levels, for example, L level (Low level) and H level (High level), to the control unit 14. While the human detection unit 13 detects that a person is present in the space R1, the person detection unit 13 outputs an H-level binary signal to the control unit 14 to generate detection information that a person is present in the space R1. Output to the control unit 14. On the other hand, the human detection unit 13 outputs an L-level binary signal to the control unit 14 while detecting that no person exists in the space R1, thereby detecting that no person exists in the space R1. Information is output to the control unit 14.

The control unit 14 controls the lighting device 2 in the space R1. Specifically, the control unit 14 transmits the lighting device 2 to the lighting device 2 by transmitting a control signal for controlling the lighting device 2 by wire communication or wireless communication with the lighting device 2 in the space R1. Control. The control unit 14 is a lighting device 2 in the space R1 (that is, the space where the microphone 11 and the person detection unit 13 exist) based on the recognition information from the voice recognition unit 12 and the detection information from the person detection unit 13. Take control. Specifically, when the control unit 14 receives the recognition information from the voice recognition unit 12 while receiving the detection information that a person exists in the space R1, the control unit 14 controls the lighting device 2 according to the recognition information. ..

For example, when the recognition information includes a lighting command, the control unit 14 executes lighting control for increasing the light output of the lighting device 2 to a predetermined value in order to light the lighting device 2. When the recognition information includes a turn-off command, the control unit 14 executes a turn-off control for reducing the light output of the lighting device 2 in order to turn off the lighting device 2. When the recognition information includes the first dimming command, the control unit 14 executes dimming control for increasing the light output of the lighting device 2 by a predetermined amount. When the recognition information includes the second dimming command, the control unit 14 executes dimming control for reducing the light output of the lighting device 2 by a predetermined amount. When the recognition information includes the first toning command, the control unit 14 executes the toning control so that the emission color of the lighting device 2 becomes the light bulb color. When the recognition information includes the second toning command, the control unit 14 executes the toning control so that the emission color of the lighting device 2 becomes neutral white.

On the other hand, the control unit 14 does not control the lighting device 2 according to the recognition information even if it receives the recognition information from the voice recognition unit 12 while receiving the detection information that no person exists in the space R1. For example, even if the control unit 14 receives recognition information including a lighting command from the voice recognition unit 12, the control unit 14 does not execute the lighting control of the lighting device 2 unless a person exists in the space R1.

The storage unit 15 includes a rewritable non-volatile memory such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory). The storage unit 15 stores information representing the above-mentioned plurality of voice models, a plurality of commands, and a correspondence relationship between the plurality of instruction voices and the plurality of commands.

The operation unit 16 accepts a touch operation. Specifically, the operation unit 16 includes a touch sensor. The touch sensor is used to measure (detect) the movement (touch operation) of a person on the operation surface 150 (see FIG. 2) set on the front surface of the lighting switch 3. The touch sensor detects and outputs a position touched by a person on the operation surface 150.

The control unit 14 controls the lighting device 2 according to the movement of a person with respect to the operation surface 150 measured by the touch sensor. Specifically, the control unit 14 determines which of a plurality of preset operations different from each other corresponds to the operation measured by the touch sensor, and controls the lighting device 2 corresponding to the determined operation. Execute. That is, the control unit 14 controls the lighting device 2 according to the touch operation received by the operation unit 16, regardless of the presence or absence of the recognition information.

(3) Operation Hereinafter, the operation of the device control system 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. First, when a sound is input to the microphone 11 (step S1), the microphone 11 outputs an electric signal based on the input sound. Next, the voice recognition unit 12 performs voice recognition based on the electric signal from the microphone 11 (step S2). As a result of voice recognition, if the sound input to the microphone 11 contains an instruction voice (step S3: Yes), the voice recognition unit 12 outputs recognition information including a command corresponding to the instruction voice to the control unit 14. do. On the other hand, as a result of voice recognition, if the sound input to the microphone 11 does not include the instruction voice (step S3: No), the voice recognition unit 12 outputs nothing to the control unit 14.

Next, the person detection unit 13 detects the presence or absence of a person in the space R1 (step S4). In the example shown in FIG. 3, the detection by the human detection unit 13 is executed after the voice recognition by the voice recognition unit 12, but it is not intended to be limited to this timing. It is preferable that the detection by the human detection unit 13 is executed regardless of the execution timing of the voice recognition by the voice recognition unit 12. As a result of detection by the human detection unit 13, when a person exists in the space R1 (step S5: Yes), the control unit 14 controls the device 2 according to the recognition information from the voice recognition unit 12 (step). S6). On the other hand, as a result of the detection by the human detection unit 13, when no person exists in the space R1 (step S5: No), the control unit 14 does not execute the control of the device 2.

Hereinafter, specific examples of the operation of the device control system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 5. In the following, it is assumed that a space (hereinafter, also referred to as “second room R2”) different from the space R1 separated by a wall and a door exists next to the space (first room) R1. Further, in the following, it is assumed that the lighting device 2 in the first room R1 is turned off.

First, as shown in FIG. 4A, when a person A1 is present in the first room R1, the person detection unit 13 detects that the person A1 is present in the first room R1 based on the sound caused by the behavior of the person A1. do. Therefore, the control unit 14 receives the detection information from the person detection unit 13 that the person A1 is present in the first room R1 while the person A1 is staying in the first room R1. Here, when the person A1 in the first room R1 emits the voice V1 including the instruction voice of [lighting (or on)], the voice recognition unit 12 recognizes this instruction voice and recognizes including the lighting command. Information is output to the control unit 14. Since the control unit 14 receives the detection information that a person exists in the first room R1, the control unit 14 executes the lighting control of the lighting device 2 in response to the lighting command. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4B, the lighting device 2 is turned on. As described above, when the person A1 is present in the first room R1, the control unit 14 controls the lighting device 2 according to the instruction voice emitted by the person A1.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5, when there is no person in the first room R1, the person detection unit 13 detects that there is no person in the first room R1 because no sound is generated in the space R1. Therefore, the control unit 14 receives the detection information from the person detection unit 13 that there is no person in the first room R1 while the person does not exist in the first room R1. Here, the people A2 and A3 in the second room R2 are having a conversation, and at least one of the voices V2 and V3 emitted by the people A2 and A3 is voice-recognized as a [lighting (or on)] instruction voice. It is assumed that the voice that can be recognized by the part 12 is included. In this case, voices V2 and V3 leaking from the second room R2 to the first room R1 may be input to the microphone 11. Further, the voice recognition unit 12 may recognize the instruction voice included in the voices V2 and V3 and output the recognition information including the lighting command to the control unit 14. However, since the control unit 14 receives the detection information that no person exists in the first room R1, even if the recognition information is received from the voice recognition unit 12, the control unit 2 does not control the lighting device 2 according to the recognition information. .. Therefore, the lighting device 2 maintains the extinguished state. In this way, when there is no person in the first room R1, even if the voice including the instruction voice leaks from another space such as the second room R2 to the first room R1, the control unit 14 has the control unit 14. The control of the lighting device 2 is not executed.

As described above, in the present embodiment, even when the voice recognition unit 12 recognizes the voice emitted by the person as the instruction voice when the person does not exist in the space (first room) R1, it is in the space R1. It is possible not to control the device 2. Therefore, the present embodiment has an advantage that the possibility of erroneously controlling the device 2 by the sound leaking from the outside of the space R1 (for example, the sound emitted by a person outside the space R1) can be reduced. ..

(4) Modifications The above embodiment is only one of the various embodiments of the present disclosure. The above-described embodiment can be variously modified depending on the design and the like as long as the object of the present disclosure can be achieved. Hereinafter, modified examples of the above-described embodiment will be listed. The modifications described below can be applied in combination as appropriate.

(4.1) First Modification Example In the first modification, as shown in FIG. 6, the device control system 1 is distributed between the lighting switch 3 and the server 4, and is the same as the above-described embodiment. It's different. In this modification, the lighting switch 3 includes a microphone 11, a human detection unit 13, a control unit 14, and an operation unit 16 in the device control system 1. Further, the lighting switch 3 further includes a first communication unit 17.

The server 4 is installed in a place away from the building where the lighting switch 3 is installed, for example, in a facility owned by the provider of the lighting switch 3 or the provider of the service using the lighting switch 3. The server 4 mainly includes a computer system (including a microcomputer) including, for example, a processor and a memory. That is, the computer system functions as the server 4 by executing an appropriate program on the processor. The server 4 includes a voice recognition unit 12 and a storage unit 15 in the device control system 1. Further, the server 4 further includes a second communication unit 18.

The first communication unit 17 of the lighting switch 3 and the second communication unit 18 of the server 4 are configured to be capable of bidirectional communication via, for example, a network NT1 such as the Internet. In this modification, the wireless communication method using the network NT1 is applied as the communication method between the first communication unit 17 and the second communication unit 18.

Hereinafter, among the operations of the device control system 1 of this modification, operations different from those of the above-described embodiment will be described. In this modification, the microphone 11 collects sounds such as voices emitted by humans, converts them into electric signals, and outputs the converted electric signals to the human detection unit 13 and the first communication unit 17, respectively. When the first communication unit 17 receives the electric signal from the microphone 11, the first communication unit 17 transmits the received electric signal to the second communication unit 18 via the network NT1. When the second communication unit 18 receives the electric signal from the first communication unit 17, the second communication unit 18 outputs the received electric signal to the voice recognition unit 12.

The voice recognition unit 12 performs voice recognition based on the electric signal from the second communication unit 18, and outputs the recognition information corresponding to the recognized voice to the second communication unit 18. When the second communication unit 18 receives the recognition information from the voice recognition unit 12, the second communication unit 18 transmits the received recognition information to the first communication unit 17 via the network NT1. When the first communication unit 17 receives the recognition information from the second communication unit 18, the first communication unit 17 outputs the received recognition information to the control unit 14. The control unit 14 controls the lighting device 2 based on the detection information from the human detection unit 13 and the recognition information from the second communication unit 18.

As described above, in this modification, the voice recognition process by the voice recognition unit 12 is executed not by the lighting switch 3 but by the server 4. In this modification, there is an advantage that the load of the arithmetic processing on the lighting switch 3 can be reduced by causing the server 4 to execute the voice recognition processing having a relatively large processing load.

(4.2) Second Modified Example As shown in FIG. 7, the second modified example does not detect the presence or absence of a person based on the sound input to the microphone 11, but the presence or absence of a person is detected by the motion sensor 5. It differs from the above-described embodiment in that it detects. That is, in this modification, the human detection unit 13 is a motion sensor 5.

The motion sensor 5 is provided, for example, on the ceiling material of the space (first room) R1. The motion sensor 5 is, for example, a pyroelectric infrared sensor, and detects the presence or absence of a person in the detection area. The dotted line shown in FIG. 7 represents the detection area of the motion sensor 5. That is, the motion sensor 5 detects the presence or absence of a person in the detection area (here, the first room R1). The motion sensor 5 transmits a detection signal including the detection information to the control unit 14 of the lighting switch 3 by wired communication or wireless communication. The control unit 14 controls the lighting device 2 based on the recognition information from the voice recognition unit 12 and the detection information from the motion sensor 5.

Hereinafter, an example of the operation of the device control system 1 of this modification will be described with reference to FIG. 7. In the example shown in FIG. 7, since there is no person in the first room R1, the motion sensor 5 detects that there is no person in the first room R1. Therefore, the control unit 14 receives the detection information from the motion sensor 5 that there is no person in the first room R1 while the person is not present in the first room R1. Here, the people A2 and A3 in the second room R2 are having a conversation, and at least one of the voices V2 and V3 emitted by the people A2 and A3 is voice-recognized as a [lighting (or on)] instruction voice. It is assumed that the voice that can be recognized by the part 12 is included. In this case, since the control unit 14 receives the detection information that no person exists in the first room R1, even if the recognition information is received from the voice recognition unit 12, the control unit 2 controls the lighting device 2 according to the recognition information. do not do.

In this modification, the space R1 does not have to be a space surrounded by a shield such as a room. For example, in a space not partitioned by a shield, the motion sensor 5 may be installed so that the specific area is the space R1 and becomes the detection area. In this case, the control unit 14 can control the lighting device 2 according to the presence or absence of a person in a specific area.

(5) Other modified examples The other modified examples are listed below. The modification described below can be applied in combination as appropriate, including the modification listed in "(4) Modification example".

The execution subject of the device control system 1 in the present disclosure includes a computer system. The computer system has a processor and memory as hardware. When the processor executes the program recorded in the memory of the computer system, the function as the execution subject of the device control system 1 in the present disclosure is realized. The program may be pre-recorded in the memory of the computer system, but may be provided through a telecommunication line. Further, the program may be recorded and provided on a non-temporary recording medium such as a memory card, an optical disk, or a hard disk drive that can be read by a computer system. The processor of a computer system is composed of one or more electronic circuits including a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) or a large scale integrated circuit (LSI). A plurality of electronic circuits may be integrated on one chip, or may be distributed on a plurality of chips. A plurality of chips may be integrated in one device, or may be distributed in a plurality of devices.

In the above-described embodiment, the voice recognition unit 12 may change the voice recognition mode depending on the presence or absence of a person in the space R1. In other words, the voice recognition unit 12 may change the voice recognition mode according to the detection information from the person detection unit 13. In this aspect, the voice recognition unit 12 receives the detection information from the human detection unit 13. For example, since the voice recognition unit 12 does not need to recognize the voice emitted by the person while receiving the detection information that the person does not exist in the space R1, the voice recognition mode measures the environmental sound of the space R1. Change to mode. In this case, the voice recognition unit 12 may filter the frequency of the voice emitted by a person, for example. Further, the voice recognition unit 12 changes the voice recognition mode to the mode for recognizing the voice emitted by the person while receiving the detection information that the person exists in the space R1. In this case, the voice recognition unit 12 may filter the frequency of the environmental sound in the space R1, for example.

In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 14 may change the command to react depending on the presence or absence of a person in the space R1. In other words, the control unit 14 may change the recognition information to be received according to the detection information from the human detection unit 13. For example, when a person is present in the space R1, the control unit 14 recognizes information including a lighting command, an extinguishing command, a first dimming command, a second dimming command, a first toning command, or a second toning command. Accept. On the other hand, when there is no person in the space R1, the control unit 14 receives only the recognition information including the turn-off command. In this embodiment, for example, when a person goes out of the space R1 without turning off the lighting device 2, if a voice instructing the lighting device 2 to be turned off is emitted, the lighting device 2 is turned on without bothering to return to the space R1. It is possible to turn off the lights.

In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 14 may change the control content of the device 2 depending on the presence or absence of a person in the space R1. In other words, the control unit 14 may change the control content of the device 2 according to the detection information from the human detection unit 13. For example, it is assumed that the lighting device 2 has a nightlight. When the control unit 14 receives the recognition information including the turn-off command when a person is present in the space R1, the control unit 14 executes control to turn off the light sources other than the nightlight. That is, in this case, the nightlight remains lit. On the other hand, when the control unit 14 receives the recognition information including the turn-off command when there is no person in the space R1, the control unit 14 executes control to turn off all the light sources including the nightlight. In this way, even when the control unit 14 receives a command instructing the same control, the control unit 14 changes the control content of the lighting device 2 according to the presence or absence of a person in the space R1.

In the above-described embodiment, the operation unit 16 is not an essential configuration for the device control system 1. That is, the control unit 14 does not control the device 2 according to the touch operation (manual operation) using the operation unit 16, but only controls the device 2 according to the recognition information from the voice recognition unit 12. It may be.

In the above-described embodiment, the voice recognition unit 12 performs voice recognition regardless of the detection information from the human detection unit 13, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the voice recognition unit 12 may be configured to stop the operation when there is no person in the space R1. In this aspect, the voice recognition unit 12 receives the detection information from the person detection unit 13, and stops the operation if the detection information indicates that no person exists in the space R1.

In the above-described embodiment, the relay control unit may be provided instead of the control unit 14. The relay control unit controls a relay provided in the power supply path from the power supply (for example, a commercial power supply) to the lighting equipment 2. In this case, the relay control unit controls the supply of electric power from the power source to the lighting device 2 by controlling the on / off of the relay, and controls the state of the lighting device 2. In the device control system 1, the control unit 14 and the relay control unit may coexist. For example, the relay control unit turns on the relay when there is a person in the space R1 and turns off the relay when there is no person in the space R1. The control unit 14 controls the lighting device 2 according to the recognition information from the voice recognition unit 12 when a person is present in the space R1.

In the above-described embodiment, the voice recognition unit 12, the human detection unit 13, and the control unit 14 are composed of different microcomputers (computer systems), but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the functions of the voice recognition unit 12, the human detection unit 13, and the control unit 14 may be realized by one or two microcomputers (computer systems).

In the above-described embodiment, the lighting device 2 includes a light source capable of both dimming and toning, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the lighting device 2 may include a light source capable of either dimming or toning. In addition, the lighting device 2 may include a light source that can only be turned on and off.

In the above-described embodiment, the space R1 is provided with only one device 2, but a plurality of devices 2 may be provided. In this case, the control unit 14 may collectively control a plurality of devices 2 according to the recognition information, or may control them individually. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the space R1 is provided with only one lighting switch 3, but a plurality of lighting switches 3 may be provided.

In the above-described embodiment, the functions of the device control system 1 may be integrated in one housing or may be distributed in a plurality of housings. Further, some functions of the device control system 1 may be realized by, for example, a cloud (cloud computing) or the like.

In the above-described embodiment, the device 2 is not limited to the lighting device, and may be, for example, an air conditioner, a ventilation fan, an electric shutter, an air purifier, a water heater, a television receiver, a washing machine, a refrigerator, or the like.

(summary)
As described above, the device control system (1) according to the first aspect includes a sound input unit (microphone) (11), a voice recognition unit (12), a human detection unit (13), and a control unit ( 14) and. The sound input unit (11) outputs an electric signal based on the input sound. The voice recognition unit (12) performs voice recognition based on an electric signal and outputs recognition information corresponding to the recognized voice. The human detection unit (13) detects the presence or absence of a person in the space (first room) (R1) where the sound input unit (11) is located, and outputs the detection result as detection information. The control unit (14) controls the device (2) in the space (R1) based on the recognition information and the detection information.

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that the possibility of erroneously controlling the device (2) due to the sound leaking from the outside can be reduced.

In the device control system (1) according to the second aspect, in the first aspect, the human detection unit (13) detects the presence or absence of a person based on the above sound.

According to this aspect, since the presence / absence of a person is detected based on the sound input to the sound input unit (11), it is not necessary to separately prepare a sensor for detecting the presence / absence of a person such as a motion sensor. There is an advantage. As a result, this aspect has the advantage that the cost can be suppressed.

In the device control system (1) according to the third aspect, in the second aspect, the human detection unit (13) makes the sound in space (R1) based on the information of the direct wave and the reflected wave of the sound. Identify whether it has occurred.

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that it is easy to detect the presence or absence of a person more accurately based on the sound input to the sound input unit (11).

In the device control system (1) according to the fourth aspect, in any one of the first to third aspects, while the control unit (14) receives the detection information that no person exists in the space (R1). , The device (2) is not controlled according to the recognition information.

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that the possibility of unnecessarily controlling the device (2) can be reduced in a situation where no person is present in the space (R1).

In the device control system (1) according to the fifth aspect, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the voice recognition unit (12) performs voice recognition regardless of the detection information.

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that it is possible to realize a function other than the control of the device (2) by using the voice recognition technology even in a situation where no person exists in the space (R1).

In the device control system (1) according to the sixth aspect, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the voice recognition unit (12) changes the voice recognition mode according to the detection information.

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that appropriate voice recognition can be performed depending on the presence or absence of a person in the space (R1).

In the device control system (1) according to the seventh aspect, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the control unit (14) changes the recognition information to be received according to the detection information.

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that it becomes possible to perform control of an appropriate device (2) according to the presence or absence of a person in the space (R1).

In the device control system (1) according to the eighth aspect, in any one of the first to seventh aspects, the control unit (14) changes the control content of the device (2) according to the detection information.

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that it becomes possible to perform control of an appropriate device (2) according to the presence or absence of a person in the space (R1).

The device control system (1) according to the ninth aspect further includes an operation unit (16) for receiving a touch operation in any one of the first to eighth aspects. The control unit (14) controls the device (2) in response to the touch operation received by the operation unit (16).

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that the person in the space (R1) can control the device (2) without emitting a voice for controlling the device (2).

In the device control system (1) according to the tenth aspect, in any one of the first to ninth aspects, the device (2) is a lighting device (2).

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that the possibility of erroneously controlling the lighting device (2) due to the sound leaking from the outside can be reduced.

The configurations according to the second to tenth aspects are not essential configurations for the device control system (1) and can be omitted as appropriate.

1 Device control system 11 Microphone (sound input section)
12 Voice recognition unit 13 Human detection unit 14 Control unit 16 Operation unit 2 Lighting equipment (equipment)

Claims (10)

A sound input unit that outputs an electric signal based on the input sound,
A voice recognition unit that performs voice recognition based on the electric signal and outputs recognition information corresponding to the recognized voice, and a voice recognition unit.
A human detection unit that detects the presence or absence of a person in the space where the sound input unit is located and outputs the detection result as detection information.
A device control system including a control unit that controls devices in the space based on both the recognition information and the detection information. The device control system according to claim 1, wherein the person detection unit detects the presence or absence of the person based on the sound. The device control system according to claim 2, wherein the person detection unit identifies whether or not the sound is generated in the space based on the information of the direct wave and the reflected wave of the sound. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit does not control the device according to the recognition information while receiving the detection information that the person does not exist in the space. Control system. The device control system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the voice recognition unit performs voice recognition regardless of the detection information. The device control system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the voice recognition unit changes the voice recognition mode according to the detection information. The device control system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the control unit changes the recognition information to be received according to the detection information. The device control system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the control unit changes the control content of the device according to the detection information. It also has an operation unit that accepts touch operations.
The device control system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the control unit controls the device in response to the touch operation received by the operation unit. The device control system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the device is a lighting device.

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