JP7147216B2 - Information processing system and information processing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing system and an information processing method .

2. Description of the Related Art A location information system is known in which a sound wave output device that emits a sound wave containing predetermined identification information is arranged to provide a terminal device that has acquired the sound wave with information on an area from which the terminal device has acquired the sound wave.

In addition, two speakers are used to output a sound wave in which the sound wave intensity of a predetermined frequency component is changed based on the bit value of the ID. is known (see Patent Document 1, for example).

In conventional location information systems, sound waves output from one speaker basically form one area, so more speakers need to be installed to provide detailed location information. .

In addition, although there is a possibility that more detailed position information can be provided by the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, in order to form an area using two speakers, a position information system in which a plurality of sound wave output devices are installed , it becomes difficult to adjust the installation position and control the sound wave intensity.

As described above, the conventional technique has a problem that a plurality of different regions cannot be formed using sound waves output from one speaker.

Embodiments of the present invention have been made in view of the above problems, and provide an information processing system that forms a plurality of mutually different regions using sound waves output from one speaker.

In order to solve the above problems, an information processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention is an information processing system that includes a sound wave output device that outputs a sound wave and a terminal device that acquires the sound wave output by the sound wave output device. The sound wave output device includes a first sound wave representing the first identification information in a first frequency band , a second sound wave representing the second identification information in a second frequency band, and a third frequency a third sound wave representing third identification information in a band; and a sound wave output unit for outputting a third sound wave from one speaker; and an output control unit for outputting to the sound wave output unit, wherein the sound wave acquired by the terminal device includes the first identification information, the second identification information, and the third identification information, When three pieces of identification information are included, the area where the terminal device acquires the sound wave is specified as the first area, and when two pieces of identification information are included, the area where the terminal device acquires the sound wave is specified as the second area. If one piece of identification information is included, the area from which the terminal device acquired the sound wave is identified as the third area .

According to one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide an information processing system that forms a plurality of mutually different regions using sound waves output from one speaker.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of identification information according to one embodiment; FIG. It is a figure showing an example of hardware constitutions of a sound wave output device concerning one embodiment. It is a figure showing an example of hardware constitutions of a computer concerning one embodiment. It is a figure showing an example of functional composition of an information processing system concerning one embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the area|region which the sound wave output device which concerns on 1st Embodiment forms. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining sound waves and regions according to the first embodiment; It is a figure which shows the example of the sound wave which the sound wave output device which concerns on 2nd Embodiment outputs. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining sound waves and regions according to the third embodiment; FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining sound waves and regions according to the fourth embodiment; It is a figure for demonstrating the characteristic of the sound wave output method which concerns on 1st, 4th embodiment. It is a figure which shows the image of the extraction method of the identification information which concerns on one Embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining sound waves and regions according to the fifth embodiment; It is a figure for demonstrating the modification which concerns on 5th Embodiment. It is a figure (1) which shows the example of control of the sound wave output device which concerns on 6th Embodiment. It is a figure (2) which shows the example of control of the sound wave output device which concerns on 6th Embodiment. FIG. 12C is a diagram (3) showing an example of control of the sound wave output device according to the sixth embodiment; It is a figure (4) which shows the example of control of the sound wave output device which concerns on 6th Embodiment. 1 is a diagram (1) showing an example of services provided by an information system according to an embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram (2) showing an example of services provided by an information system according to an embodiment; FIG. 3 is a diagram (3) showing an example of services provided by an information system according to an embodiment; 4 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of processing of the information processing system according to one embodiment; FIG.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<System configuration>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the system configuration of an information processing system according to one embodiment. The information processing system 100 includes, for example, a management server 101, a plurality of sound wave output devices 102a, 102b, 102c, ..., a gateway 103, a terminal device 104, and the like. In the following description, "sound wave output device 102" is used when indicating an arbitrary sound wave output device among the plurality of sound wave output devices 102a, 102b, 102c, . Also, the number of sound wave output devices 102, gateways 103, and terminal devices 104 shown in FIG. 1 is an example.

A management server (information processing device) 101 is, for example, an information processing device such as a PC (Personal Computer) connected to a network 105 such as the Internet or a LAN (Local Area Network), or a system including a plurality of information processing devices. be. The management server 101 communicates with the plurality of sound wave output devices 102 via the network 105, the gateway 103, etc., and controls the output of sound waves from the plurality of sound wave output devices 102. FIG.

Preferably, the management server 101 receives information on the sound waves acquired by the terminal device 104 and identification information for identifying the terminal device 104 from the terminal device 104 that acquired the sound waves output by the sound wave output device 102, 104 has a function of managing location information. The management server 101 may further have a function of providing the terminal device 104 with position information indicating the position of the terminal device 104, route information, information on surrounding facilities, and the like.

The sound wave output device 102 is installed, for example, on the ceiling, wall, floor, or the like of a facility, and outputs sound waves representing predetermined identification information using a plurality of frequencies within a predetermined range.

Preferably, the sound wave output device 102 is connected to the gateway 103 by wireless communication or wired communication, and can communicate with the management server 101 via the gateway 103 . In addition, the sound wave output device 102 changes the predetermined identification information included in the sound wave to be output, the method of outputting the sound wave, and the like, under the control of the management server 101 .

Preferably, the sound wave output device 102 uses sound waves with a frequency of 16 kHz or higher (hereinafter referred to as a non-audible sound region) in the audio frequency band that can be acquired by a microphone (hereinafter referred to as a microphone) provided in the terminal device 104. to output a sound wave representing predetermined identification information. The higher the frequency, the higher the directivity of the sound wave, and since frequencies above 16 kHz are almost inaudible to humans, the sound wave in the inaudible sound region outputs a sound wave containing predetermined identification information toward a predetermined range. is suitable for

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of identification information included in sound waves according to one embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the sound wave output device 102 according to the present embodiment outputs multiple sound waves 202 representing predetermined identification information within a predetermined frequency band 201 .

In the example of FIG. 2, the sound wave output device 102 represents n-bit identification information using n frequencies f1, f2, f3 to fn (n is an integer equal to or greater than 2). Each frequency corresponds to one bit, for example, frequency f1 is the first bit, frequency f2 is the second bit, frequency f3 is the third bit, . . . , frequency fn is the nth bit. is doing. Each bit represents a digital value of "1" when sound waves are output at the corresponding frequency, and represents a digital value of "0" when sound waves at the corresponding frequency are not output.

As an example, the frequencies f1, f2, f3 to fn are output within a predetermined frequency band 201 in the inaudible sound region at a predetermined frequency interval ΔF.

Returning to FIG. 1, the description of the system configuration of the information processing system 100 will be continued.

The gateway 103 is connected to the management server 101 via a network 105, and forms a network with a plurality of sound wave output devices 102 through wireless or wired communication. The gateway 103 relays communication between the sound wave output device 102 and the management server 101, and performs protocol conversion between the sound wave output device 102 and the management server 101 as necessary.

With the above configuration, the sound wave output device 102 outputs sound waves including predetermined identification information corresponding to the position of the terminal device 104 to the terminal device 104 .

The terminal device 104 is, for example, an information terminal such as a smart phone, tablet terminal, or wearable terminal. By executing a predetermined program, the terminal device 104 acquires sound waves emitted by the sound wave output device 102 using a built-in microphone or the like, and acquires information on the acquired sound waves (for example, identification information contained in the sound waves, frequency, etc.).

In addition, the terminal device 104 transmits information on the extracted sound wave and identification information for identifying the terminal device 104 to the management server 101 (or a location information management server or the like that manages location information of the terminal device 104).

The management server 101 manages information about sound waves output to each area, and can manage the position of the terminal device 104 based on the information received from the terminal device 104 . The management server 101 also provides the terminal device 104 with information corresponding to the position of the terminal device 104 (for example, position information, route information, information on surrounding facilities, etc.).

Note that the system configuration of the information processing system 100 shown in FIG. 1 is an example. For example, the management server 101 may communicate with the sound wave output device 102 without going through a gateway. Also, the functions of the management server 101 may be implemented by a gateway (another example of an information processing device) 103 .

<Hardware configuration>
Next, the hardware configuration of each device will be described.

(Hardware configuration of sound wave output device)
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a sound wave output device according to one embodiment; The sound wave output device 102 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 301, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 302, a flash ROM (Read Only Memory) 303, a wireless communication section 304, a sound wave processing section 305, a sound wave output I/F (Interface ) 306, a speaker 307, a bus 308, and the like.

The CPU 301 is an arithmetic unit that realizes each function of the sound wave output device 102 by executing a program for the sound wave output device 102 stored in the flash ROM 303 or the like. A RAM 302 is a volatile memory used as a work area for the CPU 301 or the like. The flash ROM 303 is a rewritable non-volatile memory that stores various information such as programs for the sound wave output device 102, predetermined identification information, and transmission cycles of identification signals.

The wireless communication unit 304 is an example of a communication interface that communicates with the gateway 103, for example. A wireless communication unit 304 includes a transmitting/receiving circuit for performing wireless communication with the gateway 103, an antenna, a control circuit, and the like. The wireless communication unit 304 can apply wireless units of various wireless communication methods such as wireless LAN, short-range wireless communication, and specific power-saving wireless in the 920 MHz band, for example.

The sonic processing unit 305 generates, for example, a sonic signal including predetermined identification information under the control of the CPU 301 . The sound wave processing unit 305 may be realized by, for example, an integrated circuit for sound wave processing or the like, or may be realized by a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) or the like. Alternatively, the sound wave processor 305 may be implemented by a program or the like executed by the CPU 301 .

The sound wave output I/F 306 amplifies the sound wave signal generated by the sound wave processing unit 305 and the like to a predetermined output level and outputs the amplified sound wave signal to the speaker 307 under the control of the CPU 301 . The speaker 307 converts a sound wave signal output from the sound wave output I/F 306 into a sound wave and outputs the sound wave.

A bus 308 is connected to each component described above and transmits address signals, data signals, various control signals, and the like.

(Hardware configuration of management server and terminal device)
The management server 101 and the terminal device 104 have, for example, a typical computer configuration as shown in FIG. Here, the hardware configuration of a general computer will be explained.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a computer according to one embodiment; The computer 400 includes, for example, a CPU 401, a RAM 402, a ROM 403, a storage section 404, a communication I/F 405, an input section 406, a display section 407, a bus 409, and the like. Further, when the computer 400 is the terminal device 104 , the computer 400 includes an audio input section 408 .

The CPU 401 is an arithmetic unit that implements each function of the computer 400 by reading programs and data stored in the ROM 403 and the storage unit 404 onto the RAM 402 and executing processing. A RAM 402 is a volatile memory used as a work area for the CPU 401 or the like. A ROM 403 is a non-volatile memory that can retain programs and data even when the power is turned off.

The storage unit 404 is, for example, a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), and stores an OS (Operating System), application programs, various data, and the like.

Communication I/F 405 is a communication device for connecting computer 400 to network 105 . Computer 400 can communicate with other devices via communication I/F 405 .

The input unit 406 is an input device, such as a pointing device such as a mouse and a keyboard, which is used to input various operation signals to the computer 400 . A display unit 407 is a display device, such as a display, that displays the processing results and the like of the computer 400 .

The voice input unit 408 includes a microphone, an amplifier circuit, and the like, and converts sound waves acquired by the microphone into sound wave signals, sound wave data, and the like, and outputs them.

A bus 409 is connected to each component and transmits address signals, data signals, various control signals, and the like.

<Functional configuration>
Next, the functional configuration of the information processing system 100 will be described.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the information processing system 100 according to one embodiment. In FIG. 5, the sound wave output device 102b is assumed to have the same functional configuration as the sound wave output device 102a.

(Functional configuration of sound wave output device)
The sound wave output device 102 has, for example, a communication unit 501, a sound wave generation unit 502, an output control unit 503, a sound wave output unit 504, a storage unit 505, and the like. The sound wave output device 102 implements each of the functional configurations described above, for example, by having the CPU 301 in FIG. 3 execute a predetermined program. It should be noted that at least part of the functional configurations described above may be realized by hardware.

The communication unit 501 is realized by, for example, a program executed by the CPU 301 in FIG. Also, the communication unit 501 stores information received from the management server 101 via the gateway 103 (for example, setting information 511 , state information 512 , etc.) in the storage unit 505 .

The setting information 511 includes, for example, identification information included in each sound wave output by the sound wave output device 102, frequency information used to generate the identification information, information about the intensity of the output sound wave, and the like. Furthermore, when the sound wave output device 102 outputs each sound wave in a time-division manner, the setting information 511 includes information on the timing of outputting each sound wave.

The state information 512 is information indicating the state of the sound wave output device 102, and includes, for example, information indicating output/stop of sound waves.

The sound wave generation unit 502 is implemented by, for example, a program executed by the CPU 301 in FIG. is used to generate sound waves representing identification information. For example, according to the setting information 511 stored in the storage unit 505, the sound wave generation unit 502 uses a plurality of frequencies to generate sound waves representing the first identification information (ID1) and a plurality of other frequencies to generate the second identification information. A second sound wave representing the information (ID2) is generated. Further, the sound wave generation unit 502 generates a third sound wave representing the third identification information (ID3), a fourth sound wave representing the fourth identification information (ID4), . can be generated.

The output control unit 503 is realized by, for example, a program executed by the CPU 301 of FIG. For example, the output control unit 503 causes the sound wave output unit 504 to output the first sound wave and the second sound wave generated by the sound wave generation unit 502 with different strengths (volumes) of sound waves. Further, the output control unit 503 causes the sound wave output unit 504 to output the third sound wave, the fourth sound wave, . . . generated by the sound wave generation unit 502 with different sound wave intensities.

The sound wave output unit 504 is implemented by, for example, a program executed by the CPU 301 of FIG.

The storage unit 505 is implemented by, for example, a program executed by the CPU 301 in FIG. 3, the flash ROM 303, the RAM 302, and the like, and stores various information such as the setting information 511 and the state information 512.

(Functional configuration of terminal device)
The terminal device 104 has, for example, a communication unit 521, a sound wave acquisition unit 522, a sound wave analysis unit 523, a region identification unit 524, a display input control unit 525, a storage unit 526, and the like. The terminal device 104 implements each of the above functional configurations by executing a predetermined program with the CPU 401 of FIG. 4, for example. Moreover, at least a part of the functional configurations described above may be realized by hardware.

The communication unit 521 is implemented by, for example, a program executed by the CPU 401 in FIG. 4, the communication I/F 405, and the like, connects the terminal device 104 to the network 105, and communicates with the management server 101 and the like.

The sound wave acquisition unit 522 is implemented by, for example, a program executed by the CPU 401 in FIG.

The sound wave analysis unit 523 is implemented by, for example, a program executed by the CPU 401 in FIG. Information such as the timing at which the sound wave was acquired is extracted.

The area identifying unit (identifying unit) 524 identifies the area where the sound wave acquisition unit 522 has acquired the sound waves, that is, the position of the terminal device 104 , using information on the sound waves extracted by the sound wave analysis unit 523 . For example, the area specifying unit 524 transmits the sound wave information extracted by the sound wave analysis unit 523 and the terminal identification information (hereinafter referred to as a terminal ID) for identifying the terminal device 104 to the management server 101 . , acquires information indicating the position of the terminal device 104 (area name, position coordinates, etc.).

As another example, the region specifying unit 524 generates correspondence information that associates sound wave information (identification information, band information, etc.) acquired in each region with information on each region (region name, position coordinates, etc.). The information indicating the position of the terminal device 104 may be specified based on this correspondence information stored in the storage unit 526 .

The display input control unit 525 is implemented by, for example, a program executed by the CPU 401 in FIG. A display screen such as route guidance is displayed on the display unit 407 . In addition, the display input control unit 525 accepts the user's input operation to the input unit 406 .

The storage unit 526 is implemented by, for example, a program executed by the CPU 401 in FIG. 4, the storage unit 404, the RAM 402, and the like, and stores various information such as the correspondence information described above.

(Functional configuration of management server)
The management server 101 has, for example, a communication section 531, a position information management section 532, an output device control section 533, a device information management section 534, a storage section 535, and the like. The management server 101 implements each of the functional configurations described above, for example, by having the CPU 401 in FIG. 4 execute a predetermined program. Note that at least part of the above functional configurations may be realized by hardware.

The communication unit 531 is realized by, for example, a program executed by the CPU 401 in FIG. 4, the communication I/F 405, and the like, connects the management server 101 to the network 105, and communicates with the terminal device 104 and the like. Also, the communication unit 531 communicates with the sound wave output device 102 via the network 105 and the gateway 103 .

The position information management unit 532 is realized by, for example, a program executed by the CPU 401 in FIG. The position information management unit 532 identifies the position information indicating the position of the terminal device 104 using the information of the sound waves transmitted from the terminal device 104 and the terminal ID, and stores and manages the position information in the storage unit 535 .

For example, the position information management unit 532 associates sound wave information (identification information, band information, etc.) acquired in each region formed by the sound wave output device 102 with information on each region (region name, position coordinates, etc.). The attached correspondence information is stored in the storage unit 535 and managed. In addition, the position information management unit 532 uses this correspondence information, the sound wave information transmitted from the terminal device 104, and the terminal ID to determine the area where the terminal device 104 acquired the sound wave, that is, the position of the terminal device 104. Identify.

Furthermore, the position information management unit 532 transmits information indicating the position of the terminal device 104 to the terminal device 104, associates the terminal ID of the terminal device 104 with the information indicating the position of the terminal device 104, and stores the information in the storage unit 532. 535. Note that the location information management unit 532 may be included in an external location information management server or the like.

The output device control unit 533 is realized by, for example, a program executed by the CPU 401 of FIG. For example, the output device control unit 533 transmits the setting information 511 storing the identification information, frequency, intensity, timing, etc. of the sound wave output by the sound wave output device 102 to the sound wave output device 102 via the gateway 103 .

The device information management unit 534 is implemented by, for example, a program executed by the CPU 401 in FIG. 4, and stores and manages information on the plurality of sound wave output devices 102 included in the information processing system 100 in the storage unit 535 or the like. For example, the device information management unit 534 manages the location (coordinate information) where each sound wave output device 102 is installed and the information (frequency, band, intensity, timing, etc.) of sound waves output by each sound wave output device. .

The storage unit 535 is realized by, for example, the program executed by the CPU 401 in FIG. 4, the storage unit 404, the RAM 402, and the like, and stores the correspondence information described above, information indicating the position of the terminal device 104, information on the sound wave output device 102, and the like. store various information.

<Method of Forming Area>
Next, a method for forming a region by the sound wave output device 102 will be described by exemplifying a plurality of embodiments.

[First embodiment]
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a region formed by the sound wave output device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 shows an example of a region formed by the sound wave output device 102 installed on the ceiling 611 or the like of the facility. In the example of FIG. 6, the sound wave output device 102 forms an area A601, an area B602, and an area C603 at a predetermined height h, as shown in the upper diagram of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining sound waves and regions according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7A, the sound wave output device 102 generates a first sound wave representing ID1 (first identification information) using a plurality of frequencies within band a (first frequency band). Then, the generated sound wave is output to the area A601 in FIG. 6 at the first volume VOL1.

In FIG. 7A, sound waves 701 indicated by a solid line indicate sound waves that are being output, and sound waves 702 indicated by broken lines indicate sound waves that are not being output. As described with reference to FIG. 2, when the sound wave is output at each frequency, the digital value is "1", and when the sound wave is not output at each frequency, the digital value is "0". Therefore, for example, in the example of FIG. 7A, ID1 represents "11010...101". Note that the 0/1 arrangement of "11010 . . . 101" of ID1 is an example.

Similarly, the sound wave output device 102 generates a second sound wave representing ID2 (second identification information) using a plurality of frequencies within the band b (second frequency band), and outputs the generated sound wave to VOL1. It is output to the area A601 and the area B602 at the larger second volume VOL2. Furthermore, the sound wave output device 102 uses a plurality of frequencies within the band c (third frequency band) to generate a third sound wave representing ID3 (third identification information), and transmits the generated sound wave from VOL2. A large third sound volume VOL3 is output to area A601, area B602, and area C603.

In this case, for example, when the terminal device 104 acquires sound waves in area A601 shown in FIG. 6, the acquired sound waves include ID1, ID2, and ID3. Also, when the terminal device 104 acquires sound waves in the region B602 shown in FIG. 6, the acquired sound waves include ID2 and ID3. Similarly, when the terminal device 104 acquires sound waves in region C603 shown in FIG. 6, ID3 is included in the acquired sound waves.

Therefore, the terminal device 104 or the management server 101 can identify the area corresponding to the identification information acquired by the terminal device 104 using the correspondence information 711 shown in FIG. 7B, for example.

In the example of FIG. 7B, the correspondence information 711 stores the "acquired identification information" and the "region" in association with each other. As a result, the terminal device 104 or the management server 101, for example, when the sound waves acquired by the terminal device 104 include ID1, ID2, and ID3, the region from which the terminal device 104 acquired the sound waves is “region A”. can be specified as Similarly, the terminal device 104 or the management server 101, for example, when the sound wave acquired by the terminal device 104 includes ID2 and ID3, the region where the terminal device 104 acquired the sound wave is “region B”. can be specified.

Note that “area” is an example of information indicating the position of the terminal device 104 . Information indicating the position of the terminal device 104 may be, for example, coordinate information.

Thus, the sound wave output device 102 according to the first embodiment generates a plurality of sound waves representing identification information using a plurality of frequencies within mutually different frequency bands. In addition, the sound wave output device 102 can form a plurality of regions using sound waves output from one speaker by outputting a plurality of generated sound waves at different volumes (intensities of sound waves).

In the examples of FIGS. 6 and 7, the sound wave output device 102 forms three regions using three frequency bands, but the sound wave output device 102 may use any number of frequency bands of two or more. can be used to form any number of regions greater than or equal to two.

In FIG. 7(a), it is desirable that the bands a to c are output in the non-audible sound region of 16 kHz or higher, as described above. However, even sound waves output in the inaudible range may be heard by some people. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7A, it is desirable to set the strength of the sound wave (hereinafter referred to as volume) of the band a, which has the lower frequency among the bands a to c, to be smaller.

[Second embodiment]
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of sound waves output by the sound wave output device according to the second embodiment. In the first embodiment, the sound wave output device 102 forms regions A to C by outputting ID1 to ID3 in different frequency bands.

However, this is a preferred example, and the sound wave output device 102 outputs ID1, ID2, and ID3 using a plurality of mutually different frequencies within the same frequency band (band k), as shown in FIG. Therefore, regions A to C may be formed.

For example, in the example of FIG. 8, the sound wave output device 102 generates a first sound wave representing ID1 using a plurality of frequencies 801 within band k, and transmits the generated sound wave to the area of FIG. Output to A601. The sound wave output device 102 also generates a second sound wave representing ID2 using another plurality of frequencies 802 within the band k, and generates the generated sound wave at a second volume VOL2 greater than VOL1 in area A601 of FIG. , area B602. In addition, sound wave output device 102 generates a third sound wave representing ID3 using yet another plurality of frequencies 803 within band k, and emits the generated sound wave at a third volume VOL3 greater than VOL2 in the region of FIG. Output to A601, area B602, and area C603.

Accordingly, as in the first embodiment, when the terminal device 104 acquires sound waves in the area A601 shown in FIG. 6, the acquired sound waves include ID1, ID2, and ID3. Also, when the terminal device 104 acquires sound waves in the region B602 shown in FIG. 6, the acquired sound waves include ID2 and ID3. Similarly, when the terminal device 104 acquires sound waves in region C603 shown in FIG. 6, ID3 is included in the acquired sound waves.

Therefore, the terminal device 104 or the management server 101 uses, for example, correspondence information 711 as shown in FIG. You will be able to identify areas to

In this way, the sound wave output device 102 according to the second embodiment generates a plurality of sound waves representing identification information using a plurality of mutually different frequencies within the same frequency band. Further, the sound wave output device 102 outputs a plurality of generated sound waves at different volumes (intensities of sound waves), thereby forming a plurality of regions using the sound waves output from one speaker.

[Third embodiment]
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of sound waves output by the sound wave output device according to the third embodiment. In the first embodiment, the sound wave output device 102 forms regions A to C by outputting ID1 to ID3 in different frequency bands.

However, this is only a preferred example, and the sound wave output device 102 outputs the same ID1 in different frequency bands as shown in FIGS. may be formed.

For example, in the examples of FIGS. 9A and 9B, the sound wave output device 102 generates a first sound wave representing ID1 using a plurality of frequencies within the band a, and transmits the generated sound wave to the first Output to area A601 at volume VOL1. In addition, the sound wave output device 102 generates a second sound wave representing ID1 using a plurality of frequencies within the band b, and transmits the generated sound wave to the area A601 and the area B602 at a second volume VOL2 larger than VOL1. output. Further, the sound wave output device 102 uses a plurality of frequencies within the band c to generate a third sound wave representing ID1, and generates the generated sound wave at a third volume VOL3 greater than VOL2 in areas A601, B602, and output to area C603.

Accordingly, in the third embodiment, when the terminal device 104 acquires sound waves in the area A601 shown in FIG. 9A, ID1 is included in each of the acquired sound wave bands a, b, and c. Also, when the terminal device 104 acquires sound waves in the area B602 shown in FIG. 9A, ID1 is included in the acquired sound wave bands b and c, respectively. Furthermore, when the terminal device 104 acquires a sound wave in the area C603 shown in FIG. 9A, ID1 is included in the band c of the acquired sound wave.

Therefore, the terminal device 104 or the management server 101 can identify the area corresponding to the identification information and the band acquired by the terminal device 104 using the correspondence information 901 shown in FIG. 9C, for example. can.

In the example of FIG. 9C, the correspondence information 901 stores "acquired identification information", "acquired band", and "region" in association with each other. As a result, the terminal device 104 or the management server 101, for example, when the band a, band b, and band c of the sound wave acquired by the terminal device 104 each include ID1, the terminal device 104 acquires the sound wave. The region can be identified as "region A". Similarly, the terminal device 104 or the management server 101, for example, when ID1 is included in the band b and band c of the sound wave acquired by the terminal device 104, the region where the terminal device 104 acquired the sound wave is " It can be identified as "area B".

Note that “area” is an example of information indicating the position of the terminal device 104 . Information indicating the position of the terminal device 104 may be, for example, coordinate information.

Thus, the sound wave output device 102 according to the third embodiment generates a plurality of sound waves representing the same identification information using a plurality of frequencies within mutually different frequency bands. In addition, the sound wave output device 102 can form a plurality of regions using sound waves output from one speaker by outputting a plurality of generated sound waves at different volumes (intensities of sound waves).

According to the third embodiment, the effect of reducing the number of IDs managed by the information processing system 100 can be expected. For example, if an ID is assigned to each area formed by one sound wave output device 102, the number of IDs managed by the information processing system 100 increases, making management difficult. Especially in a large-scale system, the number of bits of the ID is increased in order to make the ID unique information.

However, for example, if the ID is divided into two transmissions in order to increase the ID from 16 bits to 32 bits, there is a problem that it takes twice as long to transmit the ID. Also, if the frequency interval ΔF of a plurality of frequencies is halved in order to increase the ID from 16 bits to 32 bits, there is a problem that the movement speed at which the ID can be recognized is halved due to the Doppler effect.

However, according to the sound wave output device 102 according to the third embodiment, it is possible to form a plurality of areas using one ID, so it is possible to reduce side effects associated with an increase in ID.

[Fourth embodiment]
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of sound waves output by the sound wave output device according to the fourth embodiment. In the first embodiment, the sound wave output device 102 simultaneously outputs first to third sound waves including ID1 to ID3.

However, this is only an example, and the sound wave output device 102 may sequentially transmit the first to third sound waves including ID1 to ID3 at different times.

For example, the sound wave output device 102 outputs the first sound wave representing ID1 at the first volume VOL1, for example, to area A601 in FIG. 6 during period T1 from time t0 to time t1 in FIG. 10B. Also, the sound wave output device 102 emits the second sound wave representing ID2 at a second sound volume VOL2 larger than VOL1 in a period T2 from time t1 to time t2 in FIG. , and area B602. Further, the sound wave output device 102 emits the third sound wave representing ID3 at a third sound volume VOL3 greater than VOL2 in a period T3 from time t2 to time t3 in FIG. , area B602, and area C603.

Accordingly, as in the first embodiment, when the terminal device 104 acquires sound waves in the area A601 shown in FIG. 6, the acquired sound waves include ID1, ID2, and ID3. Also, when the terminal device 104 acquires sound waves in the region B602 shown in FIG. 6, the acquired sound waves include ID2 and ID3. Similarly, when the terminal device 104 acquires sound waves in region C603 shown in FIG. 6, ID3 is included in the acquired sound waves.

Therefore, the terminal device 104 or the management server 101 uses, for example, correspondence information 1001 as shown in FIG. You will be able to identify areas to

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining features of the sound wave output method according to the first and fourth embodiments. FIG. 11A shows an image of a sound wave output method of the sound wave output device 102 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11(a) shows that the sound wave output device 102 outputs the first sound wave including ID1 at a constant volume within the band a. Similarly, the sound wave output device 102 outputs the second sound wave including ID2 at a constant volume within the band b, and outputs the third sound wave including ID3 at a constant volume within the band c. indicates that there is

This method has the merit that the terminal device 104 can quickly detect the position because the sound waves including ID1 to ID3 are always output.

On the other hand, FIG. 11B shows an image of the sound wave output method of the sound wave output device 102 according to the fourth embodiment. In the example of FIG. 11B, the sound wave generation unit 502 of the sound wave output device 102 changes the ID included in the sound wave every predetermined time, and the output control unit 503 changes the intensity of the sound wave every predetermined time. , sequentially outputting sound waves within the band d.

In this method, since it is not necessary to divide the band into three, the sound wave can be output using the band d, which is wider than the bands a to c. As a result, for example, in the example of the identification information shown in FIG. 2, the value of ΔF, which indicates the interval between the frequencies f1 to fn, can be increased, so that the ID can be extracted more reliably even when the moving speed is high. There is an advantage of becoming

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an image of an identification information extraction method according to an embodiment. For example, in the sound wave output method according to the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, ID1 is represented by ON/OFF of sound waves of a plurality of frequencies within band a.

The terminal device 104 that has acquired such a sound wave, for example, at each frequency representing ID1, determines whether or not there is a sound wave within a predetermined range from the center frequency of each frequency. and is discriminated.

However, as the moving speed of the terminal device 104 increases, the Doppler effect increases the deviation of the frequency of the sound wave, and the center frequency of the sound wave does not fall within a predetermined range. may become unobtainable).

On the other hand, in the fourth embodiment, by using the band d, which is wider than the bands a to c according to the first embodiment, it is possible to set a wider predetermined range for determining the presence or absence of sound waves. It becomes possible to correctly acquire an ID even at a faster moving speed.

[Fifth embodiment]
In the fifth embodiment, the sound wave output method according to the fourth embodiment is used to output sound waves in a plurality of bands, thereby further subdividing a plurality of regions formed by the sound wave output device 102. An example of

In FIG. 13B, the sound wave output device 102 outputs a sound wave representing ID1 to band a at volume VOL11, a sound wave representing ID4 to band b at volume VOL12, and outputs ID7 to band c in period T1. The sound wave represented is output at volume VOL13.

Further, in period T2, the sound wave output device 102 outputs a sound wave representing ID2 to band a at volume VOL21, outputs a sound wave representing ID5 to band b at volume VOL22, and outputs a sound wave representing ID8 to band c at volume VOL23. to output.

Furthermore, in period T3, the sound wave output device 102 outputs a sound wave representing ID3 to band a at volume VOL31, outputs a sound wave representing ID6 to band b at volume VOL32, and outputs a sound wave representing ID9 to band c at volume VOL33. to output.

As a result, for example, when the terminal device 104 acquires sound waves in the region A shown in FIG. 13(c) for the period T4 shown in FIG. 13(b), the acquired sound waves include ID1 to ID9. Also, when the terminal device 104 acquires sound waves in region B shown in FIG. 13(c) for the period T4 shown in FIG. 13(b), the acquired sound waves include ID2 to ID9. Further, when the terminal device 104 acquires sound waves in region C shown in FIG. 13(c) for the period T4 shown in FIG. 13(b), the acquired sound waves include ID3 to ID9.

Similarly, when the terminal device 104 acquires sound waves in region D shown in FIG. 13(c) for the period T4 shown in FIG. 13(b), the acquired sound waves include ID4 to ID9. Further, when the terminal device 104 acquires sound waves in the region E shown in FIG. 13(c) for the period T4 shown in FIG. 13(b), the acquired sound waves include ID5 to ID9. Further, when the terminal device 104 acquires sound waves in the region F shown in FIG. 13(c) for the period T4 shown in FIG. 13(b), the acquired sound waves include ID6 to ID9.

Further, when the terminal device 104 acquires sound waves in region G shown in FIG. 13(c) for the period T4 shown in FIG. 13(b), the acquired sound waves include ID7 to ID9. Also, when the terminal device 104 acquires sound waves in region H shown in FIG. 13(c) for the period T4 shown in FIG. 13(b), the acquired sound waves include ID8 and ID9. Further, when the terminal device 104 acquires a sound wave in the region I shown in FIG. 13(c) for the period T4 shown in FIG. 13(b), the acquired sound wave includes ID9.

Therefore, the terminal device 104 or the management server 101 can specify the corresponding area from the identification information acquired by the terminal device 104, for example, using the correspondence information 1301 shown in FIG. become.

In the example of FIG. 13, the ID contained in the sound wave and the volume are switched for each of the bands a to c. , and volume switching.

Also, the sound wave output device 102 may output sound waves at intervals between periods T1, T2, and T3 in FIG. 13(b), for example.

FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining a modification of the fifth embodiment. FIG. 14A shows a sound wave output method of the sound wave output device 102 according to the fifth embodiment. In the example of FIG. 14(a), the sound wave output device 102 sequentially outputs sound waves in each of bands a to c while changing the ID contained in the sound wave and the volume.

However, it is not limited to this, and the sound wave output device 102 may output sound waves using at least one band in each period of T1 to T3, as shown in FIG. 14(b), for example. . In the example of FIG. 14(b), the sound wave is output using one band in each period of T1 to T3, but the sound wave output device 102 outputs two bands in each period of T1 to T3. may be used to output sound waves.

Note that the number of bands a to c, the number of volume levels VOL1 to VOL3, time intervals, etc. shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 are examples and can be changed arbitrarily.

[Sixth embodiment]
In the sixth embodiment, an example of controlling the sound wave output device 102 when a plurality of sound wave output devices 102 are arranged adjacently will be described.

15 to 18 are diagrams showing examples of control of the sound wave output device according to the sixth embodiment. As described in the first embodiment, when the sound wave output device 102 outputs sound waves using bands a to c, the volume of band a, which has a lower frequency, can be set to be smaller. desirable.

However, in this case, for example, as shown in FIG. , the sound waves may overlap and interfere. When interference occurs, for example, problems such as the inability to extract the ID contained in the sound wave in the area where the interference occurs or different IDs being detected even in the same location due to the directivity of the microphone may occur.

Therefore, the information processing system 100 according to the sixth embodiment includes an output device control unit that controls so that the sound waves output by the sound wave output device 102a and the sound waves output by the sound wave output device 102b do not overlap in the same frequency band. 533.

As an example, as shown in FIG. 16, the output device control unit 533 controls the sound wave output device 102a so that the sound wave output by the adjacent sound wave output device 102a and the sound wave output by the sound wave output device 102b do not overlap in the same frequency band. Change the sound wave output method of the output device 102b.

For example, the output device control unit 533 refers to the information on the location where the sound wave output device 102 managed by the device information management unit 534 is installed, and determines whether the sound wave output device 102a and the sound wave output device 102b are arranged adjacent to each other. If so, change processing as shown in FIG. 17 is executed.

In step S1701 in FIG. 17, the output device control unit 533 acquires information on the band with the maximum sound volume from the device information management unit 534 in the sound wave output devices 102a and 102b.

For example, in the example of FIG. 15, the band with the highest volume in the sound wave output device 102a is "band c", and the band with the highest volume in the sound wave output device 102b is "band c".

In step S1702, the output device control unit 533 determines whether or not the sound wave output device 102a and the sound wave output device 102b have the same maximum sound volume band.

For example, in the example of FIG. 15, the sound wave output device 102a and the sound wave output device 102b have the same maximum volume band in the "band c".

If the maximum volume band does not match, the output device control unit 533 terminates the process. On the other hand, if the bands with the highest volume match, the output device control unit 533 causes the process to proceed to step S1703.

After moving to step S1703, the output device control unit 533 changes, for example, the maximum volume band of the sound wave output device 102b (or the sound wave output device 102a). For example, in the example of FIG. 15, the output device control unit 533 changes the band c in which the sound volume of the sound wave output device 102b is the maximum to band a or band b.

As a result, for example, as shown in FIG. 18, the band with the maximum sound volume in the sound wave output device 102a is "band c", and the band with the maximum sound volume in the sound wave output device 102b is "band a", thereby avoiding sound wave interference. can do. Although the output device control unit 533 is included in the management server 101 in the functional configuration diagram shown in FIG. 5, the output device control unit 533 may be included in the sound wave output device 102 .

According to this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the interference of sound waves generated when the sound wave output devices 102 are arranged adjacent to each other.

<Examples of services provided>
Next, examples of services provided by the information processing system 100 will be described.

19 to 21 are diagrams showing images of services provided by the information processing system according to one embodiment.

19(a) and 19(b) show an ID acquired when a user possessing the terminal device 104 moves in the direction of an arrow 1901 in areas A to C formed by the sound wave output device 102, and the area shows an example of the information of

In this example, for example, as shown in FIG. 19B, the terminal device 104 specifies not only that it is in the region formed by the sound wave output device 102, but also which of regions A to C it is in. be able to. Therefore, the information processing system 100 can provide the terminal device 104 with more detailed location information and route guidance information than conventional information processing systems.

20A and 20B show, for example, an example in which the information processing system 100 is applied to a point acquisition service that gives points to users who visit a store or the like. For example, in FIG. 20A, the information processing system 100 provides a service of assigning points to the terminal devices 104 of users who enter the area A, with the area A as a point acquisition area.

For example, in FIG. 20(a), when the user carrying the terminal device 104 moves in the direction of the arrow 2001, as shown in FIG. increase in number. Therefore, the information processing system 100, for example, not only determines whether the terminal device 104 is in the area formed by the sound wave output device 102, but also determines in which of the areas A to C it is located, whether it is approaching the point acquisition area, and the like. It is possible to provide information such as that shown.

Therefore, the information processing system 100 can provide the terminal device 104 with more detailed location information and route guidance information than conventional information processing systems. In addition, in the example of FIG. 20, by changing the sound volume of the sound waves forming the area A, it is possible to set the size of the point acquisition area to an appropriate size.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 21A and 21B, the information processing system 100 uses a plurality of sound wave output devices 102a and 102b to provide location information, route guidance information, point acquisition service, and the like. can do. In this case as well, the information processing system 100 uses information such as that shown in FIG. can do.

<Process flow>
FIG. 22 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of processing of the information processing system according to the embodiment; This processing is an example of processing in which the information processing system 100 uses the sound wave output device 102 to provide the user of the terminal device 104 with a display screen showing position information or route information.

In step S2201, the output device control unit 533 of the management server 101 transmits, for example, setting information for forming regions A to C as shown in FIG. .

For example, when forming regions A to C by the sound wave output method according to the first embodiment, the setting information includes identification information (ID1 to ID3) to be output in each band of band a to band c, each band contains information such as volume (VOL1 to VOL3) at which sound waves are output.

In step S2202, the sound wave generator 502 of the sound wave output device 102 uses the setting information received from the management server 101 to generate first to third sound waves.

For example, as shown in FIG. 7A, the sound wave generation unit 502 generates a first sound wave representing ID1 (first identification information) using a plurality of frequencies within band a. Similarly, the sound wave generation unit 502 generates a second sound wave representing ID2 (second identification information) using a plurality of frequencies within band b, and uses a plurality of frequencies within band c to generate a second sound wave representing ID3 A third sound wave representing (third identification information) is generated.

In step S2203, the output control unit 503 of the sound wave output device 102 causes the sound wave output unit 504 to output the first to third sound waves generated by the sound wave generation unit 502 with different sound wave intensities (volumes).

For example, the output control unit 503 uses the sound wave output unit 504 to output the first sound wave representing ID1 in the band a at the volume VOL1, as shown in FIG. 7A. Similarly, the output control unit 503 uses the sound wave output unit 504 to output the second sound wave representing ID2 to band b at volume VOL2, and output the third sound wave representing ID3 to band c at volume VOL3. do.

Thereby, the sound wave output device 102 can form, for example, an area A601, an area B602, and an area C603 as shown in FIG.

In step S2204, for example, when the terminal device 104 approaches the sound wave output device 102 and the sound wave output by the sound wave output device 102 reaches the terminal device 104, the processing from step S2205 onwards is executed.

In step S<b>2205 , the sound wave analysis unit 523 of the terminal device 104 extracts an ID from the sound waves acquired by the sound wave acquisition unit 522 .

As a result, for example, when the terminal device 104 is in the area A601 shown in FIG. 6, ID1, ID2, and ID3 are extracted. Also, when the terminal device 104 is in the area B602 shown in FIG. 6, ID2 and ID3 are extracted. Furthermore, when the terminal device 104 is in area C603 shown in FIG. 6, ID3 is extracted.

In step S2206, the area specifying unit 524 of the terminal device 104 sends a location information acquisition request including the ID (ID1, ID2, or ID3) extracted by the sound wave analysis unit 523 and the terminal ID of the terminal device 104 to the management server. 101.

In step S2207, the location information management unit 532 of the management server 101 uses the ID included in the location information acquisition request and the correspondence information 711 as shown in FIG. identify the areas where

For example, when ID1, ID2, and ID3 are included in the location information acquisition request received from the terminal device 104, the location information management unit 532 determines that the terminal device 104 is in the area A601 in FIG. In addition, the position information management unit 532 determines that the terminal device 104 is in the area B602 in FIG. 6 when ID2 and ID3 are included in the position information acquisition request. Furthermore, when ID3 is included in the position information acquisition request, the position information management unit 532 determines that the terminal device 104 is in the area C603 of FIG.

In step S2208, the location information management unit 532 of the management server 101 stores and manages the specified area as location information of the terminal device 104 in the storage unit 535, for example.

At this time, the position information management unit 532 indicates the position of the terminal device 104 using the coordinate information of the location where the sound wave output device 102 managed by the device information management unit 534 is installed and the information of the specified area. It may be one that calculates position information (coordinate information, etc.). Alternatively, the position information management unit 532 may manage the specified area names (eg, area A to area C) as the position information of the terminal device 104 .

In step S<b>2209 , the location information management unit 532 of the management server 101 transmits the location information of the terminal device 104 to the terminal device 104 via the gateway 103 .

In step S2210, the display input control unit 525 of the terminal device 104 uses the position information received from the management server 101 to display, for example, the position information indicating the position of the terminal device 104 or the display screen indicating the route information. 407 to display.

In this way, the sound wave output device 102 of each embodiment of the present invention can form a plurality of different regions using sound waves output from one speaker. Therefore, the information processing system 100 can manage the position of the terminal device 104 in more detail while suppressing an increase in the number of sound wave output devices.

100 information processing system 101 management server 102 sound wave output device 102a sound wave output device (first sound wave output device)
102b sound wave output device (second sound wave output device)
104 terminal device 502 sound wave generation unit 503 output control unit 504 sound wave output unit 523 sound wave analysis unit 524 area identification unit 533 output device control unit

JP 2010-134391 A

Claims (10)

An information processing system including a sound wave output device that outputs a sound wave and a terminal device that acquires the sound wave output by the sound wave output device,
The sound wave output device is
A first sound wave representing the first identification in a first frequency band , a second sound wave representing the second identification in a second frequency band , and a third identification in a third frequency band. A sound wave output unit that outputs a third sound wave representing, with one speaker ,
an output control unit that causes the sound wave output unit to output the first sound wave, the second sound wave, and the third sound wave with different sound wave intensities;
has
When the sound wave acquired by the terminal device includes three pieces of identification information among the first identification information, the second identification information, and the third identification information, the terminal device acquires the sound wave If the region is specified as the first region and contains two pieces of identification information, the region from which the terminal device acquired the sound wave is specified as the second region and one piece of identification information is contained, Identifying the area where the terminal device acquired the sound wave as a third area;
Information processing system. The sound wave output unit outputs the first sound wave within the first frequency band and outputs the second sound wave within the second frequency band different from the first frequency band. Item 1. The information processing system according to item 1. 3. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein said output control unit outputs said first sound wave and said second sound wave at different times. The sound wave output unit changes the first identification information every predetermined time,
4. The information processing system according to claim 3, wherein said output control unit changes the intensity of said first sound wave every said predetermined time. 3. The information processing system according to claim 2, wherein said output control unit sets the intensity of a sound wave having a lower frequency among said first sound wave and said second sound wave to be lower than the intensity of other sound waves. 3. The information processing system according to claim 2, wherein said first identification information and said second identification information are the same identification information. The terminal device
a sound wave analysis unit that analyzes identification information included in the sound wave output from the sound wave output device;
a region identification unit that identifies a region from which the sound wave is acquired, using the identification information analyzed by the sound wave analysis unit;
The information processing system according to claim 1, comprising: A plurality of the sound wave output devices are arranged ,
The first sound wave output device is configured so that the region in which the first sound wave output device outputs sound waves in each frequency band and the region in which the second sound wave output device outputs sound waves in each frequency band do not overlap in the same frequency band. 2. The information processing system according to claim 1 , further comprising an output device control unit that changes a method of outputting a sound wave output by the sound wave output device or the second sound wave output device. In an information processing system including a sound wave output device that outputs a sound wave and a terminal device that acquires the sound wave output by the sound wave output device,
The sound wave output device is
A first sound wave representing the first identification in a first frequency band , a second sound wave representing the second identification in a second frequency band , and a third identification in a third frequency band. sound wave output processing for outputting a third sound wave representing, with one speaker ,
an output control process for outputting the first sound wave, the second sound wave, and the third sound wave with different sound wave intensities;
and run
The terminal device
When the sound wave acquired by the terminal device includes three pieces of identification information among the first identification information, the second identification information, and the third identification information, the terminal device acquires the sound wave If the region is specified as the first region and contains two pieces of identification information, the region from which the terminal device acquired the sound wave is specified as the second region and one piece of identification information is contained, performing a region identification process for identifying the region where the terminal device acquired the sound wave as a third region;
Information processing methods. An information processing system including a sound wave output device that outputs a sound wave and a program executed by a terminal device that acquires the sound wave output by the sound wave output device,
The sound wave output device is
A first sound wave representing the first identification in a first frequency band , a second sound wave representing the second identification in a second frequency band , and a third identification in a third frequency band. A sound wave output unit that outputs a third sound wave representing, with one speaker ,
an output control unit that causes the sound wave output unit to output the first sound wave, the second sound wave, and the third sound wave with different sound wave intensities;
has
The program
When the sound wave acquired by the terminal device includes three pieces of identification information among the first identification information, the second identification information, and the third identification information, the terminal device acquires the sound wave If the region is specified as the first region and contains two pieces of identification information, the region from which the terminal device acquired the sound wave is specified as the second region and one piece of identification information is contained, causing the terminal device to perform region identification processing for identifying the region where the terminal device acquired the sound wave as a third region;
Information processing system .

Images