JP7244331B2 - Voice guidance device, voice guidance server, and voice guidance method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a voice guidance device, a voice guidance server, and a voice guidance method provided in a vehicle such as an automobile.

Conventionally, a voice dialogue device for use in a moving vehicle has been developed, and has been utilized to introduce facilities in a rental car at a sightseeing spot. With such a voice dialogue apparatus, if a dialogue is conducted when the user has no time to spare, there is a problem that the user cannot fully understand the contents of the dialogue.

On the other hand, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique of providing a user with guidance according to the level of the stopped state at an appropriate timing. More specifically, in Patent Document 1, a vehicle stop state is determined based on the traveling speed of the vehicle, and the level of the stop state is determined by at least one of the continuity of the stop state, the occurrence interval, and the occurrence frequency. A technique is disclosed for performing guidance based on the determined level of the stopped state.

JP-A-2002-107156

However, the technology disclosed in Patent Literature 1 requires that the vehicle is stopped and does not take into consideration the user's familiarity with the vehicle. In this regard, when the user has just got into a rental car, or has just purchased a new vehicle, or when the user has only a short driving history, there is often no time to spare because the user is still unfamiliar with the vehicle. was not suitable.

The present invention has been made in view of such problems. It is possible to prevent complicated voice dialogue from being performed for a user who has just started driving or a user who has a short driving experience, when he/she has not had enough mental leeway because he/she has just got on the vehicle. An object of the present invention is to provide a sound guidance device, a sound guidance server, and a sound guidance method.

(1) The voice guidance device of the present invention stores a positioning unit for measuring the current position information of a mobile object having a mobile object ID as the mobile object type, and facility information including map information and facility position information. a scenario data storage unit for storing scenario data including information about the facility together with dialogue difficulty information; an input unit for receiving a voice response input from a user who moves with the mobile object; an output unit that outputs data as voice or image; a total distance calculation unit that calculates the total distance traveled by the user with the mobile object ID; a selection unit that selects the scenario data from the scenario data storage unit based on the position information of the mobile object; an output control unit that outputs the scenario data as audio or image via the output unit based on the position information of the user, and the selection unit further includes: and according to the dialogue difficulty level of the scenario data, the scenario data is selected from the scenario data storage unit, and the output control unit outputs the scenario data selected by the selection unit as voice or image to the output unit. output through

According to the above (1), for a user who drives an unfamiliar vehicle such as a rental car, for example, a user who has just purchased a new vehicle, or a user who has a short driving history, To prevent a complicated voice dialogue from being performed when a person has no mental leeway because he/she has just got into a vehicle.

(2) In the voice guidance device described in (1), the dialogue difficulty level information is determined by the content of the scenario and/or the length of the scenario included in the scenario data.

According to (2) above, it is possible to select and output an appropriate scenario according to the user's mental leeway due to the user's familiarity with the vehicle.

(3) The voice guidance server of the present invention includes a map storage unit that stores facility information including map information and location information of facilities, and a scenario that stores scenario data including information about the facilities together with dialogue difficulty level information. A data storage unit and a control unit are provided, and the control unit calculates a user recognition unit for recognizing a user, and from transition of position information of a mobile unit having a mobile unit ID, the user adds the mobile unit ID. a total distance calculation unit that calculates the traveled distance; a selection unit that selects the scenario data from the scenario data storage unit based on the position information of the moving object; and a selection unit that selects the scenario data based on the position information of the moving object. as a voice or image, wherein the selection unit further stores the scenario data in accordance with the cumulative travel distance with the mobile body ID by the user and the difficulty level of interaction of the scenario data The scenario data is selected from the section, and the output control section further instructs to output the scenario data selected by the selection section as sound or image.

According to the voice guidance server of (3) above, the same effect as that of the voice guidance device of (1) is obtained.

(4) In the voice guidance method of the present invention, a positioning unit for measuring the current position information of a mobile object having a mobile object ID as the mobile object type, and facility information including map information and facility position information are stored. a scenario data storage unit for storing scenario data including information about the facility together with dialogue difficulty information; an input unit for receiving a voice response input from a user who moves with the mobile object; One or more computers having an output unit for outputting data as sound or image perform a user recognition step of recognizing the user; A cumulative distance calculation step of calculating a cumulative travel distance for the mobile body ID; a selection step of selecting the scenario data from the scenario data storage unit based on the location information of the mobile body; and the location information of the mobile body. and an output control step of outputting the scenario data as a sound or an image via the output unit based on the above, and the selecting step further includes: the total travel distance with the mobile body ID by the user and the scenario Scenario data is selected from the scenario data storage unit according to the dialogue difficulty of the data, and the output control step further outputs the scenario data selected by the selection step as voice or image via the output unit. control to

According to the voice guidance method of (4) above, the same effects as those of the voice guidance device of (1) are obtained.

According to the present invention, for a user who drives an unfamiliar vehicle such as a rental car, for example, for a user who has just purchased a new vehicle, or for a user who has a short driving experience, , a voice guidance device, a voice guidance server, and a voice guidance method capable of preventing complicated voice dialogue from being performed when there is no mental leeway because it has just been in the vehicle. can be provided.

1 is a block diagram showing the basic configuration of the entire audio guidance system that is an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration of an in-vehicle content reproducing device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a hierarchical structure of scenario data according to the embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of a content server according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing basic operations during voice guidance processing in the embodiment of the present invention. It is a functional block diagram which shows the functional structure of the content server in the modification of embodiment of this invention.

<Overall Configuration of Voice Guidance System 1>
A preferred embodiment of the voice guidance system of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of a voice guidance system 1. As shown in FIG.
In this embodiment, the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 and the mobile terminal 20 are configured to be capable of providing facility information guidance by themselves. Therefore, even if the vehicle does not have a communication environment with the server, it is possible for the vehicle to output a scenario that introduces recommended facilities to the user who is driving around sightseeing points or tourist facilities. .

As shown in FIG. 1 , the voice guidance system 1 includes an in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 , a mobile terminal 20 and a content server 30 . These devices and terminals are connected via a communication network 40 so as to be able to communicate with each other. In addition, although the information transmitted and received by each device and each terminal is also illustrated in the figure, this information is only an example. In this embodiment, information other than those shown may be transmitted and received. Also, in FIG. 1, communication paths are indicated by dashed lines, but this indicates that this is not necessarily an essential configuration in this embodiment.

The in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 has a function of recognizing the user of the vehicle 50a in which the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 is mounted. Furthermore, the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 has a function of positioning the position information of the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 (that is, the position information of the vehicle 50a). The location information determined by the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 may be transmitted to the content server 30 as appropriate. Furthermore, the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 has a function of calculating the distance traveled by the recognized user in the vehicle 50a using the position information.
In addition, the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 voices various kinds of information about tourist spots and destinations to the user who is in the vehicle 50a and is driving through the tourist spots and/or is moving to the destination. It has a function to guide with. Here, various types of information about tourist spots and destinations include, for example, information on recommended foods and drinks at the tourist spots and/or destinations, information on recommended sightseeing spots such as nature and history, Examples include cultural information such as dialects and customs in tourist spots and/or destinations, and information related to local characters, recommended facilities, and the like. For example, in the case of a temple with a famous sightseeing spot, audio and images related to the temple's construction time, the person who built it, the main Buddha statues, paintings, sculptures, reasons and times it was built, and the detailed location of the temple. Description is an example.
In particular, the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 has a function of guiding various information by voice using scenario data of the dialogue difficulty level corresponding to the recognized moving distance of the user.
Note that the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 may display facility information and provide route guidance from the current position to the destination.
The in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 may be realized by a car navigation device installed in the vehicle 50a, which is a mobile object, or by a portable PND (Portable Navigation Device) which is easily installed in the vehicle 50a, which is a mobile object. .

The mobile terminal 20 is a mobile terminal used by a user who has boarded the vehicle 50b. The mobile terminal 20 has a function of positioning the position information of the mobile terminal 20 (that is, the position information of the vehicle 50b), similarly to the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 described above. The location information determined by the mobile terminal 20 may be transmitted to the content server 30 as appropriate, similarly to the location information determined by the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 . As with the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10, the portable terminal 20 can inform the user who is driving in the vehicle 50b of the tourist spot and/or is traveling to the tourist spot and the destination. It has a function to guide various information by voice. As with the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10, the portable terminal 20 may display facility information and provide route guidance from the current position to the destination.
The mobile terminal 20 can be implemented by a smart phone, a mobile phone, a tablet terminal, a notebook computer, or other portable electronic devices.

In the figure, one set of the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 and the vehicle 50a and one set of the mobile terminal 20 and the vehicle 50b are illustrated, but there is no particular limitation on the number of these sets. Further, in the following description, when the vehicle 50a in which the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 is mounted and the vehicle 50b in which the user using the mobile terminal 20 rides are referred to without distinction, the alphabet at the end is omitted. Simply referred to as "vehicle 50".

For example, the content server 30 sends a message to the vehicle 50 (specifically, the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 or the mobile terminal 20) that is driving in a tourist spot. Based on the location information and/or the request received from the portable terminal 20), for example, content information (for example, scenario data described later) regarding the tourist spot may be downloaded in advance. Note that if the user of the vehicle 50 is a local person (hereinafter also referred to as a “local person”), information (for example, scenario data described later) regarding the tourist spot may not be downloaded.
Here, the fact that the user is a person local to the facility (“locals”) means that, for example, any location of the user's living base (for example, the user's home, workplace, school, etc.) is the location of the tourist spot. It means to be located within a preset range from .

The content server 30 can be realized, for example, by installing software unique to this embodiment in a general-purpose server device. Here, the server device may be a distributed system composed of one computer or a plurality of computers.

The communication network 40 is implemented by a network such as the Internet or a mobile phone network, or a network combining these.

The vehicle 50 is a moving object in which the user of the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 or the mobile terminal 20 rides. Vehicle 50 is implemented by, for example, a four-wheeled vehicle, a motorcycle, a bicycle, or the like.
The overall configuration of the voice guidance system 1 has been described above.
Next, each configuration will be described.

<Functional Blocks of In-Vehicle Content Playback Device 10>
Functional blocks included in the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG.
Here, the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 is supplied with power from the vehicle 50a, and is automatically started when the ignition switch of the vehicle 50a is turned on (starting the engine) by the user in the vehicle 50a. may Then, the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 may operate until the ignition switch of the vehicle 50a is turned off (the engine is stopped) by the user in the vehicle 50a.

As shown in FIG. 2, the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, a communication unit 13, a sensor unit 14, a display unit 15, an input unit 16, and an audio unit 17. composed of

The control unit 11 is composed of an arithmetic processing unit such as a microprocessor, and controls each unit that constitutes 10 . Details of the control unit 11 will be described later.

The storage unit 12 is composed of a semiconductor memory or the like, and stores a program for providing voice guidance to the user and facility information using a control program called firmware or an operating system and scenario data, which will be described later. A program for displaying via the display unit 15 or the like, a program for performing route guidance processing for moving to the facility, and a program for performing processing for transmitting position information of the vehicle 50a to the content server 30. Programs and various other information such as map information are stored. As shown in FIG. 2, the storage unit 12 includes, for example, a map information storage unit 121, a position information storage unit 122, an identification information storage unit 123, and a scenario data storage unit .

The map information storage unit 121 includes information on features such as roads and facilities, road information, facility position information, parking lot information, and the like. In addition, the map information storage unit 121 also stores display map data for displaying the background of roads and road maps, position information of nodes (for example, intersections, bends, corner points, etc. of roads) and their type information. , location information and type information of links, which are routes connecting nodes, and road network data including link cost data relating to cost information (for example, distance, required time, etc.) of all links. The information about facilities included in the map information storage unit 121 may include general facilities displayed in the map information, in addition to tourist facilities and sightseeing spots guided by scenario data, which will be described later.

As the road information, so-called road map information such as road types and traffic lights is stored.
As the facility location information, the location information of each general facility is stored as latitude and longitude information. Further, the facility location information may include identification information (facility ID), name, facility type (and/or genre), telephone number, address, etc. of general facilities.
As the parking lot information, location information of the parking lot is stored as latitude and longitude information. When the parking lot is the parking lot of each general facility, the general facility and the parking lot are stored in association with each other.

The position information storage unit 122 includes position information of the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 (that is, position information of the vehicle 50a) positioned by the sensor unit 14, which will be described later. The position information storage unit 122 preferably contains not only the information indicating the measured position but also the positioning time, which is the time when the positioning was performed.

The identification information storage unit 123 also includes information for identifying the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 (also referred to as “identification information”). As the identification information, for example, a serial number or the like uniquely assigned to the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 can be used. In addition, in order for the communication unit 13 to connect to the communication network 40, which is a network such as a mobile phone network, a telephone number assigned to a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) inserted in the communication unit 13 is used as identification information. can be used. In addition, the VIN (vehicle identification number: hereinafter sometimes referred to as "mobile body ID") uniquely assigned to the vehicle 50a and the number of the license plate can be used as the identification information.
Furthermore, as will be described later, when the control unit 11 recognizes a user via the input unit 16, the identification information storage unit 123 stores the user ID of the user as identification information. This makes it possible to associate the user ID with the location information stored in the location information storage unit 122 .

The scenario data storage unit 124 contains scenario data for guiding various information about sightseeing spots and destinations. The scenario data storage unit 124 may contain scenario data in advance for guiding various information about sightseeing spots and destinations within a predetermined geographical range. Alternatively, the content may be downloaded from the content server 30 as appropriate based on the location information of the vehicle 50a or a request from the user. Details of the scenario data will be described later.

Each piece of information stored in the storage unit 12 may be stored in advance in the storage unit 12, or may be stored in the content server 30 connected to the communication network 40 or another server device (not shown). ), etc., as necessary. Furthermore, it may be modified as appropriate according to user input or the like.

The communication unit 13 has a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) or the like, and is compliant with standards such as 3G (3rd Generation), LTE (Long Term Evolution), and Wi-Fi (registered trademark). device (for example, content server 30). The communication unit 13 is used, for example, to download scenario data, as described above. Also, the location information and identification information stored in the storage unit 12 may be used to transmit to the content server 30 . Data transmitted and received between the communication unit 13 and other devices is not particularly limited, and information other than position information, identification information, and scenario data may be transmitted and received.

The sensor unit 14 is configured by, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor, a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, or the like. The sensor unit 14 has a function as position detection means for detecting position information, receives GPS satellite signals from the GPS sensor, and measures the position information (latitude and longitude) of the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 . Positioning by the sensor unit 14 may be performed at predetermined time intervals (for example, every 3 seconds). Position information obtained by positioning is stored in the position information storage unit 122 . In addition, it is preferable that the position information includes time information when positioning the position information. By doing so, it becomes possible to calculate when and where the vehicle 50a was located.
The sensor unit 14 can further improve the positioning accuracy of the position information of the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 based on the angular velocity and acceleration measured by the gyro sensor and acceleration sensor.
Further, when GPS communication becomes difficult or impossible, the sensor unit 14 uses AGPS (Assisted Global Positioning System) communication to determine the position of the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 based on the base station information acquired from the communication unit 13 . It is also possible to calculate the information.

The display unit 15 is configured by a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic electroluminescence panel. The display unit 15 receives an instruction from the control unit 11 and displays an image. As for the information displayed by the display unit 15, for example, when the control unit 11 provides sightseeing spot information, destination information, etc. by voice output of a plurality of characters based on the scenario data, characters corresponding to voice are displayed. You may make it display. Also, an image may be displayed to supplement the provision of information by voice. Also, if the audio is, for example, a piece of music, information such as the name of the piece or the name of the artist may be displayed. In addition, a map or route guidance information in the vicinity of the current position may be displayed.

The input unit 16 includes a physical switch called a numeric keypad, an input device (not shown) such as a touch panel provided over the display surface of the display unit 15, and the like. By outputting a signal to the control unit 11 based on an operation input from the input unit 16, for example, a user pressing a numeric keypad or touching a touch panel, it is possible to realize a selection operation by the user or an operation such as enlargement or reduction of a map. can.
Furthermore, the input unit 16 may include, for example, a card reader or the like as a device for the control unit 11 to recognize a user and acquire a user ID, as will be described later.

The audio unit 17 outputs the voices of a plurality of characters for guidance based on the scenario data read from the scenario data storage unit 124, for example. The audio unit 17 is composed of an amplifier, a speaker, and the like.

In addition, although not shown, the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 includes a microphone and the like. The microphone collects sounds and the like uttered by the driver.
By doing so, it is also possible to input various selections and instructions by the driver, which are voice-inputted via a microphone, to the control unit 11 by voice recognition technology. Also, when the scenario data is being guided by the voice of the character, it is also possible to respond to an inquiry from the character to the user through the microphone. By doing so, a conversation with the character can be realized.

Next, details of the control unit 11 will be described. The control unit 11 is composed of a microprocessor having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), I/O (Input/Output), and the like. The CPU executes each program read from the ROM or the storage unit 12, reads information from the RAM, the ROM, and the storage unit 12 during the execution, writes information to the RAM and the storage unit 12, It exchanges signals with the communication unit 13, the sensor unit 14, the display unit 15, the input unit 16, the audio unit 17, and the like. In this way, the processing in this embodiment is realized by cooperation between hardware and software (programs).

The control unit 11 includes a user recognition unit 111, an integrated distance calculation unit 112, a selection unit 113, and an output control unit 114 as functional blocks. In addition, a route guidance unit (not shown) that guides the user to the route to the destination, a position information transmission unit (not shown) that transmits the position information of the vehicle 50 to the content server 30, and A download unit (not shown) for downloading content (for example, scenario data) from the content server 30 may be provided. For example, the route guidance unit can use route information whose destination is a facility related to the facility information included in the map information storage unit 121 as route information for route guidance. The configurations of the route guidance section, the position information transmission section (not shown), and the download section are known and will not be described.

<Scenario data>
Before explaining the functions of the control unit 11, the scenario data will be explained.
Scenario data mainly includes various types of information about sightseeing spots and destinations, and can include audio data so as to be output as voices (narration) of, for example, a plurality of characters via the audio unit 17 . The scenario data includes a plurality of upper layer scenarios, a plurality of lower layer scenarios linked to the upper layer scenarios, and an intermediate layer scenario (hereinafter also referred to as "short radio") including the headwords of the lower layer scenarios. Configured as a hierarchical structure.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the hierarchical structure of scenario data. As shown in FIG. 3, for example, a scenario related to "sightseeing", which is the top-level scenario, is connected to a scenario related to "eating and drinking" and a scenario related to "spots", which are second-level scenarios, via a middle-level scenario (short radio). A scenario is constructed. Similarly, a scenario relating to "eating and drinking", which is a second-tier scenario, is composed of a scenario relating to "food" and a scenario relating to "drink", which are third-tier scenarios, through short radio. Below, a scenario related to "food" consists of a scenario related to "meat" and a scenario related to "fish" via a short radio, and a scenario related to "meat" includes a scenario related to "soki soba" via a short radio. Scenarios related to "" and scenarios related to "steak" are configured. In this way, the scenarios are structured from descriptions of high-level concepts to descriptions of low-level concepts. Furthermore, the short radio includes the headlines of the lower-layer scenarios, and is longer than the lower-layer scenarios, in order to smoothly guide the next lower-layer scenario from the upper-layer scenario at a good tempo. is configured to be short. Here, the "length" of the scenario includes, for example, the number of characters in the scenario, the time required for the narration by voice of the scenario, and the like.

For example, if the upper layer scenario is "Explanation of Okinawan food" and the lower layer scenario is "Meat" or "Fish", then "Explanation of Okinawan food" can be changed to "Meat" or "Fish". In order to continue the explanation of "fish", the short radio is configured to connect to the lower hierarchy scenario, for example, "○○ meat and △△ fish are famous", and in lower hierarchy scenario a, "○○ meat , and the lower layer scenario b can be configured to explain '△△ fish'.
As will be described later, it is preferable to change the voice (character) so that the voice of the short radio is different from the voice of the upper hierarchy scenario and/or the voice of the lower hierarchy scenario.
By doing this, it is possible to prevent one scenario from becoming long, and it is possible to continuously guide the user with information at a good tempo with a short narration, making it easier for the user to hear the information. It can attract the user's interest. It should be noted that an image may be displayed to supplement the provision of information by voice.
In addition, a map near the current position and route guide information may be displayed. Local information, music content, disc jockey announcements, and traffic guidance announcements calling attention to accident-prone spots and sharp curves may also be included.

Scenario data composed of a plurality of upper layer scenarios, a plurality of lower layer scenarios linked to the upper layer scenarios, and an intermediate layer scenario (hereinafter also referred to as "short radio") including the headwords of the lower layer scenarios. are categorized according to the difficulty of voice dialogue.
Here, the difficulty level of voice interaction can be determined by, for example, the content of scenario data and/or the length of scenario data. For example, in FIG. 3, for each of scenario data (a) to (h), the contents of the scenario data, for example, for scenario data (a), "sightseeing", "eating and drinking", "food", "meat", It is possible to determine the difficulty level of the voice dialogue according to the content of "Soki soba" and/or the length of each scenario data.
The features of scenario data have been described above.

<User Recognition Unit 111>
The user recognition unit 111 recognizes a user based on user information input from the input unit 16, for example, and acquires a user ID.
An example in which the user rents a rental car will be described. When a user accepts a reservation at a rental car office, for example, the rental car office creates an IC card in which information for using a rental car such as user identification information (user ID) is registered, and hands it to the user. can be done. By doing so, the user can get in and out of the vehicle by reading the IC card with an in-vehicle device such as a card reader as the input unit 16 in a contact or non-contact manner and unlocking/locking.
Here, an IC card is a storage medium that stores information and a function of exchanging information with a card reader. The IC card used in this embodiment has a unique identification number, and it is possible to identify the user of the IC card and the vehicle 50 by the identification number.
The user recognition unit 111 acquires the user ID read by the input unit 16 and outputs it to the storage unit 12 . The user ID output to storage unit 12 is stored in identification information storage unit 123 . Note that the user recognition method is not limited to this. For example, the user may be recognized by biometric recognition such as face recognition.

<Total Distance Calculation Unit 112>
The integrated distance calculation unit 112 calculates the integrated distance traveled by the vehicle 50 of the user recognized by the user recognition unit 111 based on the position information of the vehicle 50 positioned by the sensor unit 14 .
More specifically, the total distance calculation unit 112 stores the user ID stored in the identification information storage unit 123 and the location information of the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 stored in the location information storage unit 122 (that is, the vehicle 50a). location information), the total traveled distance in the vehicle 50 of the user having this user ID is calculated.
This enables the user having the user ID to calculate, for example, the cumulative distance traveled after renting the vehicle 50 as a rental car, or the cumulative distance traveled by the user in the vehicle 50 .

<Selection unit 113>
As an initial setting, the selection unit 113 selects a position from the scenario data storage unit 124 based on the position information of the vehicle 50 measured by the sensor unit 14 and/or an operation input from the user who moves with the vehicle 50 via the input unit 16 . Select scenario data.
More specifically, when the user designates scenario data for which guidance is desired to selection unit 113 , selection unit 113 selects and extracts the designated scenario data from scenario data storage unit 124 . Note that the selection operation by the user is not limited to this. For example, the selection unit 113 may allow the user to select from a list of search results by performing a search using a natural language. Further, the selection unit 113 may display a list of scenario data on the display unit 15 to allow the user to select. The natural language search may be performed using voice inquiries (for example, "Tell me about XX").

As an initial setting, the selection unit 113 may select and extract scenario data from the scenario data storage unit 124 based on the position information of the vehicle 50 positioned by the sensor unit 14 .
More specifically, when there is information related to sightseeing guided by scenario data in the vicinity of the current location information measured by the sensor unit 14 (for example, sightseeing spots with beautiful scenery, delicious fish caught nearby). In some cases, such as a zoo with rare animals, the scenario data may be selectively extracted.
In this way, in order to select and extract scenario data based on the current position information measured by the sensor unit 14, position information (for example, area information of a predetermined size) is provided in advance for each scenario data. You may make it tie. At that time, a priority level may be added to the location information associated with the scenario data. By doing so, if there are multiple scenario data associated with the current position information, unguided scenario data associated with the current position information of the vehicle 50 and having the highest priority level is selected. You may make it

Furthermore, the selection unit 113 can further select scenario data in accordance with the total distance traveled by the user in the vehicle 50 and the dialogue difficulty level of the scenario data.
Scenario data having dialogue difficulty level information corresponding to the total distance traveled by the user in the vehicle 50 calculated by the total distance calculation unit 112 is selected.
More specifically, when the user designates the scenario data for which guidance is desired to the selection unit 113, the selection unit 113 selects the vehicle 50 by the user from among the designated scenario data. Scenario data having dialogue difficulty level information corresponding to the total traveled distance is selected and extracted from the scenario data storage unit 124 . For example, when the user desires guidance on "sightseeing", the selection unit 113 selects from among a plurality of scenario data for guidance on "sightseeing" a dialog difficulty level Select scenario data with information.
Note that the selection operation by the user is not limited to this. For example, the selection unit 113 causes the user to perform a search using a natural language, and selects scenario data having dialogue difficulty level information corresponding to the cumulative traveling distance of the vehicle 50 by the user from the search results. You may The natural language search may be performed using voice inquiries (for example, "Tell me about XX").

Further, the selection unit 113 selects and extracts scenario data from the scenario data storage unit 124 based on the position information of the vehicle 50 positioned by the sensor unit 14, and then selects the location of the vehicle 50 by the user from the extraction results. Scenario data having a dialogue difficulty level corresponding to the total traveled distance at 50 may be selected.
More specifically, when there is information related to sightseeing guided by scenario data in the vicinity of the current location information measured by the sensor unit 14 (for example, sightseeing spots with beautiful scenery, delicious fish caught nearby). In some cases, a zoo with rare animals, etc.), scenario data having a dialogue difficulty level corresponding to the total traveled distance may be selected and extracted from a plurality of scenario data containing this information.
In this way, in order to select and extract scenario data based on the current position information measured by the sensor unit 14, position information (for example, area information of a predetermined size) is provided in advance for each scenario data. You may make it tie.
Accordingly, the selection unit 113 can select, for example, scenario data having a dialogue difficulty level corresponding to the total distance traveled after the user rents the vehicle 50 . Likewise, when the user has a short driving history, it is possible to select scenario data having a dialogue difficulty level corresponding to the total traveled distance of the user.

<Output control unit 114>
The output control unit 114 controls to output the scenario data selected by the selection unit 113 .
Furthermore, when the selected scenario data is to be output as voice, the output control unit 114 may perform control so that the voice is output via the audio unit 17 using the voices of a plurality of people. Specifically, when the lower layer scenario is output as voice following the output of the upper layer scenario, the output control unit 114 outputs the upper layer scenario and the lower layer scenario with a voice different from the voice of the upper layer scenario or the lower layer scenario. Alternatively, the audio unit 17 may be instructed to output the middle layer scenario (short radio) between the two.
The configuration of the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 has been described above.

<Functional Blocks of Mobile Terminal 20>
Next, functional blocks included in the mobile terminal 20 will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG.
Here, while the above-described in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 receives power supply from the vehicle 50a, the portable terminal 20 receives power supply from its own battery (not shown). However, the portable terminal 20 may be supplied with power from a cigarette lighter socket of the vehicle 50b or the like in order to charge the battery.

As shown in FIG. 4, the mobile terminal 20 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, a communication unit 23, a sensor unit 24, a display unit 25, an input unit 26, an audio unit 27, and a short-range communication unit. 28.
Here, the control unit 21, the storage unit 22, the communication unit 23, the sensor unit 24, the display unit 25, and the input unit 26 have functions equivalent to those of the same-named functional blocks included in the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 described above. have. That is, in the description of the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 described above, the wording of "the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10" is replaced with the term "portable terminal 20", and the term "vehicle 50a" in the description of the above-mentioned in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 is replaced with the term "vehicle. 50b", the description of each functional block of the mobile terminal 20 will be provided, and redundant description will be omitted.

On the other hand, the portable terminal 20 differs from the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 in that it includes a short-range communication unit 28, etc., and this difference will be described below.
The short-range communication unit 28 performs non-contact short-range communication conforming to standards such as NFC (Near Field Communication) and Bluetooth (registered trademark), or wired short-range communication via a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable or the like. This is the part for
On the other hand, vehicle 50b includes a short-range communication unit for communicating with short-range communication unit 28 . For example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) of the vehicle 50b includes a short-range communication unit.
A case where the mobile terminal 20 can communicate with the ECU by short-range communication is a case where the mobile terminal 20 is present inside the vehicle 50b. In this case, the positional information measured by the sensor unit 24 of the mobile terminal 20 corresponds to the positional information of the vehicle 50b.

Therefore, the portable terminal 20 may activate each functional unit included in the control unit 21 while short-range communication with the ECU is possible via the short-range communication unit 28 .
For example, when the user carries the mobile terminal 20 and gets into the vehicle 50b and turns on a start switch of the vehicle 50b such as an ignition switch, the vehicle 50b and the mobile terminal 20 are connected (paired), and the mobile terminal 20 Position information and identification information obtained by positioning may be transmitted from the mobile terminal 20 to the content server 30 . In this case, the position specified by the position information measured immediately after the pairing between the vehicle 50b and the mobile terminal 20 can be transmitted to the content server 30 as the initial vehicle position, that is, the starting position.

Furthermore, when a start switch of the vehicle 50b such as an ignition switch is turned off, the pairing between the vehicle 50b and the mobile terminal 20 is cancelled. In this case, for example, the position specified by the position information measured immediately before the cancellation can be transmitted to the content server 30 as the final vehicle position, that is, the parking position.

If the vehicle 50b has a function of measuring position information, the position information measured by the vehicle 50b is transmitted to the content server 30 as the position information instead of the position information measured by the sensor unit 24. may In this case, the mobile terminal 20 may omit the sensor unit 24 by acquiring position information obtained by positioning the vehicle 50b from the vehicle 50b.
The configuration of the mobile terminal 20 has been described above.

<Functional Blocks Provided by Content Server 30>
Next, functional blocks included in the content server 30 will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the content server 30 includes a control section 31 , a storage section 32 and a communication section 33 .

The control unit 31 is composed of an arithmetic processing device such as a microprocessor, and controls each unit that constitutes the content server 30 . The control unit 31 will be described later.

The storage unit 32 is composed of a semiconductor memory or the like, and stores programs such as a control program called firmware or an operating system, a program for performing information analysis processing, a map information storage unit 321, and scenario data. may include a content information storage unit 324 including

The map information storage unit 321 contains the same information as the map information storage units 121 and 221 described above. The map information may be stored in advance, or downloaded from a server device (not shown) connected to the communication network 40 as needed. Furthermore, it may be modified as appropriate according to user input or the like.

The content information storage unit 324 contains various scenario data for guiding the aforementioned sightseeing spot information, destination information, and the like. In addition, the content information storage unit 324 may also include, for example, music content, disc jockey announcements, traffic guidance announcements calling attention to accident-prone spots and sharp curves, and video content such as photos and videos. These pieces of information may also be configured as scenario data.
As described above, the content information may be downloaded in advance from the content server to the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 or the mobile terminal 20 based on the location information of the vehicle 50 or a request from the user.

The communication unit 33 has a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) and the like, and complies with standards such as 3G (3rd Generation) LTE (Long Term Evolution) and Wi-Fi (registered trademark), and communicates with the communication network via the communication network 40. 40 to enable wireless communication with other devices. The communication unit 33 may be used, for example, to receive position information and identification information transmitted from the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 and the mobile terminal 20, respectively. Also, the communication unit 33 may be used to transmit content information including scenario data to the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 and the mobile terminal 20 .
However, there is no particular limitation on the data transmitted/received between the communication unit 33 and other devices, and information other than these information may be transmitted/received.

The control unit 31 is configured by a microprocessor having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), I/O (Input/Output), and the like. The CPU executes each program read from the ROM or the storage unit 32, reads information from the RAM, the ROM, and the storage unit 32 during execution, writes information to the RAM and the storage unit 32, It exchanges signals with the communication unit 33 , the display unit 34 and the input unit 35 . In this way, the processing in this embodiment is realized by cooperation between hardware and software (programs).

The control unit 31 may include a position information receiving unit 310, an integrated distance calculating unit 312, and a content data providing unit 315 as functional blocks.

The position information receiving unit 310 may receive user identification information, vehicle 50 identification information, position information, time information, and the like from the vehicle 50 via the communication unit 33 .

The total distance calculation unit 312 calculates the total distance traveled since the user started using the vehicle 50 from the identification information of the user, the identification information of the vehicle 50 and the position information received by the position information reception unit 310 . can be

The content data providing unit 315 provides (downloads) content data including scenario data having a dialogue difficulty level corresponding to the total travel distance calculated by the total distance calculating unit 312 to the in-vehicle content reproducing device 10 and the mobile terminal 20 in advance. You may make it
The configuration of the content server 30 has been described above.

The embodiments of the respective functional units of the voice guidance system 1 of the present invention have been described above based on the configurations of the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 mounted on the vehicle 50, the portable terminal 20, and the content server 30. FIG.

<Operation of this embodiment>
Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Here, FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the basic operation of the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 during voice guidance processing.

First, it is assumed that the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 is automatically started when the ignition switch of the vehicle 50a is turned on (the engine is started).

Referring to FIG. 6, in step S1, the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 recognizes the user.

In step S2, the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 calculates the cumulative travel distance since the recognized user started using the vehicle 50 in which the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 is mounted.

In step S3, the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 determines whether or not the user has designated a request for guidance. If specified (Yes), the process proceeds to step S5. If not specified (No), the process proceeds to step S4. At any point in the flow after step S4, if the user designates a request for guidance, interrupt processing is permitted, the step being processed at that point is interrupted, and step S3 is forcibly executed. It is also possible to

In step S<b>4 , the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 determines whether or not there is information related to sightseeing guided by the scenario data linked to the area including the current position of the vehicle 50 . If it exists (Yes), go to step S5. If it does not exist (No), go to step S2.

In step S5, the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 selects an appropriate dialogue difficulty level corresponding to the total travel distance from the scenario data related to the guidance information specified by the user or linked to the area containing the current position information. Select and set the scenario data with

In step S6, the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 outputs the set scenario data with a preset sound. After that, the process moves to step S2.

By the operation described above, the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 prevents complicated voice dialogues from being performed when the user has just started using the vehicle 50 and is mentally exhausted. becomes possible.
Although the operation of the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 has been described, the operation of the portable terminal 20 can also be explained by replacing the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 with the portable terminal 20 and the vehicle 50a with the vehicle 50b.

<About hardware and software>
Each device included in the voice guidance system described above can be realized by hardware, software, or a combination thereof. Further, the facility information distribution method performed by cooperation of each device included in the voice guidance system can also be realized by hardware, software, or a combination thereof. Here, "implemented by software" means implemented by one or more computers reading and executing one or more programs.

The program can be stored and delivered to the computer using various types of non-transitory computer readable media. Non-transitory computer-readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic recording media (e.g., flexible discs, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (e.g., magneto-optical discs), CD-ROMs (Read Only Memory), CD- R, CD-R/W, semiconductor memory (eg, mask ROM, PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable PROM), flash ROM, RAM (random access memory)). The program may also be delivered to the computer on various types of transitory computer readable medium. Examples of transitory computer-readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. Transitory computer-readable media can deliver the program to the computer via wired channels, such as wires and optical fibers, or wireless channels.

The above-described embodiments are preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited only to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. can be implemented.

<Modification 1>
In the above-described embodiment, the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 and the portable terminal 20 are configured to be able to independently provide facility information guidance.
On the other hand, the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 and the portable terminal 20 may be configured as a client server, a client in a WEB system, or a WEB terminal. In this case, it is sufficient for each device to have a function capable of executing a series of processes related to the facility information guidance of the present invention as a whole. , but not limited to the examples of FIGS.

Specifically, for example, by applying a known technology such as a client server or WEB, the content server 30A is provided with the function units provided in the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 (or the mobile terminal 20) shown in FIG. good too. FIG. 7 shows an example of a functional block diagram of the content server 30A.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the content server 30A may include a user recognition unit 311 instead of the user recognition unit 111 included in the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10. FIG. In this case, the content server 30A may recognize the user by transmitting the user ID acquired via the input unit 16 to the content server 30A via communication.

Similarly, the content server 30</b>A may be provided with the integrated distance calculation unit 312 instead of the integrated distance calculation unit 312 provided in the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 . In this case, the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 transmits the position information of the vehicle 50 positioned by the sensor unit 14 to the content server 30A via communication, so that the content server 30A is recognized by the user recognition unit 111. The user's total traveled distance in the vehicle 50 may be calculated.

Similarly, instead of the selection unit 113 provided in the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10, the content server 30A may be provided with the selection unit 313. FIG. In this case, content server 30A selects and extracts scenario data having dialogue difficulty level information corresponding to the total travel distance calculated by total distance calculation unit 312 from scenario data storage unit 324, and extracts the content server 30A. may acquire the extracted scenario data from the content server 30A.

Similarly, instead of the output control section 114 provided in the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10, the content server 30A may be provided with the output control section 314. FIG. In this case, the content server 30A may control so as to instruct the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10 to output the scenario data selected from the scenario data storage unit 324 .
In addition, when outputting the scenario as voice, the content server 30A allows the user to preset parameters for assigning voices for narrating the scenario or each line in the scenario, thereby outputting the voice for the scenario (or the lines in the scenario). It is also possible to assign (assign a character) and perform speech synthesis based on the assigned voice (character).

Also, the description of the devices for realizing these functional configurations in the above-described embodiments is merely an example. For example, the content servers 30 and 30A may be implemented as virtual servers on the cloud. Also, the functional units of the content servers 30 and 30A may be provided as functions on the cloud.

<Modification 2>
In the above-described embodiment, the in-vehicle content reproduction device 10, the mobile terminal 20, and the content server 30A calculate the total distance traveled by the user with the mobile object ID, and set the dialogue difficulty level corresponding to the calculated total distance traveled. Although it is assumed that the scenario data possessed by the user is selected and output as voice, the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, instead of the cumulative traveled distance with the mobile object ID by the user, the cumulative travel time with the mobile object ID by the user is calculated, and scenario data having a dialogue difficulty level corresponding to the calculated cumulative travel time is selected. and may be configured to output audio.

1 voice guidance system 10 in-vehicle content playback device 20 mobile terminal 30, 30A content server 11, 21, 31 control unit 111, 211, 311, user recognition unit 112, 212, 312, integrated distance calculation unit 113, 213, 313 selection unit 114, 214, 314 output control unit 12, 22, 32 storage unit 13, 23, 33 communication unit 14, 24 sensor unit 15, 25 display unit 16, 26 input unit 17, 27 audio unit 28 near field communication unit 310 position information Receiver 315 Content data provider 40 Communication network 50a, 50b Vehicle

Claims (4)

a positioning unit that measures the current location information of a mobile object having a mobile object ID as a mobile object type;
a map storage unit for storing facility information including map information and location information of facilities;
a scenario data storage unit in which pre-created scenario data including information about the facility is stored in advance together with dialogue difficulty level information;
an input unit that receives a voice response input from a user who moves with the mobile object;
an output unit that outputs the scenario data as sound or image;
a control unit;
The control unit
a user recognition unit that recognizes identification information of a user who has boarded a mobile object having the mobile object ID ;
The position information of the mobile object having the mobile object ID and the identification information of the user who boarded the mobile object are linked, and the mobile object ID by the user identified by the identification information is obtained from the transition of the position information. an integrated distance calculation unit that calculates the integrated distance traveled in
a selection unit that selects the scenario data from the scenario data storage unit based on the location information of the mobile object;
an output control unit that outputs the scenario data as sound or image through the output unit based on the position information of the moving body;
The selection unit further
scenario data created and stored in advance having a dialogue difficulty level corresponding to the total distance traveled by the user identified by the identification information on the mobile object ID, which is the total distance traveled by the user on the mobile object; By selecting from the data storage unit, it is possible to prevent a user who drives an unfamiliar vehicle or a user with a short driving experience from selecting scenario data with a high degree of interaction difficulty,
The output control unit further
A voice guidance device for outputting the scenario data selected by the selection section as voice or image via the output section. 2. The voice guidance device according to claim 1, wherein said dialogue difficulty level information is determined by the content of a scenario and/or the length of the scenario included in said scenario data. a map storage unit for storing facility information including map information and location information of facilities;
a scenario data storage unit in which pre-created scenario data including information about the facility is stored in advance together with dialogue difficulty level information;
a control unit;
The control unit
a user recognition unit that recognizes identification information of a user who has boarded a mobile object having a mobile object ID ;
The position information of the mobile object having the mobile object ID and the identification information of the user who boarded the mobile object are linked, and the mobile object ID by the user identified by the identification information is obtained from the transition of the position information. an integrated distance calculation unit that calculates the integrated distance traveled in
a selection unit that selects the scenario data from the scenario data storage unit based on the location information of the mobile object;
an output control unit that outputs the scenario data as sound or image based on the position information of the moving body;
The selection unit further
scenario data created and stored in advance having a dialogue difficulty level corresponding to the total distance traveled by the user identified by the identification information on the mobile object ID, which is the total distance traveled by the user on the mobile object; By selecting from the data storage unit, it is possible to prevent a user who drives an unfamiliar vehicle or a user with a short driving experience from selecting scenario data with a high degree of interaction difficulty,
The output control unit further
A voice guidance server for outputting an output instruction to output the scenario data selected by the selection unit as voice or image. A computer implemented guidance method comprising:
a positioning step of positioning the current location information of a mobile object having a mobile object ID as a mobile object type;
a map storage step of storing facility information including map information and facility location information;
a scenario data storage step in which previously created scenario data containing information about the facility is stored in advance together with dialogue difficulty level information;
an input step of receiving a voice response input from a user who moves with the mobile object;
an output step of outputting the scenario data as sound or image;
a user recognition step of recognizing identification information of a user who has boarded a mobile object having the mobile object ID ;
The position information of the mobile object having the mobile object ID and the identification information of the user who boarded the mobile object are linked, and the mobile object ID by the user identified by the identification information is obtained from the transition of the position information. a total distance calculation step of calculating the total distance traveled at
a selection step of selecting the scenario data stored in the scenario data storage step based on the position information of the mobile object;
an output control step of outputting the scenario data as audio or image in the output step based on the position information of the moving body;
The selecting step further comprises:
Created and stored in advance in the scenario data storing step, having a dialogue difficulty level corresponding to the total distance traveled by the user identified by the identification information on the mobile object ID, which is the total distance traveled by the user on the mobile object. By selecting the scenario data , it is possible to prevent a user who drives an unfamiliar vehicle or a user who has a short driving experience from selecting scenario data with a high degree of interaction difficulty,
The output control step further includes:
A voice guidance method for controlling the scenario data selected in the selection step to be output as voice or image in the output step .

Images