JP6716630B2 - Apparatus, method, computer program and recording medium for providing information - Google Patents

Description

The following description will explain a method and apparatus for providing information suitable for a location and space of a user using a movable device, and a computer for executing the information providing method according to the embodiment of the present invention in combination with the computer. The present invention relates to a computer program stored in a computer-readable recording medium, the recording medium, and the like.

An interface that operates based on voice, such as an artificial intelligence speaker of a home network service, receives a user's voice request with a microphone and synthesizes a response voice to provide response information corresponding to the voice request. It is provided from a speaker, or audio such as content including response information is output. For example, Patent Document 1 relates to a technology related to a home media device and a home network system and method using the same, which uses a second communication network such as Wi-Fi in a home network service in addition to a mobile communication network. Disclosed is a technology capable of providing a home network service and capable of multi-controlling a plurality of multimedia devices in a home based on a voice command without a user operating a button.

In such a home network service, in order to provide optimum response information to a user's voice request, information about a room and a space in which a device such as an artificial intelligence speaker is located, and a space in which a user is located are provided. It is necessary to grasp such things. However, in the conventional technology, it is difficult to grasp the entire structure of the room and all the divided spaces in the room by a single device, and the remaining space excluding the space where the single device is installed and the surrounding space. Had a problem that it was difficult to cover.

Korean Published Patent No. 10-2011-0139797

By collecting the internal environment of the room while moving, it is possible to partition and recognize a plurality of partitioned spaces in the room, and the user can be recognized based on the position of the user and the partitioned spaces that are recognized. Information providing method and apparatus capable of providing information suitable for the position and space of a computer, and a computer-readable recording medium for causing the computer to execute the information providing method according to the embodiment of the present invention in combination with the computer. A stored computer program and its recording medium are provided.

If the user's position at the future time can be predicted and the information can be provided in advance of the predicted position, and the user does not appear at the predicted position at the corresponding future time, the information about the predicted position is provided to the user. By notifying the user, even if the user forgets the situation or action related to the predicted position, the information providing method and device capable of providing the related notification, and the embodiment of the present invention in combination with the computer. There is provided a computer program stored in a computer-readable recording medium, the recording medium, and the like for causing the computer to execute the information providing method according to the present invention.

Even if the electronic device related to the user's command cannot be specified from the user's voice request, the electronic device corresponding to the user's command based on the distance between the user and the electronic device and/or the applicability of the user's command. Information providing method and apparatus capable of specifying a computer program, and a computer program stored in a computer-readable recording medium for causing the computer to execute the information providing method according to the embodiment of the present invention and the recording thereof Provide media etc.

An information providing apparatus, which executes a sensor unit for sensing peripheral information of the information providing apparatus, a driving unit for moving the information providing apparatus, a voice-based input/output interface, and computer-readable instructions Thus, the at least one processor controls the driving unit to move the information providing device, and the plurality of spaces based on the peripheral information sensed by the sensor unit. Is recognized and classified, and the position of the user is determined based on at least one of the peripheral information sensed by the sensor unit and the voice signal received by the voice-based input/output interface. An information providing apparatus, which provides information to a user based on a plurality of recognized spaces and the determined position of the user.

An information providing method for an information providing apparatus, wherein a plurality of sensors are provided by sensing peripheral information of the information providing apparatus by a sensor section included in the information providing apparatus while controlling and moving a drive section included in the information providing apparatus. The position of the user based on at least one of the step of recognizing a space, the peripheral information sensed by the sensor unit, and the voice signal received by the voice-based input/output interface of the information providing device. And a step of providing information to the user based on the plurality of separately recognized spaces and the determined position of the user.

There is provided a computer-readable recording medium, characterized in that a computer program for causing the computer of the chastity processing device to execute the information providing method is recorded.

There is provided a computer program for causing a computer of an information processing apparatus to execute the information providing method.

By collecting the internal environment of the room while moving, it is possible to partition and recognize a plurality of partitioned spaces in the room, and the user can be recognized based on the position of the user and the partitioned spaces that are recognized. It is possible to provide information suitable for the position and space of the.

If the user's position at the future time can be predicted and the information can be provided in advance of the predicted position, and the user does not appear at the predicted position at the corresponding future time, the information about the predicted position is provided to the user. Even if the user has forgotten the situation or action related to the predicted position, the related notification can be provided.

Even if the electronic device related to the user's command cannot be specified from the user's voice request, the electronic device corresponding to the user's command based on the distance between the user and the electronic device and/or the applicability of the user's command. Can be specified.

It is the figure which showed the example of the service environment which utilized the audio|voice-based input/output interface in one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing another example of a service environment utilizing an input/output interface based on voice, according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the figure which showed the example of the cloud artificial intelligence platform in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram for explaining an electronic device and an internal configuration of a server in one embodiment of the present invention. It is the figure which showed the example of the information regarding the compartmentalized space and position in a room in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure showing the example of the electronic equipment which follows a user in one embodiment of the present invention. It is the figure which showed the example of the electronic device which moves to the expected position of the user at the future time in one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an electronic device that searches for a user to provide a notification according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of information about output media according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of identifying an electronic device corresponding to a user command in the embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of an electronic device information providing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method in which an electronic device moves to a vicinity of a user and provides information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method in which an electronic device predicts a position of a user and makes a forward move in an embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for an electronic device to identify a device corresponding to a user command according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The information providing device according to the embodiment of the present invention may be realized by an electronic device that provides an interface that operates based on voice. The electronic device may directly process the voice request to generate response information, or may recognize and analyze the voice request by an external platform connected through another interface connect to process the voice request. For example, the external platform may receive a voice request of the user from the electronic device, analyze the received voice request, and generate a query suitable for the user's intention or response information corresponding to the query. May be included. At this time, the electronic device may collect the internal environment of the room by directly sensing the surrounding information while moving, and recognize the divided multiple spaces in the room based on the collected information. Good. In addition, the electronic device may determine the position of the user based on the sensed surrounding information and/or the recognized voice, and may determine the position of the user from the plurality of spaces recognized in such a divided manner. Information may be provided to the user based on.

The information providing method according to the embodiment of the present invention may be executed by the electronic device described above. At this time, a computer program according to an embodiment of the present invention may be installed and driven in the electronic device, and the electronic device may be provided with the information providing method according to the embodiment of the present invention under the control of the driven computer program. May be executed. The computer program described above may be stored in a computer-readable recording medium in order to cause the computer to execute the information providing method in combination with an electronic device implemented by the computer.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a service environment utilizing a voice-based input/output interface according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, in a technology for connecting and controlling devices in a home such as a smart home or a home network service, an electronic device including a voice-based input/output interface (a microphone and a speaker, for example) is used. The device 100 recognizes and analyzes the voice request received by the microphone by the user 110 utter "turn off" or just "turn off" 121, and a response such as "Should I turn off the living room?" 122. The example which outputs information from a speaker is shown. Further, in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the indoor lighting device 130 that recognizes and analyzes the voice request received according to the utterance “Yeah” 123 of the user 110 corresponding to the response information, and works together with the electronic device 100 via the internal network. 2 shows an example of controlling the light power supply of the above.

Here, in addition to the above-described home lighting device 130, the devices in the home include not only home electric appliances such as IPTV, PC (Personal Computer), peripheral devices, air conditioners, refrigerators, robot cleaners, but also water, electricity, Various devices that can be connected and controlled online may be included, such as energy consuming devices such as air conditioners and heating devices, and security devices such as door locks and surveillance cameras. The internal network may be a wired network technology such as Ethernet (registered trademark (Internet)), HomePNA, or IEEE 1394, Bluetooth (registered trademark (Bluetooth)), UWB (ultra Wide Band), ZigBee, or Wireless 1394. , A wireless network technology such as Home RF may be used.

The response information may be basically output from the main medium (as an example, a speaker included in the electronic device 100) corresponding to the voice-based input/output interface as in the embodiment of FIG. In the form, the response information may be output from various media, and the electronic device 100 may determine the medium to which the response information is output based on the voice request and/or the response information. For example, FIG. 1 further illustrates IPTV 140 and mobile device 150 of user 110. In this case, the response information may be visually output to the user 110 from the display of the IPTV 140 or the mobile device 150. At this time, electronic device 100 may not only determine the medium for outputting the response information, but also determine the medium for outputting the response information based on the efficiency of the auditory output and the visual output. ..

The electronic device 100 may include a driving unit for moving the electronic device 100, such as the tire 160 shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1, in order to move the indoor space. In addition to the tires 160 described in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the driving unit may be at least one of all methods that can move the electronic device 100, such as a railroad track, a leg robot, and a propeller of a drone. It may be realized by one. In addition, the electronic device 100 may further include a sensor unit that senses peripheral information of the electronic device 100 to collect the internal environment of the room. The electronic device 100 may sense the peripheral information while moving in the room, and may recognize the plurality of partitioned spaces in the room by segmenting based on such peripheral information. Further, the electronic device 100 may determine the position of the user 110 based on such peripheral information and/or the user's voice signal. At this time, the electronic device 100 may provide information to the user based on the positions of the user 110 determined to be a plurality of spaces that have been recognized in a divided manner.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing another example of a service environment utilizing the voice-based input/output interface according to the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, the electronic device 100 including a voice-based input/output interface recognizes and analyzes the utterance “today's weather” 210 of the user 110, and obtains information about today's weather from the external server 220 via the external network. , 230 shows an example of synthesizing the acquired information by voice such as “Today's weather is...” 230 and outputting. For example, the external network may be a PAN (personal area network), a LAN (local area network), a CAN (campus area network), a MAN (a metropolitan area network), a WAN (broadband network), a WAN (wideBear network), or a WAN (wideBear network). Any one or more of such networks may be included.

In the embodiment of FIG. 2 as well, the electronic device 100 has a function of receiving and processing a voice request of the user 110, and a service and content provided by the external server 220 by communicating with the external server 220 via the external network. The device may include a function for providing to the user 110, and may include a driving unit for moving the electronic device 100 such as the tire 160, as described above. The electronic device 100 may directly recognize and analyze the voice request of the user to process the voice request. However, in some embodiments, the external device may be connected to the external platform (for example, as described above. The voice request may be processed by a cloud artificial intelligence platform).

At this time, the electronic device 100 may automatically determine the medium for outputting the response information corresponding to the voice request of the user. FIG. 2 shows an example in which the electronic device 100 outputs the response information auditorily such as “Today's weather is...” 230, and at the same time, visually outputs it from the display of the IPTV 140. To this end, the electronic device 100 may manage information regarding a plurality of media capable of outputting response information, and may output response information from the plurality of media based on the voice request and/or the response information. At least one medium may be selected to convey the response information. The electronic device 100 may also determine the output medium based on the position of the user. For example, the electronic device 100 may specify the electronic device for outputting information based on the distance between the position of the user and the electronic device including the output medium.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a cloud artificial intelligence platform according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 shows an electronic device 310, a cloud artificial intelligence platform 320, and a content service 330.

As an example, the electronic device 310 may mean a device provided in a home, and may include at least the electronic device 100 described above. The electronic device 310 and the application installed and driven in the electronic device 310 (hereinafter, referred to as an application) may be linked to the cloud artificial intelligence platform 320 via the interface connect 340. Here, the interface connect 340 may provide a developer with an SDK (Software Development Kit) and/or a development document for developing the electronic device 310 or an application installed and driven in the electronic device 310. Further, the interface connect 340 may provide an API (Application Program Interface) by which the electronic device 310 and an application installed and driven by the electronic device 310 can utilize the function provided by the cloud artificial intelligence platform 320. As a specific example, the developer uses a SDK (Software Development Kit) provided by the interface connect 340 and/or a device or an application developed by using a development document to create a cloud by using an API provided by the interface connect 340. The function provided by the artificial intelligence platform 320 can be utilized.

Here, the cloud artificial intelligence platform 320 may provide a function for providing a voice-based service. For example, the cloud artificial intelligence platform 320 recognizes a received voice and synthesizes an output voice, a voice processing module 321, a vision processing module 322 for analyzing and processing a received video or moving image, A dialogue processing module 323 for determining a suitable dialogue for outputting a suitable voice according to the received voice, a recommendation module 324 for recommending a function suitable for the received voice, and an artificial intelligence based on data learning. Various modules for providing a voice-based service may be included, such as a neural machine translation (NMT) 325 that assists in translating a language in sentence units.

For example, in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, it is assumed that the electronic device 100 transmits the voice request of the user 110 to the cloud artificial intelligence platform 320 using the API provided by the interface connect 340. In this case, the cloud artificial intelligence platform 320 may recognize and analyze the received voice request by using the modules 321 to 325, and synthesize and provide a suitable response voice according to the received voice request. Or recommend suitable behavior.

In addition, the extension kit 350 may provide a development kit that enables a third party content developer or company to implement a new voice base function based on the cloud artificial intelligence platform 320. For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 2, the electronic device 100 may send the received voice request of the user 110 to the external server 220, and the external server 220 may use the API provided in the expansion kit 350 to perform the cloud artificial intelligence platform. A voice request may be sent to 320. In this case, as described above, the cloud artificial intelligence platform 320 recognizes and analyzes the received voice request, synthesizes and provides a suitable response voice, and provides a function that needs to be processed according to the voice request. The recommendation information regarding the information may be provided to the external server 220. As an example, in FIG. 2, when the external server 220 transmits the voice request “today's weather” to the cloud artificial intelligence platform 320, the keyword extracted from the cloud artificial intelligence platform 320 by recognition of the voice request “today's weather”. "Today" and "weather" may be received. In this case, the external server 220 generates text information such as “Today's weather is...” based on the keywords “today” and “weather”, and the text information generated in the cloud artificial intelligence platform 320. May be sent again. At this time, the cloud artificial intelligence platform 320 may synthesize the text information by voice and provide the text information to the external server 220. The external server 220 may transmit the synthesized voice to the electronic device 100, and the electronic device 100 receives the synthesized voice “Today's weather is...” from the speaker by receiving it from the user 110. The voice request "Today's weather" may be processed.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram for explaining internal configurations of the electronic device and the server according to the embodiment of the present invention. The electronic device 410 of FIG. 4 may correspond to the electronic device 100 described above, or may correspond to the information providing device according to the embodiment of the present invention. Further, the server 420 may correspond to one computer device that realizes the external server 220 and the cloud artificial intelligence platform 320 described above.

Electronics 410 and server 420 may include memories 411, 421, processors 412, 422, communication interfaces 413, 423, and input/output interfaces 414, 424. The memories 411 and 421 are computer-readable recording media and include a permanent mass storage device such as a RAM (random access memory), a ROM (read only memory), and a disk drive. Good. Here, a permanent mass storage device such as a ROM and a disk drive may be included in the electronic device 410 or the server 420 as another permanent storage device that is separated from the memories 411 and 421. Further, in the memories 411 and 421, an operating system and at least one program code (as an example, a code for an application installed in the electric device 410 and driven by the electronic device 410 to provide a specific service). May be stored. Such software components may be loaded from a computer-readable recording medium other than the memories 411 and 421. Such another computer-readable recording medium may include a computer-readable recording medium such as a floppy (registered trademark) drive, a disk, a tape, a DVD/CD-ROM drive, and a memory card. In another embodiment, the software components may be loaded into the memories 411 and 421 through the communication interfaces 413 and 423 which are not computer-readable recording media. For example, the at least one program is an electronic device 410 based on a computer program (an application described above as an example) installed by a file provided by a file distribution system that distributes an installation file of a developer or an application via the network 430. May be loaded into the memory 411 of the.

Processors 412, 422 may be configured to process instructions of a computer program by performing basic arithmetic, logic, and input/output operations. Instructions may be provided to processors 412, 422 by memory 411, 421 or communication interfaces 413, 423. For example, the processors 412, 422 may be configured to execute the received instructions according to program code stored in a recording device such as the memory 411, 421.

The communication interfaces 413 and 423 may provide a function for the electronic device 410 and the server 420 to communicate with each other via the network 430, and the electronic device 410 and/or the server 420 may use other electronic devices or other electronic devices. A function for communicating with the server may be provided. As an example, the request generated by the processor 412 of the electronic device 410 according to the program code stored in the recording device such as the memory 411 may be transmitted to the server 420 via the network 430 under the control of the communication interface 413. Conversely, control signals, commands, contents, files, etc. provided under the control of the processor 422 of the server 420 are received by the electronic device 410 through the communication interface 413 of the electronic device 410 via the communication interface 423 and the network 430. May be done. For example, control signals, commands, contents, files, etc. of the server 420 received through the communication interface 413 may be transmitted to the processor 412 or the memory 411, and the contents, files, etc. may be included in the storage medium of the electronic device 410. (Permanent storage device described above).

Input/output interface 414 may be a means for interfacing with input/output device 415. For example, the input device may include a device such as a microphone, a keyboard, or a mouse, and the output device may include a device such as a display or a speaker. As another example, the input/output interface 414 may be a means for interfacing with a device with integrated functions for input and output, such as a touch screen. The input/output device 415 may be composed of the electronic device 410 and one device. The input/output interface 424 of the server 420 may also be a means for interfacing with the server 420 or for interfacing with a device (not shown) for input or output that the server 420 may include. ..

Also, in other embodiments, electronic device 410 and server 420 may include fewer or more components than those of FIG. However, most prior art components need not be explicitly shown in the figures. For example, the electronic device 410 may be implemented to include at least a part of the input/output device 415 described above, or may be a transceiver, a GPS (Global Positioning System) module, a camera, various sensors, a database, or the like. Other components may be further included. As a more specific example, when the electronic device 410 is a smartphone, an acceleration sensor or a gyro sensor generally included in the smartphone, a camera module, various physical buttons, a button using a touch panel, an input/output port, Various components such as a vibrator for vibration may be further included in the electronic device 410.

In this embodiment, the electronic device 410 includes a microphone for receiving a voice request from a user (as an example, the multi-channel microphone 417 in FIG. 4) and a speaker for outputting response information aurally (as an example, FIG. Speaker 416 of FIG. 4) and a sensor (for example, the sensor 418 of FIG. 4) for sensing the surrounding environment of the electronic device 410 may be included as the input/output device 415. Such an input/output device 415 may be implemented in a form in which at least a part is built in the electronic device 410.

At this time, the embodiment of the present invention may further consider the partitioned space in the room.

FIG. 5: is the figure which showed the example of the information regarding the compartmentalized space and position in a room in one Embodiment of this invention. The plan view 500 of FIG. 5 shows an example of the types of partitioned spaces in the room (living room, kitchen, entrance, bathroom, bedroom, etc.), electronic device 410, and user positions 510, 520, and 530. As in the embodiment of FIG. 5, the space at the first position 510 of the user is the “living room”, the space at the second position 520 is the “kitchen”, and the space at the third position 530 is the “entrance”. Good.

As described above, the electronic device 410 may include the driving unit for moving the electronic device 410 and the sensor unit for sensing the peripheral information of the information providing apparatus to collect the internal environment of the room. Here, FIG. 5 illustrates an example in which the electronic device 410 moves from the “living room” toward the “kitchen”. In other words, it is difficult for the device fixedly arranged in the “living room” to cover all the indoor spaces, but the electronic device 410 according to the present embodiment covers all the indoor spaces by autonomous traveling. be able to. For example, the electronic device 410 may move to the vicinity of the user located at the “entrance”, which is the third position 530, and may recognize that the space where the user is currently located is the “entrance” by the sensor unit.

The position of the user may be determined based on ambient information sensed by a sensor unit included in the electronic device 410 and/or a voice signal received by a voice-based input/output interface included in the electronic device 410.

As a first example, the sensor unit of the electronic device 410 may include a camera, and the electronic device 410 may analyze the image input by the camera to determine the position of the user. That is, the position of the user may be determined based on the visual analysis of information. For example, the electronic device 410 may recognize the type of an object existing in the space in which the user is located and grasp the characteristics and type of the space. As a more specific example, the electronic device 410 analyzes the image input by the camera, and if the bed is recognized, the position of the user is the bedroom, and if the sink or the refrigerator is recognized, the position of the user is detected. You can think of it as a kitchen. Also, various information such as the distance between the current position of the electronic device 410 and the user, the object located between the electronic device 410 and the user, and the like may be acquired based on the captured image.

As a second example, the sensor unit of the electronic device 410 may include a motion sensor, a proximity sensor, etc., and the position of the user is determined by sensing the motion of the user by such a motion sensor, proximity sensor, or the like. May be. That is, the position of the user may be determined based on the analysis of the information sensed by the sensor.

As a third example, the electronic device 410 may determine the position of the user using a multi-channel microphone included in the voice-based input/output interface. The audio signal uttered by the user may be input to the multi-channel microphone of the electronic device 410 for each channel, and the electronic device 410 may detect the user's utterance based on a phase shift of the audio signal input to the multi-channel microphone for each channel. The utterance position of (the relative direction with respect to the electronic device 410 as a reference) may be determined. A person skilled in the art is familiar with the technique of measuring the sound signal generation position using the phase displacement of the same sound signal input to a plurality of microphones, since it is a well-known technique such as beam forming technique. It will be easy to understand. That is, the position of the user may be determined based on the analysis of the voice.

In some embodiments, the electronic device 410 may determine the location of the user using more than one of the three types of methods described above for determining the location of the user.

As described above, the electronic device 410 can determine the type of space in which the electronic device 410 is located and the type of space around the space in which the electronic device 410 is located. If the relative position to be determined is determined, the type of space in which the user is located can be grasped. For example, when the electronic device 410 determines that the space in which the electronic device 410 is currently located is “living room” and the relative position of the user is determined to be the same space such as the periphery of the electronic device 410, the user is located. You will be able to determine the type of space in which you are living.

Further, the electronic device 410 may autonomously travel in the room and acquire in advance information about the structure of the room and the partitioned space. For example, the electronic device 410 acquires in advance information about the boundary of each space and information about the type of each space (living room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, entrance, etc.), and determines the position of the electronic device 410 and the relative position of the user. The type of space in which the electronic device 410 and/or the user is located may be determined.

At this time, the electronic device 410 may analyze the image input by the camera to recognize information about the space where the electronic device 410 is currently located and the surrounding objects, and based on the recognized space and information about the surrounding objects. By controlling the movement of the electronic device 410 by the driving unit, it becomes possible to avoid obstacles, determine the current position of the electronic device 410 in the room, and more accurately process autonomous traveling.

In this way, when the information on the space and the information on the position of the user are combined, it becomes possible to grasp the space in which the user is located, which makes it suitable for the user depending on the type of space in which the user is located. Will be able to provide various information. For example, the electronic device 410 searches for a singer or song related to the keyword “onion” when the user is located in the “living room” in relation to the user's utterance “onion”, and outputs the corresponding song. Good. When the user is located in the “kitchen”, the user may be provided with a recipe using the ingredient “onion” and purchase information for the ingredient “onion”. Alternatively, the electronic device 410 may further utilize various external information such as a user's schedule and weather. For example, when it is determined that it is raining from the external information, the electronic device 410 actively generates information for notifying the user located at the “entrance” to take the “umbrella” with him/her. May be provided.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the electronic device 410 can distinguish and recognize a plurality of partitioned spaces in the room by collecting the internal environment of the room while moving. Then, it is possible to provide information suitable for the position and space of the user based on the recognized plurality of partitioned spaces.

Hereinafter, various embodiments will be described in which the electronic device 410 autonomously travels indoors and provides appropriate information according to the position and space of the user.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an electronic device that follows a user according to the embodiment of the present invention. A plan view 600 of FIG. 6 shows partitioned spaces and types of spaces (living room, kitchen, entrance, bathroom, bedroom, etc.). At this time, in FIG. 6, after the electronic device 410 moves to the vicinity of the user 610 located in the “living room”, the user 610 moves from the “living room” to the “entrance”, so that the electronic device 410 also moves after the user 610. The following shows an example of moving from the "living room" to the "entrance".

As described above, the electronic device 410 may analyze an image input by a camera, detect a user's motion by various sensors, or sense a user's direction by a user's voice signal. The location of the user may be determined. At this time, the electronic device 410 may confirm the movement of the user by periodically determining such a position of the user, and drive the drive unit so as to follow the user according to the movement of the user. You may control. Therefore, the electronic device 410 according to the present embodiment can immediately receive and process the voice request of the user in the vicinity of the user, quickly collect the information about the space where the user is located, and And/or can be utilized to provide space-appropriate information. For example, with a fixed device, it is difficult to accurately recognize the voice request of the user when the user is far away, but the electronic device 410 according to the present embodiment is always located in the vicinity of the user. You will be able to cover all the spaces in.

For example, the electronic device 410 may include an autonomous driving mode, a driving mode that follows the user, and a stop mode that is fixedly located at a certain place, and such a mode may be determined according to a user command. However, the electronic device 410 may be determined by active selection based on the situation. For example, the electronic device 410 in stop mode may change the stop mode to the drive mode and begin following the user by receiving and analyzing the user's utterance "follow me" 620. As another example, the driving-mode electronic device 410 may change the driving mode to the stop mode and wait at the current position by receiving and analyzing the user's utterance “wait” 630.

On the other hand, the electronic device 410 can predict the position of the user at a future time point and wait in advance of the predicted position.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an electronic device that moves to a position expected by a user at a future time according to the embodiment of the present invention. A plan view 700 of FIG. 7 shows partitioned spaces and types of spaces (living room, kitchen, entrance, bathroom, bedroom, etc.). At this time, FIG. 7 illustrates an example in which the electronic device 410 located in the “living room” precedes the “entrance”, which is the space determined as the expected position of the user 710 at a future time. For example, the electronic device 410 may include a communication interface for receiving external information related to the user 710 via at least one of an external device and a server (as an example, the communication interface 413 described with reference to FIG. 4). May be included. At this time, the electronic device 410 may predict the position of the user 710 at a future time based on the external information and at least one of the user information stored in advance by patterning by space and time. To this end, the electronic device 410 may pattern and store and manage the user information of at least one of the utterance content of the user and the activity of the user for each space in which the user is located. For example, based on the user information that the user frequently requests information about “recipe” in the “kitchen” between “5 pm and 5:30 pm”, the electronic device 410 may read “5 pm to 5 pm”. During half an hour, user 710 may be expected to be located in the kitchen.

As another example, the electronic device 410 may use an appointment of “4 pm” and a promised place that is “15 minutes” from home, and weather information that it will rain in the evening as external information. Suppose it was obtained from the server. Further, it is assumed that the electronic device 410 also stores in advance user information related to the user 710's action of passing through the space “entrance” for the user 710 to go out. The electronic device 410 obtains the information that the user 710 will be located at the “entrance” at least 15 minutes before “4 pm” by combining such information, and the user at the future time The location of 710 may be predicted. In this case, the electronic device 410 may move ahead of the predicted position of the user 710, and when the user 710 moves to the “entrance” (when it is determined that the user is located at the “entrance” in the electronic device 410), Based on the weather information, you can output the information related to the predicted position, such as "It is predicted that it will rain in the evening today. We recommend that you bring an umbrella when you go out". ..

On the other hand, it may be possible that the user does not appear at the predicted position. In this case, the electronic device 410 may recognize that the user may have forgotten a situation and/or action associated with the predicted location and notify the user of the information associated with the predicted location. Good. For example, when the electronic device 410 has a promised place at “4 pm” at a promised place that is “15 min” away from home, even if “4:15 pm before”, the user can enter the front door. If it does not appear, you may hunt around for the user to notify them that there is an appointment at "4 pm" or provide a notification message from the user's mobile device or an electronic device in the room near the user's current location. Good.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of an electronic device that searches for a user to provide a notification according to an embodiment of the present invention. A plan view 800 of FIG. 8 shows partitioned spaces in the room and types of spaces (living room, kitchen, entrance, bathroom, bedroom, etc.). FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a process in which the electronic device 410 moves to the vicinity of the current position of the user 810 to notify an alarm or information when there is a timer or notification information to be provided to the user.

For example, when the timer is set to “2:00 pm”, the electronic device 410 in the “living room” searches for the position of the user 810 before the preset time arrives (for example, 1:55 pm). You can do it. FIG. 8 shows an example in which the electronic device 410 immediately moves to the “bedroom 1” where the user 810 is currently located. However, in order to search for the position of the user 810, the electronic device 410 moves on a more complicated route. There are also things to do. In this case, the electronic device 410 may move to preferentially search for the user from a place where the user is likely to be located. For example, the electronic device 410 may store and manage information regarding the position of the user for each time zone, and may search for the user from the space where the user was most located in the current time zone. As described above, the electronic device 410 may sound the timer at “2:00 pm” while moving around the position of the user 810 and waiting.

As another example, the electronic device 410 in the "living room" may notify the user 810 of a notification from external information such as the schedule of the user 810 or that a received message has arrived at the mobile device of the user 810 located in the "living room". Proximity to the user 810 may be provided to provide the user 810 with a notification or the like to inform.

When the user sets a specific reminder, the electronic device 410 may predict the optimum space for speaking the reminder according to the content of the reminder. For example, if you are told to tell them to prepare pasta, it is a reminder command related to cooking, so it is judged that the "kitchen" is the best space to speak the reminder, and at the time of the reminder You may move to the corresponding space. If the user does not appear in the space, the electronic device 410 may move to the space in which the user is located and speak the reminder by the method described above.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of information about output media according to the embodiment of the present invention. The table 900 of FIG. 9 includes a device item 910 for identifying an electronic device that can communicate with the electronic device 410, a position item 920 for identifying a home position of another electronic device, and another electronic device. An example including an output media item 930 for identifying an output medium, a detailed item 940 including information about the output medium, and an information type item 950 for identifying what kind of information type the output medium is associated with is shown. There is. The electronic device 410 may manage the information on the output medium of the other electronic device as well as the information on the other electronic device linked in the house as shown in the table 900. Also, such information may be pre-connected to the information type of the voice request and/or the response information to the voice request. For example, when the user's voice request or the corresponding response information is analyzed as an information type associated with the “external specific place”, the electronic device 410 causes the map application of the electronic device A to display the response information based on the table 900. It may be determined as the output medium. In this case, the response information may be transmitted to the electronic device A, and the electronic device A may provide the map service corresponding to the response information to the user by the map application of the electronic device A. As another example, the response information may be communicated by the map application to a service server that provides the map service. In this case, the service server may provide the map service by the map application installed in the electronic device A. To this end, the electronic device 410 may further manage information for accessing the service server and information such as the user's account so that the service server can identify the user's electronic device A. .. For example, the electronic device 410 may access the service server from the URL stored in the table 900 in association with the map application, and the service server may utilize the user's account by communicating the response information along with the user's account. A map service associated with the response information may be provided from the map application installed in the electronic device A.

In addition, based on the table 900, the electronic device 410 transmits the corresponding information to the electronic device D so that the information is visually output from the display 4 of the electronic device D when the user is located in the “kitchen”. Good. As another example, when there are a plurality of output media in one space, the electronic device 410 selects the output media of the device suitable for the type of information to be output or the device closer to the user. Good. At this time, in order to select the output medium of the device closer to the user in one space, the more specific device position may be managed in the table 900. At this time, the electronic device 410 may directly measure the distance between the user and the device by analyzing the image input by the camera, for example.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of identifying an electronic device corresponding to a user command in the embodiment of the present invention. The user 1010 may not specify the device to be operated, like the user command “make a point of this” 1020. At this time, the electronic device 410 may identify the device closest to the user 1010 and process the operation according to the user command. Alternatively, after identifying the device closest to the user 1010, the identified device may be the user. It may be confirmed that the device is suitable for processing the instruction.

At this time, in the embodiment of FIG. 10, the electronic device 410 analyzes the peripheral information of the space using a sensor unit such as a camera, and the home lighting device 1030, the mobile device 1040 of the user 1010, and An example is shown in which the ITPV 1050 is recognized, and the home lighting device 1030 closest to the user 1010 is identified based on the distance between the recognized device and the position of the user 1010. At this time, the electronic device 410 may immediately turn on the light power source of the specified home lighting device 1030. However, as in “Will the living room be turned on?” 1030 shown in the embodiment of FIG. The electronic device 410 may ask the user 1010 if the specified device is appropriate. In this case, the electronic device 410 may turn on the light power source of the specified home lighting device 1030 according to the utterance “yes” 1060 of the user 1010. The distance between the position of the user 1010 and the device may be measured by analyzing peripheral information (for example, an image input by a camera) sensed by the sensor unit of the electronic device 410, but a more accurate distance may be measured. In order to obtain, the electronic device 410 measures the moving distance while directly moving from the position of the user 1010 to the position of the device (for example, it is calculated by using the rotation speed of the tire), and further based on such moving distance. The distance between the position of the user 1010 and the device may be measured. The moving distance measured by the electronic device 410 has a difference between the position of the user 1010 and the device, but the angle obtained from the direction of the utterance point measured by the electronic device 410 and the image input by the camera of the electronic device 410. It is possible to more accurately measure the distance between the position of the user 1010 and the device in consideration of the relative angle with respect to the specific device analyzed based on, the measured moving distance, and the like. Those skilled in the art can easily understand from the above description.

On the other hand, the electronic device 410 does not need to target all devices in the space, and may target the devices to which the user command can be applied. For example, a device whose volume cannot be adjusted in response to the user command “increase volume” may be excluded from the target for identification. In addition, when the instruction of the user 1010 is “turn on this”, the device that is in the off state at the present time around the user is targeted for identification, and when the user instruction is “show”, the user is Among peripheral devices, a device whose output medium is a display may be a target for identification.

As described above with reference to FIG. 9, the electronic device 410 can manage information regarding other electronic devices that are linked, but as shown in the table 900 of FIG. The target for identifying the device may be limited by utilizing it. For example, in FIG. 10, it will be understood that the home lighting device 1030 may be excluded from the target for the user command “increase volume”.

In the process of receiving a confirmation from the user 1010 as to whether the specified device is appropriate, the electronic device 410 identifies another device near the user 1010 and receives a negative response from the user 1010. You may receive confirmation. In addition, the device A is specified from the devices A and B to which the user command can be applied, the confirmation is received from the user 1010, and the device B is immediately specified when a negative response is received from the user 1010. Then, the user command may be executed. In other words, when only one device can be specified, the electronic device 410 may immediately execute the user command to the corresponding device without receiving confirmation from the user.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of an information providing method of an electronic device according to the embodiment of the present invention. The information providing method according to the present embodiment may be executed by a computer device such as the electronic device 410 described above. At this time, the processor 412 of the electronic device 410 may be implemented to execute a control command (instruction) based on the code of the operating system included in the memory 411 or the code of at least one program. Here, the processor 412 controls the electronic device 410 so that the electronic device 410 executes steps 1110 to 1130 included in the information providing method of FIG. 11 according to a control command provided by a code stored in the electronic device 410. Good.

In operation 1110, the electronic device 410 controls the driving unit included in the electronic device 410 to move, and senses the peripheral information of the electronic device 410 by the sensor unit included in the electronic device 410. The space may be divided and recognized. For example, the sensor unit may include one of various sensors capable of acquiring ambient information, such as a camera, a lidar, an IMU, and an ultrasonic sensor. In the above-described embodiment, only an example in which a camera is used has been described, but any sensor that can acquire peripheral information and space information can be used without limitation. In a preferred embodiment, the electronic device 410 may analyze an image input using a relatively low-cost camera to recognize information about a space in which the electronic device 410 is currently located and surrounding objects. In addition, the electronic device 410 may control the movement of the electronic device 410 by the driving unit based on the recognized space and information about the surrounding objects.

In operation 1120, the electronic device 410 determines the position of the user based on at least one of the ambient information sensed by the sensor unit and the audio signal received by the audio-based input/output interface included in the electronic device 410. You can do it. Although three types of methods for determining the position of the user have been described above, the electronic device 410 may determine the position of the user using at least one of various methods.

In operation 1130, the electronic device 410 may provide information to the user based on the determined positions of the plurality of separately recognized spaces. For example, the electronic device 410 may identify which space the user is in and provide information regarding the identified space to provide information more suitable for the user's location and/or space. You can For example, for utterances with similar pronunciations, such as "dog and (Kelan in Korean pronunciation)" and "weigh (Keliang in Korean pronunciation)," in the kitchen, the word "dog and" It is expected that the probability of speaking the word "metric" is relatively high. As a result, when an utterance with a pronunciation similar to “Kelan” is received, the user in the “kitchen” recognizes it as “weighing”, while the user in the “living room” recognizes it as “weighing”. May be adjusted to recognize "with dog". As another example, when it is determined that the user's current position is “kitchen” around 5 pm, the electronic device 410 automatically determines the type of recipe for preparing dinner regardless of the user's voice request. You may recommend it to the user. As yet another example, the electronic device 410 may advise a user at the “entrance” to go out with a car key, an umbrella, or the like.

The type of space in which the user is located may be determined based on analysis of images input by the camera while the electronic device 410 is moving and/or user information patterned by space and time. For example, the electronic device 410 may determine the type of space by estimating a space in which the corresponding object exists based on an object (for example, a refrigerator, a TV, a bed, etc.) that is recognized by analyzing an image. .. As another example, the electronic device 410 may pattern and store and manage the user information of at least one of the utterance content of the user and the activity of the user for each space in which the user is located. The type of related space may be known based on the patterned user information.

On the other hand, the electronic device 410 may move to the vicinity of the user and provide the information to the user, as described above.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method in which an electronic device moves to the vicinity of a user and provides information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

In operation 1210, the electronic device 410 may control the driving unit to move the information providing device around the determined position of the user. Here, the determined position of the user may correspond to the position of the user determined in step 1120 of FIG. 11. In this case, step 1210 may be performed after step 1120 of FIG.

In operation 1220, the electronic device 410 may determine the space in which the user is located and the type of the space by utilizing the peripheral information sensed by the sensor unit around the determined position of the user. Step 1110 of FIG. 11 is a process for obtaining information about a space, while step 1220 of FIG. 12 may be a process for obtaining information about a space where a user is located.

At step 1230, the electronic device 410 may provide information to the user according to the determined space and type of space. Such a step 1230 may be performed by being included in the step 1130 of FIG. 11.

According to the present exemplary embodiment, the electronic device 410 provides information related to the space in which the user is located while moving to the vicinity of the user or following the user, so that the fixed single device can be installed in the room. It is possible to solve the problem of not being able to cover all spaces and to provide more suitable information to the user's location and/or space. In addition, as described above, the user information patterned by space and/or time of day may be further utilized to provide more suitable information to the position and/or space of the user. ..

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method in which the electronic device predicts the position of the user and moves ahead according to the embodiment of the invention.

In operation 1310, the electronic device 410 may receive external information related to the user from at least one of the external device and the server via the communication interface included in the electronic device 410. Here, the external device may include all other devices capable of communicating with the electronic device 410, and preferably include other devices located indoors. Further, the server may correspond to the external server 220 described with reference to FIG. For example, the quantity of food materials stored in the refrigerator, weather information provided by the external server 220, and the like may be received by the electronic device 410 as external information.

In operation 1320, the electronic device 410 may predict the position of the user at a future time based on the external information and at least one of the user information stored in advance by patterning by space and time. The user information stored in advance and the method of predicting the position of the user are as described above.

In operation 1330, the electronic device 410 may control the driving unit to move to the predicted position of the user. For example, the electronic device 410 may move to a space that includes the predicted position of the user using the information about the plurality of partitioned spaces in the room recognized in step 1110 of FIG. The information about the space and the surrounding objects recognized by analyzing the information input to the sensor unit may be utilized.

In operation 1340, the electronic device 410 may notify the information related to the predicted user position through the voice-based input/output interface or the communication interface if the user does not exist at the predicted user position in the future. It may be provided to the user. The fact that the user does not exist at the predicted position at that time means that the user may have forgotten the situation or action associated with the predicted position. Based on the information utilized for position prediction, the user may be provided with information regarding an action expected to be performed by the user at the predicted position and a situation expected to occur at the predicted position. At this time, providing information to the user via the communication interface may include providing information to the user via another electronic device that communicates with the electronic device 410 via the communication interface. For example, the electronic device 410 may send relevant information to the user's mobile device in the form of an SMS message or a messenger message.

According to the present embodiment, the electronic device 410 not only operates according to the command of the user, but also predicts the position of the user in advance, and moves ahead of the predicted position, based on the situation (or context) of the user. It is possible to improve user convenience and solve the problem that the fixed single device cannot cover all the spaces in the room. Further, when the user does not appear at the predicted position, the electronic device 410 informs the user of information related to the predicted related condition or action so that the user does not forget about the condition or action related to the predicted position. Can be supported as.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method in which an electronic device identifies a device corresponding to a user command according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

At step 1410, the electronic device 410 may manage information about electronic devices in the room. As an example, an example in which the electronic device 410 manages information about another electronic device has been described with reference to FIG. 9. Although FIG. 9 illustrates only the other electronic device including the output medium, it can be easily understood that the other electronic device including the output medium may be managed by a similar viewpoint. ..

In operation 1420, the electronic device 410 may control the electronic device in the room based on the user's voice request received by the voice-based input/output interface. For example, with reference to FIG. 10, it has been described that the home lighting device 1030 is controlled based on a voice request from the user.

In operation 1430, when the voice request does not include information for identifying the electronic device corresponding to the user's command, the electronic device 410 may respond to the user's command based on the peripheral information sensed by the sensor unit. The device may be specified.

As an example, the electronic device 410 may determine a distance between the position of the user, which is determined based on the peripheral information sensed by the sensor unit, and the at least one electronic device, and the user may command the distance based on the determined distance. The electronic device corresponding to may be specified. As an example, with reference to FIG. 10, the example in which the electronic device corresponding to the command of the user is specified based on the distance determined by using the camera has been described.

As another embodiment, the electronic device 410 analyzes the user's command included in the voice request to limit the electronic devices to which the user's command can be applied among the electronic devices in the room, and determines the position and the position of the determined user. The electronic device corresponding to the command of the user may be specified based on the distance to the electronic device that is generated.

In still another embodiment, the electronic device 410 directly moves to a position of at least one electronic device existing at the determined position of the user, measures the moving distance, and further determines the user based on the moving distance. May be determined and the distance between the position and the at least one electronic device may be determined, and the electronic device corresponding to the command of the user may be specified based on the distance thus determined.

According to the embodiment of FIG. 14, the electronic device 410 moves to the vicinity of the user according to the user's utterance, recognizes the user's peripheral device, and selects a target suitable for the user's utterance from the recognized peripheral devices. Therefore, it is possible to receive the operation according to the user command even when the user does not explicitly recognize the specific device when the user presents the user command.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to separately recognize a plurality of partitioned spaces in the room by collecting the internal environment of the room while moving, and the recognition is performed by distinguishing from the position of the user. Based on the plurality of partitioned spaces, it is possible to provide information suitable for the position and space of the user. In addition, it is possible to predict the position of the user at a future time point, provide information in advance of the predicted position, and if the user does not appear at the predicted position at the corresponding future time point, it may be related to the predicted position. By notifying the user of the information to be provided, a related notification can be provided even when the user forgets the situation or action related to the predicted position. Further, even if the electronic device related to the user's command cannot be specified from the user's voice request, the user's command is responded based on the distance between the user and the electronic device and/or the applicability of the user's command. The electronic device can be specified.

The system or apparatus described above may be realized by a hardware component, a software component, or a combination of a hardware component and a software component. For example, the devices and components described in the embodiments are, for example, a processor, a controller, an ALU (arithmetic logic unit), a digital signal processor, a microcomputer, a FPGA (field programmable gate array), a PLU (programmable logic unit), and a micro. It may be implemented utilizing one or more general purpose or special purpose computers, such as a processor or various devices capable of executing and responding to instructions. The processing device may execute an operating system (OS) and one or more software applications running on the OS. The processing device may also be responsive to execution of software to access, store, manipulate, process, and generate data. For ease of understanding, a single processing device may be described as being used, but those skilled in the art will appreciate that the processing device may include multiple processing elements and/or multiple types of processing elements. You can understand. For example, the processing unit may include multiple processors or a processor and a controller. Other processing configurations are also possible, such as parallel processors.

Software may include computer programs, code, instructions, or combinations of one or more of these, which configure the processing units to perform the desired operations, or instruct the processing units to operate independently or collectively. You can The software and/or data may be embodied in any type of machine, component, physical device, virtual device, computer storage medium or device for interpreting or providing instructions or data to the processing device. May be embodied. The software may be distributed and stored or executed in a distributed manner on computer systems connected by a network. The software and data may be stored in one or more computer-readable recording media.

The method according to the embodiment may be embodied in the form of program instructions executable by various computer means and recorded on a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc., alone or in combination. The medium may either continuously store the computer-executable program or temporarily store the program for execution or download. Further, the medium may be various recording means or storage means in a form in which a single piece or a plurality of pieces of hardware are combined, but it is not limited to the medium directly connected to a certain computer system, and it is not limited to the medium. It may be dispersed. Examples of the medium include a magnetic medium such as a hard disk, a floppy (registered trademark) disc, and a magnetic tape, an optical medium such as a CD-ROM and a DVD, and a magneto-optical medium such as a floppy disk. Also, the program instruction word may be configured to include a ROM, a RAM, a flash memory, and the like. In addition, examples of other media may include an app store that distributes applications, other sites that supply or distribute various kinds of software, and recording media or storage media managed by a server or the like. Examples of the program instruction include not only a machine language code generated by a compiler but also a high-level language that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like.

Although the embodiments have been described above based on the limited embodiments and the drawings, those skilled in the art will be able to make various modifications and variations from the above description. For example, the described techniques may be performed in a different order than the described methods, and/or components of the described systems, structures, devices, circuits, etc. may be implemented in a different manner than the described methods. Appropriate results can be achieved whether combined or combined, or apposed or replaced by other components or equivalents.

Therefore, even in the case of different embodiments, if they are equivalent to the claims, they belong to the appended claims.

100: Electronic device 110: User 140: IPTV
150: Mobile device 160: Tire

Claims (20)

An information providing device,
A sensor unit for sensing peripheral information of the information providing device,
A drive for moving the information providing device, a voice-based input/output interface, and at least one processor implemented to execute computer readable instructions;
The at least one processor is
While controlling the drive unit to move the information providing device, distinguishing and recognizing a plurality of spaces based on peripheral information sensed by the sensor unit,
Determining the position of the user based on at least one of the user's voice signal received by the input / output interface based on the peripheral information and the sound sensed by the sensor unit,
Wherein is that classified and based on the recognized multiple spatial and location of the user the determined by providing information to the user, an input / output interface based on the sound based on the position of the determined user Interpreting the user's voice request received by and providing information to the user in response to the interpreted voice request.
An information providing device characterized by performing . The sensor unit includes a camera,
The at least one processor is
The information provided by the camera is analyzed to recognize information about the space where the information providing device is currently located and surrounding objects,
The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drive unit controls movement of the information providing apparatus based on the recognized space and information about surrounding objects. The at least one processor is
Controlling the drive unit so that the information providing device moves around the determined position of the user,
The type of space in which the user is located is determined by using the peripheral information sensed by the sensor unit around the determined position of the user,
The information providing device according to claim 1, wherein the information is provided to the user according to the determined type of space. The at least one processor is
Patterning at least one user information of user's utterance content by space and user activity by space,
The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the type of each of the plurality of recognized spaces is determined based on the user information patterned for each space and each time zone. The at least one processor is
Based on at least one of external information related to the user received from at least one of the external device and the server, and at least one of user information stored in advance by patterning by space and time zone. Predict position,
The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drive unit is controlled so as to move to the predicted position of the user. The at least one processor is
The information providing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein when the user does not come to the predicted position of the user, the user is notified of the information related to the predicted position of the user. The at least one processor is
Manage information about electronic devices in the room,
Controlling the electronic device in the room based on a user's voice request received by the voice-based input/output interface;
When the information for identifying the electronic device corresponding to the user's command is not included in the voice request, the electronic device corresponding to the user's command may be identified based on the peripheral information sensed by the sensor unit. The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, which is characterized in that: The at least one processor is
Determining a distance between the determined user position and at least one electronic device based on peripheral information sensed by the sensor unit,
The information providing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein an electronic device corresponding to a user command is specified based on the determined distance. The at least one processor is
Analyzing the user's command including the voice request to limit the electronic devices to which the user's command is applicable from among the electronic devices in the room,
The information providing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the electronic device corresponding to the user's command is specified based on the determined distance between the user position and the limited electronic device. The at least one processor is
Measuring the movement distance by moving to the position of at least one electronic device at the determined position of the user,
The information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the determined position of the user and the at least one electronic device is further determined based on the moving distance. An information providing method of an information providing device,
A step of recognizing a plurality of spaces by sensing peripheral information of the information providing device by a sensor unit included in the information providing device while controlling and moving a driving unit included in the information providing device.
Determining a position of the user based on at least one of the audio signal of the user received by the input / output interface based on speech sensed peripheral information, and the information providing apparatus has by the sensor unit, and wherein a step of providing classified to the recognized plurality of spatial information to the user based on the position of the user the determined input / output based on the sound based on the position of the determined user A method of providing information , comprising: interpreting a voice request of the user received by an interface and providing information to the user in response to the interpreted voice request . The step of recognizing is
Recognizing information about a space in which the information providing apparatus is currently located and surrounding objects by analyzing an image input by a camera included in the sensor unit, and based on the recognized space and information about surrounding objects. The information providing method according to claim 11, further comprising: controlling the movement of the information providing device by the driving unit. Controlling the driving unit to move the information providing device to the vicinity of the determined user position, and using the peripheral information sensed by the sensor unit around the determined user position. Determining the space and type of space in which the user is located,
The providing step includes:
The information providing method according to claim 11, further comprising providing information to a user according to the determined space and the type of space. Patterning user information of at least one of user's utterance content and activity of each space by time zone, and categorizing and recognizing based on the user information patterned by space and time zone The information providing method according to claim 11, further comprising: determining a type of each of the plurality of created spaces. Based on at least one of external information related to the user received from at least one of the external device and the server, and at least one of user information stored in advance by patterning by space and time zone. The information providing method according to claim 11, further comprising: predicting a position, and controlling the driving unit to move to the predicted position of the user. 16. The information providing according to claim 15, further comprising: providing a user with a notification for information related to the predicted user location if the user does not come to the predicted user location. Method. Managing information about electronic devices in the room,
The voice request includes a step of controlling the electronic device in the room based on the voice request of the user received by the voice-based input/output interface, and information for identifying the electronic device corresponding to the user's command. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of identifying an electronic device corresponding to a user's command based on the peripheral information sensed by the sensor unit. The distance between the determined user position and at least one electronic device is determined based on the peripheral information sensed by the sensor unit, and the electronic device corresponding to the user command is identified based on the determined distance. The information providing method according to claim 11, wherein the information providing method comprises: A computer program that causes a computer of an information providing apparatus to execute the information providing method according to any one of claims 11 to 18. A computer-readable recording medium on which is recorded a program for causing a computer of an information providing apparatus to execute the information providing method according to any one of claims 11 to 18.