JP7581817B2 - SONIC WAVE PROCESSING SYSTEM, TERMINAL DEVICE, AND SONIC WAVE PROCESSING METHOD - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sound wave processing system, a terminal device, and a sound wave processing method.

Conventionally, a method of communicating by transmitting and receiving an identification signal using sound waves has been known. In particular, in recent years, a technology has also been known in which an identification signal transmitted from an output device that outputs sound waves is received by a microphone on a smartphone, tablet PC, or the like to obtain information.

Specifically, the output device first changes the frequency of sound waves to be transmitted to the terminal device by a predetermined frequency depending on the direction in which the terminal device, which is the destination of the notification of the identification information, is moving. Next, the output device generates sound waves indicating the identification information using the changed frequency. The output device then transmits the sound waves indicating the identification information to the terminal device. In this way, a technology is known for sending specified information depending on the movement status of the destination of the notification (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

For example, in an information distribution system having a sound wave output device and an information processing terminal, the sound wave output device generates directional sound waves on which predetermined information is superimposed. The sound wave output device outputs the generated sound waves. Meanwhile, the information processing terminal receives the sound waves, and determines whether or not to notify the user of the information processing terminal that the predetermined information has been received, based on the direction of movement of the information processing terminal, which can be determined from the frequency of the received sound waves. In this way, a technology is known that allows an information distribution system to determine whether or not to acquire content (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

In conventional technology, the sound wave output device may not be able to accurately detect the moving speed of the target terminal device. Specifically, the sound wave output device may not be able to accurately detect the moving speed of the terminal device depending on the positional relationship between the sound wave output device that transmits and receives sound waves and the terminal device. In this way, conventional technology has a problem in that it cannot accurately detect the moving speed of the terminal device depending on the positional relationship, etc.

The present invention aims to provide a sound processing system that can accurately detect the moving speed of a terminal device.

In order to solve the above problems, in one aspect of the present invention, a sound processing system includes a transmitting device that transmits sound waves, and a terminal device that receives the sound waves,
The transmitting device
a sound wave transmitting unit that transmits the sound wave indicating the identification information in a predetermined frequency band;
The terminal device
A sonic wave receiving unit that receives the sonic waves;
an identification information detection unit that detects the identification information by frequency analysis;
a moving speed detection unit that detects a first moving speed of the terminal device;
a calculation unit that calculates a second moving speed of the terminal device from the frequency of the sound wave;
a determination unit that determines a state of the terminal device by comparing a reference value with the second moving speed;
a setting unit that sets the reference value determined by the first moving speed,
The direction away from the sound wave transmitting unit is defined as positive,
When the second moving speed is a negative value and is smaller than the reference value,
The determination unit is
The method is characterized in that it is determined that the terminal device is approaching the transmitting device.

According to the present invention, the moving speed of a terminal device can be detected with high accuracy.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an overall configuration. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of a terminal device. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall process. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a result of frequency analysis. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a range in which sound waves are transmitted. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a stopped state. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of frequency components of sound waves received in a stopped state. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example in which a user moves toward and away from a target object; 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating an example of frequency components of sound waves received when a user moves toward and away from the user. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a user moving in an oblique position. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a user moving in a horizontal position. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between an actual moving speed and the moving speed relative to a sound source. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an approaching direction to a sound source. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a direction moving away from a sound source. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a first example of determination. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a first determination example of whether a movement is approaching a sound source. 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating an example of a determination process for determining whether or not a terminal device is approaching a sound source. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a second example of determination. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a second example of determination as to whether the movement is approaching a sound source. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a third example of determination. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a third example of determination as to whether the movement is approaching a sound source. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of an area. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example in which the same sound source moving speed is obtained. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a second example of the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a third example of the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a fourth example of the second embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a first comparative example. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a second comparative example.

[First embodiment]
Hereinafter, specific examples will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the embodiment is not limited to the examples shown in the drawings and the specific examples described below.

[Overall configuration example]
1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration. For example, a sonic processing system 10 includes a server 1, a communication device 3, a beacon 4, and a terminal device 5. In the sonic processing system 10, for example, the server 1 and the communication device 3 are connected via a network 2 or the like.

Server 1 is an information processing device. Server 1 manages the entire sound processing system 10.

The communication device 3 is, for example, a gateway. Note that the communication device 3 may be a type other than a gateway.

The beacon 4 is an example of a transmitting device. Specifically, the beacon 4 is a wireless station that transmits sound waves 6 to a terminal device 5. Note that there may be multiple beacons 4 as shown in the figure, or there may be a single beacon 4.

For example, the communication device 3 and the beacon 4 are connected via wireless communication using Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), or 920 MHz band wireless communication.

The terminal device 5 is, for example, an information processing device such as a smartphone. Furthermore, the terminal device 5 is preferably a so-called mobile device. Furthermore, the terminal device 5 is a device owned by the user 7. Therefore, the terminal device 5 is a device whose position changes as the user 7 moves.

The sound wave processing system 10 is not limited to the configuration described above. For example, the network 2 and the wireless connection may be a connection using wired communication such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) or a wired Local Area Network (LAN).

Furthermore, the device configuration is not limited to the configuration described above. For example, the communication device 3 may be integrated with the server 1. In this way, the device may be a single device formed by combining multiple devices, or, in the above example, one device may be multiple devices.

In the sound wave processing system 10, the beacon 4 transmits sound waves 6 including identification information, etc. to the terminal device 5, etc. After the sound waves 6 are transmitted in this manner, the terminal device 5 receives the sound waves 6 with a microphone, etc. In addition, the terminal device 5 can obtain location information indicating its current location, etc. by communicating with the server 1.

For example, the identification information may be a pre-set identification number (ID).

[Hardware configuration example]
2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the terminal device 5. For example, the terminal device 5 includes a central processing unit (hereinafter referred to as a CPU 51), a storage device 52, an input/output device 53, a network interface 54, an acceleration sensor 55, and the like.

It is preferable that the terminal device 5 further includes a wind sensor 56 and a temperature sensor 57. The following description will be given using the terminal device 5 shown in the figure as an example.

The CPU 51 is an example of a calculation device and a control device. Therefore, the CPU 51 executes a predetermined process based on a program, etc.

The storage device 52 is, for example, a main storage device such as a memory. The storage device 52 may further include an auxiliary storage device such as a hard disk and a solid state drive (SSD).

The input/output device 53 is an example of an input device and an output device. For example, the input/output device 53 is a touch panel or the like. Therefore, the input/output device 53 is a device that accepts operations from the user 7. In addition, the input/output device 53 is a device that displays images, etc. to the user 7.

The network interface 54 is a device that transmits and receives data to and from external devices via a network or the like. For example, the network interface 54 is an antenna or a connector, etc.

The acceleration sensor 55 is a sensor that detects the acceleration, etc. applied to the terminal device 5. The terminal device 5 may also calculate and detect the speed, amount of movement, etc. based on the acceleration, etc. detected by the acceleration sensor 55. The acceleration sensor 55 may also detect the direction based on the direction in which the acceleration is applied. Thus, the acceleration sensor 55 detects the direction, acceleration, speed, amount of movement, or a combination of these, in which the user 7 having the terminal device 5 is moving.

The wind sensor 56 is a sensor that detects the amount of wind generated near the terminal device 5 and the direction in which the wind blows.

The temperature sensor 57 is a sensor that detects the temperature near the terminal device 5.

The hardware configuration is not limited to the configuration shown above. For example, the terminal device 5 may further include internal or external devices such as a calculation device, a storage device, a control device, an input device, an output device, and an interface.

The information processing device may be a device that has a calculation device, a storage device, a control device, an input device, an output device, an interface, and the like, and executes processing through cooperation between the calculation device, the storage device, and the control device, etc.

[Overall processing example]
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the overall process.

In step S0301, the beacon 4 transmits sound waves 6. Note that the beacon 4 transmits sound waves 6 based on, for example, preset settings such as transmission timing, time for transmitting sound waves 6, transmission strength, and frequency.

In step S0302, the terminal device 5 receives sound waves 6.

In step S0303, the terminal device 5 performs frequency analysis on the received sound wave 6 to detect the identification information. Specifically, the terminal device 5 first performs frequency analysis on the received sound wave 6. For example, the analysis result of the frequency analysis of the sound wave 6 is as follows.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the results of frequency analysis. In the diagram, the horizontal axis shows frequency (e.g., in Hertz (Hz)) and the vertical axis shows volume (e.g., in decibels (dB)). For example, sound wave 6 includes a noise component 401 and a frequency component that indicates identification information (hereinafter simply referred to as "identification information 402").

For example, by performing frequency analysis such as fast Fourier transform (FFT), the terminal device 5 can detect the identification information 402 that appears in a specific frequency band.

It is desirable that the frequency band of the identification information 402 is as separate as possible from the frequency band of the noise components 401. In other words, it is desirable that the predetermined frequency band for the identification information 402 is set to a higher frequency than the frequency band of the noise components 401. In this way, when the frequency band of the identification information 402 is separate from the frequency band of the noise components 401, the noise components 401 are less likely to mix with the identification information 402.

For example, the specified frequency band for the identification information 402 is preferably a frequency that is difficult for the human ear to hear. However, the sound wave 6 may include frequencies in the audible range.

In step S0304, the terminal device 5 detects the movement speed based on the detection results of the acceleration sensor 55, etc. (hereinafter, the movement speed detected based on the detection results of the acceleration sensor 55, etc. is referred to as the "first movement speed").

In step S0305, the terminal device 5 detects the moving speed based on the frequency of the sound waves 6, etc. (hereinafter, the moving speed detected based on the frequency of the sound waves 6, etc., is referred to as the "second moving speed"). Details of the second moving speed, etc. will be described later.

In step S0306, the terminal device 5 performs a determination based on the first movement speed and the second movement speed. Details of the determination process will be described later.

In step S0307, the terminal device 5, for example, provides information. That is, in step S0307, the terminal device 5 performs a predetermined process that is determined in advance based on the moving speed selected in step S0306. Note that step S0307 may be a process other than providing information. Details of step S0307 will be described later.

The overall processing is not limited to the processing described above. For example, the overall processing may be processing in which the processing shown above is performed in parallel, distributed, redundant, or in an order different from the order described above.

The processing from step S0305 onwards shown above is, for example, the following processing.

Figure 5 shows an example of the range in which sound waves are transmitted. First, assume that the beacon 4 is set to transmit sound waves 6 in the range shown (the range indicated by hatching in the figure).

Specifically, in this example, the beacon 4 is set to transmit sound waves 6 radially in a range of approximately 180°. Note that the range in which the beacon 4 transmits sound waves 6 may be configurable. Thus, the beacon 4 may be set to transmit sound waves 6 in a range of angles wider or narrower than the range shown in the figure. Below, an example in which the range shown in the figure is set will be described.

The frequency of the sound wave 6 changes due to the Doppler effect as the terminal device 5 moves (hereinafter, the terminal device 5 is assumed to be owned by the user 7, and the position of the terminal device 5 and the position of the user 7 are the same. Therefore, the following explanation will only cover the position of the user 7, and the position of the terminal device 5 will be omitted).

Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of a stopped state. For example, assume that a user 7 is stopped in the position shown in the figure (almost directly in front of the beacon 4). Assume that the sound wave 6 received in such a stopped state has the following frequency components.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of frequency components of sound waves received in a stopped state. In the diagram, the horizontal axis shows frequency and the vertical axis shows volume. For example, in a stopped state, the received sound wave 6 has frequency components whose frequencies are centered around the frequency shown in the diagram. The following explanation will be given based on the frequency in such a stopped state (hereinafter referred to as "reference frequency 700").

For example, from the stopped state shown in FIG. 6, user 7 moves closer to or farther away from beacon 4 as follows:

Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of a user moving closer and moving farther away. For example, user 7 moves as in a first movement 71, moving closer to beacon 4. On the other hand, user 7 moves as in a second movement 72, moving farther away from beacon 4.

When such a first movement 71 and a second movement 72 are performed, the frequency changes, for example, as follows:

Figure 9 shows an example of the frequency components of sound waves received when the user moves toward and away from the user. Note that the vertical and horizontal axes are the same as in Figure 7.

For example, when the user 7 approaches the beacon 4, as in the first movement 71, the frequency becomes a high value (hereinafter, the frequency after the change due to the first movement 71 is referred to as the "first frequency 701"). In other words, the first frequency 701 is a frequency with a high value compared to the reference frequency 700.

On the other hand, for example, when the user 7 moves away from the beacon 4, as in the second movement 72, the frequency becomes a low value (hereinafter, the frequency after the change due to the second movement 72 is referred to as the "second frequency 702"). In other words, the second frequency 702 is a frequency whose value is lower than the reference frequency 700.

Figure 9 shows a state in which the user 7 is positioned in front of the beacon 4 (the position on the X-axis coincides with that in Figure 8). On the other hand, the user 7 may be in a positional relationship with the beacon 4, for example, as follows:

Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of a user moving in a diagonal position. Compared to Figure 8, in Figure 10, the user 7 is positioned diagonally rather than directly in front of the beacon 4. Hereinafter, in the positional relationship shown in Figure 10, movement of the user approaching (movement in the Y-axis direction, which refers to movement upward in the figure) and movement of the user moving away (movement in the Y-axis direction, which refers to movement downward in the figure) will be referred to as "diagonal movement", similar to the first movement 71 and second movement 72 shown in Figure 8. For example, diagonal movements are the third movement 73 and the fourth movement 74.

Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of a user moving in a horizontal position. Compared to Figure 10, in Figure 11, the user 7 is further away from the beacon 4 in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction in the figure) than in the case of diagonal position movement. Hereinafter, in the positional relationship shown in Figure 11, movement of the user approaching (movement in the Y-axis direction, which means moving up in the figure) and movement of the user moving away (movement in the Y-axis direction, which means moving down in the figure) will be referred to as "horizontal movement", similar to the first movement 71 and second movement 72 shown in Figure 8. For example, horizontal movements are the fifth movement 75 and the sixth movement 76, etc.

For example, for a user 7 moving as described above, the terminal device 5 detects the frequency by performing a calculation based on the following formula (1).

f={(V-v0)/V}×f0 (1)

The above formula (1) shows the Doppler formula. For simplicity, in the calculation of the above formula (1), the position of the beacon 4, which is the sound source, is assumed to be fixed throughout.

In the above formula (1), "f" is the frequency detected by the terminal device 5. Hereinafter, this will be referred to as the "detected frequency f." In the above formula (1), "f0" is the frequency at the sound source. Hereinafter, this will be referred to as the "sound source frequency f0." Also, in the above formula (1), "V" is the speed of sound. Hereinafter, this will be referred to simply as the "speed of sound V." Furthermore, in the above formula (1), "v0" is the moving speed relative to the sound source. Hereinafter, this will be referred to simply as the "moving speed v0."

In addition, in the following description, for moving speeds such as moving speed v0, a speed moving away from the sound source is considered to have a "positive" value, and a speed moving towards the sound source is considered to have a "negative" value.

The moving speed v0 in the above formula (1) is as follows:

Figure 12 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the actual movement speed and the movement speed relative to the sound source. For example, the third movement 73 has an "actual movement speed va1." In contrast, the movement speed relative to the sound source (hereinafter referred to as "movement speed relative to the sound source va2") has the relationship shown in the following formula (2).

va2=va1×cosθ (2)

In other words, the sound source moving speed va2 determined by the above formula (2) becomes the moving speed v0 in the above formula (1). In this way, the sound source moving speed va2 is the cosine value obtained by multiplying the actual moving speed va1 by a cosine function.

In the above formula (2), "θ" is the actual moving speed va1 and the angle formed by the straight line connecting the user 7 and the sound source (hereinafter referred to as "sound source angle θ"). In other words, the sound source angle θ is the angle formed by the actual moving speed va1 with respect to the sound source having the transmitting device.

For example, when the sound source angle θ is as shown below, the terminal device 5 is approaching the sound source.

Figure 13 is a diagram showing an example of the direction of approach to the sound source. For example, when the user 7 moves with moving speeds va11, va12, and va13, the moving speeds relative to the sound source are moving speeds va21, va22, and va23 based on the above formula (2). Note that moving speed va23 is the case when the sound source angle θ is as close to "90°" as possible.

On the other hand, for example, if the sound source angle θ is as shown below, the terminal device 5 is moving away from the sound source.

Figure 14 shows an example of a direction moving away from a sound source. For example, if user 7 moves with speeds va14, va15, and va16, the speeds of movement relative to the sound source are va24, va25, and va26 based on the above formula (2).

As shown in Figures 12 and 13, according to the above formula (2), even if the actual moving speed va1 is one of the moving speeds va11 to va16, the moving speed va2 relative to the sound source may be a different value from the actual moving speed va1 depending on the sound source angle θ. Therefore, it is preferable that the determination in step S0306 be, for example, the following process.

Figure 15 is a diagram showing a first example of the determination. In the following, it is assumed that the user 7 moves via a first point 1501 and a second point 1502.

At the first point 1501, the actual moving speed va1 in the above equation (2) is assumed to be the moving speed vb11. The user 7 maintains the same moving speed and direction and is assumed to be constant. In other words, at the second point 1502, the actual moving speed va1 in the above equation (2) is assumed to be the moving speed vb11.

While the moving speed vb11 is constant, the moving speed va2 relative to the sound source changes with the sound source angle θ, and therefore, according to the above formula (2), the moving speed va2 at the first point 1501 and the second point 1502 becomes moving speed vb21 and moving speed vb22. The terminal device 5 determines, for example, as follows, whether such a movement is a movement toward the sound source or a movement away from the sound source.

Figure 16 shows a first example of a determination of whether a movement is toward a sound source. In the figure, the horizontal axis shows time and the vertical axis shows speed.

As shown in the example shown in FIG. 15, the moving speed vb11 is constant regardless of time. In other words, in the example shown in FIG. 15, the actual moving speed va1 in the above formula (2) is constant at the value of the moving speed vb11.

On the other hand, the sound source moving speed va2 changes over time, for example, as shown in the figure. Specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 15, the user 7 moves and changes position, so the sound source angle θ varies over time. Therefore, for example, at a position where the sound source angle θ is close to "90°", such as the second point 1502, the sound source moving speed va2 is a value where the absolute value of "cos θ" in equation (2) above is close to "0". Therefore, the sound source moving speed va2 becomes a speed with a small absolute value, such as moving speed vb22, due to the multiplication calculation using equation (2) above.

[Example of judgment process]
For example, in a state in which the sound source moving speed va2 changes as shown in Fig. 15 etc., the terminal device 5 determines the state of the moving speed as follows. Hereinafter, the manner in which the terminal device 5 moves relative to the sound source in this manner will simply be referred to as the "state".

Figure 17 is a diagram showing an example of a determination process for determining whether or not the terminal device is approaching a sound source. Below, an example will be described in which it is determined whether or not the terminal device 5 is approaching a beacon 4 due to the movement shown in Figure 15 etc. The determination process shown in the figure is the process performed in step S0306.

In step S1701, the terminal device 5 sets a value that serves as a criterion for judgment (hereinafter referred to as the "first reference value Vk1"). The method for setting the value that serves as the first reference value Vk1 will be described later.

The first reference value Vk1 has the same absolute value, but is set separately on the "positive" and "negative" sides with different signs, like "+Vk1" and "-Vk1" in Figure 16.

In step S1702, the terminal device 5 determines whether the sound source moving speed va2 is smaller than a reference value. In other words, the state is determined based on whether the sound source moving speed va2 is smaller than "-Vk1".

Next, if it is determined that the sound source moving speed is smaller than the reference value (YES in step S1702), the terminal device 5 proceeds to step S1703. On the other hand, if it is determined that the sound source moving speed is not smaller than the reference value (NO in step S1702), the terminal device 5 proceeds to step S1704.

In step S1703, the terminal device 5 determines that the user 7 is approaching the sound source.

In step S1704, the terminal device 5 determines that the user 7 is not approaching the sound source.

For example, the examples in Figures 15 and 16 are examples in which the sound source movement speed va2 is not smaller than "-Vk1" (NO in step S1702), as shown in Figure 16. Therefore, in this example, the terminal device 5 determines in step S1704 that the user 7 is not approaching the sound source.

The above description is an example of a case where the user 7 approaches the sound source. Note that the determination may also be made for a state where the user 7 moves away from the sound source. Specifically, in step S1702, the terminal device 5 determines whether the speed of movement relative to the sound source exceeds a reference value. In other words, when determining whether the state is moving away, the terminal device 5 sets the value to "positive" for the determination.

On the other hand, for example, the terminal device 5 may be in the following state:

Figure 18 is a diagram showing a second example of the determination. Compared to the first example, the second example differs in that the user 7 moves via the third point 1503 after the first point 1501.

The third point 1503 is a position closer to the sound source than the second point 1502. That is, in this example, the user 7 passes through the first point 1501 and then moves toward a position closer to the sound source than in the first example.

In addition, in this example, at the first point 1501, the actual moving speed va1 in the above formula (2) is assumed to be the moving speed vb12. The user 7 maintains the same moving speed and direction at both the first point 1501 and the third point 1503, and the moving speed is constant at vb12. In other words, at the third point 1503, the actual moving speed va1 in the above formula (2) is assumed to be the moving speed vb12. In addition, compared to the moving speed vb11 in the first example, the moving speed vb12 is the same moving speed but in a different direction.

As in the first example, the user 7 moves and changes position, so the sound source angle θ varies over time. Therefore, the sound source movement speed va2 is a movement speed vb23 at the first point 1501, and then the sound source movement speed va2 changes to a movement speed vb24 at the third point 1503. The terminal device 5 determines whether or not such movement is a movement approaching the sound source, for example, as follows:

Figure 19 shows a second example of determining whether the movement is toward a sound source. The horizontal and vertical axes are the same as in Figure 16.

Compared to the first example, the second example includes cases where the sound source movement velocity va2 is smaller than "-Vk1".

The examples in Figures 18 and 19 are therefore examples in which it is determined that the sound source movement speed va2 is smaller than "-Vk1" (YES in step S1702). Therefore, in this example, the terminal device 5 determines in step S1703 that the user 7 is approaching the sound source.

In this way, by setting a reference value and determining the state of the terminal device 5 by comparing it with the reference value, the sonic processing system 10 can accurately detect the movement speed of the terminal device 5.

It is also desirable to set the reference value according to the moving speed. For example, it is desirable to set the value as follows:

Figure 20 is a diagram showing a third example of the determination. Compared to the second example, the third example differs in that the actual moving speed va1 in the above formula (2) is moving speed vb13. Note that, similar to the second example, in the third example, the user 7 maintains the same moving speed and direction at both the first point 1501 and the third point 1503, and the moving speed is constant at vb13.

The moving speed relative to the sound source is vb25 at the first point 1501. Then, because the sound source angle θ changes due to the movement, the moving speed relative to the sound source changes to vb26 at the third point 1503.

The moving speed vb13 is slower than the moving speed vb12 in the second example. On the other hand, the moving speed vb13 has the same direction as the moving speed vb12.

The terminal device 5 determines whether or not such movement is a movement toward a sound source, for example, as follows:

Figure 21 shows a third example of a determination of whether the movement is toward a sound source. The horizontal and vertical axes are the same as in Figure 16.

Compared to the first and second examples, in the third example, the moving speed vb13 is lower than the moving speeds vb11 and vb12. Therefore, by calculating the above formula (2), the absolute value of the moving speed va2 relative to the sound source becomes smaller than in the first and second examples.

Therefore, in step S1701, the terminal device 5 sets a value (hereinafter referred to as the "second reference value Vk2") that serves as a criterion for judgment, which is different from the first reference value Vk1, based on the moving speed vb13.

As in the third example, when the moving speed vb13 is slower than the moving speed vb11 and the moving speed vb12, the second reference value Vk2 is a value smaller than the first reference value Vk1.

In this way, it is preferable to set the reference value to a value corresponding to the speed (magnitude) of the first moving speed. By setting the reference value in this way, the terminal device 5 can accurately determine the state.

[Examples of setting standard values and providing information]
For example, the terminal device 5 sets the reference values etc. as shown in Table 1 below.

The example shown above (Table 1) is an example in which different settings are made for each terminal device.

"Identification information" is identification information contained in sound waves. For example, "identification information" is different numbers such as "1", "2", "3", etc. that are set for multiple terminal devices. In this way, identification information is a number that can be set to identify each terminal device.

"Reference value" indicates an example of a calculation method for setting a reference value, or inputting a value that will become a reference value. Specifically, when "identification information" is "1", a calculation method is input for "reference value" such as "first movement speed x (±0.3)". Therefore, in this case, the value that will become the reference value is set by multiplying by "0.3". Note that the coefficient "0.3" is, for example, a value that is set in advance. In this way, when a calculation is set to multiply the first movement speed by a predetermined coefficient, the terminal device 5 can switch the reference value according to the first movement speed, such as the first reference value Vk1 and the second reference value Vk2.

Also, there may be a setting to specify a fixed value for the "reference value," such as when the "identification information" is "2" and "3."

Note that, for example, like the "first moving speed" shown in (Table 1), the processing to be performed may be divided into three types, such as "1.3 m/s or more", "0.5 m/s or more and less than 1.3 m/s", and "0 m/s or more and less than 0.5 m/s", as in the case of "identification information" of "1" in (Table 1). By setting in this way, it is possible to switch which information is provided among "information A", "information B", and "information C" depending on the value of the first speed. Note that the conditions may be set by parameters other than the classification by "first moving speed". For example, a condition that combines direction, speed, and "identification information", etc. may be set.

"Information to be provided" is an example of the setting for the process performed in step S0307. That is, in this example, the setting is such that the information to be provided to the user 7 is switched between "Information A" to "Information G", or no information is provided (indicated by "-" in Table 1) depending on the determination result of "Identification information", "Reference value", and "First moving speed". That is, the process performed by the terminal device 5 in step S0307 differs depending on the determination result, etc.

For example, there are cases where information is provided at the entrance or exit of a store, etc. In this case, the operator sets up a transmitting device, for example, near the entrance or exit. In such a case, if the settings are as shown above (Table 1), the sound processing system 10 can provide different information by voice to people entering and people leaving the store, for example.

Specifically, the sound wave processing system 10 provides information such as "Welcome" to people entering the store by outputting it from a speaker or the like. On the other hand, the sound wave processing system 10 provides information such as "Thank you" to people leaving the store by outputting it from a speaker or the like. In this way, the sound wave processing system 10 can accurately estimate the behavior of the target person, and therefore can use different information with high accuracy.

[Example of sound speed correction by temperature]
In calculating the above formula (1), the sonic processing system 10 preferably corrects the sound speed V based on the temperature. Specifically, the sonic processing system 10 preferably corrects the sound speed V based on the temperature using the following formula (3).

V=331.5+0.6T (3)

In the above formula (3), "V" is the speed of sound, as in the above formula (1). Also, in the above formula (3), "T" is the air temperature (unit: °C). Note that the sonic processing system 10 may correct the speed of sound V based on the gas state equation, etc. In this way, by correcting the speed of sound V based on the temperature, the sonic processing system 10 can more accurately calculate the detection frequency f using the above formula (1) even if the temperature T changes.

[Example of sound speed correction based on wind speed]
It is preferable that the sonication system 10 corrects the sound speed V based on the wind speed. Specifically, it is preferable that the sonication system 10 corrects the sound speed V and calculates the detection frequency f by the following formula (4).

f={(V±w-v0)/(V±w)}×f0 (4)

Compared to formula (1) above, formula (4) above differs in that wind speed "w" is added. Specifically, wind speed w is the speed of wind blowing from the sound source toward the terminal device. In this way, by correcting sound speed V based on wind speed w, the sound wave processing system 10 can more accurately calculate detection frequency f using formula (1) above even when wind is blowing.

[Example of dividing areas]
It is desirable that the identification information be different for each area. First, for example, it is desirable to divide the range shown in FIG.

Figure 22 is a diagram showing an example of areas. In the example shown, the range in which sound waves can be transmitted is divided equally into two areas. Specifically, the first area 221 is the left half of the figure. Meanwhile, the second area 222 is the right half of the figure.

For example, the first area 221 has the identification information "ID1". On the other hand, the second area 222 has the identification information "ID2". In this way, when the identification information differs for each area, the sound wave processing system 10 can accurately distinguish between, for example, the following states.

Figure 23 shows an example where the sound source movement speed is the same. For example, assume that the user 7 has a movement speed of vb14 at both the right point 2301 and the left point 2302.

First, the right point 2301 and the left point 2302 are the same distance from the beacon 4, i.e., the sound source. Furthermore, the right point 2301 and the left point 2302 also have the same sound source angle θ. On the other hand, the right point 2301 and the left point 2302 are located symmetrically with respect to the beacon 4 (in the figure, they are linearly symmetric with respect to the beacon 4 as the axis).

The moving speed relative to the sound source at the right point 2301 is moving speed vb26. On the other hand, the moving speed relative to the sound source at the left point 2302 is moving speed vb27.

The moving speed vb26 and the moving speed vb27 have the same sound source angle θ and the same moving speed vb14 in the above formula (2), and therefore have the same sound source angle θ and the same speed. However, the moving speed vb26 and the moving speed vb27 are in different areas. Therefore, in such a case, the sound processing system 10 outputs different identification information for each area. In this way, when different identification information is used for each area, the sound processing system 10 can distinguish the area even in a case such as the right point 2301 and the left point 2302.

The areas are not limited to being divided as shown in the figure. For example, there may be three or more areas. The areas are also not limited to being equally divided, and one area may be larger than the other areas, etc.

[Second embodiment]
The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the sound source moves. That is, the second embodiment is a case where both the transmitting device and the terminal device move. For example, the second embodiment is the following case.

Figure 24 is a diagram showing a first example of the second embodiment. For example, the terminal device is owned by one user (hereinafter referred to as "first user 721." In the figure, the first user 721 is located at the bottom). On the other hand, the transmission device is owned by the other user (hereinafter referred to as "second user 722." In the figure, the second user 722 is located at the top).

For example, the first user 721 and the second user 722 are at the same position on the X-axis, i.e., facing each other. The first user 721 moves upwards, while the second user 722 moves downwards.

The transmitting device also transmits sound waves. Meanwhile, the terminal device receives the sound waves. While this transmission and reception is taking place, the first user 721 and the second user 722 move closer to each other.

The second embodiment may be as follows:

Figure 25 is a diagram showing a second example of the second embodiment. The second example differs from the first example in that the device held by the first user 721 also transmits sound waves.

In other words, the second example is a configuration in which the devices owned by the first user 721 and the second user 722 function as both a transmitting device and a terminal device.

In the first and second examples, it is desirable to calculate the detection frequency f using the following formula (5).

f={(V+vs2)/(V-vs1)}×f0 (5)

In the above formula (5), "vs1" is the moving speed of the sound source, i.e., the device that transmits the sound waves. Hereinafter, this will be referred to as "sound source moving speed vs1." Also, in the above formula (5), "vs2" is the moving speed of the terminal device that receives the sound waves. Hereinafter, this will be referred to as "terminal device moving speed vs2." Note that in the above formula (5), the variables other than the sound source moving speed vs1 and the terminal device moving speed vs2 are the same as in the above formula (1).

In the second example, the sound source movement speed vs1 and the terminal device movement speed vs2 are swapped depending on which device transmits the sound waves.

In the above formula (5), the sound source moving speed vs1 and the terminal device moving speed vs2 are "positive" values in the direction away from the sound source. Furthermore, the second embodiment is, for example, the following case.

Figure 26 is a diagram showing a third example of the second embodiment. Compared to the first example, it differs in that the first user 721 and the second user 722 are both facing in opposite directions in the Y-axis direction.

Specifically, the second user 722 moves upward at a moving speed vs 22. On the other hand, the first user 721 moves downward at a moving speed vs 12.

The transmitting device also transmits sound waves. Meanwhile, the terminal device receives the sound waves. While this transmission and reception is taking place, the first user 721 and the second user 722 move away from each other.

Furthermore, as in the second example, both devices may transmit sound waves.

Figure 27 is a diagram showing a fourth example of the second embodiment. In the fourth example, the first user 721 and the second user 722 move away from each other as in the third example, and the devices owned by the first user 721 and the second user 722 function as both a transmitting device and a terminal device as in the second example.

In the third and fourth examples, it is desirable to calculate the detection frequency f using the following formula (6).

f={(V-vs2)/(V+vs1)}×f0 (6)

In equation (6) above, the variables are the same as in equation (5) above.

In the fourth example, the sound source movement speed vs1 and the terminal device movement speed vs2 are switched depending on which device transmits the sound waves.

By performing a calculation such as the above formula (5) or (6), it is possible to estimate whether the other device is moving toward or away from the other device. Specifically, assume that the moving speed of the transmitting device is unknown. In this case, if it is assumed that only the receiving device is moving, the calculation will be as in the above formula (1), and the detection frequency f will be a different value from the case of the above formula (5) or (6). Therefore, if the sound processing system 10 obtains a different calculation result compared to the case where it is assumed to be in a state such as the above formula (1), it can be estimated that the other device is moving.

In this way, by comparing the calculation results of the above equations (1), (5), and (6) with the frequency of the received sound waves, the sound wave processing system can determine whether the transmitting device and the terminal device are each moving, etc.

In addition, based on the frequency calculation results, the sonic processing system can determine the status of the transmitting device and the terminal device, such as whether they are moving toward or away from each other, or whether they are stationary.

As in the first to fourth examples, when both devices are moving, it is desirable for one device to notify the other of its moving speed. If the moving speed notification is included in sound waves, it is desirable for the notification to be made infrequently. If too much information is included in the sound waves, the accuracy of identification may deteriorate or the information may be recognized more frequently. Therefore, it is desirable for the moving speed to be notified infrequently. Note that if notification is made via a network, etc., this may impair the real-time nature of communication using the network, so it is desirable for notification to be made in situations where real-time nature is not very important.

[Functional configuration example]
28 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration. For example, the sonic processing system 10 includes a sonic wave transmitting unit 101, a sonic wave receiving unit 102, an identification information detecting unit 103, a moving speed detecting unit 104, a calculating unit 105, a determining unit 106, and a setting unit 107. The sonic processing system 10 preferably further includes a temperature measuring unit 108 and a wind speed measuring unit 109.

The sonic wave transmission unit 101 performs a sonic wave transmission procedure to transmit a sonic wave 6 indicating the identification information 402, etc. For example, the sonic wave transmission unit 101 is realized by an output device, etc., that the beacon 4 has.

The sonic wave receiving unit 102 performs a sonic wave receiving procedure to receive the sonic waves 6. For example, the sonic wave receiving unit 102 is realized by an input device or the like included in the terminal device 5.

The identification information detection unit 103 performs an identification information detection procedure to detect the identification information 402, etc., by frequency analysis. For example, the identification information detection unit 103 is realized by the CPU 51, etc.

The movement speed detection unit 104 performs a movement speed detection procedure to detect the first movement speed of the terminal device 5. For example, the movement speed detection unit 104 is realized by an acceleration sensor 55 or the like.

The calculation unit 105 performs a calculation procedure to calculate the second moving speed from the frequency of the sound wave 6, etc. For example, the calculation unit 105 is realized by the CPU 51, etc.

The determination unit 106 performs a determination procedure to compare the second moving speed with a reference value and determine the state of the terminal device 5. For example, the determination unit 106 is realized by the CPU 51, etc.

The setting unit 107 performs a setting procedure to set a reference value determined by the first moving speed. For example, the setting unit 107 is realized by the CPU 51, etc.

The temperature measurement unit 108 performs a temperature measurement procedure to measure the temperature. For example, the temperature measurement unit 108 is realized by a temperature sensor 57, etc.

The wind speed measurement unit 109 performs a wind speed measurement procedure to measure the wind speed. For example, the wind speed measurement unit 109 is realized by a wind force sensor 56, etc.

[Comparative Example]
For example, in a positional relationship such as that shown in FIG. 10 or FIG. 11, that is, in a diagonal positional movement or a lateral movement, in reception, the frequency may be detected, for example, as follows.

Figure 29 is a diagram showing a first comparative example. For example, when a diagonal position shift is performed, the frequencies may be detected as a third frequency 703 and a fourth frequency 704, etc.

The third frequency 703 is a lower frequency than the first frequency 701. The third frequency 703 is also detected when there is a diagonal positional movement and approach, such as the third movement 73.

The fourth frequency 704 is a higher frequency than the second frequency 702. The fourth frequency 704 is also detected when there is a diagonal movement away, such as the fourth movement 74.

Figure 30 shows a second comparative example. For example, when a lateral movement occurs, the frequencies may be detected as a fifth frequency 705 and a sixth frequency 706, etc.

The fifth frequency 705 is almost the same frequency as the reference frequency 700. The fifth frequency 705 is also detected when there is a lateral movement and approach, such as the fifth movement 75.

The sixth frequency 706 is almost the same frequency as the reference frequency 700. The sixth frequency 706 is also detected when there is a lateral movement and a movement away, such as the sixth movement 76.

In this way, when the positional relationship is such as diagonal or horizontal movement, the amount of change in frequency may be small even if the movement is closer or farther away. In other words, the frequency corresponding to the actual movement speed may not be detected. As a result, for example, when providing information, the information may be provided at a speed different from the intended movement speed.

[Other embodiments]
The sonic processing method may be realized, for example, by a program etc. In other words, the sonic processing method may be executed by causing a calculation device, a storage device, an input device, an output device, and a control device to cooperate with each other and operate based on the program.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the technical gist of the present invention. All technical matters included in the technical ideas described in the claims are covered by the present invention. The above-described embodiments are preferred examples, but a person skilled in the art can realize various modifications from the disclosed contents. Such modifications are also included in the technical scope described in the claims.

1: Server 2: Network 3: Communication device 4: Beacon 5: Terminal device 6: Sound wave 7: User 10: Sound wave processing system 101: Sound wave transmitting unit 102: Sound wave receiving unit 103: Identification information detecting unit 104: Moving speed detecting unit 105: Calculation unit 106: Determination unit 107: Setting unit 108: Temperature measuring unit 109: Wind speed measuring unit 221: First area 222: Second area 401: Noise component 402: Identification information 1501: First point 1502: Second point 1503: Third point 2301: Right point 2302: Left point V: Sound speed Vk1: First reference value Vk2: Second reference value f: Detection frequency f0: Sound source frequency v0: Moving speed va1: Actual moving speed va2 : Sound source moving speed vs1 : Sound source moving speed vs2 : Terminal device moving speed w : Wind speed θ : Sound source angle

JP 2018-207239 A JP 2017-135447 A

Claims (11)

A sound wave processing system having a transmitting device for transmitting sound waves and a terminal device for receiving the sound waves,
The transmitting device
a sound wave transmitting unit that transmits the sound wave indicating the identification information in a predetermined frequency band;
The terminal device
A sonic wave receiving unit that receives the sonic waves;
an identification information detection unit that detects the identification information by frequency analysis;
a moving speed detection unit that detects a first moving speed of the terminal device;
A calculation unit that calculates a second moving speed of the terminal device from the frequency of the sound wave;
a determination unit that determines a state of the terminal device by comparing a reference value with the second moving speed;
a setting unit that sets the reference value determined by the first moving speed,
The direction away from the sound wave transmitting unit is defined as positive,
When the second moving speed is a negative value and is smaller than the reference value,
The determination unit is
A sonic processing system that determines that the terminal device is approaching the transmitting device. A sound wave processing system having a transmitting device for transmitting sound waves and a terminal device for receiving the sound waves,
The transmitting device
a sound wave transmitting unit that transmits the sound wave indicating the identification information in a predetermined frequency band;
The terminal device
A sonic wave receiving unit that receives the sonic waves;
an identification information detection unit that detects the identification information by frequency analysis;
a moving speed detection unit that detects a first moving speed of the terminal device;
a calculation unit that calculates a second moving speed of the terminal device from the frequency of the sound wave;
a determination unit that determines a state of the terminal device by comparing a reference value with the second moving speed;
a setting unit that sets the reference value determined by the first moving speed,
The direction away from the sound wave transmitting unit is defined as positive,
When the second moving speed is a positive value and exceeds the reference value,
The determination unit is
A sonic processing system that determines that the terminal device is moving away from the transmitting device. The moving speed detection unit
Detecting an acceleration applied to the terminal device to detect the first moving speed;
The calculation unit is
3. The sonication system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the second moving speed is calculated using a speed of sound, a frequency of the sound waves, and a sound source frequency, the frequency at the sound source. The terminal device
Further comprising a temperature measuring unit for measuring a temperature,
The calculation unit is
4. The sonication system of claim 1, wherein the temperature is used to correct the speed of sound in the calculation of the second moving speed. The terminal device
Further comprising a wind speed measuring unit for measuring wind speed,
The calculation unit is
The sonic processing system of claim 1 , wherein the speed of sound in the calculation of the second moving speed is corrected based on the wind speed. A plurality of areas are set for transmitting the sound waves,
The identification information is
The sonication system according to claim 1 , wherein the information is different for each of the areas. The determination unit is
7. The sonic processing system according to claim 1, further comprising: a determination unit that determines a state relating to movement of each of the transmitting device and the terminal device based on a result of the calculation of the frequency of the sound wave. A terminal device that receives sound waves from a transmitting device that transmits sound waves,
A sonic wave receiving unit that receives the sonic waves;
an identification information detection unit that detects identification information included in the sound wave by frequency analysis;
a moving speed detection unit that detects a first moving speed of the terminal device;
A calculation unit that calculates a second moving speed of the terminal device from the frequency of the sound wave;
a determination unit that determines a state of the terminal device by comparing a reference value with the second moving speed;
a setting unit that sets the reference value determined by the first moving speed,
The direction away from the transmitter is defined as positive,
When the second moving speed is a negative value and is smaller than the reference value,
The determination unit is
The terminal device determines that the terminal device is approaching the transmitting device. A terminal device that receives sound waves from a transmitting device that transmits sound waves,
A sonic wave receiving unit that receives the sonic waves;
an identification information detection unit that detects identification information included in the sound wave by frequency analysis;
a moving speed detection unit that detects a first moving speed of the terminal device;
a calculation unit that calculates a second moving speed of the terminal device from the frequency of the sound wave;
a determination unit that determines a state of the terminal device by comparing a reference value with the second moving speed;
a setting unit that sets the reference value determined by the first moving speed,
The direction away from the transmitter is defined as positive,
When the second moving speed is a positive value and exceeds the reference value,
The determination unit is
A terminal device that determines that the terminal device is moving away from the transmitting device. A sonication method performed by a sonication system having a transmitting device that transmits sonic waves and a terminal device that receives the sonic waves, comprising:
a sound wave transmission step in which the transmitting device transmits the sound wave indicating the identification information in a predetermined frequency band;
a sonic wave receiving step in which the terminal device receives the sonic wave;
an identification information detection step in which the terminal device detects the identification information by frequency analysis;
a moving speed detection step of the terminal device detecting a first moving speed of the terminal device;
a calculation step of the terminal device calculating a second moving speed of the terminal device from the frequency of the sound wave;
a determination step in which the terminal device compares a reference value with the second moving speed to determine a state of the terminal device;
a setting step of the terminal device setting the reference value determined by the first moving speed,
The direction away from the transmitter is defined as positive,
When the second moving speed is a negative value and is smaller than the reference value,
In the determination procedure,
A sonic processing method for determining that the terminal device is approaching the transmitting device. A sonication method performed by a sonication system having a transmitting device that transmits sonic waves and a terminal device that receives the sonic waves, comprising:
a sound wave transmission step in which the transmitting device transmits the sound wave indicating the identification information in a predetermined frequency band;
a sonic wave receiving step in which the terminal device receives the sonic wave;
an identification information detection step in which the terminal device detects the identification information by frequency analysis;
a moving speed detection step of the terminal device detecting a first moving speed of the terminal device;
a calculation step of the terminal device calculating a second moving speed of the terminal device from the frequency of the sound wave;
a determination step in which the terminal device compares a reference value with the second moving speed to determine a state of the terminal device;
a setting step of the terminal device setting the reference value determined by the first moving speed,
The direction away from the transmitter is defined as positive,
When the second moving speed is a positive value and exceeds the reference value,
In the determination procedure,
A sonic processing method for determining that the terminal device is moving away from the transmitting device.