JP7620975B2 - Order system and program - Google Patents

Description

Patent Act Article 30, Paragraph 2 applies ・EGGS'N THINGS JAPAN Co., Ltd. EGGS'N THINGS Coffee Gotemba Premium Outlet Store February 3, 2021

The present invention relates to an ordering system and program that allows voice input.

Conventionally, in ordering systems such as ticket vending machines, products are registered using voice recognition instead of touching a screen.

JP 2008-015974 A

However, in the past, ticket vending machines with voice recognition functions had issues such as malfunctioning even when they were not operated by voice.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and its purpose is to provide an ordering system and program that can ensure proper operation through voice recognition.

The present invention provides an order system comprising a voice input means for inputting voice, a voice recognition means for identifying the voice input by the voice input means, a voice registration means for accepting product registration when the voice information identified by the voice recognition means is a start voice for starting product registration, a touch registration means for registering products by touch operation, a switching means for enabling one of the voice registration means and the touch registration means, and a deletion means for deleting registration information registered before the switching process by the switching means was performed .

1 is an oblique view showing an example of a ticket vending machine 1 used in an order system 100. FIG. A diagram showing an example of the system configuration of a ticket vending machine 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an order system 100. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a product file. 1 is an operational flow diagram showing an example of a ticket issuing process executed by the ticket vending machine 1. FIG. FIG. 13 shows a manual input instruction screen G1. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a product registration screen G2 for manual input. FIG. 13 shows a voice input instruction screen G3. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a voice input product registration screen G4. FIG. 10(a) is an enlarged view of the topmost column of the product list G21 on the product registration screen G2 for manual input, and FIG. 10(b) is an enlarged view of the topmost column of the product list G41 on the product registration screen G4 for voice input. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a time table TT.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a ticket vending machine (order receiving device, vending machine, product sales data processing device) 1 used in an ordering system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an ordering system 100 configured using a plurality of ticket vending machines 1. Note that the ordering system may be configured with only one ticket vending machine 1. The ticket vending machine 1 is installed, for example, in a restaurant so that customers can purchase meal tickets corresponding to products (cooking menus). As shown in FIG. 3, one (or multiple) ticket vending machine 1 may be installed in one store (restaurant) S1, S2, or one (or multiple) ticket vending machine 1 may be installed in multiple stores (restaurants) S3-1 to 5. The ticket vending machine 1 may also be operable by a mobile terminal S6 carried by a customer (or a store clerk). Each ticket vending machine 1 may be connected by a communication line S7, and input/output data generated by each ticket vending machine 1 may be managed (master management, sales tally, etc.) by a ticket vending machine management device (for example, cloud) S4. Also, for example, a configuration may be adopted in which a member's card is issued for a plurality of stores (or a single store) S1, S2, and S3-1 to 5, and the member's card can be used to settle payments at each ticket vending machine 1. The member's cards may be managed by a member management server S5, for example, connected to the communication line S7.

Next, the ticket vending machine 1 will be described. The ticket vending machine 1 according to this embodiment is a ticket vending machine that allows input by touching the screen and also allows voice input. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the ticket vending machine 1 is provided with a touch panel 11, which serves as a display and operation means, on the upper front surface. Various screens (such as a product selection screen) are displayed on the touch panel 11 for customers to perform predetermined operations, including purchasing products. Customers can purchase a meal ticket for a desired product by touching (pressing) with their finger the product picture or button displayed on the touch panel 11, or by speaking (pronunciation) referring to the product picture displayed on the touch panel 11. That is, the touch panel 11 is both a display means and an operation means, and also a selection means for selecting the product to be issued.

At the bottom of the side (along the left side as viewed from the front) of the touch panel 11 on the front of the ticket vending machine 1, there is an issuance port 31 for issuing paper slips (medium, hereafter referred to as "meal tickets") as described below. At the top of the issuance port 31, there is a non-cash payment processing unit 21. The non-cash payment processing unit 21 performs all payment processing other than cash (such as electronic money payment and credit card payment), and has a card processing unit 23 and a mobile terminal processing unit 25. The card processing unit 23 has an IC card insertion unit 23a for inserting an IC card and performing payment processing, a contactless card reading unit 23b for holding a contactless card and performing payment processing, and a magnetic card insertion unit 23c for inserting a magnetic card and performing payment processing. The mobile terminal processing unit 25 reads a two-dimensional code displayed on the touch panel of a mobile terminal (medium) (not shown) and performs payment processing, etc.

A microphone 27 is provided below the touch panel 11 on the front of the ticket vending machine 1, and below that, the banknote insertion slot 13, banknote ejection slot 15, coin insertion slot 17, coin ejection slot 19, etc. are provided. The microphone 27 is an input means for inputting voice, and various operations such as product selection are performed using the input voice. Banknotes are inserted into the banknote insertion slot 13 when making a deposit, and banknotes are ejected from the banknote ejection slot 15 when making a payment. Coins are inserted into the coin insertion slot 17 when making a deposit, and coins are ejected from the coin ejection slot 19 when making a payment.

The installation position of microphone 27 is not limited to this example, and it may be installed, for example, near the center of the front of ticket vending machine 1 (such as position 27A shown by the dotted line), or at a position on the top of ticket vending machine 1 (such as position 27B shown by the dotted line). If microphone 27A is installed near the center of the front, sound from directions other than the front of ticket vending machine 1 is less likely to be input, so the voice of the operator located in front can be effectively input. Furthermore, if microphone 27B is installed at a position on the top of ticket vending machine 1 (a position facing the operator's head), microphone 27B is located near the operator's mouth, so the operator's voice can be effectively input.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration of the ticket vending machine 1. The system configuration of the ticket vending machine 1 shown in the figure includes a CPU 41, a flash memory 43, a RAM 45, a touch panel 11, a banknote processing unit 51, a non-cash payment processing unit 21, a communication unit 47, an issuing unit (issuing means) 49, a voice processing unit 55, and a coin processing unit 53. A voice signal is input from the microphone 27 to the voice processing unit 55.

The CPU 41 is a control means that controls the overall processing operation of the ticket vending machine 1. The RAM 45 corresponds to a main memory device, and is used as a working area when the CPU 41 executes calculation processing. A temporary storage area is also set in the RAM 45 for storing data such as the deposit amount for one deposit and the current balance. Product files are stored in the RAM 45. Figure 4 shows an example of a product file stored in the RAM 45. As shown in the figure, the product file consists of various product information such as the product code (product identification information), product name, and price of each product.

The flash memory 43 corresponds to an auxiliary storage device, and stores not only the programs executed by the CPU 41, but also various setting data and the like used by the CPU 41 during calculation processing. Note that instead of the flash memory 43, other storage devices such as a hard disk may be used.

The touch panel 11 is a display means that displays a predetermined screen under the control of the CPU 41. The CPU 41 also executes a predetermined control process based on an operation signal output in response to an operation performed on the touch panel 11. The touch panel 11 is an operation means (selection means) that selects the product to be issued, i.e., a display operation means. The communication unit 47 is a transmission/reception means that executes communication with the outside, and has a function of communicating with an external device (such as the ticket machine management device S4, the member management server S5, the customer mobile terminal S6, or a kitchen terminal (not shown)) via, for example, a network or a dedicated line (such as the above-mentioned communication line S7). Either wired or wireless communication is acceptable.

The issuing unit 49 is equipped with a mechanism that controls the issuing of meal tickets for products selected by touch operation on the touch panel 11 or voice input from the microphone 27, prints necessary information about the selected product on the ticket paper, and ejects the printed ticket from the issuing port 31. The meal tickets issued by this issuing unit 49 are issued in a form in which they are partially cut in the width direction of the paper (only the center is left and both sides are cut), which eliminates the need for a tray to hold the issued meal tickets.

The banknote processing unit 51 performs all processing related to banknotes. Specifically, the banknote processing unit 51 performs banknote authentication processing to determine the type of banknote inserted through the banknote insertion slot 13. The banknote processing unit 51 also counts the number of banknotes of each denomination inserted through the banknote insertion slot 13. When returning change, the banknote processing unit 51 selects the required denomination of banknotes from among the banknotes stored in the banknote storage inside the ticket vending machine 1 and discharges the required number of banknotes to the banknote discharge slot 15.

The coin processing unit 53 performs general processing related to coins. Specifically, like the banknote processing unit 51, the coin processing unit 53 performs operations such as coin authentication, counting the number of coins of each denomination, selecting coins of the required denomination from among the coins stored inside the ticket vending machine 1, and discharging them from the coin discharge port 19.

The audio processing unit 55 analyzes and processes various types of sound information input from the microphone 27, and performs voice recognition and volume recognition.

Figure 5 is an operational flow diagram showing an example of a ticket issuing process executed by the ticket vending machine 1. The process shown in this diagram is realized by the CPU 41 executing a program stored in, for example, the flash memory 43.

The ticket vending machine 1 constantly inputs sound information from the microphone 27 (step 1-1). The sound includes various sounds such as human voices and noises from automobiles, shopping streets, etc.

Next, the CPU 41 acquires the current situation in order to select whether the following operations should be performed by voice operation (voice input) or touch operation (touch input, manual input) (step 1-2), and selects the operation (registration) method (voice operation or manual operation) using the acquired situation data (step 1-3). Here, the current situation is, in this example, either acquisition of a timetable or acquisition of surrounding sounds. The two cases will be explained separately below.

[When using a timetable]
In the case of a method in which a voice operation or a touch operation is selected by acquiring a time table, the CPU 41 first inputs a time table TT as shown in Fig. 11 from, for example, the flash memory 43 (step 1-2). The time table TT is table data for selecting whether to perform a voice operation or a touch operation depending on a preset time period.

In the example shown in FIG. 11, during times when the noise (noise) around the ticket vending machine 1 is low (10:00-11:30, 13:30-17:00), voice operation is selected, and during times when the noise (noise) around the ticket vending machine 1 is high (11:30-13:30, 17:00-22:00), touch operation is selected (step 1-3). The reason for dividing the time periods in this way is that when the noise around the ticket vending machine 1 is low, the audio processor 55 will not malfunction (misjudge) and start voice input due to the noise, whereas when the noise around the ticket vending machine 1 is high, there is a risk that the audio processor 55 will malfunction (misjudge) and start voice input due to the noise.

In this example, the time periods are divided into those when the sound around the ticket vending machine 1 is loud and those when it is quiet, but the time periods may be divided based on various other criteria. For example, voice operation may be selected during times when there are many children and elderly people, who may not be familiar with touch operation, and touch operation may be selected during times when there are many customers who are familiar with touch panel operation.

[When using ambient sounds]
On the other hand, in the case of a method for selecting whether to perform voice operation or touch operation by acquiring surrounding sounds from the microphone 27, sound data is input from the microphone 27 to the sound processing unit 55. Then, the CPU 41 judges whether this sound data is larger or smaller than a preset sound level, and if the sound data is larger, the touch operation is selected since there is a risk that the sound will cause the sound processing unit 55 to malfunction (misjudge) and start voice input, and if the sound data is smaller, the voice operation is selected since there is no risk that the sound will cause the sound processing unit 55 to malfunction (misjudge) and start voice input (step 1-3).

As described above, if the operation method (registration method) selected in step 1-3 above is touch operation, the process proceeds from "N" in step 1-3 to step 1-4, and the manual input instruction screen (touch input instruction screen) G1 as shown in FIG. 6 is displayed.

The manual input instruction screen G1 displays the store name G11, multiple menu selection buttons G13, and an input mode switching button G15. The menu selection buttons G13 include a Japanese menu selection button G131, an English menu selection button G133, an eat-in menu selection button G135, and a take-out menu selection button G137. In this example, if the Japanese menu selection button G131 is touched ("Y" in step 1-5), for example, a manual input product registration screen (touch input product registration screen) G2 shown in FIG. 7 is displayed (step 1-6).

The manual input product registration screen G2 displays a product list G21, a selected product display field G23, a product group selection field G25, a checkout button G27, and an input mode switch button G29. The product list G21 displays various selectable products G211, G211, ..., and a product is selected by pressing (touching) any desired product G211, and the selected product is displayed in the selected product display field G23. Each product G211 has a product image a1, a name a2, and a price a3. The selected product and the total price are displayed in the selected product display field G23. The product group selection field G25 is a field for selecting a product group to be displayed in the product list G21. In FIG. 7, the ramen group is selected, so various types of ramen are displayed as products in the product list G21, but if the rice button is pressed, for example, various types of rice (set meals, rice bowls, etc.) are displayed as products in the product list G21.

Then, one or more products are selected and registered by pressing the desired product G211 in the product list G21 (step 1-7, "N" in step 1-8), and when product selection and registration is complete ("Y" in step 1-8), the checkout button G27 is pressed. This causes a checkout screen (not shown) to be displayed and the checkout process is carried out (step 1-9). This checkout process is carried out by operating various buttons (such as the payment method selection button) displayed on the checkout screen, and by using the banknote slot 13, coin slot 17, non-cash payment processing unit 21, etc. of the ticket vending machine 1 shown in FIG. 1.

When the payment process is complete, a meal ticket is issued from the issuing port 31 of the ticket vending machine 1 (step 1-16). At the same time, the communication unit 47 of the ticket vending machine 1 sends order information for the selected and registered items to a kitchen terminal (kitchen printer or kitchen monitor) not shown (step 1-17).

On the other hand, if the operation method (registration method) selected in step 1-3 above is voice operation, the process proceeds from "Y" in step 1-3 to step 1-10, and the voice input instruction screen G3 as shown in FIG. 8 is displayed.

The voice input instruction screen G3 displays the store name G31, a menu selection voice input explanation field G33, and an input mode switching button G35. The menu selection voice input explanation field G33 is an explanation field that explains which of the multiple types of menus is to be displayed. That is, in the case of this menu selection voice input explanation field G33, it is explained that when the Japanese menu is to be displayed, "order" is to be spoken, when the English menu is to be displayed, "order" is to be spoken, when the eat-in menu is to be displayed, "eat-in" is to be spoken, and when the take-out menu is to be displayed, "take-out" is to be spoken. The voices to be selected and spoken are all "start voices". Here, the "start voice" is a voice for starting product registration, and is a voice that cannot be moved to the product selection screen for product registration unless the voice is spoken. That is, the menu selection voice input explanation field G33 explains multiple "start voices" that can be used to move to a selectable menu (the product registration screen). In the kanji or English parts of each "starting sound," the name is written in hiragana or katakana, making the pronunciation of the "starting sound" consistent.

In this example, if the user speaks "chumon" ("Y" in step 1-11), the voice input product registration screen G4 shown in FIG. 9 is displayed (step 1-12).

The voice input product registration screen G4 displays a product list G41, a selected product display field G43, a product group selection field G45, an accounting field G47, and an input mode switching button G49. The product list G41 displays various selectable products G411, G411, ..., and by speaking the name (or number) of any desired product G411, the product is selected and the selected product is displayed in the selected product display field G43. The selected product display field G43 displays the selected product and the total price. The product group selection field G45 is a field for selecting a product group to display in the product list G41. In FIG. 9, the ramen group is selected, so various types of ramen are displayed as products in the product list G41, but if "rice" is spoken, for example, various types of rice (set meals, rice bowls, etc.) are displayed as products in the product list G41.

Here, the product list G41 displays the product image a1, name a2, and price a3 of the product G411, similar to the product list G21 shown in FIG. 7, but the display format is different. Furthermore, the product G411 is assigned a different number a4 for each product. Other symbols such as alphabets may be used instead of the number a4. FIG. 10(a) is an enlarged view of the top row of the product list G21 of the product registration screen G2 for manual input, and FIG. 10(b) is an enlarged view of the top row of the product list G41 of the product registration screen G4 for voice input. As shown in both figures, in the case of the product G411 for voice input, the size of the name a2 is larger than that of the product G211 for touch input, and in the case of kanji, the name a21 is added to the name, which makes it easier to call (hard to call by mistake) in the display format (layout). On the other hand, in the case of product G211 for manual input, the name a2 is displayed small, the nickname is not displayed, and the product image a1 is displayed large, making the display mode (layout) easier to operate by touch.

In this way, by differentiating the display modes of the product registration screen G2 for manual input and the product registration screen G4 for voice input, product registration operations can be performed smoothly in both cases, when registering products using voice and when registering products using fingers.

Then, by speaking the name of the desired product G411 in the product list G41, the voice is input from the microphone 27, and the voice processing unit 55 identifies, recognizes, and registers the name of which product. Although not shown in the figure, a speaker may be installed in the ticket vending machine 1 and the registered product name may be repeated from the speaker. Also, instead of (or in addition to) the repetition, the name or name of the registered product may be displayed on the touch panel 11 in a pop-up display or the like. If there are multiple products to purchase, the name of the product G411 is repeatedly spoken, and each product is identified, recognized, and registered by the ticket vending machine 1 (steps 1-13 and 1-14, "N"). If necessary, the name of another product group in the product group selection field G45 is spoken to change the displayed product list G41, and the name of the changed product G411 is spoken.

In the above explanation, the name of the product G411 is spoken as it is, but if the product name is long, it is also possible to accept the number A4 as the name (such as "one", "two" etc.). Also, instead of a number, a character or color and its name can be displayed, and various other modifications are possible.

When registration of all products has been completed ("Y" in step 1-14), the user says "OKAIKEI." This causes a checkout screen (not shown) to be displayed, and the checkout process is carried out (step 1-15). This checkout process is carried out by speaking out the various payment methods displayed on the checkout screen, thereby selecting the desired payment method, and using the banknote slot 13, coin slot 17, non-cash payment processing unit 21, etc. of the ticket vending machine 1 shown in FIG. 1. As an alternative method of checkout, the user may press various buttons (such as a payment method selection button) displayed on the checkout screen, as in the case of manual input.

When the payment process is completed, a meal ticket is issued from the issuing port 31 of the ticket vending machine 1 (step 1-16). At the same time, the communication unit 47 of the ticket vending machine 1 transmits order information for the selected and registered items to a kitchen terminal (not shown) (step 1-17).

In the above embodiment, a meal ticket is issued, but instead of the meal ticket, information may be sent using short-range communication to a customer's mobile terminal (such as customer mobile terminal S6 shown in FIG. 3) to which application software has been downloaded in advance, and exchanged for a product according to the display on the mobile terminal. Also, instead of the meal ticket, data may be sent to a pager terminal, or an identifier such as an electronic tag may be associated with product order information so that the pager terminal will call when the food is served. In this case, the device is not a ticket vending machine, but some other product sales data processing device (order receiving device).

However, in the middle of registering a product in touch input (registration) mode using the manual input instruction screen G1 or the manual input product registration screen G2 shown in Figures 6 and 7 (including at the start or end), there may be cases where you want to switch to voice input mode to continue the product registration operation. In such a case, press the input mode switching button (switching means) G15 on the manual input instruction screen G1 or the input mode switching button (switching means) G29 on the manual input product registration screen G2. When the input mode switching button G15 is pressed, the screen transitions to the voice input instruction screen G3 shown in Figure 8. When the input mode switching button G29 is pressed, the screen transitions to the voice input product registration screen G4 shown in Figure 9 or the voice input instruction screen G3 shown in Figure 8.

On the other hand, if you want to switch to touch input mode and continue registering products while registering products in voice input (registration) mode using the voice input instruction screen G3 or voice input product registration screen G4 shown in Figures 8 and 9 (including at the start or end of the registration), press the input mode switching button (switching means) G35 on the voice input instruction screen G3 or the input mode switching button (switching means) G49 on the voice input product registration screen G4 (or say "to touch input mode" or the like). When the input mode switching button G35 is pressed (spoken), the screen transitions to the touch input instruction screen G1 shown in Figure 6. When the input mode switching button G49 is pressed (spoken), the screen transitions to the touch input product registration screen G2 shown in Figure 7 or the touch input instruction screen G1 shown in Figure 6.

In this example, when the input mode switching button G29 is pressed on the product registration screen G2 for manual input in FIG. 7, the already selected and registered products shown in the selected product display field G23 are deleted, and only the products newly selected by voice input after the switch are registered. Similarly, when the input mode switching button G49 is pressed on the product registration screen G4 for voice input in FIG. 9, the already selected and registered products shown in the selected product display field G43 are deleted, and only the products newly selected by touch input after the switch are registered. By controlling in this manner, it is possible to reliably prevent duplicate registrations from occurring due to confusion between product registrations made before the switch and product registrations made after the switch.

Note that, conversely to the above example, when the input mode switching button G29 is pressed on the product registration screen G2 for manual input in FIG. 7, the already selected and registered products shown in the selected product display field G23 may be left as they are, and a product newly selected by voice input after the switching may be added and registered. Similarly, when the input mode switching button G49 is pressed (or spoken) on the product registration screen G4 for voice input in FIG. 9, the already selected and registered products shown in the selected product display field G43 may be left as they are, and a product newly selected by touch input after the switching may be added and registered. By controlling in this way, efficient product selection and registration can be performed without wasting the product registration work performed before the switching.

Next, the combination of the voice input mode and the touch input mode will be described. The combination of the input modes is as follows.
(1) Voice/touch input separation mode: This is a combination of modes in which input can be made only in either the voice input mode or the touch input mode. That is, as described in the above embodiment with reference to Figures 6 to 9, this is a combination of modes in which the screen on which input can be made in the voice input mode and the screen on which input can be made in the touch input mode are completely separated.

(2) Voice/touch input coexistence mode: This is a mode combination in which both the voice input mode and the touch input mode can be performed simultaneously. In other words, in this case, both the voice input mode and the touch input mode are active on the same screen, and input can be performed by either voice or touch.

(3) Touch Input Priority Mode Prioritizes the touch input mode. That is, the touch input mode is normally used, and the voice input mode is switched to (or both touch input and voice input are used) by, for example, pressing (ON) a voice input mode switching button (for example, a "voice ON/OFF" button) displayed on the screen. When a series of operations is completed, the original touch input mode is restored. On the other hand, it can also be configured to automatically switch to voice input mode (or both touch input and voice input are used) only at specified times, for example, when the noise level around the ticket vending machine 1 is low or using a timetable.

In addition, it is preferable that the registration method (input method) be printed in letters or marks on the ticket media such as food tickets issued by the ticket vending machine 1 so that it is clear whether the transaction was registered by voice or touch, and that the same information be displayable so that the history can be checked on any device in the system. If multiple registration modes (input modes) are used in one transaction, the registration method (input method) for each product is printed and displayed in letters or marks. Furthermore, product information can also be printed and displayed for each registration type (input type).

In addition, the system may learn about voice registration (voice input) and touch registration (touch input) as registration history (input history) based on the association with the registered time period, congestion status, product information, etc., and may correct or update the contents of the previous timetable TT. The system may also notify the administrator of the proposed information.

In addition, if a product is registered after voice recognition has failed, it can be determined that the pronunciation of that product may be difficult to recognize, and feedback can be provided, such as improving the recognition accuracy for the voice of that product, revising the product name to be easier to pronounce, or making the display of furigana, etc. easier to read.

Furthermore, if voice recognition fails a certain number of times, a voice notification or a display on the screen will inform the user that they will switch to touch registration (touch input), and the mode can be switched based on voice or touch operation, or the mode can be automatically switched to touch registration.

In addition, if it is determined that the user is having difficulty finding the desired product through repeated touch operations, a voice notification or a display on the screen will inform the user that they should switch to voice registration (voice input), and the mode can be switched based on touch operations or voice, or it can automatically switch to voice registration.

As described above, the ordering system 100 includes a voice input means (microphone 27) for inputting voice, a voice recognition means (voice processing unit 55) for identifying voice input by the voice input means, and a voice registration means (such as the CPU 41 that executes steps 1-10 to 1-14) for accepting product registration when the voice information identified by the voice recognition means is a start voice for starting product registration. Therefore, when registering products using voice recognition, product registration can be started only when the start voice is input. In other words, product registration does not start until the start voice is received, so it is possible to reliably prevent erroneous recognition, malfunction, and erroneous registration, such as product registration being started by other surrounding sounds.

The ordering system 100 also includes a touch registration means (such as the CPU 41 that executes steps 1-4 to 1-8) for registering products by touch operation, a switching means (such as input mode switching buttons G15, G29, G35, G49) for enabling either the voice registration means or the touch registration means, and a deletion means for deleting registration information registered before the switching process by the switching means (for example, when the input mode switching button G29 is pressed, the product registration performed by touch input before that is cancelled), thereby preventing the registration of products performed before the switching from being confused with the registration of products performed after the switching, resulting in duplicate registrations, etc.

The ordering system 100 also includes a display means (touch panel 11) that displays a corresponding product registration screen (such as a product registration screen with a Japanese menu display or a product registration screen with an English menu display) depending on the type of the starting voice (e.g., "chumon" or "order") when the voice recognition means (voice processing unit 55) recognizes that the voice is the starting voice, so that the ordering system 100 can display the product registration screen that is most suitable for the customer.

The ordering system 100 also includes a name display means (touch panel 11 displaying a voice-input product registration screen G4 having the name a21 shown in FIG. 9) that displays the product name a21 that can be identified by the voice recognition means (voice processing unit 55), so that the product name can be accurately input by voice without making mistakes, and product registration by voice can be performed smoothly.

In addition to the voice registration means, the ordering system 100 also includes touch registration means (such as the CPU 41 that executes steps 1-5 to 1-8) that registers products by touch operation, situation acquisition means (such as the CPU 41 that executes step 1-2) that acquires situation data (timetable TT or surrounding sounds) for determining whether to use the voice registration means or the touch registration means, and registration method determination means (such as the CPU 41 that executes step 1-3) that determines whether to use the voice registration means or the touch registration means based on the results acquired by the situation acquisition means, making it possible to apply a product registration method that corresponds to the timetable, the actual surrounding sound conditions, etc.

The ordering system 100 also changes the display mode of the product registration screen (for example, product list G21 and product list G41) based on the decision of the registration method decision means, so that product registration operations can be performed smoothly in either case of registering products using voice registration means or registering products using touch registration means.

The computer used as the above-mentioned order system 100 for registering products has a program that causes the computer to function as a voice input means for inputting voice, a voice recognition means for identifying the voice input by the voice input means, and a voice registration means for accepting the product registration when the voice information identified by the voice recognition means is a start voice for starting product registration.

Overview of the embodiment
[Technical field]
The present invention relates to an ordering system (sales processing system, ticket vending machine system) and program that allows voice input.
[Background Art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in order systems for ticket vending machines and the like, products are registered using a voice recognition function instead of touching a screen.
Product registration using voice recognition allows for intuitive operation and also reduces the need to touch a screen that is touched by an unspecified number of people, making it an effective infection control measure.
[Prior Art Literature]
[Patent Documents]
[Patent Document 1] JP 2008-015974 A

Summary of the Invention
[Problem to be solved by the invention]
However, in the past, there was an issue where the ticket vending machine would react to surrounding noises and mistakenly start product registration even when the machine was in standby mode and the customer had not yet started operating it.
In particular, because ticket vending machines are often installed in storefronts or other locations with heavy foot traffic, noise can easily cause malfunctions when starting to register products, which can easily lead to erroneous registrations, causing problems.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned points, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ordering system and a program that can ensure proper operation through voice recognition.
[Means for solving the problems]

The present invention resides in an order system comprising a voice input means for inputting voice, a voice recognition means for identifying the voice input by the voice input means, and a voice registration means for accepting product registration when the voice information identified by the voice recognition means is a start voice for starting product registration.
The start voice is a specific voice for starting product registration, such as "Chumon,""Order,""Eat-in," or "Take-out."
The voice input means is installed in a terminal such as a ticket vending machine for ordering products or in its vicinity. The voice recognition means and voice registration means may be installed in the terminal such as the ticket vending machine, or in various other devices (such as higher-level devices) connected to the network that constitutes the ordering system.
According to the present invention, when registering a product by voice recognition, product registration can be started only when the start voice is input, i.e., product registration does not start until the start voice is received. This reliably prevents erroneous recognition or malfunction that would otherwise cause product registration to start due to noise, and also reliably prevents erroneous registration that would result from this.
Furthermore, if the condition for starting product registration were to be touch operation, the advantage of voice input, i.e., the advantage of infectious disease prevention, would be lost. However, according to the present invention, such problems can be alleviated by making the input of a special voice keyword a condition.

In addition to the above features, the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a touch registration means for registering products by touch operation, a switching means for enabling one of the voice registration means and the touch registration means, and a deletion means for deleting registration information registered before the switching process is performed by the switching means.
This makes it possible to reliably register products by the registration means after switching without confusing the product registration performed before the switching with the product registration performed after the switching.

In addition to the above features, the present invention is characterized by further comprising a name display means for displaying the name of the product that the voice recognition means can identify.
When accepting voice registration of a product, the spoken name of the product is required, and we have decided to display this name.
This allows the name of the product to be input accurately by voice without making a mistake, and allows smooth product registration by voice.
This is particularly effective for product names that include kanji characters, and can reduce voice recognition errors caused by mispronunciation of kanji characters.
In the case of product names that include kanji, the reading in hiragana or katakana corresponds to the above "name."
In addition, when the product name is long, it may be possible to use a name that indicates the number, such as "Ichiban" or "Niban."
Also, various names can be considered, such as names that refer to characters or colors.

In addition to the above features, the present invention is characterized in that it further comprises a display means for displaying a corresponding product registration screen according to the type of the starting voice when the voice recognition means recognizes that the starting voice is the starting voice.
For example, if the opening speech "chuumon" is input, a product registration screen with a Japanese menu display is displayed; if the opening speech "order" is input, a product registration screen with an English menu display is displayed; if the opening speech "eat-in" is input, a product registration screen with an eat-in menu display is displayed; and if the opening speech "take-out" is input, a product registration screen with a take-out menu display is displayed.
According to the present invention, the product registration screen to be activated is controlled to be different depending on the type of starting voice, so that the product registration screen most suitable for the customer can be displayed.

The present invention also provides a program that causes a computer used as an order system for registering products to function as a voice input means for inputting voice, a voice recognition means for identifying the voice input by the voice input means, and a voice registration means for accepting the product registration when the voice information identified by the voice recognition means is a start voice for starting product registration.

In addition to the above features, the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a touch registration means for registering products by touch operation, a situation acquisition means for acquiring situation data regarding whether the voice registration means or the touch registration means should be used, and a registration method determination means for determining whether the voice registration means or the touch registration means should be used based on the results acquired by the situation acquisition means.
The situation data refers to time table data that pre-determines the time periods during which the voice registration means is used and the time periods during which the touch registration means is used, actual collected voice data, and the like.
For example, low-noise time periods and high-noise time periods are set in advance in the time table, and control is performed so that the voice registration means is used during low-noise time periods and the touch registration means is used during high-noise time periods.
Also, for example, when it is determined that there is little noise based on the actual sound collection conditions, the voice registration means is used, and when it is determined that there is a lot of noise, the touch registration means is used.
Also, for example, time periods when there are many customers who are not familiar with touch panel operation (children, elderly people, etc.) and time periods when there are many customers who are familiar with touch panel operation are set in advance in the above time table, and control is performed so that the voice registration means is used during the time periods when there are many customers who are not familiar with touch panel operation, and the touch registration means is used during the time periods when there are many customers who are familiar with touch panel operation.
According to the present invention, the priority order of voice registration and touch registration can be changed according to a time table (time schedule), actual noise conditions, etc. In other words, it becomes possible to apply a product registration method according to the situation.

In addition to the above-mentioned features, the present invention is characterized in that the display mode of the product registration screen is changed based on the determination by the registration method determination means.
For example, when it is decided to use the voice registration means, the product name and its name (reading, etc.) are displayed larger on the product registration screen compared to when it is decided to use the touch registration means, thereby making it more difficult to mistake the product.
Conversely, when it is decided to use the touch registration means, the display of the name (reading, etc.) is made non-display and the product image is displayed larger, making it easier to perform touch operations, compared to when it is decided to use the voice registration means.
According to the present invention, the product registration operation can be performed smoothly in either case of registering a product using a voice registration means or registering a product using a touch registration means.

In addition, a program for realizing the functions of the above-mentioned order system 100 (ticket vending machine 1, ticket vending machine management device S4, member management server S5, mobile terminal S6, etc.) may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on this recording medium may be read into the order system 100 as a computer system (ticket vending machine 1, ticket vending machine management device S4, member management server S5, mobile terminal S6, etc.) and executed to perform processing as the above-mentioned order system 100 (ticket vending machine 1, ticket vending machine management device S4, member management server S5, mobile terminal S6, etc.). Here, "reading a program recorded on a recording medium into a computer system and executing it" includes installing a program into a computer system. The "computer system" here includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. In addition, the "computer system" may include multiple computer devices connected via a network including communication lines such as the Internet, WAN, LAN, and dedicated lines. Moreover, the term "computer-readable recording medium" refers to a portable medium such as a flexible disk, an optical magnetic disk, a ROM, a CD-ROM, or a storage device such as a hard disk built into a computer system. In this way, the recording medium storing the program may be a non-transient recording medium such as a CD-ROM. The recording medium also includes a recording medium that is provided inside or outside and accessible from a distribution server to distribute the program. The code of the program stored in the recording medium of the distribution server may be different from the code of the program in a format executable by a terminal device. In other words, the format in which the program is stored in the distribution server does not matter as long as it can be downloaded from the distribution server and installed in a format executable by a terminal device. Note that the program may be divided into multiple parts, downloaded at different times, and then combined in the terminal device, or the divided programs may be distributed by different distribution servers. Furthermore, the term "computer-readable recording medium" refers to a storage medium that holds the program for a certain period of time, such as a volatile memory (RAM) inside a computer system that becomes a server or a client when a program is transmitted via a network. The program may also be for implementing part of the above-mentioned functions. Furthermore, the above functions may be realized in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system, i.e., a differential file (differential program).

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims and the technical ideas described in the specification and drawings. Any configuration not directly described in the specification and drawings is within the scope of the technical ideas of the present invention as long as it achieves the functions and effects of the present invention. In addition, the embodiments described above and shown in each figure can be combined with each other as long as there is no contradiction in their purpose and configuration. In addition, even a part of the contents described above and in each figure can be an independent embodiment, and the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to a single embodiment that combines the above description and each figure.

100...Order system, 1...Ticket vending machine, S1, S2, S3 (S3-1 to 5) Store (restaurant), S4...Ticket vending machine management device, S5...Member management server, S6...Mobile terminal, S7...Communication line, 11...Touch panel, 13...Banknote insertion slot, 15...Banknote ejection slot, 17...Coin insertion slot, 19...Coin ejection slot, 21...Non-cash payment processing unit, 23...Card processing unit, 23a...IC card insertion unit, 23b...Non-contact card reading unit, 23c...Magnetic card insertion unit, 25...Mobile terminal processing unit, 27, 27A, 27B ...Microphone, 31...issuing port, 41...CPU, 43...flash memory, 45...RAM, 47...communication unit, 49...issuing unit (issuing means), 51...banknote processing unit, 53...coin processing unit, 55...voice processing unit, TT...timetable, G1...manual input instruction screen (touch input instruction screen), G11...store name, G13...menu selection button, G131...Japanese menu selection button, G133...English menu selection button, G135...eat-in menu selection button, G137...take-out menu selection button, G15...input mode switching button, G2...manual input product registration Screen (product registration screen for touch input), G21...product list, G211...product, G23...selected product display field, G25...product group selection field, G27...checkout button, G29...input mode switch button, G3...voice input instruction screen, G31...store name, G33...voice input explanation field for menu selection, G35...input mode switch button, G4...product registration screen for voice input, G41...product list, G411...product, a1...product image, a2...name, a21...name, a3...price, a4...number, G43...selected product display field, G45...product group selection field, G47...checkout field, G49...input mode switch button.

Claims (4)

A voice input means for inputting voice;
a voice recognition means for identifying a voice inputted by the voice input means;
a voice registration means for accepting product registration when the voice information identified by the voice identification means is a start voice for starting product registration;
A touch registration means for registering a product by a touch operation;
a switching means for validating one of the voice registration means and the touch registration means;
a deletion means for deleting registration information registered before the switching process is performed by the switching means;
An order system comprising: A voice input means for inputting voice;
a voice recognition means for identifying a voice inputted by the voice input means;
a voice registration means for accepting product registration when the voice information identified by the voice identification means is a start voice for starting product registration;
a display means for displaying a corresponding product registration screen in accordance with the type of the start voice when the voice recognition means recognizes the start voice;
An order system comprising: A computer used as an order system to register products,
A voice input means for inputting voice;
a voice recognition means for identifying a voice inputted by the voice input means;
a voice registration means for accepting product registration when the voice information identified by the voice identification means is a start voice for starting product registration;
A touch registration means for registering a product by a touch operation;
a switching means for validating one of the voice registration means and the touch registration means;
a deletion means for deleting registration information registered before the switching process is performed by the switching means;
A program characterized by causing a computer to function as described above. A computer used as an order system to register products,
A voice input means for inputting voice;
a voice recognition means for identifying a voice inputted by the voice input means;
a voice registration means for accepting product registration when the voice information identified by the voice identification means is a start voice for starting product registration;
a display means for displaying a corresponding product registration screen in accordance with the type of the start voice when the voice recognition means recognizes the start voice;
A program characterized by causing a computer to function as described above.

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