JP7833963B2 - Computer program, control method, and user terminal - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a technology for learning about facilities such as waste treatment plants in an enjoyable way.

Some factories, such as waste treatment plants, allow the general public to tour their facilities. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an information education system that enables virtual factory tours by distributing video content including narration and image content including text information, which serves as information for factory tours.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2006-323474

However, even after visiting facilities such as waste treatment plants, follow-up learning and reflection are rare. One reason for this is the lack of educational materials that allow students to learn about waste treatment plants and their equipment in an enjoyable way.

This invention was made to solve these problems and aims to provide a technology that enables people to learn about facilities such as waste treatment plants in an enjoyable way, both during and after a visit.

One aspect of the present invention is a computer program that causes a computer to function as a user terminal comprising: a character detection unit for detecting characters set for equipment within a facility; a character search unit for searching for the detected characters; and an acquired character storage unit for storing the searched characters.

One aspect of the present invention is a control method that performs the following steps: a character detection step in which a computer detects a character set for equipment within a facility; a character search step in which it searches for the detected character; and an acquired character storage step in which it stores the searched character.

One aspect of the present invention is a user terminal comprising: a character detection unit for detecting characters set for equipment within a facility; a character search unit for searching for the detected characters; and an acquired character storage unit for storing the searched characters.

This invention makes it possible to learn about facilities such as waste treatment plants in an enjoyable way, both during and after a tour.

This is a schematic block diagram showing the system configuration of the facility learning system 100 of the present invention. This is a schematic block diagram showing the functional configuration of the user terminal 10. This figure shows an example of character information stored in the character information storage unit 162. This figure shows an example of a map displayed on the display by the map information display unit 171. This figure shows an example of a character detection screen displayed on the display by the character detection unit 172. This figure shows an example of a character search screen displayed on the display by the character search unit 173. This is an example of a character information screen displayed on the display by the character viewing unit 174. This is a schematic block diagram showing the functional configuration of beacon 20. This is a schematic block diagram showing the functional configuration of the information providing device 30. This flowchart shows an example of the processing flow of the facility learning system 100. This flowchart shows an example of the processing flow of the facility learning system 100.

The following describes specific examples of the present invention with reference to the drawings.
Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the system configuration of the facility learning system 100 of the present invention.

[System Overview]
The facility learning system 100 includes a user terminal 10, a plurality of beacons 20, and an information providing device 30. The user terminal 10 and the plurality of beacons 20 are configured to communicate with each other via short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth® or NFC (Near Field Communication). The user terminal 10 and the information providing device 30 are configured to communicate with each other via a network 90. The network 90 may be a wireless communication network or a wired communication network. The network 90 may be composed of a combination of multiple networks.

The user terminal 10 is carried by visitors (hereinafter referred to as "users") to facilities such as waste treatment plants. While the user terminal 10 is operated within the facility during the facility tour, it may also be operated at times other than the facility tour. For example, it may be operated at the user's home, school, or other location outside of the facility tour. Beacons 20 are installed at multiple viewing spots (equipment) within the facility. The information provision device 30 is installed at the facility or at other external facilities.

In the first usage scenario, the user terminal 10 is operated by the user within the facility. When the user tours the facility, the user terminal 10 is carried by the user and moves around the facility. Beacons 20 are installed at each of the multiple viewing spots (equipment) within the facility, and each beacon 20 transmits device information. When the user terminal 10 receives device information from a beacon 20 within a predetermined distance for a predetermined time or longer, it displays that it has detected a character such as a yokai associated with the device information (equipment). When the user searches the surroundings using the camera of the user terminal 10 and finds a character, the user terminal 10 remembers that the character has been acquired.

In a second mode of use, the user terminal 10 is operated by the user at home or elsewhere, outside of facilities such as a waste treatment plant. When the user performs a character summoning operation, the user terminal 10 stores the information that the character has been summoned and acquired.

In either embodiment, the user of user terminal 10 can view images and descriptions of the characters they have acquired. Here, the character images are related to the facility's equipment, and the character descriptions are related to the facility's equipment.
While the facility learning system 100 of this embodiment is specifically applied to factories such as waste treatment plants, it is not limited to factories as long as it is a facility that provides information to visitors.

[User terminal]
Next, the user terminal 10 will be described in detail. Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram showing the functional configuration of the user terminal 10. The user terminal 10 is configured using a communication-enabled information processing device. The user terminal 10 can be configured using devices such as a smartphone, mobile phone, game terminal, or wearable computer (e.g., a smartwatch). The user terminal 10 includes a communication unit 11, an input unit 12, an output unit 13, a location information acquisition unit 14, an imaging unit 15, a storage unit 16, and a control unit 17.

The communication unit 11 is configured using a communication device. The communication unit 11 communicates with other communication devices and information processing devices via the network 90. The communication unit 11 transmits and receives data, for example, with the information providing device 30. The communication unit 11 also communicates with nearby devices using short-range wireless communication. The communication unit 11 receives device information, for example, from a beacon 20.

The input unit 12 is configured using existing input devices such as a keyboard, pointing device (mouse, tablet, etc.), buttons, or touch panel. The input unit 12 is operated by the user when inputting user instructions to the user terminal 10. The input unit 12 may also be an interface for connecting the input device to the user terminal 10. In this case, the input unit 12 inputs the input signal generated in response to the user's input from the input device to the user terminal 10.

The output unit 13 may be an image display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescent) display. Alternatively, the output unit 13 may be configured using a speaker. The output unit 13 outputs information to the user.
The input unit 12 and the output unit 13 may be configured as an integrated touch panel display.

The location information acquisition unit 14 acquires location information indicating the current location of the user terminal 10. The location information acquisition unit 14 may be configured using, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) device. The location information acquisition unit 14 may also be configured to acquire location information based on, for example, the received signal strength from multiple base stations of a mobile communication system. In this case, some of the functions of the location information acquisition unit 14 may be implemented in the control unit 17.

The imaging unit 15 is a camera. The imaging unit 15 may be configured as the camera itself, or as an interface for connecting an external camera to the user terminal 10. The camera is primarily controlled by a camera application and captures images of a predetermined space in response to user operation. Image capture by the camera is achieved as a process that forms an image by receiving visible light. The image data captured by the imaging unit 15 is recorded in the storage unit 16.

The storage unit 16 is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic hard disk drive or a semiconductor storage device. The storage unit 16 stores information necessary for the processing of the control unit 17.

The memory unit 16 includes a map information memory unit 161, a character information memory unit 162, an acquired character memory unit 163, and a user information memory unit 164. The map information memory unit 161 stores map information of the facility, representing viewing spots, rooms, and corridors within the facility. The character information memory unit 162 stores information about each character.

Figure 3 shows an example of character information stored in the character information storage unit 162. The character information includes, at a minimum, ID (identifier), name, appearance location, attributes, rarity level, description, image, and equipment information for each character. The name is the character's name. The appearance location is information about the character's appearance location within the facility. The attributes are the character's attributes, such as "good" and "bad." The rarity level indicates how frequently the character appears, such as "normal," "rare," and "very rare." The description is a description of the character. The image is the character's image information. The equipment information is the equipment information of the beacon 20 associated with this character. Since the beacon 20 is installed at the appearance location within the facility, it is possible to associate the equipment at the facility's appearance location with the character information (character details). Specifically, the character's name and image can be related to the equipment at the facility's appearance location, or the character's description can include a description of the equipment at the facility's appearance location.

In this specific example, the facility is assumed to be a "waste treatment plant" as shown in Figure 4, and the characters deal with "yokai" (Japanese supernatural beings). In the example of "ID1" in Figure 3, the name is "Moe-doji," the appearance location is "near the incinerator," the attribute is "good yokai," the rarity is "rare," and the description is: "Inside the incinerator, waste is burned at approximately 850-950°C. This yokai dislikes temperatures below 850°C, so when the temperature drops, it raises the heat by holding its hand over the flame." The device information is "beaconID001." The beacon 20 corresponding to "beaconID001" is installed near the "incinerator" in the "waste treatment plant."

In the example of "ID2" in Figure 3, the name is "Dr. Garbage," the appearance location is the "Visitor's Room," the attribute is "Good Yokai," the rarity is "Normal," and the description is "He knows everything about garbage. This yokai likes to talk about garbage to visitors. He's a little nosy." The device information is "beaconID002." The beacon 20 corresponding to "beaconID002" is installed in the "Visitor's Room" of the "Waste Treatment Plant."

In the example of "ID3" in Figure 3, the name is "The Boy Who Doesn't Separate His Garbage," the appearance location is "Platform," the attribute is "Evil Yokai," the rarity is "Normal," and the description is "Separation is one of the rules when collecting garbage. Please follow the separation rules when putting out your garbage. This yokai blends into the darkness and secretly puts things that shouldn't be mixed in with the discarded garbage." The device information is "beaconID003." Note that beacon 20, which corresponds to "beaconID003," is installed on the "Platform" of the "Incineration Plant."

The acquired character storage unit 163 stores information about acquired characters, such as the character's ID. The user information storage unit 164 stores information such as the user score acquired by each user.

The control unit 17 is configured using a processor such as a CPU and memory. The control unit 17 functions as a map information display unit 171, a character detection unit 172, a character search unit 173, a character viewing unit 174, and a character summoning unit 175, through the execution of a program by the processor. Note that all or part of the functions of the control unit 17 may be implemented using hardware such as ASICs, PLDs, or FPGAs. The above program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Computer-readable recording media include, for example, portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, CD-ROMs, and semiconductor memory devices (e.g., SSDs), as well as storage devices such as hard disks and semiconductor memory devices built into computer systems. The above program may also be transmitted via a telecommunications line.

The map information display unit 171 reads the map information stored in the map information storage unit 161 and displays the map on the display (output unit 13). The map can be zoomed in and out by the user's input unit 12. The map information display unit 171 may also display landmarks such as balloons at sightseeing spots. Furthermore, if the user terminal 10 is located inside the facility, the map information display unit 171 may display the current location of the user terminal 10 based on the detected location information of the user terminal 10.
The map information display unit 171 may acquire map information from the information providing device 30 via the network 90, without reading it from the map information storage unit 161.

Figure 4 shows a specific example of a map displayed on the display by the map information display unit 171. The map 1611 in Figure 4 shows each room 1612, sightseeing spots 1613, and corridors 1614 within the facility. A sightseeing route 1615 is displayed in the corridor 1614 to prevent users from getting lost. Each sightseeing spot 1613 is marked with a balloon 1616 for user clarity. The current location of the user terminal 10 is indicated by a circle 1617.
In map 1611 shown in Figure 4, a waste treatment plant is shown as a specific example of a facility. In this example on the map, the tour spots 1613 are the "platform,""wastepit,""incineratorflow,""central control room,""turbine power generation room," and "ash melting furnace room."

The character detection unit 172 detects the distance from the beacon 20, which is installed on equipment within the facility, based on the device information received via the communication unit 11 and the signal strength of the received device information. The character detection unit 172 also measures the time the device information is received. If the character detection unit 172 determines that the user has been within a predetermined distance from the beacon 20 for a predetermined time or longer, it determines that it has detected the character associated with the device information from the character information storage unit 162. The character detection unit 172 then displays the detection of the character on the screen to notify the user. Alternatively, the character detection unit 172 may notify the user of the detection of the character by vibration using the vibration function of the user terminal 10.

Figure 5 shows an example of a character detection screen displayed on the display by the character detection unit 172. As shown in Figure 5, when the character detection unit 172 does not detect a character, it displays a line of light 51 flowing from left to right. However, when a character is detected, the line of light 51 vibrates up and down to notify the user that a character has been detected.

When the user is notified that a character has been detected, the imaging unit 15 (camera) searches the space including the beacon 20.
When the character search unit 173 determines that the image captured by the imaging unit 15 includes a beacon 20 (or the vicinity of the beacon 20), it displays the image information of the character associated with the device information of the beacon 20 on the screen. When the user inputs via the input unit 12 that they have found a character, the character search unit adds the character (or its ID) to the acquired character storage unit 163. The character search unit 173 can determine whether or not the image captured by the imaging unit 15 includes a beacon 20 by detecting the orientation of the user terminal 10 using a compass sensor or the like mounted on the user terminal 10.

Figure 6 shows an example of a character search screen displayed on the screen by the character search unit 173. As shown in Figure 6, the character search unit 173 may display a message 61 prompting the user to search for a character. When the user detects a beacon 20 with the imaging unit 15 (camera), the character search unit 173 displays a character 62 corresponding to the device information of the beacon 20 at the corresponding position on the screen. When the user inputs via the input unit 12 that they have found a character, the character search unit 173 may display a message on the screen indicating that the character has been acquired.

The character viewing unit 174 retrieves character information associated with the ID stored in the acquired character storage unit 163 from the character information storage unit 162 and displays it on the screen (output unit 13) for the user to view.

Figure 7 shows an example of the character information screen displayed on the display by the character viewing unit 174. In the example in Figure 7, the character's name 71, image 72, and description 73 are displayed. Additionally, the "Support" button 74 and the "Attack" button 75 are displayed.

When the user presses the "Support" button 74 on the input unit 12, the character viewing unit 174 notifies the user of supporting that character with sound and images. If the character's attribute is "good," points are added to the user score stored in the user information storage unit 164. Similarly, when the user presses the "Attack" button 75 on the input unit 12, the character viewing unit 174 notifies the user of attacking that character with sound and images. If the character's attribute is "bad," points are added to the user score stored in the user information storage unit 164. The character viewing unit 174 performs processing both inside and outside the facility.

The character summoning unit 175 summons and acquires characters. Specifically, the character summoning unit 175 randomly selects a character stored in the character information storage unit 162 and stores the selected character (or its ID) in the acquired character storage unit 163. The character summoning unit 175 is limited to a certain number of operations per day (e.g., once). Furthermore, the character summoning unit 175 primarily performs operations outside the facility.

[beacon]
Next, the beacon 20 will be described in detail. Figure 8 is a schematic block diagram showing the functional configuration of the beacon 20. The beacon 20 is installed, for example, on equipment within a facility. The beacon 20 is constructed using information equipment capable of short-range wireless communication. The beacon 20 comprises a communication unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a control unit 23.

The communication unit 21 is configured using a communication device. The communication unit 21 communicates with other communication devices and information processing devices via short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). The communication unit 21 transmits data, for example, to the user terminal 10.

The memory unit 22 includes a device information storage unit 221 that stores device information that can identify the beacon 20.

The control unit 23 includes a device information providing unit 231 that transmits device information stored in the device information storage unit 221 via the communication unit 21 at predetermined intervals.

[Information providing device]
Next, the information providing device 30 will be described in detail. Figure 9 is a schematic block diagram showing the functional configuration of the information providing device 30. The information providing device 30 is configured using a communication-enabled information processing device. The information providing device 30 is configured using devices and systems such as a personal computer, a server device, or a cloud system. The information providing device 30 comprises a communication unit 31, an input unit 32, a storage unit 33, and a control unit 34.

The communication unit 31 is configured using a communication device. The communication unit 31 communicates with other communication devices and information processing devices via the network 90. For example, the communication unit 31 sends and receives data with the user terminal 10 information processing device.

The input unit 32 is configured using existing input devices such as a keyboard, pointing device (mouse, tablet, etc.), buttons, or touch panel. The input unit 32 is operated by the facility manager when inputting instructions from the facility manager to the information providing device 30. The input unit 32 may also serve as an interface for connecting the input device to the information providing device 30. In this case, the input unit 32 inputs the input signal generated in the input device in response to the facility manager's input to the information providing device 30.

The storage unit 33 is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic hard disk drive or a semiconductor storage device. The storage unit 33 stores information necessary for the processing of the control unit 34.

The memory unit 33 includes a map information memory unit 331 and a character information memory unit 332. The map information memory unit 331 stores map information of the facility, representing viewing spots, rooms, and corridors within the facility. The character information memory unit 332 stores information about each character. The information stored in the character information memory unit 332 is the same as the character information shown in Figure 3.

The control unit 34 is configured using a processor such as a CPU and memory. The control unit 34 functions as an information input unit 341 and an information provision unit 342 when the processor executes a program. Note that all or part of the functions of the control unit 34 may be implemented using hardware such as an ASIC, PLD, or FPGA. The above program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Computer-readable recording media include, for example, portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, CD-ROMs, and semiconductor memory devices (e.g., SSDs), as well as storage devices such as hard disks and semiconductor memory devices built into computer systems. The above program may also be transmitted via a telecommunications line.

The information input unit 341 stores map information and character information, which are input from the facility manager via the input unit 32, in the map information storage unit 331 and the character information storage unit 332, respectively.
This allows facility managers to update map information and character information as needed.

The information provision unit 342 transmits map information and character information stored in the map information storage unit 331 and character information storage unit 332, respectively, via the communication unit 31 in response to a request from the user terminal 10.
This allows users of user terminal 10 to access the latest map and character information, which is updated as needed.

The information providing device 30 may collect user scores stored in the user information storage unit 164 of each user terminal 10, create ranking information, and the information providing unit 342 may provide the ranking information to the user terminals 10. For example, the information providing device 30 may aggregate the ranking information annually, monthly, or weekly. This allows for the creation of rankings tailored to the usage frequency of each user terminal 10.

[Processing flow]
Next, the processing flow of the facility learning system 100 will be explained. Figures 10 and 11 are flowcharts illustrating specific examples of the processing flow of the facility learning system 100. The processing flow of the facility learning system 100 in Figures 9 and 10 assumes that the user of the user terminal 10 is a visitor or learner at the facility.

First, when the user activates the user terminal 10, the location information acquisition unit 14 of the user terminal 10 acquires the user terminal 10's location information. The control unit 17 of the user terminal 10 determines, based on the acquired location information, whether the current location is within a specific area (step S101). The specific area is the area where a facility is located; specifically, if the facility is a waste incineration plant, it is the area where the waste incineration plant is located.

If step S101 determines that the current location is within a specific area (Yes), the user terminal 10 is carried by the user and moves within the facility. The control unit 17 of the user terminal 10 determines whether the user has instructed it to view the acquired character (step S102).

If the user does not instruct the system to view acquired characters (No in step S102), the character detection unit 172 receives device information from the beacon 20 via the communication unit 11 (step S103). The beacons 20 are installed at designated viewing spots and locations within the facility.

Next, the character detection unit 172 detects the distance from the beacon 20 based on the received device information and the signal strength of the device information at the time of reception. The character detection unit 172 also measures the time it has received the device information from the beacon 20. Then, the character detection unit 172 determines whether or not it has been within a predetermined distance from the beacon 20 for a predetermined period of time. Based on this, the character detection unit 172 determines whether or not it has detected the character associated with the device information of the beacon 20 (step S104).

When the character detection unit 172 determines that a character has been detected (Yes in step S104), it notifies the user of the user terminal 10 of the detection by displaying a character detection message on the display (step S105). Specifically, the character detection unit 172 displays the character detection screen shown in Figure 5 on the display.

Next, when the user is notified that a character has been detected, the imaging unit 15 (camera) searches the space containing the beacon 20 (step S106).
Next, the character search unit 173 determines whether or not the beacon 20 (or the vicinity of the beacon 20) is included in the image captured by the imaging unit 15, thereby determining whether or not a character linked to the device information of the beacon 20 has been found (step S107). At that time, the character search unit 173 displays the character search screen shown in Figure 6 on the display.

If the system determines that a character has been found (Yes in step S107), the character search unit 173 stores the character's ID in the acquired character storage unit 163 (step S108). When a character is found, the character search unit 173 displays the character information screen shown in Figure 7 on the display.

Next, the control unit 17 receives a response from the user indicating whether or not to terminate the process (step S109). If the user does not want to terminate the process (No in step S109), the control unit 17 returns control to step S101. On the other hand, if the user wants to terminate the process, the control unit 17 terminates the process shown in Figure 10.

Furthermore, if the character detection unit 172 does not detect a character in step S104, and if the character search unit 173 does not find a character in step S107, the control unit 17 also transfers control to step S109.

On the other hand, if the user instructs to view acquired characters in step S102 (Yes in step S102), the character viewing unit 174 retrieves the ID of the acquired character from the acquired character storage unit 163, retrieves the character information for the corresponding ID from the character information storage unit 162, and displays it on the display (step S110). At this time, it is preferable for the character viewing unit 174 to display a list of all acquired characters. The character viewing unit 174 may also obtain character information from the information providing device 30 via the network 90.

Next, the character viewing unit 174 accepts a character selection from the user via the input unit 12 (step S111). The character viewing unit 174 then displays the character information of the selected character as shown in Figure 7.

Next, the character viewing unit 174 determines whether the user has pressed the "Support" button 74 or the "Attack" button 75 via the input unit 12 (step S112).

If the "Support" button 74 or the "Attack" button 75 is pressed (Yes in step S112), the character viewing unit 174 adds a predetermined value to the user's user score if the "Support" button 74 was pressed for a character with "Good" attributes. Conversely, if the "Attack" button 75 was pressed for a character with "Bad" attributes, the character viewing unit 174 subtracts a predetermined value from the user's user score. The character viewing unit 174 then updates and stores the user score in the user information storage unit 164 (step S113).

Subsequently, the control unit 17 transfers control to step S109. Also, if the "Support" button 74 or the "Attack" button 75 is not pressed in step S112 (resulting in a "No" in step S112), the control unit 17 transfers control to step S109.

On the other hand, if step S101 does not determine that the current location is within a specific area (No), the process proceeds to Figure 11. In this case, the user terminal 10 is operated by the user at a location outside of a facility such as a waste treatment plant, such as a home or school.
First, the control unit 17 of the user terminal 10 determines whether the user has instructed it to view the acquired characters (step S201).

If the user does not instruct the system to view acquired characters (No in step S201), the character summoning unit 175 receives a notification from the user via the input unit 12 on the user terminal 10, asking whether or not to summon a character (step S207).

When a character is summoned (Yes in step S207), the character summoning unit 175 randomly selects (summons) a character stored in the character information storage unit 162 and displays the character's information on the screen as shown in Figure 7 (step S208). At this time, the user on the user terminal 10 may request confirmation from the user regarding whether it is OK to summon this character. Note that the character selected by the character summoning unit 175 does not have to be random; it may be selected based on a combination of factors, such as the character's rarity and other information (date information, user score, etc.). For example, if the user score stored in the user information storage unit 164 is high, the character summoning unit 175 may be more likely to select a character with a higher rarity.

Next, the character summoning unit 175 stores the selected character (and its ID) in the acquired character storage unit 163 (step S209).

Next, the control unit 17 receives a response from the user indicating whether or not to terminate the process (step S206). If the user does not want to terminate the process (No in step S206), the control unit 17 returns control to step S101 in Figure 10. On the other hand, if the user wants to terminate the process, the control unit 17 terminates the process shown in Figure 11.

Furthermore, if no character is summoned in step S207 (No in step S207), the control unit 17 transfers control to step S206.

On the other hand, if the user instructs to view acquired characters in step S201 (Yes in step S201), the character viewing unit 174 retrieves the ID of the acquired character from the acquired character storage unit 163, retrieves the character information for the corresponding ID from the character information storage unit 162, and displays it on the display (step S202). At this time, it is preferable for the character viewing unit 174 to display a list of all acquired characters. The character viewing unit 174 may also obtain character information from the information providing device 30 via the network 90.

Next, the character viewing unit 174 receives a character selection from the user via the input unit 12 (step S203). The character viewing unit 174 displays the character information of the selected character as shown in Figure 7.

Next, the character viewing unit 174 determines whether the user has pressed the "Support" button 74 or the "Attack" button 75 via the input unit 12 (step S204).

If the "Support" button 74 or the "Attack" button 75 is pressed (Yes in step S204), the character viewing unit 174 adds a predetermined value to the user's user score if the "Support" button 74 was pressed for a character with "Good" attributes. Conversely, if the "Attack" button 75 was pressed for a character with "Bad" attributes, the character viewing unit 174 subtracts a predetermined value from the user's user score. The character viewing unit 174 then updates and stores the user score in the user information storage unit 164 (step S205).

Subsequently, the control unit 17 transfers control to step S206. Also, if the "Support" button 74 or the "Attack" button 75 is not pressed in step S204 (No in step S204), the control unit 17 transfers control to step S206.
This concludes the explanation of the processing flow of the facility learning system 100.

(Variant)
If the user terminal 10 is located within the facility, the map information display unit 171 may, at any time, acquire a map like the one shown in Figure 4 from the information providing device 30 via the map information storage unit 161 or the network 90 and display it on the display.
Furthermore, even if the user terminal 10 is located within the facility, the character summoning process of the character summoning unit 175 may be performed.

[effect]
As described above, the facility learning system 100 allows both children and adults to learn about facilities (for example, waste incineration plants) in an enjoyable way. Furthermore, it can increase interest in facilities such as waste incineration plants, thereby increasing opportunities for people to visit these facilities.

Specifically, since characters can be acquired by visiting the facility, it is possible to encourage users on user terminal 10 to visit the facility.
By providing character information related to the facilities within the facility, the user terminal 10 can be made to learn about the facilities within the facility.

The collection element, which involves gathering characters related to the facilities' equipment, helps maintain the user's interest in the facility on user terminal 10.
By supporting or attacking the characters they collect, users can update their user score, which can then be used to offer rarer characters or to encourage competition among users. This allows users on user terminal 10 to maintain a sustained interest in the facility.

In order to find the character near equipment where a beacon is installed in the facility, the user must be within a predetermined distance from the beacon for a predetermined period of time. Therefore, if the user of user terminal 10 is running, the character cannot be found. This ensures safety when touring the facility.
When a character is detected near equipment where a beacon is installed within the facility, the user on the user terminal 10 is automatically notified simply by being within a predetermined distance from the beacon for a predetermined period of time. Therefore, the user on the user terminal 10 does not need to look at the display screen while walking. This ensures safety when touring the facility.

Both inside and outside facilities such as waste treatment plants, facility information (information about characters related to the facility's equipment) can be obtained through the facility learning system 100. Therefore, visitors (users of user terminal 10) who have visited the facility can easily review their learning at home or school, just as they did during their visit. Furthermore, users of user terminal 10 can learn about the facility even without visiting the waste treatment plant. In addition, future visitors to the facility can be encouraged to visit by using user terminal 10 outside the facility.

100...Facility learning system, 10...User terminal, 20...Beacon, 30...Information providing device, 11...Communication unit, 12...Input unit, 13...Output unit, 14...Location information acquisition unit, 15...Imaging unit, 16...Storage unit, 161...Map information storage unit, 162...Character information storage unit 162, 163...Acquired character storage unit, 164...User information storage unit, 17...Control unit, 171...Map information display unit, 172...Character detection unit, 173...Character search unit, 174...Character viewing unit, 175...Character summoning unit, 21...Communication unit, 22...Storage unit, 221...Equipment information storage unit, 23...Control unit, 231...Equipment information providing unit, 31...Communication unit, 32...Input unit, 33...Storage unit, 331...Map information storage unit, 332…Character Information Storage Unit, 34…Control Unit, 341…Information Input Unit, 342…Information Provision Unit

Claims (8)

Computers
A character detection unit that detects characters set for equipment within the waste treatment plant,
A character search unit that searches for detected characters,
A character acquisition memory unit that stores the characters that have been searched for,
A computer program that functions as a user terminal equipped with,
The steps include receiving equipment information from a beacon corresponding to the equipment within the aforementioned waste treatment plant,
A step of detecting the distance between the user terminal and the beacon,
The user terminal is made to perform the step of measuring the time it has been receiving the device information of the beacon,
The character detection unit determines that it has detected the character associated with the device information when the user terminal is within a predetermined distance from the beacon for a predetermined period of time.
When the character search unit determines that the image captured by the imaging unit contains the beacon, it displays the image information of the character associated with the device information on the screen of the user terminal.
The acquired character storage unit is a computer program that stores the ID of the character that has been determined to contain the beacon in the image and has been linked to the device information. The computer program according to claim 1, wherein the character detection unit vibrates the user terminal to notify the user that a character has been detected. The computer program according to claim 1, wherein the character is associated with an image of a character related to the specified equipment and a description of a character related to the description of the specified equipment, as character information. The computer program according to claim 3, wherein the user terminal further comprises a character viewing unit for acquiring and viewing the character information of the character. The user terminal further comprises a character summoning unit that summons the character outside the waste treatment plant and stores it in the acquired character storage unit.
The character summoning unit randomly selects a character stored in the character information storage unit and stores the ID of the selected character in the acquired character storage unit.
The computer program according to claim 1. The computer program according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the character relates to a yokai (Japanese supernatural creature). A character detection step in which a computer detects a character set for equipment within the waste treatment plant,
A character search step to search for the detected character,
The acquired character memory step involves remembering the characters that have been explored,
A control method that performs the following:
In the character detection step, the distance between the user terminal and the beacon corresponding to the equipment is detected, the time during which the user terminal receives equipment information from the beacon is measured, and if the user terminal is within a predetermined distance from the beacon for a predetermined time, it is determined that a character associated with the equipment information has been detected.
In the character search step, if it is determined that the beacon is included in the image captured by the imaging unit, the image information of the character linked to the device information is displayed on the screen of the user terminal.
A control method in which, in the acquired character memory step, it is determined that the image contains the beacon and the ID of the character associated with the device information is stored. A character detection unit that detects characters set for equipment within the waste treatment plant,
A character search unit that searches for detected characters,
A character acquisition memory unit that stores the characters that have been searched for,
A user terminal equipped with,
The character detection unit detects the distance between the user terminal and the beacon corresponding to the equipment, measures the time the user terminal is receiving equipment information from the beacon, and determines that it has detected the character associated with the equipment information if the user terminal is within a predetermined distance from the beacon for a predetermined time.
When the character search unit determines that the image captured by the imaging unit contains the beacon, it displays the image information of the character associated with the device information on the screen of the user terminal.
The acquired character storage unit stores the ID of the character that has been determined to be included in the image and is linked to the device information, and is a user terminal.