Information processing system, portable information terminal and its control method, information providing device and its control method, and program

• US 8,204,785 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2008
• Issued: 06/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Kazuyuki, Mamiya, Toshio, Kabasawa, Hidetoshi, Yamada, Katsuhiko, Yamada, Takashi, Kumagai, Hideaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Poinvil, Frantzy
• Application Number:
  US12/150,579
• Publication Number:
  US 20100057571A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,512 Days
• Field of Search: 705 10- 44
• US Class Current: 705/14.58
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

A portable information terminal includes: a position detecting section that detects a position of the portable information terminal; a selecting section that selects a guidance target object for which voice guidance is to be provided, and detects a guidance target direction that is a direction in which the guidance target object exists with respect to a reference direction, on the basis of a direction in which the guidance target object exists with respect to the position of the portable information terminal; a voice synthesis section that generates a synthetic voice so that a guidance voice for the guidance target object selected by the selecting section is heard from the guidance target direction; and a voice output section that outputs the synthetic voice generated by the voice synthesis section.

Claims

1. A portable information terminal comprising:

a position detecting section to detect a position of the portable information terminal;

a selecting section to select a guidance target object for which voice guidance is to be provided, and to detect a guidance target direction that is a first direction in which the guidance target object exists with respect to a reference direction, based at least in part on a second direction in which the guidance target object exists with respect to the position of the portable information terminal;

a voice synthesis section to generate a synthetic voice so that a guidance voice for the guidance target object selected by the selecting section is heard from the guidance target direction; and

a voice output section to output the synthetic voice generated by the voice synthesis section.

2. The portable information terminal according to claim 1, wherein:

the selecting section selects the guidance target object on the basis of a position of the portable information terminal.

3. The portable information terminal according to claim 1, wherein:

the voice output section is a headphone that is worn by a user;

the portable information terminal further includes a head direction detecting section to detect the head direction that is a third direction in which a head of the user faces; and

the voice synthesis section generates the synthetic voice so that the guidance voice for the guidance target object is heard from the first direction in which the guidance target object exists with respect to the head direction.

4. The portable information terminal according to claim 3, wherein:

the selecting section selects the guidance target object based at least in part on the head direction.

5. The portable information terminal according to claim 3, wherein:

the selecting section selects the guidance target object based at least in part on the position of the portable information terminal and the head direction.

6. The portable information terminal according to claim 3, wherein the voice synthesis section generates the synthetic voice so as to emphasize a volume of the guidance voice for the guidance target object that is present in the head direction.

7. The portable information terminal according to claim 6, further comprising:

an input section to input a command specified by the user, wherein

when a predetermined command is inputted by the input section, the voice synthesis section generates the synthetic voice so that the volume of the guidance voice for the guidance target object is maintained.

8. The portable information terminal according to claim 6, further comprising:

an input section to input a command specified by the user, wherein

when a predetermined command is inputted by the input section, the voice synthesis section generates the synthetic voice so as to switch to a guidance voice for providing details information describing details of guidance given by the guidance voice for the guidance target object.

9. The portable information terminal according to claim 8, wherein when a predetermined command is inputted by the input section, the voice synthesis section generates the synthetic voice so that a volume of the guidance voice for providing the details information is maintained.

10. The portable information terminal according to claim 6, further comprising:

an input section to input a command specified by the user; and

a display section to display details information describing details of guidance given by the guidance voice for the guidance target object when a predetermined command is input by the input section.

11. The portable information terminal according to claim 1, further comprising:

a specifying section to specify a keyword based at least in part on an instruction of a user, wherein

the selecting section selects the guidance target object based at least in part on the keyword specified by the specifying section.

12. The portable information terminal according to claim 1, further comprising:

an acquiring section to acquire position information of objects, wherein

the selecting section selects the guidance target object, from among the objects of which the position information has been acquired by the acquiring section.

13. The portable information terminal according to claim 1, further comprising:

at least one storage medium to store position information of objects in advance, wherein

the selecting section selects the guidance target object from among the objects of which the position information is stored in the at least one storage medium.

14. The portable information terminal according to claim 1, wherein:

the voice synthesis section generates the synthetic voice as a quasi three-dimensional voice.

15. A control method for controlling a portable information terminal, the control method comprising:

detecting a position of the portable information terminal;

selecting a guidance target object for which voice guidance is to be provided, and detecting a guidance target direction that is a first direction in which the guidance target object exists with respect to a reference direction, based at least in part on a second direction in which the guidance target object exists with respect to the position of the portable information terminal;

generating a synthetic voice so that a guidance voice for the selected guidance target object is heard from the guidance target direction; and

outputting the synthetic voice.

16. An information providing device that provides information to a portable information terminal, the information providing device comprising:

a receiving section to receive a position of the portable information terminal transmitted from the portable information terminal;

a selecting section to select a guidance target object for which voice guidance is to be provided, and to detect a guidance target direction that is a first direction in which the guidance target object exists with respect to a reference direction, based at least in part on a second direction in which the guidance target object exists with respect to the position of the portable information terminal;

a voice synthesis section to generate a synthetic voice so that a guidance voice for the guidance target object selected by the selecting section is heard from the guidance target direction; and

a transmitting section to transmit the synthetic voice generated by the voice synthesis section, which is to be outputted by the portable information terminal, to the portable information terminal.

17. A control method for an information providing device that provides information to a portable information terminal, the control method comprising:

receiving a position of the portable information terminal transmitted from the portable information terminal;

selecting a guidance target object for which voice guidance is to be provided, and detecting a guidance target direction that is a first direction in which the guidance target object exists with respect to a reference direction, based at least in part on a second direction in which the guidance target object exists with respect to the position of the portable information terminal;

generating a synthetic voice so that a guidance voice for the guidance target object is heard from the guidance target direction; and

transmitting the synthetic voice, which is to be outputted by the portable information terminal, to the portable information terminal.

18. A portable information terminal to which information is provided from an information providing device, the portable information terminal comprising:

a position detecting section to detect a position of the portable information terminal;

a transmitting section to transmit the position of the portable information terminal detected by the position detecting section to the information providing device;

a receiving section to receive from the information providing device a synthetic voice generated so that a guidance voice for a guidance target object for which guidance is to be provided is heard from a first direction in which the guidance target object exists with respect to a reference direction and which is detected based at least in part on the position of the portable information terminal transmitted by the transmitting section; and

a voice output section to output the synthetic voice received by the receiving section.

19. A control method for a portable information terminal to which information is provided from an information providing device, the control method comprising:

detecting a position of the portable information terminal;

transmitting the position of the portable information terminal to the information providing device;

receiving from the information providing device a synthetic voice generated so that a guidance voice for a guidance target object for which guidance is to be provided is heard from a first direction in which the guidance target object exists with respect to a reference direction and which is detected based at least in part on the position of the portable information terminal; and

outputting the synthetic voice.