Control device, terminal device, cradle, notification system, control method, and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10616390-B2
Application number	US-201716487590-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2017
Priority date	Feb 24, 2017
Publication date	Apr 7, 2020
Grant date	Apr 7, 2020

Abstract

An aspect of the present invention efficiently detects a person in an area surrounding a terminal device. A control section (10) includes: a person detecting section (13) configured to search for and detect a person in an area surrounding a smartphone (1, 3, or 4) with use of image capture data in a case where a target event has occurred in the smartphone; and a command preparing section (15) configured to transmit a rotation instruction to a charging station (2) in a case where a search for the person is to be commenced, the rotation instruction being for repeatedly rotating the charging station while gradually increasing an angle of rotation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A control device which controls a terminal device mounted to a cradle, comprising:
an information acquiring section configured to acquire, in a case where a specific event has occurred in the terminal device, information indicating a state of an area within a predetermined range centered on a direction which the terminal device is facing;
a person detecting section configured to search for and detect a person in an area surrounding the terminal device with use of the information; and
an instruction transmitting section configured to transmit a first rotation instruction to the cradle in a case where the person detecting section is to commence a search, the first rotation instruction being for rotating the cradle repeatedly while gradually increasing an angle of rotation.

2. The control device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the first rotation instruction includes an instruction which instructs the cradle to rotate left and right around an axis which is substantially perpendicular to a surface on which the cradle is placed, in a manner such that the cradle rotates both left and right through a predetermined angle of rotation which is measured with respect to a direction which the cradle faces at commencement of the search.

3. The control device as set forth in claim 2 , wherein the first rotation instruction includes an instruction which instructs the cradle to rotate left and right through a largest possible angle of rotation after the cradle has rotated both left and right through the predetermined angle of rotation.

4. The control device as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising:
a speech direction identifying section configured to identify a direction from which speech detected by the terminal device was produced,
the first rotation instruction including an instruction which instructs the cradle to commence rotation from a position at which the cradle faces the direction identified by the speech direction identifying section.

5. The control device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the instruction transmitting section is configured to transmit, in a case where the person detecting section has detected the person, a stop instruction for stopping rotation of the cradle as instructed by the first rotation instruction.

6. A terminal device comprising: the control device recited in claim 1 .

7. A cradle comprising: an instruction receiving section configured to receive instructions from the control device recited in claim 1 ; and
an operation section configured to cause a housing of the cradle to rotate in accordance with instructions received by the instruction receiving section, in a state where the terminal device is mounted to the housing.

8. A notification system comprising: the control device recited in claim 1 ;
a terminal device comprising the control device; and
a cradle comprising: an instruction receiving section configured to receive instructions from the control device; and
an operation section configured to cause a housing of the cradle to rotate in accordance with instructions received by the instruction receiving section, in a state where the terminal device is mounted to the housing.

9. A method of control for a control device which controls a terminal device mounted to a cradle, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) acquiring, in a case where a specific event has occurred in the terminal device, information indicating a state of an area within a predetermined range centered on a direction which the terminal device is facing;
(b) searching for and detecting a person in an area surrounding the terminal device with use of the information; and
(c) transmitting a first rotation instruction to the cradle in a case where a search is to be commenced in the step (b), the first rotation instruction being for rotating the cradle repeatedly while gradually increasing an angle of rotation.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing therein a control program for causing a computer to function as the control device recited in claim 1 , the control program causing the computer to function as the person detecting section and the instruction transmitting section.

Assignees

• Sharp Kk

Inventors

• Takai Shohei

Classifications

• H04M1/04 Primary

  Supports for telephone transmitters or receivers · CPC title

• H04M2250/74

  with voice recognition means · CPC title

• H04M1/06 Primary

  Hooks; Cradles · CPC title

• G10L25/78

  Detection of presence or absence of voice signals (switching of direction of transmission by voice frequency in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/10) · CPC title

• H02J7/0044

  Electricity · mapped topic