JP7733864B2 - Lost child search support system, lost child search support device, and lost child search support program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a lost child search support system, a lost child search support device, and a lost child search support program.

The following solo and group person detection device is known. This solo and group person detection device detects lost children by classifying people into groups based on information about their behavior obtained from images, thereby detecting whether they are acting alone or in a group (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-92396

When searching for a lost child, it is necessary to find the person being searched for as quickly as possible and return them to their guardian to prevent them from becoming involved in an accident or incident. Therefore, when a person assisting in the search for a lost child finds someone who appears to be lost, a system is needed to help them determine whether that person is a person being searched for, but this point has not been considered at all in conventional devices.

The lost child search support system according to the present invention is a lost child search support system for supporting the search for a lost child, and includes a lost child application receiving means for receiving a lost child search application from a guardian of a person to be searched for, a usage authority granting means for granting a use authority for the authentication data of the person to be searched for to a helper who cooperates in the search for the lost child when the lost child search application receiving means receives a lost child search application, an identification data input receiving means for receiving input of identification data of the search target candidate from the helper when the helper discovers a search target candidate who may be the search target, and an identification data input receiving means for receiving input of identification data of the search target candidate when the identification data input receiving means receives input of identification data. The system is provided with a search target determination means that uses the authentication data and the identification data to determine whether a candidate search target is a search target based on the usage authority of the authentication data of the search target granted by the usage authority granting means, and notifies the collaborator of the determination result , and a permission information issuing means that, when a search request for a lost child is accepted by the lost child search request accepting means, issues permission information to the collaborator who cooperates in the search for the lost child to permit the collaborator to use the authentication data of the search target, and the usage authority granting means is characterized in that it uses the permission information issued by the permission information issuing means to grant the collaborator usage authority of the authentication data of the search target .
The lost child search support device according to the present invention is a lost child search support device for supporting the search for a lost child, and includes: a lost child application receiving means for receiving a lost child search application from a guardian of a person to be searched for; a usage authority granting means for granting a use authority for the authentication data of the person to be searched for to a helper who cooperates in the search for the lost child when the lost child search application receiving means receives a lost child search application; an identification data input receiving means for receiving input of identification data of the search target candidate from the helper when the helper discovers a search target candidate who may be the search target; and an identification data input receiving means for granting a use authority for the authentication data of the person to be searched for when the input of identification data is received by the identification data input receiving means. The system is equipped with a search target determination means that uses the authentication data and identification data to determine whether a candidate search target is a search target based on the authorization to use the authentication data of the search target granted by the authorization granting means, and notifies the collaborator of the determination result , and a permission information issuing means that, when a search request for a lost child is accepted by the lost child search request accepting means, issues permission information to the collaborator who cooperates in the search for the lost child to permit the collaborator to use the authentication data of the search target, and the usage authorization granting means is characterized in that it uses the permission information issued by the permission information issuing means to grant the collaborator authorization to use the authentication data of the search target .
The lost child search support program according to the present invention is a lost child search support program for supporting the search for a lost child, and includes a lost child application acceptance procedure for accepting a lost child search application from a guardian of a person to be searched for, a usage authority granting procedure for granting a use authority for the authentication data of the person to be searched for to a collaborator who cooperates in the search for the lost child when the lost child search application is accepted in the lost child application acceptance procedure, an identification data input acceptance procedure for accepting input of identification data of the person to be searched for from the collaborator when a candidate person to be searched for who may be the person to be searched for is discovered by the collaborator, and when input of the identification data is accepted in the identification data input acceptance procedure , The program causes a computer to execute a search target determination procedure that uses the authentication data and identification data to determine whether a candidate search target is a search target based on the authorization to use the authentication data of the search target granted by the search target determination procedure, and notifies the collaborator of the determination result; and a permission information issuance procedure that issues permission information to permit the collaborator who cooperates in the search for the lost child to use the authentication data of the search target when a search request for a lost child is accepted in the lost child search request acceptance procedure , wherein the usage authorization granting procedure is characterized in that the authorization to use the authentication data of the search target is granted to the collaborator using the permission information issued in the permission information issuance procedure.

According to the present invention, pre-registered authentication data and identification data are used to determine whether a candidate search subject is a person to be searched for, and the determination result is notified to the collaborator. Therefore, when a collaborator finds a candidate search subject who appears to be lost, they can be assisted in determining whether the person is a person to be searched for.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of a lost child search support system 10. [0023]FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a management server 100. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of a parent terminal 200. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of a collaborator terminal 300. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of guardian information recorded in a guardian DB. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of subject information recorded in a subject DB. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of collaborator information recorded in a collaborator DB. FIG. 10 is a first diagram illustrating an example of updating data. FIG. 10 is a second diagram illustrating an example of updating data. FIG. 10 is a third diagram showing an example of updating data. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of an authorization code issuing process executed by the management server 100 in the first embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a lost person determination process executed by the management server 100 in the first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a lost child application process executed by the parent/guardian terminal 200 in the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a voiceprint data use authority cancellation application process executed by the guardian terminal 200 in the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a voiceprint data use authorization granting process executed by a helper terminal 300 in the first embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by the helper terminal 300 when a lost person is found in the first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a lost person determination process executed by the management server 100 in the second embodiment.

-First embodiment-
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a lost child search support system 10 according to a first embodiment. The lost child search support system 10 is a system used to support the search for a lost person. The lost child search support system 10 includes a management server 100 that operates as a lost child search support device that executes processing to support the search for a lost child, a parent terminal 200 carried by the parent of the lost person being searched for, and a helper terminal 300 carried by a helper who cooperates in the search for the person being searched for. In this embodiment, the management server 100 and the parent terminal 200, and the management server 100 and the helper terminal 300, are connected to each other via a communication line such as the Internet or a mobile phone network. While FIG. 1 illustrates an example in which the lost child search support system 10 includes one management server 100, one parent terminal 200, and one helper terminal 300, the configuration of the lost child search support system 10 is not limited to this.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of one embodiment of the management server 100 in this embodiment. The management server 100 includes a connection interface 101, a control device 102, and a storage medium 103.

The connection interface 101 is an interface for connecting the management server 100 to a communication line such as the Internet. For example, a wired LAN module for connecting to the Internet via a wired connection, or a wireless LAN module for connecting to the Internet wirelessly, is used. In this embodiment, the management server 100 communicates with the parent terminal 200 and the helper terminal 300 via this connection interface 101.

The control device 102 is composed of a CPU, memory, and other peripheral circuits, and controls the entire management server 100. The memory that makes up the control device 102 is volatile memory, such as SDRAM. This memory is used as work memory for the CPU to expand programs when they are executed, and as buffer memory for temporarily recording data. For example, data read via the connection interface 101 is temporarily recorded in the buffer memory.

The storage medium 103 is a storage medium for recording various data stored by the management server 100, program data to be executed by the control device 102, and the like. For example, a hard disk drive (HDD) or solid state drive (SSD) is used. The program data recorded on the storage medium 103 is provided on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM, or provided via a network. The operator installs the acquired program data on the storage medium 103, allowing the control device 102 to execute the program.

The parent terminal 200 is a terminal carried by the parent of a person to be searched for when the child gets lost. Examples of the parent terminal 200 that can be used include information terminals such as smartphones, tablet terminals, and personal computers.

Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment in which a smartphone is used as the parent terminal 200 in this embodiment. The parent terminal 200 includes a touch panel 201, a communication module 202, a control device 203, and a microphone 204.

The touch panel 201 is an electronic component that combines a display device such as a liquid crystal panel with a position input device such as a touchpad, and is an input device that allows users to operate the device by pressing on the display on the screen. For example, a user of the parent terminal 200 can operate the parent terminal 200 by touching or sliding a finger or a stylus over display items such as buttons, icons, and menus displayed on the liquid crystal panel. The touch panel 201 detects operations such as touching and sliding by the user, and outputs the detection signal to the control device 203.

The communication module 202 is a module for connecting to the Internet via a LAN or mobile phone network, either wirelessly or via a wired connection. The parent terminal 200 communicates with the management server 100 via this communication module 202.

The control device 203 is composed of a CPU, memory, and other peripheral circuits, and controls the entire parent terminal 200. The memory that makes up the control device 203 includes volatile memory such as SDRAM and non-volatile memory such as flash memory. The volatile memory is used as work memory for the CPU to expand programs when they are executed, and as buffer memory for temporarily storing data. The non-volatile memory also stores firmware for operating the parent terminal 200 and software program data for running various applications.

The microphone 204 is a sound collection device for inputting the speaker's voice, etc. The analog data input from the microphone 204 is converted into a digital signal by the control device 203.

The helper terminal 300 is a terminal carried by a helper who cooperates in the search for a lost search target. Examples of the helper terminal 300 that can be used include information terminals such as smartphones, tablet terminals, and personal computers.

Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment in which a smartphone is used as the collaborator terminal 300 in this embodiment. The collaborator terminal 300 includes a touch panel 301, a communication module 302, a control device 303, and a microphone 304.

The touch panel 301 is an electronic component that combines a display device such as a liquid crystal panel with a position input device such as a touchpad, and is an input device that allows users to operate equipment by pressing on the display on the screen. For example, a user of the collaborator terminal 300 can operate the collaborator terminal 300 by touching or sliding buttons, icons, menus, and other display items displayed on the liquid crystal panel with a finger or a stylus. The touch panel 301 detects operations such as touching and sliding by the user, and outputs the detection signal to the control device 303.

The communication module 302 is a module for connecting to the Internet via a LAN or mobile phone network, either wirelessly or via a wired connection. The collaborator terminal 300 communicates with the management server 100 via this communication module 302.

The control device 303 is composed of a CPU, memory, and other peripheral circuits, and controls the entire collaborator terminal 300. The memory that makes up the control device 303 includes volatile memory such as SDRAM and non-volatile memory such as flash memory. The volatile memory is used as work memory for the CPU to expand programs when they are executed, and as buffer memory for temporarily storing data. The non-volatile memory also stores firmware for operating the collaborator terminal 300 and software program data for running various applications.

The microphone 304 is a sound collection device for inputting the speaker's speech and other sounds. The analog data input from the microphone 304 is converted into a digital signal by the control device 303.

In this embodiment, the lost child search support system 10 provides a mechanism for supporting the search when a lost child is identified as the search target and a helper requested by the search target's guardian searches for the search target. In this embodiment, the following explanation assumes that a parent and child who are visiting a theme park get lost, and the parent requests a theme park staff member who is a helper to search for the child who is the search target.

In this embodiment, an application for using the lost child search support system 10 is pre-installed on the parent terminal 200 and the helper terminal 300. This application is assumed to be equipped with functions for the parent terminal and functions for the helper terminal. Therefore, the user of the parent terminal 200 will use the parent terminal functions of the application for using the lost child search support system 10, and the user of the helper terminal 300 will use the helper terminal functions of the application for using the lost child search support system 10. The following describes in detail the processing in the lost child search support system 10 in this embodiment.

In the lost child search support system 10 of this embodiment, guardian information about guardians, target person information about people who will be search targets in the event of a lost child, and helper information about helpers are pre-registered on the recording medium 103 of the management server 100. Information required for registering guardian information and target person information is entered on the guardian terminal 200, sent to the management server 100, and pre-registered by being recorded on the storage medium 103 by the control device 102. Information required for registering helper information is entered on the helper terminal 300, sent to the management server 100, and pre-registered by being recorded on the storage medium 103 by the control device 102. In this embodiment, guardian information is stored in a guardian DB recorded on the storage medium 103, target person information is stored in a target DB recorded on the storage medium 103, and helper information is stored in a helper DB recorded on the storage medium 103.

Figure 5 shows an example of guardian information recorded in the guardian DB. As shown in Figure 5, the guardian information includes a personal ID for identifying the guardian, name, phone number, email address, address, permission range, and permission status. Here, the name may be the guardian's full name or a nickname, as long as it identifies the guardian. The permission range is set as the range of contact information the guardian is permitted to disclose to a collaborator in the process described below. For example, in Figure 5, the guardian with personal ID 1 has set a phone number as the range of contact information permitted to be disclosed to a collaborator, and the guardian with personal ID 2 has set a phone number and email as the range of contact information permitted to be disclosed to a collaborator. The permission status is a data item for recording information indicating whether the subject's voiceprint data is permitted to be used. Specific examples of data recorded in the permission status will be described later, but in the example shown in Figure 5, both the guardian with personal ID 1 and the guardian with personal ID 2 have registered "none," indicating that they have not permitted anyone to use their voiceprint data.

Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of subject information recorded in the subject DB. As shown in Figure 6, the subject information includes a subject ID for identifying the subject, a name, a permitted recipient, a permission code, voiceprint data, and a search exclusion ID. Here, the subject ID is linked to the guardian ID so that the subject's guardian can be identified. In this embodiment, a subject registered by a guardian with a personal ID of 1 has a subject ID starting with 1, and a subject registered by a guardian with a personal ID of 2 has a subject ID starting with 2, thereby linking the guardian and subject. For example, in the example shown in Figure 6, Mr. C with a subject ID of 1-1 and Ms. D with a subject ID of 1-2 are subjects registered by a guardian with a personal ID of 1. The name may be the subject's name or a nickname, as long as it indicates the subject. The permitted recipient is a data item for recording information for identifying a collaborator who is authorized to use the subject's voiceprint data in the processing described below. Additionally, the permission code is a data item for recording the permission code issued in the processing described below. The search exclusion ID is a data item used to exclude voiceprint data from being matched in the processing described below. Specific examples of the data recorded in the permission destination, permission code, and search exclusion ID will be described later, but in the example shown in FIG. 6, the initial value at the time of registration, "none," is registered for all of them. The voiceprint data is the audio data of the subject's voice that has been converted into voiceprint data. The audio data of the subject's voice is obtained by encouraging the subject to speak and is acquired via the microphone 204 of the parent terminal 200.

Figure 7 shows an example of collaborator information recorded in the collaborator DB. As shown in Figure 7, the collaborator information includes an individual ID for identifying the collaborator, organization ID1, organization ID2, name, and authorization code. Organization IDs for identifying the organization or group to which the subject belongs are recorded in organization ID1 and organization ID2. For example, in the example shown in Figure 7, it can be seen that a collaborator with individual ID 10001 belongs to organizations with organization IDs 100 and 1000. For example, if the collaborator is a theme park staff member, organization ID = 100 indicates a specific zone within the theme park, and organization ID = 1000 indicates the entire theme park. The authorization code is a data item for recording the authorization code issued in the process described below. Specific examples of data recorded in the authorization code will be described later, but in the example shown in Figure 7, the authorization codes for all collaborators are set to "none." This indicates that no authorization codes have been issued to any collaborators.

Once the registration of guardian information, target person information, and collaborator information is complete, if the target person whose target information is registered gets lost, the guardian whose guardian information is registered can request a collaborator whose collaborator information is registered to search for the lost child, and the collaborator who is requested to search for the lost child can then search for the target. The following explains the process when the target person gets lost.

To request a helper to search for a lost child, a guardian first operates the guardian terminal 200 to submit a lost child request to request a search for the lost subject. When submitting a lost child request, the guardian specifies the subject to be searched for and information to identify the search destination. In this embodiment, the search destination can be an individual helper or a group or organization to which the helper belongs. The information to identify the search destination is the personal ID of the helper requesting the search or an organization ID to identify the organization or group to which the helper requesting the search belongs. The personal ID or organization ID of the helper can be provided by the helper requesting the search and can be entered by the guardian. When a lost child request is instructed by the guardian, the control device 203 of the guardian terminal 200 transmits lost child request information to the management server 100, including the personal ID of the guardian who submitted the lost child request, the subject ID of the subject to be searched for, and information to identify the search destination.

In the management server 100, when the control device 102 receives lost child application information from the parent/guardian terminal 200, it identifies the parent, the search target, and the search request destination based on the lost child application information. The control device 102 also issues a permission code, which is permission information that allows the collaborator set as the search request destination to use the search target's voiceprint data. The control device 102 then updates the parent/guardian information and target information based on the information identified based on the lost child application information and the issued permission code.

For example, Figure 8 shows an example of an update when a parent with personal ID 1 requests a collaborator belonging to an organization with organization ID 1000 to search for Mr. C, whose target ID is 1-1. It is assumed here that the control device 102 issues the permission code "123456." In this case, as shown in Figure 8(A), the control device 102 updates the parent DB by setting "1-1," the target ID of the person being searched, in the permission status of the parent information of the parent with personal ID 1 who filed the lost child report. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8(B), the control device 102 sets "1000" as the permission destination in the target information of Mr. C, who is the search target, and sets "123456" as the permission code, updating the target DB. It is also possible to set multiple permission destinations.

The control device 102 also transmits the issued permission code to the parent terminal 200. In the parent terminal 200, when the control device 203 receives the permission code from the management server 100, it displays information indicating the permission code on the touch panel 201. There are no particular limitations on the method for displaying the permission code, but the control device 203 may, for example, display the characters "123456" on the touch panel 101, or may convert the permission code into a two-dimensional code and then display it on the touch panel 201.

The guardian presents information indicating the authorization code displayed on touch panel 201, such as a two-dimensional code, to the helper requesting the search, and gives the helper permission to use the voiceprint data of the person being searched for. The helper, who receives the two-dimensional code from the guardian, inputs into the helper terminal 300 the personal ID or organization ID indicating the search destination that was presented to the guardian when filing the lost child claim, and the authorization code displayed on touch panel 201. There are no particular limitations on the method for inputting the authorization code into the helper terminal 300; for example, the character string displayed on touch panel 201 may be manually input by operating touch panel 301, or the two-dimensional code displayed on touch panel 201 may be read by a camera (not shown).

In the helper terminal 300, the control device 303 transmits voiceprint data usage permission request information, including the input information indicating the search destination and the permission code, to the management server 100, requesting permission to use the voiceprint data of the search target. In the management server 100, when the control device 102 receives the voiceprint data usage permission request information from the helper terminal 300, it updates the helper DB based on the received information. For example, in the example shown in Figures 8(A) and 8(B), as shown in Figure 8(C), the permission code is set to "123456" and the helper DB is updated for the helper information of all helpers belonging to the organization with an organization ID of 1000, i.e., all helpers with an organization ID of 1000. As a result, helpers with an organization ID of 1000 are permitted to use Mr. C's voiceprint data.

When the control device 102 sets the authorization code for the helper information and updates the helper DB, it sends an authorization completion notification to the parent terminal 200 of the parent who filed the lost child claim and the helper terminal 300 of the helper who is authorized to use the voiceprint data of the search target, notifying them that authorization to use the voiceprint data has been completed. In the parent terminal 200, when the control device 203 receives an authorization completion notification from the management server 100, it displays the contents of the received notification on the touch panel 201 to notify the parent. In the helper terminal 300, when the control device 303 receives an authorization completion notification from the management server 100, it displays the contents of the received notification on the touch panel 301 to notify the helper. This allows the parent who filed the lost child claim and the helper who is authorized to use the voiceprint data of the search target to know that authorization to use the voiceprint data has been completed.

In this embodiment, once the collaborator is permitted to use the search target's voiceprint data through the above process, the collaborator can search for the search target using the voiceprint data. Below, we will explain the method for searching for the search target using voiceprint data in this embodiment.

When a helper finds a person they believe to be the search target, i.e., a lost child, they ask the lost child to speak while an application for using the lost child search support system 10 is running on the helper terminal 300. When the lost child's speech is input via the microphone 304, the control device 303 transmits the audio data of the input speech and matching information including the helper's personal ID to the management server 100.

In the management server 100, when the control device 102 receives matching information from the helper terminal 300, it converts the voice data of the spoken voice into voiceprint data. The control device 102 references the helper DB and the target DB, and selects, as the target of matching, target information registered in the target DB whose authorization code matches the authorization code assigned to the helper and whose authorized party matches the helper's personal ID, organization ID 1, or organization ID 2, and determines whether any of the voiceprint data matches the voiceprint data contained in the matching information. For example, as shown in FIG. 8(C), in a situation where authorization code 123456 has been assigned to organization ID 1000 and a helper with individual ID 10001 captures the voice of a lost person, the control device 102 selects the voiceprint data of person C, whose authorization code matches the authorized party's organization ID, as shown in FIG. 8(B). The process of comparing two sets of voiceprint data and determining whether they match is well known, so a detailed description will be omitted here.

If the voiceprint data of the subject information used for comparison matches the voiceprint data included in the comparison information, the control device 102 identifies the subject information with the matching voiceprint data as information on a search subject candidate. The control device 102 also references the guardian DB to identify guardian information linked to the identified search subject candidate information. For example, if the identified search subject candidate information is the subject information of Mr. C, the control device 102 identifies the subject information of Mr. C and the guardian information of Mr. C's guardian, whose personal ID is 1.

The control device 102 transmits matching result information, including information on the identified search target candidate and guardian information, to the helper terminal 300. When the control device 303 of the helper terminal 300 receives the matching result information from the management server 100, it displays the received information on the touch panel 301. In this embodiment, for example, information such as "Subject: C-kun," "Guardian: AA BB," and contact information "XXX-XXXX-1234" is displayed on the touch panel 301. At this time, the contact information included in the matching result information is determined based on the permission range of the guardian information.

Based on the information about the potential search target displayed on the touch panel 301 and the parent/guardian information, the helper confirms with the parent/guardian that the discovered potential search target is the correct person. In this embodiment, for example, the helper can call or email the contact information displayed on the touch panel 301 to inform the parent/guardian of the characteristics of the discovered potential search target, allowing the parent/guardian to confirm that the person is the correct person.

If the potential search target found by the helper is indeed the search target, the guardian will collect the search target from the helper, thereby completing the collection of the lost child. Once the guardian has collected the lost child, they will use the guardian terminal 200 to perform an operation to cancel the permission to use the target's voiceprint data that was granted for the search request. When the guardian instructs the control device 203 to cancel the permission to use the target's voiceprint data, the control device 203 sends cancellation request information to the management server 100 to request the cancellation of the permission to use the target's voiceprint data.

In the management server 100, when the control device 102 receives release request information from the parent terminal 200, it performs processing to release the permission to use the subject's voiceprint data granted to the collaborator based on the received information. Specifically, the control device 102 updates the parent DB by deleting the data set as the permission status in the parent information of the parent who made the release request, updates the subject DB by deleting the data set as the permitted destination and the data set as the permission code in the subject information of the subject linked to the parent, and updates the collaborator DB by deleting the data set as the permission code in the collaborator information for which the permitted destination deleted from the subject information is set in organization ID1 or organization ID2.

As a result, the guardian DB, target DB, and collaborator DB shown in Figure 8 are updated as shown in Figure 9. That is, in Figure 9(A), the data set as the permission status in the guardian information of the guardian with personal ID 1 who made the release request has been deleted and updated to "none." Also, in Figure 9(B), the data set as the permission destination and the data set as the permission code in the target information of Mr. C, who is linked to the guardian with personal ID 1, have both been deleted and updated to "none." Also, in Figure 9(C), the data set as the permission code in the collaborator information, whose value set in organization ID 1 or organization ID 2 matches the permission destination deleted from the target information, has been deleted.

In this embodiment, when one helper is permitted to use the voiceprint data of multiple search targets, multiple permission codes are set in the permission code of the helper information according to the number of voiceprint data that the helper is permitted to use. In the example shown in Figure 9, the helper with personal ID 10001 is also permitted to use the voiceprint data of Mr. F, whose target ID is 2-1, based on a lost child report from a guardian with personal ID 2. That is, in the guardian DB shown in Figure 9 (A), the permission status of the guardian information of the guardian with personal ID 2 is set to "2-1." Furthermore, in the target DB shown in Figure 9 (B), "10001" is set as the permission destination for the target information of Mr. F, whose target ID is "2-1," and "234567" is set as the permission code. Additionally, the collaborator DB shown in Figure 9 (C) shows that the authorization codes "123456" and "234567" were set for the collaborator with personal ID 10001, but upon completion of the search for Mr. C, "123456" was deleted, leaving only "234567."

On the other hand, the helper, based on the information on the potential search subject displayed on the touch panel 301 and the parent information, confirms with the parent whether the discovered potential search subject is indeed the search subject. If the discovered potential search subject is not the search subject, the helper will re-match the lost child's voice data. In this case, the helper inputs information on the touch panel 301 indicating that the potential search subject is not the search subject. When the helper inputs information indicating that the potential search subject is not the search subject, the control device 303 transmits re-match request information to the management server 100 to request a re-match of the lost child's voice data.

When the control device 102 of the management server 100 receives re-matching request information from the helper terminal 300, it executes a re-matching process for the lost person's speech voice data based on the received information. The re-matching process for the lost person's speech voice data is described below.

In this embodiment, in the re-matching process, the control device 102 excludes from the re-matching the voiceprint data of subjects who were determined not to be search targets as a result of the previous match, and re-matches the voiceprint data of the lost person used in the previous match with the voiceprint data of subjects that the collaborator has permission to use. Specifically, the process is carried out as follows:

The control device 102 updates the subject DB by setting the personal ID of the helper as the search exclusion ID for the subject information of Mr. C in Figure 8(B), the subject for whom the voiceprint data matching result was incorrect. As a result, for example, as shown in Figure 10(B), the search exclusion ID for Mr. C's subject information is set to 10001, the personal ID of the helper who found the lost child.

The control device 102 references the collaborator DB and the target DB, and from the target information registered in the target DB, excludes targets whose collaborator's personal ID is set as the search exclusion ID, and then matches target information whose permission code matches the permission code assigned to the collaborator and whose permission recipient matches the collaborator's personal ID, organization ID1, or organization ID2, to determine whether any of the target voiceprint data matches the voiceprint data included in the matching information.

Here, as shown in Figure 10(C), an example will be described in which authorization code 123456 is assigned to group ID 1000 and authorization code 234567 is assigned to individual ID 10001, and a re-match is performed using the voice of a lost person acquired by a helper with individual ID 10001. In this example shown in Figure 10(C), the helper with individual ID 10001 is set with authorization code 123456 for C's voiceprint data and authorization code 234567 for F's voiceprint data. However, in the target person DB shown in Figure 10(B), 10001 is set as the search exclusion ID in C's target person information, so C's voiceprint data is excluded from matching with the speech data of the lost person found by the helper with individual ID 10001, and F's voiceprint data becomes the target for matching.

For this reason, the control device 102 excludes from the re-matching target the voiceprint data of Mr. C, whose personal ID = 10001 of the owner of the collaborator terminal 300 is set as the search exclusion ID in the target DB, and performs the above-mentioned voiceprint data matching process using the voiceprint data of Mr. F, another target whose voiceprint data is permitted to be used by the collaborator with personal ID 10001, as the target for matching.

If the target information to be re-matched contains voiceprint data that matches the voiceprint data included in the matching information, the control device 102 will identify the target information with matching voiceprint data as information on a search target candidate, similar to the matching process described above, and will reference the guardian DB to identify guardian information linked to the identified search target candidate information. For example, if the identified search target candidate information is Mr. F, then Mr. F's target information and the guardian information of Mr. F's guardian, whose personal ID is 2, will be identified.

After that, as in the case of the matching process described above, information on the identified search target candidate and guardian information is displayed on the touch panel 301 of the helper terminal 300, and the helper confirms with the guardian that the discovered search target candidate is correct. If there is no mistake, the guardian will retrieve the lost child as described above, and if there is a mistake, the helper will perform a re-matching process as described above.

Furthermore, if there is no voiceprint data in the subject information that matches the voiceprint data included in the matching information, the control device 102 transmits to the helper terminal 300 no-matcher information indicating that there is no voiceprint data in the subject information that matches the voiceprint data of the spoken voice included in the matching information. When the control device 303 in the helper terminal 300 receives the no-matcher information from the management server 100, it displays the received information on the touch panel 301. This allows the helper to understand that the lost person they found is not the person they are searching for.

Figure 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of the authorization code issuance process executed by the management server 100 in the first embodiment. The process shown in Figure 11 is executed by the control device 102 as a program that is activated when lost child application information is received from the parent terminal 200, as described above. Note that in Figure 11, it is assumed that the above-mentioned registration of parent information in the parent DB, registration of subject information in the subject DB, and registration of collaborator information in the collaborator DB have already been completed.

In step S10, the control device 102 identifies the guardian, the search target, and the search request destination based on the lost child application information received from the guardian terminal 200, and issues a permission code to the collaborator set as the search request destination to allow the search target's voiceprint data to be used by the collaborator, as described above. Then, the control device 102 updates the guardian information and target information based on the information identified based on the lost child application information and the issued permission code, as described above. Then, the process proceeds to step S20.

In step S20, the control device 102 transmits the issued code to the parent terminal 200 that submitted the lost child notification. Then, the process proceeds to step S30.

In step S30, the control device 102 determines whether the above-mentioned voiceprint data usage permission request information has been received from the collaborator terminal 300. If the determination in step S30 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S40.

In step S40, the control device 102 allows the collaborator to use the subject's voiceprint data by updating the collaborator DB based on the received information, as described above. Then, the process ends.

Figure 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of the lost child determination process executed by the management server 100 in the first embodiment. The process shown in Figure 12 is executed by the control device 102 as a program that is activated when matching information is received from the helper terminal 300, as described above. Note that in Figure 12, it is assumed that the registration of guardian information in the guardian DB, the registration of subject information in the subject DB, and the registration of helper information in the helper DB have already been completed.

In step S110, the control device 102 converts the voice data of the spoken voice contained in the matching information received from the helper terminal 300 into voiceprint data. Then, the process proceeds to step S120.

In step S120, as described above, the control device 102 references the collaborator DB and the subject DB, and performs a process of matching the spoken voice with the voiceprint data by determining whether any of the subject information registered in the subject DB whose authorization code matches the authorization code assigned to the collaborator and whose authorization recipient matches the collaborator's personal ID, organization ID1, or organization ID2 matches the voiceprint data included in the matching information. Then, the process proceeds to step S130.

In step S130, the control device 102 determines whether any voiceprint data in the subject information matches the voiceprint data contained in the matching information. If the determination in step S130 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S140.

In step S140, as described above, the control device 102 identifies the subject information with matching voiceprint data as information on a potential search subject, and references the guardian DB to identify guardian information linked to the identified information on the potential search subject. The control device 102 then transmits the identified information on the potential search subject and the guardian information to the helper terminal 300. Then, the process proceeds to step S150.

In step S150, the control device 102 determines whether the above-mentioned release request information has been received from the parent terminal 200. If the determination in step S150 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S160.

In step S160, the control device 102 revokes the permission granted to the helper to use the subject's voiceprint data by updating the parent DB, subject DB, and helper DB based on the release request information received from the parent terminal 200, as described above. Then, the processing ends.

On the other hand, if the determination in step S150 is negative, the process proceeds to step S170, where the control device 102 determines whether the above-mentioned re-match request information has been received from the collaborator terminal 300. If the determination in step S170 is negative, the process returns to step S150. On the other hand, if the determination in step S170 is positive, the process proceeds to step S180.

In step S180, the control device 102 performs the process of re-matching the lost person's spoken voice with the voiceprint data, as described above. Then, the process returns to step S130.

Also, if a negative judgment is made in step S130, the process proceeds to step S190, where the control device 102 transmits no-match information to the helper terminal 300 indicating that the voiceprint data in the subject information does not match the voiceprint data of the lost person's voice. Then, the process ends.

Figure 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of the lost child application process executed by the parent/guardian terminal 200 in the first embodiment. The process shown in Figure 13 is executed by the control device 203 as a program that is activated when a parent/guardian instructs the start of a lost child application. Note that in Figure 13, it is assumed that the above-mentioned registration of parent information in the parent DB, registration of subject information in the subject DB, and registration of collaborator information in the collaborator DB have already been completed.

In step S210, the control device 203 determines whether the guardian has specified search information, i.e., information for identifying the person to be searched and the destination to which the search request should be made. If a positive determination is made in step S210, the process proceeds to step S220.

In step S220, the control device 203 transmits to the management server 100 lost child notification information that includes the personal ID of the guardian who submitted the lost child notification to the management server 100, the target ID of the person to be searched for, and information for identifying the destination of the search request. Then, the process proceeds to step S230.

In step S230, the control device 203 determines whether the above-mentioned authorization code has been received from the management server 100. If the determination in step S230 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S240.

In step S240, the control device 203 displays information indicating the authorization code received from the management server 100, such as a two-dimensional code, on the touch panel 201. Then, the process proceeds to step S250.

In step S250, the control device 203 determines whether the above-mentioned authorization completion notification has been received from the management server 100. If the determination in step S250 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S260.

In step S260, the control device 204 displays the content of the notification received from the management server 100 on the touch panel 201. Then, the process ends.

Figure 14 is a flowchart showing the flow of the voiceprint data usage authority cancellation application process executed by the parent/guardian terminal 200 in the first embodiment. The process shown in Figure 14 is executed by the control device 203 as a program that is activated when the parent/guardian issues an instruction to start an application to cancel the subject's voiceprint data usage permission. Note that in Figure 14, it is assumed that the above-mentioned registration of parent information in the parent DB, registration of subject information in the subject DB, and registration of collaborator information in the collaborator DB have already been completed.

In step S310, the control device 203, as described above, sends cancellation request information to the management server 100 to request cancellation of the permission to use the subject's voiceprint data. Then, the process ends.

Figure 15 is a flowchart showing the flow of the voiceprint data usage authorization process executed by the helper terminal 300 in the first embodiment. The process shown in Figure 15 is executed by the control device 303 as a program that is activated upon receiving the above-mentioned authorization completion notification from the management server 100. Note that in Figure 15, it is assumed that the above-mentioned registration of guardian information in the guardian DB, registration of subject information in the subject DB, and registration of collaborator information in the collaborator DB have already been completed.

In step S410, the control device 303 displays the contents of the authorization completion notification received from the management server 100 on the touch panel 301. Then, the process ends.

Figure 16 is a flowchart showing the flow of the process executed by the helper terminal 300 when a lost person is found in the first embodiment. The process shown in Figure 16 is executed by the control device 303 as a program that is activated when the helper instructs the start of inputting the lost person's speech. Note that in Figure 16, it is assumed that the above-mentioned registration of parent information in the parent DB, registration of subject information in the subject DB, and registration of helper information in the helper DB have already been completed.

In step S510, the control device 303 determines whether the lost person's voice has been input via the microphone 304. If the determination in step S510 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S520.

In step S520, the control device 303 transmits the voice data of the input speech and matching information including the collaborator's personal ID to the management server 100. Then, proceed to step S530.

In step S530, the control device 303 determines whether the above-mentioned matching result information has been received from the management server 100. If a positive determination is made in step S530, the process proceeds to step S540, where the control device 303 displays the matching result information received from the management server 100 on the touch panel 301. Then, the process proceeds to step S550.

In step S550, the control device 303 determines whether the helper has input information indicating that the candidate search target is not the search target, as described above, and has instructed a re-match of the spoken voice. If the determination in step S550 is negative, the processing ends. On the other hand, if the determination in step S550 is positive, the process proceeds to step S560.

In step S560, the control device 303, as described above, sends rematch request information to the management server 100 to request a rematch of the lost person's speech data. Then, the process returns to step S530.

Also, if a negative judgment is made in step S530, the process proceeds to step S570, where the control device 303 determines whether the above-mentioned no-verifier information has been received from the management server 100. If a positive judgment is made in step S570, the process proceeds to step S580.

In step S580, the control device 303 displays the received no-verifier information on the touch panel 301. Then, the process ends.

According to the first embodiment described above, the following advantageous effects can be obtained.
(1) The control device 102 of the management server 100 accepts a search request for a lost child from the guardian of a search target, and upon accepting the search request, grants a collaborator who cooperates in the search for the lost child access to the search target's voiceprint data. When the collaborator discovers a potential search target who may be the search target, the control device 102 accepts input of the search target's voice data from the collaborator. Upon accepting the input of the search target's voice data, the control device 102 determines whether the potential search target is a search target based on the access permission granted to the search target's voiceprint data, using pre-registered voiceprint data and the voiceprint data of the search target's voice, and notifies the collaborator of the determination result. This helps the collaborator determine whether a potential search target who is thought to be lost is a search target.

(2) The control device 102 determines whether the search target candidate is a search target by comparing the voiceprint data of the search target candidate's spoken voice with the voiceprint data of the search target candidate, which is pre-registered and for which the collaborator who discovered the search target candidate has usage rights. If the search target candidate is a search target, the control device 102 notifies the collaborator of information about the search target candidate and their guardian. This makes it possible to narrow down the targets for which the search target candidate's spoken voice is compared with the voiceprint data of the search target candidate to target information for which the collaborator is authorized to use voiceprint data, thereby reducing the load on the comparison process. In addition, the collaborator can be notified of the comparison results early. Furthermore, because the targets for which the search target candidate's spoken voice is compared with the voiceprint data of the search target candidate is limited to target information for which the collaborator is authorized to use voiceprint data, it is possible to protect the personal information of targets for which the collaborator is not authorized to use voiceprint data.

(3) When the control device 102 receives a request from a guardian to search for a lost child, it issues a permission code to a collaborator who cooperates in the search for the lost child, allowing them to use the voiceprint data of the person being searched for. The permission code is used to grant the collaborator permission to use the voiceprint data of the person being searched for. In this way, simply by adding the permission code to the subject DB and the collaborator DB, the collaborator can be granted permission to use the voiceprint data of the person being searched for.

(4) The control device 102 accepts a request from the guardian to revoke the authorization to use the voiceprint data of the search target that was granted to the collaborator, and revokes the authorization to use the voiceprint data of the search target that the collaborator has. This allows the authorization to use the voiceprint data of the collaborator to be revoked when the search for the search target is completed.

(5) If a search target candidate determined to be a search target is not the search target, the control device 102 performs a voice re-match using the voiceprint data of the target information and the voiceprint data of the spoken voice of the search target candidate. This allows for a re-match if an erroneous determination occurs in the voice recognition.

(6) The control device 102 is configured to perform a re-match by excluding the voiceprint data of search target candidates who have been erroneously determined to be search targets. This allows the re-match to be performed by excluding the voiceprint data of subjects who have been determined not to be search targets, thereby improving the accuracy of determining search targets.

- Second embodiment -
In the first embodiment described above, the control device 102 in the management server 100, upon receiving matching information from the helper terminal 300, converts the voice data of the uttered voice into voiceprint data, and then determines whether any of the subject information registered in the subject DB, whose authorization code matches the authorization code assigned to the helper and whose authorization recipient matches the helper's personal ID, organization ID 1, or organization ID 2, matches the voiceprint data contained in the matching information, as a matching target. In contrast, in the second embodiment, a method will be described in which, upon receiving matching information from the helper terminal 300, the control device 102 converts the voice data of the uttered voice into voiceprint data, and then determines whether any of the subject information registered in the subject DB, whose voiceprint data matches the voiceprint data contained in the matching information, matches the voiceprint data contained in the matching information, as a matching target. That is, in the second embodiment, an example will be described in which the voiceprint data of the subject and the speech data of the lost person are compared using the subject information registered in the subject DB as the comparison target, regardless of whether the authorization code included in the subject information matches the authorization code given to the helper. Note that in the second embodiment, since Figures 1 to 11 and 13 to 16 are the same as those in the first embodiment, their explanations will be omitted and the explanation will focus on the differences from the first embodiment.

In the second embodiment, when a helper finds a lost child who is thought to be the search target, the helper runs an application for using the lost child search support system 10 on the helper terminal 300 and asks the found lost child to speak. When the lost child's spoken voice is input via the microphone 304, the control device 303 transmits the voice data of the input voice and matching information including the helper's personal ID to the management server 100. Then, in the management server 100, the control device 102 receives the matching information from the helper terminal 300 and converts the voice data of the spoken voice into voiceprint data.

In the second embodiment, the control device 102 references the subject DB and uses the subject information registered in the subject DB as the target for comparison to determine whether any of the target voiceprint data matches the voiceprint data included in the matching information. For example, in the helper information shown in Figure 8 (C), if the helper with personal ID = 10001 acquires the voice of a lost person, the control device 102 uses the subject information of Mr. C, Mr. D, and Mr. F, whose voiceprint data is registered in the subject information shown in Figure 8 (B), as the target for comparison.

If the voiceprint data of the subject information being compared matches the voiceprint data contained in the comparison information, the control device 102, as in the first embodiment, identifies the subject information with matching voiceprint data as information on a candidate search subject, and identifies the guardian information linked to the identified information on the candidate search subject.

The control device 102 then identifies the contact information, such as an email address, of the parent who filed the missing child request based on the parent information linked to the identified information on the potential search target, and notifies the parent terminal 200 carried by the parent that the potential search target has been found. This allows the parent to be automatically notified that a person believed to be lost has been found. Upon receiving the discovery notification, the parent can then go to a designated collection location, such as a lost child center, or the location where the potential search target was found to collect the lost child. In this case, if the location where the lost child is to be collected is the location where the potential search target was found, the discovery notification may include information indicating the location where the potential search target was found, i.e., the current location of the helper terminal 300.

The control device 102 also determines whether the collaborator who discovered the potential search subject is authorized to use the voiceprint data of the potential search subject. In this embodiment, the control device 102 determines that the collaborator who discovered the potential search subject is authorized to use the voiceprint data of the potential search subject if the authorization code in the information of the potential search subject matches the authorization code given to the collaborator who discovered the potential search subject, and the authorization destination in the information of the potential search subject matches the personal ID, organization ID1, or organization ID2 of the collaborator who discovered the potential search subject.

When the control device 102 determines that the helper who discovered the search target candidate is authorized to use the voiceprint data of the search target candidate, it transmits matching result information including the information on the search target candidate identified in the above-described process and guardian information to the helper terminal 300. For example, in the example shown in Figure 8, if the information on the identified search target candidate is Mr. C, the target information for Mr. C and the guardian information of Mr. C's guardian, whose personal ID is 1, are identified. Then, on the helper terminal 300, when the control device 303 receives the matching result information from the management server 100, it displays the received information on the touch panel 301, as in the first embodiment.

In the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the helper contacts the guardian based on the information about the potential search subject displayed on the touch panel 301 and the guardian information to confirm that the discovered potential search subject is the correct person. Then, as in the first embodiment, if the guardian is correct that the potential search subject discovered by the helper is the correct person, the guardian collects the search subject from the helper, thereby completing the collection of the lost child, and uses the guardian terminal 200 to perform an operation to cancel the permission to use the subject's voiceprint data that was granted in connection with the search request. Meanwhile, if the helper confirms with the guardian that the discovered potential search subject is the correct person, and the discovered potential search subject is not the correct person, the helper re-matches the lost child's voice data, as in the first embodiment. The process for canceling the permission to use the subject's voiceprint data that was granted in connection with the search request and the process for re-matching the lost child's voice data are the same as in the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described here.

On the other hand, if the control device 102 determines that the helper who discovered the potential search subject is not authorized to use the voiceprint data of the potential search subject, it transmits information indicating that the helper is not authorized to use the voiceprint data of the potential search subject to the helper terminal 300 as matching result information. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 8, if the identified potential search subject information is Mr. F, the helper with personal ID 10001 does not have authorization to use Mr. F's voiceprint data, and therefore information indicating that the helper is not authorized to use the voiceprint data of the potential search subject is transmitted to the helper terminal 300 as matching result information. On the helper terminal 300, the control device 303 displays the matching result information received from the management server 100 on the touch panel 301. This allows the helper to understand that, among the subject information registered in the subject DB, there is a subject whose voiceprint data matches the lost person they discovered, but that they do not have permission to use that subject's voiceprint data.

In this case, the helper cannot contact the parent because parent information is not displayed on the touch panel 301. As a result, the helper waits for the parent to take action, such as contacting them or having the parent retrieve the lost child. After that, the parent confirms whether the candidate search target is a search target. Depending on the result, the parent will execute a process to cancel the permission to use the target's voiceprint data granted for the search request described above, or a process to re-match the lost child's voice data. In other words, if the candidate search target is a search target, the control device 102 executes a process to cancel the permission to use the target's voiceprint data granted for the search request based on instructions from the parent. On the other hand, if the candidate search target is not a search target, the control device 102 executes a process to re-match the lost child's voice data based on instructions from the helper.

Figure 17 is a flowchart showing the flow of the lost person determination process executed by the management server 100 in the second embodiment. The process shown in Figure 17 is executed by the control device 102 as a program that is activated when matching information is received from the helper terminal 300, as described above. Note that in Figure 17, it is assumed that the above-mentioned registration of guardian information in the guardian DB, registration of subject information in the subject DB, and registration of helper information in the helper DB have already been completed. Also, in Figure 17, processes similar to those in Figure 12 shown in the first embodiment are assigned the same step numbers and their explanations are omitted; here, the differences from Figure 12 will be mainly described.

If the determination in step S130 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S131. In step S131, the control device 102 determines, as described above, whether the collaborator who discovered the candidate search subject is authorized to use the candidate search subject's voiceprint data. If the determination in step S131 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S140.

In step S140, as described above, the control device 102 identifies the subject information with matching voiceprint data as information on a potential search subject, and references the guardian DB to identify guardian information linked to the identified information on the potential search subject. The control device 102 then transmits the identified information on the potential search subject and the guardian information to the helper terminal 300. Then, the process proceeds to step S141.

On the other hand, if a negative judgment is made in step S131, the process proceeds to step S132, where the control device 102 transmits, as described above, information indicating that the collaborator is not permitted to use the voiceprint data of the search target candidate to the collaborator terminal 300 as matching result information. Then, the process proceeds to step S141.

In step S141, the control device 102, as described above, identifies the contact information, such as an email address, of the parent who filed the missing child claim based on the parent information linked to the information on the potential search target, and notifies the parent terminal 200 carried by the parent that the potential search target has been found. Then, the process proceeds to step S150.

According to the second embodiment described above, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The control device 102 of the management server 100 compares pre-registered voiceprint data of the target person with the voiceprint data of the lost child's voice to identify the target person's voiceprint data that matches the voiceprint data of the lost child's voice, and if the collaborator has the authority to use the identified voiceprint data, notifies the collaborator of information about the candidate search target person and information about the candidate search target person's guardian. This allows the collaborator to be notified of the target person's and guardian's information only if the collaborator has the authority to use the voiceprint data, thereby protecting the personal information of the target person and guardian.

(2) When the control device 102 of the management server 100 determines that a candidate for a search target is the person being searched for, it notifies the guardian who filed a missing child claim for the person being searched for that the person has been found. This allows the guardian to know that the person being searched for has been found.

-Variation-
The lost child search support system of the above-described embodiment can be modified as follows.
(1) In the first embodiment described above, when the control device 102 finds any information on the subject whose voiceprint data matches the voiceprint data included in the matching information, the control device 102 transmits matching result information including information on the potential search subject and guardian information to the helper terminal 300. In this case, in the first embodiment as in the second embodiment, when the control device 102 finds any information on the subject whose voiceprint data matches the voiceprint data included in the matching information, the control device 102 may identify the contact information, for example, an email address, of the guardian who filed the missing child request based on the guardian information linked to the identified information on the potential search subject, and notify the guardian terminal 200 carried by the guardian that the potential search subject has been found.

(2) In the first and second embodiments described above, the guardian registers the subject information in advance, and the voiceprint data of the subject included in the subject information is obtained by acquiring the subject's spoken voice via the microphone 204 of the guardian terminal 200 and converting it into voiceprint data. This voiceprint data of the subject may be changed or added after registration. For example, if the guardian instructs the control device 102 to change the voiceprint data, the control device 102 may delete the already registered voiceprint data and register new voiceprint data received from the guardian terminal 200 in the subject information. This makes it possible to update the subject's voiceprint data when the matching accuracy of the registered voiceprint data is low or when the subject's voice has changed due to voice change or other reasons. Furthermore, if the guardian instructs the control device 102 to add voiceprint data, the control device 102 may combine the already registered voiceprint data with the new voiceprint data received from the guardian terminal 200, perform machine learning on the voiceprint data, and update the voiceprint data included in the subject information. This makes it possible to improve the accuracy of voice recognition by machine learning the subject's voiceprint data.

(3) In the first and second embodiments described above, an example was described in which the lost person's speech data is re-matched if the search target candidate discovered by the helper is not the search target. However, the processing when the search target candidate discovered by the helper is not the search target is not limited to this and can be modified as follows. When matching the lost person's speech, the control device 102 matches the lost person's speech data with the voiceprint data included in the target person information and identifies the target with the highest match rate as the search target candidate voiceprint data. The control device 102 then stores the matching results, and if the search target candidate discovered by the helper is not the search target, the control device 102 may identify the target with the second highest match rate as the search target candidate based on the stored matching results instead of re-matching the lost person's speech data. This allows the initial voice recognition results to be used when the search target candidate discovered by the helper is not the search target, eliminating the need for re-matching and improving processing load and speed.

(4) In the first and second embodiments described above, an example was described in which voiceprint data was used to identify a lost person. That is, the subject's voiceprint data was registered in advance in the subject information as authentication data for authenticating the subject, and the voice data of the candidate search subject was converted into voiceprint data, which was used as identification data. The authentication data and the identification data were compared to determine whether the candidate search subject is the person being searched for. However, any authentication method other than voiceprint authentication may be used as long as it can identify a lost person. For example, the present invention can also be realized using other biometric authentication methods such as facial authentication or fingerprint authentication. Note that when facial authentication is used, facial authentication information of the subject is registered in the subject information as authentication data, and facial image data of the lost person photographed by a helper is used as identification data, and authentication is performed using the authentication data and the identification data. Furthermore, when fingerprint authentication is used, fingerprint authentication information of the subject is registered in the subject information as authentication data, and fingerprint data of the lost person taken by a helper is used as identification data, and authentication is performed using the authentication data and the identification data.

(5) In the first and second embodiments described above, we assumed that if a parent and child visiting a theme park get lost, the parent, who is the guardian, would ask theme park staff, who are the cooperating parties, to search for the child, who is the person being searched for. However, the person being searched for is not limited to the child, and the guardian is not limited to the parent, as long as they are someone who could be the subject of search when the child gets lost.

The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, as long as the characteristic functions of the present invention are not impaired. Furthermore, the present invention may be configured by combining the above-described embodiment with multiple modified examples.

10 Lost child search support system 100 Management server 101 Connection interface 102 Control device 103 Storage medium 200 Parent terminal 201 Touch panel 202 Communication module 203 Control device 204 Microphone 300 Helper terminal 301 Touch panel 302 Communication module 303 Control device 304 Microphone

Claims (24)

A lost child search support system for supporting a search for a lost child,
a lost child request receiving means for receiving a lost child search request from the guardian of the person to be searched;
a usage authority granting means for granting a usage authority of the authentication data of the person being searched to a collaborator who cooperates in the search for the lost child when the lost child search application receiving means receives a search application for the lost child;
an identification data input receiving means for receiving input of identification data from the collaborator when the collaborator finds a search target candidate who may be the search target;
a search target determination means for determining whether the search target candidate is a search target using the authentication data and the identification data based on the authorization to use the authentication data of the search target granted by the authorization granting means when the input of the identification data is accepted by the identification data input accepting means, and notifying the collaborator of the determination result ;
a permission information issuing means for issuing permission information to a helper who cooperates in the search for the lost child when the lost child search request accepting means accepts a search request for the lost child, for allowing the helper to use the authentication data of the person to be searched for;
A lost child search support system characterized in that the usage authority granting means grants the collaborator the authority to use the authentication data of the person being searched for using the permission information issued by the permission information issuing means . The lost child search support system according to claim 1,
The search target determination means determines whether the candidate search target is a person to be searched for by comparing the authentication data, among the authentication data registered in advance, that the helper who discovered the candidate search target has the authority to use with the identification data, and if the candidate search target is a person to be searched for, notifies the helper of information about the candidate search target and information about the person's guardian.This lost child search support system is characterized by the above. The lost child search support system according to claim 1,
The search target determination means compares the authentication data registered in advance with the identification data to identify the authentication data that matches the identification data, and if the collaborator has the authority to use the identified authentication data, notifies the collaborator of information regarding the candidate search target and information regarding the parent or guardian of the candidate search target. This lost child search support system is characterized by the above. The lost child search support system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
a cancellation request receiving means for receiving, from the guardian, a cancellation request for the authorization to use the authentication data of the search target, which has been granted to the helper;
A lost child search support system further characterized by comprising an authorization cancellation means for canceling the collaborator's authorization to use the authentication data of the person being searched for when a cancellation application is accepted by the cancellation application acceptance means. The lost child search support system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
A lost child search support system characterized by further comprising a re-matching means for re-matching using the authentication data and the identification data if the candidate search target determined by the search target determination means to be the search target is not the search target. 6. The lost child search support system according to claim 5 ,
The lost child search support system is characterized in that the re-matching means performs re-matching by excluding authentication data of the candidate search target who has been erroneously determined to be the search target by the search target determination means. The lost child search support system according to any one of claims 1 to 6 ,
The lost child search support system further comprises a notification means for notifying the guardian who filed a missing child claim for the search target that the search target has been found when the search target determination means determines that the candidate search target is the search target. The lost child search support system according to any one of claims 1 to 7 ,
The authentication data is voiceprint data of a person who is a search target for a lost child,
the identification data input receiving means receives input of speech data of the search target candidate as the identification data;
The search target determination means converts the speech data of the candidate search target, which has been input by the identification data input receiving means, into voiceprint data and then compares it with the authentication data to determine whether the candidate search target is a person to be searched for. This is a lost child search support system characterized by the above. A lost child search support device for supporting a search for a lost child,
a lost child request receiving means for receiving a lost child search request from the guardian of the person to be searched;
a usage authority granting means for granting a usage authority of the authentication data of the person being searched to a collaborator who cooperates in the search for the lost child when the lost child search application receiving means receives a search application for the lost child;
an identification data input receiving means for receiving input of identification data of the search target candidate from the cooperator when the cooperator finds a search target candidate who may be the search target;
a search target determination means for determining whether the search target candidate is a search target using the authentication data and the identification data based on the authorization to use the authentication data of the search target granted by the authorization granting means when the input of the identification data is accepted by the identification data input accepting means, and notifying the collaborator of the determination result ;
a permission information issuing means for issuing permission information to a helper who cooperates in the search for the lost child when the lost child search request accepting means accepts a search request for the lost child, for allowing the helper to use the authentication data of the person to be searched for;
The lost child search support device is characterized in that the usage authority granting means grants the helper the authority to use the authentication data of the person being searched for using the permission information issued by the permission information issuing means . The lost child search support device according to claim 9 ,
The search target determination means determines whether the candidate search target is a person to be searched for by comparing the authentication data, among the authentication data registered in advance, that the helper who discovered the candidate search target has the authority to use with the identification data, and if the candidate search target is a person to be searched for, notifies the helper of information about the candidate search target and information about the person's guardian. This lost child search support device is characterized by the above. The lost child search support device according to claim 9 ,
The search target determination means compares the authentication data registered in advance with the identification data to identify the authentication data that matches the identification data, and if the collaborator has the authority to use the identified authentication data, notifies the collaborator of information regarding the candidate search target and information regarding the parent or guardian of the candidate search target. This lost child search support device is characterized by the above. The lost child search support device according to any one of claims 9 to 11 ,
a cancellation request receiving means for receiving, from the guardian, a cancellation request for the authorization to use the authentication data of the search target, which has been granted to the helper;
A lost child search support device further characterized by comprising an authorization cancellation means for canceling the authorization of the collaborator to use the authentication data of the person being searched for when a cancellation application is accepted by the cancellation application acceptance means. The lost child search support device according to any one of claims 9 to 12 ,
A lost child search support device characterized by further comprising a re-matching means for performing a re-match using the authentication data and the identification data if the candidate search target determined by the search target determination means to be the search target is not the search target. The lost child search support device according to claim 13 ,
The lost child search support device is characterized in that the re-matching means performs re-matching by excluding authentication data of the candidate search target who has been erroneously determined to be the search target by the search target determination means. The lost child search support device according to any one of claims 9 to 14 ,
This lost child search support device is characterized by further comprising a notification means for notifying the guardian who filed a missing child claim for the search target that the search target has been found when the search target determination means determines that the candidate search target is the search target. The lost child search support device according to any one of claims 9 to 15 ,
The authentication data is voiceprint data of a person who is a search target for a lost child,
the identification data input receiving means receives input of speech data of the search target candidate as the identification data;
The search target determination means converts the speech data of the candidate search target, which has been input by the identification data input receiving means, into voiceprint data and then compares it with the authentication data to determine whether the candidate search target is a person to be searched for. This lost child search support device is characterized in that the search target determination means determines whether the candidate search target is a person to be searched for or not by converting the speech data of the candidate search target, which has been input by the identification data input receiving means, into voiceprint data and then comparing it with the authentication data. A lost child search support program for supporting the search for a lost child,
The procedure for accepting applications for the search of a lost child from the parents of the person being searched for, and
a usage authority granting step of granting a usage authority of the authentication data of the person being searched to a collaborator who cooperates in the search for the lost child when the lost child search application is accepted in the lost child search application acceptance step;
an identification data input receiving step of receiving input of identification data of the search target candidate from the collaborator when the collaborator finds a search target candidate who may be the search target;
a search target determination procedure for determining whether the search target candidate is a search target using the authentication data and the identification data based on the access authority of the search target person granted in the access authority granting procedure when the input of the identification data is accepted in the identification data input acceptance procedure, and notifying the collaborator of the determination result ;
a procedure for issuing permission information to a collaborator who cooperates in the search for the lost child when a search request for a lost child is accepted in the procedure for accepting search requests for a lost child, for allowing the collaborator to use authentication data of the person being searched for ,
The lost child search support program is characterized in that the usage authority granting procedure grants the collaborator the authority to use the authentication data of the person being searched for using the permission information issued in the permission information issuing procedure. 18. The lost child search support program according to claim 17 ,
The search target determination procedure involves determining whether the candidate search target is a person to be searched for by comparing the authentication data, among the authentication data registered in advance, that the collaborator who discovered the candidate search target has the authority to use with the identification data, and if the candidate search target is a person to be searched for, notifying the collaborator of information about the person to be searched for and information about the person to be searched for.This is a lost child search support program characterized by the above. 18. The lost child search support program according to claim 17 ,
A lost child search support program characterized in that the search target determination procedure compares the authentication data registered in advance with the identification data to identify the authentication data that matches the identification data, and if the collaborator has the authority to use the identified authentication data, notifies the collaborator of information regarding the candidate search target and information regarding the parent or guardian of the candidate search target. The lost child search support program according to any one of claims 17 to 19 ,
a cancellation request acceptance procedure for accepting, from the guardian, an application for cancellation of the authorization to use the authentication data of the search target, which has been granted to the collaborator;
A lost child search support program characterized by further comprising an authorization cancellation procedure for canceling the authorization of the collaborator to use the authentication data of the person being searched for when a cancellation application is accepted in the cancellation application acceptance procedure. The lost child search support program according to any one of claims 17 to 20 ,
A lost child search support program characterized by further having a re-matching procedure for re-matching using the authentication data and the identification data if the candidate search target determined to be the search target in the search target determination procedure is not the search target. 22. The lost child search support program according to claim 21 ,
The lost child search support program is characterized in that the re-matching procedure excludes authentication data of the candidate search target who was erroneously determined to be the search target in the search target determination procedure and performs re-matching. The lost child search support program according to any one of claims 17 to 22 ,
The lost child search support program further comprises a notification procedure for notifying the guardian who filed a missing child claim for the search target that the search target has been found when the search target candidate is determined to be the search target in the search target determination procedure. The lost child search support program according to any one of claims 17 to 23 ,
The authentication data is voiceprint data of a person who is a search target for a lost child,
the step of accepting input of data for identification includes accepting input of speech data of the search target candidate as the data for identification;
The search target determination procedure converts the speech data of the search target candidate, which has been input in the identification data input acceptance procedure, into voiceprint data, and then compares the data with the authentication data to perform voice recognition to determine whether the search target candidate is a person to be searched for. This is a lost child search support program characterized by the above.