Patent Publication Number: US-2013236155-A1

Title: Audio guiding device and audio guiding method

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to audio guiding devices and, more particularly, to an audio guiding device capable of guiding towards a dynamic exhibit and an audio guiding method. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Audio guiding devices of related art can introduce exhibits being exhibited in an exhibition. When the distance between a user with his audio guiding device and a booth/spot of the exhibition is less than a preset distance, the guiding device will play a corresponding audio file from the beginning to the end to introduce the exhibit shown at the exhibition booth/spot. However, when the exhibit is dynamically showed on one booth/spot, the currently exhibited content of the exhibit will not correspond to the played content of the audio file, thus the user may not get the introduction corresponding to the currently shown content of the exhibit. Therefore, it is desired to provide an audio guiding method to resolve the above problem. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the audio guiding device and audio guiding method. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a guiding device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a flowchart of an audio guiding method in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar elements. It should be noted that references to “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean “at least one”. 
       FIG. 1  shows an audio guiding device  1  in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. The audio guiding device  1  is connected to an audio playing unit  2 . The audio guiding device  1  is carried by a user. The audio guiding device  1  can receive signals sent from a booth/spot  3 , in an exhibition, for example, and control the audio playing unit  2  to audibly introduce the exhibit shown on the booth/spot  3 . The exhibit can be a static exhibit or a dynamic exhibit. When the distance between the user and the booth/spot  3  is less than a preset value, the booth/spot  3  automatically sends a signal containing an identifier of the exhibit to the audio guiding device  1 . The identifier of the exhibit represents the exhibit shown on the booth/spot  3 . In the embodiment, the identifier can be character or number. 
     When the exhibit being shown on the booth/spot  3  is the dynamic exhibit, the signal sent from the booth/spot  3  further contains exhibiting information of the exhibit. The exhibiting information of the exhibit is used to indicate which stage of the dynamic exhibit is being shown at the moment. The exhibiting information may be playing time point or content corresponding to the stage of the dynamic exhibit which is being shown at the moment. In alternative embodiment, when the exhibit shown on the booth/spot  3  is the dynamic exhibit, the booth/spot  3  first transmits a signal containing only the identifier to the audio guiding device  1 , and when the audio guiding device  1  determines that the exhibit corresponding to the identifier is the dynamic exhibit, the audio guiding device  1  feeds a signal back to the booth/spot  3 , the booth/spot  3  then sends a signal which contains the exhibiting information of the exhibit to the audio guiding device  1 . 
     The audio guiding device  1  includes an audio guiding system  10 , a processor  20 , and a storage unit  30 . In the embodiment, the audio guiding system  10  includes a signal obtaining module  101 , a file obtaining module  102 , and an executing module  103 . One or more programs of the above function modules may be stored in the storage unit  30  and executed by the processor  20 . In general, the word “module,” as used herein, refers to logic embodied in hardware or firmware, or to a collection of software instructions, written in a programming language. The software instructions in the modules may be embedded in firmware, such as in an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) device. The modules described herein may be implemented as either software and/or hardware modules and may be stored in any type of computer-readable medium or other storage device. 
     The storage unit  30  further pre-store a number of audio files. The storage unit  30  further stores a first table and a second table. The first table records an identifier of each of at least one dynamic exhibit corresponding to one of the audio files, the exhibiting information of the dynamic exhibit, and playing time points of the corresponding one of the audio files corresponding to the exhibiting information. For example, a first recording “identifier: 5, exhibiting information: 8:30/bridge, playing time point of one audio file: 12 minutes 6 seconds of audio file 3” represents that audio content from 12 minutes 6 seconds of audio file 3 corresponds exhibit content from 8:30 of the dynamic exhibit, or audio content from 12 minutes 6 seconds of audio file 3 correspondingly introduces a bridge of the dynamic exhibit. The second table records an identifier of each of at least one static exhibit and one of the audio files associated with the static exhibit. In another embodiment, the first table and the second table can be combined in one table. 
     
       
         
           
               
            
               
                   
               
               
                 First table 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
            
               
                   
                 Exhibiting 
                   
               
               
                 Identifier 
                 information 
                 Playing time point of one audio file 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 5 
                 8:30/bridge     
                 12 minutes 6 seconds of audio file 3 
               
               
                   
                 . . . 
                 . . . 
               
               
                   
                 8:50/gloriette 
                 18 minutes 5 seconds of audio file 3 
               
               
                   
                 . . . 
                 . . . 
               
               
                 . . . 
                 . . . 
                 . . . 
               
               
                 7 
                 7:30/river       
                 12 minute 3 second of audio file 6 
               
               
                   
                 . . . 
                 . . . 
               
               
                   
                 9:20/flower     
                 20 minute 10 second of audio file 6 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     
       
         
           
               
            
               
                   
               
               
                 Second table 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
            
               
                   
                 Identifier 
                 Audio file 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 3 
                 Audio file 1 
               
               
                   
                 . . . 
                 . . . 
               
               
                   
                 8 
                 Audio file 2 
               
               
                   
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     The signal obtaining module  101  obtains the signals transmitted by a booth/spot  3 . 
     The file obtaining module  102  analyzes and determines the identifier contained in the signals, determines the audio file corresponding to the determined identifier according to the stored first table and the second table, and obtains the determined audio file from the storage unit  30 . 
     The executing module  103  determines whether the obtained signals contain the exhibiting information of the exhibit. When the signals contain the exhibiting information of the exhibit, namely, the exhibit is a dynamic exhibit, the executing module  103  determines the playing time point of the obtained audio file corresponding to the exhibiting information of the dynamic exhibit according to the stored first table, and controls the audio playing unit  2  to play the obtained audio file from the determined playing time point. 
     When the obtained signals do not contain the exhibiting information of the exhibit, namely, the exhibit is a static exhibit, the executing module  103  controls the audio playing unit  2  to play the obtained audio file from the beginning to the end. 
     In the embodiment, the storage unit  30  further stores a number of video files, corresponding to the audio files. The audio guiding device  1  further connects to a display unit  4 . When the file obtaining module  102  obtains the determined audio file from the storage unit  30 , the file obtaining module  102  further obtains one or more video files corresponding to the obtained audio file. When the executing module  103  controls the audio playing unit  2  to play the obtained audio file, the executing module  103  further controls the display unit  4  to synchronously display the obtained one or more video files. 
       FIG. 2  shows an audio guiding method in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. 
     In step S 201 , the signal obtaining module  101  obtains the signals transmitted by a booth/spot  3 . 
     In step S 202 , the file obtaining module  102  analyzes and determines the identifier contained in the signals, determines the audio file corresponding to the determined identifier according to the stored first table and second table, and obtains the determined audio file from the storage unit  30 . 
     In step S 203 , the executing module  103  determines whether the obtained signals contain the exhibiting information of the exhibit. When the obtained signals contain the exhibiting information of the exhibit, the procedure goes to step S 204 . When the obtained signals do not contain the exhibiting information of the exhibit, the procedure goes to step S 205 . 
     In step S 204 , the executing module determines the playing time point of the obtained audio file corresponding to the exhibiting information of the exhibit according to the stored first table, and controls the audio playing unit  2  to play the obtained audio file from the determined playing time point. 
     In step S 205 , the executing module  103  controls the audio playing unit  2  to play the obtained audio file from the beginning to the end. 
     In the embodiment, the audio guiding method further includes: the file obtaining module  102  further obtains the one or more video files corresponding to the audio file from the storage unit  30  when the file obtaining module  102  obtains the audio file from the storage unit  30 . The executing module  103  further controls the display unit  4  to synchronously display the obtained video files when the executing module  103  controls the audio playing unit  2  to play the obtained audio file. 
     Although the current disclosure has been specifically described on the basis of the exemplary embodiment thereof, the disclosure is not to be construed as being limited thereto. Various changes or modifications may be made to the embodiment without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure.