Information providing device and information providing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10929652-B2
Application number	US-201815997700-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 5, 2018
Priority date	Jun 7, 2017
Publication date	Feb 23, 2021
Grant date	Feb 23, 2021

Abstract

An information providing device and an information providing method capable of providing information according to a driving load while alleviating or eliminating a sense of discomfort of a user of a vehicle is provided. An information providing device includes an emotion determination unit that determines virtual emotion of a vehicle, and an output control unit that determines one or both of content and an output mode of the information that the output unit is caused to output according to the virtual emotion of the vehicle. The emotion determination unit determines predetermined emotion to be the virtual emotion of the vehicle when a condition that a period in which the traveling state of the vehicle detected by the traveling state detection unit is a predetermined traveling state has continued for a predetermined period or longer is satisfied.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An information providing device comprising:
an output device that outputs information;
a sensor that detects a traveling state of a vehicle; and
a controller that determines a virtual emotion of the vehicle; and determines one or both of content and an output mode of the information that the output device is caused to output according to the virtual emotion of the vehicle,
wherein the controller is configured to
determine whether the traveling state of the vehicle is a predetermined traveling state,
select a type from a first emotion type and a second emotion type based on whether a period in which the traveling state of the vehicle detected by the sensor is the predetermined traveling state has continued for a predetermined period or longer,
estimate an emotion of a user of the vehicle,
select an emotion from the selected type as the virtual emotion of the vehicle based on the emotion of the user of the vehicle,
wherein the second emotion type is selected when the period in which the traveling state of the vehicle detected by the sensor is the predetermined traveling state has not continued for a predetermined period or longer,
wherein the traveling state of the vehicle includes an acceleration of the vehicle, and
when taking the acceleration of the vehicle as the traveling state, the predetermined traveling state is set as the acceleration of the vehicle included in an acceleration range including zero.

2. The information providing device according to claim 1 , comprising:
an input device that detects a reaction of a user of the vehicle to the information;
wherein, the controller estimates a preference of the user on the basis of a reaction of the user to the information detected by the input device in a period in which the said condition is satisfied.

3. The information providing device according to claim 2 , wherein the information according to the predetermined emotion includes a question for estimating the preference of the user.

4. The information providing device according to claim 2 , wherein the controller estimates an emotion of the user of the vehicle,
wherein the controller is configured to determine the reliability of a reaction of the user detected by the input device according to the emotion of the user estimated.

5. The information providing device according to claim 3 , wherein the controller estimates an emotion of the user of the vehicle,
wherein the controller is configured to determine the reliability of a reaction of the user to the information detected by the input device according to the emotion of the user estimated.

6. The information providing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the traveling state of the vehicle includes a traveling speed of the vehicle, and
when taking the traveling speed of the vehicle as the traveling state, the predetermined traveling state is set as the traveling speed of the vehicle is included in a speed range that does not include zero.

7. The information providing device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the traveling state of the vehicle includes a traveling speed of the vehicle, and
when taking the traveling speed of the vehicle as the traveling state, the predetermined traveling state is set as the traveling speed of the vehicle is included in a speed range that does not include zero.

8. The information providing device according to claim 3 ,
wherein the traveling state of the vehicle includes a traveling speed of the vehicle, and
when taking the traveling speed of the vehicle as the traveling state, the predetermined traveling state is set as the traveling speed of the vehicle is included in a speed range that does not include zero.

9. The information providing device according to claim 4 ,
wherein the traveling state of the vehicle includes a traveling speed of the vehicle, and
when taking the traveling speed of the vehicle as the traveling state, the predetermined traveling state is set as the traveling speed of the vehicle is included in a speed range that does not include zero.

10. The information providing device according to claim 5 ,
wherein the traveling state of the vehicle includes a traveling speed of the vehicle, and
when taking the traveling speed of the vehicle as the traveling state, the predetermined traveling state is set as the traveling speed of the vehicle is included in a speed range that does not include zero.

11. An information providing method, which is a method that is executed by a computer including an output unit that outputs information and a traveling state detection unit that detects a traveling state of a vehicle, the method comprising:
a first step of determining a virtual emotion of the vehicle; and
a second step of determining one or both of content and an output mode of the information that the output unit is caused to output according to the virtual emotion of the vehicle,
wherein the first step comprises:
determining whether the traveling state of the vehicle is a predetermined traveling state;
selecting a type from a first emotion type and a second emotion type based on whether a period in which the detected traveling state of the vehicle is the predetermined traveling state has continued for a predetermined period or longer;
estimating an emotion of a user of the vehicle;
selecting an emotion from the selected type as the virtual emotion of the vehicle based on the emotion of the user of the vehicle,
wherein the second emotion type is selected when the period in which the traveling state of the vehicle detected by the sensor is the predetermined traveling state has not continued for a predetermined period or longer,
wherein the traveling state of the vehicle includes an acceleration of the vehicle, and
when taking the acceleration of the vehicle as the traveling state, the predetermined traveling state is set as the acceleration of the vehicle included in an acceleration range including zero.

12. The information providing device according to claim 1 , wherein the first emotion type is selected when the period in which the traveling state of the vehicle detected by the sensor is the predetermined traveling state has continued for a predetermined period or longer.

13. An information providing method according to claim 11 , wherein the first emotion type is selected when the period in which the traveling state of the vehicle detected by the sensor is the predetermined traveling state has continued for a predetermined period or longer.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Soma Eisuke
• Yuhara Hiromitsu
• Takikawa Keiichi
• Goto Shinichiro
• Imaizumi Satoshi

Classifications

• G10L15/22 Primary

  Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue · CPC title

• G06V40/174

  Facial expression recognition · CPC title

• G06V40/20 Primary

  Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition (recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16) · CPC title

• G10L13/033

  Voice editing, e.g. manipulating the voice of the synthesiser · CPC title

• G10L13/00

  Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems · CPC title