Information providing device and information providing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019243459-A1
Application number	US-201916267641-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 5, 2019
Priority date	Feb 7, 2018
Publication date	Aug 8, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

An information providing device includes an emotion estimation unit that estimates the emotion of an occupant within a predetermined period of time from the time when the occupant gets in a vehicle (STEP 114), a base-emotion setting unit that sets a base emotion of the vehicle on the basis of the emotion of the occupant (STEP 120), a vehicle-state detection unit that detects the state of the vehicle (STEP 122), an emotion generation unit that generates the emotion of the vehicle in accordance with the base emotion and the state of the vehicle (STEP 126), an information determination unit that determines, on the basis of the emotion of the vehicle, information to be provided to the occupant (STEP 128), and an information output unit that outputs information to the occupant (STEP 130).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An information providing device comprising:
an emotion estimation processor configured to estimate an emotion of an occupant within a predetermined period of time from a time when the occupant gets in a vehicle; a base-emotion setting processor configured to set a base emotion, which constitutes a base of an emotion of the vehicle, based on the emotion of the occupant estimated by the emotion estimation processor; a vehicle-state detector configured to detect a state of the vehicle; an emotion generation processor configured to generate the emotion of the vehicle in accordance with the base emotion and the state of the vehicle detected by the vehicle-state detector; an information determination processor configured to determine, based on the emotion of the vehicle, information to be provided to the occupant; and an information output device that outputs the information to the occupant.

2 . The information providing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the base-emotion setting processor is further configured to set the base emotion in accordance with a difference between a previously estimated emotion of the occupant and a currently estimated emotion of the occupant.

3 . The information providing device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a schedule-information obtaining processor configured to obtain schedule information of the occupant, wherein the base-emotion setting processor is further configured to set the base emotion by taking the schedule information of the occupant into consideration.

4 . An information providing method that is employed by a device including an information output device that outputs specified information to an occupant of a vehicle and a vehicle-state detection device that detects a state of the vehicle, the method comprising steps of:
estimating by using a computer an emotion of the occupant within a predetermined period of time from a time when the occupant gets in the vehicle; setting by using the computer a base emotion, which constitutes a base of an emotion of the vehicle, based on the estimated emotion of the occupant; generating by using the computer the emotion of the vehicle in accordance with the base emotion and the state of the vehicle detected by the vehicle-state detection device; determining by using the computer, based on the emotion of the vehicle, information to be provided to the occupant; and outputting the determined information to the information output device.

5 . The information providing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the emotion generation processor is configured to determine the emotion of the vehicle by taking the state of the vehicle into consideration to suppress frequent changes in the determined emotion of the vehicle.

6 . The information providing device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the base-emotion setting processor is further configured to set the base emotion in accordance with a vector of change from the previously estimated emotion of the occupant to the currently estimated emotion of the occupant.

7 . The information providing device according to claim 3 ,
wherein the schedule information of the occupant includes a scheduled event, wherein the base-emotion setting processor is further configured to set the base emotion by taking the scheduled event of the occupant into consideration.

8 . The information providing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the state of the vehicle is an operating state of the vehicle.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

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

Classifications

• G06F3/167

  Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback · CPC title

• G06F3/012

  Head tracking input arrangements · CPC title

• G06F3/011

  Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality (blind teaching G09B21/00) · CPC title

• G06F3/015

  Input arrangements based on nervous system activity detection, e.g. brain waves [EEG] detection, electromyograms [EMG] detection, electrodermal response detection · CPC title

• G06F2203/011

  Emotion or mood input determined on the basis of sensed human body parameters such as pulse, heart rate or beat, temperature of skin, facial expressions, iris, voice pitch, brain activity patterns · CPC title