Scent output control device, scent output control system and method, and program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022266661-A1
Application number	US-202017628461-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 7, 2020
Priority date	Aug 5, 2019
Publication date	Aug 25, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

To realize a device and method for controlling a scent to be output on the basis of various types of information acquired by an information acquisition unit. The device includes a scent output control unit that executes a scent output control, and a scent output unit that executes a scent output under the control of the scent output control unit, in which the scent output control unit selects a scent to be output according to input information from the information acquisition unit, and outputs the selected scent via the scent output unit. The scent output control unit selects information to be used for scent selection from the input information according to a preset mode, and selects a scent to be output according to the selected input information. For example, the control of the scent to be output is executed on the basis of a user utterance or information of an area, a facility, or the like.

First claim

1 . A scent output control device, comprising:
a scent output control unit configured to execute scent output control; and a scent output unit configured to execute a scent output under control of the scent output control unit, wherein the scent output control unit is configured to select a scent to be output according to input information from an information acquisition unit, and output the selected scent via the scent output unit, and select information to be used for scent selection from the input information according to a preset mode, and select a scent to be output according to the selected input information.

2 . The scent output control device according to claim 1 , wherein the scent output unit is configured to output a scent into an automobile.

3 . The scent output control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the information acquisition unit includes at least two of (a) an environment information acquisition unit configured to acquire environment information; (b) an operation information acquisition unit configured to acquire operation information of a vehicle; (c) a biological information acquisition unit configured to acquire biological information of an occupant in a vehicle; (d) a voice information acquisition unit configured to acquire voice information; (e) a network and broadcast information acquisition unit configured to acquire at least one of network information or broadcast information; (f) a position information acquisition unit configured to acquire position information; and (g) an advertisement information acquisition unit configured to acquire advertisement information.

4 . The scent output control device according to claim 3 , wherein the scent output control unit selects one of the information acquired by the information acquisition unit of (a) to (g) according to a preset mode, and selects according to the selected input information.

5 . The scent output control device according to claim 1 , wherein the scent output control unit
selects a mode-correspondence scent database according to a preset mode, and executes the scent output control according to a scent output mode registered in the selected mode-correspondence scent database.

6 . The scent output control device according to claim 5 , wherein
an identifier of a scent output cartridge to be applied to a scent output is registered in the mode-correspondence scent database, and the scent output control unit executes a scent output using the scent output cartridge registered in the mode-correspondence scent database.

7 . The scent output control device according to claim 5 , wherein
a plurality of identifiers of the scent output cartridge to be applied to the scent output is registered in the mode-correspondence scent database, and the scent output control unit generates display information for causing a user to select a scent cartridge to be used from among the plurality of scent output cartridges registered in the mode-correspondence scent database and displays the generated display information on a display unit.

8 . The scent output control device according to claim 1 , wherein the scent output control unit is one component of the information acquisition unit device, and selects a scent to be output according to a user utterance word acquired by a voice information acquisition unit that acquires voice information, and outputs the selected scent via the scent output unit.

9 . The scent output control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the scent output control unit is one component of the information acquisition unit, and selects a scent to be output according to an appearance word in a net for acquiring at least one of net information or broadcast information, the net acquired by the broadcast information acquisition unit, or the broadcast information, and outputs the selected scent via the scent output unit.

10 . The scent output control device according to claim 1 , wherein the scent output control unit generates display information for causing a user to select the mode and displays the generated information on a display unit.

11 . The scent output control device according to claim 1 , wherein
a mode that is set in the scent output control device includes at least two of (A) a current location correspondence mode; (B) a word correspondence mode; (C) an environment correspondence mode; (D) an operation state correspondence mode; (E) a biological state correspondence mode; (F) an advertisement correspondence mode; and (G) an all acquired information correspondence mode.

12 . A scent output control system, comprising: a scent output control device configured to execute a scent output process; and a scent output mode determination server configured to determine a scent to be output in the scent output control device,
wherein the scent output control device transmits information acquired by an information acquisition unit to the scent output mode determination server, the scent output mode determination server determines a scent to be output according to information received from the scent output control device, and transmits information on the determined scent to the scent output control device, the scent output control device outputs the scent determined by the scent output mode determination server via a scent output unit, and the scent output control device selects information to be used for scent selection from the information acquired by the information acquisition unit according to a preset mode, and transmits the selected information to the scent output mode determination server.

13 . The scent output control system according to claim 12 , wherein
the information acquisition unit of the scent output control device includes at least two of (a) an environment information acquisition unit configured to acquire environment information; (b) an operation information acquisition unit configured to acquire operation information of a vehicle; (c) a biological information acquisition unit configured to acquire biological information of an occupant in a vehicle; (d) a voice information acquisition unit configured to acquire voice information; (e) a network and broadcast information acquisition unit configured to acquire at least one of network information or broadcast information; (f) a position information acquisition unit configured to acquire position information; and (g) an advertisement information acquisition unit configured to acquire an advertisement information, and the scent output control device selects one of the information acquired by the information acquisition units of (a) to (g) according to a preset mode, and transmits the selected information to the scent output mode determination server.

14 . A scent output control method executed in a scent output control device,
wherein the scent output control device includes: a scent output control unit configured to execute scent output control; and a scent output unit configured to execute a scent output under control of the scent output control unit, and the scent output control unit executes a process of selecting a scent to be output according to input information from an information acquisition unit, and outputting the selected scent via the scent output unit, and selects information to be used for scent selection from the input information according to a preset mode, and selects a scent to be output according to the selected input information.

15 . A scent output control method executed in a scent output control system including a scent output control device configured to execute a scent

Assignees

• Sony Group Corp

Inventors

• DUVERT Cedric
• Konya Satoshi
• Fujita Shuji
• Inoue Yukito

Classifications

• G06F3/0482

  Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus · CPC title

• B60H2003/0064

  adding more than one substance · CPC title

• B60H3/0035 Primary

  characterised by the control methods for adding the substance · CPC title

• G01C21/26

  specially adapted for navigation in a road network · 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