Electronic apparatus, evaluation method, and program

Abstract

To effectively evaluate user's writing literacy.SOLUTION: An electronic apparatus includes a display unit that displays a writing, acquires information on a movement of a line of sight of a user who can comprehend the writing displayed on the display unit, and displays a delimiter at a point selected with a user's manipulation for the writing displayed on the display unit. The electronic apparatus evaluates writing literacy on the basis of the information on the movement of the line of sight and information on the delimiter. The electronic apparatus evaluates the writing literacy on the basis of, for example, a line of sight moving speed of an evaluation object user, a movement of a line of sight in a direction opposite to a direction in which letters are written, and a degree signifying whether a point where a delimiter should be displayed can be properly selected.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device, an evaluation method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, slash reading has been used as one of the methods for learning English. For example, a technology has been proposed for training slash reading while watching videos in a learning device that uses general English movies, dramas, animations, etc. (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-112681 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, it is difficult to determine whether a user is performing slash reading correctly and whether the user can actually read a text smoothly from left to right.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems in the conventional technology, and an object of the present invention is to effectively evaluate a user's reading comprehension ability for text. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the electronic device according to the present invention comprises: A display unit for displaying text; a gaze information acquisition unit that acquires information regarding a gaze movement of a user who is reading and comprehending a text displayed on the display unit; a display control unit that displays a delimiter at a position selected by a user operation in the text displayed on the display unit; and an evaluation unit that evaluates reading comprehension ability of the text based on information about the movement of the line of sight and information about the delimiters. It is characterized by: Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, a user's reading comprehension ability can be effectively evaluated. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2A] 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating detection of pupil movement from image data. [Figure 2B] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the trajectory of eye movement on a piece of text. [Figure 3A] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of eye movement of an advanced player. [Figure 3B] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of eye movement of a beginner. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing a reading ability assessment process executed by the electronic device. [Diagram 5] 10 is a flowchart showing a reading ability assessment process executed by the electronic device. [Figure 6] 1 is an example of a foreign language text display screen. [Figure 7] 13 is an example of a grammar setting screen. [Figure 8] 13 is an example of a delimiter input screen. [Figure 9] 13 is an example of an evaluation result screen. [Figure 10] 13 is an example of a delimiter input screen in the first modified example. [Figure 11] 13 is a flowchart showing an explanation information display process in Modification 2. [Figure 12A] 13 is an example of a state in which a translation display screen is displayed on a delimiter input screen. [Figure 12B]13 is an example of a state in which the gaze moves across a translation display screen on a delimiter input screen. [Figure 12C] 13 is an example of a state in which the translation display screen is not displayed on the delimiter input screen. [Figure 13] 13 is an example of a grammar rule proposal screen in Modification Example 3. [Figure 14] 13 is a flowchart showing a blackening process in Modification 4. [Figure 15] 13 is an example of a delimiter input screen including a blackened area. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of an electronic device, an evaluation method, and a program according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are subject to various technically preferable limitations for carrying out the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments and illustrated examples.

[0010] [Electronic device configuration] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic device 10 according to the present embodiment. The electronic device 10 is used, for example, as an electronic dictionary. The electronic device 10 may be a portable device dedicated to being an electronic dictionary. Alternatively, the electronic device 10 may be a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a PC (Personal Computer), a mobile phone, or the like, equipped with a dictionary function.

[0011] The electronic device 10 is capable of inputting (displaying) a delimiter at any position in a sentence in a foreign language (e.g., English) in response to a user's operation. In the following description, expressions such as "inputting a delimiter" and "displaying a delimiter" mean associating spaces between words in a sentence with positions of the delimiter (delimiter position). The electronic device 10 includes a CPU 11, a storage unit 12, a key input unit 13, a touch panel 14, a display unit 15, a camera 16, and a communication unit 17.

[0012] The CPU 11 controls each unit of the electronic device 10. The CPU 11 reads out a specified program from among the various programs stored in the storage unit 12, and executes various processes in cooperation with the program. For example, the CPU 11 determines input of a specific operation key in the key input unit 13, or input of a touch operation (with a finger, a stylus pen, etc.) on the touch panel 14.

[0013] The storage unit 12 is a storage device that stores various processing programs, data necessary for executing the programs, etc. For example, the storage unit 12 stores a translation program 121, a reading ability assessment program 122, dictionary data 123, foreign language text data 124, and grammar rule data 125.

[0014] The translation program 121 is a program for translating foreign language text. The reading ability assessment program 122 is a program for acquiring information on eye movement, inputting and displaying delimiters for foreign language text, and assessing reading ability.

[0015] The dictionary data 123 includes various data for translation. For example, the dictionary data 123 is data in which words, phrases, etc. are associated with foreign languages ​​(such as English) and Japanese.

[0016] The foreign language text data 124 is text data expressed in a foreign language. The foreign language text data 124 includes delimiter position information. The delimiter position information is information that indicates the position where a delimiter should be input (displayed) for each item included in a grammar rule in a foreign language text. A plurality of teaching materials for learning slash reading are prepared as the foreign language text data 124.

[0017] The grammar rule data 125 is data that specifies grammar rules (delimitation rules) that specify the positions where delimiters should be input (displayed). For example, the grammar rule data 125 specifies whether or not a delimiter should be input (displayed) for each item (grammatical position) such as "before a preposition," "before a relative pronoun," "before a present participle or past participle," "before a conjunction," and "before or after a comma, colon, etc."

[0018] The key input unit 13 has various keys such as character keys, function keys, etc. The key input unit 13 accepts a key depression operation by a user, and outputs an operation signal to the CPU 11 according to the operation.

[0019] Touch panel 14 is integrally provided on the surface of display unit 15. Touch panel 14 detects a position touched by a user with a stylus pen, a finger, or the like, and outputs to CPU 11 position information corresponding to the detected position.

[0020] The display unit 15 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display, etc. The display unit 15 displays foreign language text (sentences), delimiters, evaluation results, etc.

[0021] Camera 16 captures the user's face including the eyes, and generates image data for a moving image. It is preferable that camera 16 is provided at a position facing the user (particularly the eyes) when the user views the screen displayed on display unit 15.

[0022] The communication unit 17, under the control of the CPU 11, performs data communication with an external device such as a server (not shown) via a network.

[0023] The CPU 11 (gaze information acquisition unit) acquires information regarding the movement of the gaze of the user who is reading the text displayed on the display unit 15. The information regarding the movement of the gaze is information indicating "where" and "when" the gaze of the user passed on the text. For example, when the user reads the text, the CPU 11 extracts the movement of the user's eyeball from image data of a moving image captured by the camera 16 to detect the gaze. Then, the CPU 11 identifies the position where the gaze intersects with the display screen of the display unit 15, and detects where the user is looking on the text. The CPU 11 stores the gaze position on the text and the time at that time in the storage unit 12 as information regarding the gaze movement, in association with each other. Here, the stored time may be the elapsed time from the start of reading the text, or may be the time of day. The CPU 11 also detects the movement direction of the gaze position based on the information regarding the gaze movement stored in chronological order. It should be noted that for gaze measurement (eye tracking), a publicly known technology can be used as appropriate.

[0024] 2A is an image diagram of detecting the movements of pupils E1, E2 from image data 20 obtained by camera 16. CPU 11 detects a trajectory L1 of gaze movement on text 21 from the movements of pupils E1, E2, as shown in FIG 2B.

[0025] The CPU 11 (display control unit) displays a delimiter symbol at a position selected by a user operation for the text displayed on the display unit 15. For example, a " / (slash)" is used as the delimiter symbol. Note that a "| (vertical bar)" may be used instead of a slash as the delimiter symbol. For example, the CPU 11 stores in the storage unit 12 the position of the delimiter symbol input by the user when reading the text in association with the time at that time. Here, the time stored may be the elapsed time since the user started reading the text, or may be the time of day.

[0026] The CPU 11 (evaluation unit) evaluates the reading comprehension ability of a text based on the information related to the movement of the line of sight and the information related to the delimiters.

[0027] For example, the CPU 11 reflects the result of comparing the gaze speed of the evaluation target user, which is information on the movement of the user's gaze, with the average gaze speed of multiple users in the evaluation of the reading ability of the text. Specifically, when the gaze speed of the evaluation target user is faster than the average gaze speed, the CPU 11 evaluates the reading ability to be high. On the other hand, when the gaze speed of the evaluation target user is slower than the average gaze speed, the CPU 11 evaluates the reading ability to be low. The evaluation using the gaze speed of the evaluation target user may be reflected in the "reading speed" and "speed stability" described later. Note that the average gaze speed may be an average value of the gaze speeds of each user measured by the electronic device 10 owned by multiple users. In this case, the gaze speeds of each user may be transmitted from the electronic device 10 to an external device such as a server, and the average gaze speed may be derived on the server side. In addition, when attribute information (age, sex, and if the user is a student, year, class, etc.) of each user is set, the average value of the gaze movement speeds of users who have the same attribute information may be used. Note that instead of the average gaze movement speed, the median or most frequent value calculated from the gaze movement speeds of each user may be used.

[0028] The CPU 11 counts the number of points (reverse movement points) where the gaze of the user to be evaluated has moved a distance equal to or greater than a predetermined value in the direction opposite to the writing direction of the text, and reflects the result in the evaluation of the reading comprehension ability of the text. The writing direction is the direction in which characters are written. English is a language written from left to right. The count value of the reverse movement points can be reflected in the "speed stability" described later.

[0029] FIG. 3A shows an example of the gaze movement of an advanced learner. In FIG. 3A, a gaze movement trajectory L2 is detected from sentence 22. In addition, points 22A and 22B where the gaze moves in the opposite direction are detected. FIG. 3B shows an example of the gaze movement of a beginner. In FIG. 3B, a gaze movement trajectory L3 is detected from sentence 23. In addition, points 23A, 23B, 23C, 23D, and 23E where the gaze moves in the opposite direction are detected. It is thought that beginners move their gaze in the opposite direction more often than advanced learners.

[0030] Specifically, the CPU 11 evaluates the reading ability to be higher as the number of backward movement parts is smaller, whereas the CPU 11 evaluates the reading ability to be lower as the number of backward movement parts is larger.

[0031] In addition, CPU 11 may count the locations where the distance the gaze has moved in the opposite direction is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and the gaze movement speed is slower than a predetermined percentage of the average gaze movement speed of general users, and reflect this result in the evaluation of the reading comprehension ability of the text.

[0032] The CPU 11 reflects the degree to which the user was able to appropriately select the position where the delimiter should be displayed in the evaluation of the reading ability of the text. This degree can be reflected in the "degree of agreement with grammar rules" described later. For example, the CPU 11 specifies the position where the delimiter should be displayed based on the grammar rule data 125 and the delimiter position information included in the foreign language text data 124 to be displayed. Once the grammar rule (grammar rule data 125) is determined, the position where the delimiter should be displayed in the text (foreign language text data 124) is uniquely determined. The CPU 11 acquires the position of the delimiter input when the user reads the text from the storage unit 12. The CPU 11 compares the position where the delimiter should be displayed with the position of the delimiter actually input to calculate the degree of agreement. The CPU 11 evaluates the reading ability so that the higher the degree of agreement, the higher the reading ability.

[0033] The CPU 11 (display control unit) causes the display unit 15 to display the evaluation result of the reading ability evaluated by the CPU 11 (evaluation unit).

[0034] [Electronic device operation] Next, a description will be given of the operation of the electronic device 10. Figures 4 and 5 are flowcharts showing the reading ability assessment process executed by the electronic device 10. The reading ability assessment process is realized by software processing in which the CPU 11 and the reading ability assessment program 122 work together.

[0035] First, the CPU 11 reads the default grammar rule data 125 stored in the storage unit 12 (step S1).

[0036] Next, CPU 11 reads foreign language text data 124 stored in storage unit 12, and displays foreign language text (English sentences) on display unit 15 (step S2). Note that multiple foreign language text data 124 are stored in storage unit 12, and the user can select any one of foreign language text data 124 to be displayed.

[0037] 6 shows an example of a foreign language text display screen 151 displayed on the display unit 15. The foreign language text display screen 151 includes a sentence display area 151A, a slash input start button B1, a setting button B2, and the like. Foreign language text is displayed in the sentence display area 151A. The slash input start button B1 is a button for instructing the start of slash input. The setting button B2 is a button for instructing the setting of a grammar rule.

[0038] Next, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the user has pressed (touched) the setting button B2 on the foreign language text display screen 151 via the touch panel 14 (step S3). If the setting button B2 has been pressed (step S3; YES), the CPU 11 causes the display unit 15 to display the grammar setting screen 152 (see FIG. 7) (step S4).

[0039] 7 shows an example of a grammar setting screen 152 displayed on the display unit 15. The grammar setting screen 152 is a setting screen for setting grammar rules that specify the positions where delimiters should be displayed.

[0040] The grammar setting screen 152 displays a list of multiple items (grammatical positions) for specifying the positions where delimiters should be displayed (input). Here, "before a preposition," "before a relative pronoun," "before a present participle / past participle," "before a conjunction," "before or after a comma, colon, etc.," "after a long subject," and "before a long object" are displayed. Each of the items indicating the positions where delimiters should be input has a check box for setting whether the item is enabled or disabled. For example, if the check box corresponding to "before a preposition" is checked, the user will input the delimiter "before a preposition" in the sentence during slash reading.

[0041] On the initial screen of the grammar setting screen 152, enable / disable is set according to the default grammar rule data 125 loaded in step S1. That is, in the default grammar rules, the checkboxes for the items that are set to enabled are checked. Note that in the default grammar rules, all items may be enabled. By enabling all items, the grammar rules can be made suitable for beginners of slash reading.

[0042] The user can change the grammar rule data 125 by checking or unchecking the checkboxes corresponding to each item according to the user's own reading ability or the difficulty of the foreign language text. For example, the more the user becomes accustomed to slash reading and the higher the user's reading ability, the fewer items are enabled (checked). In other words, as reading ability improves, the number of places where delimiters need to be input can be reduced, and the user can read in longer sentence units. On the other hand, even if reading ability has improved, if the user inputs many delimiters and reads in short sentence units, the user cannot read efficiently. Therefore, for users with high reading ability, the number of delimiters to be input can be reduced and the user can read sentences in relatively large units, providing efficient training.

[0043] The grammar setting screen 152 includes a decision button B3 for deciding the contents of the grammar rule. The user checks whether each item is valid (checked) or invalid on the grammar setting screen 152. Then, the user changes the valid / invalid status of each item via the touch panel 14 as necessary or at the user's request, and then presses (touches) the decision button B3. When the decision button B3 is pressed, the CPU 11 returns the screen displayed on the display unit 15 to the foreign language text display screen 151 shown in FIG. 6.

[0044] In step S3, if the setting button B2 on the foreign language text display screen 151 is not pressed (step S3; NO), or after step S4, the process proceeds to step S5. The CPU 11 determines whether or not the slash input start button B1 on the foreign language text display screen 151 is pressed (touched) by a user operation via the touch panel 14 (step S5). If the slash input start button B1 is not pressed (step S5; NO), the process returns to step S3.

[0045] In step S5, when the slash input start button B1 is pressed (step S5; YES), the CPU 11 displays the delimiter input screen 153 (see FIG. 8) on the display unit 15 (step S6). Then, the CPU 11 starts a timer when the display of the delimiter input screen 153 starts (step S7).

[0046] FIG. 8 shows an example of the delimiter input screen 153 displayed on the display unit 15. The delimiter input screen 153 includes a sentence display area 153A, an elapsed time display area 153B, and a slash input end button B4. Foreign language text is displayed in the sentence display area 153A. The user reads the sentence displayed in the sentence display area 153A while inputting slashes into the sentence. The elapsed time display area 153B displays the elapsed time since the timer started, that is, the time since the user started reading the sentence. The slash input end button B4 is a button for instructing the end of slash input.

[0047] After step S7, the process proceeds to Fig. 5. CPU 11 starts tracking the gaze position at a predetermined time interval from the start of a timer (step S7) (step S8). Specifically, CPU 11 detects the gaze from image data obtained by camera 16. CPU 11 associates the gaze position (coordinates) on the text displayed on display unit 15 with the elapsed time at that time and stores them in memory unit 12 at the predetermined time interval.

[0048] Next, the CPU 11 calculates the amount of movement of the gaze (step S9). For example, the CPU 11 detects the difference from the previous gaze position and the movement direction of the gaze based on the previously acquired gaze position and the currently acquired gaze position.

[0049] Here, the CPU 11 judges whether the user's gaze has moved in the opposite direction to the writing direction of the text by a predetermined value or more (step S10). If the user's gaze has moved in the opposite direction by a predetermined value or more (step S10; YES), the CPU 11 counts the gaze movement in the opposite direction (step S11). Specifically, the CPU 11 adds 1 to a gaze movement counter in the opposite direction.

[0050] In step S10, if the user's gaze has not moved in the opposite direction by a predetermined distance or more (step S10; NO), or after step S11, the process proceeds to step S12. The CPU 11 determines whether or not a slash (delimiter) has been input into a sentence (foreign language text) by a user operation via the touch panel 14 on the delimiter input screen 153 displayed on the display unit 15 (step S12).

[0051] When inputting a slash into a sentence in the sentence display area 153A, the user touches the part of the sentence where the user wants to separate the sentence with a finger, a stylus pen, etc., according to the currently set grammatical rules. The user may also input a slash by moving a finger or a stylus pen, etc., as if drawing a diagonal line, at the part of the sentence where the user wants to separate the sentence.

[0052] When a slash (delimiter) is input (step S12; YES), CPU 11 stores the position where the slash was input in memory 12 in association with the time elapsed at that time (step S13). CPU 11 also displays the slash at the position input (selected) by the user on the text displayed in text display area 153A of delimiter input screen 153 (step S14). Here, the user reads and understands the text (English text) between the previously input slash and the currently input slash.

[0053] In step S12, if a slash is not input (step S12; NO), or after step S14, the CPU 11 judges whether or not the input of the slash is finished (step S15). Specifically, the CPU 11 judges whether or not the slash input end button B4 is pressed (touched) by the user's operation on the delimiter input screen 153 via the touch panel 14.

[0054] If the slash input end button B4 is not pressed (step S15; NO), the process returns to step S8. The CPU 11 repeats the process of steps S8 to S15 until the slash input end button B4 is pressed.

[0055] Then, when the user finishes inputting all the delimiters and reading the sentence, and presses the slash input end button B4 on the delimiter input screen 153 (step S15; YES), the CPU 11 stops the timer (step S16).

[0056] Next, the CPU 11 analyzes the slash input situation based on the information about the delimiter (step S17). The slash input situation includes the input position of the slash, the input frequency, the degree of agreement with the grammar rules, and the like.

[0057] Next, the CPU 11 analyzes the gaze movement based on the information on the gaze movement (step S18). The gaze movement includes the gaze position on the text, the movement in the opposite direction, the gaze stagnation, and the like.

[0058] Next, CPU 11 evaluates the user's reading ability based on the analysis result of step S17 (including information about delimiters) and the analysis result of step S18 (including information about eye movement) (step S19). CPU 11 then causes display unit 15 to display the evaluation result of the reading ability (step S20).

[0059] 9 shows an example of the evaluation result screen 154 displayed on the display unit 15. The evaluation result screen 154 includes a radar chart display area 154A and a total score display area 154B. In the radar chart display area 154A, the evaluation results based on five indices, namely, "grammar rule agreement," "input frequency," "reading speed," "speed stability," and "key sentence comprehension," are displayed in a radar chart. In this embodiment, a score out of 20 points is assigned to each indicator. In the total score display area 154B, the total score obtained by adding up the scores for all indicators is displayed.

[0060] The "degree of agreement with grammar rules" is an index based on the degree of agreement between the location where a delimiter symbol specified by a grammar rule should be displayed (input) and the location of the delimiter symbol actually input by the user. In other words, the "degree of agreement with grammar rules" is an index that indicates the degree to which the user was able to appropriately select the location where the delimiter symbol should be displayed. If the input location of the delimiter symbol does not match the grammar rules, or if the delimiter symbol is not input at the location specified by the grammar rules, the CPU 11 deducts points from the "degree of agreement with grammar rules." The "degree of agreement with grammar rules" is an index based on information about delimiters.

[0061] "Input frequency" is an index based on the frequency with which a user inputs delimiters. CPU 11 adds points to "input frequency" when the number of delimiters actually input is small compared to the number of delimiters that would be required according to the grammar rules. When a user actually looks at a foreign language text and determines that the text can be read sufficiently without inputting delimiters at positions specified by the grammar rules, the user may omit inputting delimiters. "Input frequency" is an index based on information about delimiters.

[0062] If the score for "input frequency" is high but the score for "grammar rule agreement" is low, it is considered that the grammar rule settings for slash input do not match the user's current reading ability. In that case, the grammar rule settings for slash input can be changed appropriately the next time slash reading is performed. Alternatively, the CPU 11 may automatically change the grammar rule settings for slash input based on the evaluation result of the reading ability.

[0063] "Reading speed" is an index based on the speed at which a user performs slash reading. CPU 11 evaluates "reading speed" based on the number of words in a sentence (foreign language text) and the time elapsed until reading is completed. CPU 11 may reflect the eye movement speed in the evaluation of "reading speed" based on information related to eye movement. CPU 11 may reflect the time until slash input is completed based on information related to delimiters in the evaluation of "reading speed".

[0064] The "speed stability" is an index based on the stability of the speed when the user performs slash reading. The CPU 11 gives a score based on information such as whether the processing speed is stable between the first half and the second half of the same sentence, whether there is a part that takes an extremely long time, etc. For example, the CPU 11 deducts points from the "speed stability" when there is a difference in the movement speed of the gaze position between the first half and the second half of the same sentence, or when there is a lot of gaze dwelling or reverse movement, based on information about the movement of the gaze. The CPU 11 deducts points from the "speed stability" when there is a difference in the input timing of the delimiter between the first half and the second half of the same sentence, or when there is a sentence in which the input timing was extremely slow, based on information about the delimiter. For example, the time from when the previous delimiter is input to when the current delimiter is input is used as the input timing.

[0065] "Key sentence comprehension" is an index based on the comprehension of a specific sentence (key sentence) that is considered important for understanding the content of a text. The CPU 11 evaluates the comprehension of a key sentence based on the degree of agreement with grammar rules and the input timing of punctuation marks. "Key sentence comprehension" is an index based on information related to punctuation marks.

[0066] The user checks the evaluation results on the evaluation result screen 154 and understands his / her current reading ability from the scores and balance of each index shown in the radar chart and the total score.

[0067] As described above, according to this embodiment, the CPU 11 of the electronic device 10 acquires information on the movement of the user's gaze while reading the text displayed on the display unit 15, and displays a delimiter symbol at a position selected by the user's operation on the text displayed on the display unit 15. The CPU 11 then evaluates the text reading ability based on the information on the gaze movement and the information on the delimiter symbol. For example, the information on the gaze movement is used to determine whether the text is being read smoothly. Furthermore, the information on the delimiter symbol is used to determine the user's semantic or grammatical comprehension ability. Therefore, the user's text reading ability can be effectively evaluated.

[0068] For example, the CPU 11 can provide an evaluation based on the speed at which the user reads the text by comparing the eye gaze speed of the user being evaluated with the average eye gaze speed of multiple users and reflecting the results in the evaluation of the reading comprehension ability of the text.

[0069] The CPU 11 may compare the eye gaze speed of the user to be evaluated with a predetermined value (a value other than the average eye gaze speed) and reflect the result in the evaluation of the reading ability of the text.

[0070] In addition, the CPU 11 can provide an evaluation based on the number of times the user being evaluated rereads a sentence by counting the number of times the user's gaze has moved in the opposite direction to the writing direction of the sentence and the result is reflected in the evaluation of the reading comprehension ability of the sentence.

[0071] Note that the CPU 11 may change the weighting of the portion of the line of sight moving in the opposite direction according to the moving distance, and reflect this in the evaluation of the back-reading.

[0072] Furthermore, the CPU 11 can provide an evaluation according to semantic or grammatical comprehension ability by reflecting the degree to which the user was able to appropriately select the location where the delimiter should be displayed in the evaluation of the reading comprehension ability of the text.

[0073] Furthermore, the CPU 11 causes the display unit 15 to display the evaluation result of the reading ability, so that the evaluation result of the user's own reading ability can be provided to the user.

[0074] [Variation 1] Next, a case where the electronic device has an auxiliary function for inputting delimiters will be described as Modification 1. The following mainly describes the configuration and processing that are different from the electronic device 10 in the above embodiment.

[0075] The CPU 11 (display control unit) of the electronic device 10 displays auxiliary lines at positions where delimiters should be displayed in the text displayed on the display unit 15, based on information related to the movement of the line of sight. The CPU 11 makes the auxiliary lines distinguishable from the delimiters by making the display mode (line type, color, etc.) of the auxiliary lines different from the display mode of the delimiters. The CPU 11 may also flash the auxiliary lines to draw the user's attention.

[0076] The operation in the first modification is basically the same as the reading ability evaluation process (see Figs. 4 and 5). However, while executing the processes in steps S8 to S15, the CPU 11 displays an auxiliary line where a delimiter should be displayed if the user's line of sight is not smooth and it takes time to input (select) the slash position. This function corresponds to an auxiliary function for a situation where the user does not understand where to insert a delimiter in a sentence.

[0077] 10 shows an example of a delimiter input screen 155 displayed on the display unit 15. The delimiter input screen 155 includes a sentence display area 155A, an elapsed time display area 155B, a slash input end button B4, etc. The configuration of the delimiter input screen 155 is the same as that of the delimiter input screen 153 (see FIG. 8).

[0078] The user continues to read the text while inputting slashes 30 into the text in text display area 155A via touch panel 14. CPU 11 detects a trajectory L11 of eye movement with respect to the text in text display area 155A, based on image data obtained by camera 16.

[0079] When a necessary slash input is omitted at a point on the line of sight movement trajectory L11 where the line of sight has moved or stayed in the opposite direction for a predetermined distance or more, the CPU 11 displays an auxiliary line 31 at the point where the slash should be input. Here, the "necessary slash input" refers to the input of a slash at a point (a point where a delimiter should be displayed) designated by a preset grammar rule (grammar rule data 125).

[0080] Furthermore, when there is a gaze movement or gaze retention in the opposite direction of a predetermined distance or more on the trajectory L11 of gaze movement and a predetermined time has passed since the previous slash was input without the next slash being input, the CPU 11 displays an auxiliary line 31 at the location where the next slash should be input.

[0081] When the position of the auxiliary line 31 in the text is selected (touched) by a user operation via the touch panel 14, the CPU 11 changes the display mode of the auxiliary line 31 to the same display mode as that of a normal slash 30.

[0082] According to the first modification, the CPU 11 of the electronic device 10 displays auxiliary lines at locations where delimiters should be displayed based on information regarding the movement of the line of sight, thereby encouraging the user to read more smoothly.

[0083] [Variation 2] Next, a case where the electronic device has a function of assisting reading comprehension will be described as Modification 2. The following mainly describes the configuration and processing that are different from the electronic device 10 in the above embodiment.

[0084] When the CPU 11 (gaze information acquisition unit) of the electronic device 10 acquires information indicating that the gaze has remained at a specified location in a sentence for a specified period of time or longer, the CPU 11 (display control unit) displays explanatory information explaining the word or phrase displayed at the specified location.

[0085] When the CPU 11 (line-of-sight information acquisition unit) acquires information indicating a line-of-sight movement in accordance with the explanatory information, the CPU 11 (display control unit) makes the explanatory information non-displayable.

[0086] The operation in the second modification is basically the same as the reading ability evaluation process (see FIGS. 4 and 5). However, the CPU 11 performs the explanation information display process shown in FIG. 11 while executing the processes in steps S8 to S15.

[0087] CPU 11 analyzes image data obtained by camera 16 and obtains information regarding the movement of the gaze. Then, CPU 11 judges whether the gaze is staying at a predetermined position of the text displayed on display unit 15 for a predetermined time or more (step S21). CPU 11 judges whether the gaze is fixed on a specific word for a certain time or more, whether the gaze is moving back and forth to the left and right, etc. If the gaze is not staying at a predetermined position of the text for the predetermined time or more (step S21; NO), the process returns to step S21.

[0088] When the gaze stays on a predetermined portion of the sentence for a predetermined period of time or more (step S21; YES), CPU 11 causes display unit 15 to display a translation display screen corresponding to the word displayed at the stay location (predetermined portion) (step S22). For example, CPU 11 extracts the word displayed at the stay location and obtains a Japanese translation corresponding to the word from dictionary data 123. Then, CPU 11 causes display unit 15 to display the obtained Japanese translation in association with the word in the sentence displayed.

[0089] 12A shows an example of a delimiter input screen 156 displayed on the display unit 15. The delimiter input screen 156 includes a sentence display area 156A, an elapsed time display area 156B, a slash input end button B4, etc. The configuration of the delimiter input screen 156 is the same as that of the delimiter input screen 153 (see FIG. 8).

[0090] The CPU 11 detects a trajectory L12 of gaze movement with respect to the text in the text display area 156A. The CPU 11 identifies the phrase "even though" displayed at a point on the trajectory L12 of gaze movement where the gaze stayed for a predetermined period of time or more. The CPU 11 displays a translation display screen 40 (explanatory information) corresponding to "even though." The translation display screen 40 includes the Japanese translation of "even though."

[0091] Next, CPU 11 analyzes the image data obtained by camera 16 and determines whether or not there has been a movement of the line of sight in accordance with the explanatory information on translation display screen 40 (step S23). If there has been no movement of the line of sight in accordance with the explanatory information on translation display screen 40 (step S23; NO), the process returns to step S23.

[0092] When the line of sight has moved in accordance with the explanatory information on the translation display screen 40 (step S23; YES), the CPU 11 makes the translation display screen 40 non-displayable (step S24).

[0093] As shown in Fig. 12B, CPU 11 detects a trajectory L12 of gaze movement relative to the text in text display area 156A, followed by a trajectory L13 of gaze movement along the explanatory information in translation display screen 40. When CPU 11 detects that the user's gaze has moved to trace the explanatory information, CPU 11 makes the translation display screen 40 displayed on display unit 15 invisible, as shown in Fig. 12C. After step S24, the process returns to step S21.

[0094] According to the second modification, when information indicating that the gaze is held at a predetermined part of a sentence for a predetermined period of time or longer is acquired, the CPU 11 of the electronic device 10 displays explanatory information explaining a phrase displayed at the predetermined part. By providing a reading assistance function that automatically displays explanatory information at parts that are not read smoothly, the CPU 11 can promote improvement in the ability to read long texts.

[0095] Furthermore, when information indicating a line of sight movement in accordance with the explanatory information is acquired, the CPU 11 hides the explanatory information, thereby preventing the user from continuing to read the portion of the text after the predetermined point after checking the explanatory information.

[0096] In addition, the eye movement on the translation display screen 40 (explanatory information) may be excluded from the evaluation of reading comprehension ability because it is considered to be a movement unrelated to the reading comprehension of the main text. Alternatively, the eye movement on the translation display screen 40 (explanatory information) may be reflected in the evaluation of reading comprehension ability.

[0097] [Variation 3] Next, a case where the electronic device has a function of proposing grammar rules for slash input will be described as Modification 3. The following mainly describes the configuration and processing that are different from the electronic device 10 in the above embodiment.

[0098] The CPU 11 (suggestion unit) of the electronic device 10 proposes to the user a grammar rule (change proposal) that specifies the location where the delimiter should be displayed, based on the information on the movement of the line of sight and the information on the delimiter.

[0099] The operation in the modified example 3 is basically the same as the reading ability evaluation process (see Figs. 4 and 5). In the modified example 3, furthermore, improvement proposals for the grammar rules are proposed to the user.

[0100] Based on the movement of the user's gaze, the CPU 11 detects a location where the gaze stops or a location where the gaze moves in the opposite direction by more than a predetermined distance. Furthermore, based on information about delimiters, the CPU 11 analyzes input frequency and the like, and whether the user was able to properly select a location where a delimiter should be displayed. Based on this information, the CPU 11 identifies a location of a grammar rule where slash reading is not performed well. For example, the CPU 11 identifies a location where the gaze moves in the opposite direction or stops, a location where the timing of slash input is late, and the like, and determines an item of a grammar rule (an item to be added) corresponding to the identified location. The CPU 11 proposes a grammar rule for the user to use the next time slash reading is performed. The CPU 11 causes the display unit 15 to display the proposed content.

[0101] Fig. 13 shows an example of a grammar rule proposal screen 157 displayed on the display unit 15. The configuration of the grammar rule proposal screen 157 is basically the same as that of the grammar setting screen 152 (see Fig. 7). The grammar rule proposal screen 157 indicates whether each of a plurality of items is currently set to be valid as a place where a delimiter should be input. The CPU 11 displays recommendation marks 50, 51 on the grammar rule proposal screen 157 for items that are not currently set to be valid but should be set to be valid. In Fig. 13, recommendation marks 50, 51 are displayed for "before a relative pronoun" and "before a conjunction".

[0102] The user changes the grammar rule by referring to the grammar rule suggestion screen 157. For example, the user changes the grammar rule by checking the check box corresponding to the item with the recommendation mark 50, 51 displayed via the touch panel 14 and pressing the decision button B3.

[0103] According to the third modification, the CPU 11 of the electronic device 10 proposes to the user grammar rules that specify the positions where delimiters should be displayed, based on information about eye movement and information about delimiters. This provides the user with efficient training in slash reading.

[0104] [Variation 4] Next, a case where the electronic device has a function of suppressing the line of sight movement in the opposite direction will be described as Modification 4. The following mainly describes the configuration and processing that are different from the electronic device 10 in the above embodiment.

[0105] The CPU 11 (display control unit) of the electronic device 10, in accordance with the grammar rules that specify where delimiters should be displayed, sequentially hides areas of the text displayed on the display unit 15 through which the gaze has passed, in units of delimiters specified by the grammar rules, in response to information regarding the movement of the gaze acquired by the CPU 11 (gaze information acquisition unit). Hiding only needs to make the text invisible, and examples of this include a state in which the characters in the text are blacked out. Note that instead of blacking out the characters in the text, the characters themselves in the area through which the gaze has passed may not be displayed.

[0106] The operation in the fourth modification is basically the same as the reading ability evaluation process (see FIGS. 4 and 5), except that the CPU 11 performs the blackening process shown in FIG. 14 while executing the processes in steps S8 to S15.

[0107] The CPU 11 specifies the position in the text where the delimiter should be displayed according to the grammar rules. Specifically, the CPU 11 specifies the position in the text where the delimiter should be displayed based on the grammar rule data 125 and the delimiter position information included in the foreign language text data 124.

[0108] The CPU 11 analyzes the image data obtained by the camera 16 and judges whether or not the user's gaze reaches a delimiter position (a position where a delimiter symbol should be displayed) according to the grammatical rules in the text (step S31). If the gaze does not reach the delimiter position (step S31; NO), the process returns to step S31.

[0109] When the gaze reaches the division position (step S31; YES), CPU 11 causes the area of ​​the sentence displayed on display unit 15 before the division position reached by the gaze to be displayed in black (step S32). After step S32, the process returns to step S31. In step S31, CPU 11 determines whether the user's gaze has reached the next division position. In this way, CPU 11 sequentially makes the area of ​​the sentence displayed on display unit 15 through which the gaze has passed invisible in units of divisions specified by the grammar rules.

[0110] 15 shows an example of a delimiter input screen 158 displayed on the display unit 15. The delimiter input screen 158 includes a sentence display area 158A, an elapsed time display area 158B, a slash input end button B4, etc. The configuration of the delimiter input screen 158 is the same as that of the delimiter input screen 153 (see FIG. 8).

[0111] CPU 11 detects a trajectory L14 of gaze movement relative to the text in text display area 158A. Every time the trajectory L14 of gaze movement reaches a delimitation position conforming to the grammatical rules, CPU 11 sequentially turns the area before the reached delimitation position into a blackened area 60. As the user continues to read the text in text display area 158A, the blackened areas 60 increase. For this reason, the user cannot return to a portion that the gaze has passed once and reread it.

[0112] Note that the blackening process does not have to be accompanied by a slash input by the user. Also, the user may set break positions in advance for the text to be displayed.

[0113] According to the fourth modification, the CPU 11 of the electronic device 10, in accordance with the grammar rules that specify the positions where delimiters should be displayed, sequentially hides the areas of the text displayed on the display unit 15 through which the gaze has passed, in units of delimiters specified by the grammar rules, in response to information regarding the movement of the gaze. The function of sequentially hiding (blacking out, etc.) text in response to the movement of the user's gaze provides training to get used to reading texts in a foreign language by forcibly blocking gaze movement in the opposite direction. In this way, if the text is English, the user can read from left to right while understanding the English word order.

[0114] The above-described embodiments and modifications are merely examples of the electronic device, evaluation method, and program according to the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. The detailed configurations and operations of the components constituting the device may be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0115] For example, in the above embodiment and modified example, all the processes are executed by the electronic device 10 alone, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the electronic device may use various data supplied from a server (cloud) on the Internet. Specifically, the electronic device uses foreign language text, delimiter position information, grammar rules, etc. downloaded from the server to collect information on eye movement and information on delimiters while displaying a sentence. The electronic device transmits the collected information to the server, and the server evaluates the reading ability, thereby providing the evaluation result to the electronic device.

[0116] In the above example, the electronic device 10 captures the user's face and acquires (measures) information about the movement of the line of sight. However, some functions may be performed by another device. For example, the user's face may be captured by a camera separate from the electronic device 10, while the electronic device 10 measures the line of sight based on the captured user's face. The function of capturing the user's face and the function of measuring the line of sight may be performed by a device other than the electronic device 10. In this case, the measurement result of the line of sight may be transmitted from the device to the electronic device 10, and the measurement result of the user's line of sight may be acquired by the electronic device 10. In addition, when the function of capturing the user's face is performed by a device other than the electronic device 10, the installation of the camera 16 in the electronic device 10 may be omitted.

[0117] In addition, the electronic device 10 may determine the content of the foreign language text (number of vocabulary words, short / long sentences, etc.) to be presented to the user from the next time onwards based on the evaluated reading ability of the user, and selectively present foreign language text according to the user's reading ability. [Explanation of symbols]

[0118] 10 Electronic equipment 11 CPU 12 Storage section 13. Key input section 14 Touch Panel 15 Display 16 Cameras 17 Communications Department 31 Auxiliary Line 40 Translation display screen 50,51 Recommended Mark 60 Black area 121 Translation Program 122 Reading Comprehension Assessment Program 123 Dictionary Data 124 Foreign Language Text Data 125 Grammar Rule Data 151 Foreign language text display screen 152 Grammar setting screen 153 Delimiter input screen 154 Evaluation result screen

Claims

1. A display unit for displaying text; a gaze information acquisition unit that acquires information regarding a gaze movement of a user who is reading and comprehending a text displayed on the display unit; a display control unit that displays a delimiter at a position selected by a user operation in the text displayed on the display unit; and an evaluation unit that evaluates reading comprehension ability of the text based on information about the movement of the line of sight and information about the delimiters.

1. An electronic device comprising:

2. The evaluation unit reflects a result of comparing the gaze movement speed of the evaluation target user as information regarding the movement of the gaze of the user with an average gaze movement speed of a plurality of users in an evaluation of the reading comprehension ability of the text.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1 .

3. The evaluation unit counts the number of points where the gaze of the evaluation target user moves a distance equal to or greater than a predetermined value in a direction opposite to the writing direction of the text, and reflects the result in an evaluation of the reading comprehension ability of the text.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1 .

4. the evaluation unit reflects the degree to which the user was able to appropriately select the position at which the delimiter should be displayed in an evaluation of the reading comprehension ability of the text.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1 .

5. The display control unit causes the display unit to display an evaluation result of the reading ability evaluated by the evaluation unit.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1 .

6. the display control unit displays an auxiliary line at a position where the delimiter should be displayed in the sentence displayed on the display unit, based on information regarding the movement of the line of sight.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1 .

7. When the gaze information acquisition unit acquires information indicating a gaze pause for a predetermined period of time or more at a predetermined location of the sentence, the display control unit displays explanatory information explaining a word or phrase displayed at the predetermined location.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1 .

8. When the line-of-sight information acquisition unit acquires information indicating a line-of-sight movement in accordance with the explanatory information, the display control unit hides the explanatory information.

8. The electronic device according to claim 7,

9. a suggestion unit that suggests to a user a grammar rule that specifies a position where the delimiter should be displayed, based on the information about the movement of the line of sight and the information about the delimiter; 2. The electronic device according to claim 1 .

10. the display control unit, in accordance with a grammar rule that specifies a location where the delimiter should be displayed, and in response to information regarding the movement of the gaze acquired by the gaze information acquisition unit, sequentially hides an area of ​​the sentence displayed on the display unit through which the gaze has passed, in units of delimiters specified by the grammar rule.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1 .

11. 1. A method for evaluating a user's reading ability, comprising: A step of displaying the text on a display unit; acquiring information regarding a movement of a user's gaze while reading a text displayed on the display unit; A step of displaying a delimiter at a position selected by a user operation in the text displayed on the display unit; evaluating a reading comprehension ability of the text based on the information about the eye movement and the information about the delimiters; 13. An evaluation method comprising:

12. For electronic devices computers, A function to display text on the display unit; A function of acquiring information regarding the movement of a user's gaze while reading and comprehending a text displayed on the display unit; A function of displaying a delimiter symbol at a position selected by a user operation in the text displayed on the display unit; A function of evaluating reading comprehension ability of the text based on the information regarding the eye movement and the information regarding the delimiters is realized. A program characterized by:

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