Display device, display method, and program

Abstract

To provide a display device, a display method, and a program which can visually express a record of a change in pseudo emotion of an electronic apparatus simulating a living thing.SOLUTION: A terminal device 50 displays an object related to a robot which changes a pseudo emotion in response to an event. A control unit 510 displays the object in a display mode corresponding to a change in pseudo emotion during a prescribed period and in a region corresponding to the period on the display screen.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] There are known electronic devices that mimic living things such as pets and humans. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a robot device that can make a user feel that the robot device has emotions by executing a scenario corresponding to the value of an emotion parameter. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2003-285286 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In electronic devices that mimic living creatures as described above, there is a demand for visually expressing a record of simulated emotional changes that occur in the electronic device.

[0005] The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a display device, a display method, and a program that are capable of visually displaying records of simulated emotional changes in electronic devices that simulate living things. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of a display device according to the present invention is to A display device that displays an object related to an electronic device that changes pseudo-emotions in response to an event, a control means for displaying the object in a region on a display screen corresponding to a predetermined period in a display mode corresponding to a change in the simulated emotion during the period; The present invention is characterized by comprising: Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to visually express the record of simulated emotional changes in an electronic device that imitates a living creature. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an outline of the overall configuration of a robot system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is a cross-sectional side view of a robot according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a robot according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a terminal device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an emotion map according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a personality value radar chart according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of sleep data according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of gesture information according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a first diagram showing an example of a coefficient table according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a second diagram illustrating an example of a coefficient table according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an event log according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a first diagram showing a display example of a diary screen according to the first embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a second diagram showing a display example of the diary screen according to the first embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a third diagram showing a display example of the diary screen according to the first embodiment. [Figure 15] 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of a robot control process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 16] 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of a gesture control process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 17] 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of a display control process according to the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0010] (Embodiment 1) 1 shows a schematic configuration of a robot system 1 according to the embodiment 1. The robot system 1 includes a robot 200 and a terminal device 50. The robot 200 is an example of the electronic device according to the embodiment 1.

[0011] The robot 200 according to the first embodiment includes an exterior 201, a decorative part 202, a bushy fur 203, a head 204, a connecting part 205, a body part 206, a housing 207, a touch sensor 211, an acceleration sensor 212, a microphone 213, an illuminance sensor 214, and a speaker 231 similar to those of the robot 200 disclosed in JP 2023-115370 A, and the description thereof will be omitted. The shape of the head 204 may be the shape shown in FIG. 2 or may be the shape disclosed in, for example, FIG. 2 of JP 2023-115370 A.

[0012] The robot 200 according to the first embodiment includes a twist motor 221 and an up-down motor 222 similar to those of the robot 200 disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-115370, and the description thereof will be omitted. The twist motor 221 and the up-down motor 222 of the robot 200 according to the first embodiment operate in the same manner as the robot 200 disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-115370.

[0013] The robot 200 includes a gyro sensor 215. With the acceleration sensor 212 and the gyro sensor 215, the robot 200 can detect a change in the posture of the robot 200 itself, and can also detect that the robot 200 has been lifted up, changed in direction, or thrown by a user.

[0014] At least a portion of the acceleration sensor 212, microphone 213, gyro sensor 215, illuminance sensor 214 and speaker 231 may be provided in the head 204, not limited to the torso 206, or in both the torso 206 and the head 204.

[0015] Next, the functional configuration of the robot 200 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. As shown in Fig. 3, the robot 200 includes a control device 100, a sensor unit 210, a driving unit 220, an output unit 230, and an operation unit 240. These units are connected to each other via a bus line BL, for example. Note that instead of the bus line BL, a wired interface such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable or a wireless interface such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) may be used.

[0016] The control device 100 is a device that controls the robot 200. The control device 100 includes a control unit 110 which is an example of a control means, a storage unit 120 which is an example of a storage means, and a communication unit 130 which is an example of a communication means.

[0017] The control unit 110 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The CPU is, for example, a microprocessor, and is a central processing unit that executes various processes and calculations. In the control unit 110, the CPU reads out a control program stored in a ROM, and controls the operation of the entire robot 200, which is the control unit, while using a RAM as a work memory. Although not shown, the control unit 110 also includes a clock function, a timer function, and the like, and can measure the date and time. The control unit 110 may also be called a "processor."

[0018] The storage unit 120 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a flash memory, etc. The storage unit 120 stores programs and data, including an OS (Operating System) and application programs, that are used by the control unit 110 to perform various processes. The storage unit 120 also stores data that is generated or acquired by the control unit 110 performing various processes.

[0019] The communication unit 130 includes a communication interface for communicating with devices external to the robot 200. For example, the communication unit 130 communicates with external devices including the terminal device 50 in accordance with well-known communication standards such as wireless LAN (Local Area Network), BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark)), and NFC (Near Field Communication).

[0020] The sensor unit 210 includes the above-mentioned touch sensor 211, acceleration sensor 212, gyro sensor 215, illuminance sensor 214, and microphone 213. The sensor unit 210 is an example of a detection unit that detects an external stimulus.

[0021] The touch sensor 211 includes, for example, a pressure sensor or a capacitance sensor, and detects contact with some object. Based on the detection value of the touch sensor 211, the control unit 110 can detect whether the robot 200 is being stroked or hit by the user.

[0022] The acceleration sensor 212 detects acceleration applied to the body 206 of the robot 200. The acceleration sensor 212 detects acceleration in each of the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction, that is, acceleration in three axes.

[0023] For example, the acceleration sensor 212 detects gravitational acceleration when the robot 200 is stationary. The control unit 110 can detect the current posture of the robot 200 based on the gravitational acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 212. In other words, the control unit 110 can detect whether the housing 207 of the robot 200 is tilted from the horizontal direction based on the gravitational acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 212. In this way, the acceleration sensor 212 functions as a tilt detection means that detects the tilt of the robot 200.

[0024] Furthermore, when the user lifts or throws the robot 200, the acceleration sensor 212 detects the acceleration accompanying the movement of the robot 200 in addition to the gravitational acceleration. Therefore, the control unit 110 can detect the movement of the robot 200 by removing the gravitational acceleration component from the detection value detected by the acceleration sensor 212.

[0025] The gyro sensor 215 detects the angular velocity when rotation is applied to the body 206 of the robot 200. Specifically, the gyro sensor 215 detects the angular velocity of three-axis rotation, namely, rotation about the X-axis direction, rotation about the Y-axis direction, and rotation about the Z-axis direction. By combining the detection values ​​detected by the acceleration sensor 212 and the detection values ​​detected by the gyro sensor 215, the movement of the robot 200 can be detected with higher accuracy.

[0026] The touch sensor 211, the acceleration sensor 212, and the gyro sensor 215 detect the strength of contact, the acceleration, and the angular velocity, respectively, at synchronized timing (for example, every 0.25 seconds), and output the detection values ​​to the control unit 110.

[0027] The microphone 213 detects sounds around the robot 200. Based on the components of the sound detected by the microphone 213, the control unit 110 can detect, for example, whether the user is calling out to the robot 200 or clapping his hands.

[0028] The illuminance sensor 214 detects the illuminance of the surroundings of the robot 200. Based on the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor 214, the control unit 110 can detect whether the surroundings of the robot 200 have become brighter or darker.

[0029] The control unit 110 acquires, as an external stimulus, detection values ​​detected by various sensors included in the sensor unit 210 via the bus line BL. The external stimulus is a stimulus that acts on the robot 200 from outside the robot 200. Examples of the external stimulus include "a loud noise was heard," "someone spoke to," "someone stroked," "someone lifted up," "someone turned upside down," "it became brighter," "it became darker," and the like.

[0030] For example, the control unit 110 obtains an external stimulus caused by "a loud noise being made" or "being spoken to" through the microphone 213, and obtains an external stimulus caused by "being stroked" through the touch sensor 211. In addition, the control unit 110 obtains an external stimulus caused by "being lifted" or "being turned upside down" through the acceleration sensor 212 and gyro sensor 215, and obtains an external stimulus caused by "it becoming brighter" or "it becoming darker" through the illuminance sensor 214.

[0031] The sensor unit 210 may include sensors other than the touch sensor 211, the acceleration sensor 212, the gyro sensor 215, and the microphone 213. By increasing the types of sensors included in the sensor unit 210, it is possible to increase the types of external stimuli that the control unit 110 can acquire.

[0032] The driving unit 220 includes a twist motor 221 and an up-down motor 222, and is driven by the control unit 110. The twist motor 221 is a servo motor for rotating the head 204 in the left-right direction (width direction) with respect to the torso unit 206, with the front-rear direction as an axis. The up-down motor 222 is a servo motor for rotating the head 204 in the up-down direction (height direction) with respect to the torso unit 206, with the left-right direction as an axis. The robot 200 can express the motion of twisting the head 204 sideways by the twist motor 221, and can express the motion of raising and lowering the head 204 by the up-down motor 222.

[0033] The output unit 230 includes a speaker 231, and when the control unit 110 inputs sound data to the output unit 230, sound is output from the speaker 231. For example, when the control unit 110 inputs data on the cry of the robot 200 to the output unit 230, the robot 200 emits a pseudo cry.

[0034] Incidentally, instead of or in addition to the speaker 231, the output unit 230 may be provided with a display such as a liquid crystal display or a light-emitting unit such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode), and emotions such as joy and sadness may be displayed on the display or expressed by the color and brightness of the emitted light.

[0035] The operation unit 240 includes operation buttons, a volume knob, etc. The operation unit 240 is an interface for accepting user operations such as turning the power on and off, adjusting the volume of the output sound, etc.

[0036] The battery 250 is a rechargeable secondary battery, and stores power used in the robot 200. The battery 250 is charged when the robot 200 moves to a charging station.

[0037] The position information acquisition unit 260 includes a position information sensor such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) and acquires current position information of the robot 200. Note that the position information acquisition unit 260 may acquire the position information of the robot 200 by a general method using wireless communication, not limited to GPS, or may acquire the position information of the robot 200 through application software of the terminal device 50.

[0038] Control unit 110 functionally comprises state parameter acquisition unit 112 which is an example of state parameter acquisition means, gesture control unit 113 which is an example of gesture control means, and log information generation unit 114 which is an example of log information generation means. In control unit 110, the CPU reads out a program stored in the ROM into the RAM, and executes and controls the program to function as each of these units.

[0039] The storage unit 120 also stores gesture information 121, state parameters 122, log information 123, and a coefficient table .

[0040] Next, the configuration of the terminal device 50 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. The terminal device 50 is an operation terminal operated by a user. The terminal device 50 is, for example, a general-purpose information processing device such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a wearable terminal. As shown in Fig. 4, the terminal device 50 includes a control unit 510, a storage unit 520, an operation unit 530, a display unit 540, and a communication unit 550. The terminal device 50 is an example of a display device that displays objects related to the robot 200. The robot system 1 is an example of a display system.

[0041] The control unit 510 includes a CPU. In the control unit 110, the CPU reads out a control program stored in a ROM and controls the overall operation of the terminal device 50 while using a RAM as a work memory. The control unit 510 may be called a "processor."

[0042] The storage unit 520 includes a ROM, a RAM, a flash memory, etc. The storage unit 520 stores programs and data used by the control unit 510 to perform various processes. The storage unit 520 also stores data generated or acquired by the control unit 510 performing various processes.

[0043] The operation unit 530 includes an input device such as a touch panel, a touch pad, and physical buttons, and receives operation input from the user.

[0044] Display unit 540 includes a display device such as a liquid crystal display, and displays various images under the control of control unit 510. Display unit 540 is an example of a display means.

[0045] The communication unit 550 includes a communication interface for communicating with devices external to the terminal device 50. For example, the communication unit 550 communicates with external devices including the robot 200 in accordance with well-known communication standards such as wireless LAN, BLE (registered trademark), and NFC.

[0046] Control unit 510 functionally includes an event count acquisition unit 513, which is an example of an event count acquisition means, and a display control unit 514, which is an example of a display control means. In control unit 510, a CPU reads a program stored in a ROM into a RAM, and executes and controls the program, thereby functioning as each of these units.

[0047] Returning to Fig. 3, in the control device 100 of the robot 200, the state parameter acquisition unit 112 acquires state parameters 122. The state parameters 122 are parameters for expressing the state of the robot 200. Specifically, the state parameters 122 include (1) emotion parameters, (2) personality parameters, (3) remaining battery power, (4) current location, (5) current time, and (6) number of days of growth (number of days of training).

[0048] (1) Emotion parameters The emotion parameters are parameters that represent simulated emotions for the robot 200. The emotion parameters are represented by coordinates (X, Y) on the emotion map 300.

[0049] As shown in Fig. 5, the emotion map 300 is represented by a two-dimensional coordinate system with the X-axis representing the degree of relief (degree of anxiety) and the Y-axis representing the degree of excitement (degree of lethargy). The origin (0,0) on the emotion map represents normal emotions. The larger the absolute value of the X-coordinate (X value), the more positive the value, the higher the emotion of relief; and the larger the absolute value of the negative value, the higher the emotion of anxiety. The larger the absolute value of the Y-coordinate (Y value), the more positive the value, the higher the emotion of excitement; and the larger the absolute value of the negative value, the higher the emotion of lethargy.

[0050] The emotion parameters represent a plurality of different pseudo emotions (four in this embodiment). In Fig. 5, among the values ​​representing the pseudo emotions, the relief and anxiety are collectively represented on one axis (X-axis), and the excitement and lethargy are collectively represented on another axis (Y-axis). Therefore, the emotion parameters have two values, an X value (relief, anxiety) and a Y value (excitement, lethargy), and a point on the emotion map 300 represented by the X value and the Y value represents the pseudo emotion of the robot 200. The initial value of the emotion parameter is (0,0).

[0051] In addition, although the emotion map 300 is shown in a two-dimensional coordinate system in FIG. 5, the number of dimensions of the emotion map 300 is arbitrary. The emotion map 300 may be defined in one dimension, and one value may be set as the emotion parameter. Furthermore, the emotion map 300 may be defined in a coordinate system of three or more dimensions by adding other axes, and the value of the number of dimensions of the emotion map 300 may be set as the emotion parameter. Furthermore, in the emotion map 300, an emotion that indicates a degree in one direction of a predetermined axis and an emotion that indicates a degree in the opposite direction to the one direction may be treated as paired emotions, for example, relief and anxiety, and excitement and lethargy may be treated as paired emotions.

[0052] State parameter acquisition section 112 calculates an emotion change amount, which is an amount of change that increases or decreases the X and Y values ​​of emotion parameters. The emotion change amount is expressed by the following four variables. DXP: Ease of feeling at ease (the tendency for the X value on the emotion map to change in a positive direction) DXM: Tendency to become anxious (the tendency for the X value on the emotion map to change in the negative direction) DYP: Excitability (the tendency for the Y value on the emotion map to change in the positive direction) DYM: Tendency to become apathetic (the tendency for the Y value on the emotion map to change in the negative direction)

[0053] The state parameter acquisition unit 112 updates the emotion parameter by adding or subtracting a value corresponding to the external stimulus from among the emotion change amounts DXP, DXM, DYP, and DYM to the current emotion parameter. For example, when the head 204 is stroked, the simulated emotion of the robot 200 is one of relief, so the state parameter acquisition unit 112 adds DXP to the X value of the emotion parameter. Conversely, when the head 204 is hit, the simulated emotion of the robot 200 is one of anxiety, so the state parameter acquisition unit 112 subtracts DXM from the X value of the emotion parameter. It is possible to arbitrarily set what emotion change amounts correspond to various external stimuli. An example is shown below. Head 204 is stroked (feels safe): X=X+DXP Hit on the head 204 (feels anxious): X=X-DXM (These external stimuli can be detected by the touch sensor 211 on the head 204.) The torso 206 is stroked (excited): Y=Y+DYP Hitting the torso 206 (becoming lethargic): Y=Y-DYM (These external stimuli can be detected by the touch sensor 211 on the torso 206.) Being held with head up (happy): X=X+DXP and Y=Y+DYP Hanging head down (sad): X=X-DXM and Y=Y-DYM (These external stimuli can be detected by the touch sensor 211 and the acceleration sensor 212.) A gentle voice calls out to you (becomes peaceful): X=X+DXP and Y=Y-DYM Being yelled at loudly (irritated): X=X-DXM and Y=Y+DYP (These external stimuli can be detected by microphone 213.)

[0054] The sensor unit 210 acquires a plurality of different types of external stimuli using a plurality of sensors. The state parameter acquisition unit 112 derives various amounts of emotion change in response to each of the plurality of external stimuli, and sets emotion parameters in response to the derived amounts of emotion change.

[0055] The initial value of each of the emotion variation amounts DXP, DXM, DYP, DYM is 10 and can increase up to a maximum of 20. The state parameter acquisition section 112 updates each variable of the emotion variation amounts DXP, DXM, DYP, DYM in response to an external stimuli detected by the sensor section 210.

[0056] Specifically, state parameter acquisition section 112 adds 1 to DXP if the X value of the emotion parameter is set to the maximum value of emotion map 300 even once in a day, and adds 1 to DYP if the Y value of the emotion parameter is set to the maximum value of emotion map 300 even once in a day. Also, state parameter acquisition section 112 adds 1 to DXM if the X value of the emotion parameter is set to the minimum value of emotion map 300 even once in a day, and adds 1 to DYM if the Y value of the emotion parameter is set to the minimum value of emotion map 300 even once in a day.

[0057] In this way, state parameter acquisition section 112 changes the amount of emotion change in accordance with a condition based on whether the emotion parameter value has reached the maximum or minimum value of emotion map 300. This update process changes the amount of emotion change, i.e., the degree of change in emotion.

[0058] For example, when only the head 204 is stroked repeatedly, only the emotion change amount DXP increases, and the other emotion change amounts do not change, so that the robot 200 has a personality that is easy to feel at ease. When only the head 204 is hit repeatedly, only the emotion change amount DXM increases, and the other emotion change amounts do not change, so that the robot 200 has a personality that is easy to feel anxious. In this way, the state parameter acquisition unit 112 changes the emotion change amount in response to various external stimuli.

[0059] (2) Personality parameters The personality parameters are parameters that represent the pseudo personality of the robot 200. The personality parameters include a plurality of personality values ​​each representing a different degree of personality. The state parameter acquisition unit 112 changes the plurality of personality values ​​included in the personality parameters in response to an external stimulus detected by the sensor unit 210.

[0060] Specifically, the state parameter acquisition unit 112 calculates the four personality values ​​according to the following (Equation 1). That is, the personality value (cheerful) is calculated by subtracting 10 from DXP, which indicates the tendency to feel at ease, the personality value (shy) is calculated by subtracting 10 from DXM, which indicates the tendency to become anxious, the personality value (active) is calculated by subtracting 10 from DYP, which indicates the tendency to become excited, and the personality value (spoiled) is calculated by subtracting 10 from DYM, which indicates the tendency to become lethargic. Personality score (cheerful) = DXP-10 Personality score (shy) = DXM-10 Personality score (active) = DYP-10 Personality score (spoiled) = DYM-10 …(Formula 1)

[0061] 6, a personality value radar chart 400 can be generated by plotting the personality value (cheerful) on the first axis, the personality value (active) on the second axis, the personality value (shy) on the third axis, and the personality value (spoiled) on the fourth axis. Since the initial value of each variable of the amount of emotion change is 10 and increases up to a maximum of 20, the range of the personality value is 0 to 10.

[0062] Since the initial value of each personality value is 0, the personality of robot 200 at birth is represented by the origin of personality value radar chart 400. As robot 200 grows, the four personality values ​​change up to an upper limit of 10 depending on external stimuli (how the user interacts with robot 200) detected by sensor unit 210. This makes it possible to express 11 to the fourth power = 14641 different personalities.

[0063] In this way, the robot 200 has various personalities depending on how the user interacts with the robot 200. In other words, the personality of the robot 200 is formed differently for each individual depending on how the user interacts with the robot 200.

[0064] These four personality values ​​are fixed when the child period has passed and the simulated growth of the robot 200 is completed. In order to correct the personality in the subsequent adult period according to the user's attitude toward the robot 200, the state parameter acquisition unit 112 adjusts the four personality correction values ​​(cheerful correction value, active correction value, shy correction value, and spoiled correction value).

[0065] State parameter acquisition section 112 adjusts the four personality correction values ​​in accordance with conditions based on which area on emotion map 300 the emotion parameter has existed for the longest time. Specifically, the four personality correction values ​​are adjusted as follows (A) to (E). (A) If the longest existence area is a safe area on the emotion map 300, the state parameter acquisition section 112 adds 1 to the cheerful correction value and subtracts 1 from the shy correction value. (B) If the longest existence area is an excited area on the emotion map 300, the state parameter acquisition section 112 adds 1 to the active correction value and subtracts 1 from the spoiled correction value. (C) If the longest presence area is an anxious area on the emotion map 300, the state parameter acquisition section 112 adds 1 to the shy correction value and subtracts 1 from the cheerful correction value. (D) If the longest existence area is a lethargic area on the emotion map 300, the state parameter acquisition section 112 adds 1 to the spoiled correction value and subtracts 1 from the active correction value. (E) If the longest presence area is the central area on the emotion map 300, the state parameter acquisition section 112 decreases the absolute values ​​of all of the four personality correction values ​​by one.

[0066] When the four personality correction values ​​are set, the state parameter acquisition unit 112 calculates the four personality values ​​according to the following (Equation 2).

[0067] Personality value (cheerful) = DXP-10 + cheerfulness correction value Personality score (shy) = DXM-10 + shyness correction value Personality score (active) = DYP-10 + Activeness correction value Personality score (spoiled) = DYM-10 + spoiled correction value …(Formula 2)

[0068] (3) Battery level The remaining battery level is the remaining amount of power stored in the battery 250, and is a parameter that indicates the pseudo hunger level of the robot 200. The state parameter acquisition unit 112 acquires information on the current remaining battery level from a power supply control unit that controls charging and discharging of the battery 250.

[0069] (4) Current location The current location is the location where the robot 200 is currently located. The state parameter acquisition unit 112 acquires information on the current location of the robot 200 by the position information acquisition unit 260.

[0070] More specifically, the state parameter acquisition unit 112 refers to past position information of the robot 200 recorded in the log information 123. The log information 123 is data recording past behavior data of the robot 200. Specifically, the log information 123 includes data indicating transitions of the state parameters 122 such as the past position information, emotion parameters, personality parameters, and battery level of the robot 200, and sleep data indicating the past wake-up times, bedtimes, and the like of the robot 200.

[0071] When the current location matches the location most frequently recorded, the state parameter acquisition unit 112 determines that the current location is the home. When the current location is not the home, the state parameter acquisition unit 112 determines whether the current location is a new location, a familiar location, or a less familiar location based on the number of times the location has been recorded in the past in the log information 123, and acquires the determination information. For example, the state parameter acquisition unit 112 determines that the current location is a familiar location if the number of times the location has been recorded in the past is five or more, and determines that the current location is a less familiar location if the number of times the location has been recorded in the past is less than five.

[0072] (5)Current time The current time is the current time. The state parameter acquisition unit 112 acquires the current time from a clock mounted on the robot 200. Note that, like the acquisition of position information, the acquisition of the current time is not limited to this method.

[0073] More specifically, the state parameter acquisition unit 112 refers to today's wake-up time and past average bedtime recorded in the log information 123 and determines whether the current time is immediately after today's wake-up time or immediately before today's bedtime.

[0074] The log information 123 includes the sleep data shown in Fig. 7. The sleep data includes a sleep log and sleep summary data. The sleep log records the robot 200's past wake-up time and bedtime for each day. The summary sleep data is data obtained by summarizing the sleep logs, and records the average wake-up time and average bedtime for each day of the week.

[0075] For example, if the current time is within 30 minutes of today's wake-up time, the state parameter acquisition unit 112 determines that the current time is just after today's wake-up time. Also, if the current time is within 30 minutes before the average bedtime in the past, the state parameter acquisition unit 112 determines that the current time is just before bedtime.

[0076] Although not shown in the figure, the sleep data records past nap time periods of the robot 200. The state parameter acquisition unit 112 refers to the past nap time periods recorded in the log information 123 and determines whether the current time falls within a nap time period.

[0077] (6) Number of days to grow (number of days to grow) The number of days of growth indicates the number of days of the pseudo growth of the robot 200. The robot 200 is pseudo-born when the user starts it for the first time after being shipped from the factory, and grows from a child to an adult over a predetermined growth period. The number of days of growth corresponds to the number of days from the pseudo birth of the robot 200.

[0078] The initial value of the number of days of growth is 1, and the state parameter acquisition unit 112 adds 1 to the number of days of growth every time a day passes. The growth period during which the robot 200 grows from a child to an adult is, for example, 50 days, and the period of 50 days of pseudo-growth from birth is called the "child period." When the child period has elapsed, the pseudo-growth of the robot 200 is completed. The period after the child period is completed is called the "adult period."

[0079] During the child period, the state parameter acquisition unit 112 increases both the maximum and minimum values ​​of the emotion map 300 by 2 each time the number of days of simulated growth of the robot 200 increases by one day. The initial size of the emotion map 300 has a maximum value of 100 and a minimum value of -100 for both the X and Y values, as shown in a frame 301. When the number of days of growth reaches half the child period (for example, 25 days), the maximum value of both the X and Y values ​​becomes 150 and the minimum value becomes -150, as shown in a frame 302. When the child period has elapsed, the simulated growth of the robot 200 stops. At this time, the maximum value of both the X and Y values ​​becomes 200 and the minimum value becomes -200, as shown in a frame 303. After that, the size of the emotion map 300 is fixed.

[0080] The settable range of emotion parameters is determined by emotion map 300. Therefore, the settable range of emotion parameters expands as the size of emotion map 300 increases. By expanding the settable range of emotion parameters, richer emotional expression becomes possible, and thus the pseudo growth of robot 200 is expressed by expanding the size of emotion map 300.

[0081] Returning to FIG. 3, the gesture control unit 113 causes the robot 200 to perform various gestures according to the situation based on the gesture information 121. The gesture information 121 is information that determines the gestures to be performed by the robot 200. Here, the gestures are the behavior, action, etc. of the robot 200. Specifically, the gestures are, as shown in FIG. 8, "head down", "peep", "head shake", "surprise", "happiness", "sadness", etc. In addition to the gestures shown in FIG. 8, various other gestures can be mentioned, such as "laughing", "anger", "sneezing", "breathing", etc. Each gesture is composed of a combination of multiple elements, which are movements or voice outputs.

[0082] The movement means a physical movement (motion) of the robot 200 executed by the driving unit 220. Specifically, the movement corresponds to moving the head 204 relative to the body 206 by the twist motor 221 or the up-down motor 222. The sound output means outputting various sounds such as cries from the speaker 231 of the output unit 230.

[0083] 8, the gesture information 121 defines gesture control parameters for each of a plurality of gestures that the robot 200 can perform. The gesture control parameters are parameters for causing the robot 200 to perform each gesture. The gesture control parameters define, for each element constituting a gesture, a movement parameter or a cry parameter, and a time (in milliseconds) for performing the element. The movement parameters define the movement angle of the twist motor 221 and the movement angle of the up-down motor 222. The cry parameters define the sound and volume.

[0084] As an example, when the robot 200 is made to perform the gesture of "bowing its head", the gesture control unit 113 first controls the twist motor 221 and the up-down motor 222 so that their angles become 0 after 100 milliseconds, and controls the up-down motor 222 so that its angle becomes -45 after 100 milliseconds. When the robot 200 is made to perform the gesture of "peep", the gesture control unit 113 outputs a "peep" sound at a volume of 60 dB from the speaker 231 for 300 milliseconds. When the robot 200 is made to perform the gesture of "shaking its head", the gesture control unit 113 first controls the twist motor 221 and the up-down motor 222 so that their angles become 0 after 100 milliseconds, and controls the drive unit 220 so that the angle of the twist motor 221 becomes 34 after 100 milliseconds, and controls the drive unit 220 so that the angle of the twist motor 221 becomes -34 after another 100 milliseconds.

[0085] 8 defines gestures such as "surprised," "happy," and "sad" as more complicated gestures. When making the robot 200 execute the gesture of "surprised," the gesture control unit 113 first controls the twist motor 221 and the up-down motor 222 so that their angles become 0 after 100 milliseconds, and controls the up-down motor 222 so that its angle becomes -24 after 100 milliseconds. The gesture control unit 113 then does not rotate for 700 milliseconds, and controls the twist motor 221 so that its angle becomes 34 and the up-down motor 222 so that its angle becomes -24 after 500 milliseconds. The gesture control unit 113 then controls the twist motor 221 so that its angle becomes -34 after 400 milliseconds, and controls the twist motor 221 and the up-down motor 222 so that their angles become 0 after 500 milliseconds. Furthermore, in parallel with driving the twist motor 221 and the up / down motor 222, the gesture control unit 113 outputs a sound "kyaa" at a volume of 70 dB from the speaker 231. Note that gesture parameters for gestures such as "happy" and "sad" are omitted in Fig. 8, but like "surprise", these are determined by a combination of the movement (motion) of the twist motor 221 or the up / down motor 222 and the sound output (cry) from the speaker 231.

[0086] The gesture information 121 defines the gesture to be performed by the robot 200 by a combination of such actions (motions) or voice outputs (cries). The gesture information 121 may be pre-installed in the robot 200. Alternatively, the gesture information 121 may be freely created by the user operating the terminal device 50.

[0087] Each gesture defined in the gesture information 121 is associated in advance with a trigger, which is a condition for the robot 200 to execute the gesture. The trigger can be various conditions, specifically, "being called out to," "being stroked," "being lifted up," "being turned upside down," "it has become bright," "it has become dark," and the like. These triggers are triggers based on external stimuli and are detected by the sensor unit 210. For example, "being called out to" is detected by the microphone 213. "being stroked" is detected by the touch sensor 211. "being lifted up" and "being turned upside down" are detected by the acceleration sensor 212 or the gyro sensor 215. "it has become bright" and "it has become dark" are detected by the illuminance sensor 214. Note that the trigger may be one that is not based on an external stimulus, such as "a specific time has arrived," "the robot 200 has moved to a specific place," and the like.

[0088] The gesture control unit 113 judges whether or not any of the triggers of the multiple gestures defined in the gesture information 121 has been established based on the detection result by the sensor unit 210, etc. For example, the gesture control unit 113 judges whether or not any of the triggers defined in advance in the gesture information 121 has been established, such as whether the user's voice has been recognized, whether the head 204 of the robot 200 has been stroked, whether a specific time has arrived, whether the robot 200 has moved to a specific location, etc. As a result of the judgment, if any of the triggers has been established, the gesture control unit 113 causes the robot 200 to perform a gesture corresponding to the established trigger.

[0089] When any of the triggers is established, the gesture control unit 113 refers to the gesture information 121 to identify gesture control parameters set for the gesture corresponding to the established trigger. Specifically, the gesture control unit 113 identifies, as the gesture control parameters, a combination of actions or cries that are elements constituting the gesture corresponding to the established trigger, the execution start timing of each element, and action parameters or cries parameters that are parameters of each element. Then, the gesture control unit 113 drives the driving unit 220 based on the identified gesture control parameters, or outputs sound from the speaker 231, thereby causing the robot 200 to execute the gesture corresponding to the established trigger.

[0090] More specifically, the gesture control unit 113 corrects the gesture control parameters identified from the gesture information 121 based on the state parameters 122 acquired by the state parameter acquisition unit 112. This makes it possible to change the gestures according to the current state of the robot 200, and to realistically imitate living creatures.

[0091] To correct the gesture control parameters, the gesture control unit 113 refers to the coefficient table 124. As shown in Fig. 9 and Fig. 10, the coefficient table 124 defines a correction coefficient for each of the state parameters 122, that is, (1) emotion parameters, (2) personality parameters, (3) remaining battery level, (4) current location, and (5) current time. Although not shown, the coefficient table 124 may also define a correction coefficient for (6) number of days of growth.

[0092] The correction coefficient is a coefficient for correcting the gesture control parameter identified from the gesture information 121. Specifically, the correction coefficient is determined by the action direction and weighting coefficient for each of the speed and amplitude of the up-down movement by the up-down motor 222, the speed and amplitude of the left-right movement by the twist motor 221, and the movement start time lag.

[0093] More specifically, the gesture control unit 113 determines which of the following (1) to (5) corresponds to the current state of the robot 200 indicated by the state parameters 122 acquired by the state parameter acquisition unit 112. Then, the gesture control unit 113 corrects the gesture control parameters by using a correction coefficient corresponding to the current state of the robot 200. (1) Which of the following emotional parameters of the robot 200 corresponds to: happiness, frustration, sadness, lethargy, or normal. In other words, whether the coordinates (X, Y) representing the emotional parameters are located in the areas marked "happiness," "irritation," "sadness," "lethargy," or "normal" on the emotional map 300 shown in FIG. 5. (2) Which of the following personality parameters does the robot 200 currently have: cheerful, lively, shy, or clingy? In other words, which of the four personality values, cheerful, lively, shy, or clingy, is the largest? (3) Whether the current battery remaining capacity of the robot 200 is 70% or more, between 70% and 30%, or 30% or less. (4) Whether the robot 200 is currently located at home, in a familiar location, in an unfamiliar location, or in a new location. (5) Whether the current time is just after waking up, during a nap, or just before going to bed.

[0094] 10, when the current time corresponds to the time immediately after waking up, the action direction for both the speed and amplitude of the up-down movement and the left-right movement is set to "-" and the weighting coefficient is set to "0.2." Therefore, the gesture control unit 113 lengthens the movement time by 20% and shortens the movement distance by 20% based on the value acquired from the gesture information 121. In other words, the gesture control unit 113 makes the movement of the robot 200 20% slower and 20% shorter than usual.

[0095] 10, the direction of action of the action start time lag is set to "+" and the weighting coefficient is set to "0.2". Therefore, the gesture control unit 113 delays the execution start timing by 20% from the normal timing based on the value set in the gesture information 121. By performing correction using such a correction coefficient, it is possible to express that the gesture is executed slightly slower than the normal motion when the user is in a sleepy state immediately after waking up.

[0096] The gesture control unit 113 specifies the correction coefficients for the corresponding states of (1) emotion parameters, (2) personality parameters, (3) remaining battery level, and (4) current location in addition to (5) the current time from the coefficient table 124. Then, the gesture control unit 113 corrects the gesture control parameters using the sum of the corresponding correction coefficients for (1) to (5).

[0097] As a specific example, a case will be described where (1) the current emotion parameter corresponds to joy, (2) the current personality parameter corresponds to cheerfulness, (3) the current battery level corresponds to 30% or less, (4) the current location corresponds to a new location, and (5) the current time corresponds to immediately after waking up.

[0098] In this case, referring to the coefficient table 124 shown in Fig. 9 and Fig. 10, the sum of the correction coefficients for the speed and amplitude of the up-down movement is calculated as "+0.2+0.1-0.3-0.2-0.2=-0.4", and the sum of the correction coefficients for the speed and amplitude of the left-right movement is calculated as "+0.2+0-0.3-0.2-0.2=-0.5". Therefore, the gesture control unit 113 lengthens the movement time of the up-down motor 222 by 40% and shortens the movement distance by 40% based on the value set in the gesture information 121. Furthermore, the gesture control unit 113 lengthens the movement time of the twist motor 221 by 50% and shortens the movement distance by 50% based on the value acquired from the gesture information 121.

[0099] The sum of the correction coefficients for the action start time lag is calculated as +0+0+0.3+0.2+0.2=+0.7. Therefore, the gesture control unit 113 delays the execution start timing by 70% from the normal timing, using the value acquired from the gesture information 121 as a reference.

[0100] Although not shown, the coefficient table 124 also defines correction coefficients for cries in the same manner as for actions. To be more specific, the gesture control unit 113 corrects the volume, which is a cries parameter set for a gesture corresponding to the established trigger in the gesture information 121, by using a correction coefficient corresponding to the state parameter 122 acquired by the state parameter acquisition unit 112.

[0101] In this way, the gesture control unit 113 corrects the gesture control parameter based on the state parameter 122 acquired by the state parameter acquisition unit 112. Then, the gesture control unit 113 drives the driving unit 220 based on the corrected gesture control parameter, or outputs a sound from the speaker 231, thereby making the robot 200 execute a gesture corresponding to the established trigger. By correcting the gesture control parameter based on the state parameter 122, even when the robot 200 executes the same gesture, the gesture executed differs depending on the current state (emotion, personality, remaining battery level, current location, current time, etc.) of the robot 200. For example, even when the robot 200 executes the same "happy" gesture, the gesture executed differs between when the pseudo-emotion corresponds to "happy" and when the pseudo-emotion corresponds to "irritation". This prevents the gestures from becoming uniform, and allows individuality to be expressed.

[0102] 3, the log information generating unit 114 generates the log information 123. The log information 123 includes the sleep data described above and data indicating changes in the past state parameters 122 of the robot 200. Furthermore, the log information 123 includes an event log indicating events that the robot 200 has experienced in a simulated manner.

[0103] Here, the event means that, when some trigger is established, the robot 200 executes a gesture corresponding to the established trigger. The event may be any gesture among gestures that the robot 200 can execute, but in the following, the event will be described more specifically as meaning that the robot 200 executes a specific type of gesture among gestures that the robot 200 can execute.

[0104] More specifically, the specific type of gesture is a gesture of the robot 200 that responds to the user's voice or touch. In other words, the event corresponds to the robot 200 performing a gesture triggered by the user's voice or touch. The robot 200 performing such a gesture in response to the user's voice or touch is called "interaction" between the robot 200 and the user. "Interaction" may also be called exchange, communication, etc.

[0105] The user's voice to the robot 200 is the user calling out to the robot 200 in any words, talking to the robot, praising, scolding, etc., and is detected by the microphone 213. The user's contact with the robot 200 is the user stroking, hitting, lifting, turning the robot 200 upside down, etc., and is detected by the touch sensor 211, the acceleration sensor 212, the gyro sensor 215, etc. In this way, among gestures triggered by external stimuli, gestures executed by external stimuli received from the user correspond to contact.

[0106] On the other hand, gestures performed by triggers other than the user, such as "it became bright," "it became dark," "a specific time arrived," "the robot 200 moved to a specific location," etc., do not constitute contact. In addition, if the robot 200 does not react to the user's voice or touch due to low volume of the voice, weak touch, etc., the action does not constitute contact.

[0107] The log information generating unit 114 periodically monitors whether or not an interaction between the robot 200 and a user has occurred, and if an interaction has occurred at the timing of monitoring, counts the occurrence of one interaction (event). For example, if the robot 200 reacts within a predetermined time period after the user's voice or touch is detected by the sensor unit 210, the log information generating unit 114 counts the number of events as one.

[0108] The log information generating unit 114 generates an event log showing past records of events that are interactions between the robot 200 and a user. As shown in Fig. 11, the event log records the date, time, the trigger that occurred, the gesture performed by the robot 200, and the amount of emotion change in association with each other.

[0109] In the example of Fig. 11, the event log records the gestures performed by the robot 200 in response to each of the triggers "patted on the head", "hit on the head", "hugged", "hanged in the air", "called out", and "yelled at", and the emotion change amounts DXP, DXM, DYP, and DYM at that time. Every time the robot 200 experiences an event, in other words, every time it performs a gesture triggered by the user's voice or contact, the log information generating unit 114 records in the event log the date and time when the gesture was performed, the trigger, the executed gesture, and the emotion change amount caused by the trigger. In this way, the log information generating unit 114 accumulates the event log in the storage unit 120.

[0110] When the log information generating unit 114 generates the event log, it transmits log information 123 including the generated event log to the terminal device 50. When a predetermined transmission timing arrives, the log information generating unit 114 communicates with the terminal device 50 via the communication unit 130 and transmits the log information 123 to the terminal device 50.

[0111] The timing of transmitting the log information 123 may be regular, such as once a day, or may be when the log information 123 is requested by the terminal device 50. Note that the log information generating unit 114 is not limited to transmitting all of the log information 123 stored in the storage unit 120 to the terminal device 50, and may transmit differential data from the log information 123 that has been transmitted to the terminal device 50 in the past.

[0112] Returning to FIG. 4, in the terminal device 50 , the event count acquisition unit 513 communicates with the control device 100 of the robot 200 via the communication unit 550 and receives the log information 123 generated by the log information generation unit 114 .

[0113] For example, the event count acquisition unit 513 requests the log information 123 from the robot 200 at the timing when the user inputs an operation to display a diary screen that is a record of interactions with the robot 200 to the terminal device 50. Alternatively, the event count acquisition unit 513 requests the log information 123 for a period from the robot 200 at the timing when the user inputs an operation to select a specific period (e.g., a specific day) on the diary screen. The event count acquisition unit 513 receives the log information 123 transmitted from the robot 200 as a response to such a request or at regular intervals such as once a day.

[0114] When the event count acquisition unit 513 receives the log information 123 from the robot 200, it acquires the number of events in a predetermined period from the received log information 123. As described above, the number of events is the number of interactions between the user and the robot 200, and is counted when the robot 200 executes a gesture that reacts to the user's voice or touch. The predetermined period is a period of a predetermined length of time, such as one day, several hours, half a day, several days, one week, etc. In the following, a case where the predetermined period is one day will be described as an example.

[0115] The event count acquisition unit 513 counts the number of events on a target day by referring to the dates and times of multiple events recorded in the event log of the acquired log information 123. In other words, the event count acquisition unit 513 counts the number of interactions between the robot 200 and the user on a target day. In the example of Fig. 11, three events occurred on each of July 3 and July 4, so the event count acquisition unit 513 counts the number of events on each day as three.

[0116] Furthermore, the event count acquisition section 513 counts the number of positive events, which is an example of the number of first emotion events, and the number of negative events, which is an example of the number of second emotion events, as the number of events. The number of positive events is the number of events in which the robot 200 felt a positive emotion, which is a first emotion (predetermined emotion), as a simulated emotion. On the other hand, the number of negative events is the number of events in which the robot 200 felt a negative emotion, which is a second emotion, as a simulated emotion.

[0117] Here, the robot 200 having a positive emotion means that an emotion change amount DXP, which indicates a tendency to feel at ease, is added to the emotion parameter. In the example of FIG. 11, the emotion change amount DXP is added to the emotion parameter when the robot is "patted on the head," "hugged," and "called out to." Therefore, the number of these events corresponds to the number of positive events. In contrast, the robot 200 having a negative emotion means that an emotion change amount DXM, which indicates a tendency to feel anxious, is subtracted from the emotion parameter. In the example of FIG. 11, the emotion change amount DXM is subtracted from the emotion parameter when the robot is "hit on the head," "hanged in midair," and "yelled at." Therefore, the number of these events corresponds to the number of negative events. The event count acquisition unit 513 counts the number of positive events and the number of negative events based on the event log.

[0118] In addition, the counting of the number of positive events and the number of negative events may take into consideration not only the emotion change amounts DXP and DXM, but also the emotion change amount DYP indicating the tendency to become excited and the emotion change amount DYM indicating the tendency to become apathetic. For example, the number of positive events may be counted when the emotion change amount DYP is added to the emotion parameter, and the number of negative events may be counted when the emotion change amount DYM is subtracted from the emotion parameter.

[0119] The positive event count and the negative event count may be counted not only by the amount of emotion change but also by the detection value of the sensor unit 210. For example, when a relatively small value is detected by the touch sensor 211 of the head 204, the event count acquisition unit 513 determines that the event has been "patted on the head" and increments the positive event count by one. When a relatively large value is detected by the touch sensor 211 of the head 204, the event count acquisition unit 513 determines that the event has been "hit on the head" and increments the negative event count by one. When a relatively small voice is detected by the microphone 213, the event count acquisition unit 513 determines that the event has been "called out to" and increments the positive event count by one. When a relatively large voice is detected by the microphone 213, the event count acquisition unit 513 determines that the event has been "yelled at" and increments the negative event count by one. Furthermore, the event count acquisition unit 513 may determine whether the event has been "hugged" or "hanged in mid-air" based on the detection value of the acceleration sensor 212 or the gyro sensor 215.

[0120] 4, in the terminal device 50, the display control unit 514 causes the display unit 540 to display a display screen showing a record of events that the robot 200 has experienced in a simulated manner, based on the log information 123 acquired by the event count acquisition unit 513. Specifically, the display control unit 514 causes the display unit 540 to display a diary screen shown in FIG.

[0121] 12, the display control unit 514 displays a plurality of areas R corresponding to a plurality of days in a calendar format. The display control unit 514 then displays an object OB related to the robot 200 in each of the plurality of areas R. The object OB is information for summarizing the operating status of the robot 200 on the corresponding day, and is represented by an illustration of a shape such as a face, a heart, or the like.

[0122] The display control unit 514 displays the object OB in a display mode according to the change in the simulated emotion of the robot 200 during a predetermined period in an area R on the diary screen corresponding to the period. Here, the predetermined period is specifically a period of one day length, and corresponds to each of a plurality of days displayed in a calendar format on the diary screen. Since the simulated emotion of the robot 200 changes depending on the event, the display control unit 514 uses the number of events as an index indicating the change in the simulated emotion of the robot 200.

[0123] The display control unit 514 displays the object OB in a display mode corresponding to the number of events on the corresponding day in each of a plurality of regions R corresponding to a plurality of days on the diary screen. Specifically, the display control unit 514 displays at least one of the color, expression, and shape of the object OB in at least one of the color, expression, and shape corresponding to the number of events in a predetermined period. In the example of FIG. 12, the display control unit 514 displays the object OB in four stages of modes, "Perfect care!", "Well done!", "Normal care," and "Try a little harder," each of which has a predetermined color and expression.

[0124] More specifically, the display control unit 514 calculates the difference between the number of positive events and the number of negative events on the target day. Then, the display control unit 514 displays the object OB in the region R in a different display mode depending on whether the number of positive events is equal to or greater than the number of negative events or whether the number of positive events is less than the number of negative events.

[0125] Specifically, when the positive event count is equal to or greater than the negative event count, and the difference between the positive event count and the negative event count is greater than the first threshold, the display control unit 514 displays the object OB in the color and expression of "Perfect care!" in FIG. 12. When the positive event count is equal to or greater than the negative event count, and the difference between the positive event count and the negative event count is less than the first threshold, the display control unit 514 displays the object OB in the color and expression of "Good job!" in FIG. 12. On the other hand, when the positive event count is less than the negative event count, and the difference between the positive event count and the negative event count is less than the second threshold, the display control unit 514 displays the object OB in the color and expression of "Normal care" in FIG. 12. When the positive event count is less than the negative event count, and the difference between the positive event count and the negative event count is greater than the second threshold, the display control unit 514 displays the object OB in the color and expression of "Let's try a little harder" in FIG. 12. The first threshold value and the second threshold value are set to appropriate values ​​in advance.

[0126] In this way, the display control unit 514 changes the color and facial expression, which are the display mode of the object OB, in stages according to the difference between the number of positive events and the number of negative events. The display control unit 514 displays the object OB according to such rules for each of the multiple days on the diary screen. This allows the user to visually and easily check the status of the interaction between the robot 200 and the user on each day.

[0127] Furthermore, the display control unit 514 further displays, on the diary screen, information indicating a transition of the simulated emotion of the robot 200 over a predetermined period. Specifically, when the user operates the operation unit 530 to select any one of the days displayed on the diary screen, the display control unit 514 displays, in the lower region of the diary screen, a horizontal bar graph G1 indicating a transition of the simulated emotion of the robot 200, as shown in Fig. 13.

[0128] The horizontal axis of the graph G1 represents the time on the day selected by the user. The display control unit 514 refers to the sleep data in the log information 123 acquired from the robot 200 to identify the sleeping time period of the robot 200 on the selected day. Then, the display control unit 514 displays information indicating the simulated emotions of the robot 200 at each time period other than the identified sleeping time period. In addition to this, an object OB2 representing the care situation and the emotional situation for each predetermined time period may be displayed. This allows the user to easily check the change in the simulated emotions of the robot 200 on the selected day.

[0129] More specifically, the display control unit 514 refers to the event log acquired from the robot 200 and identifies the coordinates (X, Y) of the emotion parameter at each time of the day selected by the user. Then, in a time period other than the sleeping time period, the display control unit 514 determines in which area of ​​the emotion map 300 the emotion parameter coordinates (X, Y) are located, among areas such as "happiness", "irritation", "sadness", "apathy", and "normal". Then, the display control unit 514 displays information on the area in which the emotion parameter coordinates (X, Y) are located, in the corresponding time period in the graph G1. For example, the display control unit 514 represents the time period in which the emotion parameter coordinates (X, Y) are located in the "normal" area in the graph G1 as "normal", and represents the time period in which the emotion parameter coordinates (X, Y) are located in the "joy" area as "joy". In this manner, the display control unit 514 displays information showing the transition of the simulated emotions of the robot 200 on the selected day.

[0130] Further, to explain the object OB2 in more detail, like the object OB, the object OB2 represents the event status related to the robot 200 in four stages. While the object OB represents the event status related to the robot 200 on a day-by-day basis, the object OB2 represents the event status on a time-zone basis within a day. Specifically, the display control unit 514 displays at least one of the color, expression, and shape of the object OB2 in at least one of the color, expression, and shape according to the number of events in each time zone on the day selected by the user.

[0131] More specifically, the display control unit 514 divides the time period other than the sleeping time period on the day selected by the user into a plurality of time periods, and calculates the difference between the number of positive events and the number of negative events in each of the plurality of time periods. The length of each time period may be any length, such as every 30 minutes, every hour, every three hours, etc., and each time period does not have to be divided equally. Then, like the object OB, the display control unit 514 displays the object OB2 in four stages based on the difference between the number of positive events and the number of negative events: "Perfect care!", "Well done!", "Average care", and "Try a little harder".

[0132] The display control unit 514 displays the object OB2 in each time period at the position of the corresponding time period on the time axis, which is the horizontal axis of the graph G1. In the example of Fig. 13, the display control unit 514 displays the object OB2 in the manner of "Good job!" and "normal care" during the time period when the simulated emotion of the robot 200 is "normal", displays the object OB2 in the manner of "Let's try a little harder" during the time period when the simulated emotion of the robot 200 is "anxious", and displays the object OB2 in the manner of "Perfect care!" and "Normal care" during the time period when the simulated emotion of the robot 200 is "joyful".

[0133] When the user operates the operation unit 530 to select the "pie chart" icon on the diary screen shown in Fig. 13, the display control unit 514 displays the transition of the simulated emotions of the robot 200 on the selected day in a circular graph G2 as shown in Fig. 14. While the time axis in the graph G1 is the horizontal axis, the graph G2 expresses the transition of the simulated emotions of the robot 200 on a circular time axis. The display control unit 514 displays the object OB2 in each time period at the position of the corresponding time period on the circular time axis of the graph G2. Other features of the graph G2 are similar to those of the graph G1.

[0134] Furthermore, when the user selects the "Bar graph" icon on the diary screen shown in Fig. 14, the display control unit 514 returns to the diary screen shown in Fig. 13. In this manner, the graph showing the transition of the simulated emotion of the robot 200 can be freely switched between the horizontal bar graph G1 and the circular graph G2.

[0135] Next, the flow of the robot control process will be described with reference to Fig. 15. The robot control process shown in Fig. 15 is executed by the control unit 110 of the control device 100 when the user turns on the power of the robot 200. The robot control process is an example of a control method for an electronic device.

[0136] When the robot control process is started, the control unit 110 sets the state parameters 122 (step S101). When the robot 200 is started for the first time (when the robot is started for the first time by the user after being shipped from the factory), the control unit 110 sets each of the emotion parameters, personality parameters, and number of days to growth to an initial value (for example, 0). On the other hand, when the robot is started for the second time or later, the control unit 110 reads out the values ​​of each parameter saved in step S106 of the previous robot control process (described later) and sets them as the state parameters 122. However, the emotion parameters may all be initialized to 0 every time the power is turned on.

[0137] After setting the state parameters 122, the control unit 110 communicates with the terminal device 50 and acquires the gesture information 121 created on the basis of a user's operation in the terminal device 50 (step S102). Note that if the gesture information 121 has already been saved in the storage unit 120, step S102 may be skipped.

[0138] When the control unit 110 acquires the gesture information 121, the control unit 110 determines whether or not any one of the multiple gesture triggers defined in the gesture information 121 has been established (step S103).

[0139] When any of the triggers is established (step S103; YES), the control unit 110 executes a gesture control process and causes the robot 200 to execute a gesture corresponding to the established trigger (step S104). Details of the gesture control process in step S104 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 16. Step S104 is an example of a control step.

[0140] When the gesture control process shown in FIG. 16 is started, control unit 110 updates state parameters 122 (step S201). Specifically, if the trigger established in step S103 is due to an external stimulus, control unit 110 derives an emotion change amount corresponding to the external stimulus. Then, control unit 110 updates the emotion parameter by adding or subtracting the derived emotion change amount to or from the current emotion parameter. Furthermore, during the child period, control unit 110 calculates each personality value of the personality parameter from the emotion change amount updated in step S108 according to the above-mentioned (Equation 1). On the other hand, during the adult period, control unit 110 calculates each personality value of the personality parameter from the emotion change amount updated in step S108 and the personality correction value according to the above-mentioned (Equation 2).

[0141] When the state parameters 122 are updated, the control unit 110 refers to the gesture information 121 to acquire gesture control parameters of the gesture corresponding to the established trigger (step S202). Specifically, the control unit 110 acquires from the gesture information 121 a combination of actions or cries that are elements constituting the gesture corresponding to the established trigger, the execution start timing of each element, and the action parameters or cries parameters.

[0142] When the gesture control parameters are acquired, the control unit 110 corrects the gesture control parameters based on the correction coefficients defined in the coefficient table 124 (step S203). Specifically, the control unit 110 calculates the sum of the correction coefficients corresponding to the state parameters 122 updated in step S201, among the correction coefficients defined in the coefficient table 124 for (1) emotion parameters, (2) personality parameters, (3) remaining battery level, (4) current location, and (5) current time. Then, the control unit 110 corrects the movement parameters, the cry parameters, and the execution start timing based on the calculated sum of the correction coefficients.

[0143] After correcting the gesture control parameter, the control unit 110 executes a gesture corresponding to the established trigger (step S204). Specifically, the control unit 110 drives the driving unit 220 or outputs a sound from the speaker 231 according to the gesture control parameter corrected in step S203.

[0144] When the gesture is executed, the control unit 110 determines whether or not the executed gesture corresponds to an interaction with the user (step S205). Specifically, the control unit 110 determines whether or not the gesture executed in step S204 is a gesture executed in response to a voice or a touch of the user as a trigger.

[0145] If the executed gesture corresponds to an interaction with the user (step S205; YES), the control unit 110 updates the event log (step S206). Specifically, the control unit 110 adds, to the event log included in the log information 123, information on the date and time when the gesture was executed, the trigger that occurred, the executed gesture, and the amount of emotion change at that time.

[0146] On the other hand, if the executed gesture does not correspond to contact with the user (step S205; NO), the control unit 110 skips step S206. With the above, the gesture control process shown in FIG.

[0147] Returning to FIG. 15, in step S103, if none of the multiple gesture triggers is established (step S103; NO), control unit 110 skips step S104.

[0148] Next, the control unit 110 determines whether or not to end the process (step S105). For example, when the operation unit 240 receives an instruction from the user to turn off the power of the robot 200, the process ends. When the process ends (step S105; YES), the control unit 110 stores the current state parameters 122 in the non-volatile memory of the storage unit 120 (step S106) and ends the robot control process shown in FIG.

[0149] If the process is not to be ended (step S105; NO), the control unit 110 judges whether or not the timing for transmitting the log information 123 has arrived (step S107). If the timing for transmitting the log information 123 has arrived (step S107; YES), the control unit 110 transmits the log information 123 including the latest event log stored in the storage unit 120 to the terminal device 50 (step S108).

[0150] If the timing to transmit the log information 123 has not arrived (step S107; NO), the control unit 110 skips step S108.

[0151] Next, the control unit 110 uses the clock function to determine whether or not the date has changed (step S109). If the date has not changed (step S109; NO), the process returns to step S103.

[0152] If the date has changed (step S109; YES), the control unit 110 updates the state parameters 122 (step S110). To be more specific, if it is during the child period (e.g., 50 days after birth), the control unit 110 changes the values ​​of the emotion changes DXP, DXM, DYP, and DYM depending on whether the emotion parameters have reached the maximum or minimum values ​​of the emotion map 300. Also, if it is during the child period, the control unit 110 expands both the maximum and minimum values ​​of the emotion map 300 by a predetermined increment (e.g., 2). On the other hand, if it is during the adult period, the control unit 110 adjusts the personality correction value.

[0153] After updating the state parameter 122, the control unit 110 adds 1 to the number of days of growth (step S111) and returns to step S103. Then, the control unit 110 repeats the processes from step S103 to step S111 as long as the robot 200 is operating normally.

[0154] Next, a flow of a display control process executed in the terminal device 50 will be described with reference to Fig. 17. The display control process shown in Fig. 17 is executed by the control unit 510 of the terminal device 50 when a user inputs an operation to display a diary screen to the terminal device 50. The display control process is an example of a display method.

[0155] When the display control process starts, the control unit 510 receives the log information 123 transmitted from the control device 100 of the robot 200 in step S108 (step S301).

[0156] Upon receiving log information 123, control unit 510 acquires the number of events (step S302). Specifically, control unit 510 counts the number of positive events and the number of negative events in a predetermined period displayed on the diary screen, based on the event log included in log information 123 received in step S301.

[0157] When the event count is acquired, the control unit 510 displays the diary screen (step S303). The control unit 510 displays the object OB in a display mode according to the difference between the positive event count and the negative event count in each of a plurality of areas R corresponding to a plurality of days in the diary screen shown in, for example, FIG.

[0158] When the diary screen is displayed, the control unit 510 judges whether any of the days displayed on the diary screen has been selected (step S304). If any of the days has been selected (step S304; YES), the control unit 510 switches to the diary screen shown in, for example, FIG. 13 or FIG. 14, and displays the transition of the simulated emotion of the robot 200 on the selected day in a horizontal bar graph G1 or a circular graph G2 (step S305). At this time, the control unit 510 displays the object OB2 at the position of each time slot on the graph G1 or the graph G2 in a display mode according to the difference between the number of positive events and the number of negative events in the corresponding time slot on the selected day.

[0159] On the other hand, if any day has not been selected (step S303; NO), control unit 510 skips the process of step S305. With this, the display control process shown in FIG.

[0160] As described above, the terminal device 50 according to the first embodiment is a device that displays an object OB related to the robot 200 that changes simulated emotions according to events, and displays the object OB in an area R corresponding to a predetermined period on the display screen in a display mode according to the number of events (changes in simulated emotions of the robot 200) in a predetermined period. This makes it possible to visually express a record of changes in the simulated emotions that the robot 200 has had.

[0161] In particular, the terminal device 50 according to the first embodiment displays the object OB in a display mode according to the difference between the positive event count, which is the number of events in which the robot 200 felt a positive emotion as a simulated emotion, and the negative event count, which is the number of events in which the robot 200 felt a negative emotion. This makes it possible to visually express the simulated emotion felt by the robot 200 in the event.

[0162] (Embodiment 2) Next, a description will be given of embodiment 2. Descriptions of configurations and functions similar to those of embodiment 1 will be omitted where appropriate.

[0163] In the first embodiment, the display control unit 514 displays the objects OB and OB2 in a display mode corresponding to the number of events (changes in the simulated emotions of the robot 200) on the corresponding day. In contrast, in the second embodiment, instead of or in addition to the number of events, the display control unit 514 controls the display mode of the objects OB and OB2 by further taking into account the simulated emotions of the robot 200 in a predetermined period. In other words, the display control unit 514 displays the object OB in an area corresponding to a predetermined period in a display mode corresponding to the simulated emotions of the robot 200 in that period.

[0164] Specifically, display control unit 514 derives a representative value of the emotion parameter for each of multiple days on the diary screen, by referring to the transition of the emotion parameter included in log information 123. The representative value of the emotion parameter for a certain day is, for example, the mode, average value, last value of the day, or the value when the absolute value of X or Y was largest of the coordinates (X, Y) representing the emotion parameter for that day.

[0165] The display control unit 514 displays the facial expression of the object OB on the target day in at least one of a color, expression, or shape corresponding to the representative value of the derived emotion parameter. Specifically, if the X value of the representative value of the emotion parameter is a large positive value, the display control unit 514 displays the facial expression of the object OB in at least one of a color, expression, or shape representing "relief." If the X value of the representative value of the emotion parameter is a large negative value, the display control unit 514 displays the facial expression of the object OB in at least one of a color, expression, or shape representing "anxiety." If the Y value of the representative value of the emotion parameter is a large positive value, the display control unit 514 displays the facial expression of the object OB in at least one of a color, expression, or shape representing "excitement." If the Y value of the representative value of the emotion parameter is a large negative value, the display control unit 514 displays the facial expression of the object OB in at least one of a color, expression, or shape representing "apathy."

[0166] Alternatively, the display control unit 514 determines in which area on the emotion map 300 the coordinates (X, Y) of the representative value of the emotion parameter are located, among areas such as "happiness," "irritation," "sadness," "apathy," and "normal." Then, the display control unit 514 may display the facial expression of the object OB with a facial expression corresponding to the area in which the coordinates (X, Y) of the representative value of the emotion parameter are located.

[0167] The display modes of the objects OB representing "relieved", "anxious", "excited", "apathetic", etc. may be the same as the display modes of the objects OB representing "perfect care!", "well done!", "ordinary care", and "try a little harder" in the first embodiment, respectively, or a different display mode may be adopted. When the objects OB are displayed in the same display mode as in the first embodiment, the display control unit 514 displays the diary screens as shown in Figs. 12 to 14, as in the first embodiment.

[0168] Similarly to the object OB, the display control unit 514 also displays the object OB2 in a display mode corresponding to the simulated emotion of the robot 200. In other words, in the first embodiment, the display control unit 514 displays the object OB2 in a display mode corresponding to the number of events in each of a plurality of time periods on a day selected by the user. In contrast, in the second embodiment, the display control unit 514 displays the object OB2 in a display mode corresponding to the simulated emotion of the robot 200 in each of a plurality of time periods on a day selected by the user. Other explanations regarding the object OB2 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0169] In this way, in the second embodiment, the display control unit 514 displays the object OB in a region corresponding to a predetermined period in a display mode according to the simulated emotion of the robot 200 during that period. This makes it possible to visually express the simulated emotion felt by the robot 200 during the event.

[0170] (Modification) Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the above embodiment is merely an example, and the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to this. In other words, the embodiment of the present invention can be applied in various ways, and all embodiments are included in the scope of the present invention.

[0171] For example, in the above embodiment, the display control unit 514 displays the diary screen in a calendar format. However, the display control unit 514 may display the diary screen in any format, not limited to the calendar format. For example, the diary screen may be displayed in a calendar format for every few days, weeks, or months, or a diary screen for any number of hours. Furthermore, the period for displaying the object OB is not limited to every day, but may be every few days, weeks, months, etc.

[0172] In the above embodiment, the display control unit 514 displays the object OB on a daily basis. However, the period for displaying the object OB is not limited to a daily basis, but may be a few hours, a few days, a week, a month, etc. In other words, the multiple regions R are not limited to a daily basis, but may be a few hours, a few days, a week, a month, etc.

[0173] In the above embodiment, the display control unit 514 controls the display mode based on the difference between the number of positive events and the number of negative events in a predetermined period. However, the display control unit 514 may control the display mode directly based on the number of events in a predetermined period without distinguishing between positive and negative event counts.

[0174] In the above embodiment, the objects OB and OB2 are illustrated as faces, and the facial expressions are displayed in a display mode corresponding to the number of events. However, the objects OB and OB2 are not limited to faces, and may be shapes such as hearts and stars, or may be patterns expressing any other concept. In addition, although both the color and the facial expression of the objects OB and OB2 are changed, only one of the color and the facial expression may be displayed in a display mode corresponding to the number of events in a predetermined period or the simulated emotion of the robot 200. Furthermore, not limited to the color or the facial expression of the objects OB and OB2, the shape of the objects OB and OB2 may be displayed in a display mode corresponding to the number of events in a predetermined period or the simulated emotion of the robot 200.

[0175] In the above embodiment, the emotion map 300 is divided into five areas: "Happy", "Irritated", "Sad", "Lethargic", and "Normal". However, the emotion map 300 is not limited to these five areas, and may be divided into smaller areas according to the coordinates (X, Y). The emotions displayed on the diary screen may be expressed in more detail.

[0176] In the above embodiment, the display control unit 514 displays the graph G1 or the graph G2, which is information showing a transition of the simulated emotion of the robot 200, in the lower part of the diary screen. However, the display control unit 514 may display the graph G1 or the graph G2 in another part of the diary screen, or may display it on a screen other than the diary screen.

[0177] In the above embodiment, the terminal device 50, which is an example of a display device that displays an object OB related to the robot 200, is a separate device independent of the robot 200. However, the display device may be provided inside the robot 200. In other words, the robot 200 may include a display unit such as a liquid crystal display or a projector, and may display the diary screens exemplified in Figs. 12 to 14.

[0178] In the above embodiment, the control device 100 is built into the robot 200, but the control device 100 may be a separate device (e.g., a server) without being built into the robot 200. When the control device 100 is located outside the robot 200, the control device 100 communicates with the robot 200 via the communication unit 130 to send and receive data to and from the robot 200, and controls the robot 200 as described in the above embodiment.

[0179] In the above embodiment, the exterior 201 is formed in a cylindrical shape from the head 204 to the torso 206, and the robot 200 has a crawling shape. However, the robot 200 is not limited to imitating a crawling creature. For example, the robot 200 may have a shape with arms and legs and imitate a four-legged or two-legged creature.

[0180] Furthermore, the electronic device is not limited to the robot 200 that imitates a living creature. For example, the electronic device may be a wristwatch or the like as long as it is a device that can express individuality by performing various gestures. Even if the electronic device is other than the robot 200, it can be described in the same manner as the above embodiment by having the same configuration and function as the above-mentioned robot 200.

[0181] In the above embodiment, the control unit 110 functions as each unit such as the gesture control unit 113 by the CPU executing a program stored in the ROM. In addition, the control unit 510 functions as each unit such as the display control unit 514 by the CPU executing a program stored in the ROM. However, in the present invention, the control units 110 and 510 may have dedicated hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or various control circuits instead of a CPU, and the dedicated hardware may function as each unit such as the gesture control unit 113. In this case, the functions of each unit may be realized by individual hardware, or the functions of each unit may be realized by a single hardware. In addition, some of the functions of each unit may be realized by dedicated hardware, and the other parts may be realized by software or firmware.

[0182] It is possible to provide the robot 200 or the terminal device 50 equipped with a configuration for realizing the functions according to the present invention, and also possible to make an existing information processing device or the like function as the robot 200 or the terminal device 50 according to the present invention by applying a program. That is, by applying a program for realizing each functional configuration of the robot 200 or the terminal device 50 exemplified in the above embodiment so that it can be executed by a CPU or the like that controls the existing information processing device or the like, it is possible to make it function as the robot 200 or the terminal device 50 according to the present invention.

[0183] Moreover, the method of applying such a program is arbitrary. For example, the program can be applied by storing it in a computer-readable storage medium such as a flexible disk, a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM, or a memory card. Furthermore, the program can be superimposed on a carrier wave and applied via a communication medium such as the Internet. For example, the program can be posted and distributed on a bulletin board (BBS: Bulletin Board System) on a communication network. Then, the program can be started and executed under the control of an OS (Operating System) in the same way as other application programs, thereby enabling the above-mentioned processing to be executed.

[0184] The above describes preferred embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0185] 1...robot system, 50...terminal device, 100...control device, 110...control unit, 112...state parameter acquisition unit, 113...gesture control unit, 114...log information generation unit, 120...storage unit, 121...gesture information, 122...state parameters, 123...log information, 124...coefficient table, 130...communication unit, 200...robot, 202...decorative part, 203...fur, 201...exterior, 204...head, 205...connection unit, 206...torso unit, 207...casing, 210...sensor unit, 211...touch sensor, 212...acceleration sensor, 213...microphone, 214...illumination sensor, 215...gyro sensor, 220...drive unit, 221...twist motor, 222...up and down motor, 230...output unit, 231... Speaker, 240...operation unit, 250...battery, 260...location information acquisition unit, 300...emotion map, 301-303...frames, 400...personality value radar chart, 510...control unit, 513...event count acquisition unit, 514...display control unit, 520...storage unit, 530...operation unit, 540...display unit, 550...communication unit, BL...bus line, G1, G2...graph, OB, OB2...object, R...area

Claims

1. A display device that displays an object related to an electronic device that changes pseudo-emotions in response to an event, a control means for displaying the object in a display mode corresponding to a change in the simulated emotion during a predetermined period of time in an area on a display screen corresponding to the period of time; A display device comprising:

2. the control means displays the object in the area in the display mode corresponding to a difference between a first emotion event count, which is the number of events in which the electronic device has a first emotion as the pseudo-emotion, which is a predetermined emotion, and a second emotion event count, which is the number of events in which the electronic device has a second emotion different from the first emotion as the pseudo-emotion.

2. The display device according to claim 1 .

3. The control means displaying the object in the area in a different display manner when the first emotional event count is equal to or greater than the second emotional event count and when the first emotional event count is less than the second emotional event count; 3. The display device according to claim 2.

4. the control means displays the object in the area in the display manner according to a change in the simulated emotion during the period and the simulated emotion during the period; 4. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second electrodes are arranged in a first direction.

5. the control means displays a color of the object in a color corresponding to the change in the simulated emotion during the period, or displays an illustration of a face as the object and displays an expression of the face in a expression corresponding to the change in the simulated emotion during the period; 4. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second electrodes are arranged in a first direction.

6. the control means displays the object in a display mode corresponding to a change in the simulated emotion during a corresponding one of the plurality of periods in each of a plurality of regions on the display screen, the regions corresponding to a plurality of periods.

4. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second electrodes are arranged in a first direction.

7. The control means further displays information indicating a transition of the simulated emotion within the selected period.

4. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second electrodes are arranged in a first direction.

8. The number of events is counted when the electronic device performs a gesture in response to a user's voice or touch.

4. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second electrodes are arranged in a first direction.

9. A display method for displaying an object relating to an electronic device that changes pseudo-emotions in response to an event, comprising: displaying the object in an area on a display screen corresponding to a predetermined period in a display mode corresponding to the change in the simulated emotion during the predetermined period; A display method comprising:

10. A computer that displays an object related to an electronic device that changes pseudo-emotions in response to an event, a control means for displaying the object in a region on a display screen corresponding to a predetermined period in a display mode corresponding to a change in the simulated emotion during the period; A program to function as a

Images