Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To enable notification of appropriate time for a user to talk to another user.SOLUTION: An information processing device is provided, comprising: an information acquisition unit for acquiring information on the number of past responses made by a second user a first user is attempting to contact; a concentration computation unit for computing the degree of concentration of the second user based on at least either of operation information on an information terminal by the second user and biological information of the second user; a threshold computation unit for computing a threshold based on the information on the number of responses; and an output control unit for outputting first information when the degree of concentration is equal to or greater than the threshold, and second information when the degree of concentration is less than the threshold.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Research is being conducted into methods for collaborative work using avatars in virtual spaces. Patent Document 1 describes a space-sharing support system in which employees who work in a real office and employees who work from home appear as avatars in a virtual office, and each avatar displays a status such as whether they have an appointment, are at their desk, or are away from their desk. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-71314 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When a user is working in a virtual space and wants to talk to another user, it is required to notify the user of the appropriate timing to talk to the other user.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above, and aims to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program that notify an appropriate timing to speak. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The information processing device according to the present disclosure includes an information acquisition unit that acquires information regarding the number of past responses of a second user whom a first user is attempting to contact; a concentration calculation unit that calculates the concentration level of the second user based on at least one of operation information of an information terminal by the second user and biometric information of the second user; a threshold calculation unit that calculates a threshold based on information regarding the number of responses; and an output control unit that outputs first information when the concentration level is equal to or greater than the threshold, and outputs second information when the concentration level is less than the threshold.

[0007] The information processing method of the present disclosure includes steps of acquiring information regarding the number of past responses of a second user whom a first user is attempting to contact; calculating the concentration level of the second user based on at least one of operation information of an information terminal by the second user and biometric information of the second user; calculating a threshold based on the information regarding the number of responses; and outputting first information if the concentration level is equal to or greater than the threshold, and outputting second information if the concentration level is less than the threshold.

[0008] The program disclosed herein causes a computer to execute the following steps: acquiring information regarding the number of past responses of a second user whom a first user is attempting to contact; calculating the concentration level of the second user based on at least one of operation information of an information terminal by the second user and biometric information of the second user; calculating a threshold based on the information regarding the number of responses; and outputting first information if the concentration level is greater than or equal to the threshold, and outputting second information if the concentration level is less than the threshold. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program that notify an appropriate timing to speak. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an information processing system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an information terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of the information processing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an output result of the output control unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the processing flow of the information processing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing flow of the information processing device according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments, and when there are multiple embodiments, the present disclosure also includes configurations in which the respective embodiments are combined.

[0012] (First embodiment) The information processing system will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the information processing system according to the first embodiment.

[0013] (Information Processing System) As shown in Fig. 1, an information processing system 100 according to this embodiment includes an information terminal 10 and an information processing device 30. The information processing system 100 provides a virtual space V to a user 5 using the information terminal 10 and the information processing device 30. The information terminal 10 is an information terminal used by the user 5, and is an HMD (Head Mount Display) in this embodiment. The information terminal 10 provides the virtual space V to the user by displaying an image generated by the information processing device 30.

[0014] The information processing device 30 is a server that generates an image of the virtual space V and also manages the information terminals 10 used by different users 5. The information processing device 30 manages the images of the virtual space V by each information terminal 10 by performing information communication with each information terminal 10. However, the information terminal 10 is not limited to one that provides the virtual space V, and may be, for example, a flat information terminal that displays an image. In the example of FIG. 1, the number of information terminals 10 that are connected to the information processing device 30 and perform information communication with each other may be any number. In other words, the number of information terminals 10 connected to the information processing device 30 is determined according to the number of users 5 that access the virtual space V.

[0015] (Virtual space) The virtual space V is not a real space (actual space) where the user 5 actually exists, but a space where the user 5 does not exist. The virtual space V is a virtual space that does not actually exist, i.e., VR (Virtual Reality), but may also be a space that reproduces a real place away from the location where the user 5 exists, i.e., MR (Mixed Reality). The information terminal 10 provides the virtual space V according to the movement (line of sight) of the user 5 in the real space. That is, based on the image of the virtual space V generated by the information processing device 30, the information terminal 10 displays an image of the virtual space V as seen from the avatar U of the user 5 of the information terminal 10, assuming that the avatar U exists in the virtual space V (subjective image). Therefore, the user 5 can recognize that he or she exists in the virtual space V. However, the information terminal 10 is not limited to displaying a subjective image, and may also display an image of the virtual space V from any field of view (for example, a bird's-eye image of the virtual space V). The virtual space V is not particularly limited as long as it is a virtual space in which the avatars U of multiple users 5 can be active. The virtual space V may be a simulated living space where the user 5 performs daily activities as an avatar U, a commercial space where avatars U conduct business and transactions with each other, a virtual space that serves as an event venue for multiple avatars U, or a gaming space.

[0016] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, the virtual space V is assumed to be a workplace in the virtual space where multiple avatars U come to work. The avatars U can move freely within the virtual space V and can converse with each other. The information processing device 30 notifies the user 5 of an appropriate timing to talk to another user 5 (when the avatar U operated by the user 5 attempts to contact the avatar U operated by the other user in the virtual space).

[0017] In addition, in the following explanation, when explaining the relationship between multiple users 5, a user 5 who is attempting to make contact with an avatar U operated by another user by operating his or her own avatar U will be referred to as the first user 5A, and a user who operates the avatar U that the first user 5A is attempting to contact will be referred to as the second user 5B.

[0018] (Information terminal) FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an information terminal according to this embodiment. Information terminal 10 can be considered a computer, and as shown in FIG. 2, includes an input unit 11, an output unit 12, a storage unit 13, a communication unit 14, and a control unit 15. Input unit 11 is a mechanism for accepting user operations, and may be, for example, a controller or a microphone provided in an HMD. Output unit 12 is a mechanism for outputting information. In this embodiment, output unit 12 is an HMD, and includes a display device (display unit) for displaying images and a speaker (audio output unit) for outputting audio. That is, output unit 12 provides virtual space V by outputting information such as images and audio to the user. Storage unit 13 is a memory for storing various information, such as the contents of calculations performed by control unit 15 and programs, and includes, for example, at least one of a main storage device such as a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), and an external storage device such as an HDD (hard disk drive). The communication unit 14 is a communication module, such as an antenna, that communicates with an external device, in this case, the information processing device 30. The information terminal 10 communicates with the information processing device 30 via wireless communication, but wired communication may also be used, and any communication method may be used.

[0019] The control unit 15 is a computing device, i.e., a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 15 includes an information acquisition unit 151, a user information acquisition unit 152, and a display control unit 153. The control unit 15 implements the information acquisition unit 151, the user information acquisition unit 152, and the display control unit 153 by reading and executing a program (software) from the storage unit 13. The control unit 15 executes these processes by using a single CPU, or may include multiple CPUs and execute the processes by using the multiple CPUs. At least a part of the information acquisition unit 151, the user information acquisition unit 152, and the display control unit 153 may be implemented by a hardware circuit. In the present embodiment, the control unit 15 is a CPU provided in the information terminal 10 including the output unit 12 (display unit). However, the control unit 15 may be a device separate from the information terminal 10 including the output unit 12.

[0020] The information acquisition unit 151 acquires operation information of the user 5. The operation information may be any information related to an action performed by the user 5 in the real world. The operation information according to this embodiment includes at least one of information related to an action performed by the user 5 in the real world to operate the avatar U in the virtual space V and information related to an action performed by the user 5 in the real world for work. Of the above-mentioned information, the operation information preferably includes information related to an action performed by the user 5 in the real world for work. The information acquisition unit 151 may acquire the operation information by any method. For example, a sensor may be provided to detect the position and orientation of the user 5 in the real space, and the information acquisition unit 151 may acquire the position and orientation of the user 5 detected by the sensor as operation information. For example, the information acquisition unit 151 may acquire an operation input by the user 5 to the input unit 2 (such as a controller) (an operation performed for work) as operation information.

[0021] Furthermore, the information acquiring unit 151 may acquire biometric information of the user 5. The biometric information of the user 5 acquired by the information acquiring unit 151 may be any form of biometric information such as brain waves or pulse rate. The information acquiring unit 151 according to this embodiment acquires the brain wave information of the user from an brain wave sensor (not shown) attached to the user 5.

[0022] The user information acquisition unit 152 acquires user information. The user information may be any information related to the user 5, and the user information according to this embodiment includes information about communication activities between the user 5 and other users 5 in the virtual space V. The information about communication activities includes information indicating that the user has attempted to contact other users and information indicating that the user has received contact from other users. The information indicating that a contact has been attempted and the information indicating that a contact has been received may include time information specifying the time when the contact occurred and location information of the avatar U in the virtual space V. The information about communication activities may include information about the number of times the user has attempted to contact other users and information about the number of times the user has received contact from other users. The information about communication activities may include information indicating the parties the user has attempted to contact and the parties the user has contacted. The user information acquisition unit 152 may acquire user information by any method. For example, the user information acquisition unit 152 acquires information indicating a contact attempt based on an operation on the input unit 11 to attempt to contact other users 5 or based on transmission of a contact to other users 5 via the communication unit 14. The user information acquisition unit 152 acquires information indicating that a contact has been received from another user 5 via the communication unit 14, based on the fact that the user information acquisition unit 152 has received a contact from another user 5.

[0023] The display control unit 153 displays an image of the virtual space V on the output unit 12. In the present embodiment, the display control unit 153 causes the output unit 12 to display an image of the virtual space V seen from the perspective of the avatar U (a subjective image). In the present embodiment, the information terminal 10 transmits operation information to the information processing device 30. The information processing device 30 (a space generation unit 331 described later) calculates the position and orientation of the avatar U in the virtual space V based on the operation information, and generates an image of the virtual space V in which the avatar U is present at that position and orientation. Then, the information processing device 30 specifies the field of view of the avatar U based on the position and orientation of the avatar U, converts the image of the virtual space V into an image of the virtual space V seen from the avatar U (a subjective image) based on the field of view of the avatar U, and transmits the converted image of the virtual space V (a subjective image) to the information terminal 10. The information terminal 10 causes the output unit 12 to display the subjective image acquired from the information processing device 30. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the information terminal 10 may generate a subjective image based on the image of the virtual space V. In this case, the display control unit 153 acquires an image of the virtual space V from the information processing device 30 and specifies the field of view of the avatar U based on the action information. Then, the display control unit 153 converts the image of the virtual space V into a subjective image based on the field of view of the avatar U, and causes the output unit 12 to display the subjective image.

[0024] (Information processing device) FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of an information processing device according to this embodiment. The information processing device 30 can also be considered a computer (server), and as shown in FIG. 3, includes a storage unit 31, a communication unit 32, and a control unit 33. The storage unit 31 is a memory that stores various information such as the calculation contents and programs of the control unit 33, and includes at least one of a RAM, a main storage device such as a ROM, and an external storage device such as a HDD. The program for the control unit 33 stored in the storage unit 31 may be stored in a recording medium readable by the information processing device 30. The communication unit 32 is a communication module, such as an antenna, that communicates with external devices. The information processing device 30 may use either wireless communication or wired communication.

[0025] The control unit 33 is a calculation device, i.e., a CPU. The control unit 33 includes a space generation unit 331, a concentration calculation unit 332, an information acquisition unit 333, a threshold calculation unit 334, and an output control unit 335. The control unit 33 reads and executes a program (software) from the storage unit 31, thereby realizing the space generation unit 331, the concentration calculation unit 332, the information acquisition unit 333, the threshold calculation unit 334, and the output control unit 335 and performing their processing. The control unit 33 may perform these processes using a single CPU, or may be provided with multiple CPUs and perform the processes using the multiple CPUs. Furthermore, at least a portion of the space generation unit 331, the concentration calculation unit 332, the information acquisition unit 333, the threshold calculation unit 334, and the output control unit 335 may be realized by hardware circuits.

[0026] (Processing of information processing device) The following describes the processing details of the information processing device 30. However, the processing of the information processing device 30 described below may be performed by the information terminal 10 that displays an image toward the user 5. In other words, the information terminal 10 that displays an image toward the user 5 may function as an information processing device and perform the processing of the information processing device 30 described below.

[0027] (Space generation part) The space generation unit 331 generates an image of the virtual space V. The space generation unit 331 generates an avatar U that has accessed the virtual space V and a workplace in the virtual space where multiple avatars U work, as an image of the virtual space V. Note that the virtual space V is not limited to a workplace in the virtual space, and may be a space that can be used for any purpose as long as it is a space where avatars U can work together.

[0028] (Concentration level calculation section) The concentration level calculation unit 332 calculates the concentration level of the second user 5B, who is the target user that the first user 5A is trying to contact, based on at least one of operation information of the information terminal 10 by the second user 5B and biometric information of the second user 5B. The concentration level of the second user 5B here is an index indicating how busy the second user 5B is with his or her own work. In other words, the concentration level of the second user 5B is also an index indicating the difficulty the first user 5A will have in making contact with the second user 5B, and it can be said that the higher the concentration level, the higher the degree of concentration (the difficulty the first user 5A will have in making contact with the second user 5B). The concentration level calculation unit 332 according to this embodiment acquires operation information and biometric information from the information acquisition unit 151 in the information terminal 10, and calculates the concentration level of the second user 5B based on this information. Any method may be used to calculate the concentration level of the second user 5B, but the concentration level calculation unit 332 in this embodiment takes the average of the concentration level calculated from the operation information and the concentration level calculated from the biometric information, and calculates this average as the user's concentration level.

[0029] Note that any method may be used to calculate the concentration level from the operation information, and in this embodiment, concentration level calculation section 332 calculates the concentration level of second user 5B based on input frequency information, which is part of the operation information and indicates the number of times that second user 5B inputs operation information within a predetermined period of time via input section 11. Specifically, concentration level calculation section 332 calculates a higher concentration level the more times second user 5B inputs operation information within a predetermined period of time.

[0030] Furthermore, any method may be used to calculate the concentration level from the biometric information. In this embodiment, the concentration level calculation unit 332 calculates the concentration level based on brain wave information in a normal state of the second user 5B, which is stored in advance in the storage unit 13, and the brain wave information acquired by the information acquisition unit 151. The normal state here refers to a state in which the second user 5B has a light workload, their brain is relaxed, and they can easily be contacted by the first user 5A. The concentration level calculation unit 332 calculates the difference between the brain wave information in the normal state of the second user 5B and the biometric information (brain wave information) acquired by the information acquisition unit 151, and calculates the concentration level of the second user 5B according to this difference. In other words, the larger the calculated difference, the higher the calculated concentration level.

[0031] (Information acquisition department) The information acquisition unit 333 acquires information regarding the number of past responses from the second user 5B, whom the first user 5A is attempting to contact. The information regarding the number of responses can be considered an index indicating the second user 5B's level of proficiency in communication in the virtual space V or the ease of contacting the second user 5B. The information regarding the number of responses may be any information related to the number of responses the second user 5B has received in the past. The information regarding the number of responses according to this embodiment includes the cumulative number of responses from the user (second user 5B) to contacts from other users over a predetermined period. Contacts from other users refer to all users who have attempted to contact the second user 5B, and are not limited to a specific first user 5A. The cumulative number of responses refers to the total number of responses over a predetermined period. The predetermined period may be any period, but it is preferable that the end of the predetermined period be the current time (the time of calculation) to reflect the current response trend. The predetermined period may be, for example, the entire period from the start of the activity by the avatar U of the second user 5B to the present time. The predetermined period may be a recent fixed period (for example, one year, one month, etc.). The number of responses may be the number of times the user (second user 5B) has received contact in the past (number of responses in a broad sense), or the number of times the user (second user 5B) has responded to contact (number of responses in a narrow sense). Information regarding the number of responses may be acquired by distinguishing between the number of times a user has received contact in the past and responded (number of responses) and the number of times a user has received contact in the past and not responded (number of no responses or number of rejection responses).

[0032] The information acquiring unit 333 may acquire information related to the number of responses using any method. The information acquiring unit 333 according to this embodiment acquires information related to the number of responses based on the user information of the second user 5B. Specifically, the information acquiring unit 333 acquires user information including information about communication activities between the second user 5B and other users 5 from the information terminal 10 of the second user 5B. Then, the information acquiring unit 333 acquires information related to the number of responses of the second user 5B from the information about the communication activities of the second user 5B with other users 5. The acquired information about communication activities may include the number of responses. That is, the user information acquiring unit 152 of the information terminal 10 may generate information related to the number of responses, for example, by recording a count value of the cumulative number of responses. Furthermore, when the acquired information about communication activities is, for example, log data of time information at the time when contact occurred, the information acquiring unit 333 may calculate the cumulative number of responses from the log data.

[0033] (Threshold calculation section) The threshold calculation unit 334 calculates a threshold based on information regarding the number of responses acquired by the information acquisition unit 333. The threshold here refers to a threshold used to determine whether to permit contact from the first user 5A to the second user 5B. Any method for calculating the threshold may be used, and the threshold calculation unit 334 according to this embodiment calculates the threshold so that the greater the number of responses in the information regarding the number of responses, the higher the threshold, and the fewer the number of responses, the lower the threshold. More specifically, in this embodiment, the threshold calculation unit 334 may calculate the threshold by multiplying a base threshold (basic threshold) indicated by a predetermined number by a coefficient determined based on the information regarding the number of responses. For example, the greater the number of responses of the second user 5B, the larger the coefficient determined based on the information regarding the number of responses, and conversely, the smaller the number of responses of the second user 5B, the smaller the coefficient determined based on the information regarding the number of responses. As a result, the calculated threshold becomes higher as the coefficient becomes larger, and the calculated threshold becomes lower as the coefficient becomes smaller.

[0034] When the information regarding the number of responses is acquired by distinguishing between the number of times a user has responded to contact in the past (the number of responses) and the number of times a user has not responded to contact in the past (the number of non-responses), the threshold calculation unit 334 may calculate the threshold by separately considering the number of responses and the number of non-responses. For example, the threshold calculation unit 334 may increase the threshold as the number of responses increases, and decrease the threshold as the number of non-responses increases. To explain in more detail, the threshold calculation unit 334 may increase the coefficient determined by the number of responses, for example, as the number of responses by the second user 5B increases, and conversely, decrease the coefficient determined by the number of responses by the second user 5B. For example, the threshold calculation unit 334 may decrease the coefficient determined by the number of non-responses as the number of non-responses by the second user 5B increases, and conversely, increase the coefficient determined by the number of non-responses as the number of non-responses by the second user 5B decreases. Then, the threshold calculation unit 334 calculates the threshold by multiplying the basic threshold by two coefficients determined based on the number of responses and the number of non-responses. Different weights may be assigned to the coefficient determined by the number of responses and the coefficient determined by the number of non-responses.

[0035] In addition to information regarding the number of responses, the number of times the second user 5B has attempted to contact other users 5 may be taken into consideration. That is, the threshold calculation unit 334 may calculate the threshold based on the number of times the second user 5B has received contact from other users 5 (number of responses) and the number of times the second user 5B has contacted other users 5 (number of contact attempts). For example, the threshold calculation unit 334 calculates the threshold such that the greater the number of responses, the higher the threshold, and the fewer the number of responses, the lower the threshold. Then, the threshold calculation unit 334 calculates the threshold such that the greater the number of contact attempts, the higher the threshold, and the fewer the number of contact attempts, the lower the threshold. The threshold calculation unit 334 may calculate the threshold by multiplying the basic threshold by two coefficients determined based on the number of responses and the number of contact attempts. The threshold calculation unit 334 may calculate the threshold by assigning different weights to each coefficient. For example, the threshold calculation unit 334 weights the coefficient based on the number of responses greater than the weight of the coefficient based on the number of contact attempts. As a result, the threshold can be determined by placing emphasis on the experience of being contacted by other users 5 from among the second user 5B's past communication activities. For example, the threshold calculation unit 334 weights the coefficient based on the number of contact attempts more heavily than the coefficient based on the number of responses. As a result, the threshold can be determined by placing emphasis on the experience of contacting other users 5 (activeness in communication) from among the second user 5B's past communication activities.

[0036] (Output control section) The output control unit 335 controls the display mode of the avatar U in the virtual space V. In other words, the output control unit 335 outputs information (signals) that controls the display mode of the avatar U in the virtual space V to the information terminal 10. The information terminal 10 receives the information that controls the display mode from the output control unit 335 and changes the image of the virtual space V that it displays. When the first user 5A attempts to contact the second user 5B, the output control unit 335 according to this embodiment outputs first information to the information terminal 10 of the first user 5A if the concentration level of the second user 5B is equal to or greater than a threshold, and outputs second information if the concentration level of the second user 5B is less than the threshold. The first information and the second information referred to here may be any information as long as they are different from each other. In this embodiment, the first information is information indicating that the second user 5B is in a situation where it is difficult for the second user 5B to contact the first user 5A. The second information is information indicating that the second user 5B is in a situation where it is possible for the second user 5B to contact the first user 5A. An example of the output results of the first information and the second information output by the output control unit 335 will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0037] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an output result of the output control unit according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 4, an avatar U operated by a first user 5A is attempting to contact an avatar U operated by a second user 5B. When the first user 5A attempts to contact a second user 5B in the virtual space V, any method may be used to identify the second user 5B with whom the first user 5A is attempting to contact. In the virtual space V according to this embodiment, when the avatars U approach each other within a predetermined distance, the avatar U with whom the first user 5A is attempting to contact is identified, and the avatars U can contact each other. Accordingly, the output control unit 335 according to this embodiment outputs, to the information terminal 10, information for changing the display mode of the avatar U when the avatars U approach each other within a predetermined distance. Specifically, when the avatars U come close to each other within a predetermined distance, the output control unit 335 outputs to the information terminal 10 of the first user 5A either first information indicating that the second user 5B is in a situation where it is difficult to make contact, or second information indicating that the second user 5B is in a situation where contact can be made.

[0038] The upper part of FIG. 4 illustrates a situation in which the avatar U operated by the first user 5A is located farther away from the avatar U operated by the second user 5B than the predetermined distance required for contact. In this case, the output control unit 335 outputs information indicating that the avatar U of the second user 5B is not a target for contact (a target that has not been specified for contact) to the information terminal 10 of the first user 5A. This information indicating that the avatar U is not a target for contact may take any form, and the output control unit 335 according to this embodiment outputs information indicating that the target avatar U is not a target for contact to the information terminal 10 of the first user 5A by displaying the outline of the target avatar U with a dashed line as information indicating that the target avatar U is not a target for contact. Alternatively, the output control unit 335 may output information indicating that the target avatar U is not a target for contact to the information terminal 10 of the first user 5A by displaying the target avatar U semi-transparently as information indicating that the target avatar U is not a target for contact.

[0039] The first information output by the output control unit 335 may take any form. For example, the left diagram in the lower part of FIG. 4 shows an example of first information (information indicating that it is difficult for the second user 5B to make contact) that the output control unit 335 outputs to the information terminal 10 of the first user 5A when the avatar U operated by the first user 5A approaches the avatar U operated by the second user 5B to a predetermined distance that allows contact, and the concentration level of the second user 5B is equal to or greater than a threshold calculated based on information related to the number of responses from the second user 5B. In this example, the output control unit 335 outputs, as the first information (information indicating that it is difficult for the second user 5B to make contact), information to change the avatar U of the second user 5B to an image with arms crossed to the information terminal 10 of the first user 5A. Alternatively, the output control unit 335 may output, as the first information to the information terminal 10 of the first user 5A, information that displays a cliff, a wall, or the like surrounding the avatar U of the second user 5B. Alternatively, the output control unit 335 may output, as the first information to the information terminal 10 of the first user 5A, information that displays text indicating that contact is difficult around the avatar U of the second user 5B. Alternatively, the output control unit 335 may output, as the first information to the information terminal 10 of the first user 5A, information that slows down the speed of the avatar U operated by the first user 5A when the avatar U operated by the first user 5A tries to approach the avatar U of the second user 5B, making it difficult for the avatar U operated by the second user 5B to approach the avatar U of the second user 5B.

[0040] Furthermore, even if the output control unit 335 outputs the first information (information indicating that the second user 5B is in a situation where it is difficult to contact) to the information terminal 10 of the first user 5A, in the case of an emergency, the first user 5A may be able to contact the second user 5B by ignoring the display of the first information.

[0041] Like the first information, the second information output by the output control unit 335 may take any form. In this embodiment, the right diagram in the lower part of FIG. 4 shows an example of second information (information indicating that the second user 5B is in a state where contact is possible) that the output control unit 335 outputs to the information terminal 10 of the first user 5A when the avatar U operated by the first user 5A approaches the avatar U operated by the second user 5B to a predetermined distance where contact is possible, and the concentration level of the second user 5B is smaller than a threshold calculated based on information related to the number of responses from the second user 5B. In this example, the output control unit 335 outputs, to the information terminal 10 of the first user 5A, information that changes the outline of the avatar U of the second user 5B from a dashed line (not a contact target) to a solid line image, as the second information (information indicating that the second user 5B is in a state where contact is possible). Alternatively, the output control unit 335 may output, as second information to the information terminal 10 of the first user 5A, information to display text indicating that contact is available around the avatar U operated by the second user 5B.

[0042] (Processing flow) Next, a processing flow according to this embodiment (a processing flow when a first user 5A attempts to contact a second user 5B) will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a processing flow of the information processing device according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the concentration level calculation unit 332 calculates the concentration level of the second user 5B based on operation information and biometric information acquired by each information terminal 10 accessing the virtual space V generated by the information processing device 30 (step S1). The information acquisition unit 333 acquires information regarding the number of past responses of the second user 5B based on the user information acquired by each information terminal 10. The threshold calculation unit 334 calculates a threshold based on the information regarding the number of responses acquired by the information acquisition unit 333 (step S2). If the concentration level of second user 5B calculated by concentration level calculation unit 332 is equal to or greater than the threshold calculated by threshold calculation unit 334 (step S3; Yes), output control unit 335 outputs first information (information indicating that second user 5B is in a situation where it is difficult to make contact) to information terminal 10 of first user 5A (step S4). Furthermore, after step S2, if the concentration level of second user 5B calculated by concentration level calculation unit 332 is smaller than the threshold calculated by threshold calculation unit 334 (step S3; No), output control unit 335 outputs second information (information indicating that second user 5B is in a situation where it is possible to make contact) to information terminal 10 of first user 5A (step S5).

[0043] (effect) As described above, the information processing device 30 according to this embodiment calculates the concentration level of the second user 5B based on operation information and biometric information. Additionally, the information processing device 30 calculates a threshold based on information related to the number of past responses by the second user 5B. Then, if the calculated concentration level of the second user 5B is equal to or greater than the calculated threshold, the information processing device 30 outputs first information (information indicating a situation in which the second user 5B is difficult to contact) to the information terminal 10 of the first user 5A. If the calculated concentration level of the second user 5B is less than the calculated threshold, the information processing device 30 outputs second information (information indicating a situation in which the second user 5B is easy to contact). According to the present disclosure, a threshold can be calculated based on information related to the number of past responses by the second user 5B, in accordance with the tendency of the second user 5B to respond to contacts from other users. By comparing the calculated threshold with the concentration level, it is possible to appropriately estimate the times when it is easy and difficult to contact the second user 5B. As a result, when the first user 5A speaks to the second user 5B, the first user 5A can be notified of an appropriate timing based on information regarding the number of responses from the second user 5B.

[0044] (Second embodiment) Next, a second embodiment will be described. The output control unit 335 according to the first embodiment controls the display mode of the avatar U in the virtual space V based on a comparison result between the concentration level of the second user 5B, which is calculated as the average of the concentration level calculated from the operation information and the concentration level calculated from the biometric information, and a threshold value. In contrast, the output control unit 335 according to the present embodiment compares each of the two concentration levels calculated by the concentration level calculation unit 332, the concentration level calculated from the operation information and the concentration level calculated from the biometric information, with a threshold value, and controls the display mode of the avatar U in the virtual space V based on the respective comparison results. Specifically, when the concentration level satisfies a first condition, the output control unit 335 according to the present embodiment outputs information to the first user 5A that the second user 5B is unable to make contact, and when the concentration level satisfies a second condition, outputs information to the first user 5A that the second user 5B is in a situation where it is difficult to make contact.

[0045] The first condition and the second condition referred to here may be any conditions as long as they are different from each other. In this embodiment, the first condition refers to a case where the concentration level of the second user 5B calculated from the biometric information is equal to or greater than a threshold calculated from information related to the number of responses from the first user 5A and the second user 5B. In addition, in this embodiment, the second condition refers to a case where the first condition is not satisfied and the concentration level of the second user 5B calculated from the operation information is equal to or greater than a threshold calculated from information related to the number of responses from the first user 5A and the second user 5B.

[0046] More specifically, when the first user 5A approaches the second user 5B to a predetermined distance where contact is possible, and the concentration level of the second user 5B satisfies the first condition (the concentration level of the second user 5B calculated from the biometric information is equal to or greater than a threshold), the output control unit 335 outputs information to the information terminal 10 of the first user 5A indicating that contact with the second user 5B is impossible. The information output by the output control unit 335 indicating that contact with the second user 5B is impossible may be in any manner as long as it can be distinguished from information indicating that contact with the second user 5B is difficult, as described below. The output control unit 335 according to this embodiment outputs information to the information terminal 10 of the first user 5A to display text indicating that contact is impossible around the avatar U operated by the second user 5B.

[0047] Furthermore, when the concentration level of the second user 5B satisfies the second condition (when the first condition is not satisfied and the concentration level of the second user 5B calculated from the operation information is equal to or greater than the threshold), the output control unit 335 outputs information to the information terminal 10 of the first user 5A that it is difficult to make contact with the second user 5B. At this time, the information that it is difficult to make contact with the second user 5B output by the output control unit 335 may take any form. The output control unit 335 according to this embodiment outputs information to the information terminal 10 of the first user 5A to change the image of the avatar U operated by the second user 5B to an image of the avatar U with its arms crossed.

[0048] Furthermore, if the concentration level of the second user 5B does not satisfy the first condition and the concentration level of the second user 5B calculated from the operation information is smaller than the threshold value, the output control unit 335 outputs information to the information terminal 10 of the first user 5A that the second user 5B is available for contact. At this time, the information that the output control unit 335 outputs that the second user 5B is available for contact may be in any form. The output control unit 335 according to this embodiment outputs information to the information terminal 10 of the first user 5A that changes the outline of the avatar U operated by the second user 5B from a dashed line display (not available for contact) to a solid line display.

[0049] (Processing flow) Next, a processing flow according to this embodiment (a processing flow when a first user 5A attempts to contact a second user 5B) will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing flow of an information processing device according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the concentration level calculation unit 332 calculates each concentration level of the second user 5B (a concentration level based on operation information and biometric information) based on operation information and biometric information acquired by each information terminal 10 accessing the virtual space V generated by the information processing device 30 (step S11). The information acquisition unit 333 acquires information regarding the number of past responses of the second user 5B based on the user information acquired by each information terminal 10. The threshold calculation unit 334 calculates a threshold based on the information regarding the number of responses acquired by the information acquisition unit 333 (step S12). If the concentration level calculated by the concentration level calculation unit 332 based on the biometric information of the second user 5B is equal to or greater than the threshold calculated by the threshold calculation unit 334 (step S13; Yes), the output control unit 335 outputs information indicating that it is difficult to make contact with the second user 5B to the information terminal 10 of the first user 5A (step S14). Furthermore, after step S12, if the concentration level of the second user 5B based on the biometric information calculated by the concentration level calculation unit 332 is smaller than the threshold calculated by the threshold calculation unit 334 (step S13; No) and the concentration level calculated by the concentration level calculation unit 332 based on the operation information of the second user 5B is equal to or greater than the threshold calculated by the threshold calculation unit 334 (step S15; Yes), the output control unit 335 outputs information indicating that it is difficult to make contact with the second user 5B to the information terminal 10 of the first user 5A (step S16). Furthermore, after step S12, if the concentration level of the second user 5B calculated by the concentration level calculation unit 332 based on the biometric information is smaller than the threshold calculated by the threshold calculation unit 334 (step S13; No), and if the concentration level of the second user 5B calculated by the concentration level calculation unit 332 based on the operation information of the second user 5B is smaller than the threshold calculated by the threshold calculation unit 334 (step S15; No), the output control unit 335 outputs information to the information terminal 10 of the first user 5A indicating that the second user 5B is in a situation where contact can be made (step S17).

[0050] As described above, the information processing device 30 according to this embodiment calculates each concentration level of the second user 5B based on the operation information and the biometric information (the concentration level based on the operation information and the biometric information). In addition, the information processing device 30 calculates a threshold based on information related to the number of responses of the first user 5A and the second user 5B. The information processing device 30 then compares each calculated concentration level of the second user 5B with the threshold calculated in the same way. If the concentration level of the second user 5B calculated from the biometric information is equal to or greater than the threshold calculated from information related to the number of past responses of the second user 5B, the output control unit 335 outputs information to the information terminal 10 of the first user 5A that the second user 5B is unavailable for contact. Furthermore, if the first condition is not satisfied and a second condition is satisfied, in which the concentration level of the second user 5B calculated from the operation information is equal to or greater than a threshold calculated from information related to the number of past responses of the second user 5B, the output control unit 335 outputs information to the information terminal 10 of the first user 5A that the second user 5B is difficult to contact. Furthermore, if the first condition is not satisfied and the concentration level of the second user 5B calculated from the operation information is smaller than the threshold calculated from information related to the number of past responses of the second user 5B, the output control unit 335 outputs information to the user's information terminal 10 that the second user 5B is available to contact. According to the present disclosure, when the first user 5A attempts to contact the second user 5B, it is possible to notify the first user 5A of an appropriate timing based on information related to the number of responses of the first user 5A and the second user 5B.

[0051] In addition, in the present disclosure, when the concentration level based on the biometric information of the second user 5B is compared with the concentration level based on the operation information, the concentration level based on the biometric information is treated as the concentration level that better represents how busy the second user 5B is (whether or not the second user 5B is available for contact from others), and the concentration level based on the biometric information is first compared with a threshold value. This makes it possible to reduce the risk of talking to the second user 5B (a user who is not operating the information terminal 10 but is concentrating on their thoughts) without knowing their situation, for example, when the second user 5B is concentrating at their desk, generating ideas or thinking, and does not want anyone to talk to them.

[0052] (effect) As described above, the information processing device 30 of the present disclosure includes an information acquisition unit 333 that acquires information regarding the number of past responses of a second user 5B whom a first user 5A is attempting to contact, a concentration calculation unit 332 that calculates the concentration level of the second user 5B based on at least one of operation information of the information terminal 10 by the second user 5B and biometric information of the second user 5B, a threshold calculation unit 334 that calculates a threshold based on information regarding the number of responses, and an output control unit 335 that outputs first information when the concentration level is equal to or greater than the threshold and second information when the concentration level is less than the threshold. According to the present disclosure, it is possible for the first user 5A to notify the second user 5B of an appropriate timing to talk to the second user 5B.

[0053] According to the present disclosure, the information regarding the number of responses includes the cumulative number of responses to contacts from other users over a predetermined period of time. According to the present disclosure, the cumulative number of responses from second user 5B makes it possible to appropriately understand how easily second user 5B responds to contacts from other users in virtual space V.

[0054] Furthermore, according to the present disclosure, when the concentration level satisfies a first condition, the output control unit 335 outputs information to the first user 5A that it is impossible to contact the second user 5B, and when the concentration level satisfies a second condition, the output control unit 335 outputs information to the first user 5A that it is difficult to contact the second user 5B. According to the present disclosure, it is possible to notify the first user 5A of an appropriate timing for talking to the second user 5B, and in addition, it is possible to differentiate the content of the information output to the first user 5A based on the condition satisfied by the concentration level.

[0055] An information processing method according to the present disclosure includes the steps of: acquiring information about the number of past responses of a second user 5B whom a first user 5A is attempting to contact; calculating a concentration level of the second user 5B based on at least one of operation information of an information terminal by the second user 5B and biometric information of the second user 5B; calculating a threshold based on the information about the number of responses; and outputting first information when the concentration level is equal to or greater than the threshold, and second information when the concentration level is less than the threshold. According to the present disclosure, it is possible for the first user 5A to notify the second user 5B of an appropriate timing to talk to the second user 5B.

[0056] A program according to the present disclosure causes a computer to execute the following steps: acquiring information about the number of past responses of a second user 5B whom a first user 5A is attempting to contact; calculating a concentration level of the second user 5B based on at least one of operation information of an information terminal by the second user 5B and biometric information of the second user 5B; calculating a threshold based on the information about the number of responses; and outputting first information when the concentration level is equal to or greater than the threshold, and second information when the concentration level is less than the threshold. According to the present disclosure, it is possible for the first user 5A to notify the second user 5B of an appropriate timing to talk to the second user 5B. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 10 Information terminals 30 Information processing equipment 5 users U Avatar V Virtual Space

Claims

1. an information acquisition unit that acquires information about the number of past responses of a second user that the first user is attempting to contact; a concentration level calculation unit that calculates a concentration level of the second user based on at least one of operation information of an information terminal by the second user and biological information of the second user; a threshold calculation unit that calculates a threshold based on the information about the number of responses; an output control unit that outputs first information when the degree of concentration is equal to or greater than the threshold value, and outputs second information when the degree of concentration is smaller than the threshold value; Equipped with Information processing device.

2. The information regarding the number of responses includes a cumulative number of responses to contacts from other users during a predetermined period. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. The output control unit If the concentration level satisfies a first condition, output information to the first user indicating that the second user is unavailable for contact; If the concentration level satisfies a second condition, output information to the first user indicating that the second user is in a difficult-to-contact situation.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1.

4. obtaining information regarding the number of past responses of a second user that the first user is attempting to contact; calculating a concentration level of the second user based on at least one of operation information of the information terminal by the second user and biological information of the second user; calculating a threshold value based on the information about the number of responses; outputting first information when the degree of concentration is equal to or greater than the threshold value, and outputting second information when the degree of concentration is less than the threshold value; Including, Information processing methods.

5. obtaining information regarding the number of past responses of a second user that the first user is attempting to contact; calculating a concentration level of the second user based on at least one of operation information of the information terminal by the second user and biological information of the second user; calculating a threshold value based on the information about the number of responses; outputting first information when the degree of concentration is equal to or greater than the threshold value, and outputting second information when the degree of concentration is less than the threshold value; to the computer, program.

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