Awakening induction device, awakening induction method, and program

Abstract

To provide an awakening induction device or the like capable of awakening a user more appropriately than before.SOLUTION: A wakening induction device 100m is an awakening induction device 100m that promotes awakening of a user 50 by providing a user 500 with a first stimulation by playing music and a second stimulation different from the first stimulation, and includes a music speed obtainer 703 that obtains a speed of the music played in the first stimulation, a lag length determiner 704 that determines a length of a lag between a start timing of the first stimulation and a start timing of the second stimulation on the basis of the obtained speed of the music, and an output portion 705 that outputs the determined length of the lag so that the first stimulation and the second stimulation are provided with the start timings shifted by the determined length of the lag.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6F

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, there is a device that awakens a user by applying a vibration stimulus to a specific part of the user (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a device that effectively awakens a user by applying a vibration stimulus to the tendon of the user's latissimus dorsi muscle or the tendon of the gluteus medius muscle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-153969 [Non-patent literature]

[0005] [Non-Patent Document 1] Audio-tactile superiority over visuo-tactile and audio-visual combinations in the temporal resolution of synchrony perception, Waka Fujisaki& Shinya Nishida, Experimental Brain Research volume 198, pages245-259 (2009) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] It is desirable for a device that wakes up a user to wake up the user appropriately.

[0007] The present disclosure provides an awakening induction device and the like that can awaken a user more appropriately than conventional devices. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, an awakening induction device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is an awakening induction device that encourages awakening of a user by providing the user with a first stimulus by playing music and a second stimulus different from the first stimulus, and includes: a music speed acquisition unit that acquires the speed of the music played in the first stimulus; a delay length determination unit that determines the length of the delay between the start timing of the first stimulus and the start timing of the second stimulus based on the acquired music speed; and an output unit that outputs the determined length of the delay so that the first stimulus and the second stimulus are provided with the start timings delayed by the determined length of the delay.

[0009] Furthermore, an awakening induction method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a method executed by a computer to encourage awakening of a user by providing the user with a first stimulus in the form of playing music and a second stimulus different from the first stimulus, the method including the steps of: acquiring the speed of the music played in the first stimulus; determining the length of the deviation between the start timing of the first stimulus and the start timing of the second stimulus based on the acquired speed of the music; and outputting the determined length of the deviation so that the start timing of the first stimulus and the second stimulus are delayed by the determined length of the deviation.

[0010] Furthermore, a program according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a program for causing a computer to execute the above-described awakening induction method. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an awakening induction device or the like can awaken a user more appropriately than conventional devices. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view showing an awakening induction system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a top view illustrating the positional relationship between the vibration device according to the first embodiment and the user. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the awakening induction system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the position of the vibration stimulus that the vibration device according to the first embodiment applies to the user. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an eccentric motor. [Figure 6A] FIG. 6A is a flowchart illustrating processing executed by the awakening induction system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6B] FIG. 6B is a partial flowchart illustrating the processing executed by the awakening induction system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6C] FIG. 6C is a graph illustrating an appropriate vibration time of the awakening induction system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6D] FIG. 6D is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the first period and the second period of the awakening induction system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6E] FIG. 6E is a graph showing the relationship between the length of a perceptible deviation and the tempo of a piece of music. [Figure 6F] FIG. 6F is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the awakening induction device when including the music deviation control unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6G] FIG. 6G is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the music deviation control unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7A] FIG. 7A is a graph illustrating the effect of the awakening induction system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7B] FIG. 7B is a graph for explaining in more detail the effect of the awakening induction system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a top view showing an awakening induction system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the positional relationship between the vibration device according to the second embodiment and the user. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the awakening induction system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the process executed by the awakening induction system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the awakening induction system according to the third embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the position of the vibration stimulus that the vibration device according to the third embodiment applies to the user. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of pressure distribution on the seat surface of a chair. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating the processing executed by the awakening induction system according to the third embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a first modified example of the vibration device. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a second modified example of the vibration device. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a modified example of the arrangement of the vibration device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] (Summary of the Disclosure) To enhance the drowsiness relief effect, that is, to fully wake up the user, it is sufficient to increase the neural activity value of the supplementary motor area. It is known that the supplementary motor area is not activated by vibration stimuli that do not induce a kinesthetic illusion, but is activated by vibration stimuli that induce a kinesthetic illusion. In other words, by providing the user with a vibration stimuli that induces a clear kinesthetic illusion, the supplementary motor area can be activated, in other words, the neural activity value of the supplementary motor area can be increased. Furthermore, activation of the supplementary motor area increases stimulation of the reticular formation (brainstem reticular formation), for example. Stimulation of the reticular formation awakens the user. In other words, by providing the user with a vibration stimuli that induces a clear kinesthetic illusion, the user can be effectively awakened.

[0014] After extensive research, the inventors of the present application have found that by applying intermittent vibration stimuli to specific parts of a user under predetermined vibration conditions, a stronger illusion (motion illusion) effect can be achieved than in the past, i.e., the user can be more fully awakened than in the past. However, when applying such intermittent vibration stimuli, if vibration is suddenly applied from a state where no vibration is being applied, the user may be surprised, which may adversely affect the work they were doing up to that point. Therefore, this disclosure also mentions playing music and making the user aware in advance that vibration will be applied based on the playback mode of the music, thereby reducing the user's surprise when applying the vibration stimuli.

[0015] On the other hand, in such a configuration that provides two stimuli, namely, music playback and vibration stimulation, reducing surprise also leads to a reduction in the effect of awakening the user. Therefore, the present disclosure also mentions that by providing stimulation, a sense of novelty is created, thereby reducing the user's surprise while making it difficult to reduce the effect of awakening the user. In particular, this effect of novelty works regardless of the type of the two stimuli, and is therefore also effective for combinations of types of stimulation other than music playback and vibration stimulation. Furthermore, as the type of stimulation, stimulations of the same type may be combined. In other words, the first type and the second type of stimulation in the combined first and second types may be the same.

[0016] An awakening induction device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure is an awakening induction device that encourages a user to wake up by providing the user with a first stimulus by playing music and a second stimulus different from the first stimulus, and includes: a music speed acquisition unit that acquires the speed of the music played in the first stimulus; a delay length determination unit that determines the length of the delay between the start timing of the first stimulus and the start timing of the second stimulus based on the acquired music speed; and an output unit that outputs the determined delay length so that the first stimulus and the second stimulus are provided with their start timings delayed by the determined delay length.

[0017] Such an awakening induction device can provide the first and second stimuli with a delay based on the speed of the music. Since the speed of the music correlates with the delay length that allows the user to perceive the difference in the start timing of the first and second stimuli, the delay can be made easier or harder to perceive depending on this correlation. Since the ease with which the delay is perceivable corresponds to the effectiveness of stimulating the user's awakening, providing an appropriate delay length between the first and second stimuli can appropriately awaken the user.

[0018] An awakening induction device according to a second aspect of the present disclosure is the awakening induction device according to the first aspect, wherein the type of the second stimulus is vibration.

[0019] This allows the user to be appropriately awakened by playing music and providing vibration stimulation.

[0020] An awakening induction device according to a third aspect of the present disclosure is the awakening induction device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the speed of the music is a tempo indicated by the number of beats per minute.

[0021] This allows the first stimulus and the second stimulus to be delayed by an appropriate length depending on the tempo of the music.

[0022] An awakening induction device according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure is the awakening induction device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the determined length of the deviation is equal to or greater than 40 ms and equal to or less than 2 s.

[0023] This allows the first and second stimuli to be delayed by an appropriate length within the range of 40 ms or more and 2 seconds or less.

[0024] An awakening induction device according to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure is the awakening induction device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the delay length determination unit increases the delay length as the speed of the acquired music increases.

[0025] According to this, by making the delay longer as the tempo of the music increases, it becomes easier for the user to recognize the delay.

[0026] An awakening induction device according to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure is the awakening induction device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the delay length determination unit shortens the delay length as the speed of the acquired music is slower.

[0027] According to this, the slower the tempo of the music, the shorter the delay, making it easier for the user to recognize the delay.

[0028] In addition, an awakening induction device according to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure is an awakening induction device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the music speed acquisition unit estimates and acquires the speed of the music by analyzing the music played during the first stimulation.

[0029] This makes it possible to make the discrepancy more or less noticeable depending on the speed of the music estimated by analyzing the music being played.

[0030] In addition, an awakening induction device according to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure is an awakening induction device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the music speed acquisition unit acquires a meta tag including the speed of the music along with the music played in the first stimulation, and acquires the speed of the music included in the meta tag.

[0031] This makes it possible to make the difference more or less noticeable depending on the tempo of the music included in the acquired meta tag.

[0032] In addition, an awakening induction device according to a ninth aspect of the present disclosure is an awakening induction device according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, further comprising a drowsiness estimation unit that estimates the user's drowsiness state, and the deviation length determination unit further changes the determined deviation length depending on whether the estimated drowsiness state of the user is closer to an awake state or closer to a sleep state than the threshold state.

[0033] This makes it possible to make the deviation more or less noticeable depending on whether the drowsiness state is closer to an awake state or a sleeping state than the threshold state.

[0034] Furthermore, an awakening induction method according to a tenth aspect of the present disclosure is a method executed by a computer to encourage a user to wake up by providing the user with a first stimulus by playing music and a second stimulus different from the first stimulus, the method including the steps of acquiring the speed of the music played in the first stimulus, determining the length of the deviation between the start timing of the first stimulus and the start timing of the second stimulus based on the acquired speed of the music, and outputting the determined length of the deviation so that the start timing of the first stimulus and the second stimulus are delayed by the determined length of the deviation.

[0035] Such an awakening induction device can achieve the same effects as the above-described awakening induction device.

[0036] A program according to an eleventh aspect of the present disclosure is a program for causing a computer to execute the above-described awakening induction method.

[0037] Such a program can achieve the same effect as the above-described wakefulness induction method using a computer.

[0038] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below all show comprehensive or specific examples of the present disclosure. Therefore, the numerical values, components, arrangement and connection of the components, processes (steps), and process order shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0039] Furthermore, each figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily an exact illustration. Therefore, the scales and the like do not necessarily match in each figure. In each figure, the same reference numerals are used for substantially the same components, and duplicated explanations may be omitted or simplified.

[0040] In this specification and drawings, the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis represent the three axes of a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system. In each embodiment, the Z-axis direction is defined as the vertical direction, and the direction perpendicular to the Z-axis (the direction parallel to the XY plane) is defined as the horizontal direction. The positive direction of the Z-axis is defined as the vertically upward direction.

[0041] (Embodiment 1) [composition] First, the configuration of an awakening induction system including an awakening induction device according to the first embodiment will be described.

[0042] FIG. 1 is a side view showing an awakening induction system 200 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a top view for explaining the positional relationship between the vibration device 110 according to the first embodiment and the user 500. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the awakening induction system 200 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the position of the vibration stimulus provided to the user 500 by the vibration device 110 according to the first embodiment. Note that FIG. 4 partially shows the interior of a chair 300 for the purpose of explanation. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an eccentric motor 111 provided in the vibration device 110. Furthermore, although FIGS. 1 and 2 show a plurality of vibration devices 110, FIGS. 3 and 4 show only one vibration device 110 for the purpose of explanation. The number of vibration devices 110 provided in the awakening induction device 100 is not particularly limited.

[0043] The awakening induction system 200 is a system that awakens a user 500 by applying vibration stimulation to at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the rest 530 of the hamstrings of the user 500 who is seated in a mobile object such as a car or a chair 300 placed in an office.

[0044] The awakening induction system 200 provides a vibration stimulus to the user 500 in a situation where drowsiness reduces efficiency or poses a safety problem, such as while working at a desk, studying, or driving, thereby waking up the user 500. Note that, although the following description will be given of providing a vibration stimulus to at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stop 530 of the hamstrings, the part to which the vibration stimulus is provided is not limited to this. The part to which the vibration stimulus is provided may be any part of the user 500, such as the lower back, shoulders, or feet (particularly the soles of the feet).

[0045] The awakening induction system 200 includes the awakening induction device 100 and a chair 300.

[0046] The awakening induction device 100 is a device that awakens a user 500 by applying a vibration stimulus to at least one of a muscle belly 520 and a resting portion 530 of the hamstrings of the user 500 who is seated in a mobile body such as a car or a chair 300 placed in an office. Waking up the user 500 means at least one of bringing the user 500 to a more awake state than the current state and maintaining the awake state of the user 500. In other words, awakening means both eliminating the drowsiness of the user 500 (i.e., lowering the degree of drowsiness (sleepiness level)) and suppressing the drowsiness of the user 500 (i.e., making it difficult for the degree of drowsiness to increase). In the following description, either case will simply be described as waking up the user 500.

[0047] The shape of chair 300 is not particularly limited as long as it has seat 310 on which user 500 sits. Seat 310 may be made of a material that can be deformed (elastically deformed) by vibration device 110. Seat 310 is formed of, for example, a cushioned material.

[0048] The awakening induction device 100 includes a vibration device 110, a control device 120, a reception device 130, a footrest 140, a speaker device 410, and a speaker control device 420. The control device 120 is an example of a control unit and is configured to realize some of the functions of the control unit. The control device 120 is connected to the vibration device 110 and the reception device 130 via wire or wirelessly so as to be able to transmit and receive signals.

[0049] The vibration device 110 is an example of a second awakening unit that provides a second type of stimulation to awaken the user 500, and is a device that vibrates to provide a vibration stimulation to at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stop portion 530. The vibration device 110 is disposed on the chair 300 at a position facing at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stop portion 530 of the hamstrings of the user 500 seated on the chair 300. In this embodiment, the vibration device 110 is disposed inside the chair 300 and at a position where it can provide a vibration stimulation to the user 500 via the seat surface 310. In other words, the vibration device 110 is provided on the chair 300 at a position facing the user 500 across the seat surface 310.

[0050] Hamstrings is a general term for muscles on the posterior surface of the lower leg, including the biceps femoris, semimembranosus, and semitendinosus. Hamstrings are classified into an origin 510, a muscle belly 520, and an insertion 530, which are located at different positions. For example, if the hamstrings are divided into thirds in the direction of extension (the direction of extension) of the hamstrings, they are classified into the origin 510, the muscle belly 520, and the insertion 530, in that order from the gluteus maximus side to the knee side. The vibration device 110 applies vibration stimulation to at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the insertion 530, that is, to any position in the two-thirds of the hamstrings on the knee side.

[0051] The vibration device 110 vibrates the hamstrings of the user 500 seated on the chair 300, for example, such that the vibration direction (in this embodiment, a direction parallel to the Z-axis direction) is a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the hamstrings (in this embodiment, a direction parallel to the Y-axis as shown in FIG. 4 ), thereby providing a vibration stimulus to at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stopper 530 of the user 500. The vibration direction of the vibration device 110 is, for example, a direction perpendicular to the seat surface 310. For example, if the seat surface 310 of the chair 300 is a surface parallel to the horizontal direction, the vibration device 110 vibrates in the vertical direction. That is, in this case, the vibration direction of the vibration device 110 is the vertical direction. In other words, the vibration device 110 is placed on the chair 300 so that the vibration direction is the vertical direction. A vertically downward force is always acting on the body of the user 500 due to gravity. When a vertical vibration stimulus is applied to the user 500, the gravity acting on the body of the user 500 and the vibration direction are in the same direction, so that the vibration stimulus can be efficiently applied to at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stop portion 530 of the user 500 while always being in contact with the user 500 at an appropriate pressure.

[0052] To activate the supplementary motor area, it is necessary to fire muscle spindles in the hamstrings. Muscle spindles fire when hamstring muscle fibers are stretched. Therefore, by applying vibration stimuli to the hamstrings by vibrating the vibration device 110 in a direction perpendicular to the direction of hamstring stretching (specifically, the direction of extension of the hamstring muscle fibers), muscle spindles can be effectively fired. For example, if muscle fibers are considered to be strings, plucking the string in a direction perpendicular to the direction of extension of the string, rather than pulling it in the direction of extension of the string, can effectively stretch the string and vibrate the string. In other words, by applying vibration stimuli to the muscle fibers in a direction perpendicular to the direction of extension of the muscle fibers, the vibration stimuli can be transmitted to the muscle spindles non-invasively (i.e., by applying vibration stimuli through the skin rather than directly to the muscle fibers) and effectively.

[0053] The vibration period of the vibration device 110 is not particularly limited. The vibration period is, for example, 40 Hz to 120 Hz. The vibration period may be 60 Hz to 70 Hz. Such a vibration period can more effectively (for example, more clearly) awaken the user 500. Furthermore, more appropriate examples of vibration periods by the vibration device 110 will be described later together with the processing executed by the awakening induction system 200.

[0054] The vibration device 110 includes, for example, an eccentric motor 111 for generating vibration, a housing 114, a protrusion 115, and a leaf spring .

[0055] The eccentric motor 111 is a motor for generating vibrations. The eccentric motor 111 is electrically connected to a power source (not shown), such as a battery, via a power cord or the like, and is driven by receiving power from the power source. Specifically, the eccentric motor 111 is fixed to the housing 114 inside the housing 114, and applies a vibration stimulus to the user 500 by vibrating the housing 114. Furthermore, the eccentric motor 111 can vibrate the housing 114 in one direction. Therefore, the eccentric motor 111 can apply a vibration stimulus to the user 500 in the vertical direction.

[0056] Note that the vibration device 110 may be provided with a rotary motor with a cam mechanism, a voice coil motor, a linear drive motor, or a rotary motor with a crank mechanism instead of the eccentric motor 111. If such a motor is used, the vibration direction of the vibration device 110 can be changed as desired depending on the installation state.

[0057] The housing 114 is a box that houses the eccentric motor 111. There are no particular limitations on the material and shape used for the housing 114. The housing 114 is provided with, for example, a protrusion 115 that protrudes partially outward from the housing 114.

[0058] The protrusion 115 is a part of the housing 114 that protrudes outward from the housing 114. Providing the protrusion 115 on the housing 114 enables the vibration device 110 to appropriately apply vibration stimulation to a specific position of the user 500 (at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stop portion 530 of the user 500). The housing 114 is fixed to the chair 300 via, for example, a leaf spring 116.

[0059] The size of the protrusion 115 is not particularly limited. For example, the size of the protrusion 115 is 78 mm 2 as the area of ​​the surface perpendicular to the vibration direction of the vibration device 110. 2 (equivalent to φ10mm) to 7854mm 2 (equivalent to φ100mm).

[0060] Furthermore, the shape of the protrusions 115 is not particularly limited. The shape of the protrusions 115 may be, for example, angular or rounded. The shape of the protrusions 115 may be an elliptical cylinder, a cylindrical shape, a chamfered elliptical cylinder or cylindrical shape, or a dome shape. This reduces the stress concentration that occurs when the area of ​​the portion where the user 500 is pressed by the protrusions 115 is extremely small, compared to when the protrusions 115 have corners, and thus reduces the discomfort that the user 500 feels when pressed by the protrusions 115.

[0061] Leaf spring 116 is a flat spring that connects housing 114 and chair 300. Leaf spring 116 has, for example, one end connected to housing 114 and the other end opposite to the one end connected to chair 300. Leaf spring 116 is also arranged, for example, such that the vibration direction of housing 114 is parallel to the normal direction of leaf spring 116. As a result, housing 114 connected to leaf spring 116 vibrates in a direction parallel to the normal direction of leaf spring 116.

[0062] The control device 120 is a device that controls the vibration device 110 to cause the vibration device 110 to apply a vibration stimulus to at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stop portion 530 .

[0063] The control device 120 includes, for example, a communication interface for transmitting or receiving signals with the vibration device 110 and the reception device 130, a memory such as a flash memory or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) in which a control program is stored, and a CPU (Central Processing Unit) for executing the control program.

[0064] The reception device 130 is a device that receives instructions from the user 500. Specifically, the reception device 130 receives an instruction from the user 500 to cause the control device 120 to at least one of start and stop control of the vibration device 110 to provide a vibration stimulus. The reception device 130 is not particularly limited as long as it can detect a predetermined action indicating an instruction from the user 500 to cause the control device 120 to at least one of start and stop drive control of the vibration device 110. The reception device 130 is, for example, a mechanical switch such as a push button that can be pressed by the user 500, or a sensor that detects that the user 500 has placed their foot on the footrest 140. The reception device 130 is a mechanical switch, and may be a rocker switch that is arranged on the footrest 140 and can be switched on and off by the user 500 by the angle at which it is pressed (i.e., the user 500 can instruct the vibration device 110 to start or stop vibration). The reception device 130 may also be a mechanical switch, such as a button-type switch that can be turned on and off depending on how far the switch is pressed. The control device 120 at least starts and stops control of the vibration device 110 to provide vibration stimulation, based on the instruction received by the reception device 130.

[0065] In this embodiment, the reception device 130 is disposed on the footrest 140 .

[0066] The footrest 140 is a platform on which at least one of the user 500's feet is placed. The footrest 140 is disposed in a position where at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stop 530 comes into contact with the chair 300 (more specifically, the seat surface 310 of the chair 300) when the user 500 sits on the chair 300 and places his / her foot on the footrest 140. The footrest 140 is provided with, for example, a marker 141 that indicates the position where the user 500 places his / her foot. The marker 141 only needs to be recognizable by the user 500, and may be formed on the footrest 140 by being given a color scheme different from the other parts, or may be formed on the footrest 140 by being given a shape different from the other parts, such as an uneven shape.

[0067] The speaker device 410 is an example of a first awakening unit that provides a first type of stimulus to awaken the user 500, and is a device that emits sound. The speaker device 410 can play music by controlling it with a continuous input signal corresponding to the music. Specifically, the speaker device 410 has, for example, a diaphragm and a drive mechanism such as a magnet and a voice coil. The speaker device 410 operates the drive mechanism with a waveform signal obtained by decomposing the music in the time domain, and the drive mechanism vibrates the diaphragm. In this way, the speaker device 410 generates sound waves by vibrating the diaphragm in accordance with the music, and the sound waves propagate through the air to the ears of the user 500, allowing the user 500 to perceive the music.

[0068] The speaker control device 420 is an example of a control unit, and is configured to realize a part of the functions of the control unit. The speaker control device 420 is a device that controls the speaker device 410 to make the speaker device 410 play music.

[0069] The speaker control device 420, for example, acquires a continuous input signal corresponding to a piece of music and outputs it to the speaker device 410. By processing the input signal to the speaker device 410 output from the speaker control device 420 in advance, the speaker control device 420 can play back the music in any manner.

[0070] [Processing Procedure] Next, a processing procedure of the awakening induction system 200 according to the first embodiment will be described.

[0071] FIG. 6A is a flowchart illustrating processing executed by the awakening induction system 200 (specifically, the awakening induction device 100) according to the first embodiment.

[0072] First, it is assumed that the reception device 130 receives an instruction from the user 500 to start driving the vibration device 110 (i.e., to vibrate the vibration device 110) (step S101). For example, if the reception device 130 is a push button, it is assumed that the user 500 presses the push button.

[0073] Next, the control device 120 determines a stimulation pattern of the vibration stimulation to be given to the user 500 (step S102). The stimulation pattern includes, for example, a vibration period, an amplitude, and a stimulation position. For example, when the user 500 is working, the vibration stimulation may be given to the user 500 so as not to startle the user 500. Specific examples of vibration patterns that are less likely to startle the user 500 include (i) gradually increasing the amplitude of the vibration of the vibration device 110, (ii) gradually increasing the period of the vibration of the vibration device 110, or (iii) gradually shortening the interval between vibrations of the vibration device 110 (i.e., gradually increasing the driving frequency). The awakening induction device 100 includes an operation unit (not shown), such as a keyboard or a touch panel operated by the user 500. The control device 120, for example, acquires information indicating the vibration pattern from the user 500 via the operation unit and determines the vibration pattern based on the acquired information.

[0074] Next, the control device 120 controls the vibration device 110 to vibrate in the vibration pattern determined in step S102 (step S103). As a result, the control device 120 controls the vibration device 110 to apply a vibration stimulus to at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stopper 530 from the seat 310 of the chair 300.

[0075] 6B is a partial flowchart for explaining the processing executed by the awakening induction system according to Embodiment 1. As shown in FIG. 6B, in this embodiment, when vibration device 110 is driven, speaker device 410 is also controlled to awaken user 500 with sound and vibration. Specifically, step S103 in FIG. 6A above consists of step S103a and step S103b shown in FIG. 6B.

[0076] 6B, when the control device 120 controls the driving of the vibration device 110, the control device 120 first controls the vibration of the vibration device 110 so that the duty ratio, which indicates the ratio of the vibration time to the sum of the vibration time during which the vibration device 110 is vibrating and the interval time during which the vibration device 110 is stopped, is 10% (step S103a). As described above, the duty ratio is the ratio of the vibration time to the period during which a set is executed, for a set including one vibration time during which the vibration device 110 is vibrating and one interval time during which the vibration device 110 is stopped following this vibration time, and is expressed as a percentage, for example. A duty ratio of 10% refers to, for example, a case where the vibration time is 30 seconds and the interval time is 270 seconds, a case where the vibration time is 15 seconds and the interval time is 135 seconds, or a case where the vibration time is 5 seconds and the interval time is 45 seconds. By controlling vibration device 110 so that the duty ratio is 10% in this way, the effectiveness (efficiency) of inducing user 500 to wake up is improved. Furthermore, if it is assumed that the correlation between the duty ratio and the wakefulness effect of user 500 is a normal distribution-like relationship, it is thought that a relatively high wakefulness effect can be obtained even if the duty ratio is not 10%. That is, control device 120 may control the vibration of vibration device 110 so that the duty ratio is 15%, or may control the vibration of vibration device 110 so that the duty ratio is 5%. Within this range of duty ratio, a high wakefulness effect is expected to be obtained.

[0077] Incidentally, as described above, when the duty ratio is 10%, it is possible to set the vibration time to several values. This point will be explained with reference to FIG. 6C. FIG. 6C is a graph illustrating an appropriate vibration time for the awakening induction system according to the first embodiment. The drowsiness level on the vertical axis indicates that the user's drowsiness increases as the vertical axis moves upward in the graph and decreases as the vertical axis moves downward. FIG. 6C shows the transition of the drowsiness level over time when a vibration stimulus is applied to the user 500 under vibration conditions of 0 seconds (no vibration), 5 seconds, 15 seconds, and 30 seconds with the duty ratio fixed at 10%. As shown in FIG. 6C, the drowsiness level transitions to the lowest value when the vibration time is 15 seconds and the interval time is 135 seconds, indicating a high awakening effect. It can also be seen that the awakening effect gradually increases from 0 seconds to 5 seconds, and from 5 seconds to 15 seconds, and gradually decreases from 15 seconds to 30 seconds. For this reason, the correlation between vibration duration and drowsiness level is estimated to be a normal distribution-like relationship with a peak around 15 seconds, so it is thought that a high awakening effect can be obtained within a range of, for example, 10 to 20 seconds, which includes vibration durations around 15 seconds. In addition, it is thought that a high awakening effect can be obtained by setting the interval time in the range of 130 to 140 seconds.

[0078] 6B, while the control device 120 is controlling the vibration of the vibration device 110, the speaker control device 420 controls the speaker device 410 to play music (step S103b). At this time, when the repeating period of a predetermined section of the music to be played is defined as the second period, the first period and the second period, which are periods in which one set of vibrations including one vibration period and one interval period are repeated, are synchronized with each other. For this reason, at least one of the control device 120 and the speaker control device 420 performs control so that the repeating periods of the controlled objects are synchronized with each other.

[0079] Here, the control device 120 controls the vibration of the vibration device 110 to set the first period in accordance with the music being played so that the first period is synchronized with the second period. FIG. 6D is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the first period and the second period of the awakening induction system according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 6D, (a) to (c) each show an example of a predetermined section of music. For example, in (a) of FIG. 6D, the predetermined section of music is set as one measure, and the section in which this measure is repeated (or from the start of one measure to the start of the next measure) is set as the second period. The control device 120 then controls the vibration of the vibration device 110 so that a set of vibrations including one vibration period and one interval period is generated in the second period, i.e., the first period synchronized with the period in which one measure of music is played.

[0080] 6D(b), for example, a predetermined section of a song is set as a section consisting of a series of constituent units including one verse block and one chorus block, and the section consisting of these constituent units is repeated (or the section from the start of a section consisting of one constituent unit to the start of a section consisting of the next constituent unit) is set as the second period.The control device 120 then controls the vibration of the vibration device 110 so that a set of vibrations including one vibration period and one interval period is performed in the second period, i.e., the first period that matches the period during which the section consisting of the constituent units of the song is played.

[0081] 6D(c), for example, a predetermined section of a song is set as the section from the start to the end of one song, and the section in which this song is repeated (or the section from the start of one song to the start of the next song) is set as the second period. Then, the control device 120 controls the vibration of the vibration device 110 so that one set of vibrations including one vibration period and one interval period is performed in the second period, i.e., the first period that matches the period in which one song is played.

[0082] In this way, by repeating the vibration time and the interval time in accordance with a predetermined section of the music, the user 500 can predict that the vibration stimulus will be given when the music switches from a predetermined section to the next predetermined section, thereby reducing the possibility that the user 500 will be surprised by the sudden vibration stimulus and that this will have a negative impact on the work of the user 500.

[0083] As described above, when matching the first period, which is a repeating period of the vibration time and the interval time, to the second period obtained from a predetermined section of music, it is necessary to adjust the predetermined section of music in order to fix the duty ratio to 10% or the vibration time to 15 seconds. Therefore, for example, the speaker control device 420 may end the music being played midway through a predetermined section consisting of two or more measures, for example, at a certain measure, and perform a fade-out to gradually decrease the volume immediately before the end, in order to fix the duty ratio to 10% or the vibration time to 15 seconds. This makes it possible to provide vibration stimulation in accordance with the predetermined section of music, even while fixing the duty ratio to 10% or the vibration time to 15 seconds.

[0084] Here, as described above, by playing music and applying vibration stimulation, i.e., by applying the two stimuli to the user 500 in the same synchronized cycle, it is possible to reduce the surprise of the user 500 caused by the vibration stimulation, but in exchange, the effect of waking the user 500 may be weakened due to the user becoming accustomed to the application of such periodic stimulation. Therefore, hereinafter, a configuration that can maintain a high effect of waking the user 500 while reducing the surprise of the user 500 will be described.

[0085] In the configuration described below, a combination of a sound stimulus, particularly a musical piece, and a vibration stimulus will be mentioned, but the type of stimulus combined with the musical piece is not limited to this. For example, a combination of a sound stimulus may be a combination with a sound effect other than a musical piece. Furthermore, a combination of a light stimulus, particularly a video stimulus, may be a combination. Note that when two stimuli are the same type, namely a combination of sound and sound, the stimuli have at least partial differences in content.

[0086] For example, in the example shown in Fig. 6D above, it has been described that music is played and vibration stimulation is given to user 500 in the same synchronized cycle. This music playing and vibration stimulation are repeated multiple times with synchronized start timings. In other words, a stimulation period in which stimulation is given (corresponding to the vibration time in the vibration stimulation) and a stop period in which stimulation is not given (corresponding to the interval time in the vibration stimulation) are repeated periodically, and it can be said that the start timings of the stimulation periods are always synchronized for the two stimuli.

[0087] In addition, in the case of video playback in which the type of stimulus combined with the playback of music is light, the stop period is the period that exists immediately before a predetermined section of the video switches to the next predetermined section, and may be a period with no signal or a period with a signal. Specifically, in the case of stimulation by video playback, the period with a signal may simply be the stimulation period in which a stimulus is applied, and the period with no signal may be the stop period in which no stimulus is applied. However, for example, the period in which the average luminance value of the entire video is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold may be the stimulation period, and the period in which the average luminance value is less than the predetermined threshold may be the stop period in which no stimulus is applied even if a signal is applied. Therefore, in the case of video playback, which is a type of stimulus that is light, the stop period may be a period that is not limited to simply being a period with no signal.

[0088] If the start timings are always synchronized, the user 500 will eventually become accustomed to the synchronization and will be able to predict the start of one stimulus from the periodic repetition of the other stimulus, which will weaken the effect of waking the user 500 because the repeated stimuli are presented at predictable periodic repetition times.

[0089] For example, to solve this problem, the stimulation period and stop period of each stimulus may be controlled so that, among a plurality of repetitions of a cycle consisting of a stimulation period and a stop period, the start timings of the cycles are not synchronized for a few of the plurality of repetitions. That is, the start timings may be shifted once every plurality of repetitions. In other words, after a plurality of repetitions of a synchronized cycle with synchronized start timings, a shifted cycle with shifted start timings may occur.

[0090] In such a delayed cycle, the user 500 must be able to perceive the delay. Therefore, for example, the start timings may be delayed by a perceptible length in the time domain. The perceptible length of the delay varies depending on the type of stimulus, so the delay length may be set according to the type of stimulus. For example, in this embodiment, music is played, i.e., a combination of sound and vibration stimuli is used. According to Non-Patent Document 1, a delay of 40 ms or more is considered perceptible. Therefore, the delay length may be 40 ms or more. On the other hand, if the delay is too long, periodic repetition of the stimuli may become impossible. Specifically, if a second stimulus delayed by a delay from a first stimulus overlaps with the next stimulus period in a certain cycle (the pause period of a certain cycle is lost), periodic repetition becomes impossible. Therefore, the delay length may be less than half the pause period of that cycle. Alternatively, the delay length may simply be a predetermined length, such as 2 seconds or less.

[0091] The pattern in which the offset period occurs relative to the synchronous period may be predetermined or may be random. Specifically, for example, a periodic pattern including a combination of one offset period and one or more synchronous periods in a predetermined order is repeated, and the periodic stimulus is repeatedly applied. Note that the predetermined order may be any order.

[0092] Specifically, for example, a periodic pattern including one offset period and one or more synchronized periods, in which the order of the offset period and the synchronized period is random, is repeated to provide a periodic stimulus. In this case, the number of periods in which the offset period is included is not constant between a certain periodic pattern and the subsequent periodic pattern. Alternatively, it may be simply determined randomly whether each period is an offset period or a synchronized period.

[0093] Incidentally, the length of perceptible deviation in music playback varies depending on the type of music. Specifically, as a result of extensive research, the inventors of the present application have newly discovered that the length of deviation that allows a user to recognize that a stimulus combined with the playback of that music is out of sync varies depending on the tempo of the music. For example, FIG. 6E is a graph showing the relationship between the length of perceptible deviation and the tempo of the music. The graph shows the relationship between the length of deviation that allows a user to recognize that a stimulus combined with music of each tempo is out of sync. Specifically, the horizontal axis shows the length of deviation, and the vertical axis shows the degree to which the deviation can be recognized (hereinafter, also referred to as the perceived amount of deviation). It has been separately confirmed that the perceived amount of deviation correlates with the level of arousal effect, so it can be said that the greater the perceived amount of deviation, the more likely it is to awaken user 500.

[0094] As shown in Figure 6E, the deviation length that maximizes the perceived deviation for music with a tempo of 100 bpm was found to be shorter than the deviation length that maximizes the perceived deviation for music with a tempo of 120 bpm. Furthermore, the deviation length that maximizes the perceived deviation for music with a tempo of 120 bpm was found to be shorter than the deviation length that maximizes the perceived deviation for music with a tempo of 140 bpm. In other words, the greater the tempo of the music (i.e., the faster the music), the longer the deviation length must be to maximize the perceived deviation. On the other hand, the smaller the tempo of the music (i.e., the slower the music), the shorter the deviation length must be to maximize the perceived deviation. Based on these results, it can be concluded that the magnitude of the deviation in the stimuli combined with the playback of music needs to be determined based on the music being played. Conversely, the music to be played may also be determined based on the magnitude of the deviation in the stimuli combined with the playback of music.

[0095] In light of this, the awakening induction device may include a music offset control unit 700 capable of setting the offset length according to the music, as shown in FIG. 6F below. FIG. 6F is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an awakening induction device including the music offset control unit according to the first embodiment. The awakening induction device 100m shown in FIG. 6F differs from the awakening induction device 100 shown in FIG. 3 in that it includes a music offset control unit 700. The music offset control unit 700 is a functional unit that performs processing to determine at least one of the music to be played and the offset length of the stimulus to be combined with the music playback. The music offset control unit 700 is realized, for example, by executing a predetermined program using a processor and memory. When the awakening induction device 100m is mounted on a vehicle and serves to induce driver awakening, the music offset control unit 700 may be implemented, for example, by being incorporated into a car navigation system or the vehicle's ECU. Alternatively, the music offset control unit 700 may be implemented on a cloud server and realize similar functions by communicating with each component stored in the vehicle via a network such as the Internet.

[0096] As shown in the balloon in the figure, the music deviation control unit 700 includes a music database 701 , a music determination unit 702 , a music speed acquisition unit 703 , a deviation length determination unit 704 , and an output unit 705 .

[0097] The music database 701 is a database for registering music that the user 500 wants to play. The user 500 can register one or more desired music pieces in the music database 701 in advance. The registered music pieces can then be read from the music database 701 and played. The music pieces registered in the music database 701 may be used not only for inducing the awakening of the user 500, but also for playing music when the user 500 simply wants to listen to it. In other words, the music database 701 may also be used as a database for allowing the user 500 to listen to music without relying on awakening induction. Note that the music database 701 may be a database for a flat-rate music distribution service. In this case, the music database 701 will contain all of the music pieces provided by the flat-rate music distribution service, without the need for the user 500 to register.

[0098] The music determination unit 702 is a functional unit that determines a music piece to be played as a first type of stimulus. The music determination unit 702 determines the next music piece to be played from the music pieces in the music database 701. Specifically, the music determination unit 702 determines the music pieces in the music database 701, or determines the music pieces in the order of a playlist made up of the music pieces in the music database 701. Alternatively, when the length of the delay is fixed to a predetermined value, the music determination unit 702 may determine the music piece at the speed that produces the greatest perceived delay for that fixed length of delay.

[0099] The music speed acquisition unit 703 is a functional unit that acquires the music speed determined by the music determination unit 702. For example, the music speed acquisition unit 703 acquires the determined music and analyzes the music to estimate and acquire the music speed. Any existing method can be used to analyze the music speed from the music. Furthermore, since the music speed is a unique value for each music, the music speed may be stored in association with the music. For example, a meta tag corresponding to the music may be associated with the music, and the meta tag may contain the music speed. The meta tag may be registered together with the music in the music database 701, or may be registered in a meta tag database separate from the music database 701. When such a meta tag is used, the music speed acquisition unit 703 can acquire the music speed contained in the meta tag simply by acquiring the meta tag associated with the music.

[0100] The delay length determination unit 704 is a functional unit that determines the delay length of the start timing when a second type of stimulus is applied to the playback of music according to the speed of the acquired music. The delay length determination unit 704 determines the delay length, for example, by increasing the delay length the faster the speed of the acquired music and decreasing the delay length the slower the speed of the acquired music. This makes it possible to apply a stimulus that is more likely to be perceived as a delay by the user 500 according to the speed of the music. In other words, it is possible to induce awakening with a more effective awakening effect. Note that the delay length determination unit 704 may use information other than the speed of the acquired music when determining the delay length.

[0101] The output unit 705 outputs the determined music piece and the determined delay length to the speaker control device 420 and the control device 120, respectively, so that the start timing is delayed by the determined delay length, and the music piece is played and the second type of stimulus is given.

[0102] The music deviation control unit 700 described above operates as shown in Fig. 6G. Fig. 6G is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the music deviation control unit according to embodiment 1. As shown in the figure, first, the music determination unit 702 determines a music piece to be played from music pieces registered in a music database 701 that has been constructed in advance through registration by the user 500 (S701). The music speed acquisition unit 703 acquires the speed of the determined music piece by analyzing the determined music piece or by acquiring a meta tag associated with the determined music piece (S702). Then, the deviation length determination unit 704 determines the length of deviation so that the length of deviation corresponds to the acquired music speed (S703).

[0103] The output unit 705 outputs the determined music to the speaker control device 420, and also outputs the determined delay length to the control device 120. As a result, when the speaker control device 420 plays back music using the speaker device 410, the control device 120 delays the start timing by the determined delay length and generates a vibration stimulus by the vibration device 110. As described above, the determined delay length is a length that increases the degree of perception of the delay, so that the user 500 is more likely to perceive the delay, and as a result, the user 500 is more likely to wake up.

[0104] 6A, for example, when the cycle of each stimulus enters a delayed cycle that generates a delay (Yes in S104), a delay is generated in the time domain between the cycle of one stimulus and the cycle of the other stimulus (S105). More specifically, the control device 120 controls the vibration device 110 so that a stimulation period in the cycle of one stimulus (for example, vibration stimulation) starts later than a stimulation period in the cycle of the other stimulus (playback of music).

[0105] Furthermore, if the cycles of the respective stimuli fall within a synchronized cycle (without causing a deviation) (No in S104), step S105 is skipped and synchronized stimuli are applied without causing a deviation.

[0106] Thereafter, the control device 120 determines whether the reception device 130 has received an instruction to stop driving the vibration device 110 from the user 500 (step S106).

[0107] When the control device 120 determines that the reception device 130 has received an instruction from the user 500 to stop driving the vibration device 110 (Yes in step S106), the control device 120 stops driving the vibration device 110 and ends the process. For example, if the reception device 130 is a push button, when the user 500 presses the push button again, the control device 120 stops driving the vibration device 110 and ends the process.

[0108] On the other hand, when the control device 120 determines that the reception device 130 has not received an instruction to stop driving the vibration device 110 from the user 500 (No in step S106), the control device 120 returns the process to step S103.

[0109] Note that, when the control device 120 has driven the vibration device 110 for a predetermined time, the control device 120 may stop the vibration device 110 and end the process. In this case, the control device 120 may include a time measuring unit such as an RTC (Real Time Clock) for measuring time. This allows the user 500 to become accustomed to the vibration stimulation, thereby preventing a decrease in the effect of the awakening induction device 100 in waking the user 500.

[0110] Furthermore, continuous vibration stimulation may distract the user 500 from concentrating on a task such as studying, since the user 500 is likely to be constantly directed to the vibration stimulation. Therefore, the awakening induction device 100 may provide an intermittent vibration stimulation to the user 500. For example, the awakening induction device 100 may provide the vibration stimulation to the user 500 at predetermined intervals.

[0111] [Other effects] As described above, the awakening induction device 100 according to the first embodiment includes a vibration device 110 placed on the chair 300 in a position facing at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stop portion 530 of the hamstrings of the user 500 seated on the chair 300, and a control device 120 that controls the vibration device 110 to cause the vibration device 110 to apply a vibration stimulus to at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stop portion 530.

[0112] This allows vibration stimulation to be applied to at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stop portion 530 of the user 500.

[0113] FIG. 7A is a graph illustrating the effect of the awakening induction system 200 according to the first embodiment. Specifically, FIG. 7A shows the clarity of the illusion reported by the subject when a vibration stimulus was applied to each part of the hamstrings. The clarity of the illusion, which is the vertical axis of the graph shown in FIG. 7A, is a value obtained by the subject's self-reporting the clarity that corresponds to a continuous index axis, with 0 representing no illusion at all and 100 representing a very clear illusion. The vibration stimulus applied to each part had a vibration frequency of 70 Hz and was applied continuously for 10 seconds. The pressure amount indicates how strongly the vibration device 110 presses against the part to which the vibration stimulus is applied. The first pressure amount is 1.8 cm, the second pressure amount is 1.3 cm, and the third pressure amount is 0.8 cm. The vibration device 110 is vibrated while pressed against the body by the above pressure amounts.

[0114] As shown in FIG. 7A , a clearer kinesthetic illusion is generated at the muscle belly 520 and insertion 530 of the hamstrings compared to the origin 510. This indicates that vibration stimulation to the muscle belly 520 and insertion 530 of the hamstrings has a high arousal effect. As described above, the inventors of the present application have discovered that applying vibration stimulation to at least one of the muscle belly 520 and insertion 530 of the user 500 can awaken the user more sufficiently than in the past. In other words, with the awakening induction device 100, applying vibration stimulation to at least one of the muscle belly 520 and insertion 530 of the user 500 can awaken the user more sufficiently than in the past.

[0115] For example, the vibration device 110 is placed on the chair 300 at a position facing the stopper 530. In this case, for example, the control device 120 causes the vibration device 110 to apply a vibration stimulus to the stopper 530.

[0116] This allows vibration stimulation to be applied to the stop portion 530 of the user. As shown in FIG. 7A , the inventors of the present application discovered that applying vibration stimulation to the muscle belly 520 and the stop portion 530 of the user 500, particularly to the stop portion 530, can more effectively awaken the user 500. That is, with this configuration, applying vibration stimulation to the stop portion 530 of the user 500 can more effectively awaken the user 500. Further experiments on this example yielded the results shown in FIG. 7B . FIG. 7B is a graph for explaining in more detail the effect of the awakening induction system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7B shows the results of examining the position at which the vibration stimulation is applied to the user. In FIG. 7B , the horizontal axis represents the distance from the back of the knee when the position at which the vibration stimulation is applied is variously moved in the direction from the back of the knee to the extension direction of the hamstrings. Also, in FIG. 7B , the vertical axis represents the indentation depth when the position at which the vibration stimulation is applied is indented in a direction intersecting the skin surface of the user 500. This indentation depth corresponds to the pressure amount in FIG. 7A . In Figure 7B, the relative value of illusion clarity is shown as a numerical value within the graph. Note that the closer the illusion clarity is to 100, the stronger the arousal effect.

[0117] As shown in Figure 7B, the illusion clarity increases as the distance from the back of the knee to the position where the vibration stimulus is applied decreases in the direction of extension of the hamstrings from the back of the knee. For example, if the vibration stimulus is applied at a position 6 cm or less from the back of the knee to the direction of extension of the hamstrings, a high illusion clarity of 80 to 100 can be obtained. Also, as shown in Figure 7B, the illusion clarity increases as the vibration stimulus is applied at a position with a deeper indentation depth in the direction intersecting the skin surface. For example, if the vibration stimulus is applied at a position with a deeper indentation depth in the direction intersecting the skin surface of 2 cm or more, a high illusion clarity of 80 to 100 can be obtained.

[0118] Moreover, for example, the awakening induction device 100 further includes a footrest 140 on which at least one foot of the user 500 is placed. In this case, the footrest 140 is arranged at a position where at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stopper 530 comes into contact with the chair 300 when the user 500 sits on the chair 300 and places his / her foot on the footrest 140.

[0119] According to this, by arranging the footrest 140 in an appropriate position, when the user 500 places his / her foot on the footrest 140, the user 500 can be placed in a posture that allows appropriate application of vibration stimulation to at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stop portion 530. Therefore, according to this, it is possible to appropriately apply vibration stimulation to at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stop portion 530 of the user 500.

[0120] Moreover, for example, the awakening induction device 100 further includes a reception device 130 that receives an instruction. In this case, the reception device 130 is disposed in the footrest 140. Moreover, for example, the control device 120 performs at least one of starting and stopping control of the vibration device 110 to provide a vibration stimulus based on the instruction received by the reception device 130.

[0121] This prevents the user 500 from being given a vibration stimulus at a timing unintended by the user 500. For example, if the user 500 is driving and the vibration stimulus is given to the user 500 at a timing unintended by the user 500, the user 500 may be startled by the vibration stimulus and may be induced to drive dangerously. Therefore, by allowing the reception device 130 to arbitrarily select the timing at which the user 500 receives the vibration stimulus, the user 500 is prevented from being startled by the vibration stimulus at an unintended timing.

[0122] (Embodiment 2) Next, a description will be given of the configuration of an awakening induction system including an awakening induction device according to embodiment 2. In the description of the awakening induction system according to embodiment 2, differences from the awakening induction system 200 according to embodiment 1 will be mainly described. In the description of the awakening induction system according to embodiment 2, the same components as those in the awakening induction system 200 according to embodiment 1 will be given the same reference numerals, and some of the description may be simplified or omitted.

[0123] [composition] Fig. 8 is a top view showing an awakening induction system 200a according to embodiment 2. Fig. 9 is a diagram for explaining the positional relationship between a vibration device 110a according to embodiment 2 and a user 500. Fig. 10 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the awakening induction system 200a according to embodiment 2. Note that while Fig. 8 shows two vibration devices 110a, Fig. 10 shows one vibration device 110a for the sake of explanation.

[0124] The awakening induction system 200a includes an awakening induction device 100a, a chair 301, a state detection sensor 210, and a determination device 220.

[0125] The awakening induction device 100a is a device that awakens the user 500 by applying a vibration stimulus to at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stop 530 of the hamstrings of the user 500 who is seated in a chair 301. In this embodiment, the chair 301 is a driver's seat arranged in a vehicle such as an automobile. The user 500 is a driver who is seated in the chair 301, which is the driver's seat.

[0126] The shape of chair 301 is not particularly limited as long as it has seat 311 on which user 500 sits. Seat 311 may be made of a material that can be deformed (elastically deformed) by vibration device 110a. Seat 311 may be made of, for example, a cushioned material.

[0127] The awakening induction device 100a includes a vibration device 110a, a control device 120a, a reception device 130, and a footrest 140a. The control device 120a is connected to the vibration device 110a and the reception device 130 by wire or wirelessly so as to be able to transmit and receive signals.

[0128] The vibration device 110 a is a device that applies vibration stimulation to at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stop 530 .

[0129] In this embodiment, vibration device 110a is placed at a position facing only the left foot of both feet of user 500 seated on chair 301. Specifically, vibration device 110a is provided on user's chair 301 at least one of a position facing hamstring belly 520 and a position facing hamstring rest 530 of only the left foot of both feet of user 500 seated on chair 301. In other words, vibration device 110a is placed on chair 301 so as to apply a vibration stimulus to the left foot of user 500 but not to apply a vibration stimulus to the right foot of user 500.

[0130] For example, the vibration device 110a vibrates the hamstring of the left leg of the user 500 who is seated on the chair 301 so that the vibration direction is parallel to a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the hamstring, thereby providing a vibration stimulus to at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stop 530 of the left leg of the user 500.

[0131] Furthermore, in this embodiment, vibration device 110a is placed on chair 301 between seat surface 311 and the floor surface. In this way, vibration device 110a only needs to be provided on chair 301 at at least one of a position facing hamstring belly 520 and a position facing hamstring stop 530 of user 500 seated on chair 301, and may be placed inside chair 301, below chair 301, or above chair 301. Vibration device 110a only needs to be placed in a position where it can apply a vibration stimulus to user 500 from seat surface 311 of chair 302 on which user 500 is seated.

[0132] The control device 120a is a device that controls the vibration device 110a to cause the vibration device 110 to apply a vibration stimulus to at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stop portion 530 of the left leg of the user 500.

[0133] The control device 120a includes, for example, a communication interface for transmitting or receiving signals with the vibration device 110a and the reception device 130, a memory such as a flash memory or HDD in which a control program is stored, and a CPU for executing the control program.

[0134] The footrest 140a is a platform on which at least one foot of the user 500 is placed. In this embodiment, the footrest 140a is placed at a location where the left foot of the user 500 is positioned. Specifically, the footrest 140a is placed at a location where the left foot of the user 500 who is seated on the chair 301 is positioned. In other words, the footrest 140a is placed at a location where the left foot of the user 500 is positioned, but is not placed at a location where the right foot of the user 500 is positioned.

[0135] The footrest 140a is positioned so that at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stopper 530 comes into contact with the seat surface 311 of the chair 301 when the user 500 sits on the chair 301 and places his or her left foot on the footrest 140a.

[0136] The state detection sensor 210 is a sensor for detecting state information indicating the state of the user 500 seated in the chair 301. Specifically, the state detection sensor 210 is a sensor for detecting the level of drowsiness of the user 500. The state detection sensor 210 is, for example, a camera.

[0137] The determination device 220 is a processing device that determines the degree of drowsiness (also referred to as the level of drowsiness) of the user 500 based on the state information detected by the state detection sensor 210. Specifically, the determination device 220 calculates the degree of drowsiness of the user 500. The state detection sensor 210 and the determination device 220 together are an example of a drowsiness estimation unit.

[0138] For example, the state detection sensor 210 detects, as state information, a moving image including the face of the user 500. Furthermore, for example, the determination device 220 determines the drowsiness level of the user 500 from a moving image including the user 500 captured by the state detection sensor 210 communicably connected to the determination device 220.

[0139] The determination device 220 determines the drowsiness level of the user 500, for example, on a five-point scale. For example, when the blinking cycle of the user 500 is stable, the determination device 220 determines the drowsiness level to be low (i.e., the user 500 is not sleepy) and sets the drowsiness level to 1. When the user 500 blinks slowly, with a short blinking cycle and frequent blinking, the determination device 220 determines the drowsiness level to be high (i.e., the user 500 is slightly sleepy), for example, and sets the drowsiness level to 3. In other words, when the blinking cycle of the user 500 is stable, the user 500 is determined to be not sleepy, and when the user 500 blinks slowly and frequently, the determination device 220 is determined to be sleepy. In this way, the determination device 220 detects the drowsiness level of the user 500 by analyzing a moving image including the user 500 acquired from the state detection sensor 210. The degree of drowsiness determined by the determination device 220 may be the degree of drowsiness at the time when the state detection sensor 210 detects the state information, or may be the degree of change in the degree of drowsiness between multiple points in time including the time when the state detection sensor 210 detects the state information (i.e., change over time), or may be the degree of drowsiness after (in the future) the point in time when the state detection sensor 210 detects the state information.

[0140] For example, the level of drowsiness may be classified into six or more stages, or into four or less stages.

[0141] Furthermore, the higher the drowsiness level of the user 500 calculated as a numerical value by the determination device 220, the less drowsy the user may be.

[0142] In the following description, it is assumed that the higher the drowsiness level of the user 500 calculated as a numerical value by the determination device 220, the stronger the drowsiness.

[0143] The determination device 220 includes, for example, a communication interface for acquiring (receiving) information indicating the status of the user 500 from the status detection sensor 210, a memory such as a flash memory or HDD in which a control program is stored, and a CPU for executing the control program.

[0144] The control device 120 and the determination device 220 may be realized by different dedicated circuits or CPUs, or may be realized by a single dedicated circuit or CPU.

[0145] Furthermore, there are no particular limitations on the method for determining the drowsiness level of user 500. For example, state detection sensor 210 may be a sensor that detects the pressure distribution of seat surface 311 on which user 500 is seated. In this case, determination device 220, for example, calculates the amount of change in the center of gravity position of user 500 based on the pressure distribution of seat surface 311 on which user 500 is seated, and determines the drowsiness level of user 500 based on the calculated amount of change.

[0146] In this way, the state detection sensor 210 may not be a camera, but may be a pressure distribution sensor, a motion sensor, a heart rate sensor, a pulse sensor, a breathing sensor, or the like.

[0147] Furthermore, the degree of drowsiness determined by the determination device 220 may be the degree of drowsiness at any point between the past and the present, calculated based on state information accumulated in the past and current state information, or may be the degree of drowsiness at any point in the future.

[0148] [Processing Procedure] Next, a processing procedure of the awakening induction system 200a according to the second embodiment will be described.

[0149] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the process executed by the awakening induction system 200a according to the second embodiment.

[0150] First, the determination device 220 acquires information indicating the state of the user 500 from the state detection sensor 210 (step S201). If the state detection sensor 210 is a camera, the determination device 220 acquires, for example, a video image of the user 500 from the state detection sensor 210 as information indicating the state of the user 500.

[0151] Next, it is assumed that the reception device 130 receives an instruction from the user 500 (step S202). For example, if the reception device 130 is a push button, it is assumed that the user 500 presses the push button.

[0152] The status detection sensor 210 may continue to transmit information indicating the status of the user 500 to the determination device 220 at any timing. Alternatively, the status detection sensor 210 may transmit information indicating the status of the user 500 to the determination device 220, for example, when it receives a signal requesting information indicating the status of the user 500 from the determination device 220. The determination device 220 may transmit a signal requesting information indicating the status of the user 500 to the status detection sensor 210 when the reception device 130 receives an instruction from the user 500. The determination device 220 may receive information indicating that the reception device 130 has received an instruction from the user 500 from the control device 120a or from the reception device 130. In other words, step S201 may be executed after step S202.

[0153] Next, the control device 120a determines whether the reception device 130 has received an instruction to stop driving the vibration device 110a from the user 500 (step S203).

[0154] When the control device 120a determines that the reception device 130 has received an instruction from the user 500 to stop driving the vibration device 110 (Yes in step S203), if the vibration device 110a is being driven, the control device 120a stops driving the vibration device 110a and terminates the processing, and if the vibration device 110a is not being driven, the control device 120a terminates the processing as is.

[0155] On the other hand, if the control device 120 determines that the reception device 130 has not received an instruction from the user 500 to stop driving the vibration device 110 (No in step S203), the determination device 220 determines the degree of drowsiness of the user 500 based on the status information indicating the status of the user 500 obtained from the status detection sensor 210 (step S204).

[0156] Next, the determination device 220 determines whether the drowsiness level of the user 500 determined in step S204 exceeds a predetermined drowsiness level (step S205). The predetermined drowsiness level may be any level that is determined in advance, and is not particularly limited.

[0157] If the determination device 220 determines that the drowsiness level of the user 500 does not exceed the predetermined drowsiness level, that is, that the drowsiness state of the user is closer to an awake state than the threshold state (No in step S205), the control device 120a returns the processing to step S203.

[0158] On the other hand, when the determination device 220 determines that the drowsiness level of the user 500 exceeds the predetermined drowsiness level, that is, that the user's drowsiness state is closer to the sleep state than the threshold state (Yes in step S205), the control device 120a determines a stimulation pattern (stimulation conditions) of vibration stimulation to be given to the user 500 (step S206). The stimulation pattern includes, for example, a vibration period (i.e., the length of the stimulation period), a vibration frequency, an amplitude (i.e., the intensity of the stimulation), and a stimulation position. The stimulation pattern may also include whether or not a shifted period is included in the multiple periods repeated as the stimulation pattern. When a shifted period is not included, the speaker device 410 and the vibration device 110 are controlled to provide only a synchronous period. This is preferably selected when the user's drowsiness state is closer to the wakeful state than the threshold state. On the other hand, when a shifted period is included, the speaker device 410 and the vibration device 110 are controlled to include both the synchronous period and the shifted period. This is preferably selected when the user's drowsiness state is closer to the sleep state than the threshold state. Furthermore, when a shift period is included, that is, when a shift is generated, the stimulation pattern may include the frequency of the shift period relative to the synchronization period (one shift period for every two synchronization periods, one shift period for every three synchronization periods, etc.). The awakening induction device 100a includes an operation unit (not shown) such as a keyboard or touch panel operated by the user 500. The control device 120a acquires information indicating a vibration pattern from the user 500 via the operation unit, and determines the vibration pattern based on the acquired information. Alternatively, the control device 120a may determine the vibration pattern based on the drowsiness level of the user 500.

[0159] Next, control device 120a controls vibration device 110a to vibrate with the vibration pattern determined in step S206 (step S207). As a result, control device 120a controls vibration device 110a to cause vibration device 110 to apply a vibration stimulus to at least one of muscle belly 520 and stop portion 530 of the left leg of user 500. Although not shown here, after step S207, processes similar to steps S104 and S105 in the first embodiment are performed.

[0160] Note that in step S205, the control device 120a determines whether the drowsiness level of the user 500 has exceeded a predetermined drowsiness level. In step S205, the control device 120a may determine whether the drowsiness level of the user 500 has reached or exceeded the predetermined drowsiness level. For example, if the drowsiness level is expressed as a numerical value and the higher the numerical value, the more drowsy the user 500 is, the drowsiness level of the user 500 "exceeding the predetermined drowsiness level" means that the numerical value of the drowsiness level of the user 500 is higher than the predetermined drowsiness level, which is a predetermined numerical value, or that the numerical value of the drowsiness level of the user 500 is equal to or greater than the predetermined drowsiness level.

[0161] The music deviation control unit 700 described in the above-described embodiment 1 can also be incorporated into the awakening induction device 100a according to embodiment 2. In particular, when the music deviation control unit 700 is incorporated into the awakening induction device 100a according to embodiment 2, the music deviation control unit 700 can use the drowsiness state of the user 500 to determine the length of the deviation.

[0162] Specifically, when the user's drowsiness state is closer to an awake state than the threshold state, it can be said that the wake-inducing effect of the delay on user 500 is not so necessary, and therefore the delay length determination unit 704 can determine the length of the delay by further changing the length of the delay determined in the above embodiment in a direction that reduces the perceived amount of the delay. On the other hand, when the user's drowsiness state is closer to a sleep state than the threshold state, it can be said that the wake-inducing effect of the delay on user 500 is necessary, and therefore the delay length determination unit 704 can determine the length of the delay by further changing the length of the delay determined in the above embodiment in a direction that increases the perceived amount of the delay.

[0163] [Other effects] As described above, the awakening induction device 100a according to the second embodiment includes a vibration device 110a arranged on the chair 301 at a position facing at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stop portion 530 of the hamstrings of the user 500 seated on the chair 301, and a control device 120a that controls the vibration device 110a to cause the vibration device 110a to apply a vibration stimulus to at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stop portion 530. The awakening induction device 100a also includes a footrest 140a on which at least one of the user 500 places a foot. In this case, the footrest 140a is arranged at a position where at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stop portion 530 comes into contact with the chair 301 when the user 500 sits on the chair 301 and places a foot on the footrest 140a. In the awakening induction device 100a, the chair 301 is a driver's seat of a vehicle. In this case, the footrest 140a is placed at a position where the left foot of the user 500 seated on the chair 301 would be positioned.

[0164] Furthermore, for example, when chair 301 is a driver's seat of a vehicle, vibration device 110a is placed at a position facing only the left foot of user 500 who is seated on chair 301.

[0165] If the user 500 is surprised by the vibration stimulation while driving or if the vibration stimulation is an unpleasant stimulation that the user 500 does not want, the user 500 may unintentionally move the foot that has received the vibration stimulation. Furthermore, driving actions performed with the feet, such as accelerating and braking, are often performed using the right foot. Therefore, by providing the vibration stimulation to the left foot, even if the user 500 unintentionally moves the foot that has received the vibration stimulation, the user 500's driving is prevented from being hindered. Furthermore, by arranging the footrest 140a at the position where the left foot is placed, when the user 500 places the left foot at that position, the user 500 can be positioned in a position that allows the vibration stimulation to be appropriately applied to at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stop portion 530 of the left foot.

[0166] Moreover, the awakening induction system 200a according to the second embodiment includes the awakening induction device 100a, a chair 301, a state detection sensor 210 that detects state information indicating a state of a user 500 seated on the chair 301, and a determination device 220 that determines a drowsiness level of the user 500 based on the state information detected by the state detection sensor 210. In this case, the control device 120a controls the vibration device 110a, for example, based on the determination result of the determination device 220.

[0167] According to this, when it is necessary to wake up the user 500, based on the degree of drowsiness of the user 500, a vibration stimulus can be appropriately applied to at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stop portion 530 of the user 500 to wake up the user 500.

[0168] (Embodiment 3) Next, an awakening induction system including an awakening induction device according to embodiment 3 will be described. Note that in the description of the awakening induction system according to embodiment 3, differences from the awakening induction system 200 according to embodiment 1 or the awakening induction system 200a according to embodiment 2 will be mainly described. Furthermore, in the description of the awakening induction system according to embodiment 3, the same components as those in the awakening induction system 200 according to embodiment 1 or the awakening induction system 200a according to embodiment 2 will be assigned the same reference numerals, and some of the description may be simplified or omitted.

[0169] [composition] Fig. 12 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of awakening induction system 200b according to embodiment 3. Fig. 13 is a diagram for explaining the position of vibration stimulation provided to user 500 by vibration device 110b according to embodiment 3. Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an example of pressure distribution on seat 312 of chair 302. Note that Fig. 13 schematically shows the inside of cushion 117 for the sake of explanation. Furthermore, Fig. 14 shows four vibration devices 110b, while Fig. 12 shows one vibration device 110b for the sake of explanation. Furthermore, in Fig. 14, areas where pressure is relatively high are shown in dark black, and areas where pressure is relatively high are shown in light black.

[0170] The awakening induction system 200b includes a chair 302, a cushion 117, a sensor seat 600, and an awakening induction device 100b.

[0171] Awakening induction device 100b is a device that awakens user 500 by applying a vibration stimulus to at least one of muscle belly 520 and rest 530 of the hamstrings of user 500 who is seated on chair 302. In this embodiment, cushion 117 is arranged on seat surface 312 of chair 302.

[0172] Cushion 117 is a cushion or a sheet that covers seat 312 and is placed on seat 312 of chair 302. In this embodiment, vibration device 110b is placed inside cushion 117. User 500 sits on chair 302 via cushion 117. Specifically, user 500 sits on seat surface 117a of cushion 117 that is placed on seat 312 of chair 302. As described above, vibration device 110b only needs to be provided on chair 302 at at least one of a position facing hamstring belly 520 and a position facing hamstring stop 530 of user 500 seated on chair 302, and may be placed inside chair 302, below chair 302, or above chair 302. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the vibration device 110b may be positioned in a position where it can provide vibration stimulation to the user 500 from the seat 312 of the chair 302 on which the user 500 is sitting (in this embodiment, the seat 117a of the cushion 117 placed on the seat 312 of the chair 302).

[0173] For example, in order to provide cushioning properties, a portion of the urethane sponge or the like included in cushion 117 may be thinned to form a recess, and vibration device 110b may be placed in the recess. This prevents user 500 from feeling uncomfortable due to the thickness of vibration device 110b.

[0174] Furthermore, for example, the eccentric motor 111 (see FIG. 5) provided in the vibration device 110b is electrically connected to a power source (not shown), such as a battery, by a power cord 118 or the like, and is driven by receiving power from the power source.

[0175] In addition, in order not to interfere with the user 500's seating, the power cord 118 may extend behind the user 500 (i.e., toward the back of the chair 302) or to the side (e.g., in the direction where the armrests, etc., of the chair 302 are located).

[0176] The sensor sheet 600 is a sensor for measuring the distribution of pressure applied to the seat surface 312 of the chair 302 by the user 500 seated on the chair 302. The sensor sheet 600 is placed, for example, on the surface of the chair 302 opposite the seat surface 312. The control device 120b acquires pressure distribution information, which is information indicating the pressure distribution on the seat surface 312, from the sensor sheet 600.

[0177] The sensor sheet 600 acquires pressure distribution information that indicates, for example, a pressure distribution such as that shown in FIG. 14. For example, on the seat surface 312, the buttocks of the user 500 are located at the position where the pressure is highest. Furthermore, from the position where the pressure is highest, the pressure gradually decreases over a relatively long distance in one direction (the Y-axis direction in this embodiment) compared to other directions. The hamstrings extend in that one direction from the position where the pressure is highest. Therefore, the control device 120 can estimate the position of the hamstrings of the user 500 based on the pressure distribution information, and can therefore estimate the positions of the origin 510, muscle belly 520, and insertion 530.

[0178] The sensor sheet 600 only needs to be able to measure the pressure distribution, and may detect pressure based on a change in resistance value or a change in capacitance.

[0179] The awakening induction device 100b includes a vibration device 110b, a control device 120b, a reception device 130, and a footrest 140b. The control device 120b is connected to the vibration device 110b and the reception device 130 via wire or wirelessly so as to be able to transmit or receive signals.

[0180] The vibration device 110b is a device that applies vibration stimulation to at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stop 530.

[0181] In this embodiment, vibration device 110b is disposed inside cushion 117 so as to apply vibration stimulation to seat surface 117a of cushion 117. Vibration device 110b is disposed on cushion 117 so as to be able to vibrate inside cushion 117 and to be fixed in position. Vibration device 110b is also provided on user's chair 301 at least one of positions facing hamstring belly 520 and positions facing hamstring rest 530 of both legs of user 500 seated on chair 301.

[0182] The vibration device 110b vibrates the hamstrings of the user 500 who is seated on the chair 302 via the cushion 117, for example, so that the vibration direction is parallel to a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the hamstrings, thereby providing a vibration stimulus to at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stop portion 530 of the user 500.

[0183] The control device 120b is a device that drives and controls the vibration device 110b, causing the vibration device 110b to apply vibration stimulation to at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stopping portion 530 of the user 500 from the seat surface 117a of the cushion 117 placed on the seat surface 312 of the chair 302.

[0184] The control device 120b includes, for example, a vibration device 110b, a reception device 130, and a communication interface for transmitting or receiving signals with the sensor sheet 600, a memory such as a flash memory or HDD in which a control program is stored, and a CPU for executing the control program.

[0185] Footrest 140b is a platform on which at least one foot of user 500 is placed. In this embodiment, footrest 140b is placed at a location where the left foot of user 500 is positioned. Specifically, the portion of footrest 140b on which the foot of user 500 is placed is inclined. In this way, the shape of footrest 140b is not particularly limited.

[0186] [Processing Procedure] Next, a processing procedure of the awakening induction system 200b according to the third embodiment will be described.

[0187] FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating the process executed by the awakening induction system 200b according to the third embodiment.

[0188] First, it is assumed that the reception device 130 receives an instruction to start driving the vibration device 110b from the user 500 (step S301). For example, if the reception device 130 is a push button, it is assumed that the user 500 presses the push button.

[0189] Next, the control device 120b acquires pressure distribution information from, for example, the sensor sheet 600 (step S302).

[0190] Next, the control device 120b determines a stimulation pattern of the vibration stimulation to be applied to the user 500 (step S303). Determining the stimulation pattern includes, for example, selecting a vibration device 110b as a position at which the vibration stimulation is to be applied to the user 500. For example, the control device 120b selects a vibration device 110b to vibrate from the plurality of vibration devices 110b based on the pressure distribution information acquired from the sensor sheet 600 in step S302. For example, the awakening induction device 100b includes a plurality of vibration devices 110b arranged at different positions. Based on the pressure distribution information acquired from the sensor sheet 600 in step S302, the control device 120b selects a vibration device 110b arranged at a position where the vibration stimulation can be applied to at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stop portion 530 (for example, a position facing at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stop portion 530). Information indicating the position of the vibration device 110b may be stored in advance in a memory included in the control device 120b.

[0191] Next, the control device 120b controls the vibration device 110b to vibrate in the vibration pattern determined in step S303 (step S304). As a result, the control device 120b controls the vibration device 110b to apply a vibration stimulus to at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stop portion 530. Although not shown here, after step S304, the same processes as steps S104 and S105 in the first embodiment are performed.

[0192] Next, the control device 120b determines whether the reception device 130 has received an instruction to stop driving the vibration device 110b from the user 500 (step S305).

[0193] When the control device 120b determines that the reception device 130 has received an instruction from the user 500 to stop driving the vibration device 110b (Yes in step S305), the control device 120b stops driving the vibration device 110b and ends the process.

[0194] On the other hand, when the control device 120b determines that the reception device 130 has not received an instruction to stop driving the vibration device 110b from the user 500 (No in step S305), the control device 120b returns the process to step S304.

[0195] As described above, for example, the control device 120b selects and drives the vibration device 110b from among the plurality of vibration devices 110b that can provide vibration stimulation to at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stop portion 530 of the user 500, based on the pressure distribution information acquired from the sensor sheet 600. For example, the awakening induction device may include a movement unit for moving the position of the vibration device 110b. The movement unit may include, for example, a motor and a guide for moving the vibration device 110b. In this case, the control device may move the vibration device 110b based on the pressure distribution information acquired from the sensor sheet 600 and then drive (vibrate) the vibration device 110b. In this way, the awakening induction device can move the vibration device 110b to an appropriate position to provide vibration stimulation to at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stop portion 530 of the user 500. Furthermore, when the user 500 does not change his / her seated position, the position at which the vibration device 110b applies the vibration stimulus to the user 500 is determined by the relative positional relationship between the seat 312 (seat 117a in this embodiment) and the vibration device 110b. Therefore, for example, the awakening induction device 100b may include a moving unit such as a motor that can change the position of the seat 312 (or seat 117a) relative to the vibration device 110b. The control device 120b may change the position of the seat 312 (or seat 117a) by controlling the moving unit based on the pressure distribution information, thereby changing the position at which the vibration stimulus is applied to the user 500.

[0196] The awakening induction device 100b may also include a presentation unit having a display that displays images or an audio device such as an amplifier and speaker that outputs sound. The control device 120b may determine whether the position at which the vibration stimulus is applied to the user 500 is appropriate based on the pressure distribution information, and may control the presentation unit based on the determination result to prompt the user 500 to sit in an appropriate position. For example, if the presentation unit is an audio device, the control device 120b may prompt the user 500 to sit in an appropriate position by causing the audio device to output a voice such as "Please sit a little deeper." Alternatively, if the presentation unit is a display, the control device 120b may prompt the user 500 to sit in an appropriate position by displaying an image of an appropriate posture on the display.

[0197] The music deviation control unit 700 described in the first embodiment above can also be incorporated into the awakening induction device 100b according to the third embodiment.

[0198] (Variation) [Modification 1 of the vibration device] As described above, the vibration device 110 includes the eccentric motor 111, but the configuration that the vibration device includes to generate vibration is not limited to the eccentric motor 111.

[0199] Fig. 16 is a diagram showing a first modified example of the vibration device. Specifically, Fig. 16(a) is a side view showing the first modified example of the vibration device, and Fig. 16(b) is a top view showing the first modified example of the vibration device. Note that Fig. 16(a) shows a partial cross section for the purpose of explanation.

[0200] A vibration device 110c shown in FIG. 16 has a rotary motor 112 with a cam mechanism instead of an eccentric motor 111.

[0201] The rotary motor 112 with a cam mechanism includes a motor 112a, a cam 112b, and a contact 112c.

[0202] The motor 112a receives power supply and rotates the cam 112b.

[0203] The cam 112b is a non-circular structure and is disposed in contact with the contact 112c.

[0204] The contactor 112c is a pin that moves up and down by the cam 112b. The vibration device 110a applies a vibration stimulus to the user 500 seated on the seat surface 310 by means of the contactor 112c.

[0205] Fig. 17 is a diagram showing a second modified example of the vibration device. Specifically, Fig. 17(a) is a side view showing the second modified example of the vibration device, and Fig. 17(b) is a top view showing the second modified example of the vibration device. Note that Fig. 17(a) shows a partial cross section for the purpose of explanation.

[0206] The vibration device 110d shown in FIG.

[0207] When power is supplied to the voice coil motor 113, the voice coil motor 113 generates a magnetic field to vibrate the mover 113a up and down. The vibration device 110b applies a vibration stimulus to the user 500 seated on the seat surface 310 by the mover 113a.

[0208] As described above, for example, the vibration device has eccentric motor 111, rotary motor with cam mechanism 112, or voice coil motor 113. Furthermore, for example, the vibration device is placed on chair 300 so that the vibration direction is vertical.

[0209] The vibration device includes the eccentric motor 111, the rotary motor 112 with a cam mechanism, or the voice coil motor 113, which allows the vibration device to vibrate in only one direction with a simple configuration. Therefore, by simply appropriately positioning the vibration device, the vibration device can be easily vibrated in the vertical direction. A vertically downward force is constantly acting on the body of the user 500 seated in the chair 301 due to gravity. When a vertical vibration stimulus is applied to the user 500, the gravity acting on the user's body and the vibration direction are the same, so that the vibration stimulus can be efficiently applied to at least one of the muscle belly 520 and the stopper 530 of the user 500 while always in contact with the user 500 with appropriate pressure. Therefore, by the vibration device including the eccentric motor 111, the rotary motor 112 with a cam mechanism, or the voice coil motor 113, and the vibration direction of the vibration device being vertical, the control device 120 can vibrate the vibration device in the vertical direction with a simple configuration, thereby more effectively causing the vibration device to apply the vibration stimulus to the user 500.

[0210] [Modification 2 of the vibration device] In the above description, a motor is used as a vibration device to provide vibration stimulation. However, the vibration device does not have to be a motor. For example, a vibration speaker may be used as the vibration device. A vibration speaker is a speaker used to enhance the sense of realism when playing music, and is sometimes called an exciter. A vibration speaker is used to enhance the sense of realism in the low-frequency range by generating vibrations. The input to the vibration speaker can be the same signal as the input to the speaker device 410. In other words, the input to the vibration device and the speaker device 410 can be shared, thereby simplifying the configuration of the awakening induction device. To generate a delay between the start timing of vibration by the vibration speaker and the start timing of music playback by the speaker device 410, a delay circuit can be provided in either the input circuit to the vibration speaker or the input circuit to the speaker device 410. Then, by switching between passing through or bypassing the delay circuit, it is possible to switch whether or not to generate a delay.

[0211] In this case, unlike a periodic pattern that includes a combination of one offset period and one or more synchronized periods in a predetermined order, the offset occurs and does not occur repeatedly, but the offset is always occurring during the period that the signal is passed through the delay circuit. However, since the offset itself creates a high sense of novelty (uncomfortableness), it is difficult for the user 500 to become accustomed to the offset, and even in this case, a high awakening induction effect can be expected.

[0212] [Modification of the arrangement of the vibration device] Fig. 18 is a diagram showing a modified example of the arrangement of the vibration devices 110a. The awakening induction system 200c shown in Fig. 18 is, for example, a modified example of the awakening induction system 200a shown in Fig. 8, and differs from the awakening induction system 200a in the number of vibration devices 110a.

[0213] 18 is provided in an awakening induction device 100c, and each of the four vibration devices 110a is arranged to face at least one of a muscle belly 520 and a stopper 530 of the left leg of the user 500. Here, for example, the four vibration devices 110a are arranged on the chair 301 so that their positions in the front-to-back or left-to-right directions are different from each other when viewed from the user 500 seated on the chair 301.

[0214] For example, the vibration device 110a applies vibration stimulation only to the left foot that is not used for driving (i.e., that does not operate the accelerator or brake). Here, the vibration device 110a may be used for purposes other than waking up the user 500. For example, the vibration device 110a may be used as an attention function that is a function for calling the attention of the user 500 in order to assist the driving of the user 500. Alternatively, the vibration device 110a may be used as an alert function that is a function for issuing a warning of an imminent danger or the like in order to assist the driving of the user 500.

[0215] The attention function is a function that, for example, works in conjunction with a car navigation system (not shown) to present the direction in which user 500, who is the driver, should proceed as a vibration stimulus. For example, two vibration devices 110a are arranged, one on the left and one on the right of rest 530 of the hamstrings of the left foot. For example, when the control device 120c, as a car navigation system, notifies user 500 that he or she should turn right at the next intersection, it activates vibration device 110a located on the right of rest 530 of the hamstrings of the left foot before entering the intersection. This allows user 500 to recognize the tactile sensation that he or she will turn right at the next intersection.

[0216] Alternatively, the control device 120c can alternately vibrate the two vibration devices 110a arranged on the left and right sides with a time lag, or can simultaneously vibrate the two vibration devices 110a arranged on the left and right sides, thereby providing a warning rather than providing the direction of travel. For example, the awakening induction system 200c may include a camera (not shown) for capturing images of the surroundings of the vehicle driven by the user 500. The control device 120a may, for example, acquire images from the camera and analyze the images to determine whether there are any obstacles around the vehicle, and based on the determination result, activate the vibration device 110a to provide a warning.

[0217] As described above, the awakening induction device 100c includes the vibration device 110a, which is provided on the seat 311 of the chair 301 at a position facing the buttocks and thighs of the user 500 when the user 500, who is the driver, sits in the chair 301 arranged in the vehicle, and which applies a vibration stimulus to at least one of the buttocks and thighs of the user 500, and the control device 120a which drives and controls the vibration device 110a. The vibration device 110a is provided on the left foot side of the user 500. The control device 120a, for example, controls the vibration device 110a to present at least one of a traveling direction and a warning to the user 500.

[0218] According to this, the control device 120a can provide at least one of a direction of travel and a warning to the user 500 by controlling the vibration device 110a without interfering with the driving of the user 500.

[0219] (Other embodiments) While the awakening induction device and awakening induction system according to the present disclosure have been described above based on the embodiments and modifications, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments and modifications. For example, the present disclosure also includes forms obtained by applying various modifications to the embodiments and modifications that would occur to a person skilled in the art, and forms realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions of the embodiments within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0220] For example, in the above embodiment, the awakening induction system includes a state detection sensor, a determination device, etc., but the awakening induction device may include a state detection sensor, a determination device, etc. As such, the components included in the above-described awakening induction device and awakening induction system are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0221] Furthermore, for example, components of a processing unit such as a control device or a determination device may be configured with one or more electronic circuits. Each of the one or more electronic circuits may be a general-purpose circuit or a dedicated circuit. The one or more electronic circuits may include, for example, a semiconductor device, an IC (Integrated Circuit), or an LSI (Large Scale Integration). An IC or an LSI may be integrated on one chip or on multiple chips. Here, the term IC or LSI is used, but the term may be changed depending on the degree of integration, such as a system LSI or a VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration). This may be called LSI (Large Scale Integration) or ULSI (Ultra Large Scale Integration). Also, FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), which are programmed after the LSI is manufactured, can be used for the same purpose.

[0222] Furthermore, the general or specific aspects of the present disclosure may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, or a computer program. Alternatively, the general or specific aspects may be realized as a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium such as an optical disk, a HDD, or a semiconductor memory on which the computer program is stored. Alternatively, the general or specific aspects of the present disclosure may be realized as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium. [Industrial Applicability]

[0223] The present disclosure is used, for example, in a device for waking up a user seated in a chair, such as a driver operating a mobile vehicle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0224] 100, 100a, 100b, 100c, 100m Awakening Induction Device 110, 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d Vibration device (vibration part) 111 Eccentric motor 112 Rotary motor with cam mechanism 112a motor 112b Cam 112c contact 113 Voice coil motor 113a Mover 114 Case 115 Convex part 116 Leaf spring 117 Cushion 117a, 310, 311, 312 seats 118 Power Cord 120, 120a, 120b, 120c control device (vibration control unit) 130 Reception device 140, 140a, 140b Footrest 141 Marker section 200, 200a, 200b, 200c, 200m Awakening Induction System 210 Status detection sensor 220 Judgment device 300, 301, 302 chairs 410 Speaker device (speaker part) 420 Speaker control device (speaker control unit) 500 users 510 Origin 520 muscle abdomen 530 Stop part 600 sensor sheet 700 Music delay control unit 701 Song Database 702 Music Decision Department 703 Music speed acquisition unit 704 Deviation length determination unit 705 Output Section

Claims

1. 1. An awakening induction device that provides a first stimulus by playing music to a user and a second stimulus different from the first stimulus to encourage awakening of the user, a music speed acquisition unit that acquires a speed of the music played in response to the first stimulus; a delay length determination unit that determines a delay length between a start timing of the first stimulus and a start timing of the second stimulus based on the acquired speed of the music; an output unit that outputs the determined length of the delay so that the first stimulus and the second stimulus are given with a start timing that is delayed by the determined length of the delay. Awakening induction device.

2. The type of the second stimulus is vibration. The wake-up induction device according to claim 1 .

3. The speed of the piece of music is the tempo, expressed in beats per minute The wake-up induction device according to claim 1 .

4. The determined length of the deviation is equal to or greater than 40 ms and equal to or less than 2 seconds. The wake-up induction device according to claim 1 .

5. The deviation length determining unit increases the deviation length as the speed of the acquired music piece increases. The wake-up induction device according to claim 1 .

6. The delay length determining unit shortens the delay length as the speed of the acquired music piece becomes slower. The wake-up induction device according to claim 1 .

7. The music speed acquisition unit estimates and acquires the speed of the music by analyzing the music played during the first stimulation. The wake-up induction device according to claim 1 .

8. The music speed acquisition unit acquires a meta tag including the music speed along with the music played in response to the first stimulus, and acquires the music speed included in the meta tag. The wake-up induction device according to claim 1 .

9. a drowsiness estimation unit that estimates a drowsiness state of the user; The deviation length determination unit further changes the determined deviation length depending on whether the estimated drowsiness state of the user is closer to an awake state or closer to a sleeping state than a threshold state. The awakening induction device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. 1. An awakening induction method executed by a computer, which provides a user with a first stimulus by playing music and a second stimulus different from the first stimulus, thereby waking the user up, obtaining a speed of a piece of music played in the first stimulus; determining a delay between a start timing of the first stimulus and a start timing of the second stimulus based on the acquired speed of the music piece; and outputting the determined length of the delay so that the first stimulus and the second stimulus are given with a start timing delayed by the determined length of the delay. Awakening induction method.

11. A method for causing the computer to execute the awakening induction method according to claim 10. program.

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