Agent information output method and agent management device

Abstract

To provide an agent information output method and an agent management device that enable a user to recognize an agent as if it exists in the same space even when the personified agent's figure is hidden from the user's view. [Solution] An agent information output method and agent management device 50A manages information relating to an agent 30 appearing in and out of the user's field of view, and includes a detection unit 524 and a sound output control unit 527. The detection unit 524 detects the direction of an object of attention that the user should pay attention to. When the agent 30 is hidden from the user's field of view, the sound output control unit 527 outputs an agent sound relating to information to be notified to the user from a sound image position adjacent to the agent 30 or a sound image position in the direction of the object of attention that the user should pay attention to.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an agent information output method and an agent management device. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a system in which an agent, a personified character, communicates with a user through dialogue and provides the information the user needs. In this system, when the agent converses with the user, the agent appears in the same space as the user and outputs information.

[0003] The information provided by an agent that the user can recognize as existing in the same space is highly reliable, so by outputting the information as described above, the user can easily obtain the desired information with a high degree of reliability through dialogue, without having to perform complicated operations. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-64053 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] An agent system for vehicles has been developed that incorporates the functions of the above system into the vehicle's navigation system and provides driving-related information to the driver from an agent. By using this system, the driver can recognize driving-related information from the speech of the agent in the same space.

[0006] However, if the agent appears in the driver's field of vision every time it speaks, there is a problem that the driver's concentration on driving may be disturbed.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide an agent information output method and an agent management device that enable a user to perceive an agent as if it were present in the same space, even when the personified agent's figure is hidden from the user's view. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A method for outputting agent information according to one aspect of the present invention is a method for outputting agent information by an agent system that has a function of presenting information to a user and manages information about a personified agent that appears and disappears from the user's field of view. In this agent information output method, when the agent's figure is hidden from the user's field of view, an agent sound relating to information to be notified to the user is output from a sound image position adjacent to the agent or from a sound image position in the direction of an object of attention that the user should pay attention to. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, even when the personified agent is hidden from the user's view, the user can be made to perceive the agent as if it were present in the same space. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an agent system that uses an agent management device according to the first to third embodiments. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the ranges within which agents according to the first to third embodiments move. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the agent sound output process executed by the agent management device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4A]FIG. 4A is an explanatory diagram showing the sound image position when the movable agent according to the first embodiment is hidden from the user's field of view and the attention direction is to the left. [Figure 4B] FIG. 4B is an explanatory diagram showing the sound image position when the mobile agent according to the first embodiment is hidden from the user's field of view and the attention direction is forward. [Figure 4C] FIG. 4C is an explanatory diagram showing the sound image position when the movable agent according to the first embodiment is hidden from the user's field of view and the attention direction is to the right. [Figure 5A] FIG. 5A is an explanatory diagram showing the sound image position when the agent according to the first embodiment is unable to move and is hidden from the user's field of view, and the attention direction is to the left. [Figure 5B] FIG. 5B is an explanatory diagram showing the sound image position when the agent according to the first embodiment is immobile and hidden from the user's field of view, and the attention direction is in the forward direction. [Figure 5C] FIG. 5C is an explanatory diagram showing the sound image position when the agent according to the first embodiment is unable to move and is hidden from the user's field of view, and the attention direction is to the right. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an agent control process executed by the agent management device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which an agent according to the second embodiment appears from a state in which the agent is hidden from the user's field of view and makes a speech. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an agent sound output process executed by the agent management device according to the third embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the agent according to the third embodiment is hidden from the user's field of view and outputs a sound while the sound image position is shifting. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] An agent system and an agent information output method using an agent management device according to the first to third embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. The agent system according to the present embodiment is a system mounted on a vehicle driven by a user. Note that common parts in each drawing are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0012] First Embodiment <Configuration of the agent system according to the first embodiment> 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an agent system 1A according to a first embodiment. The agent system 1A is a system that manages information about an agent 30 that appears and disappears from the user's field of vision, and includes a user information collection device 10, an environmental information collection device 20, the agent 30, a vehicle speaker device 40, and an agent management device 50A.

[0013] The user information collection device 10 collects information about the user's situation. The user information collection device 10 is, for example, an in-vehicle device that collects information about the user's driving behavior, a camera device that collects information about the user's behavior by photographing the user inside the vehicle, or a microphone device that collects information indicating the user's intentions by capturing the voice generated by the user inside the vehicle.

[0014] The environmental information collection device 20 is a device that collects environmental information around the vehicle, and is configured, for example, with a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging), a RADAR (Radio Detection And Ranging), or a camera device. The environmental information collection device 20 collects information about objects and people around the vehicle as environmental information around the vehicle.

[0015] The agent 30 is an anthropomorphic agent that is configured, for example, as an autonomously traveling robot device and communicates with the user. The agent 30 has an operating mechanism 31 and an agent speaker device 32. As shown in FIG. 2 , the agent 30 moves while hiding in a space Da inside the dashboard D of the vehicle, which is an area out of the user's field of view, or moves while appearing in a space Db above the dashboard D, which is an area within the user's field of view.

[0016] The vehicle speaker device 40 is installed adjacent to the dashboard D of the vehicle. The vehicle speaker device 40 is configured, for example, with a directional speaker, and outputs sound by appropriately moving the sound image localization position that the user recognizes as the sound source.

[0017] The agent management device 50A has a storage unit 51 and a CPU 52A. The storage unit 51 has a user information storage unit 511, an environmental information storage unit 512, and an agent information storage unit 513. The user information storage unit 511 stores information about the user's situation acquired by the CPU 52A as described below. The environmental information storage unit 512 stores environmental information about the surroundings of the vehicle acquired by the CPU 52A as described below. The agent information storage unit 513 stores information about the agent 30 acquired by the CPU 52A as described below.

[0018] The CPU 52A is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) provided in a general-purpose microcomputer, and configures one or more of the following information processing units by installing and executing a predetermined agent management program.

[0019] The CPU 52A has a user information acquisition unit 521, an environment information acquisition unit 522, an agent information acquisition unit 523, a detection unit 524, an agent control unit 525, a sound image position identification unit 526A, and a sound output control unit 527.

[0020] The user information acquisition unit 521 acquires information about the user's situation collected by the user information collection device 10, and stores it in the user information storage unit 511. The environmental information acquisition unit 522 acquires environmental information about the surroundings of the vehicle collected by the environmental information collection device 20, and stores it in the environmental information storage unit 512. The agent information acquisition unit 523 acquires position information and operation information of the agent 30.

[0021] The detection unit 524 detects an object to which the user should pay attention (hereinafter referred to as an "attention object") based on the information stored in the environmental information storage unit 512. When the detection unit 524 detects an attention object, it identifies the type of this attention object (hereinafter referred to as an "object type"), for example, a "pedestrian" or a "vehicle." Furthermore, when the detection unit 524 detects an attention object, it identifies the direction in which this attention object is located (hereinafter referred to as an "attention direction"). This "attention direction" is, for example, the direction from the vehicle toward the attention object.

[0022] The agent control unit 525 issues instructions to the agent 30 regarding actions and sound output.

[0023] If the sound image position specifying unit 526A determines that the agent 30 is hidden from the user's view when the time to output the agent sound arrives, it specifies the position of a sound image adjacent to the agent 30. The sound output control unit 527 causes the vehicle speaker device 40 to output a predetermined agent sound so that the user recognizes the sound image position specified by the sound image position specifying unit 526A as the sound source.

[0024] <Operation of the agent system according to the first embodiment> While the agent system 1A is operating, the user information collecting device 10 collects information about the user's situation at predetermined time intervals and sequentially transmits the information to the agent management device 50A. The user information acquiring unit 521 of the agent management device 50A sequentially stores the information about the user's situation acquired from the user information collecting device 10 in the user information storage unit 511.

[0025] Furthermore, while the agent system 1A is operating, the environmental information collecting device 20 collects environmental information about the environment around the vehicle at predetermined time intervals and sequentially transmits the collected information to the agent management device 50A. The environmental information acquiring unit 522 of the agent management device 50A sequentially stores the environmental information about the environment around the vehicle acquired from the environmental information collecting device 20 in the environmental information storage unit 512.

[0026] During operation of the agent system 1A, the agent information acquisition unit 523 of the agent management device 50A acquires the position information and operation information of the agent 30 at predetermined time intervals and stores the information in the agent information storage unit 513 sequentially.

[0027] With this information stored in order, the agent management device 50A executes the agent sound output process.

[0028] 3 is a flowchart showing the agent sound output process executed by the agent management device 50A while the agent system 1A is running. In the agent management device 50A, when the detection unit 524 detects an object to be warned about based on the information stored in the environmental information storage unit 512, it determines that the time to output the agent sound has arrived ("YES" in S1). When the detection unit 524 detects the object to be warned about, it identifies the object type and the warning direction.

[0029] When the time arrives to output the agent sound, the sound image position specifying unit 526A determines whether the agent 30 is hidden from the user's view, that is, whether the agent 30 is in the space Da within the dashboard D, based on the information stored in the agent information storage unit 513 (S2). The agent control unit 525 of the agent management device 50A controls the operating mechanism 31 of the agent 30 so that the agent 30 is hidden from the user's view when the user is driving the vehicle, allowing the user to concentrate on driving.

[0030] Here, when the sound image position specifying unit 526A determines that the agent 30 is in the space Db on the dashboard D and within the user's field of vision ("NO" in S2), it decides to output an agent sound from the agent speaker device 32. As a result, the sound output control unit 527 generates an instruction to output, from the agent speaker device 32, an agent sound that notifies the attention direction specified by the detection unit 524, and sends the instruction to the agent control unit 525.

[0031] Based on the instruction from the sound output control unit 527, the agent control unit 525 transmits an instruction to the agent 30 to output an agent sound related to an object of attention that the user should pay attention to (S3). Based on the instruction acquired from the agent management device 50A, the agent speaker device 32 of the agent 30 outputs an agent sound related to the object of attention that the user should pay attention to, for example, audio information such as "There is a pedestrian coming from the left."

[0032] In step S2, if the sound image position identification unit 526A determines that the agent 30 is in the space Da and hidden from the user's view ("YES" in S2), the sound image position identification unit 526A identifies the position in the space Da where the agent 30 is hiding, based on the information stored in the agent information storage unit 513.

[0033] Here, when the sound image position identification unit 526A determines that the position where the agent 30 is hiding is within the left area facing the front of the vehicle in the space Da, as shown in FIG. 4A ("YES" in S4), it identifies the vicinity of the left edge of the dashboard D, which is a position adjacent to the agent 30, as the sound image position P1.

[0034] The sound output control unit 527 outputs a predetermined agent sound from the vehicle speaker device 40 so that the user recognizes the sound image position P1 identified by the sound image position identifying unit 526A as the sound source. This makes the user hear the agent sound as if it is coming from the left side of the dashboard D (S5). Here, if the detection unit 524 identifies a "pedestrian" as the type of object and identifies the left direction Q1 as the caution direction, the sound output control unit 527 outputs audio information "A pedestrian is coming from the left" as the agent sound.

[0035] Also, in step S4, if the sound image position identification unit 526A determines that the position where the agent 30 is hiding is within the central area of ​​the space Da, as shown in FIG. 4B ("NO" in S4 → "YES" in S6), it identifies the vicinity of the center of the dashboard D, which is a position adjacent to the agent 30, as the sound image position.

[0036] The sound output control unit 527 outputs a predetermined agent sound from the vehicle speaker device 40 so that the user recognizes the vicinity of the center of the dashboard D identified by the sound image position identification unit 526A as the sound source. This makes the user hear the audio information as if it is coming from the center of the dashboard D (S7). Here, if the detection unit 524 identifies a "vehicle" as the type of object and identifies the forward direction Q2 as the attention direction, the sound output control unit 527 outputs audio information "You are getting close to the car in front of you" as the agent sound.

[0037] Also, in step S6, if the sound image position identification unit 526A determines that the position where the agent 30 is hiding is within the right area of ​​the space Da ("NO" in S6), as shown in FIG. 4C, it identifies the vicinity of the right end of the dashboard D, which is a position adjacent to the agent 30, as the sound image position.

[0038] The sound output control unit 527 outputs a predetermined agent sound from the vehicle speaker device 40 so that the user recognizes the vicinity of the right end of the dashboard D identified by the sound image position identification unit 526A as the sound source. This makes the user hear the audio information as if it is coming from the right side of the dashboard D (S8). Here, if the detection unit 524 identifies a "pedestrian" as the type of object and identifies the right direction Q3 as the caution direction, the sound output control unit 527 outputs audio information "A pedestrian is coming from the right" as the agent sound.

[0039] Furthermore, when the sound image position specifying unit 526A detects that the agent 30 is moving based on the information stored in the agent information storage unit 513, it may determine that the time to output the agent sound has arrived.

[0040] Here, when the agent 30 is moving while hiding in the space Da, the sound image position identification unit 526A moves the sound image position in stages in accordance with the movement of the agent 30. Then, the sound output control unit 527 outputs, from the moving sound image position, an agent sound indicating that the agent 30 is moving, such as an onomatopoeic sound of the agent 30 stepping on the ground or an onomatopoeic sound of the agent 30 jumping.

[0041] Furthermore, when the sound image position specifying unit 526A detects that the agent 30 is resting based on the information stored in the agent information storage unit 513, it may determine that the time to output the agent sound has arrived.

[0042] Here, when the agent 30 is resting while hiding in the space Da, the sound image position specifying unit 526A specifies the position in the space Da where the agent 30 is hiding. Then, the sound output control unit 527 outputs an agent sound indicating that the agent 30 is resting, such as an onomatopoeic sound like snoring, from the specified sound image position.

[0043] In addition, the sound image position identification unit 526A may determine that the time has come to output the agent sound when it detects that the agent 30 has started up from a dormant state based on the information stored in the agent information storage unit 513.

[0044] Here, when the agent 30 is activated from a resting state while hiding in the space Da, the sound image position specifying unit 526A specifies the position in the space Da where the agent 30 is hiding. Then, the sound output control unit 527 outputs, from the specified sound image position, an agent sound indicating that the agent 30 has been activated from a resting state, such as the audio information "Hello."

[0045] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, when the agent 30 is hidden from the user's view and cannot move within the space Da, the sound image position identifying unit 526A may identify a predetermined position in the attention direction as the sound image position.

[0046] 5A, if the agent 30 is in a state where it cannot move near the center of the space Da and the left direction Q1 has been specified as the attention direction, the sound image position specifying unit 526A specifies the vicinity of the left edge of the space Da as the sound image position P1. Then, the sound output control unit 527 outputs the voice information "There is a pedestrian coming from the left" as the agent sound from the sound image position P1.

[0047] 5B, when the agent 30 is in a state where it cannot move near the center of the space Da and the forward direction Q2 has been specified as the attention direction, the sound image position specifying unit 526A specifies the vicinity of the center of the space Da as the sound image position P2. Then, the sound output control unit 527 outputs the voice information "You're getting close to the car ahead" as the agent sound from the sound image position P2.

[0048] 5C, when the agent 30 is in a state where it cannot move near the center of the space Da and the right direction Q3 has been specified as the attention direction, the sound image position specifying unit 526A specifies the vicinity of the right end of the space Da as the sound image position P3. Then, the sound output control unit 527 outputs the voice information "A pedestrian is coming from the right" as the agent sound from the sound image position P3.

[0049] By specifying the sound image position in this way, even if the agent 30 is unable to move within the space Da, it is possible to output an agent sound that will make the user aware of the direction of attention.

[0050] Second Embodiment <Configuration of the agent system according to the second embodiment> The configuration of the agent system 1B according to the second embodiment is similar to the configuration of the agent system 1A described in the first embodiment, and therefore detailed description of parts having the same functions will be omitted.

[0051] In this embodiment, when the sound image position specifying unit 526B recognizes that the time has come for the agent 30 to appear in the user's field of view while the agent 30 is hidden from the user's field of view, it specifies the position of a sound image adjacent to the agent 30. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the agent control unit 525 controls the agent 30 to appear in the user's field of view after the agent sound is output from the vehicle speaker device 40 based on the sound image position specified by the sound image position specifying unit 526B.

[0052] <Operation of the agent system according to the second embodiment> 6 is a flowchart showing the control process of the agent 30 executed by the agent management device 50B while the agent system 1B is running. When the agent 30 is in the space Da and hidden from the user's view (YES in S11), the sound image position identifying unit 526B of the agent management device 50B determines whether the time has come for the agent 30 to appear (S12).

[0053] When the sound image position specifying unit 526B determines that the time has come for the agent 30 to appear ("YES" in S12), it specifies the position in the space Da where the agent 30 is hiding (S13).

[0054] Here, when the sound image position identification unit 526B determines that the position where the agent 30 is hiding is within the left area of ​​the space Da ("YES" in S4), as shown in FIG. 7, it identifies the vicinity of the left edge of the dashboard D, which is a position adjacent to the agent 30, as the sound image position P1.

[0055] The sound output control unit 527 outputs a predetermined agent sound from the vehicle speaker device 40 so that the user recognizes the sound image position P1 identified by the sound image position identifying unit 526B as the sound source. Here, the sound output control unit 527 outputs, as the agent sound, voice information "Hello" indicating that the agent 30 is at this position.

[0056] After the sound output control unit 527 outputs the audio information, the agent control unit 525 controls the agent 30 so that it appears in the user's field of view from a position adjacent to the sound image position P1 (S14). Specifically, the operation mechanism 31 of the agent 30 is controlled so that the agent 30 appears from the left end of the space Da in the dashboard D to the left end of the space Db above the dashboard D. In this way, the agent 30 notifies the user of its current position in the space Da by audio, and then appears in the user's field of view.

[0057] Third Embodiment <Configuration of the agent system according to the third embodiment> The configuration of the agent system 1C according to the third embodiment is similar to the configuration of the agent system 1A described in the first embodiment, and therefore detailed description of parts having the same functions will be omitted.

[0058] In this embodiment, when the agent 30 is hidden from the user's view and the direction from the user toward the agent 30 is different from the direction from the agent 30 toward the object of attention, the sound image position identification unit 526C gradually transitions the sound image position from a position adjacent to the agent 30 to a position adjacent to the object of attention.

[0059] <Operation of the agent system according to the third embodiment> Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the agent sound output process executed by the agent management device 50C while the agent system 1C is running. In Fig. 8, the processes of steps S21 to S23 are the same as the processes of steps S1 to S3 described in the first embodiment, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0060] In step S22, if the sound image position identification unit 526C determines that the agent 30 is in space Da and hidden from the user's view ("YES" in S2), it determines whether the direction from the user to the agent 30 is different from the direction from the agent 30 to the object of attention (S24).

[0061] At this time, the sound image position specifying unit 526C determines whether the direction from the user toward the agent 30 and the direction from the agent 30 toward the attention object are leftward, central, or rightward, respectively. If the two determined directions match, the sound image position specifying unit 526C determines that the direction from the user toward the agent 30 and the direction from the agent 30 toward the attention object are not different. If the two determined directions do not match, the sound image position specifying unit 526C determines that the direction from the user toward the agent 30 and the direction from the agent 30 toward the attention object are different.

[0062] Here, we have explained a case where the direction corresponding to the direction from the user toward the agent 30 and the direction from the agent 30 toward the object of attention is determined from three directions: left, center, and right, but this number is not limited to this, and the determination may be made from two directions or four or more directions.

[0063] Here, when the sound image position identification unit 526C determines that the direction from the user to the agent 30 and the direction from the agent 30 to the attention object are not different ("NO" in S24), it proceeds to step S4 in FIG. 3.

[0064] Furthermore, when the sound image position identification unit 526C determines in step S24 that the direction from the user toward the agent 30 is different from the direction from the agent 30 toward the object of attention ("YES" in S24), it gradually transitions the sound image position from a position adjacent to the agent 30 to a position adjacent to the object of attention.

[0065] The sound output control unit 527 outputs a predetermined agent sound from the vehicle speaker device 40 so that the user recognizes the gradually changing positions as the sound source (S25).

[0066] For example, when the sound image position identification unit 526C determines that the direction from the user toward the agent 30 is the left direction and the direction from the agent 30 toward the attention object is the right direction, the sound image position is shifted in stages from P1 to P2 to P3, as shown in Fig. 9. Then, the sound output control unit 527 outputs the audio information "There is a car coming from the right, so be careful" while the sound image position is shifting in this way. Specifically, the sound output control unit 527 outputs the audio information "From the right..." using sound image position P1 as the sound source, outputs the audio information "There is a car coming..." using sound image position P2 as the sound source, and outputs the audio information "Be careful..." using sound image position P3 as the sound source.

[0067] In the above-described first to third embodiments, the case where the sound image position is any one of P1, P2, and P3 has been described, but the sound image position is not limited to these three points, and any position within the movement range of the agent 30 can be set as the sound image position by using the directivity of the vehicle speaker device 40.

[0068] Furthermore, in the above-described first to third embodiments, the case where the sound source localization position is adjusted using the directivity of the vehicle speaker device 40 has been described, but it is also possible to install multiple speaker devices at different positions within the movement range of the agent 30, and output the agent sound from the speaker device closest to the identified sound image position.

[0069] Furthermore, in the above-described first to third embodiments, the agent 30 is described as being configured as a robot device, but the present invention is not limited to this and the agent 30 may be configured as image information generated by computer graphics. In this case, the image information of the agent 30 is displayed on the screen of a horizontally long display device installed on the dashboard D or the like. Furthermore, the agent sound output from the agent speaker device 32 is output using the display position of the agent 30 as the sound source.

[0070] [Effects of the embodiment] According to the above-described embodiment, the agent information output method is a method for outputting agent information by an agent management device that has a function of presenting information to a user and manages information relating to a personified agent that appears and disappears from the user's field of view, and when the agent's figure is hidden from the user's field of view, an agent sound relating to information to be notified to the user is output from a sound image position adjacent to the agent or from a sound image position in the direction of an object of attention that the user should pay attention to.

[0071] As a result, even if the agent is hidden so that the user can concentrate on driving, the position of the agent sound changes, allowing the user to recognize that the agent is present in the same space, and notification information can be output from the agent.

[0072] It has been demonstrated that information provided by an agent that a user can recognize as being present in the same space is more reliable than information provided by an agent that the user cannot recognize as being present in the same space.

[0073] That is, by making the agent output notification information while making the user perceive the agent as being present in the same space, the notification information can be perceived by the user as highly reliable information.

[0074] Furthermore, audio information that notifies the user of the direction in which an object to be careful of is located may be output as the agent sound. This allows the user to recognize the position of the agent and also notify the user of the direction in which the user should be careful.

[0075] Furthermore, the agent may be controlled so that after an agent sound is output from the sound image position while the agent is hidden from the user's view, the agent appears from a position adjacent to the sound image position, thereby allowing the user to recognize in advance the position from which the agent will emerge from its hidden state.

[0076] Furthermore, when an agent is moving while being hidden from the user's view, the position of a sound image adjacent to the agent may be moved in accordance with the agent's movement, and an agent sound indicating that the agent is moving may be output. This allows the user to recognize that the agent is moving even though the agent is not visible.

[0077] Furthermore, when the agent is resting and hidden from the user's view, an agent sound indicating that the agent is resting may be output from a sound image position adjacent to the agent. This allows the user to recognize that the agent is resting and not performing driving assistance processing such as informing the user of the direction to pay attention when the agent is not visible.

[0078] Furthermore, when the agent is activated from a dormant state while hidden from the user's view, an agent sound indicating that the agent has been activated may be output from the sound image position, thereby allowing the user to recognize that the agent has been activated from a dormant state even when the agent is not visible.

[0079] Furthermore, when the agent is hidden from the user's view and the direction from the user toward the agent is different from the direction from the agent toward the object of attention, the sound image position may be gradually shifted from a position adjacent to the agent to a position adjacent to the object of attention, thereby allowing the user to recognize the position of the agent and the direction of attention.

[0080] The agent may also be configured as image information displayed on the robot device or display screen, allowing the agent configuration to be selected appropriately depending on the location where the agent is to be installed.

[0081] Although several embodiments have been described, the embodiments can be modified or varied based on the above disclosure. All components of the above embodiments and all features described in the claims may be individually extracted and combined, unless they are mutually inconsistent.

[0082] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the descriptions and drawings that form part of this disclosure should not be understood to limit the present invention. Various alternative embodiments, examples, and operating techniques will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 1A, 1B, 1C Agent System 10. User information collection device 20 Environmental information collection device 30 Agents 31 Operating mechanism 32 Agent Speaker Device 40 Vehicle speaker device 50A, 50B, 50C Agent Management Device 51 Storage section 52A, 52B, 52C CPU 511 User information storage unit 512 Environmental information storage unit 513 Agent information storage unit 521 User Information Acquisition Unit 522 Environmental Information Acquisition Department 523 Agent Information Acquisition Unit 524 Detection unit 525 Agent Control Unit 526A, 526B, 526C Sound image position identification section 527 Sound output control unit

Claims

1. 1. A method for outputting agent information by an agent management device that has a function of presenting information to a user and manages information about a personified agent that appears and disappears from the user's field of vision, comprising: A method for outputting agent information, in which, when the figure of the agent is hidden from the view of the user, an agent sound relating to information to be notified to the user is output from a sound image position adjacent to the agent or a sound image position in the direction of an attention object that the user should pay attention to.

2. 2. The agent information output method according to claim 1, wherein audio information informing a direction in which the attention object is located is output as the agent sound.

3. 2. The agent information output method according to claim 1, wherein the agent is controlled so that, after the agent sound is output from the sound image position while the agent's figure is hidden from the user's view, the agent appears from a position adjacent to the sound image position.

4. 2. The agent information output method according to claim 1, wherein, when the agent is moving while being hidden from the user's field of vision, the sound image position is moved in accordance with the agent's movement, and an agent sound indicating that the agent is moving is output.

5. 2. The agent information output method according to claim 1, wherein when the agent is resting and out of sight of the user, an agent sound indicating that the agent is resting is output from a sound image position adjacent to the agent.

6. 2. The agent information output method according to claim 1, wherein when the agent is activated from a dormant state while hidden from the user's view, an agent sound indicating that the agent has been activated is output from a sound image position adjacent to the agent.

7. 2. The agent information output method according to claim 1, wherein, when the figure of the agent is hidden from the user's field of view and the direction from the user toward the agent is different from the direction from the agent toward the object of attention, the sound image position is shifted in stages from a position adjacent to the agent to a position adjacent to the object of attention.

8. 2. The agent information output method according to claim 1, wherein the agent is configured as image information displayed on a robot device or a display screen.

9. An agent management device that has a function of presenting information to a user and manages information relating to a personified agent that appears and disappears from the user's field of vision, a detection unit that detects a direction in which an attention object that the user should pay attention to is located; an agent management device comprising: a sound output control unit that, when the agent is hidden from the user's field of vision, outputs an agent sound related to information to be notified to the user from a sound image position adjacent to the agent or a sound image position in the direction of the object of attention.

Images