Program, display control method, information processing method, and display system

Abstract

To make it easy to understand the state of the subject. [Solution] The program causes the computer to perform the following processes: determine whether the target is in a given state based on state information relating to the target's state, in order of priority set for each of the multiple states of the target which belong to different categories, starting with the state with the highest priority among the multiple states; identify the state in which the target is identified as the target's state when it is first determined that the target is in a certain state; select a state image corresponding to the identified state from among multiple state images representing multiple states, each of which includes an animated video; and display the selected state image on the display unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a program, a display control method, an information processing method, and a display system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a robot capable of performing pseudo-communication with a user by performing various operations according to its state (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, since the state of an object such as a robot is held as an internal parameter of the object, there is a problem that it is not always easy to accurately grasp the state from the appearance of the object.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to make it possible to easily grasp the state of an object.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, the program according to the present invention causes a computer to determine, in order from the state with the highest priority among a plurality of states of the object, whether the object is in each of the states, according to the priority order set for each of the plurality of states of the object having different categories from each other, based on state information related to the state of the object; when it is first determined that the object is in a certain state, specify the certain state as the state of the object; ​A process of selecting a state image corresponding to a specified state from among a plurality of state images, each of which includes an animated video, representing a plurality of states. A process to display the selected state image on the display unit. Make it run. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the state of the object can be easily understood. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This figure shows the appearance of a robot and a smartphone. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the robot's main body. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a robot. [Figure 4] This is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a smartphone. [Figure 5] This is a diagram showing the home screen. [Figure 6] This is a diagram showing the contents of the status information. [Figure 7] This is a diagram showing an emotion map. [Figure 8] This diagram shows the priority order of robot states and the timing of displaying state images. [Figure 9] This diagram shows the corresponding state images for "Power Off / Communication Off," "Deep Sleep Mode," and "Sleep Mode." [Figure 10] This figure shows state images corresponding to external stimuli received by the robot. [Figure 11] This figure shows the contents of the previously displayed information. [Figure 12] This figure shows state images corresponding to the emotions of a robot. [Figure 13] This figure shows state images corresponding to the robot's personality. [Figure 14] This is a diagram showing the detailed information screen. [Figure 15]This is a diagram showing the settings screen. [Figure 16] This flowchart shows the control procedure for the home screen display process. [Figure 17] This flowchart shows the control procedure for the home screen display process. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, a robot management system 1 (display system) includes a robot 10, a smartphone 20 (terminal device), and a server 60. The robot 10 includes a main body 100 and an exterior 110 that covers the entire surface of the main body 100. The robot 10 is a pet robot that mimics a small living creature. The robot 10 can perform a plurality of different operations that mimic the actions of a living creature. The exterior 110 is made of a flexible material and deform according to the movement of the main body 100. The exterior 110 has, for example, fur formed of a pile fabric, decorative members that mimic eyes, and the like. The smartphone 20 can be communicatively connected to the robot 10 by short-range wireless communication. In this embodiment, BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy) is used as the short-range wireless communication. However, other types of short-range wireless communication methods other than BLE may be used. The robot 10 and the smartphone 20 operate in cooperation by communicatively connecting via BLE to transmit and receive data. For example, the smartphone 20 acquires state information 232 (see FIGS. 4 and 6) related to the state of the robot 10 from the robot 10. Based on this state information 232, the smartphone 20 causes a home screen (see FIG. 5) including various types of information related to the state of the robot 10 to be displayed on a display unit 24 on a management application 231 (program) used to manage the target robot 10. It may be possible to cooperate two or more robots 10 with respect to one smartphone 20. Instead of the smartphone 20, other types of devices such as a tablet terminal, a smartwatch, a notebook PC, or a management server may be used. The smartphone 20 is communicatively connected to the server 60 via a network N such as the Internet. The smartphone 20 transfers data (such as a log (not shown) including information related to the history of the robot 10) acquired from the robot 10 to the server 60. The data stored in the server 60 is referred to, for example, as a backup.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 2, the main body 100 of the robot 10 has a head 101, a body part 103, and a connecting part 102 that connects the head 101 and the body part 103. The main body 100 has a driving part 16 for moving the head 101 relative to the body part 103. The driving part 16 has a twisting motor 161 and a vertical movement motor 162. The twisting motor 161 is a servo motor that rotates the head 101 and the connecting part 102 within a predetermined angle range around a first rotation axis 161a extending in the extending direction of the connecting part 102. By the operation of the twisting motor 161, the movement of the robot 10 twisting the head 101 is realized. The vertical movement motor 162 is a servo motor that rotates the head 101 within a predetermined angle range around a second rotation axis 162a perpendicular to the first rotation axis 161a. By the vertical movement motor 162, the movement of the robot 10 moving the head 101 up and down is realized. The direction of the vertical movement of the head 101 can also be a direction inclined with respect to the vertical direction depending on the angle of the twist of the head 101 by the twisting motor 161. By operating the twisting motor 161 and / or the vertical movement motor 162 finely and periodically, the movement of the robot 10 rocking or vibrating the head 101 is realized. By appropriately changing and combining the timing, magnitude, and speed of the operations of the twisting motor 161 and the vertical movement motor 162, various operations can be performed on the robot 10, for example, a happy operation, a surprised operation, a breathing operation imitating the breathing of a living thing, etc. Among these, the breathing operation is one aspect of the spontaneous operation by the robot 10.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 2, the main body 100 has a touch sensor 171, an acceleration sensor 172, a gyro sensor 173, an illuminance sensor 174, a microphone 175, a sound output part 15, and a power receiving coil 193. The touch sensor 171 is provided on the upper part of the head 101, the upper part and the side surface of the body part 103, respectively. The acceleration sensor 172, the gyro sensor 173, and the power receiving coil 193 are provided near the lower surface of the body part 103. The illuminance sensor 174 and the sound output part 15 are provided on the upper part of the body part 103. The microphone 175 is provided on the upper part near the base of the head 101.

[0012] As shown in Figure 3, the robot 10 comprises a CPU 11 (Central Processing Unit), RAM 12 (Random Access Memory), a storage unit 13, an operation unit 14, a sound output unit 15, a drive unit 16, a sensor unit 17, a communication unit 18, and a power supply unit 19. Each part of the robot 10 is connected via a data transmission path such as a bus. All of the functional configurations shown in Figure 3 are provided in the main body 100.

[0013] The CPU 11 is a processor that controls the operation of the robot 10 by reading and executing the program 131 stored in the memory unit 13 and performing various arithmetic operations. The robot 10 may have multiple processors (for example, multiple CPUs), and the multiple processes that the CPU 11 in this embodiment performs may be performed by these multiple processors. In this case, the multiple processors may be involved in common processing, or the multiple processors may independently execute different processes in parallel. The RAM 12 provides the CPU 11 with a working memory space and stores temporary data. The memory unit 13 is a non-temporary recording medium readable by the CPU 11 as a computer, and stores the program 131 and various data. Therefore, the memory unit 13 includes a computer program product including the program 131. The memory unit 13 includes non-volatile memory such as flash memory. The program 131 is stored in the memory unit 13 in the form of program code that can be read by a computer. The program 131 includes firmware for controlling each piece of hardware of the robot 10. Examples of data stored in the memory unit 13 include operation setting data 132. The operation setting data 132 contains settings for communication actions performed by the robot 10 in response to the state of the robot 10 and the content of external stimuli, automatically generated actions that the robot 10 performs spontaneously without external stimuli, and actions such as breathing. The automatically generated actions can also be called whimsical actions, as they make the robot 10 appear to be making random gestures. Settings related to the action content include, for example, the settings for the operation timing and amount of the twist motor 161 and vertical movement motor 162 of the drive unit 16, as well as the settings for the pitch (height), length, and volume of the sound output by the sound output unit 15.

[0014] The control unit 14 is equipped with operation buttons and knobs for turning the power on and off, and adjusting the volume of the sound output by the sound output unit 15. The control unit 14 outputs operation information to the CPU 11 in response to input operations on the operation buttons and knobs. The sound output unit 15 is equipped with a speaker and outputs sound with pitch (height), length, and volume according to the control signals and sound data transmitted from the CPU 11. The sound may be a sound that imitates the sound of an animal. The drive unit 16 operates the above-mentioned twist motor 161 and up-down motor 162 in accordance with the control signals transmitted from the CPU 11.

[0015] The sensor unit 17 includes the aforementioned touch sensor 171, acceleration sensor 172, gyro sensor 173, illuminance sensor 174, and microphone 175, and outputs the detection results from each sensor and microphone 175 to the CPU 11. The touch sensor 171 detects when a user or other object comes into contact with the robot 10. The touch sensor 171 includes, for example, a pressure sensor or a capacitance sensor, and outputs detection data regarding the presence or absence of contact with the robot 10 to the CPU 11. The acceleration sensor 172 detects acceleration in each of the three orthogonal axes and outputs the detection data to the CPU 11. The gyro sensor 173 detects angular velocity around each of the three orthogonal axes and outputs the detection data to the CPU 11. The illuminance sensor 174 detects the brightness around the robot 10 and outputs the detection data to the CPU 11. The microphone 175 detects sound around the robot 10 and outputs the detected sound data to the CPU 11.

[0016] The communication unit 18 is a communication module having an antenna, a modulation / demodulation circuit, a signal processing circuit, etc., and performs wireless data communication with the smartphone 20 in accordance with the BLE communication standard. The power supply unit 19 includes a battery 191, a remaining charge detection unit 192, and a power receiving coil 193. The battery 191 supplies power to each part of the robot 10. The battery 191 in this embodiment is a rechargeable battery that can be repeatedly charged using a contactless charging method. The remaining charge detection unit 192 detects the remaining charge of the battery 191 according to a control signal transmitted from the CPU 11 and outputs the detection result to the CPU 11. The charging operation of the battery 191 is performed when the robot 10 is stored (installed) inside a dedicated power supply unit (storage unit, charging dock) not shown. The power supply unit is equipped with a power transmitting coil for charging the battery 191 by electromagnetic induction at a position opposite the power receiving coil 193 when the robot 10 is stored inside.

[0017] As shown in Figure 4, the smartphone 20 comprises a CPU 21 (processing unit, processing means), RAM 22, storage unit 23, display unit 24, operation unit 25, and communication unit 26. Each part of the smartphone 20 is connected via a data transmission path such as a bus. The CPU 21, RAM 22, and storage unit 23 constitute a display control device 200 that controls the display operation of the display unit 24.

[0018] The CPU 21 is a processor that controls the operation of the smartphone 20 by reading and executing programs such as the management application 231 stored in the memory unit 23 and performing various arithmetic operations. The smartphone 20 may have multiple processors (for example, multiple CPUs), and the multiple processes that the CPU 21 in this embodiment performs may be performed by these multiple processors. In this case, the processing unit is composed of multiple processors. In this case, the multiple processors may be involved in common processing, or the multiple processors may independently perform different processes in parallel. The RAM 22 provides the CPU 21 with a working memory space and stores temporary data. The memory unit 23 is a non-temporary recording medium readable by the CPU 21 as a computer, and stores programs such as the management application 231 and various data. Therefore, the memory unit 23 includes computer program products including programs. The management of the robot 10 performed by the management application 231 means displaying information relating to the state of the robot 10 on a predetermined display unit. The memory unit 23 has non-volatile memory such as flash memory. The data stored in the memory unit 23 includes status information 232 and previously displayed information 233. The contents of status information 232 and previously displayed information 233 will be described later.

[0019] The display unit 24 comprises a display panel, such as a liquid crystal panel, capable of displaying data using a dot matrix method, and a drive circuit for the display panel. The display unit 24 displays various menus and screens of the management application 231, etc., according to control signals transmitted from the CPU 21. The operation unit 25 has operating means such as a touch panel and operation buttons superimposed on the display panel of the display unit 24, and outputs operation signals corresponding to operations on the operating means to the CPU 21. The communication unit 26 is a communication module having an antenna, a modulation / demodulation circuit, a signal processing circuit, etc., and performs wireless data communication with the robot 10 according to the BLE communication standard. The communication unit 26 also transmits and receives voice data for telephone communication and packet data related to internet connection, etc., with the base station.

[0020] Next, the operation of the robot management system 1 will be described. When a user instructs the operation unit 25 of the smartphone 20 to start the management application 231, the CPU 21 executes and starts the management application 231. The display operation of the display unit 24, described below, is performed by the CPU 21 executing predetermined processes according to the management application 231 and controlling the display unit 24. The management application 231 corresponds to a predetermined application program for displaying the status image 31 on the display unit 24. When the management application 231 is started, the CPU 21 acquires status information 232 from the robot 10 and displays the home screen 30 shown in Figure 5 on the display unit 24 based on this status information 232. A predetermined splash screen or welcome screen may be displayed before the home screen 30. The home screen 30 displays the status image 31, the growth day image 32, the personality image 33, the information mark 34, the battery level image 35, the setting button 36, the menu mark 37, and the tab bar 38 in a predetermined arrangement. Details of these images and marks will be described later. The letter "A" in Figure 5 is the name assigned to the robot 10 by the user on the management application 231. The status image 31, growth days image 32, personality image 33, and battery level image 35 represent the status of the robot 10. Of these, the growth days image 32 and personality image 33 are forms of "information that is updated according to the robot's history." In this way, the home screen 30 contains various information related to the status of the robot 10. By viewing the home screen 30, the user can know the real-time status of the robot 10.

[0021] Referring to Figure 6, the contents of the state information 232 that the CPU 21 refers to when displaying the home screen 30, and the elements E1 to E6 that represent the state of the robot 10 will be explained. The state information 232 includes data related to each of the elements E1 to E6 that represent the state of the robot 10. More specifically, the state information 232 includes data representing the contents of each of the elements E1 to E6, and information on the time when each data was generated in the robot 10 (or the time when the smartphone 20 received the data). Element E1 is the robot's "operation mode". The operation modes of the robot 10 in this embodiment include "normal mode", "deep sleep mode", and "sleep mode". "Normal mode" is a mode in which the robot 10 performs communication actions in response to external stimuli or performs automatic generation actions when predetermined conditions are met. "Deep sleep mode" is a mode in which the movement of the robot 10's head 101 and the output of sound from the sound output unit 15 are stopped. "Deep sleep mode" is executed when the toggle switch 52 is switched to ON in the setting screen 50 (see Figure 15), which will be described later. The "sleep mode" is a mode that simulates the sleep of an animal by suppressing the robot 10's response to external stimuli. The "sleep mode" is activated, for example, when external stimuli (such as ambient light) meet predetermined conditions. The "deep sleep mode" and the "sleep mode" are forms of the "function suppression mode" in which the robot 10's functions are suppressed. Therefore, element E1 indicates whether the robot 10 is operating in a predetermined function suppression mode. The types of "operation modes" described above are examples and are not limited to these.

[0022] Element E2 is "external stimulus," representing the type of stimulus the robot 10 receives from the outside. Examples of external stimuli include, but are not limited to, "loud noises," "talking," "stroking the body," "stroking the head," "being picked up," "being turned upside down," and "swinging." External stimuli related to sound, such as "loud noises" and "talking," are detected based on the detection data of the microphone 175. External stimuli related to contact, such as "stroking the body" and "stroking the head," are detected based on the detection data of the touch sensor 171. External stimuli involving changes in posture, such as "being picked up," "being turned upside down," and "swinging," are detected based on the detection data of the acceleration sensor 172 and the gyro sensor 173. Element E3 is the "battery level" of the battery 191. The "battery level" is expressed as a percentage with a full charge being 100%. The "battery level" is detected by the battery level detection unit 192.

[0023] Element E4 is an emotion parameter representing the simulated emotions of robot 10. Element E4 consists of "emotion value (X)" and "emotion value (Y)" (hereinafter collectively referred to as "emotion value"). The emotion value represents the simulated emotions of robot 10 by the position of the plot on the emotion map in the XY coordinate plane shown in Figure 7. "Emotion value (X)" is the position of the plot in the X-axis direction; a larger value indicates a higher level of security, and a smaller value indicates a higher level of anxiety. "Emotion value (Y)" is the position of the plot in the Y-axis direction; a larger value indicates a higher level of excitement, and a smaller value indicates a higher level of apathy. The maximum value of "emotion value (X)" is "200" and the minimum value is "-200". The maximum value of "emotion value (Y)" is "200" and the minimum value is "-200". Therefore, the emotion value is one of the coordinates within the square emotion region R with a side length of 400. The emotional domain R is divided into nine square domains R1 to R9 arranged in a 3x3 matrix. Each of the domains R1 to R9 represents a certain emotion of robot 10. Domain R1, which satisfies -200≦X≦-67 and 67≦Y≦200, represents the emotion of "irritation". Domain R2, which satisfies -66≦X≦66 and 67≦Y≦200, represents the emotion of "excitement". Domain R3, which satisfies 67≦X≦200 and 67≦Y≦200, represents the emotion of "joy". Domain R4, which satisfies -200≦X≦-67 and -66≦Y≦66, represents the emotion of "anxiety". Domain R5, which satisfies -66≦X≦66 and -66≦Y≦66, represents the emotion of "normal". Domain R6, which satisfies 67≦X≦200 and -66≦Y≦66, represents the emotion of "reassurance". Region R7, satisfying -200≦X≦-67 and -200≦Y≦-67, represents the emotion of "sadness." Region R8, satisfying -66≦X≦66 and -200≦Y≦-67, represents the emotion of "apathy." Region R9, satisfying 67≦X≦200 and -200≦Y≦-67, represents the emotion of "peace." Regions R1-R4 and R6-R9, which correspond to the eight emotions excluding "normal," are further divided into 10 level regions ("Lv1" to "Lv10"), each representing a 10-level scale. In each of regions R1-R4 and R6-R9, the closer to the "normal" region R5, the lower the level region is located, and the further away from the "normal" region R5, the higher the level region is located.In the following, the emotional state of robot 10 may be described by combining the type and level of emotion, such as "Relaxation Level 10". The length of one side of the emotional region R and regions R1 to R9 may increase within a certain range as robot 10 grows. For example, emotional region R may initially be in the range of -100≦X≦100, -100≦Y≦100, and may increase to the range of -200≦X≦200, -200≦Y≦200 as robot 10 grows. The emotional value changes each time robot 10 receives external stimuli, etc. The amount of change in the emotional value at one time is selected from the following variables DXP, DXM, DYP, and DYM. DXP: Change in the +X direction DXM: Change in the X direction DYP: Change in the +Y direction DYM: Change in the Y direction It can also be said that the variable DXP represents ease of feeling secure, the variable DXM represents ease of feeling anxious, the variable DYP represents ease of excitability, and the variable DYM represents ease of feeling lethargic. In this embodiment, the initial values ​​of variables DXP, DXM, DYP, and DYM are "10". Furthermore, variables DXP, DXM, DYP, and DYM increase by a predetermined amount when the emotional value reaches the maximum value in the +X axis, -X axis, +Y axis, and -Y axis, respectively. In this embodiment, the maximum values ​​of variables DXP, DXM, DYP, and DYM are "20".

[0024] Element E5, shown in Figure 6, is a personality parameter that represents the simulated personality of robot 10. Element E5 consists of "Personality Value (Cheerful)", "Personality Value (Shy)", "Personality Value (Active)", and "Personality Value (Clingy)" (hereinafter collectively referred to as "Personality Value"). "Personality Value (Cheerful)" is the value obtained by subtracting "10" from the variable DXP, and represents the ease of change in the positive direction of the X axis on the emotion map, i.e., the ease of feeling secure. "Personality Value (Shy)" is the value obtained by subtracting "10" from the variable DXM, and represents the ease of change in the negative direction of the X axis on the emotion map, i.e., the ease of feeling anxious. "Personality Value (Active)" is the value obtained by subtracting "10" from the variable DYP, and represents the ease of change in the positive direction of the Y axis on the emotion map, i.e., the ease of feeling excited. The "Personality Value (Spoiled)" is the value obtained by subtracting "10" from the variable DYM, and represents the ease with which the robot changes in the negative direction of the Y axis in the emotion map, i.e., the ease with which it becomes lethargic. Therefore, each personality value changes in accordance with the changes in the variables DXP, DXM, DYP, and DYM, with an initial value of "0" and a maximum value of "10". The personality corresponding to the largest of the four personality values ​​is determined as the personality of robot 10 at that time. For example, in the example shown in Figure 6, the "Personality Value (Spoiled)" is the largest at "7", so the personality of robot 10 at this time is "Spoiled". If two or more personality values ​​are the same and the maximum, one personality is determined according to a predetermined priority order. In this embodiment, the priority order of personalities is, from highest to lowest, "Cheerful", "Active", "Shy", and "Spoiled".

[0025] Element E6 is the "training days," representing the number of days (cumulative operating period) counted from the day the robot 10 was first activated. The "training days" are counted up to 5 digits internally by the robot 10. Of elements E1 to E6, elements E1, E2, and E4 to E6 are forms of information that are updated according to the history of the robot 10.

[0026] Each data element E1 to E6 is sequentially generated by the robot 10's CPU 11 according to the robot 10's operating status and stored in the robot 10's memory unit 13 along with its generation time. When the smartphone 20's CPU 21 is communicating with the robot 10 via BLE, it repeatedly acquires elements E1 to E6 of the status information 232 from the robot 10 at a predetermined frequency and updates the status information 232. Specifically, the CPU 21 acquires and updates the data of elements E1 to E4 of the status information 232 from the robot 10 once per second. In addition, the CPU 21 acquires and updates the data of elements E5 and E6 of the status information 232 from the robot 10 once per minute. Updating the status information 232 in this way is equivalent to acquiring the status information 232. Note that the format of the status information 232 is not limited to that shown in Figure 6. For example, the status information 232 may be in the form of a queue in which elements E acquired from the robot 10 are accumulated in chronological order.

[0027] The CPU 21 of the smartphone 20 displays the home screen 30 shown in Figure 5 on the display unit 24 or updates the home screen 30 based on the latest status information 232. As shown in Figure 5, a status image 31 is displayed approximately in the center of the home screen 30. The status image 31 includes an animated video that succinctly represents the state of the robot 10. More specifically, the status image 31 includes an appearance image 311 that represents a certain element of the state of the robot 10 based on the appearance of the robot 10. The appearance image 311 reflects the actual appearance of the robot 10, for example, the color of the exterior 110. The status image 31 also includes an avatar image 312 that represents the appearance of the user's avatar. The appearance image 311 and the avatar image 312 are animated videos of a predetermined length. The animated videos of the appearance image 311 and the avatar image 312 may be displayed repeatedly until the status image 31 switches to a different one, or they may be displayed repeatedly for a predetermined number of times. The status image 31 also includes text 313 that represents a certain element of the state of the robot 10. Text 313 is displayed, for example, above the appearance image 311 and the avatar image 312. Certain elements of the state of the robot 10 represented by the state image 31 include whether or not the robot 10 is powered on, whether or not the robot 10 and the smartphone 20 are in communication connection, whether or not the robot 10 is operating in a function suppression mode (deep sleep mode or sleep mode), whether or not the robot 10 is receiving a predetermined stimulus from the outside, the robot 10's simulated emotions, or the robot 10's simulated personality. The area of ​​the display area of ​​the state image 31 is larger than the area of ​​the display areas of the other growth days image 32, personality image 33, and battery level image 35 that represent the state of the robot 10 (the area of ​​the display area of ​​information corresponding to elements different from the state image 31). The area of ​​the display area of ​​the state image 31 is the area of ​​the smallest rectangle surrounding the appearance image 311, the avatar image 312, and the text 313, where each side is parallel to the outline of the home screen 30.

[0028] The CPU 21 identifies the state of the robot 10 based on the state information 232, and selects a state image 31 corresponding to the identified state from among multiple state images 31 representing multiple states of the robot 10 that belong to different categories (types, varieties), and displays it on the display unit 24. The multiple state images 31 are pre-generated and stored in the storage unit 23 of the smartphone 20. Specifically, the CPU 21 determines whether the robot 10 is in a given state, in order from the state with the highest priority among the multiple states, according to the priority set for each state. When the CPU 21 first determines that the robot 10 is in a certain state, it identifies that state as the state of the robot 10 and displays the state image 31 corresponding to that state on the display unit 24. In this embodiment, the priority of the states of the robot 10 is predetermined for each category, as shown in Figure 8. Priority "1" corresponds to the categories of "Power Off / Communication Off," "Deep Sleep Mode," and "Sleep Mode." Of these, "Power Off" is the state in which the power of the robot 10 is turned off, and "Communication Off" is the state in which the robot 10 and the smartphone 20 are not connected by communication. Priority "2" corresponds to the "state of receiving external stimuli" category. Priority "3" corresponds to the "emotional state" of robot 10. Priority "4" corresponds to the "personality state" of robot 10. Priority "5" corresponds to the "standby state" category, which is none of the above states. When robot 10 is in the priority "1" state, the state image 31 corresponding to that state is always displayed. The state image 31 corresponding to the priority "2" state is displayed when element E2 of the state information 232 is acquired (updated) when robot 10 is not in the priority "1" state. The state image 31 corresponding to the priority "3" state is always displayed when robot 10 is not in either the priority "1" or "2" state, except when the management application is launched. The state image 31 corresponding to the priority "4" state is displayed when the management application is launched if robot 10 is not in either the priority "1" or "2" state, and is displayed when robot 10 is not in any of the priority "1" to "3" states at other times.In this embodiment, the state in which the robot 10 is not in priority "3" is defined as the state in which the coordinates of the emotion value in element E4 of the state information 232 are not located within any of the regions R1-R4 or R6-R9, i.e., within the "normal" region R5. The state image 31 corresponding to the state in priority "5" is displayed when the robot 10 is not in any of the priority states "1" to "4".

[0029] When displaying or updating a status image 31, the CPU 21 first makes a determination regarding the status with priority "1". Based on the status information 232, if the CPU 21 determines that the robot 10 is in one of the following states: "power off / communication off", "deep sleep mode", or "sleep mode", it selects the status image 31 corresponding to the determined state from among the multiple status images and displays it on the display unit 24. The determination of "deep sleep mode" and "sleep mode" is made based on element E1 of the status information 232. As shown in Figure 9, the three statuses with priority "1" are further assigned relative priorities. The highest priority "1-1" is assigned to "power off / communication off", the next highest priority "1-2" is assigned to "deep sleep mode", and the next highest priority "1-3" is assigned to "sleep mode". If robot 10 is in the "power off / communication off" state, the CPU 21 displays a status image 31, which includes the avatar image 312 and text 313 shown on the left side of Figure 9. In this case, the status image 31 does not include the appearance image 311, but includes the avatar image 312, which is an animated video of an avatar searching for robot 10. This indicates that robot 10 is in the "power off / communication off" state. The text 313 includes wording indicating that robot 10 cannot be found. If robot 10 is not in the "power off / communication off" state, and is in "deep sleep mode," the CPU 21 displays a status image 31, which includes the appearance image 311 and avatar image 312 shown in the center of Figure 9, along with text 313. The appearance image 311 in this status image 31 includes an animated video of robot 10 in deep sleep, and the avatar image 312 includes an animated video of an avatar watching over robot 10. The text 313 includes wording indicating that robot 10 is in deep sleep. If the robot 10 is not in the "power off / communication off" or "deep sleep mode" state, but is in "sleep mode", the CPU 21 displays a status image 31 which includes the appearance image 311 and avatar image 312 shown on the right side of Figure 9, and text 313.The appearance image 311 included in this state image 31 contains an animated video of the sleeping robot 10, and the avatar image 312 contains an animated video of an avatar sleeping with the robot 10. The text 313 contains wording indicating that the robot 10 is sleeping.

[0030] If the CPU 21 determines that the robot 10 is not in any of the following states: "power off / communication off," "deep sleep mode," or "sleep mode," it determines whether the robot 10 is in a state of "external stimulation" based on element E2 of the state information 232. If the CPU 21 determines that the robot 10 is in a state of "external stimulation," it selects a state image 31 from among multiple state images 31 that corresponds to the external stimulation received by the robot 10 and displays it on the display unit 24. For example, if the external stimulation received by the robot 10 is a "loud noise," the CPU 21 displays a state image 31 that includes the appearance image 311 and avatar image 312 shown on the left side of Figure 10. The appearance image 311 of this state image 31 includes an animated video of the surprised robot 10, and the avatar image 312 includes an animated video of the avatar making a loud noise. Furthermore, if the external stimulus received by robot 10 is "being petted," the CPU 21 displays a state image 31, which includes the appearance image 311 and avatar image 312 shown in the center of Figure 10. The appearance image 311 of this state image 31 includes an animated video of robot 10 enjoying being petted, and the avatar image 312 includes an animated video of an avatar petting robot 10. Also, if the external stimulus received by robot 10 is "being turned upside down," the CPU 21 displays a state image 31, which includes the appearance image 311 and avatar image 312 shown on the right side of Figure 10. The appearance image 311 of this state image 31 includes an animated video of robot 10 upside down, and the avatar image 312 includes an animated video of an avatar holding the upside-down robot 10. Each state image 31 corresponding to an external stimulus does not include text 313. The state images 31 corresponding to external stimuli are not limited to those shown in Figure 10, but are prepared for each external stimulus. When a state image 31 corresponding to a "state in which an external stimulus has been received" is displayed, the CPU 21 records element E2 of the state information 232 referenced in that display in the previously displayed information 233, as shown in Figure 11.If the CPU 21 determines that the robot 10 is in a "state of receiving an external stimulus" the next time, it will display the state image 31 corresponding to the current external stimulus only if the element E2 of the state information 232 used for the determination is different from the previous element E2 recorded in the previous display information 233.

[0031] If the CPU 21 determines that the robot 10 is not in a state of "external stimulation," it identifies the robot 10's "emotional state" based on element E4 of the state information 232. The CPU 21 then selects a state image 31 corresponding to the identified "emotional state" from among multiple state images 31 and displays it on the display unit 24. For example, if the robot 10's emotional value falls within the "Safety Level 10" range, the CPU 21 displays a state image 31 that includes an appearance image 311 and text 313, as shown on the left side of Figure 12. The appearance image 311 of this state image 31 includes an animated video of the safe robot 10. The text 313 includes wording that indicates the robot 10 is safe. If the robot 10's emotional value falls within the "Joy Level 10" range, the CPU 21 displays a state image 31 that includes an appearance image 311 and text 313, as shown on the right side of Figure 12. The appearance image 311 of this state image 31 includes an animated video of the joyful robot 10. Furthermore, text 313 includes wording that indicates the robot 10 is happy. Although the avatar image 312 is omitted in Figure 12, the state image 31 corresponding to the "emotional state" may also include the avatar image 312. The state images 31 corresponding to the "emotional state" are not limited to those shown in Figure 12, and are prepared for each combination of emotion type and level. Two or more different texts 313 may be prepared for each combination of emotion type and level, and any of these texts 313 may be selected and displayed randomly or according to a predetermined rule. When a state image 31 corresponding to the "emotional state" is displayed, the CPU 21 records element E4 of the state information 232 referenced in that display in the previous display information 233, as shown in Figure 11. The CPU 21 will display the state image 31 corresponding to the current emotional state only if the element E4 of the state information 232 at that time is different from the previous element E4 recorded in the previous display information 233.

[0032] If the CPU 21 determines that the robot 10 is not in a state of "external stimulation," and the status image 31 has not been displayed on the display unit 24 after the management application 231 has been launched, the CPU 21 identifies the robot 10's "personality state" based on element E5 included in the status information 232. The CPU 21 then selects a status image 31 from among several status images 31 that corresponds to the identified "personality state" and displays it on the display unit 24. That is, if the first status image 31 displayed after the management application 231 is launched is not one of "power off / communication off," "deep sleep mode," "sleep mode," or "state of external stimulation," the CPU 21 displays a status image 31 that corresponds to the "personality state." For example, if the robot 10's personality is "cheerful," the CPU 21 displays a status image 31 that includes the appearance image 311 and text 313 shown on the far left of Figure 13. The appearance image 311 of this status image 31 includes an animated video of the robot 10 in a cheerful state. The text 313 includes wording that indicates the robot 10 is cheerful. Furthermore, if the robot 10's personality is "active," the CPU 21 displays a state image 31 that includes an appearance image 311 and text 313, as shown second from the left in Figure 13. The appearance image 311 in this state image 31 includes an animated video of the active robot 10. The text 313 includes words indicating that the robot 10 is active. Furthermore, if the robot 10's personality is "shy," the CPU 21 displays a state image 31 that includes an appearance image 311 and text 313, as shown second from the right in Figure 13. The appearance image 311 in this state image 31 includes an animated video of the shy robot 10. The text 313 includes words indicating that the robot 10 is shy. Furthermore, if the robot 10's personality is "clingy," the CPU 21 displays a state image 31 that includes an appearance image 311 and text 313, as shown on the far right of Figure 13. The appearance image 311 of this state image 31 includes an animated video of the robot 10 in a clingy state. The text 313 includes wording indicating that the robot 10 is clingy. In Figure 13, the avatar image 312 is omitted, but the state image 31 corresponding to the "personality state" may also include the avatar image 312.For each of the four personalities, two or more different texts 313 may be provided, and any of these texts 313 may be randomly selected or displayed according to a predetermined rule. Except when the management application 231 is running, the CPU 21 displays a state image 31 corresponding to the "personality state" when the robot 10 is not in any of the following states: "power off / communication off", "deep sleep mode", "sleep mode", or "state of receiving external stimuli", and its emotion is "normal". The state image 31 for "standby state" is not shown in the diagram, but for example, it may be an image that includes an external appearance image 311 and an avatar image 312 of the robot 10 when it is not performing any particular action.

[0033] As shown in Figure 5, the CPU 21 displays the growth days image 32, personality image 33, information mark 34 (first indicator image), battery level image 35, and setting button 36 (second indicator image) in a predetermined arrangement below the status image 31 on the home screen 30. At least one of the growth days image 32, personality image 33, information mark 34, battery level image 35, and setting button 36 may be displayed. The numerical value of growth days included in the growth days image 32 is determined based on element E6 of the status information 232. The personality image 33 displays the personality corresponding to the largest personality value among the four personality values ​​of element E5 of the status information 232. The information mark 34 is an indicator with the letter "i" enclosed in a circle. If the operation to select the information mark 34 is performed, the CPU 21 displays the detailed information screen 40 shown in Figure 14 on the display unit 24. The detailed information screen 40 contains detailed information relating to a certain element of the robot 10's state (in this case, its personality). The detailed information screen 40 displays the robot 10's personality 41 at that time, a graph 42 representing the personality values ​​of each of the four personalities in 11 stages from "0" to "10", and a button 43 for closing the detailed information screen 40. The robot 10's personality may be updated once a day, for example, when the date changes. The battery level image 35 shown in Figure 5 is an image representing the battery level of the battery 191 in three stages. If the battery 191 is charging, a predetermined charging mark may be further displayed in the battery level image 35. Also, if contactless charging of the battery 191 is not performed properly while the robot 10 is stored in the power supply, a predetermined charging error mark may be further displayed in the battery level image 35. When the setting button 36 is selected, the CPU 21 displays the setting screen 50 shown in Figure 15 on the display unit 24 for setting the operation of the robot 10.The settings screen 50 displays a slider 51 for adjusting the volume of the sound (crying) output from the sound output unit 15 of the robot 10, a toggle switch 52 that can be turned on to put the robot 10 into deep sleep mode, an update button 53 for updating the firmware of the robot 10, and a list button 54 for displaying a list of robots 10 that are connected to the smartphone 20.

[0034] In the upper left corner of the home screen 30 shown in Figure 5, a menu mark 37 is displayed. When the menu mark 37 is selected, the CPU 21 displays a menu screen (not shown) on the display unit 24. From the menu screen, it is possible to display a screen for editing the user's profile, a screen for listing linked robots 10, a screen for registering (linking) a new robot 10, a screen for displaying information such as the version of the management application 231, etc. A tab bar 38 is displayed at the bottom of the home screen 30. The tab bar 38 includes a home icon 381 and an interaction record icon 382. When the interaction record icon 382 is selected while the home screen 30 is displayed, the CPU 21 transitions the display on the display unit 24 from the home screen 30 to the interaction record screen (not shown). The interaction record screen displays information related to the history of interactions between the robot 10 and the user. When the interaction record screen is displayed and the home icon 381 is selected, the CPU 21 transitions the display on the display unit 24 from the interaction record screen to the home screen 30.

[0035] Next, with reference to Figures 16 and 17, the home screen display process executed by the CPU 21 to achieve the above operation will be described. The home screen display process is started when an operation to launch the management application 231 is performed on the operation unit 25. When the home screen display process is started, the CPU 21 sets the "launched" flag to "off" (step S1). The "launched" flag is a 1-bit data stored in the RAM 22, where "0" represents "off" and "1" represents "on". When the "launched" flag is "off", it means that no status image 31 other than "standby" has been displayed since the management application 231 was launched, and when the "launched" flag is "on", it means that no status image 31 other than "standby" has been displayed since the management application 231 was launched. The CPU 21 displays the home screen 30 on the display unit 24 (step S2). At this stage, the status image 31, growth days image 32, personality image 33, and battery level image 35 may be left undisplayed. The CPU 21 determines whether or not it is communicating with the robot 10 via BLE (step S3). If it determines that it is not communicating ("NO" in step S3), the CPU 21 displays a status image 31 corresponding to "power off / communication off" on the home screen 30 (step S4). Here, the CPU 21 selects a status image 31 corresponding to "power off / communication off" from among the multiple status images 31 stored in the memory unit 13, and retrieves the image data of that status image 31 from the memory unit 13. Then, the CPU 21 transmits the image data along with a control signal to the display unit 24, thereby displaying the selected status image 31 on the display unit 24. The processing for displaying other status images 31, which will be described later, is the same except for the type of status image 31 to be selected. Note that if the power of the robot 10 is off, no communication connection with the smartphone 20 will be established, so the process will branch to "NO" in step S3. When step S4 is completed, the CPU 21 moves the process to step S27.

[0036] If the CPU determines that it is in communication with robot 10 ("YES" in step S3), the CPU 21 obtains predetermined elements of the state information 232 from robot 10 (step S5). Here, if it is once every second that the CPU 21 obtains elements E1 to E4, it obtains elements E1 to E4 from robot 10. Also, if it is once every minute that the CPU 21 obtains elements E5 and E6, it obtains elements E5 and E6 (and elements E1 to E4) from robot 10. Based on the latest state information 232, the CPU 21 updates the growth days image 32, personality image 33, and battery level image 35 on the home screen 30 (displaying them if they were not displayed) (step S6).

[0037] The CPU 21 determines whether the robot 10 is in deep sleep mode based on element E1 of the state information 232 (step S7). If it determines that the robot 10 is in deep sleep mode ("YES" in step S7), the CPU 21 displays the state image 31 corresponding to deep sleep mode on the display unit 24 (step S8). After that, the CPU 21 rewrites the "Activated" flag to "ON" (step S9) and proceeds to step S27. If the "Activated" flag has already been rewritten to "ON", the CPU 21 omits step S9 (the same applies to the following steps S12, S16, and S20). If it determines that the robot 10 is not in deep sleep mode ("NO" in step S7), the CPU 21 determines whether the robot 10 is in sleep mode based on element E1 of the state information 232 (step S10). If the CPU 21 determines that the robot 10 is in sleep mode ("YES" in step S10), it displays a state image 31 corresponding to sleep mode on the display unit 24 (step S11). Then, the CPU 21 changes the "Started" flag to "ON" (step S12) and proceeds to step S27.

[0038] If the CPU determines that the robot 10 is not in sleep mode ("NO" in step S10), the CPU 21 determines, based on element E2 and its time information in the state information 232, whether or not the detection time of the external stimulus received by the robot 10 is within a predetermined time (step S13). The predetermined time may be, for example, 30 seconds. If the CPU determines that the detection time of the external stimulus is within the predetermined time ("YES" in step S13), the CPU 21 refers to the previous display information 233 and determines whether or not the current external stimulus is different from the external stimulus recorded in the state information 232 (step S14). Here, the CPU 21 determines that the current external stimulus is different from the external stimulus recorded in the previous display information 233 if at least one of the content of the external stimulus of element E2 in the latest state information 232 and its time is different from the external stimulus recorded in the previous display information 233, or if element E2 is not yet recorded in the previous display information 233. If the CPU determines that the current external stimulus is different from the external stimulus recorded in the previous display information 233 ("YES" in step S14), the CPU 21 displays the state image 31 corresponding to the detected external stimulus on the display unit 24 (step S15). After that, the CPU 21 rewrites the "Started Displayed" flag to "ON" (step S16) and proceeds to step S27.

[0039] If it is determined that the detection time of the external stimulus is not within a predetermined time (including when no external stimulus has been detected) ("NO" in step S13), or if it is determined that the current external stimulus is the same as the external stimulus recorded in the previous display information 233 ("NO" in step S14), the CPU 21 determines whether the startup display flag is "on" (step S17 in Figure 17). If it is determined that the startup display flag is "off," that is, that none of the state images 31 of "power off / communication off," "deep sleep mode," "sleep mode," or "state where external stimulus has been received" have been displayed since the management application 231 was started ("NO" in step S17), the CPU 21 determines whether the personality of the robot 10 has been acquired (step S18). Here, the CPU 21 determines that the personality of the robot 10 has been acquired if any of the personality values ​​of element E5 of the state information 232 is "1" or greater, and determines that the personality of the robot 10 has not been acquired if all personality values ​​are "0". If the CPU determines that the personality of robot 10 has already been acquired ("YES" in step S18), the CPU 21 displays a status image 31 corresponding to the personality of robot 10 on the display unit 24 (step S19). Then, the CPU 21 changes the "Started Displayed" flag to "ON" (step S20) and proceeds to step S27.

[0040] In step S17, if it is determined that the "Activated" flag is "on" ("YES" in step S17), the CPU 21 determines whether or not the emotion coordinates have been updated based on element E4 of the state information 232 (step S21). Here, the CPU 21 determines that the emotion coordinates have been updated if the difference between the time of element E4 of the state information 232 and the current time is within a predetermined time (for example, within 12 seconds), and the coordinates of element E4 of the state information 232 are different from the coordinates of element E4 recorded in the previous display information 233. If it is determined that the emotion coordinates have been updated ("YES" in step S21), the CPU 21 determines whether or not the emotion coordinates in element E4 of the state information 232 are in a region other than "normal", that is, whether or not they are inside one of the regions R1~R4 or R6~R9 (step S22). If the CPU determines that the emotion coordinates are within a region other than "normal" ("YES" in step S22), the CPU 21 displays the emotion state image 31 corresponding to the region to which the coordinate value of element E4 of the state information 232 belongs on the display unit (step S23). On the other hand, if the CPU determines that the emotion coordinates are within the "normal" region R5 ("NO" in step S22), the CPU 21 determines whether or not the robot 10's personality has been acquired (step S24). If it determines that the personality has been acquired ("YES" in step S24), the CPU 21 displays the state image 31 corresponding to the robot 10's personality on the display unit 24 (step S25). If it determines that there has been no update to the emotion coordinates ("NO" in step S21), or if it determines that the personality has not been acquired ("NO" in step S18 or S24), the CPU 21 displays the state image 31 corresponding to the standby state on the display unit (step S26). If any of steps S23, S25, or S26 is completed, the CPU 21 proceeds to step S27.

[0041] In step S27, the CPU 21 repeatedly determines whether the animation video of the appearance image 311 and / or avatar image 312 of the status image 31 has finished. If it determines that the animation video has finished ("YES" in step S27), the CPU 21 determines whether an operation to terminate the management application 231 has been performed (step S28). If the CPU 21 determines that the operation has not been performed ("NO" in step S28), it returns to step S3 in Figure 16, and if it determines that the operation has been performed ("YES" in step S28), it terminates the home screen display process and the management application 231.

[0042] As described above, the management application 231 according to this embodiment causes the CPU 21 to execute the following processes based on the state information 232 relating to the state of the robot 10. Specifically, the management application 231 causes the CPU 21 to execute the following processes: determine whether the robot 10 is in a given state, in order of priority set for each of the multiple states of the robot 10 which belong to different categories; identify a given state as the state of the robot 10 when it is first determined that the robot 10 is in a given state; select a state image 31 corresponding to the identified state from among a plurality of state images 31 representing the above plurality of states, each including an animated video; and display the selected state image 31 on the display unit 24. With this, the state of the robot 10 can be visually and intuitively shown in an easy-to-understand manner by the state image 31 including an animated video. Furthermore, the user can be notified in a timely manner when the robot 10 is in a state that is of high importance to the user. Furthermore, depending on the state of the robot 10, a state image 31 corresponding to a relatively less important state may also be displayed, allowing for the display of a variety of state images 31 to attract the user's interest.

[0043] Furthermore, the management application 231, based on the status information 232, instructs the CPU 21 to select a status image 31 from among multiple status images 31 that corresponds to the determined status (power off, communication off, or function suppression) and display the selected status image 31 on the display unit 24. This allows the user to be notified in a timely manner if the robot 10 is in one of the statuses of high importance to the user: power off, communication off, deep sleep, or sleep.

[0044] Furthermore, the management application 231 instructs the CPU 21 to, if it determines that the robot 10 is not in a power-off state, a communication-off state, or a function-suppressed state, to perform a process based on the state information 232 to determine whether or not the robot 10 has received a predetermined stimulus from the outside; if it determines that the robot 10 has received a stimulus, to perform a process to select a state image 31 from among multiple state images 31 that corresponds to the stimulus received by the robot 10; and to display the selected state image 31 on the display unit 24. This makes it possible to show the user the state of the robot 10 and any changes therein in response to communication between the robot 10 and the user in a timely manner.

[0045] Furthermore, the state information 232 includes an emotion value (element E4, emotion parameter) that represents the simulated emotion of the robot 10. The management application 231 instructs the CPU 21 to perform the following processes if it determines that the robot 10 is not in a stimulated state: identify the emotional state of the robot 10 based on the emotion value contained in the state information 232; select a state image 31 from among multiple state images 31 that corresponds to the identified emotional state; and display the selected state image 31 on the display unit 24. This makes it possible to easily grasp the emotional state of the robot 10, which is difficult to confirm from its appearance, by using the state image 31.

[0046] Furthermore, the state information 232 includes a personality value (element E5, personality parameter) that represents the pseudo-personality of the robot 10. The management application 231 instructs the CPU 21 to identify the personality state of the robot 10 based on the personality value included in the state information 232 if it determines that the robot 10 is not in a stimulated state and a specific state image 31 has not been displayed on the display unit 24 after the management application has been launched. The management application 231 instructs the CPU 21 to select a state image 31 that corresponds to the identified personality state from among multiple state images 31, and to display the selected state image 31 on the display unit 24. This makes it possible to easily grasp the personality state of the robot 10, which is difficult to confirm from its appearance, by using the state image 31.

[0047] Furthermore, the animation video of the state image 31 includes an appearance image 311 that represents the appearance of the robot 10. This makes it possible to visually and intuitively show the state of the robot 10 in an easy-to-understand manner.

[0048] Furthermore, the animated video of the state image 31 includes an avatar image 312 that represents the appearance of the user's avatar. This makes it possible to visually and intuitively show the state of communication between the robot 10 and the user in an easy-to-understand manner.

[0049] Furthermore, at least some of the multiple state images 31 include text 313 that describes the state of the robot 10. This makes it possible to show the state of the robot 10 more clearly.

[0050] Furthermore, the management application 231 causes the CPU 21 to execute a process to display the status image 31, and information related to the robot 10 that is different from the status image 31 and is updated according to the robot 10's history, namely the growth days image 32 and the personality image 33, in a predetermined arrangement on the display unit 24, based on the status information 232. By displaying these status image 31, growth days image 32 and personality image 33, which each reflect multiple elements related to the robot 10's state, on the home screen 30, the robot 10's state can be easily and comprehensively understood. In addition, the inclusion of an animated video in the status image 31 makes the robot 10's state visually and intuitively easy to understand.

[0051] Furthermore, the display area of ​​the status image 31 is larger than the display areas of the growth days image 32 and the personality image 33. This makes the status image 31, which includes an animated video, more eye-catching for the user.

[0052] Furthermore, the home screen 30 includes at least one of the following: a growth days image 32 representing the cumulative operating period of the robot 10, and a personality image 33 representing the pseudo-personality of the robot 10. This makes it possible to constantly monitor the growth days and / or personality, which are difficult to confirm from the appearance of the robot 10, from images separate from the status image 31.

[0053] Furthermore, the management application 231 causes the CPU 21 to perform the following processes: display the status image 31, the growth days image 32, and the personality image 33 along with the information mark 34 on the display unit 24; and, when an operation to select the information mark 34 is performed, display the detailed information screen 40 relating to the robot 10's personality (a certain element) on the display unit 24. As a result, the user can grasp detailed information relating to the robot 10's personality in a timely manner by simply selecting the information mark 34.

[0054] Furthermore, the management application 231 causes the CPU 21 to execute the following processes: display the status image 31, the growth days image 32, and the personality image 33 along with the setting button 36 on the display unit 24; and, when the setting button 36 is selected, display the setting screen 50 for configuring the robot 10's operation on the display unit 24. This allows the user to display the setting screen 50 and configure the robot 10's operation with a simple operation of selecting the setting button 36.

[0055] Furthermore, the management application 231 instructs the CPU 21 to repeatedly acquire each element of the state information 232 at a predetermined frequency and to update the home screen 30 based on the latest acquired state information 232. This allows the real-time state of the robot 10 to be reflected on the home screen 30.

[0056] Furthermore, the display control method according to this embodiment makes it possible to easily grasp the status of the robot 10. In addition, the robot management system 1 according to this embodiment, by comprising the robot 10 and the above-described display control device 200, makes it possible to easily grasp the status of the robot 10.

[0057] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible. For example, in the above embodiments, an example was given in which the smartphone 20 displays the home screen 30 by executing various processes according to the management application 231, but it is not limited to this. For example, a server located outside the smartphone 20 (such as the server 60 shown in Figure 1) may control the display unit 24 of the smartphone 20 by transmitting data to the smartphone 20 for displaying the home screen 30 on the display unit 24. In this case, the server's computer executes an information processing method that generates data for the CPU 21, which acts as another computer, to execute the following processes. The above data is "data for causing the CPU 21 (another computer) to execute the following processes: determining whether the robot 10 is in a given state based on state information 232 relating to the state of the robot 10, according to the priority set for each of the multiple states of the robot 10 which belong to different categories, in order from the state with the highest priority among the multiple states; identifying a certain state as the state of the robot 10 when it is first determined that the robot 10 is in a certain state; selecting a state image 31 corresponding to the identified state from among multiple state images 31 representing the above multiple states, each containing an animated video; and displaying the selected state image 31 on the display unit 24." The data may also include data specifying the content and structure of the home screen 30, such as image data or HTML (HyperText Markup Language) data. The data may also include control information for controlling the operation of the display unit 24. The data may also be a program for displaying the home screen 30 on the display unit 24.

[0058] Furthermore, the elements representing the state of the robot 10 are not limited to the elements E1 to E6 exemplified in Figure 6, but may be any elements depending on the intended use of the robot 10. For example, elements such as fatigue level, drowsiness, and physical condition may be set as elements that are updated according to the history of the robot 10, and state images 31 or other images representing these elements may be displayed on the home screen 30.

[0059] Furthermore, the priority order of the robot 10's states is not limited to those shown in Figure 8, and can be changed as appropriate depending on the robot 10's intended use. That is, the CPU 21 may determine whether the robot 10 is in any of the states, starting from the highest priority, according to a set of arbitrarily defined states, and if it determines that the robot 10 is in a certain state, it may display the state image 31 corresponding to that state. The priority order of the states may be changed according to user operation. Also, the CPU 21 may decide which state image 31 to display on the display unit 24, regardless of priority. For example, the CPU 21 may display the state image 31 corresponding to the last state to change among the states shown in Figure 8.

[0060] Furthermore, the animation video of the avatar image 312 in the state image 31 may be omitted. In addition, the text 313 in the state image 31 may also be omitted, and the state image 31 may consist only of the animation video of the appearance image 311.

[0061] Furthermore, while an example has been given of displaying the status image 31 on the display unit 24 of the smartphone 20, the invention is not limited to this. For example, if the robot 10 has a display unit, the home screen 30 (or a part of the home screen 30 including the status image 31) may be displayed on the display unit. In this case, the control related to the display of the home screen 30 may be performed by the CPU 11 of the robot 10, or it may be performed remotely by a processing unit of an external device such as the CPU 21 of the smartphone 20.

[0062] Furthermore, the configuration of robot 10 is not limited to those exemplified in Figures 1 to 3. For example, it may be a robot modeled after a real living creature such as a human, animal, bird, or fish; a robot modeled after a non-existent creature such as a dinosaur; or a robot modeled after a fictional creature.

[0063] Furthermore, although the robot 10 was used as an example of the "target" in the above embodiment, it is not limited to this. The "target" can be anything that is managed by the management application 231. For example, the "target" may be any object whose parameters representing its state change. Alternatively, the "target" may be an avatar that operates on behalf of the user in a virtual space such as the metaverse.

[0064] Furthermore, while the above description discloses an example in which the flash memory of the storage units 13 and 23 is used as a computer-readable medium for the program according to the present invention, the invention is not limited to this example. Other computer-readable mediums that can be used include information recording media such as HDDs (Hard Disk Drives), SSDs (Solid State Drives), and CD-ROMs. Carrier waves can also be used in the present invention as a medium for providing data for the program according to the present invention via a communication line. Of course, the detailed configuration and detailed operation of each component of the robot 10 and smartphone 20 in the above embodiments can be appropriately modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Although embodiments of the present invention have been described, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but includes the scope of the invention as described in the claims and its equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 1…Robot management system (display system), 10…Robot (target), 20…Smartphone, 200…Display control device, 21…CPU (processing unit, processing means), 231…Management application (program), 232…Status information, 24…Display unit, 31…Status image, 32…Growth days image (information), 33…Personality image (information), 233…Previous display information, 311…Appearance image (animated video), 312…Avatar image (animated video)

Claims

1. On the computer, Based on the state information relating to the state of the target, a process is performed to determine whether the target is in a given state, in order from the state with the highest priority among the multiple states of the target, according to the priority set for each of the multiple states of the target which belong to different categories. When it is first determined that the object is in a certain state, a process to identify that state as the state of the object. A process of selecting a state image corresponding to a specified state from among a plurality of state images, each of which includes an animated video, representing a plurality of states. A process to display the selected state image on the display unit. A program that executes the command.

2. To the aforementioned computer, Based on the status information, if it is determined that the target is in a power-off state where the power to the target is turned off, a communication-off state where the target is not connected to a predetermined terminal device, or a function-suppressed state where the target is operating in a predetermined function-suppressed mode, then a process is performed to select a status image from the plurality of status images that corresponds to the determined state among the power-off state, the communication-off state, or the function-suppressed state. A process to display the selected state image on the display unit. The program according to claim 1, which causes to execute.

3. To the aforementioned computer, If it is determined that the state is not one of the above states (power off, communication off, or function suppression), then a process is performed to determine whether the target has received a predetermined stimulus from an external source based on the state information. If it is determined that the subject has received the stimulus, a process is performed to select a state image from among the multiple state images that corresponds to the stimulus received by the subject. A process to display the selected state image on the display unit. The program according to claim 2, which causes the execution of the program.

4. The state information includes emotion parameters that represent the simulated emotions of the subject, To the aforementioned computer, If it is determined that the subject is not in a state of having received the stimulus, a process is performed to identify the emotional state of the subject based on the emotional parameters included in the state information. A process of selecting a state image from among the multiple state images that corresponds to the identified emotional state. A process to display the selected state image on the display unit. The program according to claim 3, which causes the execution of the program.

5. The state information includes personality parameters that represent the pseudo-characteristics of the target, To the aforementioned computer, If it is determined that the target is not in the state of having received the stimulus, and the program for displaying the state image on the display unit has been started but a specific state image has not been displayed on the display unit, then a process is performed to identify the state of the target's personality based on the personality parameters included in the state information. A process of selecting a state image from among the multiple state images that corresponds to the state with the specified characteristics. A process to display the selected state image on the display unit. The program according to claim 4, which causes the execution of the program.

6. To the aforementioned computer, If it is determined that the target has received a predetermined stimulus from an external source based on the state information, the process of selecting a state image from among the multiple state images that corresponds to the stimulus received by the target, A process to display the selected state image on the display unit. The program according to claim 1, which causes to execute.

7. The state information includes emotion parameters that represent the simulated emotions of the subject, To the aforementioned computer, A process for identifying the emotional state of the target based on the emotional parameters included in the state information, From among the multiple state images, select a state image that corresponds to the identified emotional state. A process to display the selected state image on the display unit. The program according to claim 1, which causes to execute.

8. The state information includes personality parameters that represent the pseudo-characteristics of the target, To the aforementioned computer, A process to identify the state of the target's characteristics based on the characteristic parameters included in the state information, From the aforementioned plurality of state images, select a state image that corresponds to the identified state with the aforementioned characteristics. A process to display the selected state image on the display unit. The program according to claim 1, which causes to execute.

9. The aforementioned animation video includes an appearance image representing the appearance of the subject, The program according to claim 1.

10. The aforementioned animated video includes an avatar image representing the appearance of the user's avatar. The program according to claim 9.

11. At least some of the aforementioned state images include text that represents the state of the subject, The program according to claim 1.

12. To the aforementioned computer, A process to display the status image and information relating to the target, which is different from the status image and is updated according to the history of the target, in a predetermined arrangement on the display unit, based on the status information. A program according to any one of claims 1 to 11, which causes the following to be executed.

13. The area of ​​the display area for the state image is larger than the area of ​​the display area for the information. The program according to claim 12.

14. The information includes at least one of the following: information representing the length of the cumulative operating period of the target, and information representing the pseudo-characteristics of the target. The program according to claim 12.

15. To the aforementioned computer, A process of displaying the first indicator image on the display unit along with the state image and the information, When the operation to select the first sign image is performed, a process is performed to display detailed information relating to a certain element of the state of the target on the display unit. The program according to claim 12, which causes to execute.

16. To the aforementioned computer, A process of displaying a second indicator image on the display unit along with the aforementioned state image and information. When the operation to select the second sign image is performed, a process is performed to display a setting screen for setting the operation of the target on the display unit. The program according to claim 12, which causes to execute.

17. To the aforementioned computer, A process that repeatedly acquires the aforementioned state information at a predetermined frequency and updates the state image and the screen containing the information based on the latest acquired state information. The program according to claim 12, which causes to execute.

18. A display control method performed by a computer, Based on the state information relating to the state of the target, and according to the priority set for each of the multiple states of the target that belong to different categories, it is determined whether the target is in the state in question, starting with the state with the highest priority among the multiple states. When it is first determined that the object is in a certain state, that state is identified as the state of the object. From among the multiple state images representing the multiple states, each of which includes an animated video, a state image corresponding to the specified state is selected. The selected state image is displayed on the display unit. Display control method.

19. A method of information processing performed by a computer, Based on the state information relating to the state of the target, a process is performed to determine whether the target is in a given state, in order from the state with the highest priority among the multiple states of the target, according to the priority set for each of the multiple states of the target which belong to different categories. When it is first determined that the object is in a certain state, a process to identify that state as the state of the object. A process of selecting a state image corresponding to a specified state from among a plurality of state images, each of which includes an animated video, representing a plurality of states. A process to display the selected state image on the display unit. An information processing method that generates data to allow another computer to execute a program.

20. The subject and, A display control device having a processing unit, Equipped with, The aforementioned processing unit, Based on the state information relating to the state of the object, according to the priority set for each of the multiple states of the object that belong to different categories, it is determined whether the object is in the state in question, starting with the state with the highest priority among the multiple states. When it is first determined that the object is in a certain state, that state is identified as the state of the object. From among the multiple state images representing the multiple states, each of which includes an animated video, a state image corresponding to the specified state is selected. The selected state image is displayed on the display unit. Display system.

Images