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

Abstract

To make it easy to understand the history of the target's status. [Solution] The program causes the computer to perform the following processes: display period information representing the state of the object during a predetermined period of time on the display unit, based on historical information relating to the history of the object's state; and, if the object is in a sleep state that mimics the sleep of an animal during a certain period, display on the display unit that the object was in a sleep state during that period. The display system comprises an object and a display control device having a processing unit that displays period information representing the state of the object during a predetermined period of time on the display unit, based on historical information relating to the history of the object's state, and the processing unit displays on the display unit that the object was in a sleep state that mimics the sleep of an animal during that period.

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 history of the state from the appearance of the object. [[ID=I36]]

[0005] An object of the present invention is to make it possible to easily grasp the history of 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 display, on a display unit, period information representing the state of the object in a predetermined target period for each target period of a predetermined length, based on history information related to the history of the state of the object; display, on the display unit, that the object was in the sleep state in a certain target period when the object in the certain target period is in a sleep state simulating the sleep of a living thing. perform the processes. ​ [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the history of the target state can be easily grasped. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This diagram shows the configuration of the robot management system. [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 diagram shows the contents of the log. [Figure 5] This is a diagram showing an emotion map. [Figure 6] This is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a smartphone. [Figure 7] This is a diagram showing the contents of the status information. [Figure 8] This is a diagram showing the home screen. [Figure 9] This is a diagram showing the detailed information screen. [Figure 10] This is a diagram showing the interaction record screen. [Figure 11] This flowchart shows the control procedure for the pickup information display process. [Figure 12A] This diagram shows how emotions change when emotion icons are displayed. [Figure 12B] This is a diagram showing emotion icons. [Figure 13] This diagram explains how the emotion icons to be displayed are determined. [Figure 14] This is a flowchart showing the control procedure for displaying emotion icons. [Figure 15] This diagram illustrates the display operation of timeline information related to sleep status. [Figure 16] This diagram illustrates the display operation of timeline information related to difficulty falling asleep. [Figure 17]It is a flowchart showing the control procedure of the timeline display process. [Figure 18] It is a diagram showing a state where an evaluation screen is displayed on the home screen. [Figure 19] It is a flowchart showing the control procedure of the evaluation screen display process.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figure 1, the robot management system 1 (display system) comprises a robot 10 (target), a smartphone 20 (terminal device), and a server 60. The robot 10 comprises 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 multiple different actions that mimic the gestures of living creatures. The exterior 110 is made of a flexible material and deforms according to the movement of the main body 100. The exterior 110 has, for example, fur made of pile fabric or decorative members that mimic eyes. The smartphone 20 can communicate with the robot 10 via short-range wireless communication. In this embodiment, BLE (Bluetooth® Low Energy) is used as the short-range wireless communication. However, other types of short-range wireless communication may be used. The robot 10 and the smartphone 20 operate in cooperation by communicating and transmitting / receiving data via BLE. For example, the smartphone 20 acquires status information 232 (see Figures 6 and 7) relating to the latest state of the robot 10 from the robot 10. Based on this status information 232, the smartphone 20 displays a home screen (see Figure 8) containing various information relating to the state of the robot 10 on the display unit 24 using a management application 231 (program) (see Figure 6) used to manage the target robot 10. The smartphone 20 also acquires logs 133 (see Figures 3 and 4) generated by the robot 10 from the robot 10 and stores them in a log DB (database) 233 (see Figure 6). Logs 133 and log DB 233 are a form of history information relating to the state history of the robot 10. Based on log DB 233, the smartphone 20 displays an interaction record screen 40 (see Figure 10) containing various information relating to the state history of the robot 10 on the display unit 24 using the management application 231. It may be possible to link two or more robots 10 to one smartphone 20. Instead of a smartphone 20, other types of devices such as a tablet, smartwatch, laptop, or 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 the log 133 acquired from the robot 10 to the server 60. The log 133 stored in the server 60 is referred to, for example, as a backup of the log 133.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 2, the main body 100 of the robot 10 includes a head 101, a body portion 103, and a connecting portion 102 that connects the head 101 and the body portion 103. The main body 100 has a drive unit 16 for moving the head 101 relative to the body portion 103. The drive unit 16 includes a torsion motor 161 and a vertical movement motor 162. The torsion motor 161 is a servo motor that rotates the head 101 and the connecting portion 102 within a predetermined angular range about a first rotation axis 161a extending in the extending direction of the connecting portion 102. By the operation of the torsion motor 161, a movement in which the robot 10 twists its head 101 is realized. The vertical movement motor 162 is a servo motor that rotates the head 101 within a predetermined angular range about a second rotation axis 162a perpendicular to the first rotation axis 161a. By the vertical movement motor 162, a movement in which the robot 10 moves 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 torsion of the head 101 by the torsion motor 161. By operating the torsion motor 161 and / or the vertical movement motor 162 finely and periodically, a movement in which the robot 10 rocks or trembles its head 101 is realized. By appropriately changing and combining the timing, magnitude, and speed of the operations of the torsion motor 161 and the vertical movement motor 162, the robot 10 can be made to perform various operations, such as a happy operation, a surprised operation, a breathing operation simulating the breathing of a living thing, etc. Among these, the breathing operation is an aspect of the spontaneous operation by the robot 10.

[0011] As shown in Figure 2, the main body 100 includes a touch sensor 171, an acceleration sensor 172, a gyro sensor 173, an illuminance sensor 174, a microphone 175, a sound output unit 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 side of the body 103, respectively. The acceleration sensor 172, gyro sensor 173, and power receiving coil 193 are provided near the bottom surface of the body 103. The illuminance sensor 174 and the sound output unit 15 are provided on the upper part of the body 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. The data stored in the memory unit 13 includes operation setting data 132 and logs 133 containing information related to the history of the robot 10. The operation setting data 132 contains settings for communication actions performed by the robot 10 according 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 actions 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] Log 133 is generated by the CPU 11 at predetermined recording periods and stored in the storage unit 13. Log 133 includes information relating to the history of the robot 10 during each recording period. In this embodiment, the recording period is 30 minutes. However, if a special process that may prevent the generation of log 133 is executed at the timing of log 133 generation every 30 minutes, log 133 is generated at the timing before the start of the special process. In this case, the recording period will be less than 30 minutes. As shown in Figure 4, log 133 generated in one log saving includes the robot ID 71, log generation date and time 72, log 133 recording period 73, sleep information 74, emotion parameters 75, personality parameters 76, stimulus count information 77, action count information 78, etc. The robot ID 71 is a unique code assigned to the robot 10. The log generation date and time 72 is the date and time (hours, minutes, seconds) when the log 133 was generated. The recording period 73 represents the length of time during which the history reflected in the log 133 was recorded. As mentioned above, the recording period 73 is usually 30 minutes, but may be less than 30 minutes. The sleep information 74 includes information on the length of time during the recording period 73 that the robot 10 was in a sleep mode that mimics the sleep of a living creature, and information on the number of times it entered sleep mode. The robot 10 maintains a sleepiness parameter that indicates drowsiness in response to the surrounding environment (illumination, etc.) and external stimuli, and enters sleep mode when this sleepiness parameter exceeds a predetermined value.

[0015] The emotion parameter 75 represents the simulated emotional history of robot 10. The emotion parameter 75 consists of "emotion value (X)" and "emotion value (Y)" (hereinafter collectively referred to as "emotion value") that represent the emotions of robot 10 at a predetermined point in time (for example, the start of the recording period) within the recording period of log 133. 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 5. "Emotion value (X)" is the position of the plot in the X-axis direction, where 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, where 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, which has a side length of 400. The emotion region R of the emotion map is divided into multiple regions R1 to R9, each corresponding to a different emotion. Regions R1 to R9 are square regions arranged in a 3x3 matrix. Regions R1 to R9 each represent a certain emotion of robot 10. Region R1, which satisfies -200≦X≦-67 and 67≦Y≦200, represents the emotion of "irritation". Region R2, which satisfies -66≦X≦66 and 67≦Y≦200, represents the emotion of "excitement". Region R3, which satisfies 67≦X≦200 and 67≦Y≦200, represents the emotion of "joy". Region R4, which satisfies -200≦X≦-67 and -66≦Y≦66, represents the emotion of "anxiety". Region R5, which satisfies -66≦X≦66 and -66≦Y≦66, represents the emotion of "normal". Region R6, satisfying 67≦X≦200 and -66≦Y≦66, represents the emotion of "relief". 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 types of emotions excluding "normal", are further divided into 10 level regions ("Lv1" to "Lv10"), each representing a 10-level emotional intensity.In each of the regions R1-R4 and R6-R9, lower-level regions are located closer to the "normal" region R5, and higher-level regions are located further away from the "normal" region R5. Below, the emotional state of robot 10 may be described by combining the type and level of emotion, such as "Relaxation Lv10". Of the nine types of emotions, four—"excitement," "joy," "relief," and "peace"—are positioned as positive emotions. The length of one side of the emotional region R and regions R1-R9 may increase within a certain range as robot 10 grows. For example, the 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 emotion value in a single instance 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".

[0016] The personality parameters 76 shown in Figure 4 represent the simulated personality history of the robot 10. The personality parameters 76 represent the personality of the robot 10 at a predetermined point in time during the recording period of the log 133 (for example, at the start of the recording period). The personality parameters 76 consist 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 in 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 in the emotion map, i.e., the ease of becoming 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 in the emotion map, i.e., the ease of becoming excited. The "Personality Value (Clingy)" 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". In this way, the four personality values ​​represent the degree of four personalities. 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 4, the "Personality Value (Cheerful)" is the largest at "7", so the personality of robot 10 at this time is "Cheerful". 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 "Clingy".

[0017] The stimulus count information 77 represents the number of times the robot 10 received a predetermined stimulus (external stimulus) from the outside during the logging period. In Figure 4, examples of stimulus count information 77 include the number of times a voice was detected, the number of times the head was stroked, the number of times the body was stroked, and the number of times the robot was picked up. External stimuli are not limited to these and may include, for example, "loud noises," "being upside down," and "swinging." External stimuli related to sound, such as "voices" and "loud noises," are detected based on the detection data of the microphone 175. External stimuli related to contact, such as "being stroked" 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 upside down," and "swinging," are detected based on the detection data of the acceleration sensor 172 and the gyro sensor 173. The action count information 78 represents the number of times the robot 10 performed a predetermined action during the logging period. In Figure 4, examples of action count information 78 include the number of times the automatically generated actions and communication actions described above were performed. The log 133 in Figure 4 is an example and can be changed as appropriate. For example, the log 133 may record the number of times the robot 10 transitions to the taming mode when it becomes attached to the user, the number of times it receives stimulation from the user in taming mode, and the number of times it performs a predetermined action in taming mode.

[0018] Thus, Log 133 is not a sequential record of the robot 10's state, actions, and stimuli received in chronological order, but rather a format in which the robot's state, actions, and stimuli received during a certain logging period are summarized and presented for each item as statistical values ​​(number of occurrences, frequency, duration, etc.) and representative values ​​(emotional value, personality value, etc.). In other words, Log 133 is a package format that summarizes the history of the robot 10 during the logging period into a predetermined number of items. This significantly reduces the amount of data in Log 133 compared to a sequential recording format.

[0019] The control unit 14 shown in Figure 3 includes control 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 control buttons and knobs. The sound output unit 15 includes a speaker and outputs sound with pitch (height), length, and volume corresponding to the control signals and sound data transmitted from the CPU 11. The sound may be a sound that imitates the sounds of living creatures. The drive unit 16 operates the above-mentioned twist motor 161 and up-down motor 162 according to the control signals transmitted from the CPU 11.

[0020] 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.

[0021] 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.

[0022] As shown in Figure 6, 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.

[0023] 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 log DB 233 (history information), etc.

[0024] As shown in Figure 7, the status information 232 includes data related to each of the elements E1 to E6 that represent the latest state of the robot 10. More specifically, the status information 232 includes data representing the content 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 the "sleep mode" described above. "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 an operation to instruct the transition to deep sleep mode is made on a settings screen (not shown). Element E2 is "external stimuli" and represents the type of stimulus that the robot 10 has received from the outside. Element E3 is the "battery level" of the battery 191. "Battery level" is expressed as a percentage with a full charge being 100%. "Battery level" is detected by the remaining charge detection unit 192. Element E4 is the latest emotion value of robot 10. Element E5 is the latest personality value of robot 10. Element E6 is "training days" and represents the number of days (cumulative operating period) calculated from the day robot 10 was first activated. Of elements E1 to E6, elements E1, E2, and E4 to E6 are one form of elements (information) that are updated according to the history of robot 10.

[0025] 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.

[0026] The log DB233 shown in Figure 6 stores the logs 133 acquired from the robot 10. When the robot 10 and the smartphone 20 are communicating via BLE, the logs 133 generated by the robot 10 every 30 minutes are sequentially sent to the smartphone 20. Separately, if a user performs an operation on the management application 231 to instruct the acquisition of logs 133, the CPU 21 of the smartphone 20 sends a request to the robot 10 to transfer logs 133 and acquires logs 133 from the robot 10. The CPU 21 also transfers the logs 133 acquired from the robot 10 to the server 60. Therefore, the server 60 stores data with the same content as the log DB233 (hereinafter referred to as the backup log). At a predetermined timing, the CPU 21 determines whether the log DB233 in the storage unit 23 and the backup log stored in the server 60 match, and if they do not match, it acquires the backup log from the server 60 and corrects the contents of the log DB233. The predetermined timing may be, for example, the timing at which the display of the home screen 30 and the interaction record screen 40, described later, is updated.

[0027] 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.

[0028] 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. When the management application 231 is started, the CPU 21 acquires each element of the status information 232 from the robot 10 and displays the home screen 30 shown in Figure 8 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 CPU 21 also acquires elements E1 to E6 of the status information 232 from the robot 10 at the frequencies described above and updates the status information 232, updating the home screen 30 based on the latest status information 232. The home screen 30 displays a status image 31, a growth day image 32, a personality image 33, an information mark 34, a battery level image 35, a settings button 36, a menu mark M, and a tab bar T in a predetermined arrangement. The letter "A" in Figure 8 is the name assigned to the robot 10 by the user on the management application 231. The status image 31, growth day image 32, personality image 33, and battery level image 35 represent the status of the robot 10. 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.

[0029] The 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 robot 10's state based on its appearance. The appearance image 311 reflects the actual appearance of the robot 10, for example, the color of its 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 status image 31 also includes text 313 that represents a certain element of the robot 10's state. The text 313 is displayed, for example, above the appearance image 311 and the avatar image 312. The state of the robot 10 represented by the state image 31 includes one of the following: whether or not the robot 10 is powered on, whether or not the robot 10 and the smartphone 20 are in communication, 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. Below the state image 31 on the home screen 30, the growth days image 32, personality image 33, information mark 34, battery level image 35, and setting button 36 are displayed in a predetermined arrangement. The numerical value of growth days included in the growth days image 32 is determined based on element E6 of the state information 232. The personality image 33 displays the personality corresponding to the largest of the four personality values ​​of element E5 of the state information 232. The information mark 34 is a symbol 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 37 shown in Figure 9 on the display unit 24. The detailed information screen 37 includes detailed information related to the robot 10's personality. The detailed information screen 37 displays the robot 10's personality 371 at that time, a graph 372 that shows the personality values ​​of each of the four personality types in 11 stages from "0" to "10", and a button 373 to close the detailed information screen 37. The battery level image 35 shown in Figure 8 is an image that shows the battery level of the battery 191 in three stages.When the setting button 36 is selected, the CPU 21 displays a settings screen (not shown) for configuring the operation of the robot 10 on the display unit 24. On the settings screen, the user can adjust the volume of the sound (crying) output from the sound output unit 15 of the robot 10, set the robot 10 to enter deep sleep mode, and update the firmware of the robot 10. The menu mark M is displayed in the upper left corner of the home screen 30. When the menu mark M is selected, the CPU 21 displays a menu screen (not shown) on the display unit 24. From the menu screen, the user can further access screens for editing their profile, a list of linked robots 10, a screen for registering (linking) a new robot 10, and a screen displaying information such as the version of the management application 231. A tab bar T is displayed at the bottom of the home screen 30. The tab bar T displays a home icon Ta for displaying the home screen 30 and an interaction record icon Tb for displaying the interaction record screen 40. When the interaction record icon Tb 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 40 shown in Figure 10.

[0030] The interaction record screen 40 displays various information related to the history of interactions between the robot 10 and the user. The interaction record screen 40 includes a date selection section 41, pickup information 42 (change information), a graph area 43, a timeline 44, a menu mark M, and a tab bar T. The function of the menu mark M is the same as the function of the menu mark M in the home screen 30 of Figure 8. The configuration of the tab bar T is also the same as the configuration of the tab bar T in the home screen 30. When the home icon Ta is selected in the tab bar T of the interaction record screen 40, the CPU 21 transitions the display in the display unit 24 from the interaction record screen 40 to the home screen 30. The date selection section 41 includes a group of icons for selecting a date. When the user selects a date in the date selection section 41, the CPU 21 displays information related to the interaction history for the selected date on the interaction record screen 40. The date selection section 41 shown in Figure 10 includes icons for selecting the year and month, icons for selecting the day of the week and day, and an icon for selecting today (the current day).

[0031] The pickup information 42 displays characteristic changes that have occurred in the robot 10 during a recent period. In this embodiment, the period is the previous day. Based on the latest log DB 233, the CPU 21 determines whether a change satisfying predetermined change conditions (predetermined conditions) has occurred in the state of the robot 10 on the previous day. If it determines that a change satisfying the change conditions has occurred, it displays the pickup information 42 on the display unit 24 as change information indicating that the change occurred on the previous day. The pickup information 42 displays changes in the robot 10's emotions or personality.

[0032] The CPU 21 displays pickup information 42 on the display unit 24 that represents the change in emotion on the previous day if a change that satisfies the change condition occurs in the emotion parameter 75 of multiple logs 133 recorded on the previous day in the log DB 233. Specifically, the CPU 21 determines that the above change condition is met if, on the previous day, the level of the emotion parameter 75 representing any of the positive emotions ("excitement," "joy," "relief," or "peace") increased by a standard range or more (in this embodiment, 3 levels or more). For example, the CPU 21 determines that the change condition is met if the difference between the minimum and maximum levels of any positive emotion on the previous day is greater than or equal to the standard range, and the timing of the maximum level is later than the timing of the minimum level. Alternatively, the CPU 21 may determine that the change condition is met if the level of any positive emotion at the end of the previous day is greater than or equal to the standard range than the level of any positive emotion at the start of the previous day. The CPU 21 then displays pickup information 42 that represents the change in emotion on the previous day that increased by 3 levels or more. For example, if the emotion of "joy" increased by 3 levels or more on the previous day, the CPU 21 displays a pick-up information 42 with the content "There was a happy moment." If the increase in the levels of two or more emotions is the same, the CPU 21 randomly selects one emotion from those two or more emotions and displays the pick-up information 42. Multiple different pick-up information 42s are pre-associated with each emotion and stored in the memory unit 13. If the same emotion is selected as the target for displaying the pick-up information 42 for two or more consecutive days, the CPU 21 changes the content of the pick-up information 42 so that the same content of the pick-up information 42 is not displayed for two consecutive days.

[0033] The CPU 21 displays pickup information 42 on the display unit 24 that represents the change in personality on the previous day if a change satisfying the change condition occurs in the personality parameters 76 of multiple logs 133 recorded on the previous day in the log DB 233. Specifically, the CPU 21 determines that the above change condition is met if any of the four personality values ​​of the personality parameter 76 increased by a reference value or more (3 or more in this embodiment) on the previous day. For example, the CPU 21 determines that the change condition is met if, for any personality on the previous day, the difference between the minimum and maximum values ​​of the personality value is greater than or equal to the reference value, and the timing of the maximum value is later than the timing of the minimum value. Alternatively, the CPU 21 may determine that the change condition is met if, for any personality, the personality value at the end of the previous day is greater than or equal to the reference value than the personality value at the start of the previous day. The CPU 21 then displays pickup information 42 on the display unit 24 that represents the change in personality on the previous day corresponding to the personality value that increased by a reference value or more. For example, if the "Personality Value (Cheerful)" increased by 3 or more on the previous day, the CPU 21 displays a pickup information 42 with the message "You've become a little more cheerful," as shown in Figure 10. If the increase in personality values ​​for two or more personalities is the same, the CPU 21 randomly selects one of those two or more personalities and displays the pickup information 42 for that personality. Multiple different pickup information 42s are pre-associated with each personality and stored in the memory unit 13. If the same personality is selected as the target for displaying pickup information 42 for two or more consecutive days, the CPU 21 changes the content of the pickup information 42 so that the same content of pickup information 42 is not displayed for two consecutive days.

[0034] If, on the previous day, there was an emotion that increased by 3 levels or more, and a personality whose personality value increased by 3 or more, the CPU 21 prioritizes displaying the emotion's pickup information 42. However, it may also prioritize displaying the personality's pickup information 42. If there is no emotion that increased by 3 levels or more, and no personality whose personality value increased by 3 or more, the CPU 21 displays the pickup information 42 of the emotion or personality with the larger increase. If the increase is the same, the emotion is prioritized. If, on the previous day, the total recording period of log 133 is less than a predetermined lower limit (for example, less than 1 hour), or if there is no change in emotion or personality, the CPU 21 displays pickup information 42 indicating that there were no special notes.

[0035] Next, referring to Figure 11, the pickup information display process executed by the CPU 21 to display the pickup information 42 will be described. The pickup information display process is started when the interaction record screen 40 is to be displayed after the management application 231 has been launched. When the pickup information display process is started, the CPU 21 determines whether or not the pickup information 42 has already been displayed after the management application 231 has been launched (step S101). If it is determined that the pickup information 42 has already been displayed ("YES" in step S101), the CPU 21 determines whether or not the date has changed (step S102). If it is determined that the date has changed ("YES" in step S102), or if it is determined that the pickup information 42 has not yet been displayed after the management application 231 has been launched ("NO" in step S101), the CPU 21 retrieves the previous day's log 133 from the log DB 233 (step S103). The CPU 21 determines whether the total recording period of the log 133 for the previous day is 1 hour or more (step S104). If it is determined that the total recording period of the log 133 is 1 hour or more ("YES" in step S104), the CPU 21 determines whether the level of any positive emotion increased by 3 levels or more during the entire recording period of the log 133 for the previous day (step S105). Here, the CPU 21 determines that the level of any positive emotion increased by 3 levels or more if the difference between the minimum and maximum levels of any positive emotion on the previous day is 3 levels or more, and the timing of the maximum level is later than the timing of the minimum level. If it is determined that the level of any positive emotion increased by 3 levels or more ("YES" in step S105), the CPU 21 displays the pickup information 42 regarding that emotion change on the display unit 24 (step S106). If it is determined that no emotion has increased by 3 levels or more ("NO" in step S105), the CPU 21 determines whether the personality value of any personality increased by 3 or more during the entire recording period of the previous day's log 133 (step S107).Here, the CPU 21 determines that the personality value of any personality has increased by 3 or more if the difference between the minimum and maximum values ​​of any personality value on the previous day is 3 or more, and the time when the maximum value occurred is later than the time when the minimum value occurred. If it is determined that the personality value of any personality has increased by 3 or more ("YES" in step S107), the CPU 21 displays the pickup information 42 regarding the change in that personality on the display unit 24 (step S108). If it is determined that no personality has increased by 3 or more ("NO" in step S107), the CPU 21 determines whether the level of emotion or the personality value increased during the entire recording period of the log 133 on the previous day (step S109). If it is determined that the level of emotion or the personality value has increased ("YES" in step S109), the CPU 21 displays the pickup information 42 regarding the larger of the two increases, the level of emotion or the personality value, on the display unit 24 (step S110). If it is determined that neither the emotional level nor the personality value has increased ("NO" in step S109), or if it is determined in step S104 that the total recording period of the previous day's log 133 is less than 1 hour ("NO" in step S104), the CPU 21 displays pickup information 42 on the display unit 24 indicating that there are no special notes (step S111). When any of steps S106, S108, S110, or S111 is completed, or if it is determined in step S102 that the date has not changed ("NO" in step S102), the CPU 21 determines whether or not to terminate the management application 231 according to the user's operation (step S112). If the CPU 21 does not terminate the management application 231 ("NO" in step S112), it returns to step S102, and if it terminates the management application 231 ("YES" in step S112), it terminates the pickup information display process.

[0036] In the interaction record screen 40 shown in Figure 10, the graph area 43 displays coordinate axes 431 representing the passage of time, a graph 432 representing the changes in the robot 10's emotions over a day, and emotion icons 433 (indicators). The value in graph 432 at each time point is the sum of the emotion values ​​(X) and emotion values ​​(Y) of the emotion parameter 75 in log 133 of log DB 233 if their signs are the same, and the larger value if their signs are different. However, since the emotion values ​​of the emotion parameter 75 are recorded in log DB 233 at discrete timings for each recording period of log 133, graph 432 is shaped to smooth out these corresponding discrete values ​​by connecting them.

[0037] The emotion icon 433 is an indicator that shows when the robot 10's emotion changes from a certain emotion (a certain state, a certain emotion) to one of the positive emotions (a predetermined state, a predetermined emotion). The emotion icon 433 is displayed on the coordinate axis 431 at a position corresponding to the timing of the change in the robot 10's emotion from a certain emotion to one of the positive emotions. The timing of the change is the moment when the robot 10's emotion changes from a certain emotion to one of the emotions "excitement," "joy," "relief," or "calm," as shown by the arrow in Figure 12A. More specifically, the timing of the change is the moment when the emotion value of the emotion parameter 75 changes from a coordinate within a certain region among the multiple regions R1 to R9 of the emotion map to a coordinate within regions R2, R3, R6, and R9, which correspond to "excitement," "joy," "relief," or "calm." A change from one positive emotion to another is also identified as a timing of the change. In the graph region 43, the emotion icon 433 corresponding to the changed emotion shown in Figure 12B is displayed at a position corresponding to the timing of the change. Furthermore, the emotion icon 433 is displayed only when the level of emotion after the change is above a predetermined standard (in this embodiment, level 7 or higher). In the example shown in Figure 10, one emotion icon 433a representing "excitement," one emotion icon 433b representing "joy," one emotion icon 433c representing "relief," and one emotion icon 433d representing "peace" are displayed.

[0038] Referring to Figure 13, a specific example will be given to explain how to determine the emotion icon 433 to display. Figure 13 shows the recording periods (La to Ld) of four logs 133 and the emotions corresponding to the emotion parameter 75 in each log 133. For convenience, in the following, log 133 with a recording period of "Lx" will be referred to as "log Lx". In Figure 13, logs La and Lb are consecutive, and the emotion of "joy" in log La changes to the emotion of "excitement" in log Lb. Therefore, if the emotion of "excitement" in log Lb is level 7 or higher, the start timing of log Lb is determined as the change timing. Then, the emotion icon 433a representing "excitement" is displayed at the position corresponding to the start timing of log Lb. When determining the emotion icon 433 based on logs La and Lb, the recording period of log La corresponds to the "first period" and log La corresponds to the "first history information", the recording period of log Lb corresponds to the "second period" and log Lb corresponds to the "second history information". Furthermore, the log Lc following log Lb is assumed to be "joy" with an emotion level of 7 or higher. In this case, the emotion in log Lc changes from "excitement" to "joy," and since the changed emotion is a positive emotion and level 7 or higher, the start timing of log Lc is determined as the change timing. Therefore, the emotion icon 433b representing "joy" is displayed at the position corresponding to that timing. When determining the emotion icon 433 based on log Lb and log Lc, the recording period of log Lb corresponds to the "first period," log Lb corresponds to the "first history information," the recording period of log Lc corresponds to the "second period," and log Lc corresponds to the "second history information." If there is a gap between the recording period of a certain log Ly and the recording period of the next log Lz, the start timing of log Lz is determined as the change timing only if the time between the end of log Ly and the start of log Lz is within a predetermined time (within 30 minutes in this embodiment). That is, the emotion icon 433 is displayed at the start timing of log Lz. In the example shown in Figure 13, since the time between the end of log Lb and the start of log Lc is less than 30 minutes, the emotion icon 433b is displayed at the position corresponding to the start time of log Lc.On the other hand, since the time between the end of log Lc and the start of the next log Ld is longer than 30 minutes, even if the display conditions for other emotion icons 433 are met, emotion icon 433 will not be displayed at the position corresponding to the start time of log Ld.

[0039] Furthermore, the emotion icon 433 may be displayed regardless of the level of emotion after the change. Also, the emotion icon 433 may be displayed at any point in time when the emotion changes, not just to positive emotions. Alternatively, instead of the emotion icon 433, an indicator representing the timing when another state of the robot 10 (for example, personality or operating mode) changes from one state to a predetermined state may be displayed in the graph area 43.

[0040] Next, with reference to Figure 14, the emotion icon display process performed by the CPU 21 to display the emotion icon 433 will be described. The emotion icon display process is started when the interaction record screen 40 is displayed after the management application 231 is launched. When the emotion icon display process is started, the CPU 21 determines whether or not a new log 133 has been acquired from the robot 10 (step S201). If it is determined that log 133 has been acquired ("YES" in step S201), the CPU 21 determines whether or not the time interval between the previous log 133 and the acquired log 133 is within a predetermined time (within 30 minutes in this embodiment) (i.e., whether or not the time between the end of the previous log 133 and the start of the acquired log 133 is within a predetermined time) (step S202). If the CPU determines that the time interval with the previous log 133 is within a predetermined time (YES in step S202), the CPU 21 determines whether the emotion corresponding to the emotion parameter 75 in the previous log 133 is different from the emotion corresponding to the emotion parameter 75 in the newly acquired log 133 (step S203). If the CPU determines that the emotion in the previous log 133 is different from the emotion in the current log 133 (YES in step S203), the CPU 21 determines whether the emotion in the current log 133 is a positive emotion (step S204). If the CPU determines that the emotion in the current log 133 is a positive emotion (YES in step S204), the CPU 21 determines whether the level of the emotion in the current log 133 is above a predetermined standard (level 7 or higher in this embodiment) (step S205). If the CPU determines that the emotional level is above a predetermined standard ("YES" in step S205), the CPU 21 determines the start timing of the current log 133 as the change timing and displays an emotional icon 433 representing the emotional state of the current log 133 at the position in the graph area 43 corresponding to that timing (step S206). When step S206 is completed, or when the branch to "NO" occurs in any of steps S201 to S205, the CPU 21 determines whether or not to terminate the management application 231 in response to the user's operation (step S207).If the CPU 21 does not terminate the management application 231 ("NO" in step S207), it returns to step S201. If the CPU 21 terminates the management application 231 ("YES" in step S207), it terminates the emotion icon display process.

[0041] In the interaction record screen 40 shown in Figure 10, the timeline 44 displays timeline information 441 (period information) representing the typical state of the robot 10 during a predetermined period, based on the log DB 233. In this embodiment, the predetermined period is a one-hour time period from one hour on the hour to the next. The timeline information 441 is one of the following four types: The first type is timeline information 441 relating to the sleep state of the robot 10 during that time period (for example, timeline information 441a in Figure 10). The second type is timeline information 441 relating to spontaneous actions performed by the robot 10 during that time period (for example, timeline information 441b in Figure 10). The third type is timeline information 441 relating to external stimuli received by the robot 10 through communication with the user during that time (for example, timeline information 441c in Figure 10). The fourth type is timeline information 441 relating to the emotions of the robot 10 (for example, timeline information 441d in Figure 10). The number of timeline information 441 displayed for a given time period is a maximum of one for each type, and therefore a maximum of four in total. Two or more different timeline information 441 corresponding to the same state of the robot 10 are pre-generated and stored in the memory unit 13. The CPU 21 selects the content of the timeline information 441 so that the timeline information 441 displayed for two consecutive time periods are not the same. In cases where no state corresponding to the above four types is detected based on the log 133 corresponding to a given time period, or where there has been no change from the state in the previous time period, no timeline information 441 may be displayed for a given time period. Each timeline information 441 represents the state of the robot 10 during a one-hour time period starting from the time displayed in the frame. For example, the timeline information 441 displayed as "11:00" represents the state of the robot 10 during the time period from 11:00 to 12:00. Timeline 44 is updated once every hour.

[0042] The content of timeline information 441 for a given time period is determined based on log 133 in log DB 233 that corresponds to that time period. Log 133 whose recording period spans the top of the hour is treated as log 133 corresponding to a time period in which more than half of the recording period is contained. For example, in Figure 15, the recording period of log Lf spans 11 o'clock, but since more than half of the recording period is contained in the time period from 10 o'clock to 11 o'clock, log Lf is treated as log 133 corresponding to the time period from 10 o'clock to 11 o'clock. Therefore, in the example shown in Figure 15, the content of timeline information 441 for the time period from 10 o'clock to 11 o'clock is determined based on log Le and log Lf. Also, the content of timeline information 441 for the time period from 11 o'clock to 12 o'clock is determined based on log Lg and log Lh. The timeline information 441 for a given time period is displayed after the end of the recording period of log 133 corresponding to that time period.

[0043] To display timeline information 441 related to sleep states, the CPU 21 identifies the sleep period during which the robot 10 was in a sleep state (sleep mode) based on the sleep information 74 of each log 133 in the log DB 233. The CPU 21 determines that the representative state of the robot 10 during a given time period is a sleep state if the length of the sleep period during the recording period of a log 133 corresponding to a certain time period in the log DB 233 satisfies a predetermined sleep time condition (predetermined condition). In this embodiment, the CPU 21 determines that the sleep time condition is met if 50 minutes or more of the recording period of a log 133 corresponding to a certain time period is a sleep period. For example, in Figure 15, logs Le and Lf corresponding to the time period from 10:00 to 11:00 have a total recording period P10 of 50 minutes or more that is a sleep period, so the representative state for that time period is determined to be a sleep state. In Figure 15, the sleep period is represented by a white bar, and the wakefulness period (period of being awake) is represented by a black bar. Furthermore, for logs Lg and Lh corresponding to the time period from 11:00 to 12:00, more than 50 minutes (in this case, the entirety) of their total recording period P11 is considered a sleep period, so the representative state for that time period is determined to be a sleep state. When the representative state of the robot 10 during a certain time period is a sleep state, the CPU 21 displays timeline information 441 on the display unit 24 indicating that the robot 10 was in a sleep state during that time period. More specifically, if the robot 10 received an external stimulus during the recording period of log 133 corresponding to that time period, the CPU 21 displays timeline information 441 on the display unit 24 including the robot 10's response to the external stimulus while sleeping. For example, in the recording period P11 of log 133 corresponding to the time period from 11:00 to 12:00 in Figure 15, it is recorded that the robot 10 received an external stimulus while in a sleep state. In this case, the CPU 21 displays timeline information 441a representing the sleep action in response to the external stimulus during sleep, as shown in Figure 10, for example. The action during sleep could, for example, involve the robot 10 dreaming due to external stimuli during sleep.On the other hand, if the robot 10 is not receiving external stimuli while in a sleep state, as in the time period from 10:00 to 11:00 in Figure 15, the CPU 21 displays timeline information 441 indicating that it was in a normal sleep state. Alternatively, instead of determining whether the sleep duration condition is met based on the length of the sleep period in the recording period of the log 133 corresponding to a certain time period, the determination may be made based on the proportion of the sleep period in that recording period.

[0044] The timeline information 441 related to sleep states includes not only information about the length of sleep but also information about the number of times the robot entered a sleep state (sleep mode). The CPU 21 determines that the representative state of the robot 10 during a given time period is "unable to fall asleep" if the number of times the robot 10 entered a sleep state during the recording period of log 133 corresponding to a certain time period is greater than or equal to a predetermined number (in this embodiment, 4 times or more). The CPU 21 then displays timeline information 441 (for example, "seems to have dozed off") indicating that the robot 10 was in an unable to fall asleep state during that time period on the display unit 24. In the example shown in Figure 16, the robot 10 entered a sleep state 4 times during the recording period P12 of log Li and log Lj corresponding to the time period from 12:00 to 13:00, so the CPU 21 determines that the representative state of the robot 10 during that time period is "unable to fall asleep". On the other hand, during the recording period P13 for logs Lk and Ll, which corresponds to the time period from 13:00 to 14:00, robot 10 entered a sleep state three times, and the sleep period during recording period P13 was less than 50 minutes. Therefore, CPU 21 determines that the typical state of robot 10 during that time period is neither "unable to fall asleep" nor "sleeping."

[0045] To display timeline information 441 related to external stimuli received through communication with the user, the CPU 21 refers to the stimulus count information 77 for each log 133 in the log DB 233. If the robot 10 received a predetermined external stimulus during the recording period of the log 133 corresponding to a certain time period, the CPU 21 displays timeline information 441 on the display unit 24 indicating that the robot 10 received an external stimulus during that time period. Furthermore, if there is a history of receiving multiple different types of external stimuli during the recording period, the CPU 21 selects a certain external stimulus from among the multiple types of external stimuli according to a predetermined priority order related to the external stimuli, and displays timeline information 441 indicating that the selected external stimulus was received. For example, if there is a history of receiving a certain external stimulus from among multiple types of external stimuli more than a predetermined number of times, the CPU 21 displays timeline information 441 indicating that the robot 10 received that external stimulus. Furthermore, the CPU 21 displays timeline information 441 representing the external stimulus that was received the most times among the multiple types of external stimuli. Furthermore, the priority order of all detectable external stimuli may be predetermined, and timeline information 441 representing the external stimulus with the highest priority among multiple types of external stimuli received during the recording period of log 133 corresponding to a certain time period may be displayed. In addition, if the CPU 21 finds that among multiple types of external stimuli, an external stimulus consisting of a predetermined positive communication is included, timeline information 441 indicating that the robot 10 received that positive communication. Positive communication may include, for example, being petted on the head, being petted on the body, being swung from side to side, being picked up, etc. For predetermined communication, one instance may be counted for every two or more predetermined number of communications. For example, for "petting," which tends to occur many times, one instance may be counted for every three pettings. In the example shown in Figure 10, timeline information 441c indicating that the robot 10 was petted on the head is displayed, reflecting the fact that the number of head-petting communications was the highest during the time period from 14:00 to 15:00.

[0046] If the emotions of the robot 10 during the recording period of log 133 corresponding to a certain time period satisfy predetermined display conditions for displaying timeline information 441, the CPU 21 displays timeline information 441 related to the emotions of the robot 10 for that time period. For example, if the display conditions for the emotion icon 433 are met as shown in Figure 13, the CPU 21 determines that the display conditions for timeline information 441 are also met, and displays timeline information 441 related to the emotions of the robot 10 for that time period. If there are multiple changes in emotions during a certain time period, the CPU 21 may display timeline information 441 representing the emotions after the first change in emotions. Furthermore, even if there are no changes in emotions, if the robot 10 receives a positive external stimulus during a certain time period and its emotions are positive, the CPU 21 determines that the display conditions for timeline information 441 are met, and displays timeline information 441 related to that emotion. In the example shown in Figure 10, CPU 21 displays timeline information 441d representing the emotion of "joy" during the recording period of log 133 corresponding to the time period from 15:00 to 16:00.

[0047] Next, with reference to Figure 17, the timeline display process performed by the CPU 21 to display the timeline 44 will be described. The timeline display process is started when the interaction record screen 40 is displayed after the management application 231 is launched. When the timeline display process is started, the CPU 21 determines whether or not the acquisition of the log 133 corresponding to the previous time period has been completed (step S301). If it is determined that the acquisition of the log 133 has been completed ("YES" in step S301), the CPU 21 determines whether or not the length of the sleep period in the recording period of the log 133 satisfies the sleep duration condition (step S302). In this embodiment, the CPU 21 determines that the sleep duration condition is met if the length of the sleep period in the recording period of the log 133 corresponding to the previous time period is 50 minutes or more. If it is determined that the sleep duration condition is met ("YES" in step S302), the CPU 21 determines whether or not there was a positive external stimulus during sleep (step S303). If it is determined that there was a positive external stimulus during sleep ("YES" in step S303), the CPU 21 displays timeline information 441 of actions during sleep (step S304). On the other hand, if it is determined that there was no positive external stimulus during sleep ("NO" in step S303), the CPU 21 displays timeline information 441 of normal sleep (step S305). If it is determined in step S302 that the sleep duration condition is not met ("NO" in step S302), the CPU 21 determines whether the number of times the user fell asleep was four or more during the recording period of log 133 corresponding to the immediately preceding time period (step S306). If it is determined that the number of times the user fell asleep was four or more ("YES" in step S306), the CPU 21 displays timeline information 441 of the state of being unable to fall asleep (step S307).

[0048] If any of steps S304, S305, or S307 is completed, or if it is determined that the number of times the robot has entered a sleep state is less than four ("NO" in step S306), the CPU 21 determines whether the robot 10 performed a predetermined spontaneous action during the recording period of log 133 corresponding to the immediately preceding time period (step S308). If it is determined that the predetermined spontaneous action was performed ("YES" in step S308), the CPU 21 displays the spontaneous action timeline information 441 (step S309). If step S309 is completed, or if it is determined that the predetermined spontaneous action was not performed ("NO" in step S308), the CPU 21 determines whether the robot 10 received external stimuli through communication with the user during the recording period of log 133 corresponding to the immediately preceding time period (step S310). If the CPU 21 determines that the robot 10 has received an external stimulus through communication ("YES" in step S310), the CPU 21 determines one external stimulus according to a predetermined priority as described above and displays the timeline information 441 of the determined external stimulus (step S311). If step S311 is completed, or if it is determined that the robot 10 has not received an external stimulus through communication ("NO" in step S310), the CPU 21 determines whether the emotion during the recording period of the log 133 corresponding to the immediately preceding time period satisfies the display conditions of the timeline information 441 as described above (step S312). If it is determined that the emotion during the recording period satisfies the display conditions of the timeline information 441 ("YES" in step S312), the CPU 21 displays the timeline information 441 related to the emotion (step S313). If step S313 is completed, or if the branch to "NO" occurs in either step S301 or S312, the CPU 21 determines whether or not to terminate the management application 231 according to the user's operation (step S314). If the CPU 21 does not terminate the management application 231 ("NO" in step S314), it returns to step S301; if it does terminate the management application 231 ("YES" in step S314), it terminates the timeline display process.

[0049] When the user transitions to the home screen 30 for the first time after certain conditions have been met while the management app 231 is running, the evaluation screen 50 shown in Figure 18 is overlaid on the home screen 30. The evaluation screen 50 is a screen for the user to input an evaluation of the management app 231. The evaluation screen 50 displays the text "Tap a star to submit your evaluation of the 'app'", five star marks 51 for entering a 5-level evaluation, a submit button 52, and a cancel button 53. The word "app" in the text is actually the name of the management app 231. When the user selects the Nth star mark 51 from the left (where N is one from 1 to 5) by tapping or other operation, the Nth star marks 51 from the left are colored. This inputs an N-level evaluation out of 5 levels as the evaluation of the management app 231. When the user selects the submit button 52 after the evaluation has been entered, the CPU 21 sends the entered evaluation information to the app store server (not shown). The submitted rating information will be reflected in the display of ratings for the managed app 231 in the app store provided by the app store server.

[0050] The CPU 21 displays the evaluation screen 50 when any of the following conditions 1 to 3 are met. Condition 1 is met when the user has opened the robot 10 settings screen a predetermined number of times (6 times or more in this embodiment). As described above, the settings screen is displayed by selecting the settings button 36 on the home screen 30 shown in Figure 8. By changing the settings of the robot 10 on the settings screen, it can be assumed that the robot 10 has been customized to suit the user's preferences and environment. Therefore, by displaying the evaluation screen 50 when condition 1 is met, it can be expected that the user will input a high rating when they are somewhat satisfied with the robot 10 and the management application 231.

[0051] The second and third conditions are met when it is determined, based on the log DB233, that the history of the robot 10's state meets predetermined conditions. The second condition is met when the number of times the robot 10's emotion changes to a predetermined emotion meets certain conditions. For example, the second condition may be met when the total number of days on which the robot 10's emotion changes to a predetermined emotion a predetermined number of times or more exceeds a predetermined number of days. Here, the change in the robot 10's emotion to a predetermined emotion may be an emotion change that satisfies the display conditions of the emotion icon 433 described above. For example, the second condition may be met when the total number of days on which the emotion icon 433 has been displayed two or more times exceeds three days. The minimum number of times the emotion icon 433 is displayed per day and the minimum number of days in total may be changed as appropriate.

[0052] The third condition is met when the history of the robot 10's emotions and their levels, based on the log DB233, satisfies certain conditions. For example, the third condition may be met when the number of times a predetermined emotion level exceeds a predetermined threshold is equal to or greater than the threshold number. For example, the third condition may be met when the maximum level 10 is reached two or more times for each of two or more positive emotions ("excitement," "joy," "relief," "peace"). When an emotion reaches level 10, a state image 31 corresponding to that emotion's level 10 may be displayed on the home screen 30. The lower limit of the emotion level and the number of times it has been achieved to satisfy the third condition may be changed as appropriate.

[0053] Furthermore, if any of the first to third conditions are met and the evaluation screen 50 is displayed, the count related to the met condition (the number of times the settings screen is displayed for the first condition, the number of times the emotion icon 433 is displayed for the second condition, and the number of times positive emotion reaches the maximum level 10 for the third condition) is reset. Also, if multiple robots 10 are linked, the first to third conditions may be determined based on the cumulative count of the multiple robots 10. In addition, the condition for displaying the evaluation screen 50 may be that a predetermined period (for example, one week) has elapsed since the management app 231 was installed on the smartphone 20 and first launched. Furthermore, when the CPU 21 executes the process of displaying the evaluation screen 50 on the display unit 24 according to the management app 231, whether or not the evaluation screen 50 is actually displayed may also be restricted by the OS (Operating System) of the smartphone 20. For example, the total number of displays over a year or the frequency of displays in the most recent predetermined period (for example, one month) may be restricted by the OS. In this case, the process by which the CPU 21 displays the evaluation screen 50 on the display unit 24 according to the management application 231 includes the process of outputting a request to the OS to display the evaluation screen 50.

[0054] Next, with reference to Figure 19, the evaluation screen display process executed by the CPU 21 to display the evaluation screen 50 will be described. The evaluation screen display process starts when the management application 231 is launched. When the evaluation screen display process starts, the CPU 21 determines whether the display on the display unit 24 has transitioned from another screen to the home screen 30 (step S401). If it is determined that the display has transitioned to the home screen 30 ("YES" in step S401), the CPU 21 determines whether the number of times the settings screen has been displayed is greater than or equal to a predetermined number (6 times or more in this embodiment) (step S402). If it is determined that the number of times the settings screen has been displayed is greater than or equal to a predetermined number ("YES" in step S402), the CPU 21 displays the evaluation screen 50 overlaid on the home screen 30 (step S405). If the CPU determines that the number of times the settings screen has been displayed is less than a predetermined number ("NO" in step S402), the CPU 21 determines whether the number of days on which the emotion icon 433 has been displayed two or more times is three or more (step S403). If the CPU determines that the number of days on which the emotion icon 433 has been displayed two or more times is three or more ("YES" in step S403), the CPU 21 displays the evaluation screen 50 overlaid on the home screen 30 (step S405). If the CPU determines that the number of days on which the emotion icon 433 has been displayed two or more times is less than three ("NO" in step S403), the CPU 21 determines whether the number of times each of the two or more positive emotions has reached level 10 is two or more (step S404). If the CPU determines that the number of times each of the two or more positive emotions has reached level 10 is two or more ("YES" in step S404), the CPU 21 displays the evaluation screen 50 overlaid on the home screen 30 (step S405). After displaying the evaluation screen 50 in step S405, the CPU 21 determines whether or not an evaluation input using the star marks 51 and a submission operation (the operation of selecting the submit button 52) have been performed (step S406). If it is determined that an evaluation input and submission operation have been performed ("YES" in step S406), the CPU 21 sends the entered evaluation information to the app store server (step S407).If step S407 is completed, or if the process branches to "NO" in any of steps S401, S404, or S406, the CPU 21 determines whether or not to terminate the management application 231 according to the user's operation (step S408). If the CPU 21 does not terminate the management application 231 ("NO" in step S408), it returns to step S401; if it does terminate the management application 231 ("YES" in step S408), it terminates the evaluation screen display process. Note that the order of steps S402 to S404 may be changed.

[0055] As described above, the management application 231 according to this embodiment causes the CPU 21 to perform the following processes: display timeline information 441 representing the state of the robot 10 on the display unit 24 for each predetermined time period (target period) based on the log DB 233 relating to the history of the state of the robot 10; and, if the robot 10 is in a sleep state that mimics the sleep of a living creature during a certain time period, display on the display unit 24 that the robot 10 was in a sleep state during that time period. This makes it possible to easily grasp the history of the sleep state of the robot 10, which is not easily apparent from the appearance of the robot 10.

[0056] Furthermore, log DB233 contains information relating to the state of robot 10 during each recording period of multiple logs 133. Management application 231 causes CPU 21 to perform the following processes: identify sleep periods in which robot 10 was in a sleep state based on log DB233; and determine that the representative state of robot 10 during a certain time period is a sleep state if the length or proportion of sleep periods in the recording period of logs 133 corresponding to a certain time period in log DB233 satisfies predetermined conditions. This makes it possible to appropriately determine whether the representative state of robot 10 during a certain time period was a sleep state based on the length of sleep periods recorded in log 133.

[0057] Furthermore, the log DB 233 contains information relating to the history of when the robot 10 received a predetermined external stimulus. The management application 231 instructs the CPU 21 to display timeline information 441 on the display unit 24, which includes the robot 10's response to the external stimulus during sleep, if the robot 10 received an external stimulus during the recording period of log 133 corresponding to a certain time period in the log DB 233. This allows the user to be informed by the timeline information 441 that the robot 10 has made a sleep-related response that is difficult to express through the robot 10's appearance or movements, such as "dreaming."

[0058] Furthermore, the management application 231 instructs the CPU 21 to perform the following process: if the number of times the robot 10 entered a sleep state during the recording period of log 133 corresponding to a certain time period exceeds a predetermined number in the log DB 233, the application determines that the representative state of the robot 10 during a certain time period is a state of being unable to fall asleep, and displays timeline information 441 on the display unit 24 indicating that the robot 10 was in a state of being unable to fall asleep during that time period. This allows the user to be informed, through the timeline information 441, that the robot 10 was in a state of being unable to fall asleep, which is difficult to express through its appearance or actions.

[0059] Furthermore, the predetermined length is one hour. This makes it easy to understand the history of the robot 10's state every hour.

[0060] Furthermore, according to the display control method executed by the CPU 21 in this embodiment, the history of the robot 10's sleep state, which is not easily visible from the robot 10's appearance, can be easily grasped. The robot management system 1 in this embodiment comprises the robot 10 and a display control device 200 having a CPU 21 that executes the above processing. This makes it possible to easily grasp the history of the robot 10's sleep state, which is not easily visible from the robot 10's appearance.

[0061] 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 and the interaction record screen 40 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 to cause the display unit 24 to display the home screen 30 and / or the interaction record screen 40. In this case, the server's computer executes an information processing method that generates data to cause 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: displaying timeline information 441 representing the state of robot 10 during a predetermined time period (target period) based on the log DB 233 relating to the history of the state of robot 10, on the display unit 24; and displaying on the display unit 24 that robot 10 was in a sleep state that mimicked the sleep of an animal during a certain time period." This data may also include data specifying the content and structure of the interaction record screen 40, such as image data or HTML (HyperText Markup Language) data. This data may also include control information for controlling the operation of the display unit 24. This data may also be a program for displaying the interaction record screen 40 on the display unit 24.

[0062] Furthermore, while Figures 13, 15, and 16 illustrate examples where the target period of the timeline information 441 (the time period from the top of the hour to the next top of the hour) does not coincide with the recording period of the log 133, the system is not limited to these examples, and the recording period of the log 133 may coincide with the target period of the timeline information 441.

[0063] Furthermore, the contents of log 133 are not limited to those shown in Figure 4, and may include other elements that represent the state of robot 10. For example, elements of robot 10's state may include fatigue level, drowsiness, physical condition, etc.

[0064] Furthermore, while examples have been given of displaying the home screen 30 and the interaction record screen 40 on the display unit 24 of the smartphone 20, the invention is not limited thereto. For example, if the robot 10 has a display unit, the home screen 30 and the interaction record screen 40 may be displayed on that display unit. In this case, the control related to the display of the home screen 30 and the interaction record screen 40 may be performed by the CPU 11 of the robot 10, or it may be performed remotely by the processing unit of an external device such as the CPU 21 of the smartphone 20.

[0065] 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.

[0066] 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.

[0067] 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]

[0068] 1…Robot management system (display system), 10…Robot, 20…Smartphone, 21…CPU (processing unit), 42…Pickup information (change information), 50…Evaluation screen, 75…Emotion parameters, 76…Personality parameters, 200…Display control device, 231…Management app (program), 233…Log DB (history information), 431…Coordinate axes, 433…Emotion icons (indicators), 441…Timeline information (period information)

Claims

1. On the computer, A process that, based on historical information relating to the history of the target state, displays period information representing the state of the target during a predetermined period on the display unit, for each period of predetermined length. A process to display on the display unit that the object was in a sleep state that mimics the sleep state of an animal during a certain period of time. A program that executes something.

2. The aforementioned historical information includes information relating to the state of the subject during each of the multiple recording periods, To the aforementioned computer, A process to identify the sleep period during which the subject was in the sleep state, based on the aforementioned history information. In the history information, if the length or proportion of the sleep period in the recording period corresponding to a certain target period among the multiple recording periods satisfies a predetermined condition, a process is performed to determine the state of the target in the certain target period as the sleep state. The program according to claim 1, which causes to execute.

3. The historical information includes information relating to the state of the object during each of a plurality of recording periods, and also includes information relating to the history of the object receiving a predetermined external stimulus. To the aforementioned computer, In the history information, if the subject received the external stimulus during a recording period corresponding to a certain target period among the multiple recording periods, the process of displaying the period information, including the subject's response to the external stimulus during sleep, on the display unit. The program according to claim 1, which causes to execute.

4. The aforementioned historical information includes information relating to the state of the subject during each of the multiple recording periods, To the aforementioned computer, In the history information, if the number of times the subject entered the sleep state during a recording period corresponding to a certain target period among the multiple recording periods is predetermined or greater, the state of the subject during the certain target period is determined to be a state of being unable to fall asleep, and the period information indicating that the subject was in a state of being unable to fall asleep during the certain target period is displayed on the display unit. The program according to claim 1, which causes to execute.

5. The predetermined length is one hour. The program according to claim 1.

6. A display control method performed by a computer, Based on the history information relating to the status of the target, period information representing the status of the target during a predetermined period is displayed on the display unit for each period of predetermined length. If the subject is in a sleep state that mimics the sleep of an animal during a certain period, the display unit will indicate that the subject was in the sleep state during that period. Display control method.

7. A method of information processing performed by a computer, A process that, based on historical information relating to the history of the target state, displays period information representing the state of the target during a predetermined period on the display unit, for each period of predetermined length. A process to display on the display unit that the object was in a sleep state that mimics the sleep state of an animal during a certain period of time. To generate data to run on other computers. Information processing methods.

8. The subject and, A display control device having a processing unit that, based on historical information relating to the history of the state of the target, displays period information representing the state of the target during each target period of a predetermined length on the display unit, Equipped with, The processing unit, when the target is in a sleep state that mimics the sleep of an animal during a certain target period, causes the display unit to display that the target was in a sleep state during that target period. Display system.

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