Control device, emotion transmission method and program

Abstract

Provided is a control device comprising an emotion estimation unit that estimates the emotion of a transmission user on the basis of text data, a haptic sense determination unit that determines a haptic sense corresponding to the estimated emotion, and a control unit that performs control of causing a reception user to feel the determined haptic sense.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device, an emotion transmission method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Technologies for transmitting emotions via communication networks have been developed. For example, Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for transmitting data indicating keystroke vibrations to a communication partner in online chat. This technology has been shown to have the effect of facilitating communication by making it easier to sense the emotions of the other party, which are difficult to read online. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0003] [Non-Patent Document 1] Yuko Yamada, Takayuki Hirano, and Kazushi Nishimoto (2003), TangibleChat: An attempt to convey conversational situation awareness in keyboard chat by transmitting keystroke vibrations Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned conventional technology, even if the receiving user, who is the listener, can determine the strength of the emotion of the sending user, who is the speaker, from the strength of the vibration, there is a problem that it is difficult to determine what emotion, for example, whether it is a positive emotion or a negative emotion. For example, when the same vibration is transmitted to the receiving user, it is not possible to know whether the vibration is due to the sending user being happy and excited, or whether the sending user is banging in anger.

[0005] The disclosed technology aims to more accurately convey the emotions of a sending user to a receiving user. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The disclosed technology includes a feeling estimation unit that estimates the feeling of a sending user based on text data, a tactile sensation determination unit that determines a tactile sensation corresponding to the estimated feeling, and a tactile sensation determination unit that determines the tactile sensation corresponding to the estimated feeling. Using a thin-film object having a surface formed from a material that gives the tactile sensation, and a control unit that controls the control so as to make the receiving user feel the same. Effect of the Invention

[0007] The sending user's feelings can be conveyed to the receiving user more accurately. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of an emotion transmission system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an arrangement of receiving terminals according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a control device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of emotion-touch sensation related data. [Diagram 5] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of a control process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of an emotion transmission system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a control device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of tactile sensation-rotation angle relating data. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of a computer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention (the present embodiment) will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is merely an example, and the embodiment to which the present invention is applied is not limited to the following embodiment.

[0010] (Outline of this embodiment) The control device according to the present embodiment estimates the emotion of the user operating the transmitting terminal based on the text data received by the receiving terminal from the transmitting terminal, and determines a tactile sensation corresponding to the estimated emotion. The control device then controls various devices so that the user operating the receiving terminal feels the determined tactile sensation.

[0011] Hereinafter, examples 1 and 2 will be described as specific examples of this embodiment.

[0012] Example 1 First, an emotion transmission system according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] (Outline of emotion transmission system according to the first embodiment) The emotion transmission system according to this embodiment controls the vibration of the vibrator and the temperature of the thermoelectric element, thereby allowing the user operating the receiving terminal to feel a determined tactile sensation.

[0014] (System configuration example of emotion transmission system according to embodiment 1) 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of an emotion transmission system according to Example 1. The emotion transmission system 1 includes a control device 10, a receiving terminal 20, a transmitting terminal 30, a communication network 40, a first texture 210, a second texture 220, a first thermoelectric element 211, a second thermoelectric element 221, a first vibrator 212, and a second vibrator 222.

[0015] The transmitting terminal 30 and the receiving terminal 20 are communicatively connected via a communication network 40. The control device 10 and the receiving terminal 20 are communicatively connected via a communication line 41. Furthermore, the control device 10 is communicatively connected to the first thermoelectric element 211, the second thermoelectric element 221, the first oscillator 212, and the second oscillator 222 via a control line 42.

[0016] The sending terminal 30 is a terminal operated by a user who is a speaker in an online chat (hereinafter, referred to as a sending user). The sending terminal 30 sends data indicating text input by the sending user to the receiving terminal 20.

[0017] The receiving terminal 20 is a terminal operated by a user who is a listener in an online chat (hereinafter, referred to as a receiving user). The receiving terminal 20 transmits text data received from the transmitting terminal 30 to the control device 10.

[0018] The control device 10 is a controller such as Arduino, and controls the first thermoelectric element 211, the second thermoelectric element 221, the first oscillator 212, and the second oscillator 222 based on the text data received from the receiving terminal 20.

[0019] The first texture 210 and the second texture 220 are thin-film objects having surfaces made of materials that give different tactile sensations. For example, the first texture 210 is an object having a surface made of aluminum that gives a "smooth" tactile sensation. The second texture 220 is an object having a surface made of cotton that gives a "soft" tactile sensation.

[0020] The first texture 210 is disposed adjacent to the first thermoelectric element 211 and the first oscillator 212 . The temperature of the first texture 210 increases due to heat generation from the first thermoelectric element 211 , and the first texture 210 vibrates in conjunction with the first oscillator 212 .

[0021] Similarly, the second texture 220 is disposed adjacent to the second thermoelectric element 221 and the second oscillator 222 , and the temperature of the second texture 220 increases due to heat generation from the second thermoelectric element 221 , and the second texture 220 vibrates in conjunction with the second oscillator 222 .

[0022] The first thermoelectric element 211 and the second thermoelectric element 221 are, for example, Peltier elements or the like, and each emits heat under the control of the control device 10.

[0023] The first oscillator 212 and the second oscillator 222 are, for example, disk-shaped vibration motors or the like, and vibrate under the control of the control device 10.

[0024] (An example of arrangement of receiving terminals according to the first embodiment) Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of a receiving terminal according to the first embodiment. The receiving terminal 20 includes, for example, a keyboard 21 as shown in Fig. 2. A first texture 210 is attached to a palm rest on the left side of the keyboard 21. Also, a second texture 220 is attached to a palm rest on the right side of the keyboard 21.

[0025] The first thermoelectric element 211 and the first oscillator 212 are attached to the back side of the first texture 210. Similarly, the second thermoelectric element 221 and the second oscillator 222 are attached to the back side of the second texture 220.

[0026] As a result, the receiving user is in a state of touching the first texture 210 and the second texture 220 when operating the keyboard 21. Then, when the control device 10 causes the first thermoelectric element 211 to generate heat and the first oscillator 212 to vibrate, the tactile sensation felt from the surface of the first texture 210 is emphasized, and the receiving user feels a "smooth" tactile sensation. Also, when the control device 10 causes the second thermoelectric element 221 to generate heat and the second oscillator 222 to vibrate, the tactile sensation felt from the surface of the second texture 220 is emphasized, and the receiving user feels a "soft" tactile sensation.

[0027] (Example of functional configuration of the control device according to the first embodiment) 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the control device according to Example 1. The control device 10 includes a storage unit 11, a feeling estimation unit 12, a tactile sensation determination unit 13, and a control unit 14.

[0028] The storage unit 11 stores emotion-touch association data 100. The emotion-touch association data 100 is data that defines an association between emotion and touch. A specific example of the emotion-touch association data 100 will be described later.

[0029] The emotion estimation unit 12 estimates the emotion of the sending user based on the received text data. The emotion estimation unit 12 may apply a technique such as that described in reference [1] as an emotion estimation method. Specifically, the emotion estimation unit 12 calculates a score for each emotion expressed by the text and estimates the emotion based on the calculated score.

[0030] For example, the emotion estimation unit 12 calculates the score for each emotion expressed by the text "I had a good breakfast this morning" as follows, with the maximum value being 1.0: "happiness" 0.68, "affection" 0.66, "fear" 0.29, "sadness" 0.14, and "anger" 0.34. The emotion estimation unit 12 estimates the emotion of the sending user as, for example, the emotion with the maximum score ("happiness" in the above example), and estimates the intensity of the emotion as the score of that emotion (0.68 in the above example).

[0031] The tactile sensation determination unit 13 determines a tactile sensation to be felt by the receiving user based on the estimated emotion. Specifically, the tactile sensation determination unit 13 determines a tactile sensation corresponding to the estimated emotion based on the emotion-tactile sensation association data 100.

[0032] The control unit 14 controls the temperature and vibration based on the intensity of the estimated emotion and the determined tactile sensation. Specifically, the control unit 14 includes a vibration control unit 141 and a temperature control unit 142. The vibration control unit 141 controls the first vibrator 212 and the second vibrator 222. The temperature control unit 142 controls the first thermoelectric element 211 and the second thermoelectric element 221.

[0033] When the determined tactile sensation is the first tactile sensation, the vibration control unit 141 controls the first vibrator 212 so that the vibration strength corresponds to the intensity of the estimated emotion, and when the determined tactile sensation is the second tactile sensation, the vibration control unit 141 controls the second vibrator 222 so that the vibration strength corresponds to the intensity of the estimated emotion.

[0034] Here, vibration control unit 141 determines the vibration output according to the ratio of the emotion intensity to the maximum value. For example, when the emotion intensity estimated is 0.68 with respect to the maximum value of 1.00, first oscillator 212 or second oscillator 222 is vibrated with an output of about 68% of the maximum value.

[0035] The temperature control unit 142 controls the first thermoelectric element 211 to emit heat when the determined tactile sensation is the first tactile sensation, and controls the second thermoelectric element 221 to emit heat when the determined tactile sensation is the second tactile sensation.

[0036] (Specific example of data handled by the control device according to the first embodiment) 4 is a diagram showing an example of emotion-touch association data 100. The emotion-touch association data 100 includes items such as emotion, emotion type, and touch.

[0037] The value of the item “emotion” is an emotion estimated by the emotion estimation unit 12 and is defined in advance.

[0038] The value of the item "emotion type" is a value indicating the type of each emotion, for example, either "positive" or "negative."

[0039] The value of the item "touch" is a value indicating the touch associated with each type of emotion, and is associated with a type of texture, such as a first touch, a second touch, etc.

[0040] The emotion-touch related data 100 shown in FIG. 4 is an example of data showing the association between emotion and touch, and may be other data. For example, the emotion-touch related data 100 may include three or more emotion types and touches. In that case, the emotion transmission system 1 is configured to include three or more combinations of corresponding textures, thermoelectric elements, vibrators, etc. That is, the temperature control unit 142 controls the temperature of a thermoelectric element that makes the receiving user feel the determined touch, among the multiple thermoelectric elements. Also, the vibration control unit 141 controls a vibrator that corresponds to the thermoelectric element whose temperature is controlled, among the multiple vibrators.

[0041] The tactile sensation may be something like "soft," "smooth," etc., in which case the storage unit 11 separately stores corresponding information that enables identification of the thermoelectric elements and vibrators to be controlled to produce each tactile sensation. For example, the emotion-tactile sensation related data 100 may be data such as the table shown in FIG. 6 of reference [2].

[0042] (Operation Example of the Control Device According to the First Embodiment) Next, the operation of the control device 10 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0043] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the control process according to the embodiment 1. The control device 10 starts the control process periodically or upon receiving an instruction from the receiving terminal 20.

[0044] When the control process starts, the control device 10 acquires text data by receiving it from the receiving terminal 20 (step S11).

[0045] The emotion estimation unit 12 estimates an emotion expressed by the text shown in the acquired text data (step S12). Next, the tactile sensation determination unit 13 determines a tactile sensation corresponding to the estimated emotion (step S13).

[0046] Next, the control unit 14 controls the vibration and temperature (step S14). Specifically, the vibration control unit 141 controls the first vibrator 212 or the second vibrator 222 according to the intensity of the estimated emotion. Also, the temperature control unit 142 controls the first thermoelectric element 211 or the second thermoelectric element 221 according to the determined tactile sensation.

[0047] (Effects of Example 1) According to the emotion transmission system 1 of this embodiment, the control device 10 estimates the emotion of the sending user based on the text data received by the receiving terminal 20 from the sending terminal 30, and determines a tactile sensation corresponding to the estimated emotion. Then, the control device 10 controls vibration and temperature so that the receiving user feels the determined tactile sensation. This makes it possible to cause the receiving user to feel a tactile sensation corresponding to the estimation result of the emotion of the sending user.

[0048] Example 2 A second embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the second embodiment controls rotation and vibration instead of controlling temperature and vibration. Therefore, the following description of the second embodiment will focus on the differences from the first embodiment, and components having the same functional configuration as the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals as those used in the description of the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0049] (Outline of emotion transmission system according to the second embodiment) The emotion transmission system according to this embodiment controls the vibration of the vibrator and the rotation angle of the rotor, thereby allowing the user operating the receiving terminal to feel a determined tactile sensation.

[0050] (System configuration example of emotion transmission system according to embodiment 2) 6 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of an emotion transmission system according to Example 2. The emotion transmission system 1 according to this example includes a control device 10, a receiving terminal 20, a transmitting terminal 30, a communication network 40, a first texture 210, a second texture 220, a rotating body 230, a motor 240, and a vibration device 250.

[0051] The receiving terminal 20, the transmitting terminal 30, the communication network 40, the first texture 210 and the second texture 220 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0052] The control device 10 according to this embodiment controls the motor 240 and the vibration device 250 based on the text data received from the receiving terminal 20 .

[0053] Moreover, the first texture 210 and the second texture 220 according to this embodiment are attached to the periphery of the rotating body 230 .

[0054] The rotating body 230 is, for example, a cylindrical object, and is arranged so that the first texture 210 and the second texture 220 attached to the periphery come into contact with the receiving user. The rotating body 230 is rotated by a motor 240, and is configured so that the first texture 210 or the second texture 220 comes into contact with the receiving user depending on the rotation angle.

[0055] The vibration device 250 is arranged to make the receiving user feel vibrations. The vibration device 250 may make the receiving user feel vibrations via the rotating body 230, or may be configured to touch the receiving user via another object or directly.

[0056] (Example of functional configuration of the control device according to the second embodiment) 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a control device according to Example 2. The control device 10 according to this embodiment includes a rotation control unit 143 instead of the temperature control unit 142 of the control device 10 according to Example 1.

[0057] The storage unit 11 further stores tactile sensation / rotation angle associated data 101. The tactile sensation / rotation angle associated data 101 is data indicating the association between a tactile sensation and the rotation angle of the rotating body 230. A specific example of the tactile sensation / rotation angle associated data 101 will be described later.

[0058] The vibration control unit 141 controls the vibration device 250 so that the strength of the vibration corresponds to the strength of the estimated emotion.

[0059] The rotation control unit 143 determines a rotation angle for making the receiving user feel the determined tactile sensation based on the tactile sensation / rotation angle association data 101, and controls the motor 240 so that the rotating body 230 rotates at the determined rotation angle.

[0060] (Specific example of data handled by the control device according to the second embodiment) 8 is a diagram showing an example of tactile sensation / rotation angle associated data 101. The tactile sensation / rotation angle associated data 101 includes items of tactile sensation and rotation angle.

[0061] The value of the item "touch" is the same as the value of the item "touch" of the emotion-touch association data 100, and is associated with the type of texture, for example, first touch, second touch, etc.

[0062] The value of the item "Rotation angle" is the rotation angle of the rotating body 230 at which the first texture 210 or the second texture 220 comes into contact with the receiving user, and is set in advance.

[0063] (Operation Example of the Control Device According to the Second Embodiment) Next, the operation of the control device 10 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0064] The control unit 14 according to this embodiment controls vibration and a rotation angle instead of controlling vibration and temperature in step S14 of the control process shown in Fig. 5. Specifically, the vibration control unit 141 controls the vibration device 250 so that the strength of the vibration corresponds to the strength of the estimated emotion.

[0065] The rotation control unit 143 determines a rotation angle for making the receiving user feel the determined tactile sensation based on the tactile sensation / rotation angle association data 101, and controls the motor 240 so that the rotating body 230 rotates at the determined rotation angle.

[0066] (Effects of Example 2) According to the emotion transmission system 1 of this embodiment, the control device 10 estimates the emotion of the sending user based on the text data received by the receiving terminal 20 from the sending terminal 30, and determines a tactile sensation corresponding to the estimated emotion. Then, the control device 10 controls the vibration and the rotation angle so that the receiving user feels the determined tactile sensation. This makes it possible to cause the receiving user to feel a tactile sensation according to the estimation result of the emotion of the sending user.

[0067] (Example of Hardware Configuration According to the Present Embodiment) The control device 10 can be realized, for example, by making a computer execute a program in which the processing contents described in this embodiment are described. Note that this "computer" may be a physical machine or a virtual machine on the cloud. When a virtual machine is used, the "hardware" described here is virtual hardware.

[0068] The above program can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium (such as a portable memory) and can be stored or distributed. The above program can also be provided via a network such as the Internet or e-mail.

[0069] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the computer. The computer in Fig. 9 has a drive device 1000, an auxiliary storage device 1002, a memory device 1003, a CPU 1004, an interface device 1005, a display device 1006, an input device 1007, an output device 1008, etc., which are all connected to each other via a bus B.

[0070] The program for realizing the processing on the computer is provided by a recording medium 1001 such as a CD-ROM or a memory card. When the recording medium 1001 storing the program is set in the drive device 1000, the program is installed from the recording medium 1001 to the auxiliary storage device 1002 via the drive device 1000. However, the program does not necessarily have to be installed from the recording medium 1001, but may be downloaded from another computer via a network. The auxiliary storage device 1002 stores the installed program as well as necessary files, data, etc.

[0071] When a program start instruction is received, the memory device 1003 reads out and stores the program from the auxiliary storage device 1002. The CPU 1004 realizes the functions related to the device according to the program stored in the memory device 1003. The interface device 1005 is used as an interface for connecting to a network. The display device 1006 displays a GUI (Graphical User Interface) or the like according to a program. The input device 1007 is composed of a keyboard, a mouse, a button, a touch panel, or the like, and is used to input various operation instructions. The output device 1008 outputs the calculation result. Note that the above computer may be equipped with a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) or a TPU (Tensor processing unit) instead of the CPU 1004, or may be equipped with a GPU or a TPU in addition to the CPU 1004. In that case, the processes may be shared and executed, for example, the GPU or the TPU executes processes that require special calculations, and the CPU 1004 executes other processes.

[0072] (References) [1]:User Local,Inc.,Voice Emotion Recognition AI,[online],Internet<URL:https: / / emotion-voice-ai.userlocal.jp / > [2]:Sato, D., Sasagawa, M., & Niijima, A. Affective Touch Robots with Changing Textures and Movements. In 2020 29th IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN) (pp. 1-6). IEEE.

[0073] (Summary of the embodiment) This specification describes at least the control device, emotion transmission method, and program described in the following sections. (Section 1) an emotion estimation unit that estimates an emotion of a sending user based on text data; a tactile sensation determination unit that determines a tactile sensation corresponding to the estimated emotion; and a control unit that controls the receiving user to feel the determined tactile sensation. Control device. (Section 2) The emotion estimation unit estimates an intensity of emotion of the sending user, The control unit controls the receiving user to feel a vibration corresponding to the intensity of the estimated emotion. 2. The control device according to claim 1. (Section 3) The control unit controls a temperature of a thermoelectric element that causes the receiving user to feel the determined tactile sensation, among a plurality of thermoelectric elements. 3. The control device according to claim 2. (Section 4) The control unit controls a vibrator corresponding to a thermoelectric element that controls a temperature among the plurality of vibrators. 4. The control device according to claim 3. (Section 5) The control unit controls a rotation angle of a rotating body so as to cause the receiving user to feel the determined tactile sensation. 3. The control device according to claim 2. (Section 6) An emotion transmission method executed by a control device, comprising: estimating a sending user's emotion based on the text data; determining a tactile sensation corresponding to the estimated emotion; and controlling the determined tactile sensation to be felt by a receiving user. Ways of conveying emotions. (Section 7) A program for causing a computer to function as each unit in the control device described in any one of claims 1 to 5.

[0074] Although the present embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to such a specific embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 10 Control device 11 Storage section 12 Emotion estimation part 13 Tactile sensation determination unit 14 Control section 20 Receiving terminal 30 Transmitting terminal 40 Communication Network 41 Communication Line 42 Control Line 100 emotion and tactile data 101 Tactile and rotation angle related data 141 Vibration control unit 142 Temperature control unit 143 Rotation control section 210 First Texture 211 First thermoelectric element 212 First oscillator 220 Second Texture 221 Second thermoelectric element 222 Second oscillator 230 Rotating Body 240 Motor 250 Vibration device 1000 Drive Device 1001 Recording media 1002 Auxiliary storage 1003 Memory device 1004 CPU 1005 Interface device 1006 Display device 1007 Input Device 1008 Output device

Claims

1. an emotion estimation unit that estimates an emotion of a sending user based on text data; a tactile sensation determination unit that determines a tactile sensation corresponding to the estimated emotion; and a control unit that controls the device so that the determined tactile sensation is made to be felt by a receiving user using a thin-film object having a surface made of a material that gives the tactile sensation. Control device.

2. The emotion estimation unit estimates an intensity of emotion of the sending user, The control unit controls the receiving user to feel a vibration corresponding to the intensity of the estimated emotion. The control device according to claim 1 .

3. The control unit controls a temperature of a thermoelectric element that causes the receiving user to feel the determined tactile sensation, among a plurality of thermoelectric elements. The control device according to claim 2.

4. The control unit controls a vibrator corresponding to a thermoelectric element that controls a temperature among the plurality of vibrators. The control device according to claim 3.

5. An emotion estimation unit that estimates an emotion of a sending user based on text data; a tactile sensation determination unit that determines a tactile sensation corresponding to the estimated emotion; A control device comprising: a control unit that controls so as to cause a receiving user to feel the determined tactile sensation, The emotion estimation unit estimates an intensity of emotion of the sending user, The control unit performs control so that the receiving user feels a vibration corresponding to the intensity of the estimated emotion, The control unit controls a rotation angle of a rotating body so as to cause the receiving user to feel the determined tactile sensation. Control device.

6. An emotion transmission method executed by a control device, comprising: estimating a sending user's emotion based on the text data; determining a tactile sensation corresponding to the estimated emotion; and controlling the determined tactile sensation so that the received user feels the tactile sensation by using a thin-film object having a surface made of a material that gives the tactile sensation. Ways of conveying emotions.

7. A program for causing a computer to function as each unit in the control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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