CONTROL DEVICE, PROGRAM, AND SYSTEM

Abstract

To enable presentation of more secure position information.SOLUTION: A control device comprising a control unit for controlling presentation of information on directions relative to a user to the user, the control unit being configured to control presentation of information on directions relative to the user by providing vibration using at least two vibration provision units disposed in correspondence to different directions relative to the user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device, a program, and a system. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, technologies have been developed that present information to a user based on location information of the user or an object. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that presents a route to a destination to a user based on location information of a terminal carried by the user and location information of the destination. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-141808 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The mobile terminal disclosed in Patent Document 1 presents the above-mentioned route information to the user by displaying it on a display. However, in this case, the user is required to pay close attention to the display, which may distract the user from the surroundings. It is also possible to present the above-mentioned route information to the user by audio output, but in this case, the audio may be inaudible due to surrounding noise. In addition, the user may be too focused on the audio output and not notice the sound of an approaching vehicle, etc.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to realize more secure presentation of location information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, according to one aspect of the present invention, a control device is provided, which includes a control unit that controls the presentation of information regarding a direction relative to the user to a user, wherein the control unit controls the presentation of information regarding a direction relative to the user using vibration presentation by at least two vibration presentation units that are arranged corresponding to different directions relative to the user.

[0007] In addition, in order to solve the above problem, according to another aspect of the present invention, a program is provided that causes a computer to realize a control function that controls the presentation of information regarding a direction relative to the user to a user, and causes the control function to control the presentation of information regarding a direction relative to the user using vibration presentation by at least two vibration presentation units that are arranged corresponding to different directions relative to the user.

[0008] In addition, in order to solve the above problem, according to another aspect of the present invention, a system is provided which includes at least two vibration presentation units that present vibration to a user, and a control unit that controls the presentation of information regarding a direction relative to the user to the user, wherein the control unit controls the presentation of information regarding a direction relative to the user using vibration presentation by the at least two vibration presentation units that are positioned corresponding to different directions relative to the user. Effect of the Invention

[0009] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize more secure presentation of location information. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is a diagram illustrating one form of a wearable device 20 according to the embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 3] 11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating an example of vibration presentation control according to a direction of a destination according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of vibration presentation control according to a direction to a destination according to the embodiment; [Diagram 5] 11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating an example of vibration presentation control according to a direction of an obstacle according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of vibration presentation control according to a direction of an obstacle according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0012] <1. Embodiment> <<1.1. System configuration example>> First, a configuration example of a system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the system 1 according to this embodiment may include a control unit 110, a plurality of vibration presentation units 210, an audio output unit 220, an imaging unit 230, a display unit 240, an audio collection unit 250, and a position information acquisition unit 260.

[0015] (Control unit 110) The control unit 110 according to this embodiment controls the presentation of information to a user regarding a direction based on the user.

[0016] Furthermore, one of the features of the control unit 110 according to this embodiment is that it controls the presentation of information relating to a direction relative to the user using vibration presentation by at least two vibration presentation units 210 arranged in correspondence with different directions relative to the user.

[0017] That is, in the system 1 according to this embodiment, information regarding the direction relative to the user is presented to the user by at least a vibration stimulus.

[0018] With vibration presentation according to this embodiment, unlike when information regarding the direction relative to the user is displayed on the display, the user does not need to stare at the display and can instead focus their attention on their surroundings, making it possible to provide more secure information presentation.

[0019] Moreover, according to the information presentation using vibration according to the present embodiment, unlike the case of using audio output, it is possible to present information to the user even in a noisy environment with a lot of vehicles and people passing by, etc. Furthermore, according to the information presentation using vibration according to the present embodiment, unlike the case of using audio output, it is possible for the user to pay attention to sounds emitted by vehicles and the like present in the vicinity.

[0020] The control unit 110 according to this embodiment may cause at least one vibration presentation unit 210 corresponding to the direction to present vibration in accordance with the information regarding the direction relative to the user.

[0021] For example, the information regarding the direction relative to the user may include information regarding the direction of a destination relative to the user.

[0022] In this case, for example, when it is detected that a destination is to the right of the user, the control unit 110 causes the vibration presentation unit 210 disposed to the right of the user to present a vibration stimulus.

[0023] According to the above-described control, the user can intuitively grasp that the destination is located to the right of the user.

[0024] Furthermore, the information regarding the direction based on the user may include information regarding the direction of an obstacle based on the user.

[0025] In this case, for example, when an obstacle is detected to the left of the user, the control unit 110 causes the vibration presentation unit 210 disposed to the left of the user to present a vibration stimulus.

[0026] According to the above-described control, the user can intuitively grasp that an obstacle exists to the left of the user.

[0027] Furthermore, the control unit 110 according to this embodiment may further control the presentation of information by the audio output unit 220 and the presentation of information by the display unit 240, in addition to the vibration presentation by the vibration presentation unit 210.

[0028] Even when presenting information using images and audio in combination as described above, it is possible to prevent undue attention from being drawn to the images or audio, compared to when presenting information using either images or audio, or both.

[0029] The functions of the control unit 110 according to the present embodiment are realized by various processors. The details of the functions of the control unit 110 according to the present embodiment will be described separately.

[0030] (Vibration presentation unit 210) The vibration presentation unit 210 according to this embodiment, under the control of the control unit 110, presents a vibration stimulus to the user.

[0031] At least two vibration presentation units 210 according to this embodiment are arranged on a wearable device 20 (not shown) worn by a user.

[0032] For example, the two vibration presentation units 210a and 210b may be arranged in the wearable device 20 so as to correspond to a first direction with respect to the user and a second direction opposite to the first direction, respectively.

[0033] As an example, the above first direction and second direction may correspond to left and right directions with respect to the user.

[0034] In this case, the control unit 110 according to this embodiment can cause one of the two vibration presentation units 210a and 210b to present a vibration stimulus, thereby indicating at least either the left or right direction to the user.

[0035] Moreover, the control unit 110 according to the present embodiment may further control vibration presentation by a third vibration presentation unit 210c arranged corresponding to a third direction different from the first direction and the second direction.

[0036] As an example, the third direction mentioned above may correspond to a rearward direction relative to the user.

[0037] In this case, the control unit 110 according to the present embodiment can cause the vibration presentation unit 210c to present a vibration stimulus, thereby indicating the backward direction to the user.

[0038] Furthermore, the control unit 110 according to this embodiment can cause either the vibration presentation unit 210a or 210b and the vibration presentation unit 210c to present vibration stimuli of various types, thereby making it possible to indicate diagonal directions to the user.

[0039] Also, for example, the control unit 110 according to this embodiment can cause the two vibration presentation units 210a and 210b to present vibration stimuli simultaneously, thereby indicating the forward direction to the user.

[0040] Also, for example, the control unit 110 according to this embodiment can cause the three vibration presentation units 210a to 210c to present vibration stimuli simultaneously, thereby indicating to the user that they should not move forward (stop).

[0041] The number of vibration presentation units 210 according to the present embodiment is not limited to three or less, and may be appropriately adjusted according to the specifications of the wearable device 20 and the application.

[0042] The vibration presentation unit 210 according to the present embodiment includes an actuator for generating a vibration stimulus. Examples of the actuator include an eccentric rotating mass (ERM) motor, a linear vibrator (LRA) motor, and the like. Resonant Actuator, and piezoelectric element.

[0043] (Audio output unit 220) The audio output unit 220 according to this embodiment outputs various types of audio under the control of the control unit 110.

[0044] For example, the audio output unit 220 may output audio corresponding to the information regarding the direction set as the user's reference as described above.

[0045] For this reason, the audio output unit 220 according to this embodiment includes a speaker, an amplifier, and the like.

[0046] Note that a plurality of audio output units 220 according to this embodiment may be provided.

[0047] (Camera Division 230) The image capturing section 230 according to this embodiment captures an image of the user's surroundings.

[0048] For this reason, the imaging section 230 according to this embodiment includes various types of imaging elements.

[0049] The image captured by the image capturing unit 230 is used, for example, to detect obstacles present around the user. Note that the detection of obstacles may be performed using a LIDAR or the like.

[0050] (Display section 240) The display unit 240 according to this embodiment projects various images under the control of the control unit 110.

[0051] For example, the display unit 240 may display an image corresponding to the information regarding the user's reference direction described above.

[0052] For this purpose, the display unit 240 according to this embodiment includes a display, a projector, and the like.

[0053] (Voice collection unit 250) The voice collection unit according to this embodiment collects various types of voice.

[0054] For this purpose, the sound collecting unit 250 according to this embodiment includes a microphone.

[0055] For example, the voice collecting unit 250 according to the present embodiment may collect voice related to a user's speech. The voice related to the user's speech may be used for function control using voice recognition.

[0056] Also, for example, the sound collector 250 according to the present embodiment may collect sounds emitted by objects existing around the user. The sounds may be used to detect obstacles.

[0057] (Location information acquisition unit 260) The location information acquisition unit 260 according to this embodiment acquires information relating to the user's current location.

[0058] For this reason, the position information acquisition unit 260 according to this embodiment is provided in the wearable device 20 worn by the user, a smartphone carried by the user, or the like.

[0059] The position information acquisition unit 260 according to this embodiment includes, for example, a receiver that receives signals from a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, and a geomagnetic sensor.

[0060] The configuration example of the system 1 according to the present embodiment has been described above. Note that the above configuration described with reference to Fig. 1 is merely an example, and the configuration of the system 1 according to the present embodiment is not limited to this example.

[0061] For example, the system 1 according to the present embodiment may further include an operation reception unit that receives an input operation by a user.

[0062] Furthermore, the above-mentioned configurations may be provided in a single device, or may be provided in a distributed manner in a plurality of devices.

[0063] For example, the above-described configurations may be integrated into the wearable device 20. In this case, the wearable device 20 functions as a control device.

[0064] On the other hand, the control unit 110 according to this embodiment may be provided in the control device 10 independently of other components as shown in Fig. 1. In this case, the control unit 110 may control each component provided in the wearable device 20 via wireless communication.

[0065] The control device 10 may be realized as a terminal such as a smartphone. In this case, the control device 10 may include a control unit 110, a display unit 240, a position information acquisition unit 260, etc., and may control each component included in the wearable device 20.

[0066] Here, an example of the configuration of the wearable device 20 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0067] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating one form of the wearable device 20 according to this embodiment.

[0068] For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the wearable device 20 according to this embodiment may be a neckband type.

[0069] In the example shown in FIG. 2, the neckband-type wearable device 20 includes three vibration presentation units 210a to 210c.

[0070] The three vibration presentation units 210a to 210c are disposed at positions corresponding to the left direction which is a first direction, the right direction which is a second direction, and the rear direction which is a third direction, respectively.

[0071] According to the arrangement of the vibration presentation units 210a to 210c as shown in FIG. 2, it is possible to present a variety of information covering all directions to the user, as will be described later.

[0072] The three vibration presentation units 210a to 210c may be arranged so as to come into contact with the user's bones (eg, clavicle, cervical vertebrae, etc.) when the wearable device 20 is worn.

[0073] This arrangement is expected to have the effect of making it easier for the user to understand the vibration presentation.

[0074] In the example shown in FIG. 2, the neckband-type wearable device 20 includes two audio output units 220a and 220b.

[0075] The two audio output units 220a and 220b are disposed at positions corresponding to the left direction, which is a first direction, and the right direction, which is a second direction, respectively.

[0076] According to the arrangement of the audio output units 220a and 220b as shown in FIG. 2, it is possible to realize more three-dimensional audio guidance, for example, by outputting audio guidance related to the left direction from the audio output unit 220a and outputting audio guidance related to the right direction from the audio output unit 220b.

[0077] In the example shown in FIG. 2, the neckband-type wearable device 20 includes an image capturing unit 230 on the front.

[0078] With this arrangement, it is possible to detect obstacles that exist in front of the user.

[0079] Furthermore, the image capturing unit 230 may be further disposed at the rear of the wearable device.

[0080] In this case, it is possible to detect an obstacle present behind the user.

[0081] In the example shown in FIG. 2, the neckband-type wearable device 20 includes a display unit 240 on the front.

[0082] In the example shown in FIG. 2, the display unit 240 may include a projector.

[0083] According to this configuration, in addition to the vibration presentation, it is possible to present additional image information to the user.

[0084] Projecting image information by the display unit 240 is particularly effective in presenting information to the user that is difficult to understand through vibration or sound alone, such as the location and name of an intersection.

[0085] In the example shown in FIG. 2, the neckband-type wearable device 20 includes a sound collecting unit 250 on the front.

[0086] According to such an arrangement, voice input by the user (eg, specification of a destination, etc.) can be efficiently received, improving convenience.

[0087] An example of the configuration of the wearable device 20 according to this embodiment has been described above.

[0088] In the example shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 110 and the position information acquisition unit 260 may be provided in the wearable device 20, or may be provided in a control device 10 separate from the wearable device 20.

[0089] In addition, while FIG. 2 illustrates a neckband-type wearable device 20 that is U-shaped and open at the front, the neckband-type wearable device 20 according to this embodiment may be O-shaped so as to cover the entire circumference of the user's neck.

[0090] Furthermore, the wearable device 20 according to this embodiment is not limited to a neckband type.

[0091] The wearable device 20 according to this embodiment may be, for example, of various head-mounted or backpack types.

[0092] Furthermore, the wearable device 20 according to this embodiment may include two or more separate parts.

[0093] As an example, the wearable device 20 according to this embodiment may include two wristband-type parts that are worn on the right and left arms of the user, respectively.

[0094] As another example, the wearable device 20 according to this embodiment may be attached directly to the user's skin.

[0095] In this case, by arranging vibration presentation unit 210 on each of the two wristband-type parts, it is possible to realize vibration presentation related to a direction.

[0096] The shape of the wearable device 20 according to this embodiment is flexibly deformable.

[0097] <<1.2. Details of vibration presentation control>> Next, vibration presentation control by the control unit 110 according to this embodiment will be described in detail.

[0098] In the following, a control example will be described in which the wearable device 20 according to this embodiment is a neckband type having the configuration shown in FIG.

[0099] In this case, the control unit 110 can indicate to the user at least the first direction, which is the left direction, the second direction, which is the right direction, and the third direction, which is the backward direction, by causing any of the vibration presentation units 210a to 210c to present vibration.

[0100] Furthermore, the control unit 110 can indicate a direction other than the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction by causing two or three of the vibration presentation units 210a to 210c to present vibrations simultaneously.

[0101] Furthermore, the control unit 110 can present information related to distance to the user by changing the mode of the vibration stimulus that the vibration presentation units 210a to 210c present.

[0102] First, a specific example of vibration presentation control according to the direction to a destination according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0103] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of vibration presentation control according to the direction of a destination according to the present embodiment.

[0104] For example, when presenting information that a left turn is to be made 100 m ahead, the control unit 110 may cause the vibration presentation unit 210a to present a short vibration only once.

[0105] On the other hand, when presenting information that a left turn is to be made 50 m ahead, the control unit 110 may cause the vibration presentation unit 210a to present vibration for a short period of time twice.

[0106] On the other hand, when presenting information that a right turn is imminent, the control unit 110 may cause the vibration presentation unit 210b to present a long vibration only once.

[0107] In this way, by changing the mode of vibration presentation, the control unit 110 can present to the user, for example, a point where a turn is required or the distance to a destination.

[0108] Note that the mode of vibration presentation according to this embodiment may include vibration intervals, frequency, amplitude, and the like in addition to the vibration duration and number of vibrations described above.

[0109] Furthermore, for example, when presenting information to go straight diagonally to the right, the control unit 110 may cause the vibration presentation unit 210b to present a short vibration three times, and the vibration presentation unit 210c to present a short vibration three times.

[0110] In this way, the control unit 110 can cause the two vibration presentation units 210 to present vibrations simultaneously, thereby presenting to the user a direction intermediate between the directions corresponding to both units.

[0111] At this time, the control unit 110 can express a more detailed direction by causing the two vibration presentation units 210 to present vibrations in different modes.

[0112] For example, when the traveling direction is diagonally right and to the right, the control unit 110 may cause the vibration presentation unit 210b to present vibration at a lower frequency and the vibration presentation unit 210c to present vibration at a higher frequency.

[0113] As described above, the control unit 110 according to this embodiment can present the direction to the destination to the user by controlling vibration presentation by the vibration presentation units 210a to 210c.

[0114] Next, a flow of vibration presentation control according to the direction of a destination according to this embodiment will be described.

[0115] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of vibration presentation control according to the direction of a destination according to this embodiment.

[0116] In the example shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 110 first acquires a destination input by the user from the voice collecting unit 250 or the operation receiving unit (S102).

[0117] Next, the control unit 110 acquires the current location from the location information acquisition unit 260 (S104).

[0118] Next, the control unit 110 controls the vibration presentation according to the direction of the destination, based on the destination acquired in step S102 and the current position acquired in step S104 (S106).

[0119] Furthermore, the control unit 110 may further control audio presentation and image presentation in addition to vibration presentation.

[0120] Control unit 110 may repeatedly execute the processes in steps S102 to S106 until the user issues an instruction to end the function.

[0121] Next, a specific example of vibration presentation control according to the direction of an obstacle according to this embodiment will be described.

[0122] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of vibration presentation control according to the direction of an obstacle according to the present embodiment.

[0123] For example, when presenting information that an obstacle has been detected ahead, the control unit 110 may cause the vibration presentation units 210a and 210b to present short-term vibrations multiple times.

[0124] Such control allows the user to intuitively recognize the presence of an obstacle ahead.

[0125] On the other hand, when presenting information that an obstacle (eg, a vehicle) is approaching from the left diagonal rear, the control unit 110 may cause the vibration presentation units 210a and 210c to present short vibrations multiple times.

[0126] This type of control allows the user to intuitively know that an obstacle is approaching from behind.

[0127] Furthermore, when performing the above-mentioned control, the control unit 110 may change the mode of vibration that the vibration presentation unit 210 presents depending on the distance between the user and the obstacle.

[0128] For example, the control unit 110 may cause the vibration presentation unit 210 to present a shorter interval of vibration as the distance between the user and the obstacle becomes closer.

[0129] The above-described control enables the user to intuitively grasp the distance to an obstacle and take appropriate action according to the distance.

[0130] Moreover, the control unit 110 can also express the moving direction of a detected obstacle by controlling the manner of vibration presentation.

[0131] For example, when presenting information that an obstacle moving from the left front to the right front is detected, the control unit 110 may gradually change the magnitude of the amplitude of the vibration presented by the vibration presentation unit 210a from large to small. Also, the control unit 110 may gradually change the magnitude of the amplitude of the vibration presented by the vibration presentation unit 210a from small to large.

[0132] The above-described control enables the user to intuitively grasp the moving direction of the obstacle and take appropriate action according to that direction.

[0133] As described above, the control unit 110 according to this embodiment can present the direction of an obstacle to the user by controlling vibration presentation by the vibration presentation units 210a to 210c.

[0134] Next, a flow of vibration presentation control according to the direction of an obstacle according to this embodiment will be described.

[0135] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of vibration presentation control according to the direction of an obstacle according to this embodiment.

[0136] In the example shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 110 first acquires an image of the user's surroundings from the image capturing unit 230 (S202).

[0137] At this time, the control unit 110 may obtain images from other imaging devices such as security cameras present in the vicinity, in addition to the imaging unit 230, via wireless communication.

[0138] Next, the control unit 110 detects an obstacle based on the image acquired in step S202 (S204).

[0139] Next, the control unit 110 controls the vibration presentation by the vibration presentation unit 210 in accordance with the direction of the obstacle detected in step S204 (S206).

[0140] The vibration presentation control according to the present embodiment has been described in detail above by giving specific examples.

[0141] According to the vibration presentation control as described above, it is possible to realize more secure and intuitive directional presentation compared to a case where only one or both of an image and an audio are used.

[0142] Furthermore, the vibration presentation according to this embodiment is extremely effective for users with visual or hearing impairments.

[0143] <2. Supplementary Information> Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to such an example. It is clear that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can conceive of various modified or altered examples within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

[0144] Furthermore, the series of processes performed by each device described in this specification may be realized using any of software, hardware, and a combination of software and hardware. The programs constituting the software are stored in advance, for example, in a recording medium (non-transitory medium) provided inside or outside each device. Then, each program is loaded into a RAM when executed by a computer, for example, and executed by a processor such as a CPU. The recording medium is, for example, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a flash memory, etc. Furthermore, the computer programs may be distributed, for example, via a network, without using a recording medium. [Explanation of symbols]

[0145] 10: control device, 110: control unit, 20: wearable device, 210: vibration presentation unit, 220: audio output unit, 230: imaging unit, 240: display unit, 250: audio collection unit, 260: position information acquisition unit

Claims

1. A control unit that controls presentation of information regarding a direction relative to the user to a user; Equipped with the control unit controls presentation of information regarding a direction relative to the user using vibration presentation by at least three vibration presentation units arranged corresponding to different directions relative to the user; At least three of the vibration presentation units are arranged to correspond to a first direction, a second direction, and a third direction, respectively, based on the user; The control unit controls presentation of information about directions other than the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction by vibrating a plurality of the at least three vibration presentation units. Control device.

2. The control unit controls the presentation of information regarding the stop by vibrating all of the at least three vibration presentation units. The control device according to claim 1 .

3. the first direction and the second direction respectively correspond to left and right directions with respect to the user; The control device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the third direction corresponds to a rearward direction relative to the user. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The information regarding the direction relative to the user includes information regarding a direction of a destination relative to the user. A control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The information regarding the direction relative to the user includes information regarding the direction of an obstacle relative to the user. A control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The control unit causes at least one of the vibration presentation units corresponding to the direction to perform vibration presentation in response to information regarding the direction based on the user. A control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The vibration presentation unit is disposed in a wearable device worn by the user. A control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The wearable device includes a neckband type. The control device according to claim 8.

10. The vibration presentation unit is arranged in a neckband-type wearable device worn by the user so as to contact a bone of the user. The control device according to claim 9.

Images