Control system, control method of control system, and program

Abstract

This control system comprises: an acquiring means for acquiring information relating to the remaining capacity of batteries that supply power to operating means that consume power to operate; and a control means for operating a first operating means and a second operating means using operation content corresponding to the remaining capacity of a second battery when the remaining capacity of the second battery, which supplies power to the operating second operating means, is less than the remaining capacity of a first battery, which supplies power to the operating first operating means.

Description

Control system, control method for control system, and program

[0001] The present invention relates to a control system, a control method for a control system, and a program.

[0002] In recent years, attention has been focused on a technology that displays a virtual object in a virtual reality (VR) space and provides the user with haptic feedback effects such as vibrations and motions when the user makes an action as if touching the virtual object. To give the user a sense of immersion in the VR space, not only visual information but also feedback corresponding to the user's actions may be provided to the user. Patent Document 1 discloses a pair of realistic gloves that are worn on the user's hands and provide haptic and kinesthetic sensations to the wearing hands.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-049767

[0004] Here, when a first operating means that receives power from a first battery and performs an operation such as vibration and a second operating means that receives power from a second battery and performs an operation such as vibration are both operating, the remaining charge of the second battery may run low first. In this case, the second operating means may operate with an operation corresponding to the remaining charge of the second battery, such as operating to reduce power consumption of the second battery, while the operation of the first operating means may remain unchanged. If the first operating means operates independently of the remaining charge of the second battery, the difference between the operation of the first operating means and the operation of the second operating means may become significant, which may cause the user to feel uncomfortable. The present invention aims to reduce the discomfort felt by the operation of the first operating means and the second operating means compared to a configuration in which the first operating means operates independently of the remaining charge of the second battery.

[0005] In order to solve the above problem, the control system of the present invention is a control system comprising: an acquisition means for acquiring information regarding the remaining charge of a battery that supplies power to an operating means that consumes power to operate; and a control means for operating the first operating means and the second operating means with operation content that corresponds to the remaining charge of the second battery when the remaining charge of a second battery that supplies power to an operating second operating means is less than the remaining charge of a first battery that supplies power to an operating first operating means.

[0006] According to the present invention, compared to a configuration in which the first operating means operates regardless of the remaining charge of the second battery, it is possible to prevent the operations of the first operating means and the second operating means from causing discomfort to the user.

[0007] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a control device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a device control system. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the functional configuration of a control device. (A) is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the remaining battery charge and the ratio of the maximum amplitude of device vibration, and (B) is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the remaining battery charge of multiple target devices and the amplitude setting value of each of the multiple target devices. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of control processing according to a modified example. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of a device control system according to a second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of control processing according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of a device control system according to a third embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of control processing according to the third embodiment.

[0008] First Embodiment Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a control device 100 according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a device control system 1. The device control system 1, as an example of a control system, is a system that controls devices that operate by consuming power supplied from a battery. The device control system 1 includes the control device 100 and a plurality of devices 200. Note that, hereinafter, the up-down direction in FIG. 1 may be referred to as the X-axis direction, the front-rear direction in FIG. 1 may be referred to as the Y-axis direction, and the left-right direction in FIG. 1 may be referred to as the Z-axis direction. The X-axis direction, Y-axis direction, and Z-axis direction in FIG. 2 correspond to the X-axis direction, Y-axis direction, and Z-axis direction in FIG. 1, respectively. FIG. 2 also shows the hardware configuration of the control device 100 and the functional configuration of the devices 200.

[0009] The control device 100 controls the devices 200 provided in the device control system 1. In the illustrated example, the control device 100 is a head-mounted display (HMD) worn on the user's head. Therefore, the control device 100 may be referred to as an HMD 100. As shown in FIG. 1 , the HMD 100 includes a housing 103, a left display 104, a right display 105, a left camera 106, a right camera 107, a left gaze detector 108, a right gaze detector 109, a body part detector 111, and operation buttons 110. Note that FIG. 1 is a diagram of the HMD 100 worn by a user as viewed from above the user (downstream in the Y-axis direction).

[0010] When a user wears the housing 103 of the HMD 100, the user's left eyeball 101 and right eyeball 102 can observe real space through the translucent left display 104 and right display 105, respectively. Information such as icons and images used to operate the HMD 100 is displayed on the left display 104 and right display 105, allowing the user to visually recognize a virtual space defined in the HMD 100 as a space in which information is displayed on the HMD 100 and a real space superimposed on each other. The left display 104 and the right display 105 may be a single display. The displays provided on the HMD 100 may be switchable between a translucent state and a non-translucent state. Depending on the state of the display, information stored in the HMD 100 or images captured by the left camera 106 or the right camera 107 may be displayed on the display. The left gaze detector 108 detects the gaze of the user's left eye. The right gaze detector 109 examines the gaze of the user's right eye. The body part detector 111 detects a body part of the user and identifies the position of the detected body part in the virtual space defined by the HMD 100. The operation button 110 is a power button and a button for accepting various operations of the HMD 100.

[0011] The HMD 100 also includes a CPU 128, a memory unit 129, a display driver circuit 124, a light splitter 121, a camera image sensor 125, an aperture mechanism 126, and a focus mechanism 127. The HMD 100 also includes an illumination light source 120, a light receiving lens 122, an eye image sensor 123, an infrared sensor 131, and a communication I / F 130. While the HMD 100 shown in FIG. 2 is configured to correspond to the user's left eye, the configuration corresponding to the user's right eye may also be the same as the configuration shown in FIG. 2. The CPU 128 controls the entire HMD 100. The memory unit 129 stores information such as images displayed on the HMD 100. Image signals from the camera image sensor 125 and the eye image sensor 123, line-of-sight correction data, eye characteristic information, and the like may also be stored in the memory unit 129. The display driver circuit 124 is a circuit that drives the left display 104. The light splitter 121, camera image sensor 125, aperture mechanism 126, and focus mechanism 127 are mechanisms that make up the left camera 106. The illumination light source 120, light receiving lens 122, and eye image sensor 123 are mechanisms that make up the gaze detector 108. The illumination light source 120 is a light source that projects light onto the eyeball 101 to detect the user's gaze, and is composed of, for example, multiple infrared light-emitting diodes. An image of the illuminated eyeball and an image resulting from the corneal reflection of the light source are formed by the light receiving lens 122 on the eye image sensor 123, which has a two-dimensional array of photoelectric elements such as CMOS. The light receiving lens 122 positions the pupil of the user's eyeball 101 and the eye image sensor 123 in a complementary imaging relationship. The gaze detector 108 detects the gaze direction from the positional relationship between the image of the eyeball formed on the eye image sensor 123 and the image resulting from the corneal reflection of the light source 120. The infrared sensor 131 is a sensor that constitutes the body part detector 111. The infrared sensor 131 detects the position of a body part of the user. The communication I / F 130 communicates with the device 200.

[0012] The device 200, as an example of an operating unit, is worn by a user and operates under the control of the control device 100 to exert an action on the user. In the illustrated example, the device 200 exerts vibration on the user. The device 200 includes a communication I / F 201, a signal control unit 202, multiple signal amplifiers 203, multiple vibration actuators 205, a remaining charge acquisition unit 207, and a battery 208. Although only one device 200 is shown in FIG. 2 , the device control system 1 includes a device 200 for each part of the user on which the device is worn. The communication I / F 201 communicates with the HMD 100. The signal control unit 202 combines vibration signals received by the communication I / F 201 to generate vibration signals for controlling each vibration actuator 205. The signal amplifier 203 amplifies the signals generated by the signal control unit 202 and supplies the amplified signals to the vibration actuators 205. The vibration actuator 205 reproduces vibrations from the signal received from the signal amplifier 203, thereby vibrating the user's head, torso, hands, feet, etc. The vibration actuator 205 may provide the user with not only vibrations but also tactile sensations such as pressure or static electricity. The remaining charge acquisition unit 207 measures the remaining charge of the battery 208 at regular intervals and transmits information indicating the remaining charge of the battery 208 to the HMD 100 via the communication I / F 201 each time the measurement is performed. Note that information indicating the remaining charge of a battery, such as the battery 208, may hereinafter be referred to as "remaining charge information." The battery 208, as an example of a battery, supplies power to each functional unit of the device 200. Each functional unit of the device 200 consumes power supplied from the battery 208 to realize the above-mentioned functions.

[0013] The vibration actuator 205 can also be considered as operating means that consumes power to operate. In a broad sense, the signal control unit 202, the signal amplifier 203, and the vibration actuator 205 can also be considered as operating means that consume power to operate. The network connecting the control device 100 and the device 200 may be any network configured to enable the transmission and reception of information. The network may be the Internet, a LAN, a WAN, a cellular network such as LTE or 5G, a wireless network, a dedicated digital line, Bluetooth (registered trademark), Bluetooth Low Energy, or a combination thereof.

[0014] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the control device 100. The control device 100 includes a transmission / reception unit 1001, a storage unit 1002, an operation determination unit 1003, a relationship determination unit 1004, and a device control unit 1005. The transmission / reception unit 1001, which is an example of an acquisition unit, transmits and receives information to and from the device 200. The transmission / reception unit 1001 receives remaining capacity information from the device 200. The transmission / reception unit 1001 also transmits an operation instruction, including the content of the operation of the device 200, to the device 200. The storage unit 1002 stores information. Examples of information stored in the storage unit 1002 include remaining capacity information for each device 200 received by the transmission / reception unit 1001. The storage unit 1002 also stores the remaining capacity information in association with information identifying the device 200 that is the subject of this remaining capacity information.

[0015] The operation determination unit 1003 determines whether to operate the device 200. The operation determination unit 1003 determines whether to operate the device 200 based on the user's operation, the information displayed on the HMD 100, the relationship between the information displayed on the HMD 100 and the user, and the like. Furthermore, when the operation determination unit 1003 determines to operate the device 200, it determines which of the devices 200 provided in the device control system 1 to operate. In this case, the operation determination unit 1003 may determine to operate only one device 200, or may operate multiple devices 200. Note that the target device 200 determined by the operation determination unit 1003 to be operated may be referred to as the target device 200 hereinafter. The operation determination unit 1003 transmits information indicating the decision to operate the device 200, together with information identifying the target device 200, to the relationship determination unit 1004 and the device control unit 1005.

[0016] When the gaze detector 108 detects the user's gaze, the operation determination unit 1003 may determine to operate one or more devices 200 that are close to the detected gaze. Furthermore, when a specific image is displayed on the HMD 100, the operation determination unit 1003 may determine to operate one or more devices 200 depending on the type of image to be displayed. Furthermore, when a relationship between an image displayed on the HMD 100 and a user's body part satisfies a predetermined condition, the operation determination unit 1003 may determine to operate one or more devices 200 depending on the body part that satisfies the condition. An example of a relationship that satisfies the predetermined condition is a relationship between an image and a user's body part such that the position in the virtual space of the user's body part detected by the body part detector 111 overlaps with the display position of the image in the virtual space.

[0017] When the operation determination unit 1003 determines to operate the plurality of devices 200, the relationship determination unit 1004 determines the relationship between the operations of the plurality of target devices 200. Examples of the relationship between the operations of the plurality of target devices 200 include the relationship between the ratio of the maximum amplitudes of the vibrations of the plurality of target devices 200. Although not shown, the storage unit 1002 may store, for example, a table indicating the relationship between the operations of the plurality of target devices 200 for each event that triggers the operation determination unit 1003 to determine to operate the plurality of target devices 200. Events that trigger the determination to operate the plurality of target devices 200 include, for example, the above-mentioned event in which the user's line of sight is detected by the line of sight detector 108, the event in which a specific image is displayed on the HMD 100, and the event in which the relationship between the image and the user's body part satisfies a predetermined condition. The relationship determination unit 1004 may determine the operational relationship between the multiple target devices 200 in accordance with an event that triggers a decision to operate the multiple target devices 200 by referring to a table stored in the memory unit 1002.

[0018] The device control unit 1005, which is an example of a control means, controls the operation of the target device 200. When operating a plurality of target devices 200, the device control unit 1005 determines the operation details of the plurality of target devices 200 according to the operational relationship between the plurality of target devices 200 determined by the relationship determination unit 1004 and the remaining charge levels of the batteries 208 of the plurality of target devices 200. The device control unit 1005 controls the operation of the target device 200 by transmitting an operation instruction including the determined operation details to the target device 200 via the transmission / reception unit 1001. The control details of the device 200 by the device control unit 1005 will be described in detail later.

[0019] In the control device 100, the transmitting / receiving unit 1001 is realized by the communication I / F 130 (see FIG. 2 ). The storage unit 1002 is realized by the memory unit 129. The operation determination unit 1003, the relationship determination unit 1004, and the device control unit 1005 are realized by the CPU 128 loading programs from the memory unit 129 into a RAM (not shown) and executing the programs.

[0020] FIG. 4A is a diagram showing the relationship between the remaining charge of the battery 208 and the ratio of the maximum amplitude of the vibration of the device 200. The horizontal axis of FIG. 4A represents the percentage of the remaining charge relative to the capacity of the battery 208. The vertical axis of FIG. 4A represents the ratio of the maximum amplitude controlled as the vibration of the device 200. The ratio of the maximum amplitude controlled as the vibration of the device 200 is the ratio of the value set in the device control unit 1005 as the maximum amplitude of the vibration of the device 200 to the maximum amplitude that can be set as the vibration capability of the device 200. The maximum amplitude that can be set as the vibration capability of the device 200 may be referred to as the maximum amplitude value hereinafter. The value set in the device control unit 1005 as the maximum amplitude of the vibration of the device 200 may be referred to as the amplitude setting value hereinafter. The ratio of the amplitude setting value to the maximum amplitude value may be referred to as the amplitude ratio hereinafter. In other words, the vertical axis of FIG. 4A represents the amplitude ratio. 4A is stored in the storage unit 1002 of the control device 100. In the following, it is assumed that the operation of the target device 200, the relationship of which is determined by the relationship determination unit 1004, and the operation of the target device 200, the relationship of which is controlled by the device control unit 1005, are both vibrations of the target device 200.

[0021] The device control unit 1005 of the HMD 100 controls the operation of the target device 200 according to the remaining charge of the battery 208 by referring to the information shown in FIG. 4A . When the remaining charge of the battery 208 of the target device 200 is 70% or more of its capacity, the device control unit 1005 sets the amplitude ratio of the target device 200 to 1. In other words, when the remaining charge of the battery 208 of the target device 200 is 70% or more of its capacity, the device control unit 1005 vibrates the target device 200 at the maximum amplitude that can be set as the vibration capability of the target device 200. When the remaining charge of the battery 208 of the target device 200 is more than 20% but less than 70% of its capacity, the device control unit 1005 sets the amplitude ratio to a smaller value as the remaining charge of the battery 208 decreases. When the remaining charge of the battery 208 of the target device 200 is less than 20%, the device control unit 1005 sets the amplitude ratio to 0.25.

[0022] In the example shown in Fig. 4A, 70% of the remaining charge of the battery 208 is set as the threshold at which the amplitude setting value of the target device 200 is limited relative to the maximum amplitude. The threshold at which the amplitude setting value of the target device 200 is limited relative to the maximum amplitude may be referred to as the limiting threshold hereinafter. Furthermore, the device control unit 1005 sets the amplitude ratio for each of the plurality of target devices 200 based on the remaining charge of the battery 208 of the target device 200 with the smallest remaining charge of the battery 208. Furthermore, the remaining charge of the battery 208 of the target device 200 with the smallest remaining charge of the battery 208 may be referred to as the minimum remaining charge hereinafter.

[0023] FIG. 4B is a diagram showing the relationship between the remaining charge of the battery 208 of a plurality of target devices 200 and the amplitude setting value of each of the plurality of target devices 200. In the example shown in FIG. 4B, two target devices 200 are respectively attached to the left and right hands of a user. The target device 200 attached to the user's left hand may be referred to as the left-hand target device 200 below. The target device 200 attached to the user's right hand may be referred to as the right-hand target device 200 below. The batteries 208 of the left-hand target device 200 and the right-hand target device 200 have different capacities. More specifically, the battery 208 of the left-hand target device 200 has a larger capacity than the right-hand target device 200.

[0024] When the remaining charge of the battery 208 of both the left-hand target device 200 and the right-hand target device 200 is 70% or more, the device control unit 1005 sets the amplitude setting values ​​of both the left-hand target device 200 and the right-hand target device 200 to the maximum amplitude based on the relationship information (see FIG. 4A). In other words, when the remaining charge of the battery 208 of both the left-hand target device 200 and the right-hand target device 200 is 70% or more, the device control unit 1005 sets the amplitude ratios of both the left-hand target device 200 and the right-hand target device 200 to 1. Here, as shown in FIG. 4B, the maximum amplitude of the right-hand target device 200 is MR, and the maximum amplitude of the left-hand target device 200 is ML, which is 1.3 times MR. Therefore, when the remaining charge of the battery 208 of the left-hand target device 200 and the right-hand target device 200 is 70% or more, the ratio of the amplitude setting value of the left-hand target device 200 to the amplitude setting value of the right-hand target device 200 is 1.3:1.

[0025] In the illustrated example, the remaining charge of the battery 208 of the left-hand target device 200 is 70%, while the remaining charge of the battery 208 of the right-hand target device 200 is 20%. In this case, the device control unit 1005 sets the amplitude ratio of the left-hand target device 200 and the amplitude ratio of the right-hand target device 200 based on the remaining charge of the battery 208 of the right-hand target device 200. Specifically, based on the relationship indicated in the relationship information, the device control unit 1005 sets both the amplitude ratio of the left-hand target device 200 and the amplitude ratio of the right-hand target device 200 to "0.25", which corresponds to 20%, the remaining charge of the battery 208 of the right-hand target device 200. In this case, the amplitude setting value of the right-hand target device 200 is CR, and the amplitude setting value of the left-hand target device 200 is CL, which is 1.3 times CR. That is, regardless of the remaining charge of the battery 208, the left-hand target device 200 and the right-hand target device 200 have the same amplitude ratio, so that the relationship of 1.3:1 is maintained as the ratio of the amplitude setting values ​​of the left-hand target device 200 and the right-hand target device 200.

[0026] Note that, when the operational relationship between the plurality of target devices 200 has been determined by the relationship determination unit 1004, the device control unit 1005 may set the amplitude ratio of the plurality of target devices 200 based on the determined operational relationship. For example, the device control unit 1005 assumes an amplitude setting value for each target device 200 based on the minimum remaining amount and the relationship information, and obtains a value by multiplying the assumed amplitude setting value by the ratio determined by the relationship determination unit 1004 as the operational relationship between the plurality of target devices 200. In this way, an amplitude setting value based on the operational relationship determined by the relationship determination unit 1004 is calculated.

[0027] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of the control process. The control process is a process by which the control device 100 controls the operation of the target device 200. The control process is initiated when the operation determination unit 1003 determines that the device 200 is to be operated. The relationship determination unit 1004 determines whether there are multiple target devices 200 (S101). The relationship determination unit 1004 makes the determination of step 101 based on whether there are multiple target devices 200 specified by the operation determination unit 1003. If there are not multiple target devices 200 (NO in S101), the device control unit 1005 identifies the remaining capacity of the battery 208 of the target device 200 from the latest remaining capacity information stored in the storage unit 1002 for that target device 200. Then, the device control unit 1005 sets the amplitude ratio of the target device 200 based on the identified remaining capacity and the relationship information (see FIG. 4A) (S102).

[0028] Furthermore, if there are multiple target devices 200 (YES in S101), the relationship determination unit 1004 determines the operational relationship between the multiple target devices 200 (S103). The device control unit 1005 determines whether the multiple target devices 200 satisfy the change condition (S104). The change condition is a condition used by the device control unit 1005 to determine whether to change the amplitude setting value from the maximum amplitude value. The change condition can also be understood as a condition determined regarding the remaining battery capacity. In this embodiment, the change condition is determined to be that the minimum remaining capacity is less than a limit threshold. For each target device 200, the device control unit 1005 identifies the remaining capacity of the battery 208 of the target device 200 from the latest remaining capacity information stored in the storage unit 1002, and also identifies the minimum remaining capacity. Then, by comparing the identified minimum remaining capacity with the limit threshold indicated in the relationship information, it is determined whether the multiple target devices 200 satisfy the change condition.

[0029] If the plurality of target devices 200 do not satisfy the change condition (NO in S104), the device control unit 1005 sets the amplitude ratio of each of the plurality of target devices 200 to 1. In other words, the amplitude setting value of each of the plurality of target devices 200 is set to the maximum amplitude value (S105). Also, if the plurality of target devices 200 satisfy the change condition (YES in S104), the device control unit 1005 limits the amplitude of vibration of each target device 200 in accordance with the minimum remaining capacity (S106). More specifically, the device control unit 1005 sets the amplitude setting value of each of the plurality of target devices 200 to a value lower than the maximum amplitude value in accordance with the relationship between the minimum remaining capacity and the relationship information.

[0030] As described above, when the remaining charge of the second battery supplying power to the second operating means is lower than the remaining charge of the first battery supplying power to the first operating means, the device control unit 1005 operates the first operating means and the second operating means with operation details according to the remaining charge of the second battery. Furthermore, when the second battery satisfies the change condition earlier than the first battery, the device control unit 1005 operates the first operating means and the second operating means so that consumption of the first battery and the second battery is reduced when the second battery satisfies the condition compared to when the second battery does not. An example of the first operating means is a target device 200 among the multiple target devices 200 that has a battery 208 with a remaining charge that is not the minimum. An example of the second operating means is a target device 200 among the multiple target devices 200 that has a battery 208 with a remaining charge that is the minimum. An example of the first battery is a battery 208 with a remaining charge that is not the minimum. An example of the second battery is a battery 208 with a remaining charge that is the minimum. In this case, the difference between the operation of the first operating means and the operation of the second operating means is prevented from becoming too obvious, compared to a configuration in which the first operating means operates regardless of the remaining charge of the second battery. Therefore, the operations of the first operating means and the second operating means are prevented from giving the user a sense of discomfort, and the user's sense of immersion in the HMD 100 is prevented from being impaired.

[0031] In particular, in this embodiment, the device control unit 1005 limits the operation of each of the plurality of target devices 200 according to the minimum remaining charge. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the consumption of the battery 208 of each of the plurality of target devices 200 while suppressing the loss of the immersive feeling of the user in the HMD 100.

[0032] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when both the first operating means and the second operating means are the target device 200, the device control unit 1005 operates the second operating means when operating the first operating means. In other words, the device control unit 1005 operates the first operating means and the second operating means in cooperation with each other. In this case, if only the operation of the second operating means with a low remaining battery power is restricted and the operation of the first operating means is not restricted, the user is more likely to feel uncomfortable because the difference between the action of the first operating means and the action of the second operating means becomes larger. In contrast, as in this embodiment, when the operation of not only the second operating means but also the first operating means is restricted in response to a low remaining battery power, the user is less likely to feel uncomfortable because the difference between the action of the first operating means and the action of the second operating means becomes smaller.

[0033] In this embodiment, the device control unit 1005 changes the operation level of the first operation means and the operation level of the second operation means depending on the remaining charge of the second battery. The operation level may be, for example, the maximum amplitude of vibration. In this case, the device control unit 1005 can more easily control the operation of the first operation means and the second operation means compared to changing the operation content of the first operation means and the second operation means without changing the operation level.

[0034] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4B , the device control unit 1005 operates the first operating means and the second operating means such that the relationship between the operation level of the first operating means and the operation level of the second operating means satisfies a predetermined condition before and after a change in the operation level of the first operating means. In this case, the first operating means may be the right-hand target device 200 shown in FIG. 4B , and the second operating means may be the left-hand target device 200. Furthermore, the predetermined condition may be such that the amplitude setting value of the first operating means and the amplitude setting value of the second operating means are in a predetermined ratio. In this case, the change in the operation level can be prevented from causing discomfort to the user, compared to when the relationship between the operation level of the first operating means and the operation level of the second operating means before and after a change in the operation level of the first operating means does not satisfy the predetermined condition. In the above example, the predetermined condition was that the amplitude setting value of the first operating means and the amplitude setting value of the second operating means be in the same ratio before and after a change in the operation level of the first operating means (see FIG. 4(B) ), but this is not limited to this. The predetermined condition may also be, for example, that the amplitude setting value of the first operating means and the amplitude setting value of the second operating means be in a predetermined ratio range before and after a change in the operation level of the first operating means. That is, the predetermined condition is not limited to the relationship between the operation level of the first operating means and the operation level of the second operating means being the same before and after a change in the operation level of the first operating means. Furthermore, in the example shown in FIG. 4(B) , the battery of the first operating means and the battery of the second operating means have different capacities, but this is not limited to this. The battery of the first operating means and the battery of the second operating means may have the same capacity.

[0035] Next, a modified example of the control process will be described. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of the control process as a modified example. In the modified example described below, it is assumed that remaining charge information is stored in the storage unit 1002 in association with information identifying the body part of the user on which the device 200 having the battery 208 that is the subject of the remaining charge information is worn. Furthermore, in the modified example described below, it is assumed that the operation determination unit 1003 transmits information identifying the target device 200 to the relationship determination unit 1004 and the device control unit 1005, together with information identifying the body part of the user on which the target device 200 is worn.

[0036] In the control process shown in Fig. 6, the processes in steps 201 to 205 are the same as the processes in steps 101 to 105 of the control process shown in Fig. 5. The device control unit 1005 determines whether the body parts of the user on which the multiple target devices 200 are worn are the same body parts (S206). Note that the body parts of the user on which the multiple target devices 200 are worn may be referred to as target body parts hereinafter. If the target body parts are the same body parts (Yes in S206), the device control unit 1005 limits the amplitude of vibration of each target device 200 according to the minimum remaining charge (S207). The process in step 207 is the same as the process in step 106 of the control process shown in Fig. 5.

[0037] Furthermore, if the target parts are not the same (No in S206), the device control unit 1005 limits the amplitude of vibration of each target device 200 according to the relationship between the target parts (S208). The user's sensitivity to the effects of the device 200, such as vibration, varies depending on the part of the user on which the device 200 acts. Specifically, the sensitivity of each part of the user's body is related, for example, as "hands > head > torso > feet." If the operation of a target device 200 worn on a part of the user with low sensitivity is excessively restricted, the effect of the target device 200 may not be transmitted to the user. Therefore, in step 208, the device control unit 1005 limits the operation of each target device 200 according to the sensitivity of the target part. More specifically, the device control unit 1005 estimates an amplitude setting value for each target device 200 based on the minimum remaining charge and the related information. Then, the device control unit 1005 multiplies the assumed amplitude setting value by a different correction value for each target part, taking into account the sensitivity of each part described above, and determines the value obtained for each target part as the amplitude setting value for that target part. In this case, the correction value used to multiply the assumed value of the amplitude setting value is set to a larger value for target devices 200 attached to parts with lower sensitivity.

[0038] As described above, the first operating means and the second operating means are each worn by the user and act on different parts of the user. When restricting the operation of the first operating means and the operation of the second operating means in accordance with the remaining charge of the second battery, the device control unit 1005 sets different degrees of restriction for the first operating means and the second operating means. In this case, the first operating means and the second operating means can be operated taking into account the sensitivity of each part of the user that is acted upon by the operating means.

[0039] In the present embodiment, the device control unit 1005 limits the amplitude of vibration of each target device 200 according to the minimum remaining charge, but this is not limiting. The device control unit 1005 may increase the maximum amplitude of vibration of the multiple target devices 200 according to the minimum remaining charge. In addition, if the minimum remaining charge is greater than a predetermined remaining charge, the device control unit 1005 may control the operation of each target device 200 so that battery consumption of each target device 200 increases according to the minimum remaining charge.

[0040] Furthermore, the target of the control of the target device 200 by the device control unit 1005 is not limited to vibration amplitude. The target of the control of the target device 200 by the device control unit 1005 may be, for example, vibration frequency. The target of the control of the target device 200 by the device control unit 1005 may be, for example, an operating time, such as vibration time. In this case, the device control unit 1005 may operate the first operating unit and the second operating unit such that the relationship between the operating time of the first operating unit and the operating time of the second operating unit satisfies a predetermined condition before and after a change in the operating time of the first operating unit and the second operating unit. Examples of the predetermined condition include the operating time of the first operating unit and the operating time of the second operating unit being within a predetermined ratio range. Furthermore, when restricting the operation of the first operating unit and the operation of the second operating unit according to the remaining charge of the second battery, the device control unit 1005 may vary the degree of restriction between the first operating unit and the second operating unit depending on the target body part. In this case, the restricted operation is the operating time.

[0041] In addition, in the present embodiment, the HMD 100, which is a device different from the device 200 serving as the operating means, has a configuration including an acquisition means and a control means, but is not limited to this. The operating means itself may have the acquisition means and the control means.

[0042] Second Embodiment Next, the configuration of a device control system 1 according to a second embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the device control system 1 according to the second embodiment. The device control system 1 shown in FIG. 7 is a system that controls the operation of a device 500 that outputs audio. An example of the device 500 is a wireless earphone. The device 500, which is an example of an operating means, includes a control device 600, a left earphone 610, and a right earphone 620. The left earphone 610 and the right earphone 620 can also be considered as operating means. In this embodiment, the control device 600, the left earphone 610, and the right earphone 620 may be a single device or may be separate devices. Also,

[0043] The control device 600, which is an example of a control unit, includes a CPU 601, a memory 603, an audio signal processing unit 602, and a communication I / F 604. The CPU 601 controls the entire device 600. The CPU 601 controls, for example, the volume, the noise cancellation strength, and the audio signal compression method. The memory 603 stores audio signals and remaining capacity information related to the device 600. The audio signal processing unit 602 has, for example, an equalizer function and changes the sound balance for each frequency of the output audio. The communication I / F 604 communicates with, for example, the left earphone 610 to transmit audio signals and control signals to the left earphone 610 and receive remaining capacity information from the left earphone 610. Note that the communication I / F 604 may communicate not only with the left earphone 610 but also with the right earphone 620. Furthermore, when the CPU 601 operates the left earphone 610, it also operates the right earphone 620. In other words, the CPU 601 causes the left earphone 610 and the right earphone 620 to operate in coordination with each other.

[0044] The left earphone 610 includes a remaining charge acquisition unit 612, a communication I / F 611, a battery 613, a communication I / F 614, a signal processing unit 615, an external sound input unit 616, and a driver unit 617. The remaining charge acquisition unit 612 measures the remaining charge of the battery 613 at regular intervals and, each time it measures the remaining charge, transmits remaining charge information indicating the remaining charge of the battery 613 to the control device 600 via the communication I / F 611. Therefore, the control device 600 can also be considered as an acquisition unit that acquires remaining charge information. The communication I / F 611 communicates with the control device 600. The battery 613, which is an example of a battery, supplies power to each functional unit of the left earphone 610. Each functional unit of the left earphone 610 consumes the power supplied from the battery 613 to realize each of the above-mentioned functions. The communication I / F 614 communicates with the right earphone 620 to receive remaining charge information from the right earphone 620. The signal processing unit 615 generates a reduction signal that is a signal for reducing sound used for noise cancellation from external sound input from the external sound input unit 616. The signal processing unit 615 also generates noise-canceled sound by synthesizing the generated reduction signal with the audio signal input from the device 500. The driver unit 617 is a mechanism that generates sound by transmitting the audio signal generated by the signal processing unit 615 to a diaphragm.

[0045] The right earphone 620 includes a remaining charge acquisition unit 621, a battery 622, a communication I / F 623, a signal processing unit 624, an external sound input unit 625, and a driver unit 626. The remaining charge acquisition unit 621, the battery 622, and the communication I / F 623 have the same functions as the remaining charge acquisition unit 612, the battery 613, and the communication I / F 614, respectively. The signal processing unit 624, the external sound input unit 625, and the driver unit 626 have the same functions as the signal processing unit 615, the external sound input unit 616, and the driver unit 617, respectively.

[0046] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of the control process of this embodiment. In the control process shown in FIG. 8, the CPU 601 of the control device 600 controls the operation of the left earphone 610 and the right earphone 620. The control process shown in FIG. 8 is started, for example, at predetermined time intervals. The predetermined time may be any time, but is, for example, one second. The CPU 601 detects which of the batteries 613 and 622 has the smaller remaining charge (S301). The CPU 601 detects which of the batteries 613 and 622 has the smaller remaining charge based on the latest remaining charge information stored in the memory 603 for the batteries 613 and 622.

[0047] The CPU 601 determines whether the device 500 satisfies the change condition (S302). In this embodiment, the change condition is that the remaining charge of the battery 613 or the battery 622, whichever is smaller, is less than a predetermined value. If the device 500 does not satisfy the change condition (No in S302), the control process ends. In this case, the sound output from the device 500 is not changed.

[0048] If the device 500 satisfies the change condition (Yes in S302), the CPU 601 reduces the quality of the sound output from the left earphone 610 and the right earphone 620 (S303). For example, if the remaining charge of the battery 613 or the battery 622 is less than a predetermined threshold, the CPU 601 outputs sound using a lossless compression method. Furthermore, if the remaining charge of the battery 613 or the battery 622 is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, the CPU 601 outputs sound at a low bit rate using a lossy compression method such as AAC (Advanced Audio Coding).

[0049] The CPU 601 determines whether the volume set for the left earphone 610 and the right earphone 620 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (S304). If the volume is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold (Yes in S304), the CPU 601 limits the volume in accordance with the remaining charge of the battery 613 or the battery 622, whichever is smaller (S305). For example, the CPU 601 reduces the volume of the sound output from the left earphone 610 and the right earphone 620 as the remaining charge of the battery 613 or the battery 622 decreases.

[0050] If a negative result is obtained in step 304, or after step 305, the CPU 601 determines whether the volume of the externally input sound is below a predetermined threshold (S306). The CPU 601 makes the determination in step 306 based on the volume of the external sound input from the external sound input unit 616 and the external sound input unit 625. If the external volume is below the predetermined threshold (Yes in S306), the CPU 601 reduces the intensity of noise cancellation for the left earphone 610 and the right earphone 620 (S307). In this case, the signal processing unit 615 and the signal processing unit 624, for example, apply a gain when capturing the external sound and generating a noise cancellation signal of the opposite phase to the captured external sound to reduce the intensity. Note that the CPU 601 may reduce the intensity of noise cancellation for the left earphone 610 and the right earphone 620 as the remaining charge of the battery 613 or the battery 622 decreases. Additionally, in step 307, the CPU 601 may disable the noise cancellation function in the left earphone 610 and the right earphone 620. Furthermore, if a negative result is obtained in step 306, the strength of the noise cancellation for the left earphone 610 and the right earphone 620 is not changed.

[0051] In this manner, the control device 600 of this embodiment limits the operation of the left earphone 610 and the right earphone 620 depending on which of the batteries 613 and 622 has the lowest remaining charge. In other words, when the remaining charge of the second battery that supplies power to the second operating means is lower than the remaining charge of the first battery that supplies power to the first operating means, the control device 600 operates the first operating means and the second operating means with operation content that corresponds to the remaining charge of the second battery. Furthermore, when the second battery satisfies the change condition earlier than the first battery, the control device 600 operates the first operating means and the second operating means so that consumption of the first battery and the second battery is reduced when the second battery satisfies the condition compared to when it does not. The first operating means is the earphone of the left earphone 610 or the right earphone 620 whose battery has the largest remaining charge. Furthermore, the second operating means is the earphone of the left earphone 610 or the right earphone 620 whose battery has the smallest remaining charge. In this case, compared to a configuration in which the first operating means operates regardless of the remaining charge of the second battery, it is possible to prevent the operation of the first operating means and the second operating means from causing discomfort to the user, and also to reduce power consumption by the device 500.

[0052] Note that, in this embodiment, the CPU 601 limits the operation of the left earphone 610 and the right earphone 620 in accordance with the remaining charge of the battery 613 or the battery 622, whichever is lower, but this is not limiting. The CPU 601 may also control the operation of the left earphone 610 and the right earphone 620 so as to increase the consumption of the battery 613 or the battery 622 in accordance with the remaining charge of the battery 613 or the battery 622. The CPU 601 may also control the operation time of the left earphone 610 and the right earphone 620 in accordance with the remaining charge of the battery 613 or the battery 622, whichever is lower. The CPU 601 may also operate the left earphone 610 and the right earphone 620 so that the relationship between the level associated with the left earphone 610 and the level associated with the right earphone 620 satisfies a predetermined condition before and after a change in the operation level. Examples of the operation level include the volume and the strength of noise cancellation. Furthermore, the CPU 601 may operate the left earphone 610 and the right earphone 620 so that the relationship between the operation time of the left earphone 610 and the operation time of the right earphone 620 satisfies a predetermined condition before and after a change in the operation time. Examples of the predetermined condition include the volume of the left earphone 610 and the volume of the right earphone 620 being within a predetermined ratio range, or the operation time of the left earphone 610 and the operation time of the right earphone 620 being within a predetermined ratio range.

[0053] Third Embodiment Next, a device control system 1 according to a third embodiment will be described. FIG. 9A is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the device control system 1 according to the third embodiment. The device control system 1 according to this embodiment is a system that controls the operation of a light-emitting device 700. The device 700, which serves as an example of an operating unit, includes a control device 800 and a penlight 810. As shown in FIG. 9B, the device 700 is provided with a plurality of penlights 810. In the illustrated example, the device 700 is provided with three penlights 810, and each penlight 810 communicates with the control device 800. Note that each penlight 810 has the same configuration, and FIG. 9A illustrates the configuration of a representative penlight 810. Each penlight 810 can also be considered as operating means. In this embodiment, the control device 800 and the penlight 810 may be a single device or separate devices.

[0054] The control device 800, which is an example of a control means, includes a CPU 801, a memory 802, and a communication I / F 803. Examples of the control device 800 include computers such as smartphones and PCs. The control device 800 controls the light emission content of the penlights 810. The CPU 801 controls the entire device 700. The CPU 801 also generates information for instructing, for example, the light emission color of the penlights 810, the light emission timing of the penlights 810, the light emission intensity of the penlights 810, and the relationship between the light emission patterns of the penlights 810. The memory 802 stores information indicating the relationship between the light emission patterns of the penlights 810 and remaining charge information for the batteries 813 of the penlights 810. The communication I / F 803 communicates with each penlight 810.

[0055] The penlight 810 includes a control unit 811, a light-emitting unit 812, a battery 813, a remaining charge acquisition unit 814, and a communication I / F 815. The control unit 811 includes a CPU that controls the entire penlight 810 through program execution, a ROM that stores various programs, a RAM that executes the programs, and an LED control circuit. The light-emitting unit 812 emits light in accordance with instructions received by the control unit 811 from the control device 800. The light-emitting unit 812 is, for example, a full-color LED, including red, green, and blue LED elements, and emits light in multiple colors by controlling the brightness of each color LED element. The remaining charge acquisition unit 814 measures the remaining charge of the battery 813 at regular intervals and, each time it measures, transmits remaining charge information indicating the remaining charge of the battery 813 to the control device 800 via the communication I / F 815. Therefore, the control device 800 can also be considered as an acquisition unit that acquires remaining charge information. The battery 813 supplies power to each functional unit of the penlight 810. Each functional unit of the penlight 810 realizes each of the above-mentioned functions by consuming the power supplied from the battery 813. The communication I / F 815 communicates with the control device 800.

[0056] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of the control process of this embodiment. The control process shown in FIG. 10 is a process in which the CPU 801 of the control device 800 controls the operation of each penlight 810. The control process shown in FIG. 10 is started, for example, at predetermined time intervals. The predetermined time may be any time, but is, for example, one second. The CPU 801 detects the remaining charge of the battery 813 with the lowest charge among the penlights 810 provided in the device control system 1 (S401). The CPU 801 detects the remaining charge of the battery 813 with the lowest charge from the latest remaining charge information stored in the memory 802 for each penlight 810.

[0057] The CPU 801 determines whether the penlights 810 satisfy the change condition (S402). In this embodiment, the change condition is that the smallest remaining charge of the battery 813 detected in step 401 is less than a predetermined value. If the penlights 810 do not satisfy the change condition (No in S402), the control process ends. In this case, the light emitted by each penlight 810 is not changed.

[0058] If the penlights 810 satisfy the change condition (Yes in S402), the CPU 801 reduces the light intensity of each penlight 810 in accordance with the lowest remaining charge of the battery 813 of each penlight 810 (S403). The CPU 801 may reduce the light intensity of each penlight 810 the lower the remaining charge of the battery 813. The CPU 801 may change the light emission pattern of each penlight 810 to a pattern with fewer switching of emitted color in accordance with the lowest remaining charge of the battery 813 of each penlight 810 (S404). The CPU 801 may change the light emission pattern of each penlight to a pattern with fewer switching of emitted color in accordance with the lowest remaining charge of the battery 813.

[0059] In this manner, the control device 800 of this embodiment limits the operation of each penlight 810 based on the lowest remaining charge of the battery 813 of each penlight 810. In other words, when the remaining charge of the second battery supplying power to the second operating means is lower than the remaining charge of the first battery supplying power to the first operating means, the control device 600 operates the first operating means and the second operating means with operation content according to the remaining charge of the second battery. Furthermore, when the second battery satisfies the change condition earlier than the first battery, the control device 600 operates the first operating means and the second operating means so that consumption of the first battery and the second battery is reduced when the second battery satisfies the condition compared to when the second battery does not. The first operating means is a penlight 810 different from the penlight 810 with the lowest remaining charge of the battery 813 among the penlights 810. Furthermore, the second operating means is the penlight 810 with the lowest remaining charge of the battery 813 among the penlights 810. In this case, compared to a configuration in which the first operating means operates regardless of the remaining charge of the second battery, it is possible to prevent the operation of the first operating means and the second operating means from causing discomfort to the user, and also to reduce power consumption by the device 700.

[0060] In the present embodiment, the CPU 801 limits the operation of each penlight 810 according to the remaining charge of the battery 813 with the lowest remaining charge, but this is not limiting. The CPU 801 may control the operation of each penlight 810 so that the consumption of each battery 813 increases according to the remaining charge of the battery 813 with the lowest remaining charge. The CPU 801 may also control the operation time of each penlight 810 according to the remaining charge of the battery 813 with the lowest remaining charge. The CPU 801 may also operate each penlight 810 so that the relationship between the levels of each penlight 810 before and after a change in operation level satisfies a predetermined condition. Examples of operation levels include the light intensity and the number of times the light color is switched. The CPU 801 may also operate each penlight 810 so that the relationship between the operation time of each penlight 810 before and after a change in operation time satisfies a predetermined condition. Examples of predetermined conditions include that the light intensity and number of times the light color of each penlight 810 is switched are within a predetermined ratio range, and that the operating time of each penlight 810 is within a predetermined ratio range.

[0061] In the above example, the CPU 801 controls the operation of all the penlights 810 provided in the device control system 1 in accordance with the remaining charge of the battery 813 with the least remaining charge, but this is not limitative. The CPU 801 may divide the group to which each penlight 810 belongs into a plurality of groups in accordance with the area in which the penlights 810 are provided. The CPU 801 may then limit the operation to each penlight 810 that belongs to the same group as the penlight 810 with the least remaining battery 813, and control the operation in accordance with the remaining charge of the battery 813 with the least remaining charge.

[0062] In the first, second, and third embodiments, the acquiring unit acquires the remaining amount information at regular time intervals, but this is not limiting. The acquiring unit may acquire the remaining amount information from each operating unit every time a control process is started.

[0063] In the first, second, and third embodiments, the control unit controls the operation of the operation unit when the operation unit satisfies the change condition, but this is not limiting. The control unit may control the operation of each operation unit according to the operation unit with the least remaining battery power among the plurality of operation units, regardless of whether the operation unit satisfies the change condition.

[0064] Furthermore, in the first, second, and third embodiments, the change condition is described as being that the remaining battery charge is less than a predetermined value. However, this is not limited to this. The control means may determine, for each operating means, the remaining operating time of the operating means until the battery runs out, based on the remaining charge information. The control means may then control the operation of each operating means according to the shortest remaining operating time. In other words, the change condition may be determined with respect to the remaining period during which the operating means can operate based on the remaining battery charge. In this case, when the battery capacities differ for each battery, the operation of each operating means can be controlled according to the operating means that has not the smallest remaining battery charge but has the shortest remaining operating time until the battery runs out. Note that the information used by the control means to determine the remaining operating time of each operating means until the battery runs out is not limited to the remaining charge information. The control means may determine the remaining operating time of each operating means until the battery runs out using information related to the operation of the operating means, such as information on the frequency of operation by the operating means, in addition to the remaining charge information.

[0065] As described above in the first, second, and third embodiments, the operation of the first operating means and the operation of the second operating means controlled by the control means are both at least one of vibration, sound output, and light emission. In this case, the relationship between the operation of the first operating means and the operation of the second operating means is easily recognized by the user. Note that the operation of the operating means controlled by the control means is not limited to the above-mentioned examples. The operation controlled by the control means may be, for example, an operation that affects the user's sense of smell, such as smell, or an operation that affects the user's sense of taste, such as the taste of food.

[0066] Furthermore, the control devices 100, 600, and 800 are not limited to the configurations described above. The control devices 100, 600, and 800 may be server devices that control the operating means. In this case, the control devices 100, 600, and 800 may be configured by a single computer or may be realized by distributed processing using multiple computers. Furthermore, the control devices 100, 600, and 800 may be realized on virtual hardware provided by cloud computing. Furthermore, the control devices 100, 600, and 800 may be integrated with the operating means.

[0067] The present invention also includes a case in which a software program that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device having a computer capable of executing the program directly from a recording medium or via wired or wireless communication, and the program is executed. Therefore, the program code itself supplied and installed on a computer to realize the functional processing described above of the present invention also realizes the present invention. In other words, the computer program itself for realizing the functional processing of the present invention is also included in the present invention. In this case, the program may take any form, such as object code, a program executed by an interpreter, or script data supplied to an OS, as long as it has the program functionality. Recording media for supplying the program may include, for example, a hard disk, a magnetic recording medium such as a magnetic tape, an optical / magneto-optical storage medium, or a non-volatile semiconductor memory. Another possible method for supplying the program is to store the computer program forming the present invention on a server on a computer network, and a connected client computer may download and program the computer program. Alternatively, an OS running on a computer may perform some or all of the actual processing based on the instructions of the program code, thereby realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments. Furthermore, the program code read from the storage medium may be written to a memory provided on a function expansion board inserted into a computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer. Then, based on the instructions of the program code, a CPU provided on the function expansion board or function expansion unit may perform some or all of the actual processing. Even in this case, each function of the above-mentioned embodiment is realized.

[0068] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

[0069] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-60523, filed on April 4, 2024. The contents of the above Japanese patent application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Claims

1. A control system comprising: an acquisition means for acquiring information regarding the remaining charge of a battery that supplies power to an operating means that consumes power to operate; and a control means for operating the first operating means and the second operating means with operation content corresponding to the remaining charge of the second battery when the remaining charge of a first battery that supplies power to the first operating means is lower than the remaining charge of the second battery that supplies power to the operating first operating means.

2. The control system according to claim 1, wherein said control means, when operating said first operating means, also operates said second operating means.

3. A control system as described in claim 1, wherein the control means changes the operation level of the first operation means and the operation level of the second operation means, or changes the operation time of the first operation means and the operation time of the second operation means, depending on the remaining charge of the second battery.

4. The control system of claim 3, wherein the first battery and the second battery have different capacities, and the control means operates the first operating means and the second operating means so that the relationship between the level of the first operating means and the level of the second operating means, or the relationship between the operating time of the first operating means and the operating time of the second operating means, before and after the change in level or before and after the change in operating time satisfies a predetermined condition.

5. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the operation of said first operating means and the operation of said second operating means are both at least one of vibration, sound output, and light emission.

6. The control system of claim 1, wherein the first operating means and the second operating means are each worn by a user and act on different parts of the user, and when the control means limits the operation of the first operating means and the operation of the second operating means according to the remaining charge of the second battery, the control means varies the degree of the limit between the first operating means and the second operating means.

7. A control system comprising: an acquisition means for acquiring information regarding the remaining charge of a battery that supplies power to an operating means that consumes power to operate; and a control means for operating the first operating means and the second operating means such that, when a second battery that supplies power to an operating second operating means satisfies a condition regarding the remaining charge of the battery earlier than a first battery that supplies power to an operating first operating means, the consumption of the first battery and the second battery is reduced when the second battery satisfies the condition rather than when it does not.

8. The control system according to claim 7, wherein the condition is defined in relation to a remaining period during which the operating means is capable of operating based on the remaining amount.

9. A control method for a control system that controls operating means that consumes power, comprising the steps of: acquiring information about the remaining charge of a battery that supplies power to the operating means; and, when the remaining charge of a second battery that supplies power to a second operating means that operates is lower than the remaining charge of a first battery that supplies power to a first operating means that operates, operating the first operating means and the second operating means with operation content that corresponds to the remaining charge of the second battery.

10. A program for enabling a computer to: obtain information regarding the remaining charge of a battery that supplies power to an operating means that consumes power; and, when the remaining charge of a second battery that supplies power to a second operating means that operates is lower than the remaining charge of a first battery that supplies power to a first operating means that operates, operate the first operating means and the second operating means with operation content that corresponds to the remaining charge of the second battery.

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