Information processing device, smell presentation system, information processing system, program, and storage medium

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a novel technology for controlling a plurality of modalities.　The present technology provides an information processing device and the like, the information processing device comprising a processing unit that, using a learning model trained using information pertaining to a first modality, information pertaining to a second modality different from the first modality, and information pertaining to similarity between the first modalities, generates information pertaining to the second modality, the second modality being associated with the first modality.

Description

Information processing device, odor presentation system, information processing system, program, and storage medium

[0001] The present technology relates to an information processing device, an odor presentation system, an information processing system, a program, and a storage medium.

[0002] In recent years, technologies have been developed that can control multiple modalities such as sound, smell, video, and images to create a desired atmosphere in an environment.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system for automatically generating an atmosphere suitable for a mood and social setting within a certain environment, the system having a sound receiving unit that receives sound from the environment and generates an audio signal indicative of the received sound, an audio signal processing unit that receives and analyzes the audio signal for the mood and social setting within the environment, and an atmosphere generation unit that automatically generates a control signal for an atmosphere generation system to generate an atmosphere based on the results of the analysis of the audio signal.

[0004] Special Publication No. 2011-514541

[0005] However, there is still room for improvement in the technology for controlling multiple modalities, and the development of new technology is required.

[0006] Therefore, a main object of the present technology is to provide a novel technology for controlling multiple modalities.

[0007] The present technology provides an information processing device including: a processing unit that generates information about a second modality using a learning model trained using information about a first modality, information about a second modality different from the first modality, and information about similarities between the first modalities, wherein the second modality is linked to the first modality.

[0008] The present technology also provides an information processing device including: a processing unit that generates information about a second modality that is compatible with the information about the first modality using information about a first modality and a learning model that has been trained using information about a second modality different from the first modality; the second modality is linked to the first modality; the first modality is any one of sound, video, image, and text; and the second modality is any one of smell, touch, and taste.

[0009] The present technology further provides an odor presentation system that includes a processing unit that generates information about a second modality using a learning model trained using information about a first modality, information about a second modality different from the first modality, and information about similarities between the first modalities; and an odor presentation unit that presents an odor based on instructions from the processing unit, wherein the second modality is linked to the first modality.

[0010] In addition, the present technology executes a process of generating information about a second modality using a learning model trained using information about a first modality, information about a second modality different from the first modality, and information about similarities between the first modalities, and also provides a program in which the second modality is linked to the first modality.

[0011] The present technology also executes a process of generating information about a second modality using a learning model trained using information about a first modality, information about a second modality different from the first modality, and information about similarities between the first modalities, and the second modality also provides a storage medium linked to the first modality.

[0012] The present technology also provides an information processing device including: a processing unit that generates information about a second modal that is compatible with the first modal, using user input information about information in a first modal; a model trained using information about the compatibility between music and smells and information about the similarities between music; and

[0013] The present technology also provides an information processing device that includes: user input information regarding information on a first song or smell; a model trained using information regarding the compatibility between songs and smells and information regarding the similarities between songs; and a processing unit that generates information regarding smells or songs that are compatible with the first song or smell, using the above information.

[0014] The present technology also provides an information processing system including: a processing unit that generates information about smells that are compatible with the first song, using user-input information about information about a first song; a model trained using information about the compatibility between songs and smells and information about the similarities between songs; and

[0015] The present technology also provides an information processing device that includes: a processing unit that generates information about smells that are compatible with the first song, based on user-input information about the first song, searched using a model trained using information about the compatibility between songs and smells and information about the similarities between songs.

[0016] In addition, the present technology also provides a program for causing a computer to execute a process of presenting information about smells that go well with a first song, searched for using a model trained using information about the compatibility between songs and smells and information about the similarities between songs, based on user-input information about the first song.

[0017] The present technology also provides a computer-readable storage medium that stores a program for causing a computer to execute a process of presenting information about smells that go well with a first song, based on user-input information about the first song, searched using a model trained using information about the compatibility between songs and smells and information about the similarities between songs.

[0018] The present technology also provides an information processing device including: a processing unit that generates information about a second modality using a learning model trained using information about a first modality, information about a second modality different from the first modality, and information about similarities between the first modalities; and an interface unit that presents the generated information about the second modality, wherein the second modality is linked to the first modality, and the processing unit recommends information about the second modality that is compatible with a preferred first modality input via the interface unit.

[0019] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing device according to the present embodiment; FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a presentation mode in an interface unit; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a presentation mode in an interface unit different from that shown in FIG. 2; FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of a mapping process; FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of a modality presentation process; FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an odor presentation system according to the present embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a first embodiment of an odor presentation unit; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a second embodiment of an odor presentation unit; FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of a first embodiment of an odor presentation cartridge; FIG. 7 is a front view of an odor presentation cartridge according to the first embodiment; FIG. 8 is a rear view of an odor presentation cartridge according to the first embodiment; FIG. 9 is a left side view of an odor presentation cartridge according to the first embodiment; FIG. 10 is a right side view of an odor presentation cartridge according to the first embodiment; FIG. 11 is a plan view of an odor presentation cartridge according to the first embodiment; FIG. 12 is a bottom view of an odor presentation cartridge according to the first embodiment; FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of an odor presentation cartridge according to the first embodiment, taken along line A-A; FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of an odor presentation cartridge according to the first embodiment, taken along line B-B; FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of an odor presentation cartridge according to the first embodiment, taken along line CC; FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of an odor presentation cartridge according to the first embodiment, taken along line D-D; FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of an odor presentation cartridge according to the first embodiment; A cross-sectional view showing how odor-containing air is released from the odor-presenting cartridge of the first embodiment. A cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the second embodiment of the odor-presenting cartridge. A six-sided view showing an example of the configuration of the third embodiment of the odor-presenting cartridge. A perspective view showing the odor-presenting cartridge of the third embodiment. A cross-sectional view of the odor-presenting cartridge of the third embodiment along line P-P. A cross-sectional view showing how odor-containing air is released from the odor-presenting cartridge of the third embodiment.

[0020] Preferred embodiments for implementing the present technology will be described below. Note that the embodiments described below are representative embodiments of the present technology, and the scope of the present technology is not limited to these embodiments. The present technology will be described in the following order. 1. First Embodiment (Information Processing Device 600) (1) Processing Unit 601 (1-1) Example of Mapping Process (1-2) Example of Modality Presentation Process (1-3) Example of Modality Output Process (2) Interface Unit 602 (3) Storage Unit 603 (4) Specific Examples (4-1) Specific Example 1 (4-2) Specific Example 2 2. Second Embodiment (Information Processing Device 600) 3. Third Embodiment (Odor Presentation System 700) (1) Processing Unit 601 (2) Interface Unit 602 (3) Storage Unit 603 (4) Odor Presentation Unit 200 (4-1) First Embodiment of Odor Presentation Unit 200 (4-2) Second Embodiment of Odor Presentation Unit 200 (4-3) Odor Presentation Cartridge 1 4. Fourth Embodiment (Program) 5. Fifth Embodiment (Storage Medium) 6. Sixth Embodiment (Information Processing Device 600) (1) Specific Example 1 (2) Specific Example 2 7. Seventh Embodiment (Information Processing Device 600) 8. Eighth Embodiment (Information Processing System) 9. Ninth Embodiment (Information Processing Device 600) 10. Tenth Embodiment (Program) 11. Eleventh Embodiment (Storage Medium) 12. Twelfth Embodiment (Information Processing Device 600)

[0021] 1. First embodiment (information processing device 600)

[0022] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing device 600 according to this embodiment. The information processing device 600 according to this embodiment is an information processing device including a processing unit 601, and a second modality linked to a first modality. The information processing device 600 may also include an interface unit 602, a storage unit 603, etc., as necessary.

[0023] Each component of the information processing device 600 according to this embodiment will be described in detail below.

[0024] (1) Processing Unit 601

[0025] The processing unit 601 is a part that generates information about the second modality using a learning model that has been trained using information about the first modality, information about a second modality that is different from the first modality, and information about the similarities between the first modalities.

[0026] The following are definitions of technical terms used in this specification. In this specification, the term "modality" refers to the appearance, state, or nature of something, or the method, means, or system for expressing it. Specific examples include perceptual and sensory aspects (e.g., smell, touch, taste, etc.), sound, video, images, light (Digital Multiplex patterns), text (language), changes in the surrounding environment, and physiological signals and movements of animals. In this embodiment, the first modality and the second modality preferably stimulate the five senses of an animal. Specific examples include, but are not limited to, sound, smell, texture, taste, video, images, light, and text, among the above.

[0027] In this specification, "information relating to a first modality" refers to information belonging to a first modality and specific information extracted automatically or manually. In this specification, "information relating to a second modality" refers to information different from the information relating to the first modality and specific information belonging to a second modality and extracted automatically or manually.

[0028] In this specification, "information regarding similarities between first modalities" refers to information that is extracted from multiple first modalities and evaluated based on the similarities. The "similarity" here is set based on, for example, feature quantities of the first modalities.

[0029] The features of the first modality depend on what the first modality is, but for example, if the first modality is a mode of perception or sensation, examples of the features of the first modality include, for example, the type of odor component, the intensity of the odor, the concentration of the odor, the persistence of the odor, and the pleasantness or unpleasantness of the odor; for example, the features of the first modality include pressure, vibration, temperature, friction, hardness, and the pleasantness or unpleasantness of the touch; and for example, the features of the first modality include the basic tastes (e.g., the concentration of sweetness, saltiness, sourness, bitterness, umami, etc.), the intensity of the taste, and the lingering aftertaste.

[0030] If the first modality is sound, examples of the features include the number of times the sound waveform crosses zero (zero-crossing rate), sound intensity, Mel-frequency cepstrum coefficients, spectral center moments, pitch, chroma features, spectrograms, etc. If the first modality is video or an image, examples of the features include color features (e.g., histograms, hue, saturation, brightness, etc.), texture features (e.g., Gabor filters, GLCM (co-occurrence matrices), etc.), edge features (e.g., Sobel filters, Canny edge detection, etc.), local features (e.g., SIFT, SURF, ORB, etc.), shape features (e.g., HOG, LBP, etc.), etc. If the first modality is text, examples of the features include word frequency vectors, word importance scores, type-token ratios, sentiment scores (emotion analysis), etc. If the first modality is a change in the surrounding environment, examples of the features include information obtained based on pressure information, vibration information, surface friction, temperature information, etc. Furthermore, when the first modality is physiological signals or movements of an animal, examples of information include information obtained based on electroencephalograms, electrocardiograms, electromyograms, acceleration / gyro information, posture information, walking patterns, and the like.

[0031] In this embodiment, the second modality is linked to the first modality. Specifically, the linking can be based on, for example, the compatibility between the second modality and the first modality. In this embodiment, the information about the second modality different from the first modality linked to the first modality is preferably information about the compatibility between the first modality and the second modality.

[0032] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the processing unit 601 can edit the association between the first modality and the second modality and can output the edited result of the association. Specifically, for example, the association between the first modality and the second modality can be performed automatically or manually, but in addition, a user can edit the association via an interface unit 602 described later. The edited result of the association may be stored in a storage unit 603 described later and can be output to the interface unit 602 as necessary.

[0033] In this case, the result of the linking performed by the processing unit 601 may be re-editable. Specifically, for example, the result of the linking once stored in the storage unit 603 is output to the interface unit 602, and the user can re-edit the result as needed via the interface unit 602. The re-edited result of the linking may then be stored in the storage unit 603, which will be described later, and can be output to the interface unit 602 as needed.

[0034] In this case, the processing unit 601 can output the result of the linking to the interface unit 602, which will be described later. Specifically, as described above, the processing unit 601 can output the edited or re-edited result of the linking to the interface unit 602, as necessary.

[0035] 2 and 3 are diagrams showing examples of presentation modes in the interface unit 602. Here, it is preferable that the interface unit 602, which will be described later, presents a section for editing the linkage between the first modality and the second modality and a section for displaying the edited result of the linkage between the first modality and the second modality separately.

[0036] Specifically, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the area for editing the linking is disposed on the left side of the interface unit 602, and the area for displaying the results of the linking is disposed on the right side of the interface unit 602, so that the areas can be presented separately to the user. This improves operability for the user. Note that in this embodiment, it is sufficient that the area for editing the linking and the area for displaying the results of the linking are presented separately, and the manner of presentation is not limited to the manner shown in Figures 2 and 3.

[0037] (1-1) An example of the mapping process

[0038] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the mapping process. First, the user selects a first modality via the interface unit 602 (S101). Next, whether the selected first modality is associated with a second modality is output from the storage unit 603 and confirmed (S102). If associated, the processing unit 601 updates the second modality corresponding to the first modality in the storage unit 603 (S103).

[0039] On the other hand, if there is no link, the user searches for the second modality via the interface unit 602 (S104). Next, the processing unit 601 compares the first modality with the second modality to check whether they are consistent (S105). Specifically, the "consistency" here refers to, for example, perceptual value consistency, and in this specification, "perceptual value consistency" refers to whether quantitative measurements or theoretical values ​​match the perceptual evaluation. If there is consistency, the process proceeds to S103. On the other hand, if there is no consistency, the process returns to S104.

[0040] (1-2) An example of the modality presentation process

[0041] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of the modality presentation process. First, the user selects a first modality via the interface unit 602 (S201). Next, the processing unit 601 detects similarity based on the feature quantities of the selected first modality (S202). Next, the processing unit 601 searches the mapping database in the storage unit 603 for the most similar first modality (S203). Next, the processing unit 601 determines a second modality associated with the searched first modality (S204).

[0042] (1-3) An example of modality output processing

[0043] In general, smells, sounds, etc. are often subject to environmental constraints from the time they are physically output until they are perceived by an animal, and there is a problem that it is difficult to synchronize smells with sounds, for example. Therefore, in this embodiment, not only is the combination of the first and second modalities important, but also the timing and method of outputting the modalities are important.

[0044] In contrast, in this embodiment, the learning model not only learns combinations of different modalities, but also learns parameters such as the timing of modality output, output duration, and output position. Specifically, for example, when a first modality is presented, the learning model is trained to output a second modality shortly before the presentation, thereby enabling simultaneous perception by humans. Furthermore, in addition to the temporal timing of output, a format such as a pattern including presentation may also be learned.

[0045] (2) Interface unit 602

[0046] The information processing device 600 according to this embodiment may further include an interface unit 602 that presents the generated information relating to the second modality.

[0047] Specific examples of the interface unit 602 include one or more buttons, a display, a mouse, a keyboard, a printer, a monitor, a touch panel, a wearable terminal, a personal digital assistant, a game console, a notebook PC, a desktop PC, a computer, a smartphone, etc. The interface unit 602 may be included within the housing of the information processing device 600, or may be located outside the housing. Furthermore, various processes or functions performed by the interface unit 602 may be realized by a server computer or a cloud connected via a wired or wireless network.

[0048] In the present embodiment, the device may be configured to accept inputs from a user for executing various processes, etc., via the interface unit 602. Specifically, for example, the information regarding the first modality may be information input via the interface unit 602.

[0049] In addition, in this embodiment, the interface unit 602 may present multiple search modes, including a mode in which the first modality can be promptly searched, and a mode in which the first modality can be searched by selecting a category.

[0050] Specifically, for example, in a mode that allows prompt search, the user searches for the first modality by inputting text into a predetermined position in the interface unit 602. More specifically, for example, if the first modality is sound, the search can be performed by inputting the title, genre, tempo, composer, year of composition or creation, etc. in text. Also, if the first modality is smell, the search can be performed by inputting the name, ingredients, type, scene in which the smell is used, purpose of smelling the smell, etc. in text.

[0051] On the other hand, in a mode in which a search can be performed by selecting a category for the first modality, the user selects a category and performs a search by, for example, pulling down a predetermined position on the interface unit 602. More specifically, for example, when the first modality is sound, a search can be performed by selecting a genre (e.g., soothing genres such as classical, healing music, jazz, etc.; active genres such as pop, rock, and up-tempo jazz; genres such as film music and game music; natural sound genres such as waterfalls, forests, grasslands, and birdsong). Also, when the first modality is smell, a search can be performed by selecting a smell classification (e.g., floral, citrus, woody, oriental, fruity, etc.), a smell classification focusing on natural components (e.g., herbal, resinous, smoky, etc.), or a smell classification focusing on the senses (e.g., relaxing, uplifting, clean, etc.).

[0052] In this embodiment, when the first modality is sound, the interface unit 602 may present a plurality of candidate sounds in the form of a graph. In this specification, "sound" includes all kinds of sounds, such as natural sounds such as environmental sounds and animal cries, and artificial sounds such as music and mechanical sounds. Furthermore, one or more types of sounds may be combined, or a portion of a sound may be extracted and used.

[0053] In this case, examples of the graph include a graph with sound intensity on the vertical axis and time on the horizontal axis, a graph (spectrogram) with sound frequency and color intensity on the vertical axis and time on the horizontal axis, a waveform graph with sound amplitude on the vertical axis and time on the horizontal axis, a graph with energy (e.g., amplitude, decibels, etc.) on the vertical axis and frequency on the horizontal axis (frequency spectrum), Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC), an oscillogram, a rhythmogram, etc. However, this embodiment is not limited to these. The user can select a preferred sound from a graph of multiple candidate sounds presented. Furthermore, presenting multiple candidate sounds in a graph clarifies the features and can be useful when automatically or manually setting similarities.

[0054] In this case, the second modality may be a smell, and the processing unit 601 may present to the user candidate sounds that are suitable for the smell from among the plurality of candidate sounds. Specifically, for example, the processing unit 601 may use a learning model to present to the user one or more candidate sounds that are suitable for the smell from among the plurality of candidate sounds presented in a graph, based on information that is linked to a good compatibility with the smell, which is the second modality.

[0055] In this specification, the term "scent" specifically refers to, for example, volatile organic molecules, and includes any molecule that stimulates some or all of the receptors present in the nasal cavity, such as volatile organic molecules. Therefore, "volatile organic molecules" include odor molecules. Furthermore, in addition to olfactory receptors, the nasal cavity also contains trigeminal receptors that control stimuli such as cold, hot, and painful sensations. Therefore, "volatile organic molecules" is a broad concept that includes any molecule that stimulates all or part of these receptors. Specifically, for example, when menthol is used as a volatile organic molecule, menthol can stimulate not only olfactory receptors but also trigeminal receptors (TRPA1 channels), and therefore is included in "volatile organic molecules." Furthermore, components such as capsaicin that stimulate the trigeminal nerve in the nostrils and cause a feeling of warmth are odorless but are included in volatile organic molecules. Furthermore, for agricultural applications, so-called odorless volatile organic molecules such as pheromones are also included.

[0056] (3) Storage unit 603

[0057] The information processing device 600 according to this embodiment may further include a storage unit 603 that stores all kinds of data.

[0058] Specifically, the storage unit 603 may store various data generated by the processing unit 601, and output the data to the processing unit 601 or the interface unit 602 as necessary. In addition, the learned learning model may be stored in the storage unit 603.

[0059] The storage unit 603 may be included in or outside the housing of the information processing device 600. In addition, various processes or functions performed by the storage unit 603 may be realized by a server computer or a cloud connected via a wired or wireless network.

[0060] (4) Specific examples

[0061] The information processing device 600 according to this embodiment will be described in more detail below using a specific example.

[0062] (4-1) Specific Example 1

[0063] In this specific example 1, the first modality is sound, and the second modality is smell. The processing unit 601 generates information about smells (e.g., name, ingredients, type, scene in which the smell is used, purpose of smelling the smell, etc.) using a learning model trained using information about sound, which is the first modality, that is automatically acquired or input by the user via the interface unit 602 (e.g., title, genre, tempo, composer, year of composition or creation, etc.), and information about smells, which is the second modality linked to the sound, and information about the similarities between the sounds. Here, it is preferable that the processing unit 601 generates information about smells that are compatible with sound.

[0064] Furthermore, the processing unit 601 may present several candidate odors to the user via the interface unit 602 based on the information about the generated odor, and the user may select and output a preferred odor from the presented odors. Furthermore, if the presented odors include an odor that the user does not like, the user may edit the odor via the interface unit 602, and the editing results may be reflected in the learning model. In this specific example 1, the learning model may be shared on a server computer or cloud connected via a wired or wireless network and used for each user.

[0065] (4-2) Specific Example 2

[0066] In this specific example 2, the first modality is smell, and the second modality is sound. The processing unit 601 generates information about sound (e.g., title, genre, tempo, composer, year of composition or creation, etc.) using a learning model trained using information about smell, which is the first modality, that is automatically acquired or input by the user via the interface unit 602 (e.g., name, ingredients, type, scene in which the smell is used, purpose of smelling the smell, etc.), and information about sound, which is the second modality linked to the smell, and information about the similarities between the smells. Here, it is preferable that the processing unit 601 generates information about sounds that are compatible with smells.

[0067] Furthermore, the processing unit 601 may present several candidate sounds to the user via the interface unit 602 based on information about the generated sounds, and the user may select and output a preferred sound from the presented sounds. If the presented sounds include sounds that the user does not like, the user may edit them via the interface unit 602, and the editing results may be reflected in the learning model. In this specific example 2, the learning model may be shared on a server computer or cloud connected via a wired or wireless network, as in the above-described specific example 1, and may be used for each user.

[0068] 2. Second embodiment (information processing device 600)

[0069] The information processing device 600 according to this embodiment includes a processing unit 601 that generates information about a second modality that is compatible with the information about the first modality by using information about a first modality and a learning model that has been trained using information about a second modality different from the first modality, the second modality being linked to the first modality, the first modality being any one of sound, video, image, and text, and the second modality being any one of smell, touch, and taste. The information processing device may also include an interface unit 602, a storage unit 603, and the like, as necessary.

[0070] In the information processing device 600 according to this embodiment, the wording that overlaps with that in "1. First embodiment (information processing device 600)" is the same as that explained in "1. First embodiment (information processing device 600)," and therefore will not be explained here.

[0071] In the information processing device 600 according to this embodiment, the first modality is any one of sound, video, image, and text, and the second modality is any one of smell, touch, and taste. Specifically, for example, the processing unit 601 generates information on a second modality that is compatible with the information on the first modality by using a learning model trained using information on an automatically or manually selected first modality (any one of sound, video, image, and text) and information on a second modality (any one of smell, touch, and taste) linked to the first modality.

[0072] 3. Third embodiment (odor presentation system 700)

[0073] 6 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an odor presentation system 700. The odor presentation system 700 according to this embodiment includes a processing unit 601 that generates information about a second modality using a learning model trained using information about a first modality, information about a second modality different from the first modality, and information about the similarity between the first modalities, and an odor presentation unit 200 that presents an odor based on instructions from the processing unit 601. The second modality is linked to the first modality. The odor presentation system may also include an interface unit 602, a memory unit 603, etc., as necessary.

[0074] Each part will be described in detail below.

[0075] (1) Processing Unit 601

[0076] The processing unit 601 in the odor presentation system 700 of this embodiment is the same as that described in "(1) Processing unit 601" of "1. First embodiment (information processing device 600)," so a description thereof will be omitted here.

[0077] (2) Interface unit 602

[0078] The odor presentation system 700 according to this embodiment may further include an interface unit 602 that presents the generated information about the second modality. The interface unit 602 in the odor presentation system 700 according to this embodiment is the same as that described in "(2) Interface unit 602" of "1. First embodiment (information processing device 600)," and therefore will not be described here.

[0079] (3) Storage unit 603

[0080] The odor presentation system 700 according to this embodiment may further include a memory unit 603 for storing all data. The memory unit 603 in the odor presentation system 700 according to this embodiment is the same as that described in "(3) Memory unit 603" of "1. First embodiment (information processing device 600)," and therefore will not be described here.

[0081] (4) Odor presentation unit 200

[0082] The odor presentation unit 200 is a part that presents an odor based on instructions from the processing unit 601. Specifically, the processing unit 601 controls the emission of an odor from the odor presentation unit 200. Each embodiment of the odor presentation unit 200 will be described in detail below, but this embodiment is not limited to these.

[0083] (4-1) First embodiment of the odor presentation unit 200

[0084] 7 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a first embodiment of the odor presentation unit 200. In this embodiment, the odor presentation unit 200 at least includes an odor presentation cartridge 1, a cartridge holding unit 201, an engagement unit 202, a front storage unit 203 having an emission unit 2031, and a rear storage unit 204 having a drive mechanism unit 2041 and a placement drive unit 2042. Furthermore, other components may be included as necessary.

[0085] Each part will be described in detail below.

[0086] <Cartridge holding portion 201>

[0087] The cartridge holding portion 201 is a portion that holds the odor-exhibiting cartridge 1, which will be described later.

[0088] The cartridge holding unit 201 can hold one or more odor-presenting cartridges 1, and in this embodiment, it is preferable to hold two or more odor-presenting cartridges 1. This allows the odor-presenting unit 200 of this embodiment to present multiple odors. The number of odor-presenting cartridges 1 held in the cartridge holding unit 201 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 30 to 100, but can be designed as appropriate.

[0089] The cartridge holding section 201 is formed with a space into which, for example, one or more odor-presenting cartridges 1 can be attached. The shape of the space is not particularly limited and can be appropriately formed to fit the shape of the odor-presenting cartridge 1, for example, a substantially cylindrical shape, a substantially elliptical cylindrical shape, a substantially polygonal cylindrical shape, a substantially conical shape, a substantially elliptical conical shape, a substantially polygonal pyramidal shape, a substantially truncated conical shape, a substantially truncated elliptical conical shape, a substantially truncated polygonal pyramidal shape, or the like.

[0090] Alternatively, instead of a space, the odor presenting cartridge 1 may be attached using multiple convex pins as shown in Figure 7. The underside of the cartridge holding part 201 may be formed with one or more communication holes through which the plunger X of the drive mechanism part 2041 (described later) can communicate.

[0091] The cartridge holder 201 is preferably formed from an inorganic material. This reduces the influence of background odors other than the odor desired to be supported or presented. Preferred inorganic materials are those composed of metals and / or inorganic compounds. Preferred metals and / or inorganic compounds include at least one selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, aluminum, nickel, titanium, chromium, cobalt, molybdenum, palladium, alloys containing these metals, and oxide films made of metal oxides.

[0092] The cartridge holding portion 201 may hold two or more odor-presenting cartridges 1, for example, by arranging the two or more odor-presenting cartridges 1 in a circular arrangement in the space as shown in Figure 7.

[0093] In this embodiment, if the number of odor-presenting cartridges 1 is small, it is possible to attach each one to a designated location, but if the number of odor-presenting cartridges 1 to be attached is large, it is also possible to attach two or more odor-presenting cartridges 1 to the odor-presenting unit 200 at once by using a cartridge holding unit 201 (hereinafter also referred to as a "cartridge unit") in which two or more odor-presenting cartridges 1 are supported in advance, as shown in Figure 7.

[0094] Here, the number of odor-presenting cartridges 1 in the cartridge unit is, for example, 40, but is not limited to this in the present embodiment. The shape of the cartridge unit is not particularly limited as long as it is formed to have two or more odor-presenting cartridges 1, and can be formed appropriately to suit the shape, etc., of the odor-presenting cartridges 1.

[0095] Note that one or more odor-presenting cartridges 1 may be pre-installed in the cartridge unit, and in this case, the cartridge unit may be distributed with one or more odor-presenting cartridges 1 pre-installed. Furthermore, if all or part of the odor-presenting cartridges 1 have lost their odor, or if a certain period of time has passed since the cartridge unit was purchased, the user can simply replace the cartridge unit. Therefore, the cartridge unit may be distributed on its own. It is also possible to replace only all or part of the odor-presenting cartridges 1 in the cartridge unit. Therefore, the odor-presenting cartridges 1 may also be distributed on their own.

[0096] <Engagement portion 202>

[0097] The engaging portion 202 is a portion that engages with the cartridge holding portion 201. The form of the engaging portion 202 is not particularly limited and can be designed appropriately to suit the shape of the odor-presenting cartridge 1, its arrangement, etc., but as shown in Figure 7, the engaging portion 202 engages with the cartridge holding portion 201 that supports, for example, two or more odor-presenting cartridges 1 in a multiple annular shape in a planar view.

[0098] The material forming the engaging portion 202 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include organic polymer materials; polymer resins such as acrylic resin, urethane resin, ABS resin, polyether ether ketone (PEEK) resin, polyacetal (POM) resin, fluororesin, cycloolefin polymer resin, and polyimide resin; metals such as stainless steel, aluminum, nickel, titanium, and alloys thereof; and oxide coatings made of metal oxides.

[0099] The engagement portion 202 has an outlet 2021 for discharging odor-containing air. There are preferably two or more outlets 2021, for example, the same number as the number of odor-presenting cartridges 1 supported by the cartridge unit. Furthermore, it is preferable that the outlet 2021 is located in a position corresponding to the release portion 2031 after being driven by the arrangement drive portion 2042. In this case, the odor-containing air sent from the outlet 2021 can be discharged to the outside via the release portion 2031.

[0100] <Ejection section 2031 and front storage section 203>

[0101] The release section 2031 is a section that releases the odor-containing air to the outside. The release section 2031 may be provided in the front storage section 203, for example, as shown in Figure 7, and in this case, may be able to communicate with the discharge hole 2021 of the engagement section 202.

[0102] In this embodiment, the release unit 2031 may have a guide unit (not shown) that guides the odor-containing air to the vicinity of the user's nose. The material from which the guide unit is made is not particularly limited. All or part of the guide unit may be formed to be detachable, and in this case, for example, it may be disposable for each user.

[0103] <Drive mechanism unit 2041, arrangement drive unit 2042, and rear storage unit 204>

[0104] The rear storage section 204 includes a drive mechanism section 2041 as shown in Figure 7. It also includes a board for applying electricity to the drive mechanism section 2041 and the placement drive section 2042 based on instructions from the processing section 601, etc. The drive mechanism section 2041 includes a drive mechanism housing section, and is ultimately connected to the shaft 121 in the odor presenting cartridge 1 to linearly move the shaft 121. The drive mechanism housing section can be, for example, approximately cylindrical, but can be designed appropriately to fit the shape of the odor presenting cartridge 1.

[0105] The drive mechanism 2041 is provided with, in a drive mechanism housing, at least a pusher X connected to the shaft 121 and a thin wire of shape memory alloy SMA that serves as a drive source for driving the pusher X. The rear end of the pusher X is fixed to a drive mechanism fixing part provided at the rear end inside the drive mechanism housing. An SMA sliding part that folds back and slides the shape memory alloy SMA is provided near the tip of the pusher X. The entire drive mechanism 2041 is fixed by a support or the like attached below the drive mechanism housing, and a wiring capable of supplying power is connected to the rear end of the shape memory alloy SMA located inside the drive mechanism fixing part.

[0106] The pusher X is movable in the extension direction inside the drive mechanism housing by expansion and contraction of the shape memory alloy SMA. The shape of the pusher X is not particularly limited as long as it is a shape that can push the shaft 121, and examples thereof include a substantially cylindrical shape, a substantially elliptical cylindrical shape, a substantially polygonal cylindrical shape, a substantially conical shape, a substantially elliptical conical shape, a substantially polygonal pyramidal shape, a substantially truncated conical shape, a substantially truncated elliptical conical shape, and a substantially truncated polygonal pyramidal shape.

[0107] The shape memory alloy SMA is folded back into a U-shape at an SMA sliding part provided near the tip of the plunger X, passes through the inside of the plunger X, and both ends are fixed to a drive mechanism fixing part located at the rear end of the plunger X. Furthermore, the actuator serving as the drive source is not limited to the shape memory alloy SMA, but may be any linear motion mechanism that linearly moves the plunger X, such as a motor, solenoid, linear slide type, pneumatic (air pump type), small electromagnet, etc. Here, the linear motion mechanism includes not only a mechanism in which one member moves in a linear direction, but also a mechanism in which some of two or more connected members move in a linear direction.

[0108] The rear storage section 204 also includes a placement driver 2042, as shown in FIG. 7 . The placement driver 2042 is a component that positions a specific odor-presenting cartridge 1, among two or more odor-presenting cartridges 1, near the release section 2031. By including the placement driver 2042, the odor-presenting section 200 can move any odor-presenting cartridge 1 to the vicinity of the release section 2031, thereby enabling the odor held in the impregnated material 10 of the odor-presenting cartridge 1 to be delivered to a desired location (e.g., the user's nose). This also minimizes odor adhesion to components constituting the odor-presenting section 200. In this embodiment, the placement driver 2042 is provided within the rear storage section 204. The rear storage section 204 includes a circuit board for applying electricity to the placement driver 2042 based on instructions from the processing section 601.

[0109] The arrangement driving unit 2042 can be driven in accordance with the form of the cartridge unit or the like, and is capable of, for example, linear driving, XY axis driving, rotational driving, etc. The arrangement driving unit 2042 is not particularly limited, and a conventionally known actuator or the like can be used.

[0110] (4-2) Second embodiment of the odor presentation unit 200

[0111] Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a second embodiment of the odor presentation unit 200. In this embodiment, the odor presentation unit 200 is composed of, for example, two or more modules as shown in Figure 8. When the odor presentation unit 200 is composed of two or more modules, the number of modules constituting the odor presentation unit 200 is not particularly limited and can include one or more modules, and in this embodiment, it is preferable to have two or more modules. This allows the odor presentation unit 200 of this embodiment to present multiple odors.

[0112] The module constituting the odor presentation unit 200 includes at least an odor presentation cartridge 1, an airflow forming unit, a control unit, and a housing, which will be described later. If necessary, the module may also include other components such as a battery.

[0113] <Odor Presentation Cartridge 1>

[0114] The odor-exhibiting cartridge 1 is a part that holds an odor. The odor-exhibiting cartridge 1 will be described in detail in "(4-3) Odor-exhibiting cartridge 1" below.

[0115] <Airflow forming section>

[0116] The airflow generating unit (not shown) generates odor-containing air and releases the air to the outside through an outlet. The airflow generating unit includes at least a plunger X connected to the shaft of the odor-presenting cartridge 1, a drive source for driving the plunger X, and a drive source fixing unit for fixing the drive source. An SMA sliding unit for folding back and sliding the shape memory alloy SMA is provided near the tip of the plunger X. The drive source fixing unit fixes the shaft and the drive source so that the plunger X is positioned to connect to the shaft of the odor-presenting cartridge 1. The entire airflow generating unit is held within a housing described below, and a wiring capable of supplying power is connected to the drive source. The drive source may receive power via the wiring from a battery (including a storage battery) stored within the housing or from a power source provided outside the housing.

[0117] The airflow generating unit may include a blower unit in addition to the plunger X, the drive source, and the drive source fixing unit. Examples of the blower unit include an axial fan, a blower fan, and a centrifugal fan. Alternatively, the blower unit may be a combination of a diaphragm pump (including a reversible diaphragm pump), a diaphragm pump using a piezoelectric element or a motor (e.g., a microblower), and an airflow expansion mechanism. The airflow generating unit may be configured so that the airflow generated by the diaphragm pump is expanded by the airflow expansion mechanism and flows through the flow path.

[0118] <Control unit>

[0119] The control unit (not shown) is a component that controls the operation of the airflow creating unit. The location of the control unit is not particularly limited as long as it can control the operation of the airflow creating unit, and the control unit may be installed anywhere in the housing (described later), for example, in the longitudinal direction of the drive source fixing unit.

[0120] The control unit may be linked to the processing unit 601, and instructions from the processing unit 601 to the control unit are sent via a linked terminal, for example, via a wired or wireless network. Specifically, the terminal is linked to an application (for example, a native application, a web application, a hybrid application, an embedded application, etc.), and the control may be performed according to a program in the application.

[0121] <Case>

[0122] The housing contains at least the odor-presenting cartridge 1, an airflow generating unit, and a control unit. In this embodiment, the housing also has a joint (not shown) that allows it to be joined to another housing. The other housing is preferably a housing that contains the odor-presenting cartridge 1, an airflow generating unit, and a control unit, i.e., another module. The number of other housings to be joined is not particularly limited, and it is possible to join one or more other housings as needed. This allows for the formation of an odor-presenting unit 200 consisting of multiple modules. Examples of joining methods include engagement using a concave-convex shape; engagement using claws, pins, hooks, clamps, etc.; engagement using an adhesive with sufficient adhesiveness to allow for detachment; and sliding engagement, but these are not limited to these in this embodiment.

[0123] In this embodiment, the odor presentation unit 200 can be connected to an external unit via a wired or wireless network as needed. The external unit is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a fan unit that generates airflow, a power supply unit that supplies power, a mixing unit, a sensing unit, a deodorization unit that deodorizes odors (including units installed separately from the odor presentation unit 200), an airflow control unit, a blower unit that generates airflow in the deodorization direction, a posture maintenance control jig, a memory unit, a charging unit, etc., and these may be combined alone or in combination. For example, by linking the odor presentation unit 200 with a fan unit, it is possible to deliver odors over longer distances.

[0124] (4-3) Odor presentation cartridge 1

[0125] The odor-exhibiting cartridge 1 is a part that holds an odor. Each embodiment of the odor-exhibiting cartridge 1 will be described in detail below, but the present embodiment is not limited to these.

[0126] <First embodiment of odor-presenting cartridge 1>

[0127] Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the first embodiment of the odor-exhibiting cartridge 1. Figs. 10 to 15 are six-view diagrams of the odor-exhibiting cartridge 1 according to the first embodiment. Fig. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A, Fig. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B, Fig. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C, Fig. 19 is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D, and Fig. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along line E-E.

[0128] In this embodiment, the odor-presenting cartridge 1 comprises at least an air vent 11 for taking in air, a flow passage 12 that communicates with the air vent 11 and has an impregnating material 10 for impregnating the odor, and an outlet 13 that communicates with the flow passage 12 and discharges odor-containing air, as shown in Figure 16, and all or part of the impregnating material 10 is made of an inorganic material, and the inorganic material has a macropore structure.

[0129] In this embodiment, the odor-presenting cartridge 1 is generally cylindrical, as shown in Fig. 9, but the shape of the odor-presenting cartridge 1 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include generally polygonal prisms such as generally cylindrical, generally elliptical, generally triangular, and generally square prisms (including those with rounded corners), generally polygonal pyramids such as generally conical, generally elliptical, generally triangular, and generally square pyramids (including those with rounded corners), and generally polygonal pyramids such as generally truncated cones, generally elliptical, generally triangular, and generally square pyramids (including those with rounded corners), and these may be combined alone or in combination. Furthermore, the shape may also be, for example, a combination of generally cylindrical shapes with different diameters.

[0130] In the odor presenting cartridge 1, the flow passage 12 is located at a position extending from the ventilation section 11, and the discharge section 13 is located at a position extending from the ventilation section 12, and the ventilation section 11, the flow passage 12, and the discharge section 13 are aligned in a substantially straight line. This reduces the number of parts and facilitates manufacturing.

[0131] The ventilation section 11 is a section for taking in air. The air is basically the outside air around the odor presenting cartridge 1, but it may also be air collected from a specific location or air containing a specific substance.

[0132] 16 , the ventilation section 11 includes a ventilation opening 110, a first lid section 111, a first spring 112, a spacer 113, an O-ring 114, and a housing 115 that surrounds these components. In addition, a portion of a shaft 121, which will be described later, is also provided in the ventilation section 11.

[0133] The spacer 113 is preferably made of a metal and / or an inorganic compound and serves to secure the first spring 112. The O-ring 114 is used to improve the sealing performance of the odor presentation cartridge 1. The first lid 111 and / or the housing 115 shown in FIG. 19 are also preferably made of an inorganic material. This reduces odor leakage due to the materials constituting the first lid 111 and / or the housing 115. It also prevents the odor from volatilizing over time. Preferred inorganic materials are those made of metals and / or inorganic compounds. Preferred metals and / or inorganic compounds include any one or more selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, aluminum, nickel, titanium, chromium, cobalt, molybdenum, palladium, alloys containing these, and oxide coatings made of metal oxides.

[0134] There are various methods for taking in air into the ventilation section 11, but specific methods will be explained in detail in the section below titled "<Operation example of the first embodiment of the odor-presenting cartridge 1>".

[0135] In this embodiment, the ventilation unit 11 has a first lid portion 111. This provides the functions of a sliding rib 1111 and a check valve, which will be described later. That is, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 19 , the first lid portion 111 has a sliding rib 1111 that slides within the housing 115 of the ventilation unit 11. This allows the first lid portion 111 to slide smoothly when external air flows in through the ventilation opening 110. Note that the sliding rib 1111 may be provided, for example, on the outer peripheral surface of the first lid portion 111, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 19 , but is not limited to this in this embodiment. The first lid portion 111 also functions as a check valve. As will be described later in “<Operation Example of the First Embodiment of the Odor Presentation Cartridge 1>,” after air flows in through the ventilation opening 110, the restoring force of the spring 112 returns the first lid portion 111 to its original position, preventing backflow of air.

[0136] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 16 and 18, a spacer 113 is provided downstream of the ventilation opening 110, and the first lid portion 111 and / or the spacer 113 have a liquid leakage prevention structure that prevents the leakage of odor.

[0137] Fig. 21 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the liquid leakage prevention structure. For example, in the case of the first lid part 111, the liquid leakage prevention structure is formed by providing a recess 1112 on all or part of the inner circumference as shown in Fig. 21 . Also, for example, in the case of the spacer 113, a cutout part 1131 is provided in a part, and a liquid reservoir is formed by the contact surface with the housing 115. By forming the liquid reservoir, the fluid is guided into the liquid reservoir, preventing the smell from leaking to the outside.

[0138] Incidentally, scent leakage is particularly likely to occur due to capillary action when injecting a liquid scent (volatile organic molecules). For example, as shown in Figure 21, injecting a liquid scent involves first injecting the liquid scent into the impregnating material 10 using a pipette or the like, and then tightening and sealing the discharge portion 13 with a tool, but this is not limited to this in the present embodiment. Since scent leakage can also occur during storage, transportation, or if dropped, the above-described leak prevention structure is also useful in such cases.

[0139] The flow section 12 communicates with the ventilation section 11 and has an impregnating material 10 for impregnating with volatile organic molecules. The impregnating material 10 is made of an inorganic material, and the inorganic material has a macropore structure. Macropores are generally pores with a diameter of approximately 50 nm to 0.5 mm.

[0140] In this embodiment, the macropore structure may be any one or more selected from the group consisting of a mesh structure, a fiber structure, a nonwoven fabric structure, a sponge-like structure, a foam-like structure, a fin-like structure, and a three-dimensional network structure. In this specification, the term "fin-like structure" refers to a structure that physically has a shape or function similar to that of a "fin."

[0141] In this embodiment, the macropore structure is preferably one or more selected from the group consisting of a fin-like structure, a mesh structure, and a nonwoven fabric structure. This improves the ability to retain odors (especially volatile organic molecules in liquids). It also makes manufacturing the impregnating material 10 easier.

[0142] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16 , the flow passage section 12 comprises a shaft 121, an impregnating material 10, flow passage openings 122a and 122b, and a housing 123 surrounding these. The shaft 121 can be linearly moved by linearly moving the member it abuts against. Furthermore, the housing 123 is preferably formed of an inorganic material. This reduces odor leakage due to the material constituting the housing 123. It also prevents odor volatilization over time. Preferred inorganic materials are those composed of metals and / or inorganic compounds. Preferred metals and / or inorganic compounds include at least one selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, aluminum, nickel, titanium, chromium, cobalt, molybdenum, palladium, alloys containing these metals, and oxide coatings made of metal oxides.

[0143] In this embodiment, the housing 115 of the ventilation section 11 and the housing 123 of the flow passage section 12 may be formed as a single housing without being separated, as shown in FIG. 9 and the like.

[0144] Inorganic substances include, for example, metals, metal oxides, inorganic compounds, glass, asbestos, and SiO ２ , inorganic products, etc. By forming the impregnating material 10 from an inorganic substance, it is possible to reduce the influence of background odors, which are odors other than the odor that is desired to be carried or exhibited.

[0145] In this embodiment, among these, metals and / or inorganic compounds are particularly preferred as the inorganic substance. Preferred metals and / or inorganic compounds include at least one selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, aluminum, nickel, titanium, chromium, cobalt, molybdenum, palladium, alloys containing these, and oxide films of metal oxides. More preferred metals include stainless steel and / or aluminum.

[0146] In this embodiment, the inorganic substance constituting the impregnating material 10 may be formed into a fibrous structure, a clay-like structure, a layered structure, or the like.

[0147] The shape of the impregnating material 10 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include substantially polygonal prisms such as a substantially cylindrical, elliptical, triangular, or square prism (including those with rounded corners), substantially polygonal pyramids such as a substantially conical, elliptical, triangular, or square pyramid (including those with rounded corners), and substantially polygonal truncated pyramids such as a substantially truncated cone, elliptical, triangular, or square pyramid (including those with rounded corners), and these may be combined alone or in combination. These shapes may have a longitudinal hole for inserting the shaft 121. Furthermore, the impregnating material 10 may have a fin-like structure that employs these shapes as its external shape.

[0148] Examples of other shapes include sheet-like, mesh-like, strip-like (including dense bodies thereof), particulate (including dense bodies thereof), gel-like, sol-like, liquid (including liquids maintained by the surface tension of a carrier or the like), foam-like, three-dimensional structures (for example, pinholder-like, spiral-like, spring-like, etc.), string-like (including dense bodies thereof), and the like, and these may be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds.

[0149] In this embodiment, the shape of the impregnating material 10 is preferably at least one selected from the group consisting of a substantially cylindrical shape, a substantially elliptical cylindrical shape, a substantially polygonal cylindrical shape, a substantially conical shape, a substantially elliptical conical shape, a substantially polygonal pyramidal shape, a substantially truncated conical shape, a substantially truncated elliptical conical shape, a substantially truncated polygonal pyramidal shape, a fin-like structure that employs any of these shapes as its outer shape, and a sheet shape. Furthermore, a fin-like structure and / or a sheet shape are more preferred. This improves the ability to retain odors (especially volatile organic molecules in liquids). It also facilitates the manufacture of the impregnating material 10.

[0150] In this embodiment, in the case of a sheet-like material, the material is rolled into a cylindrical shape so as to be wrapped around the shaft 121 and stored in the housing 123. This makes it easier to store the impregnated material 10 in the odor-presenting cartridge 1, improving production efficiency. Note that while the sheet-like impregnated material 10 in Figure 17 etc. has a single-layer structure, it may be stacked in multiple layers and stored in the odor-presenting cartridge 1 as needed. The degree to which the sheet-like impregnated material 10 is wrapped can also be determined as appropriate.

[0151] In this embodiment, the shape of the impregnating material 10 is preferably a sheet, particularly a mesh sheet and / or a nonwoven fabric. This further improves the ability to retain odors (particularly volatile organic molecules in liquids). This also reduces the influence of background odors other than the odor desired to be retained or presented.

[0152] The odor to be carried by the impregnated material 10 is not particularly limited as long as it is a component capable of exhibiting an odor (hereinafter also referred to as "fragrance"). Specific examples include liquid fragrances, powdered fragrances, liquid or powdered fragrances dissolved or dispersed in an appropriate solvent, essential oils, essential oils diluted with an appropriate solvent, fruit juice, food or beverage, and fruit juice or food or beverage dissolved or dispersed in an appropriate solvent. These may be used alone or in combination. The impregnated material 10 may also contain components other than the component capable of exhibiting an odor. Specific examples include components that exert a pharmacological effect when inhaled. Furthermore, if necessary, the impregnated material 10 may not contain a component capable of exhibiting an odor, and the mechanism of the odor-exhibiting cartridge 1 may be used to emit an odorless airflow. In this case, the odorless airflow may be used for applications such as an air curtain.

[0153] The state of the odor (volatile organic molecules) may be particulate, gel, sol, liquid, foam, etc. In this embodiment, the liquid state is particularly preferred from the viewpoint of ease of penetration into the impregnation material 10.

[0154] In this embodiment, the flow passage 12 has a housing 123 that surrounds at least the impregnating material 10, and the housing 123 that surrounds the impregnating material 10 has one or more protrusions 124 that protrude toward the impregnating material, as shown in Fig. 17. This allows the impregnating material 10 to be fixed in a desired position.

[0155] The outlet 13 is a part that communicates with the flow passage 12 and that outlets the odor-containing air. Note that the term "outside" as used in this specification also includes concepts such as a specific space or a specific place.

[0156] 16 , the discharge part 13 is made up of a discharge opening 130, a second lid part 131, a second spring 132, an O-ring 133, an inner cap 134, and a housing 135 that surrounds these components. In addition, a part of the shaft 121 is also provided in the discharge part 13.

[0157] The O-ring 133 is used to improve the sealing performance within the odor presentation cartridge 1. The second lid 131 and / or the housing 135 are preferably formed of an inorganic material. This reduces odor leakage due to the materials constituting the second lid 131 and / or the housing 135. It also prevents the odor from volatilizing over time. Preferred inorganic materials are those composed of metals and / or inorganic compounds. Preferred metals and / or inorganic compounds include one or more selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, aluminum, nickel, titanium, chromium, cobalt, molybdenum, palladium, alloys containing these, and oxide coatings made of metal oxides.

[0158] There are various methods for ejecting odor-containing air to the outside from the ejection section 13, but specific methods will be described in detail in the section "<Operation example of the first embodiment of the odor-presenting cartridge 1>" described below.

[0159] In this embodiment, the discharge unit 13 has a second lid portion 131. This provides the functions of a sliding rib 1311 and a check valve, which will be described later. Specifically, the second lid portion 131 has a sliding rib 1311 that slides within the housing 135 of the discharge unit 13, as shown in FIG. 16 . This allows the second lid portion 131 to slide smoothly when odor-containing air flows in through the flow opening 121b. The sliding rib 1311 can be provided, for example, on the outer circumferential surface of the second lid portion 131, as shown in FIG. 16 , but is not limited to this in this embodiment. The second lid portion 131 also functions as a check valve. As will be described later in “<Operation Example of the First Embodiment of the Odor-Presenting Cartridge 1>,” after air is discharged from the discharge opening 130, the restoring force of the spring 132 returns the second lid portion 131 to its original position, preventing the discharged odor-containing air from flowing back.

[0160] In this embodiment, the odor-presenting cartridge 1 may further include an information display unit (not shown). The information display unit is not an essential component in this embodiment, but is provided on a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the odor-presenting cartridge 1, and is a portion from which information about the odor-presenting cartridge 1 can be obtained. By including the information display unit, information related to the odor-presenting cartridge 1 can be obtained, leading to improved usability.

[0161] The information display unit is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include pattern images such as one-dimensional codes, two-dimensional codes, markers formed in one or more colors, LED lights, etc., and these may be used in combination of one or more types. The information display unit may be read by, for example, a camera, a barcode reader, etc., or may be visually determined by a person.

[0162] The information held by the information display unit includes, for example, the type of odor in the odor-presenting cartridge 1, the amount of odor remaining, the names of the components that can be used to present the odor and allergen information for those components, the expiration date and number of uses of the odor-presenting cartridge 1, the date and place of manufacture, and version information for the odor-presenting cartridge 1, but is not limited to these in this embodiment.

[0163] In addition, when a part of the outer peripheral surface has a curvature, it is preferable that the information display unit is printed or attached to the part of the outer peripheral surface to an extent that it can be read by the above-mentioned camera, barcode, etc. In this case, the information display unit as a pattern image may be printed onto the part of the outer peripheral surface by projection.

[0164] Furthermore, the information display unit may be linked to application software, and information acquired via the application software may be displayed on the screen of a smartphone, a wearable device, a personal digital assistant, a game console, etc. In this case, by utilizing the application software, a user may add additional information to the acquired information, such as whether or not the scent is pleasant, and the additional information acquired from one or more users may be accumulated on a server computer or cloud and used in a learning model, etc.

[0165] In addition, markers, LED lights, etc. formed in one or more colors may be used simply to add design features to the odor-presenting cartridge 1.

[0166] <Operation Example of First Embodiment of Odor-Presenting Cartridge 1>

[0167] Figure 22 is a cross-sectional view showing how odor-containing air is released from the odor-presenting cartridge 1 according to the first embodiment. An example of the release operation of odor-containing air from the odor-presenting cartridge 1 will be described below with reference to Figure 22 and other figures. Note that K in Figures 18, 20, and 22 indicates the flow of air.

[0168] In this embodiment, when the ventilation section 11 is opened while the impregnating material 10 is carrying an odor, air flows in from the outside through the ventilation opening 110. The air that has flowed in further flows into the flow section 12, and as the airflow passes near the impregnating material 10, it is scented, becoming odor-containing air, which then flows into the discharge section 13, where it is released to the outside from the discharge opening 130.

[0169] Specifically, in this embodiment, the ventilation unit 11 is provided with an opening / closing mechanism consisting of a first lid unit 111, a shaft 121, and a first spring 112, and similarly, the discharge unit 13 is provided with an opening / closing mechanism consisting of a second lid unit 131, a shaft 121, and a second spring 132. These opening / closing mechanisms can be controlled, for example, by inserting a plunger X into the odor presentation cartridge 1 and connecting it to the shaft 121.

[0170] That is, when the pusher X is pressed, the pusher X pushes the first cover portion 111 toward the inside of the ventilation portion 11, the ventilation opening 110 opens, and air flows into the ventilation portion 11. At this time, the first spring 112 is compressed by the first cover portion 111.

[0171] When the first lid part 111 is pushed inward into the ventilation part 11, the shaft 121 attached to the first lid part 111 moves in the direction of the flow passage part 12. Then, the air in the ventilation part 11 flows into the flow passage part 12 through the flow passage opening 122a as shown in FIG.

[0172] The air that has flowed into the airflow section 12 is sent as an air current around the impregnating material 10. As a result, the air current is scented as it passes around the impregnating material 10, and the odor-containing air is released from the airflow opening 122b to the discharge section 13.

[0173] That is, when first lid portion 111 is pushed toward the inside of flow passage portion 12, shaft 121 attached to first lid portion 111 moves toward discharge portion 13. This shaft 121 pushes second lid portion 131 toward the inside of discharge portion 13, and odor-containing air in flow passage portion 12 flows into discharge portion 13 through flow passage opening 122b as shown in Figure 20. At this time, second spring 132 is compressed by second lid portion 131.

[0174] The odor-containing air that has flowed into the discharge part 13 is then released to the outside from the discharge opening 130. After the odor-containing air has been released to the outside, when pressure on the plunger X is released, the first lid part 111 returns to its original position due to the restoring force of the compressed first spring 112. Similarly, the second lid part 131 returns to its original position due to the restoring force of the second spring 132.

[0175] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 22, the airflow K passes only around the outer periphery of the impregnating material 10 and does not pass through the inside, but depending on the shape of the impregnating material 10, the state of winding of the sheet-shaped impregnating material 10, etc., the airflow K may pass through the inside of the impregnating material 10.

[0176] Furthermore, the plunger X connected to the shaft 121 has already been explained in "<Drive mechanism unit 2041, placement drive unit 2042, and rear storage unit 204>" in the above-mentioned "(4-1) First embodiment of the odor presentation unit 200."

[0177] The amount of odor held by the odor-presenting cartridge 1 according to this embodiment can be changed as needed. Specifically, this can be achieved, for example, by adjusting the dimensions of the odor-presenting cartridge 1 or by changing the type or volume of the impregnating material 10. Naturally, each odor-presenting cartridge 1 may be provided with an impregnating material 10 that holds different amounts or types of odors.

[0178] The odor-presenting cartridge 1 can also be a replaceable, disposable type, thereby improving usability. Furthermore, the odor-presenting cartridge 1 can be sealed and stored in a sealed container or the like until use (preferably immediately before use), thereby preventing deterioration of the odor-generating components. In this case, it is preferable that the container portion of the sealed container and the lid portion for the sealed container are all or partly (preferably all) formed from a material with high chemical resistance and / or low gas permeability. Examples of materials with high chemical resistance and / or low gas permeability include metals such as stainless steel, aluminum, nickel, titanium, and alloys thereof; resins such as PTFE (poly tetra fluoro ethylene) and ETFE (ethylene tetra fluoro ethylene); and glass.

[0179] The odor-presenting cartridge 1 may be distributed with the odor carried by the impregnating material 10, or may be distributed without the odor carried by the impregnating material 10, and the odor (volatile organic molecules) may be injected immediately before use.

[0180] In this embodiment, the housing 135 of the discharge part 13 may have a D-cut shape 15 in part as shown in Fig. 14. This makes it easier to tighten with a tool. However, depending on the shape of the tool, the D-cut shape 15 is not necessarily required, and can be freely designed as appropriate.

[0181] Furthermore, the odor presenting cartridge 1 can be attached to the cartridge holding portion 201 of the odor presenting unit 200 described above, and in this case, a fixing feature 16 that promotes fixing may be provided, for example, on the housing 123 of the flow passage portion 12. Examples of the fixing feature 16 include one or more grooves provided in a part of the housing 123, as shown in Figures 10 and 11. Note that depending on the shape of the cartridge holding portion 201, a groove is not necessarily required and can be designed as appropriate.

[0182] In addition, the housing 115 of the ventilation part 11 may have a fitting shape 17 for fitting with the cartridge holding part 201 as shown in Fig. 13, or a fall-off prevention shape 18 for preventing the cartridge from falling off from the cartridge holding part 201 as shown in Fig. 12. Examples of these shapes include a shape in which a part of the housing 115 is cut out. Note that, depending on the shape of the cartridge holding part 201, these shapes do not necessarily have to be a shape in which a part of the housing 115 is cut out, and can be designed as appropriate.

[0183] <Second embodiment of odor-presenting cartridge 1>

[0184] 23 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a second embodiment of the odor-presenting cartridge 1. The odor-presenting cartridge 1 according to this embodiment comprises at least an odor-retaining section 51 that retains an odor, a ventilation section 52 that takes in air, a flow section 53 that communicates with the ventilation section 52 and has at least one spiral flow path 531, and an ejection section 54 that communicates with the flow section 53 and ejects odor-containing air. If necessary, an information display section or the like may also be provided.

[0185] The material forming the housing 50 of the odor presentation cartridge 1 is not particularly limited, and examples include metals such as stainless steel (Steel Use Stainless) and aluminum; resins such as polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, phenolic resin, olefin resin, acrylic resin, urethane resin, ABS resin, polyether ether ketone resin, polyacetal resin, fluororesin, cycloolefin polymer resin, polyimide resin; pottery; porcelain; ceramic; etc., and these may be used in combination of one or more types.

[0186] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 23, the odor-presenting cartridge 1 is approximately cylindrical, but the shape of the odor-presenting cartridge 1 is not particularly limited as long as there is space inside to store at least the odor retention section 51 and the flow section 53, and examples include approximately polygonal cylinders such as approximately cylindrical, approximately elliptical cylinder, approximately triangular cylinder, approximately square cylinder (including those with rounded corners), approximately conical, approximately elliptical cone, approximately polygonal pyramids (including those with rounded corners) with a cross section such as approximately triangular pyramid or approximately square pyramid, and these may be combined one or more types.

[0187] The odor retention section 51 is a section that retains an odor. Specifically, there are no particular limitations on the odor retention section 51 as long as it can retain an odor, but for example, it can be an impregnated material 20 that is impregnated with a component that can generate an odor.

[0188] The material forming the impregnating material 20 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, an organic polymer material to facilitate odor penetration. Examples of organic polymer materials include polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, phenolic resin, olefin resin, nylon, polyester, synthetic rubber, silicone resin, natural rubber, protein, nucleic acid, lipid, polysaccharide, etc., which may be used alone or in combination. Other examples include polymer resins such as acrylic resin, urethane resin, ABS resin, polyether ether ketone resin, polyacetal resin, fluororesin, cycloolefin polymer resin, and polyimide resin; metals such as stainless steel (Steel Use Stainless) and aluminum; inorganic crystals such as quartz; glass; and filter paper, which may be used alone or in combination.

[0189] The impregnating material 20 may also be formed to be porous, and for example, a mesh structure, cork, mesoporous silica, calcium carbonate, etc. Furthermore, the impregnating material 20 may also be formed to have a fibrous structure or a layered structure (for example, clay minerals, etc.).

[0190] The form of the impregnating material 20 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a sheet, a mesh, a strip (including a dense body thereof), a particle (including a dense body thereof), a gel, a liquid (including a liquid maintained by the surface tension of a holder or the like), a foam, a three-dimensional structure (for example, a pinholder, a spiral, a spring, etc.), a string (including a dense body thereof), and the like, and one or more of these may be combined.

[0191] In this embodiment, the impregnating material 20 is in a sheet form as shown in Figure 23 and is rolled into a roughly cylindrical shape and stored inside the cylindrical odor-presenting cartridge 1. By making the impregnating material 20 in a sheet form, it becomes easier to store it in the cylindrical odor-presenting cartridge 1, improving production efficiency. Note that while the sheet-like impregnating material 20 in Figure 23 has a single-layer structure, it can also be stacked in multiple layers and stored inside the odor-presenting cartridge 1 as needed.

[0192] The scent retained in the impregnating material 20 is the same as that described in the above "First embodiment of the scent-exhibiting cartridge 1," and therefore will not be described here.

[0193] The ventilation section 52 is a section for taking in air. The air is basically the outside air around the odor presenting cartridge 1, but it may also be air collected from a specific location or air containing a specific substance.

[0194] There are various methods for taking in air into the ventilation section 52, but for example, air can be taken in by directly moving a component such as a pump that abuts against a part of the flow section 53 through the ventilation section 52.

[0195] Note that components such as a pump and the movable source thereof may be integrated with the odor-presenting cartridge 1 (may be formed in the same housing), or may be formed separately and used in combination with the odor-presenting cartridge 1 before linear movement. Also, the odor-presenting cartridge 1 integrated with components such as a pump and the movable source thereof may be distributed, or the components such as a pump and the movable source thereof formed separately may be distributed independently.

[0196] To take in air by linearly moving the pump unit, the pump unit is linearly moved relative to the odor presenting cartridge 1, and in this embodiment, the pump unit is used to press a part of the flow section 53, allowing outside air to be taken in through the ventilation section 52. Note that in this embodiment, the pump unit may be fixed and the pusher X, which is a separate member, may be moved.

[0197] The moving source for linearly moving the pump unit is not particularly limited as long as it can move the pump unit in the linear direction, and examples thereof include a shape memory alloy (SMA), a motor, a solenoid, a linear slide type, a pneumatic (air pump type), an actuator equipped with a small electromagnet, etc. In this embodiment, an axial flow from a blower mechanism or the like may be used as the moving source for the pump unit.

[0198] The flow passage portion 53 is a portion that communicates with the ventilation portion 52 and has at least one or more spiral flow passages 531. By having the spiral flow passage 531, it is possible to improve manufacturability by utilizing rolling, a method for manufacturing screws and the like. Furthermore, since the flow passage portion 53 can be metallized, it can be formed from a material that is highly resistant to chemicals and / or has low gas permeability. Examples of materials that are highly resistant to chemicals and / or have low gas permeability include metals such as stainless steel (Steel Use Stainless) and aluminum; and glass, but are not limited to these in this embodiment.

[0199] In this embodiment, it is preferable that all or part of the odor retention unit 51 abuts against the spiral flow path 531. This increases the contact area between the odor retention unit 51 and the air flowing through the spiral flow path 531, allowing for efficient odor impartation. Furthermore, by providing two or more spiral flow paths 531, the contact area between the odor retention unit 51 and the air flowing through the spiral flow path 531 can be further increased. This makes it possible to generate odor-containing air even in a relatively short spiral flow path 531, allowing for the overall dimensions of the odor presenting cartridge 1 to be reduced.

[0200] In this embodiment, the flow passage portion 53 may include a shaft 530 that pushes up a discharge portion lid portion 541, which will be described later. In this case, a return spring 532 may be provided to return the flow passage portion 53 to its original position after being pushed up.

[0201] The discharge section 54 communicates with the flow section 53 and discharges odor-containing air. The discharge section 54 is equipped with a discharge section lid 541 and a discharge section spring 542 to prevent odor leakage. Opening the discharge section lid 541 discharges odor-containing air to the outside of the odor-presenting cartridge 1. Specifically, after outside air flows in through the ventilation section 52 due to the linear motion of the pump section abutting a portion of the flow section 53, the air flows through the flow section 53 and comes into contact with the odor retention section 51, forming odor-containing air. The odor-containing air is then released from the discharge section lid 541, which is pushed up by the shaft 530, and discharged to the outside via the discharge section 54. Subsequently, the return force of the return spring 532 and the discharge section spring 542 returns the flow section 53 and the discharge section lid 541 to their original positions, closing the ventilation section 52.

[0202] The odor-presenting cartridge 1 according to this embodiment may further include an information display unit (not shown). The information display unit is the same as that described in the above-mentioned "First Embodiment of the Odor-Presenting Cartridge 1," and therefore will not be described here.

[0203] <Third embodiment of odor-presenting cartridge 1>

[0204] Figure 24 is a six-sided view showing an example of the configuration of a third embodiment of the odor-presenting cartridge 1, where A is a front view, B is a back view, C is a left side view, D is a right side view, E is a plan view, and F is a bottom view. Figure 25 is a perspective view showing the odor-presenting cartridge 1 according to the third embodiment, and Figure 26 is a cross-sectional view taken along line P-P. The odor-presenting cartridge 1 according to this embodiment comprises at least an odor retention section 101, a ventilation section 102, and a connecting section 103.

[0205] 26, the odor retention unit 101 includes at least an impregnating material 20 and a container unit 21. In addition, in this embodiment, the lid unit 22 corresponding to the container unit 21 is joined to a part of the connecting unit 103, which will be described later. Note that in this embodiment, the joining also includes a case in which the connecting unit 103 and the lid unit 22 are formed as a single molded part.

[0206] The material forming the impregnating material 20 and the form of the impregnating material 20 are not particularly limited and are the same as those described above in "Second embodiment of odor-presenting cartridge 1," so a description thereof will be omitted here. Also, the odor retained in the impregnating material 20 is not particularly limited and is the same as those described above in "First embodiment of odor-presenting cartridge 1," so a description thereof will be omitted here.

[0207] The container 21 preferably has a two-layer structure, and in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 26 , it is composed of an inner layer 211 that forms the inside of the container 21 and holds the impregnating material 20, and an outer layer 212 that forms the outside of the container 21. The material that forms the inner layer 211 is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, it is preferable that all or part of the inner layer 211 be made of glass or metal. Examples of metal include stainless steel (Steel Use Stainless) and aluminum. In this embodiment, the inner wall of the inner layer 211 on the impregnating material 20 side may be made of metal foil or may be metal-plated.

[0208] The ventilation section 102 includes an openable / closable ventilation opening 30. In this embodiment, the ventilation section 102 is configured to be divided into two sections (a first ventilation section 102a and a second ventilation section 102b) by the two ventilation openings 30 as shown in FIG. 26 . However, this is not particularly limited in this embodiment, and the ventilation section 102 may be configured as a single section, or may be configured as three or more sections. That is, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 26 , the ventilation opening 30 includes an inlet ventilation opening 30a for allowing air to flow into the odor-presenting cartridge 1 and an outlet ventilation opening 30b for releasing the odor-containing air to the outside. An opening / closing mechanism is connected to these two ventilation openings 30 (30a, 30b). The specific structure of the opening / closing mechanism is not particularly limited as long as it can open and close the two ventilation openings 30 (30a, 30b), and can be freely designed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 27 described later, an opening and closing mechanism may be provided that is made up of a sealing lid 1021 (1021a, 1021b), a shaft 1022, and a spring 1023 (1023a, 1023b).

[0209] In this embodiment, the ventilation section 102 preferably has a two-layer structure, and in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 26, it consists of an inner layer member 31 that houses the opening and closing mechanism and an outer layer member 32 that forms the outside of the ventilation section 102.

[0210] The connecting portion 103 includes at least two connecting openings 40 (40a, 40b) formed in the lid portion 22 joined to the connecting portion 103, which connect the ventilation portion 102 and the odor retention portion 101, and a partition portion 41 located upstream of one of the at least two connecting openings 40 (40a, 40b). In this embodiment, the two connecting openings 40 (40a, 40b) consist of a first connecting opening 40a that releases air from the connecting portion 103 to the odor retention portion 101, and a second connecting opening 40b that releases odor-containing air from the odor retention portion 101 to the connecting portion 103, as shown in FIG. In this case, the air that flows into the connecting part 103 through the first ventilation part 102a is released into the odor retention part 101 through the first connecting opening 40a, where it mixes with the odor, and then the odor-containing air flows into the connecting part 103 through the second connecting opening 40b and is released to the outside through the second ventilation part 102b.

[0211] In this embodiment, the partition 41 is disposed upstream of the second connecting opening 40b of the two connecting openings 40 (40a, 40b). By providing the partition 41, air that flows into the connecting portion 103 is forced to pass through the odor retention portion 101 to become odor-containing air, and then flows back into the connecting portion 103. In this embodiment, the connecting portion 103 is also provided with an opening / closing mechanism in the connection area with the ventilation portion 102.

[0212] <Operation example of the third embodiment of the odor-presenting cartridge 1>

[0213] 27 is a cross-sectional view showing how odor-containing air is released from the odor-presenting cartridge 1 according to the third embodiment. Hereinafter, an example of the operation of releasing odor-containing air from the odor-presenting cartridge 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 27 and other figures.

[0214] In this embodiment, when the ventilation section 102 is opened while the odor is retained in the odor retention section 101, air flows in from the outside. The air flows into the connecting section 103 and passes through one connecting opening 40a, sending an airflow into the odor, scenting the odor as the airflow passes near the impregnating material 20, and releasing the odor-containing air. In this state, the released odor-containing air flows into the connecting section 103 through the other connecting opening 40b, and is released to the outside.

[0215] Specifically, in this embodiment, the ventilation openings 30 (30a, 30b) and the connecting portion 103 are provided with opening / closing mechanisms each consisting of a sealing lid, a shaft, and a spring. These opening / closing mechanisms can be controlled, for example, by inserting a pusher X from the first sealing lid 1021a side and connecting it to the shaft, as shown in FIG. 27 . That is, when the pusher X is pressed, it pushes the first sealing lid 1021a toward the inside of the first ventilation portion 102a, opening the inlet ventilation opening 30a and allowing air to flow into the first ventilation portion 102a. At this time, the first spring 1023a is compressed by the first sealing lid 1021a.

[0216] As the first sealing lid 1021a is pushed inward toward the first ventilation portion 102a, the shaft 1022 attached to the first sealing lid 1021a moves toward the connecting portion 103. This shaft 1022 pushes the sealing lid 1031 inward toward the connecting portion 103, causing air in the first ventilation portion 102a to flow into the connecting portion 103. At this time, the spring 1033 is compressed by the sealing lid 1031. Due to the partition 41, the air flowing into the connecting portion 103 first flows into the odor retention portion 101 through the first connecting opening 40a provided in the lid portion 22 and sends the airflow to the odor retained in the odor retention portion 101. As a result, the airflow is scented as it passes around the impregnating material 20, releasing odor-containing air. This odor-containing air then flows back into the connecting portion 103 through the second connecting opening 40b provided in the lid portion 22.

[0217] As the sealing lid 1031 is pushed inward into the connecting portion 103, the shaft 1032 attached to the sealing lid 1031 moves toward the second ventilation portion 102b. This shaft 1032 pushes the second sealing lid 1021b inward into the second ventilation portion 102b, causing the odor-containing air in the connecting portion 103 to flow into the second ventilation portion 102b. At this time, the second spring 1023b is compressed by the second sealing lid 1021b. In this embodiment, since the second ventilation portion 102b is connected to the release ventilation opening 30b, the odor-containing air that has flowed into the second ventilation portion 102b is released to the outside through the release ventilation opening 30b. After the odor-containing air has been released to the outside, when pressure on the plunger X is released, the restoring force of the compressed first spring 1023a returns the first sealing lid 1021a to its original position. The sealing lid 1031 is returned to its original position by the restoring force of the spring 1033, and the second sealing lid 1021b is returned to its original position by the restoring force of the second spring 1023b.

[0218] Furthermore, the plunger X connected to the shaft has already been explained in "<Drive mechanism unit 2041, placement drive unit 2042, and rear storage unit 204>" in "(4-1) First embodiment of odor presentation unit 200" above.

[0219] 4. Fourth embodiment (program)

[0220] The program according to this embodiment executes a process of generating information about a second modality using a learning model trained using information about a first modality, information about a second modality different from the first modality, and information about similarities between the first modalities, the second modality being linked to the first modality. The process performed by the program according to this embodiment is similar to the process performed in "1. First Embodiment (Information Processing Device 600)," and therefore will not be described here.

[0221] The program according to the present embodiment can be executed on, for example, an information processing device, an information processing system, an odor presentation system, a computer, etc., but is not limited to these. The program according to the present embodiment can be stored in, for example, each device or each system (e.g., a storage unit, etc.), or in a storage medium. The storage medium can take the form of, for example, an SD card, a microSD card, a CD, a DVD, a flash memory, a magnetic recording medium, etc.

[0222] 5. Fifth embodiment (storage medium)

[0223] The storage medium according to this embodiment executes a process for generating information about a second modality using a learning model trained using information about a first modality, information about a second modality different from the first modality, and information about similarities between the first modalities, and the second modality is linked to the first modality. The process performed by the storage medium according to this embodiment is the same as the process performed in "1. First Embodiment (Information Processing Device 600)," and therefore will not be described here.

[0224] The storage medium according to the present embodiment can be implemented on, for example, an information processing device, an information processing system, an odor presentation system, a computer, etc. The storage medium according to the present embodiment can take the form of, for example, an SD card, a micro SD card, a CD, a DVD, a flash memory, a magnetic recording medium, etc.

[0225] 6. Sixth embodiment (information processing device 600)

[0226] The information processing device 600 of this embodiment is an information processing device that includes a processing unit 601 that generates information about a second modal that is compatible with the first modal using user input information about information about a first modal, a model trained using information about the compatibility between music and smells, and information about the similarities between music.

[0227] In this specification, "modal" is synonymous with "modality" and refers to the appearance, state, or nature of something, or the method, means, or system for expressing it. Specific examples include aspects of perception and sensation (e.g., smell, touch, taste, etc.), sound, video, images, light (Digital Multiplex patterns), text (language), changes in the surrounding environment, and physiological signals and movements of animals. Details of "modal" are the same as those explained in "(1) Processing unit 601" of "1. Information processing device 600 according to this embodiment," and therefore will not be explained here.

[0228] (1) Specific Example 1

[0229] In the information processing device 600 according to this embodiment, for example, the first modal is a piece of music, and the second modal is a smell. In this specification, the term "piece of music" is a broad concept that refers to music itself. Therefore, it may be a unit of a musical work, or a part of a musical work. It may also be audio data.

[0230] That is, in this specific example 1, the processing unit 601 generates information about smells that go well with a piece of music using a model trained using information about the compatibility between music and smells and information about the similarities between pieces of music, in response to user-input information about music information (e.g., the title of the music, the genre of the music, the tempo of the music, the composer, the year it was composed, etc.) entered by the user.

[0231] Specifically, "information regarding the compatibility of music with scents" as referred to here includes, for example, positive information such as information that if the music genre is a soothing genre such as classical music, healing music, jazz, etc., or if the music has a slow tempo, it goes well with scents such as lavender, vanilla, and sandalwood; information that if the music genre is an active genre such as pop, rock, or up-tempo jazz, or if the music has a fast tempo, it goes well with scents such as citrus (e.g., lemon, orange, etc.), peppermint, and eucalyptus; as well as negative information such as information that if the music genre is a soothing genre such as classical music, healing music, jazz, etc., or if the music has a slow tempo, it does not go well with scents such as citrus (e.g., lemon, orange, etc.), peppermint, and eucalyptus.

[0232] Furthermore, the "information about the similarity between songs" referred to here can be set based on the feature quantities of the song's modality, such as the number of times the song's waveform crosses zero (zero-crossing rate), sound intensity, Mel-frequency cepstrum coefficients, spectral center moments, pitch, chroma features, spectrograms, etc.

[0233] In this specific example 1, the processing unit 601 can automatically generate information about which scents are compatible with which songs by using a learning model that combines information about the compatibility between songs and scents and information about the similarities between songs.

[0234] (2) Specific Example 2

[0235] In the information processing device 600 according to this embodiment, for example, the first modal is a smell, and the second modal is a piece of music.

[0236] That is, in this specific example 2, the processing unit 601 generates information about songs that are compatible with the smell using a model trained using information about the compatibility between songs and smells and information about the similarities between songs, in response to user-input information about smell information (e.g., the name of the smell, the components of the smell, the type of smell, the scene in which the smell is used, the purpose of smelling the smell, etc.) entered by the user.

[0237] The "information regarding the compatibility between songs and scents" and "information regarding the similarities between songs" referred to here are the same as those explained in "(1) Specific Example 1" above, so we will not explain them here.

[0238] In this specific example 2, the processing unit 601 can automatically generate information about which songs are compatible with which smells by using a learning model that combines information about the compatibility between songs and smells and information about the similarities between songs.

[0239] 7. Seventh embodiment (information processing device 600)

[0240] The information processing device 600 according to this embodiment is an information processing device including a processing unit 601 that generates information about odors or songs that are compatible with the first song or odor using user-input information about information about a first song or odor and a model trained using information about the compatibility between songs and odors and information about the similarities between the songs. The information processing device 600 according to this embodiment is similar to that described in "(1) Specific Example 1" and "(2) Specific Example 2" of "6. Sixth Embodiment (Information Processing Device 600)" except for the interface unit 602 described below, and therefore description of parts other than the interface unit 602 will be omitted here.

[0241] The information processing device 600 according to this embodiment may further include an interface unit 602 that presents the generated information.

[0242] Specific examples of the interface unit 602 include one or more buttons, a display, a mouse, a keyboard, a printer, a monitor, a touch panel, a wearable terminal, a personal digital assistant, a game console, a notebook PC, a desktop PC, a computer, a smartphone, etc. The interface unit 602 may be included within the housing of the information processing device 600, or may be located outside the housing. Furthermore, various processes or functions performed by the interface unit 602 may be realized by a server computer or a cloud connected via a wired or wireless network.

[0243] In this embodiment, the user input information is information obtained from the interface unit 602, which can be selected from a plurality of modes, including a first mode that allows prompt searching for songs and a second mode that allows category selection searching for songs.

[0244] Specifically, for example, in the first mode, the user searches for a song by inputting text into a predetermined position in the interface unit 602. More specifically, a search can be performed by inputting, for example, the song title, the song genre, the song tempo, the song composer, the year in which the song was composed, etc. in text.

[0245] On the other hand, in the second mode, the user selects a category and searches by, for example, pulling down a predetermined position on the interface unit 602. More specifically, for example, the user can select and search by music genre (e.g., relaxing genres such as classical, healing music, jazz, etc.; active genres such as pop, rock, and up-tempo jazz; genres such as film music and game music; genres of natural sounds such as waterfalls, forests, grasslands, and birds singing, etc.).

[0246] In this embodiment, the processing unit 601 can generate music from a prompt input by the user in the first mode. Specifically, the processing unit 601 outputs music associated with text input into a predetermined position in the interface unit 602 from the storage unit 603.

[0247] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the user input information is information obtained from the interface unit 602, and the interface unit 602 may display multiple candidate songs as a graph with intensity on the vertical axis and time on the horizontal axis. Specifically, as shown on the left side of Figures 2 and 3, the candidate songs are displayed as the graph for each song.

[0248] Here, the information processing device 600 according to this embodiment may further include an editing unit for associating smells with music and an output unit for displaying the result of the association based on information from the editing unit, and the output of the output unit can be re-edited by the editing unit. Specifically, for example, the association between smells and music can be performed automatically or manually, but in addition, the user can edit the association between smells and music via the editing unit of the interface unit 602, and the output unit can output to the interface unit 602 to display the result of the association based on information from the editing unit.

[0249] In this case, it is preferable that the input section for performing the association and the section for checking the results of the association are arranged separately in the interface section 602. Specifically, for example, as shown in Fig. 3, the input section for performing the association may be arranged on the left side of the interface, and the section for checking the results of the association may be arranged on the right side of the interface section, but this is not limited to this in the present embodiment.

[0250] 8. Eighth embodiment (information processing system)

[0251] The information processing system according to this embodiment is an information processing system that includes a processing unit 601 that generates information about odors that are compatible with the first song using user-input information about the first song, and a model trained using information about the compatibility between the song and odors and information about the similarities between the songs. The information processing system according to this embodiment is similar to that described in "(1) Specific Example 1" of "6. Sixth Embodiment (Information Processing Device 600)" except for the odor presentation unit 200 described below, and therefore, a description of components other than the odor presentation unit 200 will be omitted here.

[0252] The information processing system according to this embodiment further includes an odor presentation unit 200 that presents an odor that is compatible with the first song based on a signal from the processing unit 601. The odor presentation unit 200 is similar to that described in "(4) Odor presentation unit 200" of "3. Third embodiment (odor presentation system 700)," and therefore will not be described here.

[0253] 9. Ninth embodiment (information processing device 600)

[0254] The information processing device 600 of this embodiment is an information processing device that includes a processing unit 601 that generates information about smells that are compatible with a first song, based on user-input information about the first song, searched using a model trained using information about the compatibility between songs and smells and information about the similarities between songs.

[0255] That is, in this embodiment, the processing unit 601 generates information about a second smell that is compatible with the first song, which has been automatically or manually searched, based on user-input information about the first song (e.g., song title, song genre, song tempo, composer, year of composition, etc.) entered by the user, using a model trained using information about the compatibility between songs and smells and information about the similarities between songs.

[0256] The "information regarding the compatibility between music and scents" and "information regarding the similarities between music" mentioned here are the same as those explained in "(1) Specific Example 1" of "6. Sixth Embodiment (Information Processing Device 600)" above, and therefore will not be explained here.

[0257] In this embodiment, by searching using a learning model that combines information about the compatibility between music and smells and information about the similarities between music, it is possible to automatically generate information about which smells go well with which music.

[0258] 10. Tenth embodiment (program)

[0259] The program according to this embodiment is a program for causing a computer to execute a process of presenting information about scents that are compatible with a first song, the information being searched for using a model trained using information about the compatibility between songs and scents and information about the similarities between songs, based on user-input information about the first song. The processing performed by the program according to this embodiment is similar to the processing performed in "9. Ninth Embodiment (Information Processing Device 600)," and therefore will not be described here.

[0260] The program according to the present embodiment may be stored in, for example, each device or system (for example, a storage unit, etc.), or may be stored in a storage medium, which may take the form of, for example, an SD card, a micro SD card, a CD, a DVD, a flash memory, a magnetic recording medium, etc.

[0261] 11. Eleventh embodiment (storage medium)

[0262] The storage medium according to this embodiment is a computer-readable storage medium that stores a program for causing a computer to execute a process of presenting information about scents that are compatible with a first song, the information being searched for using a model trained using information about the compatibility between songs and scents and information about the similarities between songs, based on user-input information about the first song. The program stored in the storage medium according to this embodiment is the same as that described in "10. Tenth Embodiment (Program)," and therefore will not be described here.

[0263] The storage medium according to this embodiment may take the form of, for example, an SD card, a micro SD card, a CD, a DVD, a flash memory, a magnetic recording medium, or the like.

[0264] 12. Twelfth embodiment (information processing device 600)

[0265] The information processing device 600 according to this embodiment includes a processing unit 601 that generates information about a second modality using a learning model trained using information about a first modality, information about a second modality different from the first modality, and information about similarities between the first modalities, and an interface unit 602 that presents the generated information about the second modality, wherein the second modality is linked to the first modality, and the processing unit 601 recommends information about the second modality that is compatible with a preferred first modality input via the interface unit 602. The information processing device may also include a storage unit 603, etc., as necessary.

[0266] In the information processing device 600 according to this embodiment, the wording that overlaps with that in "1. First embodiment (information processing device 600)" is the same as that explained in "1. First embodiment (information processing device 600)," and therefore will not be explained here.

[0267] In the information processing device 600 according to this embodiment, for example, the first modality may be smell, and the second modality may be sound. Specifically, for example, the processing unit 601 recommends information about sounds that are compatible with a favorite smell input by the user via the interface unit 602 (for example, a song that matches the favorite smell, a genre that matches the favorite smell, a composer that matches the favorite smell, etc.). A plurality of pieces of information about sounds that match the favorite smell may be presented to the user via the interface unit 602, and the user may select the most preferred piece of information from the plurality of pieces of information presented.

[0268] The present technology may also have the following configurations. [1] An information processing device including: a processing unit that generates information about a second modality using a learning model trained using information about a first modality, information about a second modality different from the first modality, and information about similarities between the first modalities, wherein the second modality is linked to the first modality. [2] The information processing device according to [1], wherein the information about the second modality different from the first modality that is linked to the first modality is information about compatibility between the first modality and the second modality. [3] The information processing device according to [1] or [2], wherein the similarity is set based on feature amounts of the first modality. [4] The information processing device according to any of [1] to [3], further including an interface unit that presents the generated information about the second modality. [5] The information processing device according to [4], wherein the information about the first modality is information input via the interface unit. [6] The information processing device according to [4] or [5], wherein the interface unit presents a plurality of search modes including a mode in which the first modality can be promptly searched and a mode in which the first modality can be searched by category selection. [7] The information processing device according to any of [1] to [6], wherein the processing unit is capable of editing the association between the first modality and the second modality and outputting the edited result of the association. [8] The information processing device according to [7], wherein the result of the association by the processing unit is re-editable. [9] The information processing device according to [7] or [8], further comprising an interface unit that presents generated information about the second modality, and wherein the processing unit outputs the result of the association to the interface unit.

[10] The information processing device according to [9], wherein the interface unit presents a section for editing the linkage between the first modality and the second modality and a section for displaying the edited linkage between the first modality and the second modality separately.

[11] The information processing device according to any one of [1] to

[10] , wherein the first modality and the second modality stimulate the five senses of an animal.

[12] The information processing device according to [4], wherein the first modality is sound, and the interface unit presents a plurality of candidate sounds in the form of a graph.

[13] The information processing device according to

[12] , wherein the second modality is a smell, and the processing unit presents to the user a candidate sound that is suitable for the smell from among the plurality of candidate sounds.

[14] The information processing device according to any one of [1] to

[13] , wherein the first modality is sound, and the second modality is a smell.

[15] The information processing device according to any one of [1] to

[13] , wherein the first modality is a smell, and the second modality is sound.

[16] An information processing device comprising: a processing unit that generates information about a second modality that is compatible with the information about the first modality using a learning model trained using information about a first modality and information about a second modality different from the first modality, the second modality being linked to the first modality, the first modality being any of sound, video, image, and text, and the second modality being any of smell, touch, and taste.

[17] An odor presentation system comprising: a processing unit that generates information about the second modality using a learning model trained using information about the first modality, information about a second modality different from the first modality, and information about similarities between the first modalities, and an odor presentation unit that presents an odor based on an instruction from the processing unit, the second modality being linked to the first modality.

[18] The odor presentation system according to

[17] , wherein the odor presentation unit is capable of presenting a plurality of odors.

[19] A program that executes a process of generating information about a second modality using a learning model trained using information about a first modality, information about a second modality different from the first modality, and information about similarities between the first modalities, wherein the second modality is linked to the first modality.

[20] A storage medium that executes a process of generating information about the second modality using a learning model trained using information about a first modality, information about a second modality different from the first modality, and information about similarities between the first modalities, wherein the second modality is linked to the first modality.

[0269]

[21] An information processing device comprising: a processing unit that generates information about a second modal that is compatible with the first modal, using user input information related to information in a first modal; and a model trained using information related to the compatibility between music and smells and information related to the similarities between the music.

[22] The information processing device of

[21] , wherein the first modal is music and the second modal is smell.

[23] The information processing device of

[21] , wherein the first modal is smell and the second modal is music.

[24] An information processing device comprising: a processing unit that generates information about smells or music that are compatible with the first music or smell, using user input information related to information about a first music or smell, and a model trained using information related to the compatibility between music and smells and information related to the similarities between the music.

[25] The information processing device of

[24] , further comprising an interface unit that presents the generated information.

[26] An information processing system comprising: a processing unit that generates information about odors that are a good match for the first song using user input information about information about a first song; and a model trained using information about compatibility between songs and odors and information about similarities between songs.

[27] The information processing system according to

[26] , further comprising: an odor presentation unit that presents odors that are a good match for the first song based on a signal from the processing unit.

[28] An information processing device comprising: a processing unit that generates information about odors that are a good match for the first song, searched for using a model trained using information about compatibility between songs and odors and information about similarities between songs, based on user input information about information about the first song.

[29] A program that causes a computer to execute a process of presenting information about odors that are a good match for the first song, searched for using a model trained using information about compatibility between songs and odors and information about similarities between songs, based on user input information about information about the first song.

[30] A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a process of presenting information about odors that are compatible with a first song, the information being searched for using a model trained using information about compatibility between songs and odors and information about similarities between songs, based on user input information about information about the first song.

[31] The information processing device of claim

[25] , wherein the user input information is information obtained from the interface unit, and the interface unit is selectable from a plurality of modes including a first mode for promptly searching for songs and a second mode for searching for songs by category selection.

[32] The information processing device of

[31] , wherein in the first mode, a song is generated from a prompt input by the user.

[33] The information processing device of

[25] , wherein the user input information is information obtained from the interface unit, and the interface unit displays a plurality of candidate songs in a graph with intensity on the vertical axis and time on the horizontal axis.

[34] The information processing device of

[24] further comprising an editing unit for associating smells with music, and an output unit for displaying the results of the association based on information from the editing unit, wherein the output of the output unit can be re-edited by the editing unit.

[35] The information processing device of

[34] further comprising an interface unit, wherein an input portion for performing the association and a portion for checking the results of the association are arranged separately in the interface unit.

[36] The information processing device of

[34] further comprising an interface unit, wherein the input portion for performing the association is arranged on the left side of the interface, and the portion for checking the results of the association is arranged on the right side of the interface unit.

[0270]

[37] An information processing device comprising: a processing unit that generates information about a second modality using a learning model trained using information about a first modality, information about a second modality different from the first modality, and information about similarities between the first modalities; and an interface unit that presents the generated information about the second modality, wherein the second modality is linked to the first modality, and the processing unit recommends information about the second modality that is compatible with a preferred first modality input via the interface unit.

[38] The information processing device according to

[37] , wherein the first modality is a smell, and the second modality is a sound.

[0271] 1: Odor presentation cartridge 200: Odor presentation unit 600: Information processing device 601: Processing unit 602: Interface unit 603: Memory unit 700: Odor presentation system

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising: a processing unit that generates information about a second modality using a learning model trained using information about a first modality, information about a second modality different from the first modality, and information about similarities between the first modalities, wherein the second modality is linked to the first modality.

2. An information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the information relating to a second modality linked to the first modality and different from the first modality is information relating to compatibility between the first modality and the second modality.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the similarity is set based on a feature amount of the first modality.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising an interface unit that presents the generated information about the second modality.

5. The information processing device according to claim 4, wherein the information relating to the first modality is information input via the interface unit.

6. The information processing device according to claim 4, wherein the interface unit presents a plurality of search modes including a mode in which the first modality can be promptly searched and a mode in which the first modality can be searched by category selection.

7. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is capable of editing the association between the first modality and the second modality, and is capable of outputting the edited result of the association.

8. The information processing device according to claim 7, wherein the result of the linking performed by the processing unit is re-editable.

9. The information processing device according to claim 7, further comprising an interface unit that presents the generated information about the second modality, wherein the processing unit outputs the result of the linking to the interface unit.

10. An information processing device as described in claim 9, wherein the interface unit presents a section for editing the link between the first modality and the second modality and a section for displaying the edited link between the first modality and the second modality separately.

11. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the first modality and the second modality stimulate the five senses of an animal.

12. The information processing device according to claim 4, wherein the first modality is sound, and the interface unit presents a plurality of candidate sounds in the form of a graph.

13. The information processing device according to claim 12, wherein the second modality is a smell, and the processing unit presents to the user a candidate sound suitable for the smell from among the plurality of candidate sounds.

14. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the first modality is sound and the second modality is smell.

15. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the first modality is smell and the second modality is sound.

16. An information processing device comprising: a processing unit that generates information about a second modality that is compatible with the information about the first modality using information about a first modality and a learning model trained using information about a second modality different from the first modality; the second modality is linked to the first modality; the first modality is any one of sound, video, image, and text; and the second modality is any one of smell, touch, and taste.

17. An odor presentation system comprising: a processing unit that generates information about a second modality using a learning model trained using information about a first modality, information about a second modality different from the first modality, and information about similarities between the first modalities; and an odor presentation unit that presents an odor based on instructions from the processing unit, wherein the second modality is linked to the first modality.

18. The odor presentation system according to claim 17, wherein the odor presentation unit is capable of presenting a plurality of odors.

19. A program that executes a process of generating information about a second modality using a learning model trained using information about a first modality, information about a second modality different from the first modality, and information about similarities between the first modalities, wherein the second modality is linked to the first modality.

20. A storage medium that executes a process of generating information about a second modality using a learning model trained using information about a first modality, information about a second modality different from the first modality, and information about similarities between the first modalities, wherein the second modality is linked to the first modality.

21. An information processing device comprising: a processing unit that generates information about a second modal that is compatible with the first modal using user input information regarding information about a first modal; a model trained using information regarding the compatibility between music and smells and information regarding the similarities between music; and 22. The information processing device according to claim 21, wherein the first modal is music and the second modal is smell.

23. The information processing device according to claim 21, wherein the first modal is a smell and the second modal is a piece of music.

24. An information processing device comprising: user input information regarding information on a first song or smell; a model trained using information regarding the compatibility between songs and smells and information regarding the similarities between songs; and a processing unit that generates information regarding smells or songs that are compatible with the first song or smell using the information.

25. The information processing device according to claim 24, further comprising an interface unit that presents the generated information.

26. An information processing system comprising: user-input information regarding information on a first song; a model trained using information regarding the compatibility between songs and smells and information regarding the similarities between songs; and a processing unit that generates information regarding smells that go well with the first song using the above information.

27. The information processing system according to claim 26, further comprising an odor presentation unit that presents an odor that is compatible with the first piece of music based on a signal from the processing unit.

28. An information processing device comprising: a processing unit that generates information about smells that go well with a first song, based on user-input information about the first song, searched using a model trained using information about the compatibility between songs and smells and information about the similarities between songs.

29. A program for causing a computer to execute a process of presenting information about smells that go well with a first song, based on user-input information about the first song, searched using a model trained using information about the compatibility between songs and smells and information about the similarities between songs.

30. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a process of presenting information about smells that go well with a first song, based on user-input information about the first song, searched using a model trained using information about the compatibility between songs and smells and information about the similarities between songs.

31. An information processing device as described in claim 25, wherein the user input information is information obtained from the interface unit, and the interface unit is selectable from a plurality of modes including a first mode that allows a prompt search for songs and a second mode that allows a category selection search for songs.

32. The information processing device of claim 31, wherein in the first mode, music is generated from prompts entered by the user.

33. An information processing device according to claim 25, wherein the user input information is information obtained from the interface unit, and the interface unit displays a plurality of candidate songs in a graph with intensity on the vertical axis and time on the horizontal axis.

34. An information processing device as described in claim 24, further comprising: an editing unit for associating smells with music; and an output unit for displaying the results of the association based on information from the editing unit, wherein the output from the output unit can be re-edited by the editing unit.

35. An information processing device according to claim 34, further comprising an interface unit, in which an input section for performing the association and a section for confirming the results of the association are arranged separately.

36. An information processing device according to claim 34, further comprising an interface unit, wherein an input section for performing the association is arranged on the left side of the interface, and a section for confirming the results of the association is arranged on the right side of the interface unit.

37. An information processing device comprising: a processing unit that generates information about a second modality using a learning model trained using information about a first modality, information about a second modality different from the first modality, and information about similarities between the first modalities; and an interface unit that presents the generated information about the second modality, wherein the second modality is linked to the first modality, and the processing unit recommends information about the second modality that is compatible with a preferred first modality input via the interface unit.

38. The information processing device according to claim 37, wherein the first modality is smell and the second modality is sound.

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