SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING EMOTION OF CAR DRIVER

• US 20100134302A1
• Filed: 05/29/2009
• Published: 06/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Kim, Jae Young, Ahn, Sung Ho, Kim, Jong Uk, Bang, Joon Hak, Lee, Eun Ryung, Kwon, Kee Koo
• Application Number:
  US12/475,149
• Publication Number:
  US 20100134302A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/576
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/165 Evaluating the state of mind, e.g. depression, anxiety
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/18 for vehicle drivers or machine operators

Abstract

Provided are a system and method for controlling the emotion of a car driver. A system for controlling the emotion of a car driver includes a detection unit, a control unit, and an emotion controlling unit. The detection unit detects emotion information including the voice, expression, gesture, heart rate, and temperature of the car driver. The control unit compares the detected emotion information with the prestored reference emotion information of the car driver to determine whether to control the emotion of the car driver and outputs a control signal for control of the emotion of the car driver according to the determination result. The emotion controlling unit controls the emotion of the car driver according to the control signal of the control unit.

Claims

1. A system for controlling the emotion of a car driver, comprising:

a detection unit detecting emotion information including the voice, expression, gesture, heart rate, and temperature of the car driver;

a control unit comparing the detected emotion information with the prestored reference emotion information of the car driver to determine whether to control the emotion of the car driver and outputting a control signal for control of the emotion of the car driver according to the determination result; and

an emotion controlling unit controlling the emotion of the car driver according to the control signal of the control unit.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a database storing at least one of the detected emotion information of the car driver and the reference emotion information that is used as a criterion for determining whether to control the emotion of the car driver.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the detection unit comprises;

an image detecting unit detecting the expression and gesture of the car driver;

a voice detecting unit detecting the voice of the car driver; and

a vital data detecting unit detecting the vital data of the car driver.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the reference emotion information is average emotion data including the voice, expression, gesture, heart rate, and temperature of ordinary car drivers, which are detected when the ordinary car drivers are in a calm state, or emotion data including the voice, expression, gesture, heart rate, and temperature of the car driver, which are detected when the car driver is in a calm state.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises:

an image determining unit receiving the emotion information including the expression and gesture of the car driver to determine the emotional state of the car driver according to the current shapes of the face and mouth of the car driver;

a voice determining unit receiving the emotion information including the voice of the car driver to determine the emotional state of the car driver according to whether abuses are included in the received voice and the result of analyzing the voiceprint of the received voice;

a heart rate determining unit receiving the emotion information including the heart rate of the car driver to determine the emotional state of the car driver; and

an emotion control determining unit determining whether to control the emotion of the car driver, on the basis of the determination results of the image determining unit, the voice determining unit and the heart rate determining unit.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the emotion controlling unit performs at least one or more of the play of therapy music, the provision of a humor, a joke or an accident possibility notice message, the spray of scent, and the generation of oxygen, for control of the emotion of the car driver.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein if the control unit determines not to control the emotion of the car driver, the control unit controls the detection unit to continue to detect the emotion information of the car driver.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a control panel outputting a detection request signal, used to request the detection of the emotion information for update of the reference emotion information of the car driver, according to the control of the control panel by the car driver.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein, upon receiving the detection request signal, the control unit controls the detection unit to detect the emotion information including the voice, expression, gesture, heart rate, and temperature of the car driver, and stores the received emotion information as the reference emotion information of the car driver in an update fashion.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein

the control panel outputs an emotion control exclusion signal for requesting the exclusion of the emotion control;

and

upon receiving the emotion control exclusion signal during the emotion control, the control unit trains the emotional state of the car driver determined according to the emotion information of the car driver as a calm state, and adjusts the reference emotion information according to the determination result.

11. A method for controlling the emotion of a car driver, comprising:

receiving emotion information including at least one of the voice, expression, gesture, and vital data of a car driver;

comparing the received emotion information with the prestored reference emotion information of the car driver, and determining whether to control the emotion of the car driver; and

controlling the emotion of the car driver according to the determination result.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the receiving of emotion information comprises detecting the emotion information including at lease one of the voice, expression, gesture, heart rate, and temperature of the car driver.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the detecting of the emotion information comprises at least one of;

detecting the expression and gesture of the car driver;

detecting the voice of the car driver; and

detecting the vital data of the car driver.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the reference emotion information is average emotion data including the voice, expression, gesture, heart rate, and temperature of ordinary car drivers, which are detected when the ordinary car drivers are in a calm state, or emotion data including the voice, expression, gesture, heart rate, and temperature of the car driver, which are detected when the car driver is in a calm state.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining of whether to control the emotion of the car driver comprises:

receiving the emotion information including the expression and gesture of the car driver to determine the emotional state of the car driver according to the current shapes of the face and mouth of the car driver;

receiving the emotion information including the voice of the car driver to determine the emotional state of the car driver according to whether abuses are included in the received voice and the result of analyzing the voiceprint of the received voice;

receiving the emotion information including the heart rate of the car driver to determine the emotional state of the car driver; and

determining whether to control the emotion of the car driver, on the basis of the image determination result, the voice determination result and the heart rate determination result.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the controlling of the emotion of the car driver comprises at least one or more of:

playing therapy music for control of the emotion of the car driver;

providing a humor, a joke or an accident possibility notice message; and

spraying scent or generating oxygen.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the controlling of the emotion of the car driver comprises continuing to detect the emotion information of the car driver, if the emotion of the car driver is determined not to be controlled.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving a detection request signal, used to request the detection of the emotion information for update of the reference emotion information of the car driver, according to the control by the car driver.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the controlling of the emotion of the car driver comprises:

receiving the emotion information including the voice, expression, gesture, heart rate, and temperature of the car driver upon receiving the detection request signal; and

storing the received emotion information as the reference emotion information of the car driver in an update fashion.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving an emotion control exclusion signal for requesting the exclusion of the emotion control during the emotion control of the car driver according to the control by the car driver;

training the emotional state of the car driver determined according to the emotion information of the car driver as a calm state; and

adjusting the reference emotion information according to the determination result.