Information Processing Apparatus, Information Processing Method, and Program

• US 20110301956A1
• Filed: 05/26/2011
• Published: 12/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: SANO, Akane
• Granted Patent: US 9,477,304 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes an image analysis unit that executes a process for analyzing an image captured by a camera, a speech analysis unit that executes a process for analyzing speech input from a microphone, and a data processing unit that receives a result of the analysis conducted by the image analysis unit and a result of the analysis conducted by the speech analysis unit and that executes output control of help information for a user. The data processing unit calculates a degree of difficulty of the user on the basis of at least either the result of the image analysis or the result of the speech analysis and, if the degree of difficulty that has been calculated is equal to or more than a predetermined threshold value, executes a process for outputting help information to the user.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

an image analysis unit that executes a process for analyzing an image captured by a camera;

a speech analysis unit that executes a process for analyzing speech input from a microphone; and

a data processing unit that receives a result of the analysis conducted by the image analysis unit and a result of the analysis conducted by the speech analysis unit and that executes output control of help information for a user,

wherein the data processing unit calculates a degree of difficulty of the user on the basis of at least either the result of the image analysis or the result of the speech analysis and, if the degree of difficulty that has been calculated is equal to or more than a predetermined threshold value, executes a process for outputting help information to the user.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the data processing unit judges whether or not a face of the user faces the information processing apparatus on the basis of the result of the image analysis and calculates the degree of difficulty by using information regarding the judgment.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the data processing unit judges a duration over which a face of the user faces a particular direction on the basis of the result of the image analysis and calculates the degree of difficulty by using information regarding the judgment.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the data processing unit calculates the degree of difficulty by using information regarding a judgment as to whether or not a process corresponding to a request made by the user has been executed.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the data processing unit judges a user level on the basis of information regarding the number of times that a request made by the user has been rejected and calculates the degree of difficulty by using information regarding the judgment.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the data processing unit calculates the degree of difficulty on the basis of information regarding a time elapsed since the information processing apparatus executed a process for responding to the user.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a system state control unit that obtains and stores state transition of the information processing apparatus,

wherein the data processing unit executes a process for outputting help information corresponding to a system state stored in the system state control unit.

8. An information processing method that is used in an information processing apparatus, the information processing method comprising:

executing, with an image analysis unit, a process for analyzing an image captured by a camera;

executing, with a speech analysis unit, a process for analyzing speech input from a microphone; and

receiving, with a data processing unit, a result of the analysis conducted by the image analysis unit and a result of the analysis conducted by the speech analysis unit and executing output control of help information for a user,

wherein, in the receiving, a degree of difficulty of the user is calculated on the basis of at least either the result of the image analysis or the result of the speech analysis and, if the degree of difficulty that has been calculated is equal to or more than a predetermined threshold value, a process for outputting help information to the user is executed.

9. A program that causes an information process to be executed in an information processing apparatus, the program comprising:

causing an image analysis unit to execute a process for analyzing an image captured by a camera;

causing a speech analysis unit to execute a process for analyzing speech input from a microphone; and

causing a data processing unit to receive a result of the analysis conducted by the image analysis unit and a result of the analysis conducted by the speech analysis unit and to execute output control of help information to a user,

wherein, in the causing of the data processing unit to receive the result, a degree of difficulty of the user is calculated on the basis of at least either the result of the image analysis or the result of the speech analysis and, if the degree of difficulty that has been calculated is equal to or more than a predetermined threshold value, a process for outputting help information to the user is executed.