SUPPORT AND COMPLEMENT DEVICE, SUPPORT AND COMPLEMENT METHOD, AND RECORDING MEDIUM

• US 20140002464A1
• Filed: 01/18/2012
• Published: 01/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bond Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Bond Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Furukawa, Hiromi, Sato, Hiroyuki
• Granted Patent: US 9,898,850 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/474
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/40 of characters, e.g. humans, animals or virtual beings
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/10 Transforming into visible information
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/63 for estimating an emotional state

Abstract

A support and complement device etc., are provided, which appropriately generates the character'"'"'s motion for content introduction in a simple manner. The user inputs a command to an input device, which specifies the character'"'"'s motion used for content introduction. The support and complement device complements the command input operation. The content includes material data and language data. The language data includes voice data to be emitted by the character. A unit for recognizing emotions analyzes the material data and the language data, and deduces the emotion pattern to be expressed by the character. A unit for choosing commands determines the character'"'"'s motion using the deduced emotion pattern, command, and voice data, and generates a motion command. A unit for reading out animation movies for user'"'"'s check instructs a readout device to display a proposed animation movie generated by the unit for choosing commands, thereby allowing the user to review it.

Claims

1. A support and complement device for making movies configured to complement an input operation for inputting commands, each specifying a motion of a character for showing content, wherein the content comprises material data and language data,

and wherein the language data comprises voice and sound data which represents a voice and sound to be emitted by the character,

and wherein the support and complement device comprises:

an emotion classification unit configured to analyze the material data and language data so as to deduce an emotion pattern to be expressed by the character;

a unit for choosing commands configured to generate a motion command which represents a motion of the character; and

a unit for reading out animation movies for a user'"'"'s check, configured to instruct a readout device to play back, in a synchronized manner, the content and the motion of the character specified by the motion command,

and wherein the unit for choosing commands is configured to judge, based on the voice and sound data, the motion of the character for emitting the voice and sound,

and wherein the unit for choosing commands is further configured to judge, based on the motion pattern of the character stored in a unit of memory for facial expressions and poses, motions other than the aforementioned motion for emitting the voice and sound,

and wherein the unit for choosing commands is further configured to judge the motion of the character also based on the emotion pattern thus deduced, and to generate the motion command.

2. The support and complement device for making movies according to claim 1, wherein the emotion classification unit is configured to analyze the material data and language data so as to select at least one emotion pattern from among a plurality of basic emotion patterns, and to set the basic emotion pattern and the level of the emotion pattern thus selected as the emotion pattern to be expressed by the character,

and wherein, when the emotion classification unit selects a plurality of emotion patterns from among the aforementioned basic emotion patterns, the emotion classification unit is configured to determine main motion selecting processing based on the at least one basic emotion pattern selected by analyzing the language data, and to determine auxiliary motion selecting processing based on the other basic emotion patterns,

and wherein the unit for choosing commands is configured to determine the motion based on a combination of the basic emotion patterns and their levels,

and wherein, when the emotion classification unit selects a single basic emotion pattern from among the aforementioned basic emotion patterns, the unit for choosing commands is configured to determine the motion according to the basic emotion pattern thus selected and its level,

and wherein, when the emotion classification unit selects a plurality of basic emotion patterns from among the aforementioned basic emotion patterns, the unit for choosing commands is configured to determine the motion based on the aforementioned main motion selecting processing at a reference weighting level that is higher than that of the aforementioned auxiliary motion selecting processing.

3. The support and complement device for making movies according to claim 2, wherein the aforementioned motion patterns include a default motion,

and wherein the unit for choosing commands is configured to receive, as inputted data, a command for permitting to rewrite motion, which indicates whether or not the unit for choosing commands is to rewrite the motion based on the emotion pattern,

and wherein, when the unit for choosing commands receives none from among the command, the material data, and the language data, the unit for choosing commands is configured to generate the motion command for the default motion,

and wherein, when the unit for choosing commands does not receive an inputted command, but receives one of or otherwise both of the material data and the language data, the emotion classification unit is configured to analyze one of or otherwise both of the language data and the material data, so as to identify the emotion pattern, and to generate the motion command,

and wherein, when the unit for choosing commands receives the inputted command, but receives neither the material data nor the language data, the unit for choosing commands is configured to generate the motion command for a motion specified by the inputted command,

and wherein, when the unit for choosing commands receives the inputted command, and receives one of or otherwise both of the material data and the language data, and when the command for permitting to rewrite the motion is an instruction to disable the rewriting function, the unit for choosing commands is configured to generate the motion command for a motion specified by the inputted command,

and wherein, when the unit for choosing commands receives the command, and receives one of or otherwise both of the material data and the language data, and when the command for permitting to rewrite the motion is an instruction to enable the rewriting function, the emotion classification unit is configured to analyze one of or otherwise both of the language data and the material data so as to identify the emotion pattern, and the unit for choosing commands is configured to rewrite the motion specified by the inputted command, so as to generate the motion command.

4. The support and complement device for making movies according to claim 1, further comprising a unit of memory for correction input history configured to store a correction history which represents correction of the motion command performed in a previous step,

wherein the unit for choosing commands is configured to generate the motion command also using the correction input history,

and wherein the unit for choosing commands is configured to generate the motion command according to an emotion level which exhibits its maximum level at a time point at which the motion pattern identified by the emotion classification unit transits to a next motion pattern in a scenario data time scale, also or otherwise at a time point at which the inputted command transits to a next inputted command in the scenario data time scale, and which decreases from its maximum level as time advances in the scenario data time scale.

5. The support and complement device for making movies according to claim 1, further comprising:

a unit for integrating data for making a scenario configured to generate scenario data including the motion command; and

a unit for integrating data for making animation movies configured to generate animation movie data by reading out the content and the character'"'"'s motion specified by the motion command in a synchronized manner,

and wherein a transferred animation data integration device is configured to receive the scenario data in addition to the content and the character pictures, and to play back, in a synchronized manner, the content and the character'"'"'s motion specified by the scenario data,

and wherein a transferred animation movies output device is configured to receive the animation movie data, and to play back the animation movie data thus received.

6. The support and complement device for making movies according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of characters are employed,

and wherein, when at least one character is operated, the emotion classification unit is configured to rewrite the emotion patterns of the other characters and also or otherwise their levels based on the emotion pattern of the character thus operated.

7. A support and complement method for making movies used by a support and complement device for making movies for complementing an input operation for inputting commands, each specifying a motion of a character for showing content, wherein the content comprises material data and language data,

and wherein the language data comprises voice and sound data which represents a voice and sound to be emitted by the character,

and wherein the support and complement device comprises:

an emotion classification unit;

a unit for choosing commands; and

a unit for reading out animation movies for a user'"'"'s check,

and wherein the support and complement method comprises;

emotion pattern deducing in which the emotion classification unit analyzes the material data and language data, and deduces an emotion pattern to be expressed by the character;

command choosing in which the unit for choosing commands judges, based on the voice and sound data, the motion of the character for emitting the voice and sound, and judges, based on the motion pattern of the character stored in a unit of memory for facial expressions and poses, motions other than the aforementioned motion for emitting the voice and sound, and the unit for choosing commands further judges the motion of the character also based on the emotion pattern thus deduced, and generates the motion command;

reading out animation movies for a user'"'"'s check in which the unit for reading out animation movies for a user'"'"'s check instructs a readout device to play back, in a synchronized manner, the content and the motion of the character specified by the motion command; and

command processing in which, when the command input to the support and complement device is added or changed, the support and complement device performs processing for the command thus added or changed.

8. A computer readable recording medium configured to record a computer program for instructing a computer to perform the support and complement method according to claim 7.