INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE, NOTIFICATION STATE CONTROL METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20160018655A1
• Filed: 02/20/2014
• Published: 01/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: IMOTO, Maki, IZUMIHARA, Atsushi, IHARA, Koji, KAWADA, Shigeru
• Granted Patent: US 9,753,285 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0132 comprising binocular systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0141 characterised by the informative content of the display
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels

Abstract

[Object] To enable a user and an outside person to communicate smoothly.

[Solution] Provided is an information processing device including: a necessity degree determination unit configured to determine, based on outside information indicating a situation external to a user, a degree of necessity that the user be notified of the outside information; and a notification state control unit configured to switch a notification state of the outside information with respect to the user based on the determined degree of necessity.

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising:

a necessity degree determination unit configured to determine, based on outside information indicating a situation external to a user, a degree of necessity that the user be notified of the outside information; and

a notification state control unit configured to switch a notification state of the outside information with respect to the user based on the determined degree of necessity.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an inside information acquisition unit configured to acquire inside information that is information relating to the user,

wherein the necessity degree determination unit determines the degree of necessity based on the inside information.

3. The information processing device according to claim 2,

wherein the inside information includes user information indicating a state of the user, and

wherein the necessity degree determination unit determines the degree of necessity based on the user information.

4. The information processing device according to claim 3, wherein the user information includes at least any of motion information indicating a motion of the user, position information of the user, biological information of the user, and information regarding an action schedule of the user.

5. The information processing device according to claim 2,

wherein the inside information includes content information that is information other than the outside information and is information of which the user has been notified, and

wherein the necessity degree determination unit determines the degree of necessity based on the content information.

6. The information processing device according to claim 5, wherein the content information includes information regarding a scene of corresponding content of which the user has been notified.

7. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the necessity degree determination unit determines, based on the inside information, a degree of immersion of the user with respect to content information that is information other than the outside information and is information of which the user has been notified, and determines the degree of necessity based further on the degree of immersion.

8. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the notification state control unit switches a notification state of the outside information with respect to the user based on a result obtained by comparing the degree of necessity to a predetermined threshold value.

9. The information processing device according to claim 8, wherein, when the degree of necessity is equal to or higher than a first threshold value or when the degree of necessity is higher than the first threshold value, the notification state control unit causes the user to be notified of the outside information.

10. The information processing device according to claim 9,

wherein the outside information is image information and sound information indicating a situation external to the user, and

wherein, when the degree of necessity is equal to or higher than the first threshold value or when the degree of necessity is higher than the first threshold value, the notification state control unit superimposes the image information and the sound information on content information that is information other than the outside information and is information of which the user has been notified for notification.

11. The information processing device according to claim 9,

wherein the outside information is image information and sound information indicating a situation external to the user, and

wherein, when the degree of necessity is equal to or higher than the first threshold value or when the degree of necessity is higher than the first threshold value, the notification state control unit switches content information that is information other than the outside information and is information of which the user has been notified into the image information and the sound information for notification.

12. The information processing device according to claim 9, wherein, when the outside information includes specific information, the degree of necessity is determined to be higher than the first threshold value by the necessity degree determination unit.

13. The information processing device according to claim 9, wherein, when the degree of necessity is lower than the first threshold value and equal to or higher than a second threshold value that is lower than the first threshold value, when the degree of necessity is equal to or lower than the first threshold value and equal to or higher than the second threshold value, when the degree of necessity is lower than the first threshold value and higher than the second threshold value, or when the degree of necessity is equal to or lower than the first threshold value and higher than the second threshold value, the notification state control unit causes the user to be notified of the outside information in stages.

14. The information processing device according to claim 13,

wherein the outside information is image information and sound information indicating a situation external to the user, and

wherein, when the degree of necessity is lower than the first threshold value and equal to or higher than the second threshold value that is lower than the first threshold value, when the degree of necessity is equal to or lower than the first threshold value and equal to or higher than the second threshold value, when the degree of necessity is lower than the first threshold value and higher than the second threshold value, or when the degree of necessity is equal to or lower than the first threshold value and higher than the second threshold value, the notification state control unit superimposes the sound information on content information that is information other than the outside information and is information of which the user has been notified for notification, and then superimposes the image information on the content information for notification.

15. The information processing device according to claim 13, wherein, when the degree of necessity is lower than the second threshold value or when the degree of necessity is equal to or lower than the second threshold value, the notification state control unit causes the user to be notified of predetermined information indicating that the outside information has been detected.

16. The information processing device according to claim 15,

wherein the outside information is image information and sound information indicating a situation external to the user, and

wherein, when the degree of necessity is lower than the second threshold value or when the degree of necessity is equal to or lower than the second threshold value, the notification state control unit causes the user to be notified of predetermined information indicating that the image information or the sound information has been detected and causes the user to be notified of a direction in which the image information or the sound information has been detected while causing the user to be notified of content information that is information other than the outside information and is information of which the user has been notified.

17. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the outside information includes at least any of image information indicating a situation external to the user with an image, sound information indicating a situation external to the user with a sound, and device information relating to another device external to the user acquired through communication with the other device.

18. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an inner display unit configured to have a display screen which displays an image indicating a situation external to the user included in the outside information or a predetermined image indicating that the outside information has been detected to the user and to block a field of view of the user with respect to the outside when the user wears the information processing device and the display screen is positioned in front of the eyes of the user,

wherein the outside information includes at least image information indicating a situation external to the user, and

wherein the notification state control unit switches a notification state of the outside information with respect to the user by switching display on the display screen of the inner display unit.

19. A notification state control method comprising:

determining, based on outside information indicating a situation external to a user, a degree of necessity that the user be notified of the outside information; and

switching a notification state of the outside information with respect to the user based on the determined degree of necessity.

20. A program causing a computer to realize:

a function of determining, based on outside information indicating a situation external to a user, a degree of necessity that the user be notified of the outside information; and

a function of switching a notification state of the outside information with respect to the user based on the determined degree of necessity.