METHOD FOR CONTROLLING INFORMATION DISPLAY APPARATUS, AND INFORMATION DISPLAY APPARATUS

• US 20170102783A1
• Filed: 09/27/2016
• Published: 04/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: UCHIDA, SHINJI, SHIKII, SHINICHI, KUSUKAME, KOICHI, ITOH, TATSUO, YONEDA, AKI, SILAWAN, NAWATT
• Granted Patent: US 11,194,405 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/011 Emotion or mood input determined on the basis of sensed human body parameters such as pulse, heart rate or beat, temperature of skin, facial expressions, iris, voice pitch, brain activity patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/10 Automotive applications

Abstract

In a method for controlling an information display apparatus that displays information on a display seen by a plurality of users, a feeling of a first user among the plurality of users is estimated on the basis of a physical value obtained from a sensor, it is determined, using the obtained physical value or the estimated feeling, whether to display the estimated feeling, and the display is controlled in accordance with a result of the determination.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an information display apparatus that displays information on a display seen by a plurality of users, the method comprising:

estimating a feeling of a first user among the plurality of users on the basis of a physical value obtained from a sensor;

determining, using the obtained physical value or the estimated feeling, whether to display the estimated feeling; and

controlling the display in accordance with a result of the determining.

2. The method according to claim 1,

wherein, in the determining, it is determined whether the first user is looking at the display, and

wherein, in the controlling, (a) if it is determined that the first user is looking at the display, the estimated feeling is not displayed, and (b) if it is determined that the first user is not looking at the display, the estimated feeling is displayed.

3. The method according to claim 1,

wherein, in the determining, a frequency according to the obtained physical value or the estimated feeling is set as a display frequency, and

wherein, in the controlling, the estimated feeling is displayed at the frequency set in the determining.

4. The method according to claim 3,

wherein, in the determining, a higher display frequency is set as intensity of the estimated feeling becomes higher.

5. The method according to claim 3,

wherein, in the determining, it is determined whether the estimated feeling is a feeling determined in advance not to be displayed on the display, and

wherein, in the controlling, the feeling determined in advance not to be displayed on the display is not displayed.

6. The method according to claim 3,

wherein, in the determining, the estimated feeling is displayed in advance to the first user, and an instruction by the first user, as to whether to display the feeling displayed in advance to the first user, is received and

wherein, in the controlling, the display is controlled in accordance with the instruction by the first user.

7. The method according to claim 1,

wherein, in the determining, it is determined whether or not the number of users included in an image obtained by a camera as the sensor is three or more, and

wherein, if it is determined that the number of users included in the image is three or more, the estimated feeling is displayed.

8. The method according to claim 1,

wherein, in the estimating, arousal, surprise, pleasure, comfort, carefreeness, drowsiness, boredom, sadness, disgust, irritation, anger, scare, or calmness is estimated as the feeling of the first user on the basis of an image including a face of the first user obtained by a camera as the sensor.

9. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the first user is a driver of a vehicle,

wherein the plurality of users other than the first user are not passengers of the vehicle, and

wherein, in the estimating, irritation or anger of the driver is estimated.

10. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the first user is a user of a toilet located inside the toilet,

wherein the plurality of users other than the first user are persons waiting outside the toilet to use the toilet, and

wherein, in the estimating, discomfort or carefreeness of the user is estimated.

11. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the first user is a person waiting outside a toilet to use the toilet,

wherein the plurality of users other than the first user are users of toilets located inside the toilets, and

wherein, in the estimating, discomfort or irritation of the person waiting outside the toilet is estimated.

12. The method according to claim 1,

wherein, at least one of the estimating, the determining and the controlling is performed by a processor.

13. An information display apparatus that displays information on a display seen by a plurality of users, the information display apparatus comprising;

a feeling estimator that estimates a feeling of a first user among the plurality of users on the basis of a physical value obtained from a sensor;

a determiner that determines, using the obtained physical value or the estimated feeling, whether to display the estimated feeling; and

a display controller that controls the display in accordance with a result of the determination.

14. The information display apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein, at least one of the feeling estimator, the determiner and the display controller includes a processor.

15. A non-transitory recording medium storing a program for controlling a computer that displays information on a display seen by a plurality of users, the program causing the computer to execute:

estimating a feeling of a first user among the plurality of users on the basis of a physical value obtained from a sensor;

determining, using the obtained physical value or the estimated feeling, whether to display the estimated feeling; and

controlling the display in accordance with a result of the determining.