Device and method for creation of emotions

• US 6,219,657 B1
• Filed: 03/13/1998
• Issued: 04/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NEC Personal Computers, Ltd. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Hatayama, Akemi
• Primary Examiner(s): Davis, George B.
• Application Number:
  US09/041,658
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• Field of Search: 706/14, 706/18, 706/26, 706/20
• US Class Current: 706/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/004 Artificial life, i.e. computing arrangements simulating life
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/175 Static expression
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16

Abstract

A device and a method for creation of emotions are provided for an interface of information, such as an artificial agent and a personified agent, intervened between a human being (i.e., user) and an electronic apparatus. For instance, an emotion creating device is configured by a neural network, a behavior determination engine and a feature determination engine. The neural network inputs user information, representing conditions of the user, and apparatus information, representing conditions of the apparatus, so as to produce emotional states. Herein, a present set of emotional states are produced in consideration of a previous set of emotional states. The emotional states represent prescribed emotions such as pleasure, anger, sadness and surprise. The behavior determination engine refers to a behavior determination database using the user information and the emotional states of the neural network so as to determine a behavior of the interface. The feature determination engine refers to a database using the emotional states of the neural network to determine a feature of the interface, which corresponds to a facial feature.

Claims

1. An emotion creating device, provided for an interface of information between a user and an electronic apparatus, comprising:

a neural network for inputting user information, apparatus information and a present set of emotional states so as to output a next set of emotional states;

a behavior determination engine for inputting the user information and the emotional states of the neural network so as to determine a behavior of an interface; and

a feature determination engine for inputting the emotional states of the neural network to determine a feature of the interface.

2. An emotion creating device as defined in claim 1 wherein the user information corresponds to a number of times of blinking detected by a camera, loudness of voice and a voice interval detected by a mike, a pulse rate detected by a sensor, an intensity of key depression given from a keyboard and a using time given from a mouse, while the apparatus information corresponds to an internal temperature detected by the sensor and a using time measured by a timer, so that the neural network outputs the emotional states which correspond to pleasure, anger, sadness and surprise.

3. An emotion creating device as defined in claim 1 wherein the behavior determination engine comprises

input detection information processing means for detecting the user information, which corresponds to a number of times of blinking detected by a camera, loudness of voice and a voice interval detected by a mike, a pulse rate detected by a sensor, an intensity of key depression given from a keyboard and a using time given from a mouse, to output processed information,

a behavior determination database having a table representing correspondence between the processed information, the emotional states and the behavior of the interface, and

behavior determination means for performing searching on the behavior determination database by inputting the processed information from the input detection information processing means as well as the emotional states of the neural network which correspond to emotions of pleasure, anger, sadness and surprise, thus determining the behavior of the interface.

4. An emotion creating device as defined in claim 1 wherein the feature determination engine comprises

an eye data database for storing eye data,

eye data production means for referring to the eye data database to produce the eye data corresponding to the emotional states of the neural network,

a nose data database for storing nose data,

nose data production means for referring to the nose data database to produce the nose data corresponding to the emotional states of the neural network,

a mouth data database for storing mouth data,

mouth data production means for referring to the mouth data database to produce the mouth data corresponding to the emotional states of the neural network,

a color data database for storing color data,

color data production means for referring to the color data database to produce the color data corresponding to the emotional states of the neural network, and

feature data production means for producing the features of the interface based on the eye data, the nose data, the mouth data and the color data which are produced by the eye data production means, the nose data production means, the mouth data production means and the color data production means respectively.

5. A machine-readable recording media storing a program which causes a computer to perform an emotion creating method comprising:

actualizing a neural network for inputting user information, apparatus information and a present set of emotional states to output a next set of emotional states;

actualizing a behavior determination engine for inputting the user information and the emotional states of the neural network to determine a behavior of an interface; and

actualizing a feature determination engine for inputting the emotional states of the neural network to determine features of the interface.

6. An emotion creating device comprising:

a neural network for inputting user information representing conditions of a user and apparatus information representing conditions of an electronic apparatus so as to produce emotional states corresponding to prescribed emotions, wherein the neural network producing a present set of emotional states in consideration of a previous set of emotional states;

a behavior determination engine for referring to a behavior determination database using the user information and the emotional states of the neural network so as to determine a behavior of an interface; and

a feature determination engine for referring to a database using the emotional states of the neural network so as to determine a feature of the interface.

7. An emotion creating device as defined in claim 6 wherein the conditions of the user correspond to a number of times of blinking, loudness of voice, a voice interval, a pulse rate, an intensity of key depression and a first using time that the user accesses the electronic apparatus, while the conditions of the electronic apparatus correspond to an internal temperature and a second using time that the electronic apparatus is used.

8. An emotion creating device as defined in claim 6 wherein the prescribed emotions correspond to pleasure, anger, sadness and surprise respectively.

9. An emotion creating device as defined in claim 6 wherein the interface corresponds to an artificial agent or a personified agent.

10. An emotion creating device as defined in claim 6 wherein the emotional states of the neural network are represented using coordinate values on a four-dimensional coordinate system whose axes respectively correspond to intensities of the prescribed emotions.

11. An emotion creating device as defined in claim 6 wherein the feature of the interface correspond to a facial feature.