Estimation apparatus and its control method

• US 7,766,828 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2005
• Issued: 08/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Mitarai, Yusuke, Matsugu, Masakazu, Mori, Katsuhiko, Ishii, Mie
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, III; Henry M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rajan; Kai
• Application Number:
  US11/665,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20070270664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,743 Days
• Field of Search: 600/300, 600/301, 128903-905, 128/920
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/167 Personality evaluation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/70 relating to mental therapies, e.g. psychological therapy or autogenous training
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/92 Computer assisted medical diagnostics

Abstract

A condition analysis unit (1302) estimates a surrounding environment and psychological state of the user on the basis of image data, voice data, and living body information. When the estimated psychological state is a predetermined state, a cause estimation unit (1303) estimates based on the living body information whether or not the physical condition of the user is bad. When the estimated psychological state is the predetermined state, the cause estimation unit estimates a cause of the psychological state on the basis of the surrounding environment.

Claims

1. An estimation apparatus comprising:

image input means for inputting image data of a user;

voice input means for inputting voice data of the user;

living body information input means for inputting living body information of the user;

an event log recording means for recording an event log including a time at which a remedial action was taken by a person other than the user;

first estimation means for estimating a surrounding environment of the user on the basis of the image data, voice data, and living body information;

holding means for holding reference data serving as a reference used upon estimating a psychological state of the user;

second estimation means for estimating the psychological state of the user by comparing at least one of the image data, voice data, and living body information with the reference data;

calculation means for calculating an elapsed time from the last time in the event log at which the remedial action was taken by a person other than the user;

third estimation means for, when the psychological state of the user estimated by the second estimation means is a predetermined psychological state, estimating a cause of the predetermined psychological state of the user on the basis of the surrounding environment estimated by the first estimation means and the elapsed time calculated by the calculation means; and

instruction means for instructing a person other than the user to perform a remedial action for removing the cause of the predetermined psychological state of the user estimated by the third estimation means.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined psychological state is a state in which at least one of an emotion estimated by the second estimation means based on the image data, an emotion estimated by the second estimation means based on the voice data, and an emotion estimated by the second estimation means based on the living body information are negative emotions.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising informing means for informing a result estimated by the third estimation means.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising fourth estimation means for, when the psychological state of the user estimated by the second estimation means is the predetermined psychological state, estimating based on the living body information whether or not a physical condition of the user is bad.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising informing means for informing a result estimated by the fourth estimation means.

6. A control method comprising:

using a central processing unit programmed to perform;

an image input step of inputting image data of a user;

a voice input step of inputting voice data of the user;

a living body information input step of inputting living body information of the user;

an event log recording step of recording an event log including a time at which a remedial action was taken by a person other than the user;

a first estimation step of estimating a surrounding environment of the user on the basis of the image data, voice data, and living body information;

a holding step of holding reference data serving as a reference used upon estimating a psychological state of the user;

a second estimation step of estimating the psychological state of the user by comparing at least one of the image data, voice data, and living body information with the reference data;

a calculation step of calculating an elapsed time from the last time in the event log at which the remedial action was taken by a person other than the user;

a third estimation step of estimating, when the psychological state of the user estimated in the second estimation step is a predetermined psychological state, a cause of the predetermined psychological state of the user on the basis of the surrounding environment estimated in the first estimation step and the elapsed time calculated in the calculation step; and

an instruction step of instructing a person other than the user to perform a remedial action for removing the cause of the predetermined psychological state of the user estimated in the third estimation step.

7. A computer program stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium to make a computer execute the control method of claim 6.