Information processing device, notification state control method, and program

• US 9,753,285 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2014
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Tzeng, Fred
• Application Number:
  US14/773,787
• Publication Number:
  US 20160018655A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,293 Days
• Field of Search: 345 8
• 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

Provided is an information processing device to enable a user and an outside person to communicate smoothly, the 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:

circuitry configured to;

control a display device to display a content image based on content information;

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

control, based on the determined degree of necessity, the display device to arrange a notification image corresponding to at least part of the external situation at a position of the content image, wherein the position of the content image corresponds to a position of the at least part of the external situation.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1,

wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

acquire user information that includes at least one of position information of the user, biological information of the user, and information regarding an action schedule of the user, and

wherein the circuitry is further configured to determine the degree of necessity based on the user information.

3. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

determine, based on the user information, a degree of immersion of the user with respect to the content information; and

determine the degree of necessity based on the degree of immersion.

4. The information processing device according to claim 2,

wherein the user information includes the biological information, and

wherein the biological information includes line-of-sight information on the content image.

5. The information processing device according to claim 1,

wherein the circuitry is further configured to determine the degree of necessity based on a scene of the content information.

6. The information processing device according to claim 1,

wherein the circuitry is further configured to control an audio device to output a content sound based on the content information, and

wherein the circuitry is further configured to control, based on the determined degree of necessity, the audio device to superimpose the outside sound on the content sound.

7. The information processing device according to claim 6,

wherein the circuitry is further configured to control, when the determined degree of necessity increases after the outside sound is superimposed, the display device to display the notification image.

8. The information processing device according to claim 1,

wherein the position of the notification image indicates a direction of the outside information.

9. The information processing device according to claim 8,

wherein the notification image includes a plurality of notification images, and

wherein the circuitry is further configured to control the display device to arrange the plurality of notification images to indicate directions of a plurality of pieces of the outside information.

10. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the outside information includes at least one of image information indicating the external situation, sound information indicating the external situation, and device information relating to an external device to the information processing device, the device information being acquired through communication with the external device.

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

the display device including a display screen configured to display at least one of the content image and the notification image.

12. The information processing device according to claim 1,

wherein the outside information includes distance information indicating a distance related to outside surroundings from the user, and

wherein the circuitry is further configured to control the display device to display the notification image based on the distance information.

13. The information processing device according to claim 12,

wherein the circuitry is further configured to control the display device to change a size of the notification image based on the distance information.

14. The information processing device according to claim 1,

wherein the outside information includes an outside image, and

wherein the notification image corresponds to at least a part of the outside image.

15. The information processing device according to claim 14,

wherein the circuitry is further configured to control an audio device to output a content sound based on the content information,

wherein the outside information includes an outside sound, and

wherein the circuitry is further configured to replace, based on the determined degree of necessity, the content image and the content sound with the outside image and the outside sound respectively.

16. The information processing device according to claim 1,

wherein the circuitry is further configured to control an audio device to output a content sound based on the content information,

wherein the circuitry is further configured to control, based on the determined degree of necessity, the audio device to output the outside sound instead of the content sound.

17. The information processing device according to claim 1,

wherein the information processing device comprises a head-mounted display, and

wherein the display device is further configured to disable an outside view to transmit through the display device in order to block a field of view of the user entirely when the user wears the information processing device.

18. A notification state control method, implemented via at least one processor, the method comprising:

controlling a display device to display a content image based on content information;

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

controlling, based on the determined degree of necessity, the display device to arrange a notification image corresponding to at least part of the external situation at a position of the content image, wherein the position of the content image corresponds to a position of the at least part of the external situation.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a program, which when executed by a computer, causes the computer to execute a method, the method comprising:

controlling a display device to display a content image based on content information;

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

controlling, based on the determined degree of necessity, the display device to arrange a notification image corresponding to at least part of the external situation at a position of the content image, wherein the position of the content image corresponds to a position of the at least part of the external situation.