JP5197638B2 - Character input communication device, method and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a character input communication apparatus, method, and program, and in particular, remote communication that automatically generates an avatar's action by using a communication sentence collected using character input means and conveys the communication sentence in an expressive manner. The present invention relates to a character input communication apparatus, method, and program in a system.

  In communication based on letters, various ideas have been devised to enrich the expression. For example, there are cases where characters are combined to create a new shape and have a different meaning from the original, or an icon such as a pictograph is used to enrich the expression. Further, there is a case where an avatar is attached to a mail and sent, and an avatar operation is reproduced as input. As described above, in order to enrich the expression through communication based on characters, the user needs to devise input contents.

  Also, icon information composed of arbitrary image information corresponding to an object or an animal associated with the status notification terminal, and status information of the current status (eg “in class”) and the location (eg “Shinjuku”) There is a method of arranging them adjacent to each other so that the correspondence between them can be grasped and displaying them on a display terminal (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2004-192297 A

  However, the idea of enriching the expression is left to the user's knowledge and skill, and it cannot be easily done by anyone. In addition, there is a communication method using an avatar, but it takes a lot of time to express elaborately.

  In the method of Patent Document 1, it is necessary to individually set and transmit additional information such as feelings in addition to character input.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides a character input communication device, method, and program capable of performing information communication richly with an avatar operation while performing only character input such as e-mail. With the goal.

  FIG. 1 is a principle configuration diagram of the present invention.

The present invention (Claim 1) is an information input / output terminal for generating and displaying an avatar action from a character string input as a communication sentence in a communication system based on characters,
Storage means 40 for storing character string information, operation information, and a body motion generation rule that is set such that the body motion of the avatar increases as the duration time of pressing of the operation information or the interval time of typing is shorter;
And character string information obtained by using the character input means, when inputting the character string information, that stores in the storage unit 40 one of the least pressing duration key typing and typing interval time as the operation information input Means 10;
Communication means 20 for transmitting character string information and operation information stored in the storage means 40 to a partner terminal via a network;
And stores the received character string information and the operation information in the storage means, based on the operation information, by referring to the body motion generation rule storage means, to change the operating angle of the Body of the avatar, generates an operation of the avatar And display control means 30 for displaying on the display means.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the principle of the present invention.

The present invention (Claim 2 ) is a character input communication method for generating and displaying an avatar action from a character string input as a communication sentence in a character-based communication system.
Storage means for storing character string information, operation information, and a body motion generation rule that is set so that the body motion of the avatar increases as the duration time of pressing of the operation information or the interval time of typing is shorter,
Input means;
Communication means;
Display control means;
In a device having
The input means stores the character string information acquired by using the character input means and at least one of the keying pressing duration and the typing interval time when inputting the character string information as operation information in the storage means. and to that input step (step 1),
A communication step (step 2) in which the communication means transmits the character string information and the operation information stored in the storage means to the counterpart terminal via the network;
Display control means stores the received character string information and operation information in the storage means (step 3), based on the operation information, by referring to the body motion generation rule storage means, the operation angle of the Body of the avatar The avatar motion is generated (step 4) and displayed on the display means (step 5), and the display control step is performed.

The present invention (Claim 3 ) is a character input communication program for causing a computer to function as each means constituting the information input / output terminal according to Claim 1 .

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to perform a simple operation by constructing a communication system capable of expressively communicating information without requiring special knowledge and skill while performing only character input such as e-mail. You will be able to communicate richer than ever. In addition, since the avatar's body movements and synthesized speech can be automatically generated only from character input, information can be easily transmitted to a partner such as a child who cannot read characters.

It is a principle block diagram of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the principle of this invention. It is an apparatus block diagram in one embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of the operation | movement in one embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence chart of operation in one embodiment of the present invention. It is the example of a structure which provided the table production | generation part in one embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 3 shows an apparatus configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The information input terminal shown in FIG. 1 includes an input unit 10, a communication unit 20, a display control unit 30, and a storage unit 40.

  The input unit 1 is connected to an input device 1 such as a keyboard or a numeric keypad for inputting operation information, and the communication unit 20 is connected to an external device 2 such as a network device.

  As the input device 1, a user uses an information input / output terminal such as a personal computer or a mobile phone having a character input function and a screen display function in order to send and receive information. The input device 1 performs character input by key operation in order to input information. When a character is input from the input device 1, the input unit 10 records not only the input character code but also information related to the key typing operation required when inputting the character in the storage unit 40. The information includes key typing pressing duration and typing interval time. Similarly, key operations required for deletion, conversion, and cancellation are recorded in the storage unit 40 in the same manner.

  Here, the duration of key typing and the interval time of typing are used to express how the user's reaction is activated. Corresponds to increased body movements when speaking.

  The storage unit 40 is a storage medium such as a memory or a hard disk device, and stores character information acquired from the input unit 10, operation information 41, and avatar body motion generation rules 42.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the operation according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a sequence chart according to the embodiment of the present invention. The step numbers in FIGS. 4 and 5 correspond to each other.

  Step 101) First, input processing will be described.

  First, in order to input information, the user inputs characters using the input device 1 such as a keyboard or a numeric keypad. When recording the input characters, the information input / output terminal input unit 10 adds operation information at the time of input and records it in the storage unit 40 using a general client operation log acquisition tool. The information to be recorded includes a key typing pressing duration and a typing interval time. Note that the key typing pressing duration time and the typing interval time can be acquired by using a function such as typing practice software, for example. The input unit 10 records operation information and character information together in the storage unit 40. Further, when the character input from the input device 1 is completed, the input unit 10 notifies the communication unit 20 to that effect.

  Step 102) When the communication unit 20 of the information input / output terminal A receives an input completion notification from the input unit 10, the communication unit 20 requests the storage unit 40 to obtain information to be communicated and obtains the information from the external network. The input information is notified to the destination terminal (information input / output terminal B) through the device 2.

  Step 103) Next, processing related to information display will be described.

  The communication unit 20 of the information input / output terminal B receives information from the information input / output terminal A that is the information transmission source, and records the information in the storage unit 40. When the recording is completed, the display control unit 30 is notified that the reception is completed.

  The display control unit 30 of the information input / output terminal B reads information to be displayed from the storage unit 40 and displays it on the screen. At that time, not only the character information input at the information input / output terminal A of the information transmission source but also an avatar is displayed. The avatar display method can be realized by using the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3625212. The avatar displays the human body movement according to the body movement generation rule 42 stored in the storage unit 40. The body motion is generated with reference to the body motion generation rule 42 in the storage unit 40 based on key typing operation information such as a key typing pressing duration time and an interval time when inputting characters. The information changes the avatar's facial expression and body movement. For example, in the body motion generation rule 42, a rank is set for each condition such that the key typing duration is not less than m seconds and the key typing interval is not more than n seconds, and a motion corresponding to the rank is given to the avatar. A method is conceivable.

  In addition, the portion of the character being reproduced is highlighted so that it can be immediately determined which portion of the displayed character information is being played by the avatar. Alternatively, the character fonts of the reproduced part and the unreproduced part may be different.

  Here, the avatar body motion generation rule 42 stored in the storage unit 40 will be described.

  During face-to-face communication, people enrich their expressive power by moving various parts of the body, such as limb movements and body movements, according to changes in loudness and emotion. In normal transmission and reception of character information, only symbols can be transmitted, but in the present invention, key typing information for character input is also transmitted. The key typing information is used to generate the aforementioned body movement. In the process of generating the avatar's body motion, the input is the key typing pressing duration and the typing interval time. The shorter the time, the larger the avatar's physical movement. Assign the angle of motion of the joints of each body part of the avatar to the change.

  There are various methods for generating the avatar body motion generation rule 42.

  As a first method, the rank (0 to 99) is determined according to the pressing time of key typing and the key touch interval of key typing. The strength is determined so that the physical movement of the avatar increases as the numerical value of the rank increases. For example, when the pressing time or key touch interval is the shortest, the rank is set to “99”, and when it is short, the rank is set to be lowered according to the time, and the avatar joint operation is set for each rank. To do. For example, in the case of rank “99”, the angle of the joint of the right arm can be reduced by 10 degrees, and the joint of the right shoulder can be set to 130 degrees.

  As a second method, as shown in FIG. 6, a table generation unit 50 is provided, and character information input from the input device 1 is morphologically analyzed and decomposed into phrases and words. A word / rank table 60 associated with each rank is generated. The word / rank table 60 is a storage medium such as a memory or a hard disk. The display control unit 30 performs morphological analysis on the character information stored in the storage unit 40 and assigns a rank by referring to the word / rank table 60 based on the phrase, word, or wording. A rank is assigned to each recorded character, phrase, or appropriate block. For example, it is conceivable to increase the rank value for words such as “Yes”, “Not at all”, and “Outrageous”. The rank is expressed in the range of 0 to 99 as in the first method, and the strength of the avatar's body motion is determined so that the body motion of the avatar increases as the numerical value of the rank increases. For example, in the case of rank “75”, an operation such as “type of gesture: moving the head” is performed, and in the case of rank “94”, an operation such as “type of gesture: moving the hand up and down” is performed.

  Next, as a third method, the speech motion is included in the avatar's physical motion. Performs speech synthesis processing and reproduces character information. The utterance timing and speed are determined based on operation information when the user of the information source inputs characters. The same applies to voice pitch and pick.

  As described above, information communication with rich expression can be performed by changing the avatar operation from the character input performed by the user such as an e-mail or changing the display color or font of the character.

  The operation of the information input terminal shown in FIGS. 3 and 6 is constructed as a program, and is installed and executed on a computer or a processor in the mobile terminal used as the information input terminal, or distributed through a network. It is possible.

  Further, the constructed program can be stored in a portable storage medium such as a hard disk, a flexible disk, or a CD-ROM, and can be installed or distributed in a computer.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and applications can be made within the scope of the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Input device 2 External device 10 Input part 20 Communication part 30 Display control part 40 Memory | storage part 41 Operation character information 42 Body motion production | generation rule 50 Table production | generation part 60 Word / rank table

Claims (3)

An information input / output terminal for generating and displaying an avatar action from a character string input as a communication sentence in a communication system based on characters,
Storage means for storing character string information, operation information, and a body motion generation rule that is set so that the body motion of the avatar becomes larger as the pressing duration time of the operation information or the interval time of typing is shorter,
And character string information obtained by using the character input means, when inputting the character string information, that stores in the memory means at least either pressing duration key typing and typing interval time as the operation information input Means,
Communication means for transmitting the character string information stored in the storage means and the operation information to a counterpart terminal via a network;
Stores the received character string information and the operation information in the storage means, based on the operation information, by referring to the body motion generation rules of the storage means, by changing the operation angle of the Body of the avatar Display control means for generating an avatar action and displaying it on the display means;
An information input / output terminal comprising: In a character-based communication system that generates and displays an avatar action from a character string input as a communication sentence in a character-based communication system,
Storage means for storing character string information, operation information, and a body motion generation rule that is set so that the body motion of the avatar becomes larger as the pressing duration time of the operation information or the interval time of typing is shorter,
Input means;
Communication means;
Display control means;
In a device having
The storage means uses the character string information acquired by the input means using the character input means, and at least one of keying pressing duration and typing interval time as the operation information when inputting the character string information. an input step that stores in,
A communication step in which the communication means transmits the character string information and the operation information stored in the storage means to a counterpart terminal via a network;
It said display control means stores the operation information and said received character string information in the storage means, based on the operation information, by referring to the body motion generation rules of the storage means, Body of the avatar A display control step of changing an operation angle of the avatar, generating an avatar motion, and displaying the motion on the display means;
A character input communication method characterized by: The character input communication program for functioning a computer as each means which comprises the information input / output terminal of Claim 1 .

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