JP2002199499A - On-vehicle device, automobile and information processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an on-vehicle device, an automobile and an information processing method that can allow an agent to provide information with higher sense of reality. SOLUTION: This device provides a changed sound image in a sound field, in the case of providing sound to a boarding person from a personified information-providing subject.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an in-vehicle apparatus, an automobile, and an information processing method, and more particularly, to a case where various information is provided from an anthropomorphic information provider. The present invention enables an agent to provide information more realistically by changing a sound image in a sound field when providing an anthropomorphic sound provided by an information provider to a passenger. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various information devices have been proposed for automobiles for the purpose of improving a user interface. That is, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 12-203465, an anthropomorphic information providing entity (hereinafter, referred to as an agent) is constructed by an information processing device in the vehicle, the state of the vehicle is grasped by various sensors, and these are grasped. There has been proposed a method of notifying the user of the state of the vehicle by the personified information providing entity. According to this method, as if the car has a personality and the car guides various situations, the car can be made familiar.

[0003]

By the way, if the information provision by such an agent can be made more realistic, it is considered that the car can be made more familiar.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to propose an in-vehicle apparatus, an automobile, and an information processing method capable of providing an agent with more realistic information.

[0005]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention is applied to an on-vehicle apparatus, and a personified person provided by an information providing entity according to vehicle information indicating the state of the vehicle. Audio data output means for outputting data, driving means for driving a plurality of speakers arranged in the vehicle with the audio data to form a sound field with the plurality of speakers, and processing the audio data according to the vehicle information And sound data processing means for changing the sound image in the sound field.

In the invention according to claim 4, the invention is applied to an automobile, and voice data output means for outputting voice data by an anthropomorphic information providing entity according to vehicle information;
An audio data processing unit that processes audio data in accordance with vehicle information and changes a sound image in a sound field is provided.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the present invention is applied to an information processing method, in which a plurality of speakers are driven to form a sound field and sound is provided to a passenger, and voice data is processed in accordance with vehicle information. Thus, the sound image in the sound field is changed according to the vehicle information.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a voice data processing means for processing voice data in accordance with vehicle information to change a sound image in a sound field, for example, as if an agent is sitting on a seat. Such a change of the sound image can be formed, whereby the information provision by the agent can be made more realistic.

Thus, according to the configuration of claim 4 or claim 7, it is possible to provide an automobile and an information processing method that can make the information provision by the agent more realistic.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

(1) First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an information providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the information providing system 1, the information providing device 2 is an on-vehicle computer, and builds a personified information providing entity to provide various types of information to a user. Here, anthropomorphization means expressing something that is not a person as if it were a person (Kojien Dai 4
In this embodiment, the object to be simulated is not limited to a person, for example, a pet other than a person,
It is intended to include a case where the robot is simulated and expressed. Note that, in the first embodiment, a case where the expression is imitated as a person will be described.

The vehicle central control unit 3 is a computer that controls various operations of the vehicle 4, and provides vehicle information DC to the information providing device 2 by exchanging data with the information providing device 2. Here, the vehicle information DC is information indicating the status of the vehicle 4, and in this embodiment, information on the operation and behavior of the vehicle 4, information on the surroundings of the vehicle 4, position information,
It consists of passenger information, contact information with the outside, and the like.

More specifically, the information on the behavior is constituted by acceleration / deceleration and vibration detection results of the vehicle 4 by acceleration sensors arranged at various places of the vehicle 4, information on vehicle speed, and the like. The information related to the operation of the vehicle 4 includes an operation of opening and closing a door, an operation of starting an engine, an operation of a direction indicator, an operation of a wiper, and information of user authentication at the time of starting. On the other hand, information on the surroundings of the vehicle 4 is information such as the outside temperature and raining,
The position information is constituted by the position information of the vehicle 4 by the navigation system. The information on the occupant is, for example, information on the number of occupants detected by an infrared sensor, information obtained by performing analog-to-digital conversion processing on an audio signal acquired by a microphone arranged in the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as audio information), and Is composed of information on a psychological situation that can be grasped by detecting a passenger's pulse rate, heart rate, perspiration, and the like. In addition, the information of the contact with the outside is configured by information of a communication history by a communication device mounted on the vehicle 4 and the like. Thus, in the vehicle 4, information acquisition means such as various sensors necessary for acquiring these pieces of information is arranged.

Speakers 5FR, 5FL, 5RL, 5RR
Are arranged on the front side and the rear side of the vehicle 4 so as to surround the driver's seat as shown in FIG. 2, and are provided with digital / analog conversion circuits (D / A) 7FR, 7FL, 7R
Amplifier 6F by the audio signal output from L, 7RR
R, 6FL, 6RL, and 6RR. Thereby, the speakers 5FR, 5FL, 5RL, and 5RR are connected to the respective digital-to-analog conversion circuits 7FR, 7FL, 7RL, and 7RR.
Is output, and a predetermined sound field is formed in the room of the vehicle 4 by the sound.

The audio data storage means 8 is composed of a data storage means such as a hard disk device, and stores various types of audio data to be provided to the user from the speakers 5FR to 5RR and holds them under the control of a central processing unit (CPU) 9. And output the audio data.

Digital signal processor (DSP)
Reference numeral 10 denotes a processor for processing the audio data output from the audio data storage means 8 and converting the data to analog-digital conversion circuits 7FR and 7FR.
Output to FL, 7RL, 7RR. In this process,
The digital signal processor 10 controls each of the analog-to-digital conversion circuits 7FR and 7FR so as to form a sound image at a location designated by the central processing unit 9 for the driver.
The phase and signal level of audio data to be output to FL, 7RL, and 7RR are corrected.

The central processing unit 9 is a computer constituting an agent serving as an anthropomorphic information providing means, and has vehicle information DC obtained from the vehicle central control unit 3.
By selecting the voice data stored in the voice data storage means 8 according to the above, the information based on the voice data is provided to the driver. That is, for example, after the door is opened,
When the driver is identified by the user authentication, for example, a sound such as "I'm a while" or "Go home" is output.
When the vehicle speed is high and the vibration is large, for example, a voice saying "I am scared" is uttered. Further, when the mail arrives, the passenger is notified to that effect. Also, for example, a voice saying “I have arrived at home” is uttered from the position information by the navigation system. Further, when the notification is made in this way and the passenger returns a voice, the voice information is analyzed and a response is returned, and conversation is repeated with the passenger.
Conversely, if no response is obtained even when the voice is uttered, the voice is uttered as if it were angry or angry.

Further, when providing these audible information to the occupant, the central processing unit 9 determines whether the occupant is in the passenger seat, and whether the occupant is generating a sound to the driver. The operation of the digital signal processor 10 is controlled so as to form a sound field as described above. Specifically, the central processing unit 9 includes the speakers 5FR to 5R.
The operation of the digital signal processor 10 is controlled so that the sound image formed by L is at a height substantially in the vicinity of the driver's seat with respect to the driver.

Further, the central processing unit 9 stores the vehicle information D
When a specific voice is generated according to C, the operation of the digital signal processor 10 is controlled so as to change the sound field formed in this way, so that the agent can provide information more realistically. And

That is, FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the central processing unit 9 relating to the utterance of such a specific voice. The central processing unit 9 executes step SP
The process proceeds from step 1 to step SP2, where it is determined whether or not a factor for producing a sound has occurred. If a negative result is obtained here,
Step SP2 is repeated. On the other hand, when a preset sound generation factor is detected from the vehicle information DC, the central processing unit 9 proceeds to step SP3.

In step SP3, the central processing unit 9 determines the content of the sound generated for each factor,
The output of the audio data relating to the audio is instructed to the audio data storage means 8. Subsequently, the central processing unit 9 sets the change of the sound image corresponding to the audio data, and notifies the digital signal processor 10 of the setting. Accordingly, the central processing unit 9 changes the sound image by the multi-channel audio processing by the digital signal processor 10, and proceeds to step SP5 to end the processing procedure.

In this embodiment, this step S
The change of the sound image formed by the processing of P4 corresponds to the reaction of the occupant due to the behavior of the vehicle 4 when the occupant is present, and the sound image as if the vehicle 4 has a personality. The information providing apparatus 2 is formed by the change of the localization, thereby making the agent much more familiar than before.

Specifically, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 2, when the user gets on the vehicle for the first time in a long time, he turns around the sound image in the center of the room and utters while jumping happily as if he could see the child for the first time in a long time. Form a sound field as if it were a squid. In FIG. 2, for example, a sound such as "It's been 10 days" is generated.

On the other hand, when the amount of gasoline decreases, as shown in FIG. 4, the sound image is moved to the driver's ear to form a sound field as if he / she is spoiled. A voice such as "I am hungry" is generated.

When the vehicle suddenly accelerates or starts suddenly, the sound image is moved to the rear side from the vicinity of the dashboard, as shown in FIG. It forms a sound field as if it fell down. Also, when such sudden acceleration and sudden start are severe,
At first, a sound is generated with a loud sound volume showing surprise, and the sound volume is gradually reduced, thereby forming a sound field as if a passenger fell down from the vehicle 4. In this case, a sound such as "Wow, wait" is generated.

When a sudden brake is applied, as shown in FIG. 6, a sound field is formed in which the passenger's body leans forward in the passenger seat. Also, in this case, when the sudden braking is severe, the sound image is moved from the rear of the vehicle to the vicinity of the dashboard, and the sound volume is set so as to gradually increase with the movement of the sound image. In this case, for example, a sound such as "Oh, stomach, surprised" is generated.

When the vehicle turns left without operating the direction indicator, a sound field is formed as shown in FIG. 7, in which the body of the passenger in the passenger seat is inclined toward the driver's seat. Further, when such a left turn is performed without sufficiently decelerating, a sound field is formed such that the passenger falls down from the vicinity of the window on the passenger seat side past the window on the driver seat side. In this case, a sound such as "Oh, that's not right" is generated.

When the wiper is operated even when it is not raining, the sound image is moved in conjunction with the movement of the wiper, as shown in FIG. To form a sound field. In this case,
For example, a sound such as "Everyone is wrong. I don't care."

According to the above arrangement, when providing a passenger with an anthropomorphic sound provided by an information providing subject, the sound image in the sound field is changed, so that the information providing by the agent is made more realistic. As a result, the vehicle can be made even more familiar than before.

Further, since the change in the sound image is a change in the localization position, it is possible to provide a sound field as if the occupant is generating sound.

That is, when the occupant is present, the localization of the sound image is changed so as to correspond to the reaction of the occupant due to the behavior of the vehicle, so that the behavior of the vehicle can be more intuitively grasped as compared with the related art. Accordingly, the information provision by the agent can be made more realistic.

(2) Other Embodiments In the above embodiment, the case where the sound image is changed by the behavior of the vehicle and the driver's operation has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It can also be used to provide information to guide hands. In such a guide, for example, when instructing a right turn,
The sound image may be formed so that sound is generated from the right side, or the sound image may be moved in the traveling direction by a length corresponding to the distance to the right turn, and then moved to the right side.

In the above embodiment, the case where the sound image is moved as if the occupant is present has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In the case where the sound image is formed by changing the sound image by forming the sound field, or the number of sound images is changed, the same effect as in the above-described embodiment can be obtained by variously changing the sound image. When a plurality of sound images are formed, each sound image may have a different personality.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the audio data stored in the audio data storage means is provided has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Is also good.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the voice generated by a human is provided to the user has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the object of personification is other than a human.
For example, as a robot or a pet, a sound field may be formed by the sound of a mechanical sound generated by the robot, or the sound field may be formed by the sound of a pet such as a dog.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where information by voice is provided according to a certain rule has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the information provision pattern is changed by a so-called learning function. Is also good.

In the above embodiment, the case where information is provided to the driver has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be widely applied to the case where information is provided to a passenger.

[0038]

As described above, according to the present invention, when providing an anthropomorphic information providing subject to a passenger,
By changing the sound image in the sound field, information provision by the agent can be made more realistic.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an information providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an arrangement of speakers in the information providing system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a central processing unit in the information providing system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining a sound field when gasoline is reduced.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for describing a sound field when sudden acceleration and sudden start are performed.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for describing a sound field in the case of sudden braking.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining a sound field in the case of a left turn.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining a sound field when a wiper is erroneously operated;

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... information providing system, 2 ... information providing device, 3 ...
Vehicle central control unit, 4 ... vehicle, 5FR-5RL ...
... Speaker, 8 ... Sound data storage means, 9 ... Central processing unit

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Satoshi Shinada 6-7-35 Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Inside Sony Corporation (72) Inventor Katsuhiko Nukawa 6-35-35 Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Sony Stock Inside the company (72) Inventor Shin Nobu Sasaki 6-7-35 Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Inside Sony Corporation (72) Inventor Kenji Mori 1 Toyota Town, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture F-term (Toyota Motor Corporation) Reference) 5D011 AA14 5D062 BB07

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An audio data output means for outputting audio data by an anthropomorphic information providing entity in accordance with vehicle information indicating a situation of a vehicle, and a plurality of speakers arranged in the vehicle are driven by the audio data. And driving means for forming a sound field by the plurality of speakers, and sound data processing means for processing the sound data according to the vehicle information to change a sound image in the sound field. On-board equipment. 2. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1, wherein the change in the sound image is a change in a localization position. 3. The sound data processing means changes a localization of the sound image so as to correspond to a reaction of the passenger due to a behavior of the vehicle when a passenger is present. 2. The in-vehicle device according to 1. 4. A vehicle information obtaining means for obtaining vehicle information indicating a vehicle situation; a voice data output means for outputting voice data by an anthropomorphic information providing entity in accordance with the vehicle information; A plurality of speakers to be formed; a driving unit for driving the plurality of speakers with the audio data; and an audio data processing unit for processing the audio data according to the vehicle information to change a sound image in the sound field. An automobile comprising: 5. The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the change in the sound image is a change in a localization position. 6. The sound data processing means changes a localization of the sound image so as to correspond to a reaction of the passenger due to a behavior of the vehicle when a passenger is present. The vehicle according to 4. 7. An information processing method for providing an anthropomorphic information providing subject to an occupant in accordance with vehicle information indicating a situation of a vehicle, the method comprising driving a plurality of speakers to form a sound field. An information processing method, comprising: providing a sound to the passenger; and processing the sound data according to the vehicle information to change a sound image in the sound field according to the vehicle information.