JP2010109826A - Communication terminal device, information communication system, information communication method and information communication program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication terminal device capable of transferring, to a user of a receiving-side communication terminal device, information from which the situation of a user of the transmitting-side communication terminal device can be sufficiently obtained. <P>SOLUTION: A communication terminal device 1 is configured to communicate with another device 3 via a network 2, comprising: a situation information acquiring means 4 for acquiring situation information from which the situation of a user can be estimated; a user situation estimating means 5 for estimating the situation of the user on the basis of the situation information acquired by the situation information acquiring means; and a user situation information transmitting means 6 for transmitting, to the device of a communication partner, information including the situation of the user estimated by the user situation estimating means 5. The situation information acquiring means 4 acquires situation information from which the situation of the user including a physical condition of the user can be estimated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication terminal device, an information communication system, an information communication method, and an information communication program that perform data communication.

  In communication by telephone or e-mail, it is difficult to convey the current situation of the user on the transmission side to the user on the reception side as compared to the conversation conducted in person.

  Patent Document 1 is a communication terminal device that transmits voice data and text data, and represents a communication person's emotional change that occurred during communication in addition to the voice data and text data to the communication terminal device on the receiving side. A communication terminal device for transmitting information is described.

JP 2005-072743 A (paragraph 0004, paragraphs 0019-0020)

  However, in the communication terminal device described in Patent Document 1, the only information transmitted in addition to voice data and text data is a change in emotion. By only transmitting emotional changes from the communication terminal device on the transmission side to the communication terminal device on the reception side, the user of the communication terminal device on the reception side fully understands the situation of the user of the communication terminal device on the transmission side. It seems difficult to do.

  Therefore, in the present invention, a communication terminal device, an information communication system, and information communication capable of transmitting information that can sufficiently grasp the situation of the user of the communication terminal device on the transmission side to the user of the communication terminal device on the reception side. It is an object to provide a method and an information communication program.

  The communication terminal device according to the present invention is a communication terminal device capable of communicating with other devices via a network, and is acquired by status information acquisition means for acquiring status information capable of estimating a user's status, and status information acquisition means A user situation estimation means for estimating the user situation based on the situation information, and a user situation information transmission means for sending information indicating the user situation estimated by the user situation estimation means to the communication partner device. The information acquisition means acquires situation information that can estimate the user's situation including the user's physical situation.

  An information communication system according to the present invention is an information communication system in which a transmission-side communication terminal device and a reception-side communication terminal device communicate via a network, and the transmission-side communication terminal device includes a user's physical condition. Situation information acquisition means for acquiring situation information that can estimate the situation of the user, user situation estimation means for estimating the user's situation based on the situation information acquired by the situation information acquisition means, and user's estimation estimated by the user situation estimation means User status information transmitting means for transmitting status information to a communication partner device, and the receiving communication terminal device outputs information corresponding to the user status information received from the transmitting communication terminal device. An information output means is provided.

  An information communication method according to the present invention is an information communication method executed by a communication terminal device capable of communicating with other devices via a network, and includes situation information that can estimate a user's situation including a user's physical situation. Obtaining, estimating a user's situation based on the obtained situation information, and transmitting information indicating the estimated user's situation to a communication partner apparatus.

  The information communication program according to the present invention acquires, in a computer in a communication terminal device capable of communicating with other devices via a network, processing for acquiring situation information that can estimate the user's situation including the user's physical situation, and A process for estimating a user's situation based on the situation information and a process for transmitting information indicating the estimated user's situation to a communication partner apparatus are executed.

  According to the present invention, a communication terminal device, an information communication system, and information communication capable of transmitting information that can sufficiently grasp a user's situation of a communication terminal device on the transmission side to a user of the communication terminal device on the reception side. Methods and information communication programs can be provided.

Embodiment 1. FIG.
1 and 2 are block diagrams showing the configuration of the first embodiment (Embodiment 1) of the information communication system according to the present invention. FIG. 1 shows the internal structure of the communication terminal A. FIG. 2 shows the internal structure of the communication terminal B.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the information communication system 100, the communication terminal A <b> 11 and the communication terminal B <b> 21 are communicably connected by a network 31 that relays communication via the transmission path 32.

  First, the configuration of the communication terminal A of the information communication system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The communication terminal A11 includes an application CPU (application CPU) 12, a device group 13, and a communication unit 14. The communication terminal A11 is a terminal used by the user A, and information obtained by the device of the device group 13 included in the communication terminal A11 directly or indirectly from the user A (corresponding to situation information capable of estimating the user situation) Based on the context-related information), it is possible to determine the mental status, physical status or surrounding status (context) of the user A, and to create context information indicating the context. The context information of user A is transmitted from the communication unit 14 to the communication terminal B21 through the network 31.

  The application CPU 12 includes a driver group 15 and a context detection unit 16, and is a control unit that controls an application program (AP), a device, and the like installed in the communication terminal A11.

  The device group 13 is mounted on the communication terminal A11 and includes, for example, devices such as a pulse sensor, a camera, and an acceleration sensor. Each device in the device group 13 is controlled by a driver of the driver group 15 corresponding to each device, and acquires information related to the user A. For example, the pulse sensor acquires user A's pulse rate, the camera acquires user A's face image data, and the acceleration sensor acquires operation records (acceleration records) of specific parts of user A.

  Each driver constituting the driver group 15 controls a device in the device group 13 corresponding to each driver.

  The context detection unit 16 is realized in the application CPU 12. The context detection unit 16 corresponds to a user situation estimation unit that estimates a user situation, that is, a context based on the situation information, and information related to the user A acquired from the device group 13 (for example, pulse rate, face image data, or acceleration). The context of the user A is determined based on the recording. The context detection unit 16 creates the determination result as context information indicating the context of the user A. Note that the context detection unit 16 may create the context information by using not only the information acquired from the device group 13 but also the AP usage history and the communication history of the communication terminal A11 in the communication terminal A11.

  The communication unit 14 transmits data to the communication terminal B21 or receives data from the communication terminal B21 according to a predetermined protocol. The communication unit 14 transmits the context information of the user A to the communication unit 24 of the communication terminal B21 in addition to the voice data and text data.

  Note that some or all of the devices in the device group 13 may be mounted on an external device or the like instead of being mounted on the communication terminal A11. In this case, the context detection unit 16 uses communication means. To obtain information from the device.

  Next, the configuration of the communication terminal B of the information communication system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The communication terminal B21 includes an application CPU 22, a device group 23, and a communication unit 24. The communication terminal B21 is a terminal used by the user B, and receives the context information of the user A transmitted from the communication terminal A11. And the output which represents the context of the user A which the received context information shows is provided from the device in the device group 23 with which communication terminal B21 was equipped. User B recognizes the context of user A from the output status at communication terminal B21.

  The application CPU 22 includes a driver group 25 and a context processing unit 26, and represents an intensive control unit that controls APs, devices, and the like mounted on the communication terminal B21.

  The device group 23 is mounted on the communication terminal B21 and includes, for example, a device such as a display device, a speaker, or a light emitting device. Each device in the device group 23 is controlled by a driver in the driver group 25 corresponding to each device. Each device in the device group 23 outputs the result of the information processing performed on the context information of the user A by the context processing unit 26.

  Each driver constituting the driver group 25 controls a device in the device group 23 corresponding to each driver.

  The context processing unit 26 is realized by the application CPU 22. The context processing unit 26 creates output information based on the user A context information received from the communication terminal A11 so that each device of the device group 23 represents the user A context indicated by the user A context information. To do. For example, when context information including a context that the user A is tense is received, the context processing unit 26 displays a mark set in advance as a mark indicating the tension on the display device, and indicates the tension in advance. Output information for causing the light emitting device to emit the color set as the color is created.

  Note that some or all of the devices in the device group 23 may be mounted on an external device or the like without being mounted on the communication terminal B21. In this case, the context processing unit 26 uses the communication unit to Output information from the device.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a process performed when the communication terminal A detects context information in the information communication system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating processing performed when the communication terminal B processes context information in the information communication system according to the first embodiment. The operation of the information communication system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG.

  First, an operation when the communication terminal A11 creates the context information of the user A will be described. When an AP for creating context information is activated in the communication terminal A11, the application CPU 12 assigns a device in the device group 13 necessary for the context detection unit 16 to acquire context-related information of the user A in the driver group 15. The driver is activated (step S301).

  Each driver in the driver group 15 acquires user A's context-related information from each device in the activated device group 13. The context detection unit 16 determines the context of the user A based on the acquired context related information, and creates context information.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of criteria for creating context information. The information processing standards shown in FIG. 5 are set in advance in the APs of the communication terminal A11 and the communication terminal B21 as a table. The process performed on the context related information will be described using the reference shown in FIG. 5 as an example.

  Assume that the devices that acquire context-related information are pulse sensors and accelerometers. The pulse sensor is mounted at a predetermined location of the user A and measures the user A's pulse rate. The accelerometer is attached to a predetermined part of the user A and detects the movement of the predetermined part of the user A. The pulse rate measured by the pulse sensor corresponds to the context regarding “whether or not you are nervous” as shown in the pulse rate row of FIG. When the pulse rate indicates a value that is too high or too low, the context detection unit 16 selects a context that indicates “non-normal”. The acceleration detected by the accelerometer corresponds to the context of “whether calm”, as shown in the acceleration row of FIG. At the time of mounting, the reference level of each item may be arbitrarily changed / set.

  As an example, it is assumed that data “pulse rate 90 / acceleration” is acquired from the user A as context related information. The context detection unit 16 refers to the table set in the AP and determines that the context of the user A is “slightly tensioned and uncomfortable”. The context detection unit 16 creates data indicating the determined context as context information.

  Next, the context detection unit 16 outputs the context information to the communication unit 14 (step S302). The communication unit 14 transmits the input context information to the communication terminal B21 via the network 31.

  Next, the application CPU 12 confirms whether or not to end the detection of context information (step S303). When the detection of the context information is to be ended, the application CPU 12 ends the start of the device of the device group 13 that has been started to acquire the context-related information of the user A (step S304), and the context in the communication terminal A11 The information detection operation ends.

  In step S303, when the detection of the context information is continued, the context detection unit 16 confirms whether there is a change in the context of the user A based on the context-related information of the user A acquired from the activated device. (Step S305). When there is a change in the context of the user A, the driver group 15 acquires the context related information of the user A from the device. The context detection unit 16 creates the context information of the user A again based on the acquired context related information, and outputs the difference from the previously detected context information to the communication unit 14 as change information (step S306). The communication unit 14 transmits the input change information as the context information of the user A to the communication terminal B21 via the network 31.

  Note that, in order to reduce the amount of communication from the communication terminal A11 to the communication terminal B21, the context detection unit 16 outputs the difference from the previously detected context information to the communication unit 14, but outputs the detected context information as it is. May be.

  In step S305, no change is found in the context of the user A, or after the change information is passed to the communication unit 14 in step S306, the process returns to step S303 to determine whether the application CPU 12 ends the detection of the context information. Check. By continuing the confirmation operation shown in step S303 and step S305 until the detection of the context information is finished, the application CPU 12 detects the context information of the user A every time the context of the user A changes, and the communication unit 14 Can pass.

  Next, an operation when the communication terminal B21 processes the context information of the user A received from the communication terminal A11 will be described. In the process shown in step S302 or S306 in FIG. 3, the context information of the user A is transmitted from the communication unit 14 of the communication terminal A11 to the communication terminal B21. In the communication terminal B21, the communication unit 24 receives the context information. When receiving the context information, the communication unit 24 outputs the context information to the context processing unit 26.

  The context processing unit 26 analyzes the input context information of the user A (step S401). That is, according to the processing method incorporated in the AP of the communication terminal B21 in order to process the context information detected by the communication terminal A11, the context processing unit 26 acquires the context of the user A, selects the output destination device, Output information in each output destination device is determined.

  Using the context-related information of “pulse rate 90 / acceleration” as an example, the processing of the context processing unit 26 of the communication terminal B21 in step S401 will be described using a specific example of the reference shown in FIG.

  Based on the context-related information “pulse rate 90 / acceleration”, the context detection unit 16 of the communication terminal A11 creates context information indicating “somewhat nervous and not resting”. The context processing unit 26 of the communication terminal B21 creates output information corresponding to the output destination device from the context information indicating “somewhat nervous and not resting”. Here, it is assumed that the context processing unit 26 prepares a display device and a light emitting device as output destination devices.

  The context processing unit 26 refers to the criteria shown in the display device column of FIG. 5 and creates output information of the display device and the light emitting device corresponding to “slightly nervous and not resting”. The output information of the display device indicates “Middle and blinking”, and the output information of the light emitting device indicates “green and blinking”.

  In accordance with the output information determined by the context processing unit 26, the application CPU 22 controls the display device driver to blink “Middle” on the display device, controls the light emitting device driver, and controls the light emitting device to display “green” color. Flashes the light. User B sees the display of the display device and the light emission of the light-emitting device, and recognizes the context of user A that “User A is slightly nervous and restless”.

  Note that the output destination device necessary for expressing the context of the user A may be automatically selected by the application CPU 22 of the communication terminal B21. When the output device is designated, the selection may be made by reflecting the designation by the user B.

  The application CPU 22 controls the driver group 25 to activate the device selected as the output destination device among the devices in the device group 23 (step S402). The drivers in the driver group 25 perform output from each output destination device according to the output information (step S403).

  When the predetermined output time ends, the application CPU 22 controls the driver group 25 to end activation of the output destination device (step S404).

  In such an information communication system, when the AP is activated in the communication terminal A11, the user B can recognize the context of the user A through the output of the device of the communication terminal B21. Therefore, the user A using the communication terminal Can communicate smoothly.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
Next, a second embodiment (Embodiment 2) of the present invention will be described. The configuration of the information communication system of the second embodiment is the same as the configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. In the information communication system 100 of the second embodiment, the communication terminal A11 and the communication terminal B21 have a call function, and the communication unit 14 and the communication unit 24 have a function of performing voice data communication.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process performed when context information is transmitted during a call in the information communication system according to the second embodiment. With reference to FIG. 6, the information communication system of 2nd Embodiment is demonstrated. Here, a case where the context information of the user A is transmitted from the communication terminal A11 to the communication terminal B21 and the user B recognizes the context of the user A will be described as an example. The process shown in FIG. 6 is a process in the communication terminal A11.

  When a call between the user A and the user B is started between the communication terminal A11 operated by the user A and the communication terminal B21 operated by the user B, detection of the context information of the user A is started (Step S1). S601).

  In the information communication system 100, the AP that detects the context information is activated in the communication terminal A11, the driver group 15 acquires the context-related information of the user A, the context detection unit 16 detects the context information, and communicates the context information. The processing (steps S602 to S603) output to the unit 14 is the same as the processing (steps S301 to S302 shown in FIG. 3) in the first embodiment.

  When the context information is output to the communication unit 14 in step S603, the communication unit 14 transmits the input context information of the user A to the communication unit 24 of the communication terminal B21 via the network 31.

  Next, the application CPU 12 confirms whether or not the call with the communication terminal B21 is ended (step S604). When the call with the communication terminal B21 is terminated, the application CPU 12 terminates the activation of the devices in the device group 13 that have been activated in order to acquire the context-related information of the user A (step S605), and the communication terminal A11. The operation of detecting the context information in is finished.

  If the call with the communication terminal B21 continues in step S604, the context detection unit 16 determines whether there is a change in the context of the user A based on the context-related information of the user A acquired from the activated device. Whether or not is confirmed (step S606). When there is a change in the context of the user A, the driver group 15 acquires the context related information of the user A from the device. The context detection unit 16 creates the context information of the user A based on the acquired context related information, and outputs the difference from the previously detected context information to the communication unit 14 as change information (step S607). The communication unit 14 transmits the input change information as the context information of the user A to the communication terminal B21 through the network 31.

  If there is no change in the context of the user A in step S606, or after the change information is passed to the communication unit 14 in step S607, the process returns to step S604 to check whether the call with the communication terminal B21 is finished. . By continuing the confirmation process shown in steps S604 and S606 until the call with the communication terminal B21 is finished, the application CPU 12 detects the context information of the user A every time the context of the user A changes, and the communication unit 14 for output.

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a relationship between transmission of audio data and transmission of context information. When the context information is transmitted from the communication terminal A11 to the communication terminal B21, the communication unit 14 of the communication terminal A11 needs to transmit the context information so as not to prevent the communication of the voice data that requires immediacy. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the detected context information is transmitted at a timing when the audio data is not transmitted.

  FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a method for transmitting context information during a call by packet communication. As shown in FIG. 8, when a call between users between the communication terminal A11 and the communication terminal B21 is performed by packet communication, the communication unit 14 includes a free part in the voice data packet. When it is completed, the context information is transmitted to the communication terminal B21 in the empty part. By using the empty portion of the packet, the context information can be transmitted without hindering the voice data packet transmission.

  Here, the context information detection and context information output processing will be described using the specific data shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of context-related information and context correspondence acquired during a call. In the example shown in FIG. 9A, the context-related information acquired by the communication terminal A is displayed in order of the AP usage history, and in the example shown in FIG. 9B, the data shown in FIG. Shown collectively for each call partner, and average data for each call partner is added.

  The AP history is an AP usage history indicating the time when the AP is activated and context-related information is acquired. In FIG. 9, the time is simplified and indicated by numbers. The call history is a history that summarizes a call from the start to the end as one call. The other party is the other party who made the call. FIG. 9 shows that user A has made a call with P1, P2, P3 and user B. The pulse rate is measured by a pulse sensor, and the acceleration is measured by an acceleration sensor. The pulse sensor and the acceleration sensor are one of the devices in the device group 13. The context is a context created according to the criteria regarding the context information shown in FIG.

  As shown in each row of FIG. 9A, the context detection unit 16 indicates the degree of tension and the degree of calm based on the context-related information (corresponding to the pulse rate and acceleration) acquired from the device group 13. Create context information corresponding to the context. If a plurality of AP histories remain in the same call history, it indicates that context-related information in which a change has been seen during a call is acquired as change information, and the context has been detected again (corresponding to step S607). . The application CPU 12 transmits the detected context information from the communication unit 14 to the communication terminal B21.

  Processing of the context information in the communication terminal B21 that has received the context information of the user A from the communication terminal A11 is the same as the processing in the communication terminal B of the first embodiment. When the communication unit 24 receives the context information in the communication terminal B21, the context processing unit 26 determines output information from the device group 23 with reference to the criteria indicated in the display device column of FIG.

  In such an information communication system, the user B can recognize the context of the user A who is a communication partner during a call by the output of the device of the communication terminal B, so that the conversation can be performed in consideration of the feeling of the call partner. This makes it possible to make a smoother call.

  Note that the context detection unit 16 of the communication terminal A11 may detect the context in consideration of the AP usage history during a call with the user B. Taking the pulse rate as an example, the context is detected based on how much the pulse rate of the user A newly acquired by talking to the user B is different from the average value of the pulse rate of the past user A. That is, it compares with the average value (86.8 times) of the past user A's pulse rate, or compares with the average value (88 times) of the user A's pulse rate at the time of a call with the user B so far. To detect the context. For example, when the context is re-detected from the pulse rate at the time of communication with the user B (call 2, call 4, and call 8) shown in FIG. , All become "normal". This context indicates that the user A has made a “normal” call as a call with the user B.

  As described above, in the information communication system that detects the context in consideration of the usage history of the AP, the context can be detected based on the average state of the user A.

  In this description, the case where the context information of the user A is transmitted from the communication terminal A11 to the communication terminal B21 has been described. However, the communication terminal B21 has a function of detecting context information included in the communication terminal A11. The communication terminal A11 and the communication terminal B21 may be capable of bidirectionally transmitting and receiving context information by providing the communication terminal A11 with the function of context information output processing provided. In such an information communication system, each user can detect the context information of each user at each communication terminal and transmit it to the communication terminal of the other party, so that both users can make a call by recognizing the other party's context. become. Both users can advance the call while watching the reaction of the other party, and can realize a smoother call.

Embodiment 3. FIG.
Next, a third embodiment (Embodiment 3) of the present invention will be described. The configuration of the information communication system of the third embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. In the information communication system 100 according to the third embodiment, the communication terminal A11 has a mail receiving function for receiving electronic mail from a mail server (not shown).

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating processing performed when detecting a user context when opening an e-mail in the information communication system according to the third embodiment. The information communication system according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Here, a case will be described as an example where the user A's context is detected and recognized by the user B when the user A opens the electronic mail transmitted from the communication terminal B21 and received by the communication terminal A11.

  When the user A performs an input operation corresponding to an operation for opening an e-mail on the communication terminal A11, the application CPU 12 of the communication terminal A11 performs a process for opening the target e-mail and displays the content of the e-mail. Part (not shown) is displayed (step S901).

  When the electronic mail is opened, the application CPU 12 activates the AP and starts detecting the context information in order to detect the context when the user A reads the opened mail (step S902).

  In the information communication system 100, the AP that detects the context information is activated in the communication terminal A11, the driver group 15 acquires the context-related information of the user A, the context detection unit 16 detects the context information, and communicates the context information. The processing (steps S903 to S904) output to the unit 14 is the same as the processing (steps S301 to S302 shown in FIG. 3) in the first embodiment.

  In step S904, when the context information is output to the communication unit 14, the communication unit 14 transmits the input context information of the user A to the communication terminal B21 via the network 31.

  Next, the application CPU 12 calculates the elapsed time after opening from the time when the process of opening the electronic mail is performed in step S901 to the present. Then, the application CPU 12 confirms whether or not the elapsed time after opening exceeds a time T predetermined for the AP (step S905). If the elapsed time after opening exceeds the time T, the application CPU 12 ends the activation of the devices in the device group 13 that have been activated to acquire the context-related information of the user A (step S906). The operation of detecting the context information in the communication terminal A11 ends.

  In step S905, when the elapsed time after opening does not exceed the time T, the context detection unit 16 changes to the context of the user A based on the context-related information of the user A acquired from the activated device. It is confirmed whether there is any (step S907). When there is a change in the context of the user A, the driver group 15 acquires the context related information of the user A from the device. The context detection unit 16 detects the context information of the user A based on the acquired context related information, and outputs the difference from the previously detected context information to the communication unit 14 as change information (step S908). The communication unit 14 transmits the input change information as the context information of the user A to the communication terminal B21 via the network 31.

  If no change is found in the context of the user A in step S907, or after passing the change information to the communication unit 14 in step S908, the process returns to step S905, and the elapsed time after opening exceeds the time T. Check if it is. By continuing the confirmation process shown in steps S905 and S907 until the elapsed time after opening exceeds time T, the application CPU 12 detects and communicates with the context information of user A every time the context of user A changes. To the unit 14.

  Here, the time T may be predetermined for the AP as a fixed value, or may be a value that can be changed by the user. Further, it may be a value that is automatically determined by the AP according to the size of the received e-mail or the content of the detected context. For example, when an intense context such as anger or surprise is detected, T is set larger than usual in order to obtain a context transition.

  Processing of the context information in the communication terminal B21 that has received the context information of the user A from the communication terminal A11 is the same as the processing in the communication terminal B of the first embodiment. In the communication terminal B21, the device outputs such that the context of the user A is expressed based on the context information of the user A received from the communication terminal A11.

  In such an information communication system, the user B can recognize the context of the user A at a timing after the timing at which the e-mail is transmitted from the communication terminal B to the communication terminal A. Then, the user B can know how the electronic mail transmitted by the user B is received by the user A, and can be a material that facilitates subsequent communication with the user A.

  Further, the communication terminal A11 may transmit the context information before transmitting the e-mail to the communication terminal B21. In this case, the context detection unit 16 creates context information and outputs it to the communication unit 14 when notified from the communication unit 14 that an electronic mail is to be transmitted.

  In the information communication system of the present embodiment, the communication terminal A11 transmits the context information of the user A to the communication terminal B21 after the email transmitted from the user B is opened by the user A. Is not limited to email. For example, when the users A and B are participating in chat via the Internet, the communication terminal A11 and the communication terminal B21 may appropriately communicate context information with each other. In that case, the context detection unit 16 appropriately creates context information and outputs it to the communication unit 14. In addition, when the user A reads an article posted by the user B on the website, the information communication system may communicate the context of the user A from the communication terminal A11 to the communication terminal B21. In such an information communication system, the user B who is the poster contributor can know the reaction to the article from the context of the user A who is the reader.

  In the information communication system according to the present invention, the communication terminal A can acquire the context related information of the user A and transmit the context information of the user A to the communication terminal B only when the user A permits.

  In each of the above embodiments, the pulse sensor and the accelerometer are exemplified as the device for acquiring the context-related information. However, as the device for acquiring the context-related information, a camera that captures the user's face and a voice are input. A microphone may be used. And based on the image imaged with the camera, the user himself / herself or the context around the user may be created, or the user himself / herself or the context around the user may be detected by voice.

  FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a main part of a communication terminal apparatus according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 11, the communication terminal device 1 (corresponding to the communication terminal A11 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2) is a communication terminal device that can communicate with another device 3 via the network 2, and The situation information acquisition means 4 (equivalent to the application CPU 12, the device group 13 and the driver group 15 shown in FIG. 1) and the situation information acquired by the situation information acquisition means User situation estimation means 5 for estimation (corresponding to the context detection unit 16 shown in FIG. 1), and user situation information transmission means 6 for sending information indicating the user situation estimated by the user situation estimation means 5 to the communication partner apparatus. (Corresponding to the communication unit 14 shown in FIG. 1), and the situation information acquisition unit 4 acquires situation information that can estimate the user's situation including the user's physical situation.In such a communication terminal device, information that is difficult to convey only by voice or text can be transmitted to the communication partner, so that communication with a smooth and rich communication by the communication terminal can be performed.

  Moreover, the information communication system of each of the above embodiments also includes communication terminal devices as shown in the following (1) to (5).

(1) The user status estimation means outputs information indicating the user status to the user status information transmission means only when the estimated user status changes, and the user status information transmission means is information indicating the user status. Is realized by the operations of steps S303 to S306 in the communication terminal device (for example, the communication terminal A11 of the information communication system of the first embodiment) that transmits information indicating the user status only when the user status estimation means is input. ). Since the communication terminal device configured as described above can acquire information indicating a new user status each time the user status changes, it is possible to perform communication that recognizes the current status of the user.

(2) A communication terminal device for transmitting voice data, wherein the user status information transmitting means transmits information indicating the status of the user in the voice data non-transmission section when the voice data is being transmitted. (For example, the communication terminal A11 of the information system according to the second embodiment is realized by transmitting voice data and context information shown in the description with reference to FIG. 7). In the communication terminal device configured as described above, it is possible to transmit information indicating the state of the user without disturbing communication of voice data that requires immediacy.

(3) A communication terminal device for transmitting a voice data packet, wherein the user status information transmitting means indicates information indicating a user status at a voice data non-set location in the voice data packet when the voice data packet is being transmitted. (For example, in the communication terminal A11 of the information system of the second embodiment, it is realized by transmitting context information during a call by packet communication shown in the description using FIG. 8). In the communication terminal device configured as described above, it is possible to transmit information indicating the state of the user without interfering with the voice data communication of the voice data packet that requires immediacy.

(4) The user situation estimation means is a communication terminal device that estimates the user situation based on the situation information before sending the e-mail or after receiving the e-mail (for example, the communication terminal A11 of the information system of the third embodiment). This is realized by the operations of steps S901 to S908.) In the communication terminal device configured as described above, for example, the user's situation after opening the e-mail can be known, and the subsequent communication with the user can proceed smoothly.

(5) The user status information transmission means is a communication terminal device that estimates the user status based on the status information when the communication terminal device is performing data communication via the Internet (for example, the third embodiment (The communication terminal A11 of the information system is realized by the operation when chatting via the Internet.) In the communication terminal device configured as described above, the user's current situation can be known in more detail, so that communication with the user can be performed smoothly.

1 is a block diagram showing an information communication system according to the present invention. 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of an information communication system according to the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process performed when the communication terminal A detects context information in the information communication system of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process performed when the communication terminal B processes context information in the information communication system of 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the specific example of the detection reference | standard of a context information, and a process reference | standard. It is a flowchart which shows the process performed when transmitting context information during a telephone call in the information communication system of 2nd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the relationship between transmission of audio | voice data, and transmission of context information. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the method of transmitting context information at the time of the telephone call by packet communication. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the context relevant information acquired during a telephone call, and a context corresponding relationship. It is a flowchart which shows the process performed when detecting the user's context at the time of e-mail opening in the information communication system of 3rd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part of the communication terminal device by this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Communication terminal device 2 Network 3 Other apparatus 4 Status information acquisition means 5 User status estimation means 6 User status information transmission means 11 Communication terminal A
12, 22 Application CPU
13, 23 Device group 14, 24 Communication unit 15, 25 Driver group 16 Context detection unit 21 Communication terminal B
26 Context Processing Unit 31 Network 32 Transmission Line 100 Information Communication System

Claims (12)

A communication terminal device capable of communicating with other devices via a network,
Status information acquisition means for acquiring status information capable of estimating the user status;
User situation estimation means for estimating the user's situation based on the situation information obtained by the situation information obtaining means;
User status information transmitting means for transmitting information indicating the user status estimated by the user status estimating means to a communication partner device;
The communication terminal device, wherein the situation information acquisition means acquires situation information that can estimate a user situation including a user's physical situation. The user situation estimation means outputs information indicating the user situation to the user situation information transmission means only when the estimated user situation has changed,
The communication terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the user status information transmitting unit transmits information indicating a user status only when information indicating the user status is input from the user status estimation unit. A communication terminal device for transmitting audio data,
The communication terminal device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the user status information transmitting means transmits information indicating a user status in a voice data non-transmission section when voice data is being transmitted. A communication terminal device for transmitting voice data packets,
The communication terminal device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the user status information transmission unit sets information indicating a user status in a voice data non-set location in the voice data packet when the voice data packet is being transmitted. The communication terminal apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the user situation estimation means estimates the user situation based on the situation information before sending the e-mail or after receiving the e-mail. The communication terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the user status information transmission unit estimates the user status based on the status information when the communication terminal device performs data communication via the Internet. An information communication system in which a transmission side communication terminal device and a reception side communication terminal device communicate via a network,
The transmission side communication terminal device is:
Situation information acquisition means for acquiring situation information capable of estimating the user's situation including the user's physical situation;
User situation estimation means for estimating the user's situation based on the situation information obtained by the situation information obtaining means;
User status information transmitting means for transmitting information indicating the user status estimated by the user status estimating means to a communication partner device;
The receiving communication terminal device is:
An information communication system comprising: information output means for outputting information corresponding to information indicating a user situation received from the transmission side communication terminal device. The user situation estimation means in the transmission side communication terminal device outputs information indicating the user situation to the user situation information transmission means only when the estimated user situation has changed,
The information communication system according to claim 7, wherein the user status information transmitting unit transmits information indicating the user status only when information indicating the user status is input from the user status estimation unit. An information communication method executed by a communication terminal device capable of communicating with other devices via a network,
Get situation information that can estimate the user's situation, including the user's physical situation,
Estimate the user's situation based on the obtained situation information,
An information communication method comprising transmitting information indicating an estimated user situation to a communication partner apparatus. The information communication method according to claim 9, wherein information indicating a user situation is transmitted only when the estimated user situation has changed. To a computer in a communication terminal device capable of communicating with other devices via a network,
A process of acquiring situation information capable of estimating the user's situation including the user's physical situation;
Processing to estimate the user's situation based on the obtained situation information;
The information communication program for performing the process which transmits the information which shows the estimated user's condition to the apparatus of a communicating party. On the computer,
The information communication program according to claim 11, wherein information indicating the user situation is transmitted only when the estimated user situation is changed in the process of estimating the user situation.

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