JP7241039B2 - NOSE REGION IDENTIFICATION DEVICE AND EMOTION ESTIMATION METHOD - Google Patents

Description

Application of Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act Announced at the 21st Annual Meeting of the Japan Society of Kansei Engineering on September 12, 2019

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a nose region identification device and emotion estimation method for estimating a subject's emotion by measuring temperature changes in a specific portion of the subject's nose.

It is known that when physical changes occur due to the movement of emotions such as anger, fear, joy, and sadness (sometimes referred to as emotions), autonomic nerve activity causes vasoconstriction and dilation, resulting in changes in blood flow. It is

For example, when a person has a pleasant feeling (pleasure), the action of the sympathetic nerve is weakened, while the action of the parasympathetic nerve is strengthened. Conversely, when a person feels uncomfortable (discomfort), the action of the sympathetic nerve is strengthened, while the action of the parasympathetic nerve is weakened, slowing blood flow in the blood vessels and reducing blood flow.

When the blood flow increases, the skin temperature rises, and when the blood flow decreases, the skin temperature decreases. Especially in the nose, blood vessels pass through a small gap between the skin and the nasal bone, so skin temperature is easily affected by changes in blood flow, and temperature changes can be easily measured by thermography.

Therefore, it is possible to estimate changes in a person's emotions by measuring changes in nose temperature using thermography.

Hideyuki Zenju et. al. , IEEE J Trans. EIS, Vol. 124, No. 1, 2004

Previous studies have investigated quantitative evaluation methods for the stress and relaxation effects of various sensory stimuli, such as hearing, smell, and taste, by measuring changes in the skin temperature of the nose.

In these previous studies, it is a common result that the skin temperature of the nose drops when discomfort is felt, and the skin temperature of the nose rises when pleasure is felt. However, it is not discussed which part of the nose should be measured to see temperature changes or is easy to see.

For example, Evaluation of Emotions by Nasal Skin Temperature on Auditory Stimulus and Olfactory Stimulus (Koji Nagamine et al. IEEJ Trans. EIS, Vol. 124, No. 9, 2004). ×51 pixels) is obtained for each image. However, there is no discussion as to which part of the nose to set the box for analysis.

また、Ｅｎｈａｎｃｅｍｅｎｔ ｏｆ Ａｕｔｏｎｏｍｉｃ Ｓｔｒｅｓｓ Ｒｅｓｐｏｎｓｅ ａｎｄ Ｒｅｄｕｃｔｉｏｎ ｏｆ Ｓｕｂｊｅｃｔｉｖｅ Ｓｔｒｅｓｓ ｂｙ Ｌａｖｅｎｄｅｒ Ｉｎｈａｌａｔｉｏｎ Ｄｕｒｉｎｇ ａ Ｓｈｏｒｔ－ｔｅｒｍ Ｃａｌｃｕｌａｔｉｏｎ Ｔａｓｋ （Ｓｈｕｓａｋｕ Ｎｏｍｕｒａ ｅｔ． ａｌ． Ａｄｖａｎｃｅｄ Ｂｉｏｍｅｄｉｃａｌ Ｅｎｇｉｎｅｅｒｉｎｇ， ５： ７－１２， ２０１６．）においては、鼻尖部の温度をsupposed to be measured. However, there is no discussion of how far the temperature should be measured at the tip of the nose.

The inventors have found from literature and research that the routes of the blood vessels that run around the human nose differ from race to race and person to person. Through numerous experiments, we found out how to detect temperature changes in the nose.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a nose region identification device and an emotion estimation method for estimating a subject's emotion using a temperature change in a specific portion of the subject's nose as an index.

A nose region identifying device of the present invention for achieving the above object is a nose region identifying device used for estimating a subject's emotion, wherein both the first state and the second state measured by the measuring unit and the temperature distribution of the region including the nose in the first state stored in the storage unit and the nose in the second state. a comparison unit that compares the temperature distribution of the area, and the area with the largest temperature change in the temperature distribution of the area including the nose compared by the comparison unit is used as an index for estimating the emotion of the subject. and an identification portion identifying the area of occurrence.

The emotion estimation method of the present invention for achieving the above object includes a first step of measuring a temperature distribution in an area including the nose of a subject in a first state, and the nose of the subject in a second state. a second step of measuring the temperature distribution of the area; a third step of comparing the temperature distribution of the area including the subject's nose measured in the first step and the second step; and the compared subject's nose a fourth step of specifying an area having the largest temperature change among the areas including the part; and a fifth step of estimating the emotion of the subject using the temperature change in the specified area having the largest temperature change as an index.

According to the nose region identification device and emotion estimation method of the present invention, the temperature change measurement target region suitable for each subject varies, and the temperature change in the optimal region for the subject can be captured. easier to estimate.

1 is a block diagram of a nose region specifying device of this embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing a procedure of processing executed using the nose region identification device of FIG. 1; FIG. It is a figure which shows the temperature distribution of the area|region containing a test subject's nose measured by the measurement part, and the measurement area|region (A) of the conventional method. The change in the temperature of the nose after the subject was made to smell the liquid with a pseudo-urine odor from before to the smell of the liquid with a pseudo-urine odor, and the subject was given the smell of the liquid mixed with the pseudo-urine odor and the masking perfume. FIG. 10 is a graph showing the change in temperature of the nose after sniffing the liquid mixed with the pseudo-urine odor and the masking perfume from before sniffing. It is a pattern example of blood vessels passing directly under the nose. It is a figure which shows the area|region containing a test subject's nose which a measurement part measures. It is a figure which shows the temperature distribution of the area|region containing a test subject's nose measured by the measurement part. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing changes in temperature distribution in a region including the nose before and after ice was gripped by three subjects. 4 is a graph showing measurement results of temperature changes in a region including the nose of a subject in Example 1. FIG. 4 is a graph showing the results of sensory evaluation by a subject in Example 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing measurement results by a conventional analysis method in Example 1; 4 is a diagram showing measurement results by the analysis method of the present invention in Example 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a measurement result of temperature change in the A portion, where only the A portion in FIG. 3 is set as a temperature change measurement region including the subject's nose; Four regions A, B, C, and D in FIG. 7 were set as measurement regions for the temperature change in the region including the subject's nose, and the region where the largest temperature change could be measured (any of A, B, C, or D FIG. 10 is a diagram showing measurement results of temperature change in one area). 10 is a graph showing the evaluation results of sensory evaluation by a subject according to the analysis method of the present invention in Example 2. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing measurement results by a conventional analysis method in Example 2; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing measurement results by the analysis method of the present invention in Example 2;

Hereinafter, embodiments of the nose area identifying device of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the nose region identification device of this embodiment.

[Overall Configuration of Nose Region Identifying Device]
As shown in FIG. 1 , nose region identification device 100 has storage unit 110 , comparison unit 120 , and identification unit 130 . Measurement unit 210 , printer 220 , and display 230 are connected to nose region identifying device 100 . FIG. 1 shows that the nose region identification device 100 includes the storage unit 110, the comparison unit 120, and the identification unit 130 in one computer surrounded by a dotted line. It is not limited to form. For example, at least one or more of the units may exist in another computer. The nose region identification device 100 identifies an index for estimating the subject's emotion (e.g., comfort or discomfort) from the temperature distribution of the region including the subject's nose, and outputs the identification result to the printer 220 or the display 230. can be done. The nose region identifying device 100 may further include an estimating unit 140, which will be described later.

Storage unit 110 stores a plurality of temperature distributions of regions including the nose measured by measurement unit 210 . Comparing unit 120 compares a plurality of temperature distributions of regions including the nose stored in storage unit 110 . The identification unit 130 identifies the area with the largest temperature change among the temperature distributions of the area including the nose compared by the comparison unit 120 as the area where the temperature change occurs and is used as an index for estimating the emotion of the subject.

[Configuration of measurement unit]
The measurement unit 210 is a two-dimensional temperature sensor that two-dimensionally measures the temperature distribution of a region including the subject's nose. As a two-dimensional temperature sensor, we use a two-dimensional radiation thermometer that measures the temperature distribution by means of temperature detection elements arranged vertically and horizontally, and a camera image with an incomparable number of pixels compared to a two-dimensional radiation thermometer. An infrared thermography camera that measures the distribution can be exemplified. In this embodiment, an infrared thermography camera is used as the measurement unit 210 because it is desired to measure the temperature of the region including the nose of the subject with high resolution.

Specifically, the area including the subject's nose that is measured by the measurement unit 210 is, as shown in FIG. The nasal tip located at the highest part of the nose, the nasal dorsum located in the middle of the nasal tip and nasal tip on the ridge of the nose, and the nasal alar located in the part forming the nostril from the nasal tip. Note that, as shown in FIG. 7, the nose is a region D from the nose back to the root of the nose, a region A from the tip of the nose to the back of the nose, a region C of the right alar, and a region B of the left alar.

[Structure of storage unit]
The storage unit 110 is composed of a semiconductor memory such as a DRAM or SRAM, which is generally used as a computer storage device. The storage unit 110 stores the temperature distribution of the area including the nose of the subject in both the first state and the second state of the subject. In the present invention, the first state and the second state of the subject are states in which the presence or absence of a stimulus or the contents of the stimulus are different from each other, and when the subject changes from the first state to the second stimulus, the subject It is a relationship that can be presumed that the emotion of the person changes or changes. For example, the first state and the second state are the unstimulated state and the stimulated state, respectively, and vice versa (i.e., the stimulated state and the unstimulated state), It is either a state in which the first stimulus is applied or a state in which the second stimulus is applied. Stimulus content that differs from each other means that the same stimulus has different quality (for example, a pleasant odor and an unpleasant odor), or is of the same quality but has different stimulus intensity (same odor with low concentration and high concentration). Better not. The state in which no stimulus is applied means, for example, a state in which the subject does not feel any particular emotion, and is a so-called normal state or resting state. A change in emotion means, for example, feeling sweet, salty, cold, hot, cold, or hot; It refers to changing from emotions such as these to other emotions. In the present invention, the state in which the stimulus is applied may be a state in which the stimulus is continuously applied, a state in which the stimulus is terminated, or both. Even after the application of the stimulus is finished, there are cases where the stimulus is felt and the person continues to feel some kind of emotion due to reasons such as the stimulating substance remaining in the sensory organs.

The storage unit 110 stores temperature distributions of regions including the subject's nose in each of the first state and the second state, and if there are a plurality of temperature distributions, they are arranged in chronological order and stored. As described above, the measurement unit 210 measures the temperature distribution of the area including the subject's nose as shown in FIG. 7 at certain time intervals. The storage unit 110 stores the temperature distributions of the regions including the nose of the subject measured by the measurement unit 210, arranged in order of measurement.

[Composition of the comparison section]
The comparison unit 120 is configured by hardware and software within the computer. The comparison unit 120 compares a plurality of temperature distributions of regions including the subject's nose stored in the storage unit 110 . Specifically, based on the temperature distribution of the subject in the first state, the change in the temperature distribution when the subject changes from the first state to the second state is calculated.

The comparison unit 120 first retrieves from the storage unit 110 the temperature distribution (T0) of the region including the nose of the subject in the first state. Next, from the storage unit 110, the temperature distribution (T1) having the earliest measurement time among the temperature distributions of the area including the nose of the subject in the second state is taken out. Then, the temperature distribution (T0) and the temperature distribution (T1) are compared, and how much the temperature distribution changes with respect to the temperature distribution (T0) is captured as a temperature change for each pixel. Next, the temperature distribution (T2) whose measurement time is earlier than the temperature distribution (T1) is taken out. Then, the temperature distribution (T0) and the temperature distribution (T2) are compared, and how much the temperature distribution changes with respect to the temperature distribution (T0) is captured as a temperature change for each pixel. This procedure is continued until the comparison with the temperature distribution with the latest measurement time (for example, T60) is completed. Alternatively, the temperature distribution at any time or time range between the temperature distribution with the earliest measurement time and the temperature distribution with the latest measurement time in the second state may be compared with the first state.

In other words, the comparison unit 120 captures the change in the temperature distribution of the region including the nose from the first state until a certain amount of time has passed since the start of the second state as the temperature change (ΔT) for each pixel.

[Structure of specific part]
The identification unit 130 is configured by hardware and software within the computer. Based on the result of the comparison performed by the comparison unit 120, the identification unit 130 can capture the change in the temperature distribution of the region including the nose as the temperature change (ΔT) for each pixel. The area with the largest temperature change can be specified as the area where the temperature change has occurred, which is used as an index for emotion estimation. In this embodiment, the region with the largest temperature change is selected from one of the multiple divided regions including the subject's nose. Note that a plurality of divisions of the region including the subject's nose may be automatically performed by software, or may be divided in advance as shown in FIG. Alternatively, changes in the temperature distribution of the region including the nose may be captured in advance for each subject, and a plurality of candidates for the region where the greatest temperature change is likely to be captured may be set for each subject.

In this embodiment, the area including the subject's nose is divided into four areas A, B, C, and D, as shown in FIG. In this case, the identifying unit 130 can determine which of the four regions has the greatest change in temperature distribution. It should be noted that which of the four regions has the largest change in temperature distribution is determined by comparing the average value of the temperature changes of all the pixels forming each region. Obtaining the average value of the temperature change of all pixels in each region results in a large amount of calculation and a large computational load. By comparing the number of pixels exceeding the change threshold (t° C.), it is also possible to determine which region has the greatest change in temperature distribution. When the temperature change is used as an index for estimating emotion, the average value of each region may be obtained at each measurement time, and the trend of change over time (for example, temperature rising or falling trend) may be used as an index. It is also possible to calculate the average value of the temperature change in the period from 1 to another measurement time and use that value as an index. For example, in the case of a stimulus that may cause habituation or sensory fatigue, a temperature change within a certain period of time from the start of the stimulus may be employed.

Further, in the present embodiment, the region including the subject's nose is divided into four regions as shown in FIG. The area may be divided into two different areas, or divided into finer areas such as five or more areas. As an extreme method of division, one pixel may be used. However, it is not realistic for the identification unit 130 to capture temperature changes of specific pixels because the position of the subject's face shifts during measurement of the temperature distribution in the region including the subject's nose. For this reason, in the present embodiment, correction such as a camera shake prevention function is applied in consideration of the displacement of the subject's face.

In this embodiment, the area including the subject's nose is divided into four areas A, B, C, and D at the positions shown in FIG. 7 for the following reasons.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the temperature distribution of the region including the nose of the subject measured by the measurement unit 20 and the measurement region (A) of the conventional method. As shown in FIG. 3, when the temperature distribution of the area including the subject's nose is measured by the measurement unit 210, it can be seen that there are a plurality of areas with high temperatures. Specifically, it can be seen that the temperature is higher in three areas of the root of the nose and the left and right wings of the nose than in the other areas. However, conventionally, without considering that there are multiple areas with high temperatures, the subject's nasal area (nose area) was measured from a non-stimulated state to a certain amount of time after being stimulated. The temperature change in the nose was captured by calculating the average temperature in the region of A). This part A was performed by the same method as the Evaluation of Emotions by Nasal Skin Temperature on Auditory Stimulus and Olfactory Stimulus (Koji Nagamine et al. IEEJ Trans. EIS, Vol. 124, No. 0.49, 2) described above. It shows the same position as the nose region (41×51 pixels) of the image.

In this way, by capturing the temperature change in the nose, the temperature change in the nose from before the subject was made to smell the liquid with the pseudo-urine odor to after the subject was made to smell the liquid with the pseudo-urine odor, and the temperature change in the nose was measured. The change in the temperature of the nose from before smelling the liquid mixture of the pseudo-urine odor and masking perfume to after smelling the liquid mixture of the pseudo-urine odor and the masking perfume of the pseudo-urine odor. The graph is shown in FIG.

The graph in FIG. 4 is based on the average temperature of the nose region before the subject was made to smell the liquid with a pseudo-urine odor as a reference (time 0 second), and the temperature after the subject was made to smell the liquid with a pseudo-urine odor. , a line graph plotting the temperature change (ΔTx) of the average temperature at each time against the average temperature of the reference (time 0 second) every time 5 seconds passed, and the pseudo urine odor and masking of the subject Based on the average temperature of the nose region before smelling the liquid mixed with the fragrance as a reference (time 0 second), after the subject started smelling the liquid mixed with the pseudo urine odor and the masking fragrance, A line graph is also shown by plotting the temperature change (ΔTx) of the average temperature at each time with respect to the average temperature at the reference (time 0 second) each time 5 seconds have elapsed.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the subject was made to smell a liquid with a pseudo-urine odor, the temperature change tended to increase over time. In addition, when the subject was allowed to smell the odor of a liquid mixture of a pseudo-urine odor and a masking perfume, the temperature change increased and decreased with the passage of time, and no particular tendency was observed.

As described above, it is known that the skin temperature of the nose rises when a person feels comfortable (pleasant), and the skin temperature of the nose decreases when the person feels uncomfortable (discomfort). However, as far as the line graph until 180 seconds has elapsed in the graph of FIG. No obvious temperature change was observed between the

Looking at the temperature distribution of the area including the nose of the subject shown in FIG. If it depends on the blood flow of the blood vessels that pass directly under the skin, I thought that the location of the blood vessels that are likely to be affected by temperature may be determined.

As a result of conducting research from this point of view, it was found that the routes of the blood vessels that run around the human nose differ from race to race and from person to person. For example, a Korean study found that the pattern of blood vessels running directly under the nose is a combination of four types, as shown in Figure 5. In other words, in the case of type 1, the nasal artery passes through the right ala, in the case of type 2, it passes through the right side of the nasal ridge from the tip to the root of the nose, and in the case of type 3, it passes through the right side of the nasal ridge. In the case of type 4, it was found that it passed through the left side of the nasal ridge from the tip to the root of the nose, which was the opposite of type 2 (Arterial Supply of the Nasal Tip). in Asians, Dong Hak Jung et al., The Laryngoscope, 110: 308-311, 2000).

In this way, if the pattern of blood vessels running directly under the nose is a combination of four types, it is divided into four regions A, B, C, and D at the positions shown in FIG. We thought that it would be easier to estimate the subject's emotions by measuring the temperature change in the area with the largest temperature change.

Further, the inventors obtained the temperature distribution shown in FIG. 8 through repeated verification. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing changes in the temperature distribution of the region including the nose before (before stimulation) and after having the three subjects grip ice (after stimulation). FIG. 8 shows changes in the temperature distribution of three subjects S1, S2, and S3. As shown in FIG. 8, subject S1 has a large temperature change in regions C and B of FIG. 7 before and after stimulation. Subject S2 has a large temperature change in regions D and C in FIG. 7 before and after stimulation. Subject S3 has large temperature changes in regions A, B, and C in FIG. 7 before and after stimulation. In this way, the part where the temperature change is large before and after the stimulation is different for each subject. For the above reasons, the area including the subject's nose is divided into four areas as shown in FIG. 7 so that the temperature change can be easily grasped for each subject.

The apparatus of the present invention may further include an estimator having the following configuration.

[Structure of Estimation Unit]
The estimation unit 140 is configured by hardware and software within a computer. The estimating unit 140 estimates the emotion of the subject using the temperature change in the area identified by the identifying unit 130 where the temperature change is the largest as an index. It is a well-known fact that when the subject feels comfortable (pleasure), the skin temperature rises, and when the subject feels uncomfortable (discomfort), the skin temperature drops. 140 can estimate the emotion of the subject using the temperature change as an index. The subject's emotion estimated by the estimation unit 140 is either "comfortable" when the subject feels comfortable or "uncomfortable" when the subject feels uncomfortable.

In this embodiment, the comparison unit 120, the identification unit 130, and the estimation unit 140 are configured by separate hardware and software within the computer. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and one computer hardware and one software may function as the comparing unit 120, the identifying unit 130, and the estimating unit 140. FIG.

The printer 220 prints the temperature change in the region specified by the specifying unit 130 and the information on the subject's emotion estimated by the estimating unit 140 . The display 230 displays the temperature change in the region specified by the specifying unit 130 and information on the subject's emotion estimated by the estimation unit 140 . How the printer 220 or the display 230 prints or displays will be described in detail in embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing a procedure of processing executed using the nose region identifying device 100 of FIG. This flowchart is mainly executed by computer hardware and software that constitute the nose region identifying apparatus 100 . The flowchart of FIG. 1 also shows the emotion estimation method of this embodiment.

[Processing procedure]
The nose region identification device 100 measures the temperature distribution in the first state (step 1). In a first state (for example, a state in which no stimulus is applied to the subject), nose region identifying apparatus 100 detects the temperature distribution of the region including the subject's nose as shown in FIG. to measure. In FIG. 7, the light-colored (white) portion has a higher skin temperature than the dark-colored (black) portion. At least one or more temperature distributions input in time series from measurement unit 210 are stored in storage unit 110 .

Next, the nose region identifying device 100 measures the temperature distribution in the second state (step 2). In a second state (for example, a state in which the subject is stimulated), nose region identifying apparatus 100 detects the subject's nose as shown in FIG. Measure the temperature distribution of the area including the part. A plurality of temperature distributions input in time series from measurement unit 210 are stored in storage unit 110 .

Note that the temperature distribution of the area including the subject's nose in steps 1 and 2 is measured in time series by the measuring unit 210 and stored in the storage unit 110 in time series.

Next, the nose region identification device 100 compares the temperature distribution measured in step 1 with the temperature distribution measured in step 2 (step 3). The comparison of the temperature distribution of the region including the nose of the subject in step 3 is performed by using the temperature distribution of the region including the nose of the subject in the first state as a reference, and the temperature of the region including the nose of the subject in the second state. Compare distributions over time. That is, in step 3, the temperature distribution of the area including the nose of the subject in the second state, which is stored in time series by the storage unit 110, is compared in time series with the temperature distribution in the non-stimulated state as a reference. do. When there is one temperature distribution in the area including the nose of the subject in the second state, the temperature distribution in the first state is compared with the temperature distribution in the second state.

For example, first, the temperature distribution (T0) of the region including the nose of the subject in the first state (for example, no stimulation) is taken out, and then the second state (for example, stimulation) is retrieved from the storage unit 110 is given), the temperature distribution (T1) with the earliest measurement time is extracted from the temperature distribution in the area including the nose of the subject. Then, the temperature distribution (T0) and the temperature distribution (T1) are compared, and how much the temperature distribution changes (ΔTx1) with respect to the temperature distribution (T0) is captured as the temperature change for each pixel. Next, the temperature distribution (T2) whose measurement time is earlier than the temperature distribution (T1) is taken out, and the temperature distribution (T0) and the temperature distribution (T2) are compared to find out how much the temperature distribution (T0) is. Whether or not there is a change in temperature distribution (ΔTx2) is captured as a temperature change for each pixel. This procedure is continued until the comparison with the temperature distribution with the latest measurement time (for example, T60) is completed, and the change in temperature distribution (ΔTx1) to the change in temperature distribution (ΔTx60) are obtained. In the time-series comparison, the temperature distribution in an arbitrary time range in which a stimulus is applied is compared with the temperature distribution (T0) from the temperature distribution with the earliest measurement time to the temperature distribution with the latest measurement time. can be used for

Next, from the results of the comparison performed in step 3, the region with the greatest temperature change is specified (step 4). In step 4, the area including the subject's nose with the largest temperature change is specified by selecting one of the multiple divided areas including the subject's nose. In other words, by the processing in step 3, the change in the temperature distribution of the region including the nose can be captured as the temperature change (ΔTx1 to ΔTx60) for each pixel. can be identified. In this embodiment, the region with the largest temperature change is selected from one of a plurality of preset regions including the subject's nose. In this embodiment, the area with the largest temperature change is specified from among the four areas A, B, C, and D shown in FIG.

Finally, the emotion of the subject is estimated using the temperature change in the area with the largest temperature change identified by the process of step 4 as an index (step 5). For example, in the process of step 4, if the region with the largest temperature change is the region D shown in FIG. Estimates subject's emotions based on temperature change conditions. In this way, instead of the temperature change at all times from the temperature distribution with the earliest measurement time to the temperature distribution with the latest measurement time, the temperature change in an arbitrary time range in the state where the stimulus is applied is used as an index. You can use it. In this embodiment, the subject's emotion estimated in step 5 is either "comfortable" feeling comfortable or "uncomfortable" feeling uncomfortable. Step 5 may be performed by the nose region identifying device 100 or by a person. When performed by a person, the temperature change in the area with the largest temperature change specified in step 4 is output to the printer 220 or the display 230 in the form of a table, graph, numerical value, etc. Estimate whether it is "comfortable" or "uncomfortable" by , estimate whether it is "comfortable" or "uncomfortable" by whether the average value of the temperature change is larger or smaller than the temperature distribution in the first state, The degree of "comfort" or "discomfort" may be estimated using the degree as an index. When using the nose region identifying device 100, the nose region identifying device 100 has the above-described estimating unit 140, and the estimating unit 140 detects whether the temperature change is a temperature rise, as in the case of a person. In this case, the subject's feeling is assumed to be "comfortable", and if the temperature drops, it may be assumed to be "unpleasant".

The analysis procedure of the emotion estimation method of this embodiment is as described above. Next, an example will be described in which the effect of the masking perfume was confirmed using the nose region identification device and emotion estimation method of the present embodiment.

[Example 1]
FIG. 9 is a graph showing measurement results of temperature changes in a region including the nose of the subject in Example 1. FIG. Printer 220 or display 230 prints or displays a graph such as that shown in FIG. 9 as information about the subject's emotions. The measurer reads the printed or displayed graph of FIG. 9 to estimate the subject's emotion.

In Example 1, the change in the temperature of the nose from before the subject was allowed to smell the liquid with a pseudo-urine odor (first state) to when the subject started to smell the liquid with a pseudo-urine odor (second state). And, before the subject was allowed to smell the liquid mixed with the pseudo-urine odor and the masking perfume (first state), after starting to smell the liquid mixed with the pseudo-urine odor and the masking perfume (second state) The temperature changes in the nose part of the state) were measured. This measurement was performed on 8 adult male and female subjects in their 20s to 40s, and the temperature change in the area including the nose (one area from A to D in FIG. 7) with the largest temperature change was measured for each subject. The average value of the temperature change of the eight persons was graphed.

The measurement was carried out in a room with a room temperature of 24° C. and a humidity of 55% for each of eight subjects by the following procedure.

First, the subject is allowed to sit quietly in a room with eyes open for 10 minutes. Next, 0.1 g of the liquid with the pseudo-urine odor is dropped into a 15-g brown bottle containing a cotton core, and the subject is asked to continuously smell the pseudo-urine odor for 180 seconds. While stimulating with the simulated urine odor, the area including the subject's nose is photographed with a thermography camera at a distance of 1 m from the subject at 36 intervals of 5 seconds.

The above procedure is performed for each of the eight subjects, and the temperature changes of the eight subjects are averaged and graphed using the nose region identifying device and emotion estimation method of this embodiment. Plotting the average values of the temperature changes for 8 subjects every 5 seconds for 180 seconds yielded a graph as shown in FIG.

Looking at this graph, it can be seen that the skin temperature of the nose rapidly decreased in about 70 seconds after the subject started smelling the pseudo-urine odor, and the subject felt uncomfortable.

After the above measurements were completed, the date and time were changed, and the subjects were allowed to sit quietly in the room for 10 minutes with their eyes open in the same manner as described above. Next, 0.2 g of liquid obtained by mixing 0.1 g of simulated urine odor and 0.1 g of masking perfume was dropped into a 15 g tea bottle containing a cotton core, and the smell of simulated urine odor + masking perfume was smelled for 180 seconds. let me continue During the stimulus with the liquid, the region including the nose of the subject is photographed with a thermography camera at a distance of 1 m from the subject at 36 intervals of 5 seconds.

The above procedure is performed for each of the eight subjects, and the temperature changes of the eight subjects are averaged and graphed using the nose region identifying device and emotion estimation method of this embodiment. Plotting the average values of the temperature changes for 8 subjects every 5 seconds for 180 seconds yielded a graph as shown in FIG.

Looking at this graph, as a trend of temperature change, the skin temperature of the nose area suddenly decreased for several tens of seconds after the subject started smelling the pseudo-urine odor, so the subject felt uncomfortable. It can be inferred that On the other hand, when the subject started sniffing the odor of the pseudo-urine odor and the masking perfume, the temperature did not drop as rapidly as in the case of the odor of the pseudo-urine. It can be seen that he does not have any unpleasant feelings. As described above, in the present invention, a person can estimate the subject's emotion using the temperature change in the region specified by the specifying unit 130 (in this embodiment, the temperature change trend over time) as an index. The estimation unit 140 can also estimate the subject's emotion using this temperature change as an index.

FIG. 10 is a graph showing the evaluation results of sensory evaluation by the subjects in Example 1. FIG. Sensory evaluation was performed using a Time series Visual Analog Scale (T-VAS) immediately after the temperature change measurement. T-VAS is the same as described in "Study on stress evaluation method: Nose skin temperature and psychological state" (Sanyo Ronso 16 (0), 39-48, 2009), 0 points are very uncomfortable, 10 points A rating scale of very pleasant was used. Eight subjects were asked to determine the degree of comfort and discomfort when smelling the pseudo-urine odor for 5 minutes after resting for 10 minutes, and the degree of comfort and discomfort when smelling the pseudo-urine odor + masking perfume for 5 minutes after resting for 10 minutes. Respondents were asked to rate their degree of comfort and discomfort.

Looking at the graph in FIG. 10, it can be seen that when the pseudo-urine odor was smelled, they felt uncomfortable, and when they smelled the pseudo-urine odor + the masking perfume, they felt more pleasant than when they smelled the pseudo-urine odor. Therefore, it was confirmed that the estimation result of the present invention in Example 1 is appropriate.

As described above, the sensory evaluation of the subject using the nose region identification device and emotion estimation method of the present embodiment that captures the emotion of the subject based on temperature changes in the region including the nose of the subject (graph in FIG. 9). (graph in FIG. 10), and it can be seen that the emotion of the subject can be estimated by using the nose region identifying device and the emotion estimation method of the present embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing measurement results by a conventional analysis method in Example 1. FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing measurement results by the analysis method of the present invention in Example 1. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 11, in the conventional analysis method, only part A in FIG. 3 is set as the temperature change measurement area including the subject's nose, and the subject's emotion is estimated based on the temperature change in part A. are doing. As a result, as shown in the graph of FIG. 11, no clear difference in temperature change was observed between the simulated urine odor and the simulated urine odor+masking perfume, and as a result, it was difficult to specify the subject's emotion.

However, as shown in FIG. 12, the analysis method of the present invention sets four regions A, B, C, and D in FIG. The emotion of the subject is estimated based on the temperature change in a measurable area (any one of A, B, C, and D). As a result, as shown in the graph of FIG. 12, a clear difference in temperature change was observed between the simulated urine odor and the simulated urine odor+masking fragrance (0-70 seconds), and as a result, the emotion of the subject can be easily estimated.

[Example 2]
Example 1 is an example of estimating a subject's emotion based on smell, while Example 2 is an example of estimating a subject's emotion based on the flavor of food. The measurement procedure was roughly the same as in Example 1, but the measurement time was 100 seconds. In Example 2, whey protein was used as an example of food in estimating feelings of comfort and discomfort of food. With the recent health boom, more and more people are taking whey protein, but some people find the protein smell of whey protein unpleasant. In order to improve the flavor of this whey protein, various types of flavored whey proteins with reduced protein odor are available on the market.

The measurement was carried out for each of four subjects in a room with a room temperature of 24° C. and a humidity of 55% according to the following procedure.

First, the subject is allowed to sit quietly in a room with eyes open for 10 minutes. Next, place the whey protein in a paper cup, cover with aluminum foil, and insert a straw. Measurement of the temperature distribution in the nose was started, and 10 seconds after the start of the measurement, the whey protein was put in the mouth, held in the oral cavity, and tasted in the mouth for 30 seconds. Next, the subjects were asked to remain stationary for 60 seconds, and the measurement was completed 100 seconds after the start of measurement of the temperature distribution of the nose. For 100 seconds from the start of measurement to the end of measurement, 20 images of the region including the nose of the subject were taken with a thermography camera at intervals of 5 seconds. Next, the protein on the market was also measured by the same procedure as above.

The above procedure is performed for each of the four subjects, and the temperature changes of the four subjects are averaged and graphed using the nose region identifying device and emotion estimation method of the present embodiment. Graphs such as those shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 were obtained by plotting the average values of temperature changes for four subjects every 5 seconds for 100 seconds.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the measurement results of the temperature change of the A portion by the conventional analysis method, that is, setting only the A portion of FIG. 3 as the measurement region of the temperature change of the region including the subject's nose. In addition, FIG. 14 shows the analysis method of the present invention, that is, four regions A, B, C, and D in FIG. is a diagram showing the measurement results of the temperature change in the measurable region (any one region of A, B, C, and D).

As shown in the graph of FIG. 13, in the conventional analysis method, no clear difference was observed between drinking whey protein and drinking a commercially available protein product. On the other hand, as shown in the graph of FIG. 14, in the analysis method of the present invention, a clear difference was observed after 20 seconds from the start of measurement between drinking whey protein and drinking a commercially available protein product.

Looking at the graph in FIG. 14, it can be inferred that the subject feels uncomfortable because the skin temperature of the nose drops sharply 20 seconds after the subject takes whey protein in his mouth. On the other hand, although the skin temperature in the nose area decreased slightly 30 seconds after the subject put the commercial protein product in his mouth, the skin temperature did not change much after that, so the subject put whey protein in his mouth. It can be seen that compared to the time, he does not have unpleasant feelings.

FIG. 15 is a graph showing the evaluation results of the subject's sensory evaluation by the analysis method of the present invention in Example 2. FIG. The sensory evaluation method is also the same as in Example 1. Looking at this graph, it can be seen that when you drink whey protein, you feel uncomfortable, and when you drink commercial protein, you feel more pleasant than when you drink whey protein. there is Therefore, in Example 2 as well, it was confirmed that the emotion estimation result of the subject according to the present invention was valid.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing measurement results by a conventional analysis method in Example 2. FIG. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing measurement results by the analysis method of the present invention in Example 2. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 16, in the conventional analysis method, only the part A in FIG. 3 is set as the temperature change measurement area including the subject's nose, and the emotion of the subject is estimated based on the temperature change in the part A. are doing. As a result, as shown in the graph of FIG. 16, there was no clear difference in temperature change between the whey protein and the commercially available protein, and as a result, it was difficult to estimate the emotions of the subject.

However, as shown in FIG. 17, in the analysis method of the present invention, four regions A, B, C, and D in FIG. The emotion of the subject is estimated based on the temperature change in a measurable area (any one of A, B, C, and D). As a result, as shown in the graph of FIG. 17, a clear difference in temperature change was observed between the whey protein and the commercially available protein (after 20 seconds), and as a result, the emotion of the subject could be easily estimated.

As described above, in Examples 1 and 2, the emotion of the subject was estimated based on the sense of smell (smell) among the five senses of the subject. 11 and 12, which are the analysis results of the first embodiment, and FIGS. 16 and 17, which are the analysis results of the second embodiment. It can be seen that the

Moreover, in Examples 1 and 2, the emotion of the subject was estimated based on the sense of smell (smell) among the five senses of the subject. However, as mentioned above, when physical changes occur due to changes in emotions such as anger, fear, joy, and sadness (sometimes referred to as emotions), autonomic nerve activity causes vasoconstriction and dilation, resulting in changes in blood flow. Therefore, the present invention is considered to be able to estimate, as the five senses of the subject, emotions caused by taste, touch, sight, and auditory stimuli in addition to the sense of smell. For example, these emotions include excitement, excitement (also called dynamic pleasure), tension, stress (also called dynamic discomfort), relaxation, relaxation (also called static pleasure), depression, and depression (also called static pleasure). (also called discomfort) can be exemplified, but is not limited to this.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, in addition to simply estimating whether the subject's emotions are pleasant or unpleasant, the degree of pleasantness or unpleasantness is estimated based on the state of temperature change (magnitude of temperature change and trend over time). can also be estimated.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 nose region identifying device 110 storage unit 120 comparing unit 130 identifying unit 140 estimating unit 210 measuring unit 220 printer 230 display

Claims (12)

A nose region identification device used for estimating a subject's emotion,
a storage unit that stores the temperature distribution of the nasal region including the nasal base, nasal tip, nasal dorsum, and nasal alar of the subject in both the first state and the second state measured by the measurement unit;
a comparison unit that compares the temperature distribution of the nose region in the first state and the temperature distribution of the nose region in the second state stored in the storage unit;
From the nose region of the subject divided into four in advance, the temperature change used as an index for estimating the emotion of the subject is the region with the largest temperature change in the temperature distribution of the nose region compared by the comparison unit. a specific portion that identifies as the area of occurrence;
has
The specific part includes a first nasal region from the nasal dorsum to the nasal base, a second nasal region from the nasal tip to the nasal dorsum, a third nasal region from the right nasal alar, and a left nasal alar. A nose region identifying device that identifies a region with the greatest temperature change from the fourth nose region of the buttocks . 2. The nose region identification device according to claim 1, wherein said measurement unit is a two-dimensional temperature sensor that two-dimensionally measures the temperature distribution of said subject's nose region. The first state and the second state are respectively the non-stimulated state and the stimulated state, the stimulated state and the non-stimulated state, and the first stimulus state. 3. The nose region identification device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the state is either a state in which a is applied or a state in which a second stimulus is applied. 4. The nose region identification device according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit stores the temperature distribution of the nose region of the subject in the second state in chronological order. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the comparison unit compares the temperature distribution of the nose region of the subject in the second state stored in chronological order by the storage unit with reference to the temperature distribution in the first state. A nose region identification device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The nose region identification according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising an estimating unit, wherein the estimating unit estimates the emotion of the subject using a temperature change in the region identified by the identifying unit as an index. Device. 7. The nose region identification according to claim 6 , wherein the emotion of the subject estimated by the estimation unit is either "comfortable" feeling comfortable or "uncomfortable" feeling uncomfortable. Device. a first step of measuring the temperature distribution of the nasal region including the nasal root, nasal tip, nasal dorsum and nasal alar of the subject in the first state;
a second step of measuring temperature distribution in the nose region of the subject in a second state;
a third step of comparing the temperature distribution of the nose region of the subject measured in the first step and the second step;
a fourth step of identifying a region having the largest temperature change among the compared nose regions of the subject from the four nose regions of the subject divided in advance;
a fifth step of estimating the emotion of the subject using as an index the temperature change in the specified area with the largest temperature change;
including
In the identification of the region of the subject's nose region where the temperature change is the largest in the fourth step, the first nasal region from the nasal dorsum to the nasal base, the second nasal region from the nasal tip to the nasal dorsum , the third nasal region of the right nasal alar and the fourth nasal region of the left nasal alar to identify regions with the greatest temperature change. The first state and the second state are respectively the non-stimulated state and the stimulated state, the stimulated state and the non-stimulated state, and the first stimulus state. 9. The emotion estimation method according to claim 8 , wherein the state is either a state in which is given or a state in which a second stimulus is given. 10. The emotion estimation method according to claim 8 , wherein the temperature distribution of the subject's nose region in the first step and the second step is measured in time series. The temperature distribution of the nose region of the subject in the third step is compared with the temperature distribution of the nose region of the subject in the second state with the temperature distribution of the nose region of the subject in the first state as a reference. The emotion estimation method according to any one of claims 8 to 10 , wherein comparing 12. Any one of claims 8 to 11 , wherein the emotion of the subject estimated in the fifth step is either "comfortable" feeling comfortable or "uncomfortable" feeling uncomfortable. Emotion estimation method according to the paragraph.

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