JP7482433B2 - INTEREST LEVEL ESTIMATION SYSTEM AND INTEREST LEVEL ESTIMATION METHOD - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an interest level estimation system and an interest level estimation method for estimating a child's interest level.

Various childcare-related technologies have been proposed. Patent Document 1 discloses a desk for small children that helps children develop the habit of sitting at a desk.

JP 2013-287 A

When educating young children, it is important to understand what topics they are interested in.

The present invention provides an interest level estimation system capable of estimating a child's interest level.

An interest level estimation system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an acquisition unit that acquires at least one of schedule information indicating a planned behavior of a toddler and performance information indicating the performance of the toddler's behavior, an estimation unit that estimates a first interest level of the toddler in each of a plurality of genres related to the toddler's behavior based on the acquired at least one of the information, and an output unit that outputs first interest level information indicating the estimated first interest level.

An interest level estimation method according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an acquisition step of acquiring at least one of schedule information indicating a planned behavior of a young child and performance information indicating the performance of the young child's behavior, an estimation step of estimating a first interest level of the young child in each of a plurality of genres related to the young child's behavior based on the acquired at least one of the information, and an output step of outputting first interest level information indicating the estimated first interest level.

A program according to one aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute the interest level estimation method.

The interest level estimation system of the present invention can estimate the interest level of young children.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a level of interest estimating system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a determination operation of the interest level estimation method. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the schedule information and the performance information. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the conversion parameter information. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of subjective interest level information. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a plurality of methods for estimating the second interest level. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a method for converting second interest level information into first interest level information. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an interest level estimation operation. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an image indicating first interest level information.

The following describes the embodiments in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, component placement and connection forms, steps, and order of steps shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components that are not described in an independent claim are described as optional components.

Note that each figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily a precise illustration. In addition, in each figure, the same reference numerals are used for substantially the same configurations, and duplicate explanations may be omitted or simplified.

(Embodiment)
[composition]
First, a configuration of a level of interest estimating system according to an embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the level of interest estimating system according to an embodiment.

The interest level estimation system 10 according to the embodiment is a system capable of estimating the interest level of infant A in each of a plurality of genres related to actions (in other words, behaviors) that infant A may take. The interest level is a parameter indicating how interested infant A is in that genre, or in other words, the degree of interest.

The actions here are actions that Preschooler A can take, such as going to the park, playing with blocks, drawing, studying numbers, and studying letters. A genre corresponds to a higher-level concept of an action, and can be rephrased as a field, classification, or type. In the following embodiment, a genre is a learning-related genre (in other words, a learning field) such as Japanese language, arithmetic, science, etc.

Specifically, the interest level estimation system 10 estimates the interest level of infant A for each genre based on the action plans made by infant A or infant A's guardian B and the actions actually performed by infant A. As shown in Fig. 1, the interest level estimation system 10 includes a first information terminal 20, a second information terminal 30, and a server device 40. Each of these devices will be described below.

[First information terminal]
First, the first information terminal 20 will be described. The first information terminal 20 is an information terminal used by the child A or the guardian B. The first information terminal 20 is, for example, a portable information terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal, but may also be a stationary information terminal such as a personal computer. Specifically, the first information terminal 20 includes an operation receiving unit 21, a display unit 22, a control unit 23, a storage unit 24, and a communication unit 25.

The operation reception unit 21 receives operations from Infant A or guardian B. For example, the operation reception unit 21 receives input operations of schedule information indicating the planned behavior of Infant A and performance information indicating the performance of Infant A's behavior from Infant A or guardian B. The operation reception unit 21 is realized, for example, by a touch panel, but may also be realized by a mouse and keyboard, etc.

The display unit 22 displays images. For example, the display unit 22 displays an input screen for schedule information and performance information. The display unit 22 is realized by a display panel such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) panel.

The control unit 23 performs control such as causing the communication unit 25 to transmit the schedule information and performance information input to the operation reception unit 21 to the server device 40. The control unit 23 is realized, for example, by a microcomputer, but may also be realized by a processor. The functions of the control unit 23 are realized, for example, by the microcomputer or processor constituting the control unit 23 executing a computer program stored in the memory unit 24.

The memory unit 24 is a storage device that stores computer programs executed by the control unit 23. The memory unit 24 is realized, for example, by a semiconductor memory.

The communication unit 25 is a communication module (communication circuit) that enables the first information terminal 20 to communicate with the server device 40 via a wide area communication network 70 such as the Internet. The communication unit 25 transmits, for example, schedule information and performance information to the server device 40. The communication performed by the communication unit 25 is, for example, wireless communication, but may also be wired communication. There is no particular limitation on the communication standard used for the communication.

[Second information terminal]
Next, the second information terminal 30 will be described. The second information terminal 30 is an information terminal used by a teacher C of an early childhood classroom (a school for preschool children) attended by an infant A. The second information terminal 30 is, for example, a portable information terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal, but may also be a stationary information terminal such as a personal computer. Specifically, the second information terminal 30 includes an operation receiving unit 31, a display unit 32, a control unit 33, a storage unit 34, and a communication unit 35.

The operation receiving unit 31 receives operations from teacher C. The operation receiving unit 31 receives, for example, input operations of conversion parameter information and subjective interest level information from teacher C. The conversion parameter information and subjective interest level information will be described later. The multiple operation receiving units 31 are realized, for example, by a touch panel, but may also be realized by a mouse and keyboard, etc.

The display unit 32 displays an image. The display unit 32 displays, for example, an input screen for conversion parameter information and subjective interest level information. The display unit 32 is realized, for example, by a display panel such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel.

The control unit 33 controls the communication unit 35 to transmit the conversion parameter information and the subjective interest level information input to the operation reception unit 31 to the server device 40. The control unit 33 is realized, for example, by a microcomputer, but may also be realized by a processor. The function of the control unit 33 is realized, for example, by the microcomputer or processor constituting the control unit 33 executing a computer program stored in the memory unit 34.

The memory unit 34 is a storage device that stores computer programs executed by the control unit 33. The memory unit 34 is realized, for example, by a semiconductor memory.

The communication unit 35 is a communication module (communication circuit) that enables the second information terminal 30 to communicate with the server device 40 via the wide area communication network 70. The communication unit 35 transmits, for example, conversion parameter information and subjective interest level information to the server device 40. The communication performed by the communication unit 35 is, for example, wireless communication, but may also be wired communication. There is no particular limitation on the communication standard used for the communication.

[Server device]
Next, the server device 40 will be described. The server device 40 is a cloud server that performs information processing for estimating the interest level of the child A based on the information received from the first information terminal 20 and the information received from the second information terminal 30. The server device 40 includes a communication unit 41, an information processing unit 42, and a storage unit 43.

The communication unit 41 is a communication module (communication circuit) that enables the server device 40 to communicate with the first information terminal 20 and the second information terminal 30 via the wide area communication network 70. The communication performed by the communication unit 41 is, for example, wired communication, but may also be wireless communication. There is no particular limitation on the communication standard used for the communication.

The information processing unit 42 performs information processing to estimate the interest level of infant A. The information processing unit 42 is realized, for example, by a microcomputer, but may also be realized by a processor. The information processing unit 42 has, as functional components, an acquisition unit 44, an estimation unit 45, a determination unit 46, and an output unit 47. The functions of the acquisition unit 44, the estimation unit 45, the determination unit 46, and the output unit 47 are realized, for example, by a microcomputer or a processor constituting the information processing unit 42 executing a computer program stored in the memory unit 43. The detailed functions of the acquisition unit 44, the estimation unit 45, the determination unit 46, and the output unit 47 will be described later.

The storage unit 43 is a storage device that stores the computer program executed by the information processing unit 42 and various information used to perform the above information processing. The storage unit 43 is realized, for example, by a hard disk drive (HDD).

[Decision of Estimation Method]
Next, the operation of the interest level estimation system 10 will be described. The interest level estimation system 10 first uses information about the child A to determine an interest level estimation method, and then estimates the interest level using the determined estimation method. First, the former operation of determining the interest level estimation method will be described. Fig. 2 is a flowchart of the operation of determining the interest level estimation method.

First, the communication unit 41 of the server device 40 receives schedule information indicating the planned behavior of the infant A and actual performance information indicating the actual behavior of the infant A from the first information terminal 20 (S11), and the information processing unit 42 stores the received schedule information and actual performance information in the storage unit 43 (S12). Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the schedule information and actual performance information.

First, we will explain the schedule information. In other words, schedule information is planning information, and is information that indicates the schedule (plan) of Infant A's behavior. Schedule information is information that associates the scheduled behavior with the scheduled start time and scheduled end time (i.e., the scheduled time period).

The schedule information is manually input into the first information terminal 20 by the child A or the guardian B. For example, the control unit 23 of the first information terminal 20 executes a first application program (hereinafter also referred to as the first app) dedicated to the interest level estimation system 10 to cause the display unit 22 to display an input screen for schedule information. When the input screen is displayed, the operation reception unit 21 receives, from the child A or the guardian B, a selection operation for selecting from several tens to about 50 types of behavior prepared in advance as options, as well as an input operation for the scheduled start time and the scheduled end time of the selected behavior. The schedule information thus input is transmitted to the server device 40 by the communication unit 25.

Next, we will explain the performance information. Performance information is information that indicates how Infant A actually behaved. Performance information is information that associates an actual behavior with the start time and end time of that behavior.

The performance information is manually input into the first information terminal 20 by the child A or the guardian B. For example, the control unit 23 of the first information terminal 20 executes the first app to cause the display unit 22 to display an input screen for performance information. When the input screen is displayed, the operation reception unit 21 receives, from the child A or the guardian B, a selection operation for selecting from several tens to about 50 types of behavior prepared in advance as options, as well as an input operation for the start time and end time of the selected behavior. The performance information input in this manner is transmitted to the server device 40 by the communication unit 25.

In addition, the storage unit 43 of the server device 40 stores (accumulates) the schedule information and performance information for a predetermined period, and the interest level of the child A is estimated based on the schedule information and performance information for the predetermined period. The predetermined period is, for example, one month, but may also be one week, and is not particularly limited.

After step S12, the communication unit 41 of the server device 40 receives the conversion parameter information and the subjective interest level information from the second information terminal 30 (S13), and the information processing unit 42 stores the received conversion parameter information and the subjective interest level information in the storage unit 43 (S14). First, the conversion parameter information will be described. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the conversion parameter information.

As described below, the interest level estimation system 10 estimates the second interest level of the child A in each of the plurality of behaviors (i.e., the interest level for each behavior), and then converts the second interest level into the first interest level of the child A in each of the plurality of genres (i.e., the interest level for each genre). The conversion parameter information is information used for this conversion.

For example, if the second interest level of the infant A in the action of drawing is E, based on the conversion parameter information of FIG. 4, the first interest level of Japanese language is E×4, the first interest level of arithmetic is E×1, the first interest level of science is E×2, and the first interest level of social studies is E×3. That is, the second interest level is converted to the first interest level. The conversion parameter information can be said to be information (e.g., table information) indicating coefficients (parameters) for converting the second interest level to the first interest level for each of the above-mentioned several tens to 50 types of actions (multiple actions prepared as options). The conversion parameter information is, in other words, information indicating the degree to which a certain action applies to each of multiple genres.

Such conversion parameter information is manually input into the second information terminal 30 by teacher C. In other words, the relationship between the behavior and genre indicated by the conversion parameter information is based on teacher C's subjective evaluation. For example, the control unit 33 of the second information terminal 30 executes a second application program (hereinafter also referred to as the second app) dedicated to the interest level estimation system 10 to cause the display unit 32 to display an input screen for conversion parameter information. When the input screen is displayed, the operation reception unit 31 receives an input operation for conversion parameter information (in the example of FIG. 4, the numbers 1 to 5 in the table) from teacher C. The conversion parameter information thus input is transmitted to the server device 40 by the communication unit 35.

The conversion parameter information described above is input by teacher C, and reflects the characteristics of the preschool classroom (the school to which teacher C belongs) attended by child A, as well as the content of lessons at that preschool. In other words, the conversion parameter information is different for each preschool classroom.

Next, the subjective interest level information will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of subjective interest level information. The subjective interest level information is information indicating the level of interest of infant A in each of a number of genres based on the subjective evaluation of teacher C (an example of a specific user). In other words, the subjective interest level information is information indicating the level of interest of infant A in each of a number of genres, as teacher C, who is in contact with infant A in the classroom, believes.

For simplicity of explanation, the multiple genres are assumed to be four: Japanese language, mathematics, science, and social studies, but there may be three or less, or five or more. The multiple genres may also be genres that are viewed from a different perspective than the learning field (study subject), such as right brain and left brain. In the subjective interest level information shown in Figure 5, the interest levels are normalized so that the sum of the interest levels for each genre is 1.

Such subjective interest level information is manually input into the second information terminal 30 by teacher C. For example, the control unit 33 of the second information terminal 30 executes the second app to cause the display unit 32 to display an input screen for subjective interest level information. When the input screen is displayed, the operation receiving unit 31 receives an input operation for the subjective interest level information (child A's interest level in multiple genres) from teacher C. The subjective interest level information input in this manner is transmitted to the server device 40 by the communication unit 35.

After step S14, the acquisition unit 44 of the server device 40 acquires the schedule information and performance information for a predetermined period (e.g., one month) from the storage unit 43 (S15), and the estimation unit 45 estimates the second interest level of the child A for each of the multiple behaviors based on the acquired schedule information and performance information by multiple methods (S16). Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of the multiple methods.

The multiple methods (Methods 1 to 4) shown in Figure 6 differ from each other in the way they process (aggregate) the planned information and actual information. Method 1 shown in Figure 6 places emphasis on the time when an action was planned and the time when the action was actually performed, and determines the second interest level as the sum of the planned time score based on the time when the action was planned and the execution time score based on the time when the action was actually performed.

The estimation unit 45, for example, tally (sums up) how long each of a plurality of actions was scheduled (planned) for a month based on the schedule information, and calculates a scheduled time score for each of the plurality of actions such that the longer the scheduled time for each action, the higher the scheduled time score. Similarly, the estimation unit 45, for example, tally (sums up) how long each of a plurality of actions was performed for a month based on the performance information, and calculates an execution time score for each of the plurality of actions such that the longer the time for which each action was performed, the higher the execution time score.

The second interest level of infant A in a certain behavior is the sum of the planned time score for that behavior and the execution time score for that behavior. The estimation unit 45 calculates (estimates) the sum of the planned time score for that behavior and the execution time score for that behavior as the second interest level for each of the multiple behaviors, and generates second interest level information F1 indicating infant A's second interest level in each of the multiple behaviors. Note that the higher the second interest level score, the higher the interest.

Method 2 shown in Figure 6 places emphasis on the number of times an action was planned and the number of times an action was actually performed, and determines the second interest level as the sum of the planned number of times score, which is based on the number of times an action was planned, and the performed number of times score, which is based on the number of times an action was actually performed.

The estimation unit 45, for example, tally (sums up) how many times each of a plurality of actions was scheduled (planned) during a month based on the schedule information, and calculates a scheduled frequency score for each of the plurality of actions that is greater the more times the action was scheduled. Similarly, the estimation unit 45, for example, tally (sums up) how many times each of a plurality of actions was performed during a month based on the performance information, and calculates an execution frequency score for each of the plurality of actions that is greater the more times the action was performed.

The second interest level of infant A in a certain behavior is the sum of the planned number of times score for that behavior and the number of times it is performed for that behavior. The estimation unit 45 calculates (estimates) the sum of the planned number of times score for that behavior and the number of times it is performed for that behavior for each of the multiple behaviors as the second interest level, and generates second interest level information F2 indicating infant A's second interest level in each of the multiple behaviors. Note that in this case as well, the higher the score of the second interest level, the higher the interest.

Method 3 shown in FIG. 6 is a combination of methods 1 and 2, and is a method in which the second interest level is the sum of the planned time score, execution time score, planned number of times score, and execution number of times score. In other words, the second interest level of child A in a certain behavior is the sum of the planned time score for that behavior, the execution time score for that behavior, the planned number of times score for that behavior, and the execution number of times score for that behavior. The estimation unit 45 calculates (estimates) the sum of the planned time score for that behavior, the execution time score for that behavior, the planned number of times score for that behavior, and the execution number of times score for that behavior as the second interest level for each of the multiple behaviors, and generates second interest level information F3 indicating the second interest level of child A in each of the multiple behaviors. In this case, too, the higher the score of the second interest level, the higher the interest level.

Method 4 shown in Figure 6 is a method that places importance on the order in which actions were scheduled and the order in which actions were actually performed, and determines the second interest level as the sum of the scheduled order score based on the order in which actions were scheduled and the execution order score based on the order in which actions were actually performed. In other words, child A's second interest level in a certain action is the sum of the scheduled order score for that action and the execution order score for that action.

The estimation unit 45, for example, determines in what order each of the multiple actions was scheduled (planned) on each date during a month based on the schedule information. The estimation unit 45 calculates a schedule order score for each of the multiple actions for each date such that the earlier (or later) the action is planned, the higher the schedule order score is, and calculates the schedule order score by summing the schedule order scores for each date for one month. Similarly, the estimation unit 45 determines in what order each of the multiple actions was performed on each date during a month based on, for example, performance information. The estimation unit 45 calculates an execution order score for each of the multiple actions for each date such that the earlier (or later) the action is performed, the higher the schedule order score is, and calculates the schedule order score by summing the execution order scores for each date for one month. The estimation unit 45 calculates (estimates) the sum of the schedule order score for each of the multiple actions and the execution order score for the action as the second interest level for each of the multiple actions, and generates second interest level information F4 indicating the second interest level of the child A for each of the multiple actions. Note that the higher the second interest level score, the higher the interest.

After step S16, the acquisition unit 44 acquires conversion parameter information from the storage unit 43 (S17), and the estimation unit 45 converts each of the second interest level information F1 to F4 into first interest level information based on the acquired conversion parameter information (S18). Figure 7 is a diagram for explaining a method of converting the second interest level information into the first interest level information.

The estimation unit 45 multiplies each value (i.e., second interest level) in the second interest level column of the second interest level information in FIG. 7(a) by each value (coefficient) in the "Japanese language" column of the conversion parameter information in FIG. 7(b), and sums the multiplied values to calculate the first interest level in "Japanese language". Similarly, the estimation unit 45 calculates the first interest level in each of "arithmetic", "science", and "social studies", and normalizes the calculated first interest levels. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7(c), first interest level information indicating the first interest level of the child A in each of the multiple genres is obtained. In other words, the estimation unit 45 can convert the second interest level information (second interest level) into first interest level information (first interest level).

In step S18, the estimation unit 45 obtains four pieces of first interest level information from the four pieces of second interest level information F1 to F4 calculated by the above four methods. Here, the acquisition unit 44 acquires the subjective interest level information from the storage unit 43 (S19), and the determination unit 46 compares each of the four pieces of first interest level information with the subjective interest level information to determine the first interest level information that is closest to the subjective interest level information among the four pieces of first interest level information (S20). The first interest level information that is closest to the subjective interest level information is determined, for example, based on the Euclidean distance between each of the four pieces of first interest level information and the subjective interest level information, but may be determined by other existing methods.

Then, the estimation unit 45 determines, as the estimation method, the method that was used to obtain the first interest level information determined in step S19 from among methods 1 to 4 (S21). In other words, the determination unit 46 determines, as the estimation method, the method that obtains the result closest to the subjective interest level information obtained in step S19 (the subjective evaluation result of teacher C) from among methods 1 to 4. Thereafter, the interest level is estimated using this determined estimation method.

[Estimated Action]
The estimation operation for estimating the interest level of an infant using the estimation method determined as above will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the interest level estimation operation. This estimation operation is used not only to estimate the interest level of infant A, but also to estimate the interest level of another infant D attending the infant classroom to which teacher C belongs. In the following description of the estimation operation, the estimation operation of the interest level of infant D will be described. In the following description of the estimation operation, the first information terminal 20 will be described as an information terminal used by infant D or infant D's guardian.

First, the communication unit 41 of the server device 40 receives schedule information indicating the planned behavior of infant D and performance information indicating the actual behavior of infant D from the first information terminal 20 (S31), and the information processing unit 42 stores the received schedule information and performance information in the memory unit 43 (S32).

Next, the acquisition unit 44 of the server device 40 acquires schedule information and performance information of infant D for a predetermined period (e.g., one month) from the memory unit 43 (S33), and the estimation unit 45 estimates infant D's second interest level (second interest level information) for each of the multiple behaviors based on the acquired schedule information and performance information using a method (any of methods 1 to 4) determined in the estimation method determination operation (S34).

Next, the acquisition unit 44 acquires the conversion parameter information from the storage unit 43 (S35), and the estimation unit 45 converts the second interest level information obtained in step S34 into first interest level information based on the acquired conversion parameter information (S36). That is, the estimation unit 45 estimates the first interest level of the child D in each of the multiple genres based on the estimated second interest level and the acquired conversion parameter information.

The output unit 47 outputs the first interest level information obtained in step S36 (S37), and causes the communication unit 41 to transmit the output first interest level information to the second information terminal 30 (S38). The communication unit 35 of the second information terminal 30 receives the first interest level information, and the control unit 33 causes the display unit 32 to display an image showing the received first interest level information. Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of an image showing the first interest level information.

In this way, if the interest level of infant D in each genre (field of study) is displayed on the display unit 32, teacher C can grasp infant D's interest level and use it to guide infant D. In other words, the interest level estimation system 10 can assist teacher C in grasping infant D's interest level by providing the interest level in genres. Teacher C who is provided with the interest level in genres that correspond to the higher-level concept of behavior can more easily set educational guidelines for infant D than when provided with the interest level in behavior. For example, comparing a case where teacher C is provided with information that infant D is interested in playing with blocks with a case where teacher C is provided with information that infant D is interested in arithmetic, teacher C finds it easier to set educational guidelines (such as what kind of teaching materials to prepare) in the latter case.

In addition, in step S38, the communication unit 41 may transmit the first interest level information to the first information terminal 20 instead of or in addition to the second information terminal 30. In this case, the communication unit 25 of the first information terminal 20 receives the first interest level information, and the control unit 23 causes the display unit 22 to display an image indicating the received first interest level information.

In this way, if the degree of interest of the infant D in each genre (field of study) is displayed on the display unit 22, the guardian of the infant D can grasp the degree of interest of the infant D. In other words, the interest degree estimation system 10 can support the guardian in grasping the degree of interest of the infant D by providing the degree of interest in genres. A guardian who is provided with the degree of interest in genres corresponding to the superordinate concept of behavior can more easily set educational guidelines for the infant D than when the guardian is provided with the degree of interest in behavior. For example, comparing a case where the guardian is provided with information that the infant D is interested in playing with blocks with a case where the guardian is provided with information that the infant D is interested in arithmetic, the guardian can more easily set educational guidelines (such as what kind of teaching materials should be prepared) in the latter case.

[Modification]
In the above embodiment, the acquisition unit 44 acquires both the schedule information and the performance information, but it is sufficient for the acquisition unit 44 to acquire at least one of the schedule information and the performance information. In other words, in the above embodiment, where it is described that both the schedule information and the performance information are used, only one of the schedule information and the performance information may be used.

For example, in the determination operation of the estimation method described above, the second interest level was estimated in a plurality of ways (note that since the second interest level is converted into the first interest level, it can also be said that the first interest level is estimated in a plurality of ways). The plurality of ways included method 1 (first method) of estimating the second interest level (first interest level) using the planned time of each of the plurality of actions and the execution time of each of the plurality of actions. When at least one of planned information and actual information is acquired, method 1 can be said to be a method of estimating the second interest level (first interest level) using at least one of the planned time of each of the plurality of actions and the execution time of each of the plurality of actions, which are determined based on at least one of the acquired information.

Similarly, in the determination operation of the estimation method described above, the multiple methods included method 2 (second method) of estimating the second interest level (first interest level) using the planned number of times each of the multiple actions is performed and the number of times each of the multiple actions is performed. When at least one of planned information and actual information is acquired, method 2 can be said to be a method of estimating the second interest level (first interest level) using at least one of the planned number of times each of the multiple actions is performed and the number of times each of the multiple actions is performed, which is determined based on at least one of the acquired information.

In addition, in the above embodiment, methods 1 to 4 are exemplified as methods for estimating the second interest level (first interest level), but the estimation unit 45 may estimate the second interest level (first interest level) using a method other than these. For example, the estimation unit 45 may estimate the second interest level (first interest level) using another method that combines two or more of the time, the number of times, and the order.

In the above embodiment, the acquisition unit 44 acquires performance information manually input by the child or the guardian to the first information terminal 20, but the acquisition unit 44 may acquire performance information generated based on sensing by a sensor. For example, the information processing unit 42 of the server device may generate performance information indicating the child's behavior during the time period when the image was captured based on an image captured by a camera (image sensor), and the acquisition unit 44 may acquire the generated performance information.

[Effects, etc.]
As described above, the interest level estimation system 10 includes an acquisition unit 44 that acquires at least one of schedule information indicating the planned behavior of infant A and performance information indicating the performance of infant A's behavior, an estimation unit 45 that estimates infant A's first interest level in each of a plurality of genres related to infant A's behavior based on the acquired at least one of the information, and an output unit 47 that outputs first interest level information indicating the estimated first interest level.

Such an interest level estimation system 10 can estimate infant A's first interest level in each of multiple genres related to infant A's behavior.

For example, the estimation unit 45 estimates the second interest level of the infant A for each of the multiple behaviors based on at least one of the acquired information. The acquisition unit 44 further acquires conversion parameter information for converting the second interest level into the first interest level. The estimation unit 45 estimates the first interest level based on the estimated second interest level and the acquired conversion parameter information. The conversion parameter information is an example of information for conversion.

Such an interest level estimation system 10 can estimate infant A's first interest level in each of a plurality of genres based on infant A's second interest level in each of a plurality of behaviors.

Also, for example, the estimation unit 45 estimates the first interest level using a plurality of methods that differ in how at least one of the acquired information is processed. The acquisition unit 44 further acquires subjective interest level information indicating the child's interest level in each of a plurality of genres based on a subjective evaluation of a specific user. The interest level estimation system 10 further includes a determination unit 46 that determines, from among the plurality of methods, a method that produces a result closest to the acquired subjective interest level information. The estimation unit 45 estimates the first interest level by processing at least one of the information using the determined method.

Such an interest level estimation system 10 can estimate the first interest level of infant A using a method that obtains results close to the subjective evaluation results of a specific user.

In addition, for example, the multiple methods include a first method of estimating the first level of interest using at least one of the planned time for each of the multiple actions and the execution time for each of the multiple actions, which are determined based on at least one of the acquired information, and a second method of estimating the first level of interest using at least one of the planned number of times for each of the multiple actions and the execution number of times for each of the multiple actions, which are determined based on at least one of the acquired information.

Such an interest level estimation system 10 can determine (select) a method that will produce results that are closer to the subjective evaluation results of a particular user from among a first method that emphasizes the time when an action is planned or actually performed, and a second method that emphasizes the number of times an action is planned or actually performed.

For example, the specific user is teacher C of the early childhood classroom attended by child A, and the genre indicates the field of study.

Such an interest level estimation system 10 can estimate child A's first level of interest in each of multiple learning areas using a method that obtains results close to teacher C's subjective evaluation results.

Also, for example, at least one of the pieces of information is input to the first information terminal 20 by infant A or infant A's guardian B. The acquisition unit 44 acquires at least one of the pieces of information input to the first information terminal 20.

Such an interest level estimation system 10 can estimate the first interest level of infant A based on at least one of the information input by infant A or infant A's guardian B.

Also, for example, the subjective interest level information is input to the second information terminal 30 by a specific user. The acquisition unit 44 acquires the subjective interest level information input to the second information terminal 30.

Such an interest level estimation system 10 can determine a method that will produce results close to the subjective evaluation results of a particular user based on the subjective interest level information input by the particular user.

Also, for example, the conversion parameter information is input to the second information terminal 30 by a specific user. The acquisition unit 44 acquires the conversion parameter information input to the second information terminal 30.

Such an interest level estimation system 10 can estimate the first interest level of infant A based on the conversion parameter information input by a specific user.

In addition, the interest level estimation method executed by a computer such as the interest level estimation system 10 includes an acquisition step S33 of acquiring at least one of schedule information indicating the planned behavior of infant A and performance information indicating the performance of infant A's behavior, an estimation step S36 of estimating infant A's first interest level in each of a plurality of genres related to infant A's behavior based on the acquired at least one of the information, and an output step S37 of outputting first interest level information indicating the estimated first interest level.

Such an interest level estimation method can estimate infant A's first level of interest in each of multiple genres related to infant A's behavior.

(Other embodiments)
Although the embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

For example, in the above embodiment, the specific user is described as a teacher in an early childhood classroom, but the specific user may be a childcare worker (an employee of a nursery school or kindergarten), etc. Also, in the above embodiment, the genre is described as a learning field, but the genre may be an action field or a work field, etc.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the interest level estimation system is realized by multiple devices, but it may be realized as a single device. For example, the interest level estimation system may be realized as a single device corresponding to a server device. When the interest level estimation system is realized by multiple devices, the components of the interest level estimation system may be distributed in any manner among the multiple devices.

In addition, the method of communication between the devices in the above embodiment is not particularly limited. In addition, a relay device (not shown) may be involved in the communication between the devices.

In addition, in the above-described embodiments, the processing performed by a specific processing unit may be executed by another processing unit. For example, in the above-described embodiments, some or all of the processing performed by the server device may be executed by the first information terminal or the second information terminal. In addition, the order of multiple processes may be changed, or multiple processes may be executed in parallel.

In the above embodiment, each component may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory.

Each component may also be realized by hardware. For example, each component may be a circuit (or integrated circuit). These circuits may form a single circuit as a whole, or each may be a separate circuit. Each of these circuits may also be a general-purpose circuit, or a dedicated circuit.

In addition, the general or specific aspects of the present invention may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM. Also, the present invention may be realized as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

For example, the present invention may be realized as an interest level estimation method executed by a computer such as an interest level estimation system, or as a program for causing a computer to execute such an interest level estimation method. The present invention may also be realized as an application program (i.e., a first app or a second app) for operating a general-purpose computer as the first information terminal or the second information terminal of the above-mentioned embodiment. The present invention may also be realized as a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium on which these programs are recorded.

In addition, the present invention also includes forms obtained by applying various modifications to each embodiment that may occur to a person skilled in the art, or forms realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions of each embodiment without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Interest level estimation system 20 First information terminal 30 Second information terminal 44 Acquisition unit 45 Estimation unit 46 Determination unit 47 Output unit A, D Infant B Parent C Teacher

Claims (9)

An interest level estimation system,
An acquisition unit that acquires at least one of schedule information indicating a schedule of an infant's behavior and performance information indicating the performance of the infant's behavior ;
an estimation unit that estimates the first interest level of the infant in each of a plurality of genres related to the infant's behavior using a plurality of different methods for processing the at least one of the acquired information ;
The acquisition unit further acquires subjective interest level information indicating a level of interest of the child in each of the plurality of genres based on a subjective evaluation of a specific user,
the interest level estimating system includes a determination unit that determines, from among the plurality of methods, a method that produces a result closest to the acquired subjective interest level information;
the estimation unit estimates the first interest level by processing the at least one piece of information using the determined method;
The degree of interest estimating system includes an output unit that outputs first degree of interest information indicating the first degree of interest estimated using a determined method . the estimation unit estimates a second interest level of the infant in each of a plurality of behaviors by processing the at least one piece of information using the determined method ;
The acquisition unit further acquires conversion information for converting the second interest level into the first interest level,
The degree of interest estimating system according to claim 1 , wherein the estimation unit estimates the first degree of interest based on the estimated second degree of interest and the acquired conversion information. The multiple methods include:
a first method of estimating the first interest level using at least one of a scheduled time of each of the plurality of behaviors and an execution time of each of the plurality of behaviors, the scheduled time being determined based on the at least one piece of acquired information;
The interest level estimation system of claim 1 or 2, further comprising a second method of estimating the first interest level using at least one of the planned number of times of the plurality of behaviors and the number of times the plurality of behaviors have been performed, the second method being determined based on at least one of the acquired information. the specific user is a teacher at an early childhood classroom that the child attends,
The interest level estimating system according to claim 1 , wherein the genre indicates a field of study. the at least one piece of information is input into a first information terminal by the child or a guardian of the child;
The interest level estimating system according to claim 1 , wherein the acquisition unit acquires the at least one piece of information input to the first information terminal. the subjective interest level information is input to a second information terminal by the specific user;
The degree of interest estimating system according to claim 1 , wherein the acquisition unit acquires the subjective interest level information input to the second information terminal. the conversion information is input to a second information terminal by a specific user,
The interest level estimating system according to claim 2 , wherein the acquisition unit acquires the conversion information input to the second information terminal. An interest level estimation method executed by an interest level estimation system,
An acquisition step of acquiring at least one of schedule information indicating a schedule of an infant's behavior and performance information indicating a performance of the infant's behavior ;
A step of estimating the first interest level of the infant in each of a plurality of genres related to the behavior of the infant using a plurality of methods that process the at least one of the acquired information in different ways ;
acquiring subjective interest level information indicating the child's interest level in each of the plurality of genres based on a subjective evaluation of a specific user;
the interest level estimating system includes a step of determining, from among the plurality of methods, a method that produces a result closest to the acquired subjective interest level information;
an estimation step of estimating the first interest level by processing the at least one piece of information using the determined method;
and outputting first interest level information indicating the first interest level estimated using the determined method . A program for causing the degree of interest estimating system to execute the degree of interest estimating method according to claim 8 .

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