Device and method to acquire timing of blink motion performed by a dialogue device

Inventors

NAKANO, Tamami

Assignees

Japan Science and Technology Agency

Abstract

A processing device includes a memory configured to store executable instructions, and processing circuitry configured to execute the executable instructions stored in the memory to thereby realize: a first acquisition unit configured to acquire timing of blink motion performed by a dialogue device, a second acquisition unit configured to acquire blink timing by user performing a dialogue with the dialogue device, and a processing unit configured to perform processing according to difference between the timing of blink motion performed by the dialogue device and the blink timing by the user.

Core Innovation

The invention relates to a dialogue system in which blink motion is used as timing information for controlling dialogue. A processing device acquires a timing of a blink motion performed by a dialogue device, where the timing is data stored in memory that controls the timing of the blink motion performed by the dialogue device. The processing device also acquires a blink timing by a user performing a dialogue with the dialogue device, where the blink timing is data related to times when the user blinks, detected using image data generated by an imaging unit and arranged in time order.

A processing unit performs data processing according to a difference between the timing of the blink motion performed by the dialogue device and the blink timing by the user. The difference is used to determine evaluation values or indexes, including schemes such as surrogate data or random data comparison and a Z-score, and in multi-user settings to quantify a synchronization degree of blink timings across users. The processing unit further performs dialogue data processing according to the evaluation, to maintain or change dialogue content depending on the result.

Further embodiments adapt the blink timing using learning data that relates peripheral environment information to user blink timing, and associate blink timing information with storage control. Multi-user evaluation outputs include position/location information and generate position-based evaluation output, including interest mapping based on blink synchronization and corresponding video identification information. Server/terminal system architectures are described to support the dialogue data processing based on the quantified blink-timing relationships.

Claims Coverage

The independent claims cover a processing device, a processing method, and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, each centered on acquisition and comparison of blink timings and causing dialogue content change based on a difference. The core inventive features are acquisition of blink-motion timing from a dialogue device, acquisition of user blink timing from image data in time order, and dialogue data processing that changes dialogue content according to the timing difference.

Across independent claim sets, the invention centers on acquiring a dialogue device’s blink-motion timing and a user’s blink timing from image data arranged in time order, computing a difference between the timings, and using that difference to perform dialogue data processing that changes dialogue content accordingly.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications