IP Library Granted Patent US 11,037,532
Granted Patent B2
US 11,037,532 · App. 16/072,429 · Granted Jun 15, 2021

Information processing apparatus and information processing method

Inventors: Ryo Fukazawa (Kanagawa, JP); Tomohisa Tanaka (Tokyo, JP); Tsubasa Tsukahara (Tokyo, JP); Akane Yano (Tokyo, JP); Kenji Sugihara (Kanagawa, JP)
Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
G09G5/38G02B27/0172G06F3/0481G06F3/14G06F3/147G06F3/16G09G5/00G09G5/36H04N5/64G02B2027/014G02B2027/0178G06F3/04817G06F3/04842G09G5/02G09G5/373G09G2354/00
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,037,532
App. No.
16/072,429
Granted
Jun 15, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes a determination unit configured to determine an output explicitness level of notification information to a user, and an output control unit configured to perform control such that the notification information is output in an output mode according to the determined output explicitness level. The output control unit performs control such that the notification information is output in a display mode of assimilating the notification information into a display environment in accordance with the output explicitness level.

Claims (57)

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor configured to:

determine whether a degree of importance of notification information falls below a first threshold or exceeds the first threshold;

determine a degree of urgency of the notification information exceeds a second threshold;

set, based on the determination that the degree of importance of the notification information falls below the first threshold and the determination that the degree of urgency of the notification information exceeds the second threshold, an output mode of a see-through display to an assimilating output mode;

set, based on the determination that the degree of importance of the notification information exceeds the first threshold, the output mode to an explicit output mode;

control, in a case where the output mode is set to the assimilating output mode, the see-through display to assimilate an augmented reality object corresponding to the notification information into a real space; and

control, in a case where the output mode is set to the explicit output mode, the see-through display to display a notification image different from the augmented reality object,

wherein the notification image includes at least one of a dialog image, an annotation image, a text image, or an icon image each corresponding to the notification information.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control a glasses-type wearable display as the see-through display.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to position the augmented reality object in accordance with a position of a real object seen via the see-through display.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to:

determine whether the degree of importance exceeds the first threshold and the degree of urgency of the notification information falls below the second threshold; and

based on the determination that the degree of importance exceeds the first threshold and the degree of urgency falls below the second threshold, set the output mode to the explicit output mode to display the notification image on a plane of the real space.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the augmented reality object, which is assimilated in accordance with the assimilating output mode, is an object that does not indicate the notification information directly, and

the at least one processor is further configured to:

determine whether a user of the see-through display interacts with the augmented reality object; and

based on the determination that the user of the see-through display interacts with the augmented reality object, control the see-through display to display an image indicating the notification information directly instead of the augmented reality object.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the augmented reality object, which is assimilated in accordance with the assimilating output mode, is an object having an appearance corresponding to a first real object associated with a category of the notification information, and

the at least one processor is further configured to arrange the augmented reality object on a second real object associated with the first real object.

7. An information processing method, comprising:

determining whether a degree of importance of notification information falls below a first threshold or exceeds the first threshold;

determining a degree of urgency of the notification information exceeds a second threshold;

setting, based on the determination that the degree of importance of the notification information falls below the first threshold and the determination that the degree of urgency of the notification information exceeds the second threshold, an output mode of a see-through display to an assimilating output mode;

setting, based on the determination that the degree of importance of the notification information exceeds the first threshold, the output mode to an explicit output mode;

controlling, in a case where the output mode is set to the assimilating output mode, the see- through display to assimilate an augmented reality object corresponding to the notification information into a real space; and controlling, in a case where the output mode is set to the explicit output mode, the see-through display to display a notification image different from the augmented reality object,

wherein the notification image includes at least one of a dialog image, an annotation image, a text image, or an icon image each corresponding to the notification information.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon, computer-executable instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to execute operations, the operations comprising:

determining whether a degree of importance of notification information falls below a first threshold or exceeds the first threshold;

determining a degree of urgency of the notification information exceeds a second threshold;

setting, based on the determination that the degree of importance of the notification information falls below the first threshold and the determination that the degree of urgency of the notification information exceeds the second threshold, an output mode of a see-through display to an assimilating output mode;

setting, based on the determination that the degree of importance of the notification information exceeds the first threshold, the output mode to an explicit output mode;

controlling, in a case where the output mode is set to the assimilating output mode, the see- through display to assimilate an augmented reality object corresponding to the notification information into a real space; and

controlling, in a case where the output mode is set to the explicit output mode, the see-through display to display a notification image different from the augmented reality object,

wherein the notification image includes at least one of a dialog image, an annotation image, a text image, or an icon image each corresponding to the notification information.

9. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor configured to:

determine an output explicitness level of notification information to a user based on a degree of importance and a degree of urgency of the notification information;

control output of the notification information in an output mode according to the determined output explicitness level;

control the output of the notification information in a display mode in which the notification information is assimilated into a display environment in accordance with the output explicitness level;

convert the output mode of the notification information in accordance with the output explicitness level;

control the output of the notification information to a transmissive display of a glasses- type wearable terminal; and

in a case where the degree of importance exceeds a first threshold and the degree of urgency exceeds a second threshold:

control the transmissive display to hide a displayed image of a running application; and

convert the output mode into an explicit output mode to notify the notification information by sound.

10. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor configured to:

determine whether a degree of importance of notification information falls below a first threshold or exceeds the first threshold;

determine a degree of urgency of the notification information exceeds a second threshold;

set, based on the determination that the degree of importance of the notification information falls below the first threshold, an output mode of an output device to an assimilating output mode,

wherein the output device includes a see-through display and a microphone;

set, based on the determination that the degree of importance of the notification information exceeds the first threshold and the determination that the degree of urgency of the notification information exceeds the second threshold, the output mode to an explicit output mode to notify the notification information by sound;

control, in a case where the output mode is set to the assimilating output mode, the see-through display to assimilate an augmented reality object corresponding to the notification information into a real space; and

control, in a case where the output mode is set to the explicit output mode, the microphone to notify the notification information by the sound.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the see-through display to hide the augmented reality object, based on the determination that the degree of importance exceeds the first threshold and the determination that the degree of urgency exceeds the second threshold.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Dec 17, 2025
From: SONY CORPORATION
To: SONY GROUP CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 073986/0571 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 24, 2018
From: FUKAZAWA, RYO; TANAKA, TOMOHISA; TSUKAHARA, TSUBASA; YANO, AKANE; SUGIHARA, KENJI
To: SONY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 046446/0190 →