US 11,798,552 B2
Agent device, agent control method, and program
Hiroshi Sugihara, Wako (JP); Atsushi Sekiguchi, Wako (JP); Yuki Matsuura, Wako (JP); Eisuke Soma, Wako (JP); Wataru Endo, Wako (JP); Ryosuke Tanaka, Wako (JP); and Toshikatsu Kuramochi, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD., Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 17/281,275
Filed by HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD., Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed Oct. 5, 2018, PCT No. PCT/JP2018/037392
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 30, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/070878, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 9, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0005470 A1, Jan. 6, 2022
Int. Cl. G10L 15/22 (2006.01); B60R 11/02 (2006.01); B60R 16/037 (2006.01); H04R 1/40 (2006.01)
CPC G10L 15/22 (2013.01) [B60R 11/0217 (2013.01); B60R 11/0247 (2013.01); B60R 16/0373 (2013.01); H04R 1/406 (2013.01); H04R 2499/13 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An agent device comprising:
a microphone configured to collect a speech sound inside a vehicle cabin;
a speaker configured to output a speech sound inside the vehicle cabin;
a plurality of agent function elements having different functions;
a master agent function element configured to switch a main agent that has a dialogue with an occupant of the vehicle on the basis of the meaning of the speech sound collected by the microphone; and
a storage configured to store function information related to a function capable of being executed by each of the plurality of agent function elements,
wherein the master agent function element switches the agent function element to an agent function element capable of executing a function corresponding to the meaning of the speech sound with reference to the function information on the basis of the meaning of the speech sound collected by the microphone,
wherein each of the plurality of agent function elements generates a speech sound of an agent that speaks to an occupant of a vehicle on the basis of the meaning of the speech sound collected by the microphone and causes the speaker to output the generated speech sound of the agent,
wherein the agent function element serving as the main agent that has a dialogue with the occupant is switched through switching control of the master agent function element,
wherein a plurality of microphones are provided inside the vehicle cabin,
wherein one of inputs of the plurality of microphones is assigned to the master agent function element,
wherein a microphone assigned to the master agent function element has higher performance than other microphones, and
wherein the master agent function element inputs a speech sound from the assigned microphone all the time, and even when the occupant and the agent function element are in a dialogue, the switching control to switch the main agent that has a dialogue with the occupant is continued.