Multisensory interface control method, multisensory interface control apparatus, and multisensory interface system

A multisensory interface control apparatus that controls a multisensory interface that includes a plurality of information transmission channels, each of which performing information transmission by utilizing at least two of a plurality of five senses, the multisensory interface control apparatus comprising:

• a user status estimation portion that estimates a user status indicating at least one of an emotional status and an attentional status of a driver who is driving a vehicle;
• a weighting setting portion that sets weightings, each of which indicates a degree of importance of a corresponding information transmission channel in accordance with the user status estimated by the user status estimation portion, wherein a degree of importance of at least one information transmission channel using an inhibitively affected sense is lowered, a degree of importance of at least one information transmission channel other than the information transmission channel using the inhibitively affected sense is raised;
• and
• a content adjustment portion that changes allocations of a plurality of sets of partial content that configure content transmitted via the multisensory interface, the allocations being changed in accordance with the weightings,
• wherein:
• the multisensory interface control apparatus is implemented in a drive assistance system for the driver;
• the at least one information transmission channel using an inhibitively affected sense performs the information transmission via a first sense of the five senses;
• and
• the at least one information transmission channel other than the information transmission channel using the inhibitively affected sense performs the information transmission via a second sense of the five senses.

A multisensory interface control apparatus that controls a multisensory interface that includes a plurality of information transmission channels, each of which performing information transmission by utilizing at least two of a plurality of five senses, the multisensory interface control apparatus comprising:

• a user status estimation portion that estimates a user status indicating an emotional status of a driver who is driving a vehicle;
• a weighting setting portion that sets weightings, each of which indicates a degree of importance of a corresponding information transmission channel in accordance with the user status estimated by the user status estimation portion, wherein a degree of importance of at least one information transmission channel using an inhibitively affected sense is lowered, a degree of importance of at least one information transmission channel other than the information transmission channel using the inhibitively affected sense is raised;
• and
• a content adjustment portion that changes allocations of a plurality of sets of partial content that configure content transmitted via the multisensory interface, the allocations being changed in accordance with the weightings,
• wherein:
• the multisensory interface control apparatus is implemented in a drive assistance system for the driver;
• the at least one information transmission channel using an inhibitively affected sense performs the information transmission via a first sense of the five senses;
• and
• the at least one information transmission channel other than the information transmission channel using the inhibitively affected sense performs the information transmission via a second sense of the five senses.