# US 12,002,487 B2 · Information processing apparatus and information processing method for selecting a character response to a user based on emotion and intimacy > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,002,487 B2 - Document ID: US12002487B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/430,755 - Filed: 2019-02-22 - Published: 2022-05-26 - Granted: 2024-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2019-02-22 - Assignees: Sony Group Corporation - Applicants: Sony Group Corporation - Inventors: Hideo Nagasaka - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12002487B2 ## CPC - G10L 25/63: for estimating an emotional state - G06T 7/20: Analysis of motion (motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51) - G06T 13/40: of characters, e.g. humans, animals or virtual beings - G10L 15/26: Speech to text systems (G10L15/08 takes precedence) - G10L 13/00: Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems - G10L 13/033: Voice editing, e.g. manipulating the voice of the synthesiser - G10L 15/1815: {Semantic context, e.g. disambiguation of the recognition hypotheses based on word meaning} - G10L 21/06: Transformation of speech into a non-audible representation, e.g. speech visualisation or speech processing for tactile aids (G10L15/26 takes precedence) - G10L 21/10: Transforming into visible information - G10L: SPEECH ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES OR SPEECH SYNTHESIS; SPEECH RECOGNITION; SPEECH OR VOICE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES; SPEECH OR AUDIO CODING OR DECODING - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL ## Abstract Provided are an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program that make it possible to assign more natural motions reflecting the emotions of a character. [Solving Means] The information processing apparatus includes a control unit configured to perform the processing of: determining an emotion on the basis of a result of utterance sentence analysis performed on an utterance sentence of a character included in a scenario; selecting, depending on a content of the utterance sentence and the emotion determined, a motion of the character that is synchronized with the utterance sentence; adjusting a character movement speed based on the selected motion and an intimacy between the character and a user; and adding, to the scenario, a description for adjusting presentation of the selected motion to match a voice output timing of the utterance sentence. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An information processing apparatus, comprising: circuitry configured to: determine, based on a result of analysis of a first utterance sentence of a plurality of utterance sentences, a first emotion corresponding to the first utterance sentence of a character included in a scenarios; select a response attitude pattern from a plurality of response attitude patterns, based on each of the determined first emotion and an intimacy between the character and a user, wherein each of the plurality of response attitude patterns is mapped with corresponding emotion levels and intimacy levels; select, based on a content of the first utterance sentence and the determined first emotion, a first motion of a plurality of motions for the character that is synchronized with the first utterance sentence; adjust a movement speed of the selected first motion based on the selected response attitude pattern; and add, to the scenario, a description for adjustment of presentation of the selected first motion to match a voice output timing of the first utterance sentence. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to select, based on a word from the first utterance sentence and a word class of the word, the first motion associated with the determined first emotion, and the first motion is selected from emotion-based motions associated with the word. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the circuitry is further configured to: refer to a database of co-occurrence words corresponding to a plurality of emotions, and determine an emotion corresponding to the word from the first utterance sentence as the first emotion of the character. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the circuitry is further configured to: analyze a tense of the first utterance sentence based on the result of analysis of the first utterance sentence, and change, based on the tense, a degree of the first emotion corresponding to the word or the first emotion of the character. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the circuitry is further configured to set, based on the word in the first utterance sentence, an utterance voice parameter to output the first utterance sentence as voice. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to continue the determined first emotion until one of a specific time has elapsed or a second emotion is determined. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the circuitry is further configured to: determine, based on a result of analysis of a second utterance sentence of the plurality of utterance sentences, the second emotion corresponding to the second utterance sentence; and select, based on a content of the second utterance sentence and the determined second emotion, a second motion of the plurality of motions for the character that is synchronized with the second utterance sentence. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to set, based on the first emotion, an utterance voice parameter that is used to output the first utterance sentence as voice. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the circuitry is further configured to add, to the scenario, a description in which the utterance voice parameter is associated with the first utterance sentence. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to reduce a degree of the first emotion, based on one of an elapsed time or a number of utterance sentences. ### Claim 11 An information processing method, comprising: determining, based on a result of analysis of a first utterance sentence of a plurality of utterance sentences, a first emotion corresponding to the first utterance sentence of a character included in a scenario; selecting a response attitude pattern from a plurality of response attitude patterns, based on each of the determined first emotion and an intimacy between the character and a user, wherein each of the plurality of response attitude patterns is mapped with corresponding emotion levels and intimacy levels; selecting, based on a content of the first utterance sentence and the determined first emotion, a first motion of a plurality of motions for the character that is synchronized with the first utterance sentence; adjusting a movement speed of the selected first motion based on the selected response attitude; and adding, to the scenario, a description for adjustment presentation of the selected first motion to match a voice output timing of the first utterance sentence. ### Claim 12 A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon, computer-executable instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to execute operations, the operations comprising: determining, based on a result of analysis of a first utterance sentence of a plurality of utterance sentences, a first emotion corresponding to the first utterance sentence of a character included in a scenario; selecting a response attitude pattern from a plurality of response attitude patterns, based on each of the determined first emotion and an intimacy between the character and a user, wherein each of the plurality of response attitude patterns is mapped with corresponding emotion levels and intimacy levels; selecting, based on a content of the first utterance sentence and the determined first emotion, a first motion of a plurality of motions for the character that is synchronized with the first utterance sentence; adjusting a movement speed of the selected first motion based on the selected response attitude pattern; and adding, to the scenario, a description for adjustment presentation of the selected first motion to match a voice output timing of the first utterance sentence.