CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from. Japanese patent application No. 2018-200831, filed on Oct. 25, 2018, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a dialogue apparatus and a control program of the dialogue apparatus.

Service providing robots capable of autonomous movement are coming into practical use. Some of these service robots include a voice recognition function and a speech function and communicate with a user through dialogues (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012-86348).

Communication robots capable of autonomous movement are often available to a user only at limited places. Thus, it may be difficult for the user to feel attached to the communication robot or for the communication robot to acquire the user's temperament. Thus, in a situation where the communication robot is not available, an application which allows the user to communicate with a character reproducing the communication robot in a pseudo manner on a mobile terminal such as a smartphone has come to be known. When the communication robot receives a result of repeated communication, on the mobile terminal, between the user and the character from the mobile terminal as history information of the communication, the communication robot can communicate appropriately with the user. The user eventually feels attached to the communication robot through such communication.

SUMMARY

An environment where a communication robot is used is often disadvantageous in terms of communication as compared with an environment where the user uses a mobile terminal. For example, in a common public space, there are a lot of noises, which reduces the speech recognition accuracy. Further, it may be difficult to provide a high-performance dialogue system in some types of communication robot. In such a cases a difference is generated between the smoothness and the depth of the communication with the communication robot and those the communication with the character reproduced by the mobile terminal. Then, the user feels that the communication with the communication robot and the communication with the character are two distinct communication, which adversely affects the fostering of the attachment to the communication robot.

The present disclosure provides a dialogue apparatus and the like which allow a user to enjoy a dialogue smoothly without stress with a character reproducing a communication robot so that the user can feel attached to an external communication robot capable of having a dialogue.

A first example aspect of the present disclosure is a dialogue apparatus including: a display unit; a first dialogue control unit configured to display a first character on the display unit and simulate a speech function of an external communication robot capable of having a dialogue to conduct the dialogue with a user; a second dialogue control unit configured to display a second character on the display unit and conduct the dialogue so as to mediate the dialogue between the user and the first dialogue control unit; and a transmission unit configured to transmit, to the external communication robot, dialogue information about the dialogue conducted by the first dialogue control unit and the second dialogue control unit.

By including such a first dialogue control unit, the user can communicate with the first character in a similar manner to communicating with the external communication robot. Further, by including the second dialogue control unit, it is possible to reduce awkwardness and stress that may occur in the communication with the first dialogue control unit. Moreover, by the transmission unit transmitting the dialogue information to the external communication robot, the user can have continuous communication with the external communication robot, and eventually feel more attached to the external communication robot.

The above dialogue apparatus may further include a reception unit configured to receive the dialogue information about the dialogue conducted by the external communication robot. The first dialogue control unit may be configured to conduct the dialogue based on the dialogue information received by the reception unit. Such a configuration enables the user to continue the communication with the dialogue apparatus which has been performed with the external communication robot. That is, further integrity can be given to the first character of the dialogue apparatus and the external communication robot.

In the above dialogue apparatus, the first dialogue control unit may not conduct a dialogue in an environment where the user can have a dialogue with the external communication robot. By not explicitly showing, the first character in such an environment, a feeling of switching between the first character and external communication robot can be produced, and thus further integrity can be given to fire first character of the dialogue apparatus and the external communication robot. In this case, the second dialogue control unit may conduct a dialogue so as to mediate the dialogue between the user and the external communication robot. The user can enjoy the dialogue smoothly with the external communication robot by the second dialogue unit mediating and assisting the dialogue between the user and the external communication robot.

In the above dialogue apparatus, the second dialogue control unit may conduct a dialogue so as to supplement a speech limited by the speech function of the external communication robot. When a dialogue system mounted on the dialogue apparatus has high performance, the performance can be exhibited through the second dialogue control unit. This achieves smoother communication.

In the above dialogue apparatus, the speeches by the first dialogue control unit and the second dialogue control unit are executed via at least one of a voice emitted from a speaker or a text displayed on the display unit. When the user can select whether the speech is executed in a voice or a text, dialogues can be conducted in various environments.

A second example aspect of the present disclosure is a control program of a dialogue apparatus causing a computer to execute: a first dialogue control step of displaying a first character on a display unit and simulating a speech function of an external communication robot capable of having a dialogue to conduct the dialogue with a user; a second dialogue control step of displaying a second character on the display unit and conducting the dialogue so as to mediate the dialogue with the user in the first dialogue control step; and a transmitting step of transmitting, to the external communication robot, dialogue information about the dialogue conducted in the first dialogue control step and the dialogue conducted in the second dialogue control step. According to the dialogue apparatus in which such a program is executed by a computer, like in the first aspect, the user can communicate with the first character reproducing the external communication robot, and a smooth dialogue that does not cause stress to the user by the mediation of the second character can be achieved.

According to a dialogue apparatus and the like according to the present disclosure, a user can enjoy a dialogue smoothly without stress with a character reproducing a communication robot, and then eventually the user can feel attached to an external communication robot capable of having a dialogue.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not to be considered as limiting the present disclosure.

