JP5960483B2 - Action support system and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an action support system that supports user actions.

  A navigation system is widely known as a system that supports user behavior (for example, Patent Document 1). In the navigation system, when the user sets a specific destination, a route for guiding the user from the current location to the destination is automatically searched and suggested to the user. If the situation changes while moving along the route, the route is automatically changed to the optimum route according to the situation.

  On the other hand, when the user's action options are represented in the flowchart, the destination (result) is not one as in the navigation system, and various routes are followed according to the branch decision according to the situation and the decision by the user's intention, Various results.

JP 2011-169860 A

  The present invention presents a user with a plurality of routes that the user can take according to the situation when the user's action options are represented in a flowchart, and also presents the user with the priority of each route according to the situation. I will provide a.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following configuration.
A first storage unit that stores a plurality of flowchart modules that connect a plurality of option nodes with conditional links, a second storage unit that stores a situation variable representing a current situation, and the first storage using the situation variable as a search key A third storage unit that stores the flowchart module retrieved from the unit, a user interface, and a processing device,
The first storage unit associates and stores a link strength for each conditional link,
The processor is
The condition of the conditional link of the flowchart module stored in the third storage unit is compared with the status variable stored in the second storage unit, and the conditional link satisfies the condition variable satisfying the condition variable. Searching for the current location node from the choice nodes of
A process of reading the route after the current location node from the flowchart module stored in the third storage unit and presenting it to the user via the user interface;
A priority order to be selected for each route is determined based on the degree of compatibility between the condition link and the condition variable of the conditional link and the link strength for the route after the current location node, and the priority order of the route is determined by the user interface. The action support system which performs the process shown to a user via.

  According to the present invention, when the user's action options are represented in the flowchart, the user can be presented with a plurality of routes that the user can take according to the situation, and the priority of each route according to the situation can be indicated to the user. Can be presented.

The block block diagram which shows embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a structural diagram of the module shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a structural diagram of nodes and links shown in FIG. 2. Explanatory drawing which shows the addition of a module. Explanatory drawing which shows the addition of a module. Explanatory drawing which shows the addition of a module.

[Configuration of Embodiment of Present Invention]
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a computer system according to an embodiment of the present invention. This system includes a server computer 10 and a client computer 20 that are connected to a computer network and perform data communication with each other. In FIG. 1, only one server computer 10 and one client computer 20 are illustrated, but actually, there are a plurality of server computers 10 and a plurality of client computers 20, and each client computer 20 includes a plurality of servers. The computer 10 can be accessed.

  The server computer 10 and the client computer 20 each include a processing device, a communication device, and a storage device. The processing device includes a processor and provides various functions by executing a program. The communication device provides a data communication function between the server computer 10 and the client computer 20. The storage device stores various data used by the processing device for processing. The client computer 20 also includes an input interface (input I / F) that receives information from the input device and an output interface (output I / F) that outputs information to the output device. Input of information from the user and output of information to the user are performed via a user interface (UI) 21.

  The server computer 10 stores a plurality of flowchart modules 11 in a storage device. The server computer 10 also includes a server function 12 that reads out a flowchart module requested from the client computer 20 from the storage device and transmits the flowchart module to the client computer 20 via the communication device. Details of the flowchart module will be described later. The server computer 10 also includes a module storage function 13 that stores the flowchart module received from the client computer 20 in a storage device.

  The client computer 20 provides a user interface (UI) 21, a survey / analysis function 22, a search function 23, a module download function 24, a condition arrangement function 25, a flowchart incorporation function 26, and a history feedback function 27. Each function is provided by the processing device executing a program.

  The UI 21 accepts input of information from the user and outputs information to the user in accordance with regulations.

  The investigation / analysis function 22 investigates and analyzes a signal input from the input device via the input I / F. For example, a voice signal input from the user via the voice input device and the UI 21 is analyzed and converted into text, and a keyword included in the text is acquired. Further, the detected value of the sensor is digitized based on a signal input from the sensor device, and a keyword corresponding to the numeric value is acquired. Further, the text input from the user via the text input device and the UI 21 is analyzed, and a keyword included in the text is acquired. The investigation / analysis function 22 stores each keyword in the storage device as a situation variable.

  In the above, keyword acquisition from speech or text is realized by natural language processing such as morphological analysis or speech recognition processing. Further, the correspondence relationship between the detected value of the sensor and the keyword is stored in advance in the storage means.

  The situation variable can take a value representing an arbitrary situation. For example, the date and time acquired from the timer, the location acquired from the GPS (Global Positioning System), the above keywords indicating the situation, and the flowchart traced in the past Including routes. “Situation” includes present, past and future situations.

  The investigation / analysis function 22 reads the status variable from the storage device and instructs the search function 23 to search for the flowchart module using the status variable as a search key. The investigation / analysis function 22 reads the status variable from the storage device and gives the status variable to the condition organizing function 25.

  The search function 23 transmits a search query including the status variable passed from the investigation / analysis function 22 to the server computer 10 and requests the server computer 10 to search the flowchart module 11. The search request destination is not limited to one server computer 10, and a plurality of server computers may be requested to search.

  The processing device of the server computer 10 searches the storage device for a flowchart module corresponding to the search query including the status variable transmitted from the client computer 20, and uses the server function 12 to extract one or more flowchart modules extracted as a result of the search. It transmits to the computer 20.

  In the above, each flowchart module includes various text descriptions corresponding to the contents of the flowchart. In addition, the status variable sent from the client computer 20 is also expressed in text. The processing device of the server computer 10 extracts a flowchart module including text that matches the text of the status variable by processing such as morphological analysis, N-gram and fuzzy search. When a plurality of flowchart modules matching one search query are found, the plurality of flowchart modules are extracted.

  The module download function 24 acquires the flowchart module sent from the server computer 10 and stores it in the storage device. When the search function 23 requests a search from a plurality of server computers 10 with a common search query, the module download function 24 may acquire a plurality of flowchart modules extracted as search results from each server computer 10. Further, as described above, when a plurality of flowchart modules are extracted and transmitted from one server computer 10 by one search query, the plurality of flowchart modules are acquired from one server computer 10.

  The condition organizing function 25 inputs the status variable passed from the investigation / analysis function 22 as an argument to the flowchart module stored in the storage device by the module download function 24, and presents the current location in the flowchart configured by the flowchart module. Determine. The flow chart has a plurality of options (nodes) and connections (links) between the nodes, and by comparing the condition set for each link with the status variable, it is determined which link to proceed from one node. Judgment is now possible. The condition organizing function 25 determines whether or not the status variable satisfies the link condition in order from the node at the beginning of the flowchart, and follows the link where the condition is true as long as it can determine whether the condition is true or false. Then, when a link is reached that cannot be determined by the current status variable alone, the node in front of the link is set as the current location. When the module download function 24 downloads a plurality of flowchart modules, the above processing is performed for each flowchart module.

  The flowchart built-in function 26 reads out the flowchart module stored by the module download function 24 from the storage device, and selects several stages of nodes and links for each path from a plurality of selectable paths after the current location set by the condition organizing function 25. Extract. When the module download function 24 downloads a plurality of flowchart modules, the above processing is performed for each flowchart module.

  Next, the flowchart built-in function 26 determines, for each link after the extracted current location, whether or not the condition set in the link is compatible with the status variable, and based on the determination result, the degree of compatibility with the status variable for each path. Is calculated. As a method for calculating the fitness, for example, a score is given to a link satisfying the condition, and the score of the fitness is calculated for each route by adding the scores of the links included for each route.

  Then, the flowchart built-in function 26 presents the plurality of selectable routes to the user through the UI 21 and determines that the route having a higher matching degree has a higher priority order to the user through the UI 21. Present.

  The user selects a desired route through the UI 21 from the presented route. The history feedback function 27 records the route selected by the user in the file of the flowchart module.

  Here, as described above, the flowchart module includes a plurality of nodes and links between the nodes. A plurality of links as branch destinations are associated with one node, and each link between nodes is associated with a strength representing the strength of connection between the nodes. In the present embodiment, the structure of one flowchart module is described in one data file. The flowchart module is described in, for example, an XML (Extensible Markup Language) file, a script file, or a text data file. The file includes a description of each node (option) included in the flowchart module, a description of a link indicating which node each node is associated with, and a description of a condition for proceeding with each link. Further, the strength representing the strength of connection between nodes is described in association with each link. In addition, the history of the route that the user followed the flowchart in the past is recorded in the file of the flowchart module. Also, in the flowchart module file, the value of the status variable used when determining the link condition in the past is recorded in association with the link condition. In the flowchart module file, valid / invalid settings of each node (option) are recorded.

  The history feedback function 27 enhances the link strength of the route selected by the user. That is, the strength of the corresponding link described in the flowchart module file is rewritten.

  As described above, the flowchart built-in function 26 calculates the adaptability of the route that can be selected by the user. When calculating the adaptability, the index of the link strength is also included, and the adaptability increases as the link strength increases. The operation is performed so as to increase.

  The history feedback function 27 records the history of the route followed by the user in the flowchart module file according to the route selected by the user. Further, when the user selects a route, the history feedback function 27 includes a plurality of choices that are the premise of the selection, a selection result by the user, and current status variables stored in the storage device at that time. Are recorded in the flowchart module file.

  Further, the history feedback function 27 reads out the flowchart module in which the file has been changed from the storage device, and transmits it to the server computer 10 via the communication device. The module storage function 13 of the server computer 10 stores the flowchart module received from the client computer 20 in a storage device. The flowchart module 11 stored in the storage device may be downloaded and used by other client computers (other users).

[Flowchart module structure]
FIG. 2 shows an example of the structure of the flowchart module 11. The flowchart module 11 includes a plurality of nodes (options) indicated by circles and connections (links) between nodes indicated by straight lines. The uppermost node is now the user's current location, and this user's current location is determined by the condition organizing function 25 as described above. The flowchart built-in function 26 presents a plurality of routes that can be selected by the user after the current location to the user via the UI 21. In the case of FIG. 2, the user can select one of the options 1, 2, and 3. In this example, the current location is the starting point of the flowchart, but a node in the middle of the flowchart may be set as the current location according to the determination of the condition organizing function 25. In that case, presentation of the route of the flowchart to the user is performed from the middle of the flowchart.

[Node and link structure]
In the flowchart module U shown in FIG. 3, assuming that node A is the current location, nodes B and C can be the next choice. Solid lines without arrows between nodes represent mutual links. The dotted line is a link to which a temporal condition is added. The arrow represents the directionality of the link. Since nodes A and B and nodes E and F are mutual links, it is possible to proceed in both directions. It is assumed that temporal conditions are associated with the one-way link from the nodes A to C and the one-way link from the nodes C to D indicated by dotted lines. In addition to the temporal condition, for example, a condition “when it is not raining” is added to the one-way link from node C to D.

  Nodes C to B and Nodes B to E are one-way links and can select B from nodes C, but cannot select C from nodes B. However, if the temporal condition of the link set between the nodes A and C is satisfied via the node B to the node A, it is possible to proceed from the node B to the node C. Similarly, E can be selected from nodes B, but B cannot be selected from nodes E. The direction of the link is also described in the flowchart module file.

  When the user's current location is at node A, it is possible to reach node G or H via nodes C and D if time and situation conditions are met. Further, when it is described that the node D is not selected in the status variable, the flowchart built-in function 26 does not present the route passing through the node D to the user, and selects the node F or G via the nodes B and E. Only the route to be selected can be presented to the user. In this case, however, the node E must be selected. If the status variable describes that node G is to be selected, the route passing through node E that does not have a time condition and easily satisfies the condition will be given to the user as a route with a high priority, depending on the link priority. It is possible to present. In this way, when there are multiple routes leading to the same result, a route that can easily reach the target node is presented to the user based on the number of nodes that are routed and the number of conditions set for the link. May be.

  When presenting a route to the user, the flowchart built-in function 26 presents the connection between the node and the link in a graphical display as shown in FIG. The history feedback function 27 receives a flowchart module change operation for this graphical display via the UI 21. When the addition / change of the condition is input to the specific link selected via the UI 21, the history feedback function 27 reflects the addition / change of the condition input to the specific link in the description of the flowchart module file. To do. Further, when the change of the link direction (mutual link or one-way link) is input to the specific link selected via the UI 21, the history feedback function 27 displays the link direction input to the specific link. The change is reflected in the description of the flowchart module file. Further, when a change in link strength is input to a specific link selected via the UI 21, the history feedback function 27 changes the link strength input to the specific link by describing the file in the flowchart module. To reflect.

[Add module (1)]
FIG. 4 shows processing for connecting another flowchart module N to the flowchart module M. The flowchart incorporation function 26 finds a combination equivalent to the combination of the link condition included in the flowchart module M and the current status variable in the description of the past flowchart module N file stored in the storage device. The equivalent link of the flowchart module N is connected to the node of the flowchart module M so as to be in parallel with the equivalent link of the flowchart module M.

  In addition, the flowchart incorporation function 26 includes a combination of the link condition included in the flowchart module M and the combination of the current status variable and the flowchart module N downloaded at the same time as the flowchart M stored in the storage device. When found in the description of the file, the equivalent link of the flowchart module N is connected to the node of the flowchart module M so as to be in parallel with the equivalent link of the flowchart module M.

  Further, the flowchart incorporation function 26 is a flowchart module in which a combination equivalent to the combination of the link condition and the current status variable included in the flowchart module M is downloaded during the processing of the flowchart M stored in the storage device. When found in the description of the file of N, the equivalent link of the flowchart module N is connected to the node of the flowchart module M so as to be in parallel with the equivalent link of the flowchart module M.

  When the flowchart N is downloaded during the process of the flowchart module M, the processing device of the client computer 20 downloads the flowchart module N according to the value of the node or link of the flowchart module M.

  In the example of FIG. 4, the past used when the combination of the condition of the link A included in the flowchart module M and the current status variable determines the condition of the link B included in the flowchart module N and the condition of the link B. And the path of the flowchart module N after the link B is connected to the node of step 1 at the start point of the link A. When viewed from the node of step 1 at the start point of link A, the next option changes from 2 options to 3 options. The flowchart built-in function 26 may describe the entire structure of the connected flowchart in the file of the flowchart module M, may describe a link to the node of the flowchart module N in the file of the flowchart module M, A link to the other node may be described in both the flowchart module M file and the flowchart module N file.

[Add module (2)]
FIG. 5 also shows a process of connecting another module N to the module M, but the nodes to be connected are different from the example of FIG. In the example of FIG. 5, the combination of the condition of the link C included in the flowchart module M and the current status variable is used when the condition of the link D included in the flowchart module N and the condition of the link D are determined. Assume that the combinations with the past situation variables are equivalent, and the path of the flowchart module N after the link D is connected to the node of step 1 at the start point of the link C. At this time, the flowchart built-in function 26 can invalidate a route other than the route of the connected module N. The part drawn with a dotted line in FIG. 5 shows nodes (options) and links set to be invalid.

[Add module (3)]
FIG. 6 shows an example in which modules are connected to the link depending on whether or not the conditions set for the link are satisfied. It is assumed that the option of the center current location is selected from the nodes indicated by black circles by following the route indicated by the thick arrow. Assume that the link after the current location node describes the condition “module B and module C are connected on the condition that the current location option is selected at 14:00”. In this case, modules B and C are connected to the current location node only when the current location option is selected at 14:00. The flowchart built-in function 26 compares the condition set for the link with the current time acquired as the status variable, determines whether or not the condition set for the link is satisfied, and if satisfied Modules B and C are connected together.

  In this case, the modules B and C may be downloaded from the server computer 10 when the connection becomes necessary.

  A complex condition can also be set for the link. For example, when the condition “connecting module B on condition that the time is after 18:00 when the snow is falling” is set to the link after the node of the current location, the flowchart built-in function 26 A status variable indicating the current time and a status variable indicating the current weather are acquired, and these status variables are compared with the conditions set for the link. Then, only when the current weather is snow and the current location option is selected after 18:00, the flowchart incorporation function 26 connects the modules B. Here, a mutual link is set between the nodes C and D of the module C. For example, “After selecting the node D from the node C, the selection of D was inappropriate. It is also possible to set a reversible condition of “return to C in this case”.

[Operation of this embodiment]
Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. When the investigation / analysis function 22 acquires a situation variable representing the current situation based on an input from an input device such as a sensor device, a voice input device, or a text input device, the current situation variable is stored in a storage device, Further, the search function 23 is instructed to search for a flowchart module using the situation variable as a search key. The search function 23 sends a status variable as a search key to the server computer 10 and requests a search of the flowchart module 11. The server computer 10 reads out the flowchart module 11 conforming to the status variable sent from the client computer 20 from the storage device, and transmits it to the client computer 20 by the server function 12. The module download function 24 stores the flowchart module received from the server computer 10 in a storage device. The condition organizing function 25 reads the current status variable from the storage device and inputs it as an argument to the downloaded flowchart module, thereby automatically following the path where the status variable satisfies the link condition. When a link that cannot be determined whether or not the condition is satisfied is found, the previous node is set as the current location. The flowchart built-in function 26 extracts a route after the current location from the downloaded flowchart module, and links other flowchart modules as necessary. Then, the flowchart incorporation function 26 graphically presents the path of the extracted flowchart module to the user through the UI 21. At that time, the flowchart built-in function 26 calculates a priority for each route, and also presents the priority for each route to the user through the UI 21. When the user selects a desired route from the presented routes, the history feedback function 27 displays the route selected by the user, other options obtained at the time of selection, and the current status variable at the time of selection. Record in flowchart module file. In addition, the history feedback function 27 rewrites the description of the flowchart module file in response to a flowchart module edit request from the user via the UI 21. The history feedback function 27 uploads the file of the flowchart module in which the description is changed to the server computer 10. The module storage function 13 of the server computer 10 stores the flowchart module uploaded from the client computer 20 in a storage device. The server function 12 distributes the flowchart module 11 stored in the storage device to any client computer according to the search result. The above operation is repeated.

[Effect of this embodiment]
According to the embodiment described above, the flowchart module is selected according to the situation variable representing the current situation, and the selection path that the user can take from the selected flowchart module in the future is presented to the user together with the priority order. It is possible to assist the user in selecting an appropriate route (action selection). In addition, since the flowchart module is dynamically configured according to the route selected by the user and the current status variable, more appropriate route selection can be supported. Furthermore, by saving the flowchart module in the server, it can be distributed to other users, and the dynamically configured flowchart module can be shared according to the route selected by the user and the current status variable.

[Example using object-oriented programming]
A flowchart module template is defined in a module class, and a node template constituting the flowchart module is defined in a node class. Link attributes (conditions, directionality, strength) are described in node class properties or methods, allowing definitions to be inherited to other node classes and methods in other node classes to be redefined. When presenting a selectable route to the user, an instance of the node is generated and presented to the user through the UI 21.

[Modification]
In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the server computer 10 and the client computer 20 are divided into systems. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the server and the client may be mounted on one computer.

10 server computer 11 flowchart module 12 server function 13 module storage function 20 client computer 21 user interface (UI)
22 Investigation / Analysis Function 23 Search Function 24 Module Download Function 25 Condition Arrangement Function 26 Flowchart Built-in Function 27 History Feedback Function

Claims (4)

A first storage unit that stores a plurality of flowchart modules that connect a plurality of option nodes with conditional links, a second storage unit that stores a situation variable representing a current situation, and the first storage using the situation variable as a search key A third storage unit that stores the flowchart module retrieved from the unit, a user interface, and a processing device,
The first storage unit associates and stores a link strength for each conditional link,
The processor is
The condition of the conditional link of the flowchart module stored in the third storage unit is compared with the status variable stored in the second storage unit, and the conditional link satisfies the condition variable satisfying the condition variable. Searching for the current location node from the choice nodes of
A process of reading the route after the current location node from the flowchart module stored in the third storage unit and presenting it to the user via the user interface;
A priority order to be selected for each route is determined based on the degree of compatibility between the condition link and the condition variable of the conditional link and the link strength for the route after the current location node, and the priority order of the route is determined by the user interface. The action support system which performs the process shown to a user via. The processing device accepts a route selection presented to the user via the user interface, describes a history of route selection by the user in the flowchart module of the third storage unit, and links the selected route. The action support system according to claim 1, wherein the description of the flowchart module is rewritten so as to enhance the strength, and the flowchart module of the third storage unit is stored in the first storage unit. The action support system according to claim 1, further comprising a server that distributes the flowchart module stored in the first storage unit via a computer network. A first storage unit that stores a plurality of flowchart modules that connect a plurality of option nodes with conditional links, a second storage unit that stores a situation variable representing a current situation, and the first storage using the situation variable as a search key A third storage unit that stores the flowchart module retrieved from the unit, a user interface, and a processing device, wherein the first storage unit associates and stores a link strength for each conditional link . A program ,
In the processing device,
The condition of the conditional link of the flowchart module stored in the third storage unit is compared with the status variable stored in the second storage unit, and the conditional link satisfies the condition variable satisfying the condition variable. Searching for the current location node from the choice nodes of
A process of reading the route after the current location node from the flowchart module stored in the third storage unit and presenting it to the user via the user interface;
A priority order to be selected for each route is determined based on the degree of compatibility between the condition link and the condition variable of the conditional link and the link strength for the route after the current location node, and the priority order of the route is determined by the user interface. The action support program which performs the process shown to a user via.

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