Patent Publication Number: US-2020286452-A1

Title: Agent device, agent device control method, and storage medium

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-042917, filed Mar. 8, 2019, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an agent device, an agent device control method, and a storage medium. 
     Description of Related Art 
     In the related art, a technology related to an agent function which provides information related to driving assistance in response to a request from an occupant, vehicle control, other applications, and the like while performing conversation with the occupant in a vehicle is disclosed (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2006-335231). 
     SUMMARY 
     In recent years, practical applications of mounting of agents and agent functions in vehicles have been promoted, but display types used when agent functions are activated have not been sufficiently studied. Therefore, in the related art, it is not possible to perform display in an appropriate mode in some cases. 
     The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an agent device, an agent device control method, and a storage medium through which it is possible to realize in-vehicle displays in an appropriate mode when an agent provides an agent function. 
     The agent device, agent device control method, and storage medium according to the invention have the following configurations. 
     (1) According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided an agent device which includes an agent functional unit configured to provide a service including causing an output unit to output a response using a sound, in response to an utterance of an occupant in a vehicle; and a display controller configured to cause a display provided in the vehicle to display an animation related to an agent corresponding to the agent functional unit, wherein the display controller is configured to cause the display to display the animation in different types between a case where the animation is displayed in a first display area of the display, and a case where the animation is displayed in a second display area which is different from the first display area.
 
(2) In the aspect (1), a position of the first display area in the vehicle is closer to a position at which a driver&#39;s head is assumed to be located than the second display area.
 
(3) In the aspect (1), the display controller causes the display to display an animation of the agent in a simpler mode when the animation of the agent is displayed in the first display area than when the animation of the agent is displayed in the second display area.
 
(4) In the aspect (3), according to an utterance of the occupant, the display controller causes the display to display an animation of the agent in a simpler mode when the animation of the agent is displayed in the first display area than when the animation of the agent is displayed in the second display area.
 
(5) In the aspect (3), the simple mode includes a mode with little movement.
 
(6) In the aspect (1), the display controller changes at least one of a display position and a display type of the animation according to a driving situation of the vehicle.
 
(7) In the aspect (1), the display controller causes the display to display agent information that is provided in response to an utterance of the occupant, and display the agent information in different types between display in the first display area and display in the second display area.
 
(8) In the aspect (7), the display controller reduces the amount of information when the agent information is displayed in the first display area compared to when the agent information is displayed in the second display area.
 
(9) In the aspect (7), when a part of the agent information displayed in the second display area is designated by the occupant using an operation unit, the display controller changes the display of the first display area to information based on the part of the agent information designated by the occupant.
 
(10) In the aspect (1), the agent functional unit acquires a seat position of the occupant who has produced the utterance in the vehicle, and the display controller causes, based on the position of the seat of the occupant who has produced the utterance in the vehicle, the animation to be displayed in a display area closer to a position at which the head of the occupant who has produced the utterance is assumed to be located between the first display area and the second display area.
 
(11) In the aspect (10), the display controller causes, when the occupant who has produced the utterance is an occupant in a driver&#39;s seat, between the first display area and the second display area, more detailed information based on information acquired by the agent functional unit to be displayed in a display area farther from the position at which the head of the occupant who has produced the utterance is assumed to be located than in a display area closer to the position at which the head of the occupant who has produced the utterance is assumed to be located.
 
(12) According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided is an agent device control method causing a computer to execute:
 
     providing a service including causing an output unit to output a response using a sound using an agent function, in response to an utterance of an occupant in a vehicle; 
     causing a display provided in the vehicle to display an animation related to the agent function; and 
     displaying the animation in different types between a case where the animation is displayed in a first display area of the display and a case where the animation is displayed in a second display area which is different from that of the first display area. 
     (13) According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage medium storing a program causing a computer to execute: a process of providing a service including causing an output unit to output a response using a sound using an agent function, in response to an utterance of an occupant in a vehicle; a process of causing a display provided in the vehicle to display an animation related to the agent function; and a process of displaying the animation in different types between a case where the animation is displayed in a first display area of the display and a case where the animation is displayed in a second display area which is different from the first display area. 
     According to the aspects (1) to (13), it is possible to realize in-vehicle displays in an appropriate mode when an agent provides an agent function. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a configuration diagram of an agent system including an agent device. 
         FIG. 2  is a diagram showing a configuration of an agent device according to a first embodiment and a device mounted in a vehicle. 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram showing an example in which a display and operation device is arranged. 
         FIG. 4  is a diagram showing an example in which speaker units are arranged. 
         FIG. 5  is a diagram explaining a principle for determining a position at which a sound image is localized. 
         FIG. 6  is a diagram showing an example of a driver&#39;s seat screen and a passenger&#39;s seat screen. 
         FIG. 7  is a diagram showing a screen example of a first display. 
         FIG. 8  is a diagram showing an example of an AG animation. 
         FIG. 9  is a diagram showing another example of an AG animation. 
         FIG. 10  is a diagram showing an example of a screen when an occupant in a passenger&#39;s seat produces an utterance. 
         FIG. 11  is a diagram showing an example of a screen when an occupant in a driver&#39;s seat produces an utterance. 
         FIG. 12  is a diagram showing another example of a screen when an occupant in a driver&#39;s seat produces an utterance. 
         FIG. 13  is a flowchart showing an example of a process performed by a display controller. 
         FIG. 14  is a flowchart showing another example of a process performed by the display controller. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     An agent device, an agent device control method, and a storage medium according to embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The agent device is a device that realizes some or all of an agent system. Hereinafter, an agent which is mounted in a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as a vehicle M) and has a plurality of types of agent functions will be described as an example of the agent device. The agent functions are, for example, functions of providing various types of information based on a request (command) included in an utterance of an occupant while conversation with the occupant in the vehicle M, mediating network services, and performing proposals from the agent side. A plurality of types of agents may have different functions, processing procedures, controls, output modes and contents. Some of the agent functions may have a function of controlling devices in the vehicle (for example, devices related to driving control and vehicle body control). 
     The agent function is realized using, for example, in addition to a voice recognition function of recognizing voice of an occupant (a function of converting voice to text), a natural language processing function (a function of understanding the structure and meaning of text), a conversation management function, a network search function of searching for other devices via a network or searching for a predetermined database stored in a host device and the like in an integrated manner Some or all of these functions may be realized by artificial intelligence (AI) technology. A part (particularly, a voice recognition function and a natural language processing interpretation function) of the configuration for performing such functions may be mounted in an agent server (external device) that can perform communication via an in-vehicle communication device in the vehicle M or a general-purpose communication device brought into the vehicle M. In the following description, it is assumed that a part of the configuration is mounted in an agent server, and an agent device and an agent server cooperate to realize an agent system. In an agent system, a service providing entity (service entity) that virtually appears in cooperation with an agent device and an agent server is referred to as an agent. 
     &lt;Overall Configuration&gt; 
       FIG. 1  is a configuration diagram of an agent system  1  including an agent device  100 . The agent system  1  includes, for example, the agent device  100  and a plurality of agent servers  200 - 1 ,  200 - 2 , and  200 - 3 , . . . . The numbers following the hyphen at the end of the reference numerals are identifiers for distinguishing agents. If it is not necessary to distinguish between agent servers, they may be simply referred to as an agent server  200 . Although three agent servers  200  are shown in  FIG. 1 , the number of agent servers  200  may be two, or four or more. The same agent may have a plurality of agent servers. The agent servers  200  are operated by different agent providers. Therefore, the agents in the present invention are agents realized by different providers. Examples of providers include vehicle manufacturers, network service providers, e-commerce providers, and mobile terminal sellers and manufacturers, and any entity (corporation, organization, individual, etc.,) can be an agent system provider. 
     The agent device  100  communicates with a plurality of types of agent servers  200  via a network NW. The network NW includes, for example, some or all of the Internet, a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), a public network, a telephone line, and a wireless base station. Various web servers  300  are connected to the network NW, and the agent server  200  or the agent device  100  can acquire web pages from the various web servers  300  via the network NW. 
     The agent device  100  performs conversation with an occupant in the vehicle M, transmits voice of the occupant to the agent server  200 , and presents an answer obtained from the agent server  200  to the occupant in the form of a voice output or image display. 
     First Embodiment 
     [Vehicle] 
       FIG. 2  is a diagram showing a configuration of the agent device  100  according to a first embodiment and devices mounted in the vehicle M. In the vehicle M, for example, one or more microphones  10 , a display and operation device  20  (an example of “display”), a speaker unit  30 , a navigation device  40 , a vehicle device  50 , an in-vehicle communication device  60 , an occupant recognizer  80 , and the agent device  100  are mounted. A general-purpose communication device  70  such as a smartphone may be brought into a cabin, and used as a part of a communication device or an agent system. These devices are connected to each other through a multiple communication line such as a controller area network (CAN) communication line, a serial communication line, a wireless communication network, or the like. The configuration shown in  FIG. 2  is only an example, and a part of the configuration may be omitted or other components may be additionally added. 
     The microphone  10  is a sound collection unit that collects sounds produced in the cabin. A plurality of microphones  10  may be provided in order to acquire utterances of a plurality of occupants in the vehicle. The display and operation device  20  is a device (or a device group) that can display an image and receive an input operation. The display and operation device  20  includes, for example, a display device configured as a touch panel. The display and operation device  20  may further include a head up display (HUD), a mechanical input device, and an output device. The speaker unit  30  includes, for example, a plurality of speakers (sound output units) that are arranged at different positions in the cabin. The display and operation device  20  may be shared by the agent device  100  and the navigation device  40 . Details thereof will be described below. 
     The navigation device  40  includes a navigation human machine interface (HMI), a positioning device such as a global positioning system (GPS), a storage device in which map information is stored, and a control device (navigation controller) that performs route searching. Some or all of the microphone  10 , the display and operation device  20 , and the speaker unit  30  may be used as the navigation HMI. The navigation device  40  searches for a route (navigation route) for moving from the position of the vehicle M determined by the positioning device to a destination input by the occupant, and outputs guidance information using the navigation HMI so that the vehicle M can travel along the route. A route search function may be provided in a navigation server that is accessible via the network NW. In this case, the navigation device  40  acquires the route from the navigation server and outputs guidance information. The agent device  100  may be constructed based on the navigation controller. In this case, the navigation controller and the agent device  100  are integrally formed on hardware. 
     The vehicle device  50  includes, for example, a driving force output device such as an engine and a driving motor, an engine starting motor, a door lock device, a door opening and closing device, windows, window opening and closing devices and window opening and closing control devices, seats, seat position control devices, room mirrors and their angular position control devices, lighting devices inside and outside the vehicle and their control devices, wipers and defoggers and their control devices, direction indicator lamps and their control devices, air conditioners, and devices for vehicle information such as travel distance and tire air pressure information and remaining fuel information. 
     The in-vehicle communication device  60  is a wireless communication device that can access the network NW using, for example, a cellular network or a Wi-Fi network, whether directly or indirectly. Here, “indirectly” means that the network NW is accessed via an external communication terminal such as a router. 
     The occupant recognizer  80  includes, for example, a seating sensor, an in-vehicle camera, a biometric authentication system, and an image recognition device. The seating sensor includes a pressure sensor provided below a seat, a tension sensor attached to a seat belt, and the like. The in-vehicle camera is a charge coupled device (CCD) camera or complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) camera provided in the cabin. The image recognition device analyzes an image of the in-vehicle camera and recognizes whether there is an occupant in each seat and a direction of the occupant&#39;s face. In the present embodiment, the occupant recognizer  80  is an example of a seating position recognizer. 
       FIG. 3  is a diagram showing an example in which the display and operation device  20  is arranged. The display and operation device  20  includes, for example, a first display  21 , a second display  22 , a third display  23 , and an operation switch ASSY  26 . The display and operation device  20  may further include an HUD  28 . 
     In the vehicle M, for example, there are a driver&#39;s seat DS in which a steering wheel SW is provided and a passenger&#39;s seat AS provided in a vehicle width direction (Y direction in the drawing) with respect to the driver&#39;s seat DS. The first display  21  is installed near a meter MT provided to face the driver&#39;s seat DS. The second display  22  is a horizontal display device that extends from near the center between the driver&#39;s seat DS and the passenger&#39;s seat AS in an instrument panel to a position facing the left end of the passenger&#39;s seat AS. The third display  23  is installed at an intermediate position between the driver&#39;s seat DS and the passenger&#39;s seat AS in the vehicle width direction and below the second display  22 . 
     The first display  21  is an example including a first display area, and the second display  22  is an example including a second display area. Compared to the second display area, the position of the first display area in the host vehicle M is closer to a position at which the driver&#39;s head is assumed to be located. The second display  22  may have the first display area and the second display area. In this case, preferably, the second display  22  extends to the right end of the driver&#39;s seat DS. 
     For example, each of the first display  21 , the second display  22 , and the third display  23  is configured as a touch panel, and includes a liquid crystal display (LCD), organic electroluminescence (EL) display, a plasma display, or the like as a display. The operation switch ASSY  26  has a dial switch, a button switch, and the like integrated therein. The display and operation device  20  outputs content of an operation performed by the occupant to the agent device  100 . Content displayed on the first display  21 , the second display  22 , and the third display  23  may be determined by the agent device  100 . 
       FIG. 4  is a diagram showing an example in which the speaker units  30  are arranged. The speaker unit  30  includes, for example, speakers  30 A to  30 H. The speaker  30 A is installed on a window pillar (so-called an A pillar) on the side of the driver&#39;s seat DS. The speaker  30 B is installed at a lower part of a door near the driver&#39;s seat DS. The speaker  30 C is installed on a window pillar on the side of the passenger&#39;s seat AS. The speaker  30 D is installed at a lower part of a door near the passenger&#39;s seat AS. The speaker  30 E is installed at a lower part of a door near the side of a right rear seat BS 1 . The speaker  30 F is installed at a lower part a door near the side of a left rear seat BS 2 . The speaker  30 G is installed near the second display  22 . The speaker  30 H is installed on a ceiling (roof) of the cabin. 
     In such an arrangement, for example, when sound is exclusively output from the speakers  30 A and  30 B, a sound image is localized near the driver&#39;s seat DS. When sound is exclusively output from the speakers  30 C and  30 D, a sound image is localized near the passenger&#39;s seat AS. When sound is exclusively output from the speaker  30 E, a sound image is localized near the right rear seat BS 1 . When sound is exclusively output from the speaker  30 F, a sound image is localized near the left rear seat BS 2 . When sound is exclusively output from the speaker  30 G, a sound image is localized near the front of the cabin, and when sound is exclusively output from the speaker  30 H, a sound image is localized near the upper part of the cabin. The present invention is not limited thereto. When the speaker unit  30  adjusts distribution of sound output from speakers using a mixer or an amplifier, a sound image can be localized at an arbitrary position in the cabin. 
     [Agent Device] 
     Returning to  FIG. 2 , the agent device  100  includes a management unit  110 , agent functional units  150 - 1 ,  150 - 2 , and  150 - 3 , and a pairing application executor  152 . The management unit  110  includes, for example, a sound processing unit  112 , a wake up (WU) determiner  114  for each agent, an instruction receiver  115 , a display controller  116 , and a voice controller  118 . When it is not necessary to distinguish between agent functional units, they will be simply referred to as an agent functional unit  150 . The illustration of three agent functional units  150  is only an example corresponding to the number of agent servers  200  in  FIG. 1 , and the number of agent functional units  150  may be two or four or more. A software arrangement shown in  FIG. 2  is simply illustrated for explanation, and actually, for example, the management unit  110  may be interposed between the agent functional unit  150  and the in-vehicle communication device  60 , and the arrangement can be arbitrarily modified. 
     Each component of the agent device  100  is realized by, for example, executing a program (software) by a hardware processor such as a central processing unit (CPU). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (circuit unit; including a circuitry) such as a large scale integration (LSI), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and a graphics processing unit (GPU), or realized by software and hardware in cooperation. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device including a non-transitory storage medium) such as a hard disk drive (HDD) and a flash memory, or stored in a removable storage medium (non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD and a CD-ROM, and the program may be installed by mounting the storage medium in a drive device. 
     The management unit  110  functions when a program such as an operating system (OS) or middleware is executed. 
     The sound processing unit  112  of the management unit  110  performs sound processing on the input sound so that the state is suitable for recognizing a wake-up word set in advance for each agent. 
     The WU determiner  114  for each agent is provided in correspondence with each of the agent functional units  150 - 1 ,  150 - 2 , and  150 - 3 , and recognizes a wake-up word predetermined for each agent. The WU determiner  114  for each agent recognizes the meaning of voice from the voice (voice stream) subjected to the sound processing. First, the WU determiner  114  for each agent detects a voice section based on the amplitude and zero crossing of the voice waveform in the voice stream. The WU determiner  114  for each agent may perform section detection based on voice identification and non-voice identification in units of frames based on a Gaussian mixture model (GMM). 
     Next, the WU determiner  114  for each agent determines whether the voice in the detected voice section corresponds to a wake-up word. When the voice is determined as a wake-up word, the WU determiner  114  for each agent activates the corresponding agent functional unit  150  and activates the agent. A function corresponding to the WU determiner  114  for each agent may be mounted in the agent server  200 . In this case, the management unit  110  transmits a voice stream on which the sound processing is performed by the sound processing unit  112  to the agent server  200 , and when the agent server  200  determines that the voice is a wake-up word, the agent functional unit  150  is activated according to the instruction from the agent server  200 . Each of the agent functional units  150  may be activated always and may determine the wake-up word by itself. In this case, the management unit  110  does not need to include the WU determiner  114  for each agent. 
     The agent functional unit  150  causes the agent to appear in cooperation with the corresponding agent server  200  and provides an agent function including a voice response according to the utterance of the occupant in the vehicle. The agent functional unit  150  may include one to which authority to control the vehicle device  50  is given. Some of the agent functional units  150  may communicate with the agent server  200  in cooperation with the general-purpose communication device  70  through the pairing application executor  152 . For example, authority to control the vehicle device  50  is given to the agent functional unit  150 - 1 . The agent functional unit  150 - 1  communicates with the agent server  200 - 1  via the in-vehicle communication device  60 . The agent functional unit  150 - 2  communicates with the agent server  200 - 2  via the in-vehicle communication device  60 . The agent functional unit  150 - 3  communicates with the agent server  200 - 3  in cooperation with the general-purpose communication device  70  via the pairing application executor  152 . The pairing application executor  152  performs pairing with the general-purpose communication device  70  using, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark), and connects the agent functional unit  150 - 3  and the general-purpose communication device  70 . The agent functional unit  150 - 3  may be connected to the general-purpose communication device  70  via wired communication using a universal serial bus (USB) or the like. Hereinafter, an agent that causes the agent functional unit  150 - 1  and the agent server  200 - 1  to appear in cooperation with each other may be referred to as an agent  1 , an agent that causes the agent functional unit  150 - 2  and the agent server  200 - 2  to appear in cooperation with each other may be referred to as an agent  2 , and an agent that causes the agent functional unit  150 - 3  and the agent server  200 - 3  to appear in cooperation with each other may be referred to as an agent  3 . 
     The instruction receiver  115  receives an instruction from the occupant using the display and operation device  20 . The present invention is not limited thereto, and the instruction receiver  115  may have a voice recognition function, and receive an instruction from the occupant by recognizing the meaning of voice based on in-vehicle voice. The in-vehicle voice includes a sound input from the microphone  10 , voice (voice stream) subjected to sound processing by the sound processing unit  112 , and the like. 
     The display controller  116  causes the first display  21 , the second display  22  or the third display  23  to display an image or a video according to an instruction from the agent functional unit  150 . 
     In the following, the display controller  116  generates an image for the driver&#39;s seat screen and an image for the passenger&#39;s seat screen according to the instruction from the agent functional unit  150 , and causes the first display  21  to display the image for the driver&#39;s seat screen and causes the second display  22  to display the image for the passenger&#39;s seat screen. The image for the driver&#39;s seat screen and the image for the passenger&#39;s seat screen will be described below. The display controller  116  generates, as a part of the image for the passenger&#39;s seat and the image for the driver&#39;s seat, for example, an anthropomorphic agent animation (hereinafter referred to as an AG animation) that communicates with the occupant in the cabin, and causes the first display  21  and the second display  22  to display the generated AG animation. 
     The AG animation is, for example, an animation representing an agent character, an agent icon, and the like. The AG animation is, for example, an image or a video in a mode in which a human or an anthropomorphic object speaks to the occupant. The AG animation may include, for example, a face image in which at least a facial expression and face direction are recognized by the viewer (occupant). For example, in the AG animation, parts simulating eyes and a nose are shown in the face area, and the facial expression and face direction may be recognized based on the positions of the parts in the face area. The AG animation is perceived three-dimensionally, and the viewer may recognize a face direction of the agent when a head image in a three-dimensional space is included, and may recognize an action (an operation and a behavior), a posture, and the like of the agent when a body (torso and limbs) image is included. 
     For example, when the agent functional unit  150  is activated, the display controller  116  causes the first display  21 , the second display  22 , and the like to display an AG animation. The display controller  116  may change the action of the AG animation according to the utterance of the occupant. For example, the display controller  116  may cause the AG animation to execute a small action while the agent is waiting, and when the agent executes a process corresponding to the utterance of the occupant, the display controller  116  may cause the AG animation to execute an action corresponding to the process to be executed. 
     The voice controller  118  causes some or all of speakers included in the speaker unit  30  to output voice according to the instruction from the agent functional unit  150 . The voice controller  118  may perform control using the plurality of speaker units  30  so that a sound image of an agent voice is localized at a position corresponding to the display position of the AG animation. The position corresponding to the display position of the AG animation is, for example, a position at which the occupant is expected to perceive that the AG animation is speaking an agent voice, specifically, a position near the display position (for example, within 2 to 3 [cm]) of the AG animation. Localization of a sound image is determination of a spatial position of a sound source that the occupant feels, for example, by adjusting the loudness and timing of sound transmitted to left and right ears of the occupant. 
     [Agent Server] 
       FIG. 5  is a diagram showing a configuration of the agent server  200  and a part of a configuration of the agent device  100 . Hereinafter, the configuration of the agent server  200  and operations of the agent functional unit  150  and the like will be described. Here, physical communication from the agent device  100  to the network NW will not be described. 
     The agent server  200  includes a communicator  210 . The communicator  210  is, for example, a network interface such as a network interface card (NIC). The agent server  200  further includes, for example, a voice recognizer  220 , a natural language processing unit  222 , a conversation management unit  224 , a network search unit  226 , and a response sentence generator  228 . For example, these components are realized when a hardware processor such as a CPU executes a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (circuit unit; including a circuitry) such as an LSI, an ASIC, an FPGA, and a GPU, or realized by software and hardware in cooperation. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device including a non-transitory storage medium) such as an HDD and a flash memory, or stored in a removable storage medium (non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD and a CD-ROM, and the program may be installed by mounting the storage medium in a drive device. 
     The agent server  200  includes a storage  250 . The storage  250  is realized by the above various storage devices. In the storage  250 , data and programs such as a personal profile  252 , a dictionary database (DB)  254 , a knowledge base DB  256 , and a response rule DB  258  are stored. 
     In the agent device  100 , the agent functional unit  150  transmits the voice stream or the voice stream on which processing such as compression or encoding has been performed to the agent server  200 . When a voice command that can be processed locally (processed without the intervention of the agent server  200 ) is recognized, the agent functional unit  150  may perform a process requested by the voice command. The voice command that can be processed locally may be a voice command that can be answered with reference to a storage (not shown) included in the agent device  100  or a voice command (for example, a command to turn an air conditioner on) for controlling the vehicle device  50  in the case of the agent functional unit  150 - 1 . Therefore, the agent functional unit  150  may have some of functions that the agent server  200  has. 
     When the voice stream is acquired, the voice recognizer  220  performs voice recognition and outputs text information by converting it into text, and the natural language processing unit  222  performs semantic interpretation on the text information with reference to the dictionary DB  254 . In the dictionary DB  254 , abstract meaning information is associated with text information. The dictionary DB  254  may include synonym and poecilonym list information. The processing of the voice recognizer  220  and the processing of the natural language processing unit  222  are not clearly divided into stages, but they affect each other, for example, the voice recognizer  220  that has received the processing result of the natural language processing unit  222  correcting the recognition result. 
     For example, when the meaning such as “today&#39;s weather” or “how is the weather” is recognized as the recognition result, the natural language processing unit  222  generates a command replaced with standard text information “today&#39;s weather.” Accordingly, even if there is a character fluctuation in voice of a request, it is possible to easily perform conversation according to the request. For example, the natural language processing unit  222  may recognize the meaning of text information using artificial intelligence processing such as machine learning processing using a probability and generate a command based on the recognition result. 
     The conversation management unit  224  determines the content of the utterance for the occupant in the vehicle M with reference to the personal profile  252 , the knowledge base DB  256 , and the response rule DB  258  based on the processing result (command) of the natural language processing unit  222 . The personal profile  252  includes occupant personal information, hobbies and preferences, a past conversation history, and the like which are stored for each occupant. The knowledge base DB  256  is information that defines the relationship between objects. The response rule DB  258  is information that defines operations (such as an answer and details of device control) that the agent should perform according to commands. 
     The conversation management unit  224  may determine the occupant by performing comparison with the personal profile  252  using feature information obtained from the voice stream. In this case, in the personal profile  252 , for example, personal information is associated with voice feature information. The voice feature information is, for example, information about characteristics of speaking styles such as voice pitch, intonation, and rhythm (sound pitch pattern) and features such as Mel frequency cepstrum coefficients. The voice feature information is, for example, information obtained by having the occupant utter a predetermined word or sentence or the like when the occupant is initially registered, and recognizing the voice of the utterance. 
     When the command requests information that can be searched for via the network NW, the conversation management unit  224  causes the network search unit  226  to perform searching. The network search unit  226  accesses the various web servers  300  via the network NW and acquires desired information. “Information that can be searched for via the network NW” is, for example, results of restaurants near the vehicle M evaluated by general users, or a weather forecast of that day according to the position of the vehicle M. 
     The response sentence generator  228  generates a response sentence so that the content of the utterance determined by the conversation management unit  224  is transmitted to the occupant of the vehicle M and transmits the sentence to the agent device  100 . When the occupant is determined as an occupant registered in the personal profile, the response sentence generator  228  may call the name of the occupant or generate a response sentence in a speaking style similar to that of the occupant. 
     When the response sentence is acquired, the agent functional unit  150  instructs the voice controller  118  to perform voice synthesis and output voice. The agent functional unit  150  instructs the display controller  116  to display the AG animation according to the voice output. In this manner, an agent function in which the virtually appearing agent responds to the occupant in the vehicle M is realized. 
     [Display Control] 
     The display controller  116  causes the first display  21  and the second display  22  to display information about services, agents and the like provided by the agent functional unit  150 , and display the AG animation in different types between display on the first display  21  and display on the second display  22 . For example, the display controller  116  causes the first display  21  to display the AG animation in a simpler mode compared to when the AG animation is displayed on the second display  22 . The simple mode is a display type that does not draw attention of the viewer (occupant). 
     The simple mode includes, for example, reducing, slowing, minimizing (compressing), and simplifying the motion of the AG animation. The simple mode includes, for example, regarding the color of the AG animation, weakening the contrast, reducing the number of colors used, and weakening (darkening) the color. The present invention is not limited thereto, and the simple mode may include, for example, reducing the size of the AG animation, minimizing the facial expressions of the AG animation, displaying only the face without displaying the body (torso and limbs) of the AG animation, not displaying any tools together with the AG animation, and not changing the color of the AG animation midway. 
     In other words, the display controller  116  causes the second display  22  to display the AG animation in a richer mode compared to when the AG animation is displayed on the first display  21 . The rich mode is a display type that draws the attention of the viewer (occupant). The rich mode is opposite to the simple mode described above, and includes, for example, regarding the motion of the AG animation, increasing the motion, making the motion faster, making the motion larger (dynamic), and making the motion more expressive. The rich mode includes, regarding the color of the AG animation, increasing the contrast, increasing the number of colors used, and making the color light (bright). The present invention is not limited thereto, and the rich mode includes, for example, increasing the size of the AG animation, making the facial expression of the AG animation rich, displaying the body (torso and limbs) of the AG animation, displaying some tools together with the AG animation, and changing the color of the AG animation when the correspondence of the agent functional unit  150  is changed according to the utterance of the occupant. 
     When the display controller  116  causes the first display  21  to display the AG animation according to the utterance of the occupant, the AG animation may be displayed in a simpler mode compared to when the AG animation is displayed on the second display  22 . For example, when the AG animation is caused to execute a predetermined action (an operation and a behavior) according to the utterance of the occupant, the display controller  116  causes the AG animation to be displayed on the second display  22  to execute an action according to the utterance of the occupant, and does not cause the AG animation to be displayed on the first display  21  to execute an action according to the utterance of the occupant. The present invention is not limited thereto, and when the utterance of the occupant includes predetermined content such as a wake-up word or a “simple mode,” the display controller  116  causes the first display  21  to display the AG animation in a simpler mode compared to when the AG animation is displayed on the second display  22 . 
     The display controller  116  may cause agent information provided in response to the utterance of the occupant to display the display and operation device  20 . The agent information includes, for example, a recommendation list recommended by the agent for the occupant, and search results found using a search engine based on conditions requested by the occupant. 
     The display controller  116  may vary the display type of agent information between display of agent information on the first display  21  and display of agent information on the second display  22 . For example, the display controller  116  reduces the amount of information displayed on the display when agent information is displayed on the first display  21  compared to when agent information is displayed on the second display  22 . The present invention is not limited thereto, and the display controller  116  may cause the first display  21  to display agent information in a simpler mode compared to when agent information is displayed on the second display  22 . 
     When actions with the same meaning according to the agent functional unit  150  are caused to be displayed on the AG animation, the display controller  116  may cause the first display  21  and the second display  22  to display at the same timing or cause the first display  21  and the second display  22  to display at different timings. The display controller  116  may cause the first display  21  and the second display  22  to display a part of the same agent information acquired by the agent functional unit  150  at the same timing or cause the first display  21  and the second display  22  to display it at different timings. 
     [Screen Example Part 1] 
       FIG. 6  is a diagram showing an example of a driver&#39;s seat screen and a passenger&#39;s seat screen. A driver&#39;s seat screen  501  includes a service title  510 , a recommendation list  520 , and an AG animation  550 . A passenger&#39;s seat screen  601  includes a service title  610 , a recommendation list  620 , a limiting condition  630 , surrounding map  640 , and an AG animation  650 . Here, an example in which the agent functional unit  150 - 1  accesses the various web servers  300  via the network NW in cooperation with the agent server  200 - 1 , acquires recommendation information according to a request from the occupant, and provides a recommended service in which the acquired recommendation information is provided to the occupant is provided is described. When one of the recommendation information is selected as a destination by the occupant, the agent functional unit  150 - 1  may control the vehicle device  50  so that the host vehicle M is caused to travel toward the selected destination. 
     The service titles  510  and  610  represent the outline of services provided by the agent functional unit  150 - 1 . The recommendation lists  520  and  620  represent a part of recommendation information acquired by the agent functional unit  150 - 1 . The recommendation lists  520  and  620  include, for example, information about restaurants around the host vehicle M. The recommendation list  620  includes a plurality of recommendation elements  621 ,  622 ,  623 , and  624  . . . , and information about each restaurant is summarized for each recommendation element. 
     The limiting condition  630  indicates a condition that narrows down (restricts) information to be displayed on the recommendation list  620 . The surrounding map  640  indicates the position of each restaurant included in the recommendation list  520 . The AG animations  550  and  650  are agent animations corresponding to the agent functional unit  150 - 1 . Here, the agent corresponding to the agent functional unit  150 - 1  is, for example, an animation that looks like an anthropomorphic round ball and provides a similar impression to a viewer. This allows the occupant to recognize that agents are for the same agent functional unit  150 - 1  although expression modes are different. 
     Less text is displayed in the service title  510  than the service title  610 . The service title  510  expresses a service provided by the agent in one word, and the service title  610  expresses a service provided by the agent in a polite sentence. Accordingly, the occupant in the driver&#39;s seat DS can estimate the content of displayed information in a short time, and it is possible to prevent the occupant in the driver&#39;s seat DS from concentrating on the display. 
     The recommendation list  520  has less text displayed and a smaller amount of information than the recommendation list  620 . In the recommendation list  520 , for example, the name of the restaurant, the time required to reach the restaurant, and an evaluation of the restaurant are displayed. In addition to the name of the restaurant, the time required to reach the restaurant, and an evaluation of the restaurant, the recommendation list  620  may include, for example, the distance to the restaurant, the business hours of the restaurant, reviews of the restaurant, the price range, and image pictures. Not only are the numbers of display items different, but information displayed on the recommendation lists  520  and  620  may also be displayed differently. For example, the evaluation of the restaurant is expressed as the number of stars in a star illustration in the recommendation list  620  and expressed as a number that is the number of stars in the recommendation list  520 . Accordingly, the occupant in the driver&#39;s seat DS can obtain simple information about the nearby restaurant. It is possible to prevent the occupant in the driver&#39;s seat DS from concentrating on the display in order to view a large amount of information displayed. 
     The AG animation  550  is displayed in a simpler mode than the AG animation  650 . For example, the AG animation  550  does not move and a facial expression also does not change. On the other hand, the AG animation  650  continues to move up and down, and the gaze direction and the position and shape of the mouth change. The AG animation  550  has a smaller size, a gentler facial expression, and a simpler color than the AG animation  650 . Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the occupant in the driver&#39;s seat DS from concentrating on the AG animation  550  and from watching the change in the AG animation  550 . 
     The display controller  116  causes the limiting condition  630  and the surrounding map  640  to be displayed only on the second display  22 , and causes them not to be displayed on the first display  21 , and thus the display type may be changed. When the limiting condition  630  is displayed on the second display  22 , the instruction receiver  115  receives a condition limitation instruction from the occupant in the passenger&#39;s seat AS, and it is possible to further narrow down information displayed on the recommendation list  620 . The occupant in the passenger&#39;s seat AS can operate the limiting condition  630  according to his or her own determination or the instruction of the occupant in the driver&#39;s seat DS. When the display controller  116  causes the limiting condition  630  not to be displayed on the first display  21 , it is possible to prevent the occupant in the driver&#39;s seat DS from manually inputting an instruction to the agent. When the surrounding map  640  is displayed on only the second display  22 , it is possible to prevent the occupant in the driver&#39;s seat DS from concentrating on a fine map. The condition limitation instruction is not limited to being received by the second display  22 , and it may be received by the instruction receiver  115  using a voice recognition function. In this case, the occupant in the passenger&#39;s seat AS can see and confirm the limiting condition  630 , and instruct limitation of the condition, thereby improving convenience. 
     The display controller  116  may cause the AG animation to execute an action according to the utterance of the occupant. Examples of actions include motions, behaviors, and facial expressions. For example, when waiting for the occupant to speak, the AG animation may perform an action in which it awaits quietly. When information according to the utterance of the occupant is searched for, the AG animation may perform an action in which it looks for something without a magnifying glass. 
     [Screen Example Part 2] 
     When a part of agent information displayed on the second display  22  is designated by the occupant in the passenger&#39;s seat AS using the display and operation device  20 , the display controller  116  may change the display of the first display  21  to information based on a part of the agent information designated by the occupant in the passenger&#39;s seat AS. The designation of a part of the agent information may be received using a voice recognition function by the instruction receiver  115 . 
       FIG. 7  is a diagram showing a screen example of the first display  21 . The recommendation list  520  (t 1 ) and the AG animation  550  (t 1 ) have the same display types shown in  FIG. 6 . For example, in the display controller  116 , when the recommendation element  621  (refer to  FIG. 6 ) displayed on the second display  22  is touched by the occupant in the passenger&#39;s seat AS, the instruction receiver  115  is notified that the recommendation element  621  has been designated, and notifies the display controller  116  of that fact. The display controller  116  causes the first display  21  to display information related to the restaurant corresponding to the recommendation element  621 . For example, the display controller  116  causes the first display  21  to display the recommendation list  520  (t 2 ) and the AG animation  550  (t 2 ) as shown in  FIG. 7 . 
     The recommendation list  520  (t 2 ) includes, regarding the restaurant corresponding to the recommendation element  621 , the name of the restaurant, the time required to reach the restaurant, an evaluation of the restaurant, and image pictures. That is, when one recommendation element displayed on the second display  22  is selected by the occupant, the display controller  116  reduces the number of recommendation elements displayed on the recommendation list  520 . Therefore, the display controller  116  can make the size of text displayed on the recommendation list  520  (t 2 ) larger than that of the recommendation list  520  (t 1 ), and cause an image picture that is not displayed on the recommendation list  520  (t 1 ) to be displayed on the recommendation list  520  (t 2 ). Accordingly, the occupant in the driver&#39;s seat DS can easily see information about the restaurant selected by the occupant in the passenger&#39;s seat AS, and compared to a screen that is difficult to view because much small text is displayed, it is possible to prevent the occupant in the driver&#39;s seat DS from concentrating on the display. The occupant in the passenger&#39;s seat AS can ask the occupant in the driver&#39;s seat DS about visiting the restaurant in which he or she is interested. 
     When one recommendation element displayed on the second display  22  is selected by the occupant, the display controller  116  may make the AG animation  550  (t 2 ) smaller than the AG animation  550  (t 1 ), and change the display position to the edge of the screen. 
     [Screen Example Part 3] 
     When the AG animation is caused to execute an action according to the utterance of the occupant, the display controller  116  may make the action of the AG animation displayed on the first display  21  different from the action of the AG animation displayed on the second display  22 . For example, the display controller  116  displays the action of the AG animation on the first display  21  in a simpler mode than the action of the AG animation displayed on the second display  22 . Here, the simple mode includes, for example, gentle facial expressions, quiet motions, calm behaviors, and expressions from which a viewer receives a weak stimulus. 
       FIG. 8  is a diagram showing an example of an AG animation. For example, it is assumed that the occupant has uttered “Tell me about nearby restaurants.” According to the utterance, the agent functional unit  150 - 1  acquires information about restaurants around the host vehicle M from the various web servers  300  in cooperation with the agent server  200 - 1 . Then, the display controller  116  causes the first display  21  and the second display  22  to display the recommendation lists  520  and  620  shown in  FIG. 6  and the AG animation  550  (t 11 ) and  650  (t 11 ) shown in  FIG. 8 , respectively. Then, the voice controller  118  causes the plurality of speaker units  30  to output an agent voice of “Yes” “Do you want narrow down the search results?”. 
     The AG animation  550  (t 11 ) is a quiet animation with closed eyes without any movement. The AG animation  650  (t 11 ) is an animation in which the tongue is slightly out to express hunger, and moves up and down. 
     Next, it is assumed that the occupant has uttered “sushi or Chinese” “Somewhere that we can arrive at within 30 minutes.” In response to the utterance, the agent functional unit  150 - 1  extracts information about restaurants that can be arrived at within 30 minutes from the position of the host vehicle M, which are “sushi or Chinese” genre restaurants, from information acquired from the various web servers  300 . Then, the display controller  116  changes the recommendation lists  520  and  620  based on the extracted information, and causes the AG animations  550  (t 12 ) and  650  (t 12 ) to display the first display  21  and the second display  22 , respectively. Then, the voice controller  118  causes the plurality of speaker units  30  to output an agent voice of “narrowed down.” 
     The AG animation  550  (t 12 ) is a simple animation with opened eyes without any movement. The AG animation  650  (t 12 ) is an animation of holding up a magnifying glass and looking for something and moves left and right. 
     Next, it is assumed that the occupant has uttered “Go to OO restaurant.” In response to the utterance, the agent functional unit  150 - 1  controls the vehicle device  50  such that the host vehicle M is caused to travel toward the address of “OO restaurant.” Then, the display controller  116  causes the first display  21  and the second display  22  to display the AG animations  550  (t 13 ) and  650  (t 13 ), respectively. Then, the voice controller  118  causes the plurality of speaker units  30  to output “Yes” “We will arrive within 15 minutes” in an agent voice. 
     The AG animation  550  (t 13 ) is a simple smile animation without any movement. The AG animation  650  (t 13 ) is an animation which has a happy facial expression and expresses an Ok sign with fingers, and of which size changes, becoming larger or smaller. The AG animation  650  (t 13 ) is represented by a color different from that of the AG animation  650  (t 11 ). 
     In this manner, when the action of the AG animation is changed, it is possible to prevent the occupant in the driver&#39;s seat DS from concentrating on the display, and it is possible to entertain the occupant in the passenger&#39;s seat AS. 
     [Screen Example Part 4] 
     The display controller  116  may change at least one of the display position and the display type of the AG animation according to the driving situation of the host vehicle M. For example, when the driving situation of the host vehicle M satisfies a predetermined condition, the display controller  116  changes at least one of the display position and the display type of the AG animation. The predetermined condition includes, for example, turning a curve, traveling at a speed of a threshold value or more, traveling on a highway, traveling in a residential area, changing lanes, overtaking a preceding vehicle, or changing a destination. 
     For example, when the driving situation of the host vehicle M satisfies a predetermined condition, the display controller  116  moves the display position of the AG animation toward the outer edge of the screen. The present invention is not limited thereto, and when the driving situation of the host vehicle M satisfies a predetermined condition, the display controller  116  may move the AG animation for the driver&#39;s seat to the passenger&#39;s seat screen. When the driving situation of the host vehicle M satisfies a predetermined condition, the display controller  116  may display the AG animation in a simpler mode compared to when the driving situation of the host vehicle M does not satisfy a predetermined condition. 
       FIG. 9  is a diagram showing another example of an AG animation. Here, display of only an AG animation will be described and other display contents will not be described. The AG animation  550  (t 21 ) is displayed at the center of the driver&#39;s seat screen  501 , and the AG animation  650  (t 21 ) is displayed at the center of the passenger&#39;s seat screen  601 . The AG animation  550  (t 21 ) is a quiet animation with closed eyes and having no movement. The AG animation  650  (t 21 ) is an animation with opened eyes and with a gaze directed to the side opposite to the driver&#39;s seat DS, which moves up and down. 
     Here, when the driving situation of the host vehicle M satisfies a predetermined condition, the display controller  116  causes the driver&#39;s seat screen  501  to display the AG animation  550  (t 22 ), and causes the passenger&#39;s seat screen  601  to display the AG animation  650  (t 22 ). The AG animation  550  (t 22 ) is displayed at the left corner of the driver&#39;s seat screen  501 , and the AG animation  650  (t 22 ) is displayed at the left corner of the passenger&#39;s seat screen  601 . That is, when the driving situation of the host vehicle M satisfies a predetermined condition, the AG animation moves toward the edge of the screen. 
     The AG animation  550  (t 22 ) is the same animation as the AG animation  550  (t 21 ). The AG animation  650  (t 22 ) has a gaze that is changed to the side of the driver&#39;s seat DS and has no movement. The AG animation  650  (t 22 ) has a smaller size than the AG animation  650  (t 21 ). That is, when the driving situation of the host vehicle M satisfies a predetermined condition, the display type of the AG animation is changed to a simple mode. 
     When the driving situation of the host vehicle M satisfies a predetermined condition, the display controller  116  may cause the AG animation  550  (t 23 ) and the AG animation  650  (t 23 ) to be displayed on the passenger&#39;s seat screen  601 . The AG animation  550  (t 23 ) is displayed at the right corner of the passenger&#39;s seat screen  601 , and the AG animation  650  (t 23 ) is displayed at the left corner of the passenger&#39;s seat screen  601 . That is, when the driving situation of the host vehicle M satisfies a predetermined condition, the AG animation  550  (t 23 ) moves from the driver&#39;s seat screen  501  to the passenger&#39;s seat screen  601 . 
     The AG animation  550  (t 23 ) is the same animation as the AG animation  550  (t 21 ). The AG animation  650  (t 23 ) has a gaze that is changed to the side of the driver&#39;s seat DS, and has a surprise facial expression, and has no movement. The AG animation  650  (t 23 ) has a smaller size than the AG animation  650  (t 21 ). 
     Accordingly, when the driving situation of the host vehicle M satisfies a predetermined condition, it is possible to prevent the occupant in the driver&#39;s seat DS from being distracted by the AG animation  550  displayed on the driver&#39;s seat screen  501 . When the occupant in the passenger&#39;s seat AS has noticed of the change in the AG animation  650 , it is recognized that the driving situation satisfies a predetermined condition, and it is possible to restrict an action such as speaking to the occupant in the driver&#39;s seat DS. Therefore, it is possible to create an environment in which the occupant in the driver&#39;s seat DS concentrates on driving. 
     [Screen Example Part 5] 
     The display controller  116  may cause any display that is closer to the position at which the occupant&#39;s head is assumed to be located between the first display  21  and the second display  22  to display the AG animation based on the position of the seat of the occupant who has produced the utterance in the host vehicle M. The display closer to the position at which the head of the occupant in the driver&#39;s seat DS is assumed to be located is, for example, the first display  21 , and the display closer to the position at which the head of the occupant in the passenger&#39;s seat AS is assumed to be located is, for example, the second display  22 . 
     Regarding the position of the seat of the occupant who has produced the utterance in the host vehicle M, for example, based on the output of the microphone  10 , the agent functional unit  150  determines a direction in which the voice is produced, and determines a seat on which the occupant who has produced the utterance is predicted to be sitting. The present invention is not limited thereto, and the agent functional unit  150  may detect “occupant whose mouth is moving” from the image based on the output of the occupant recognizer  80 , and determine the position of the seat of the detected occupant as a position of the seat of the occupant who has produced the utterance in the host vehicle M. 
       FIG. 10  is a diagram showing an example of a screen when an occupant in a passenger&#39;s seat produces an utterance. When the occupant in the passenger&#39;s seat AS uttered “Tell me about nearby restaurants,” the display controller  116  causes the second display  22  to display the recommendation list  620 - 1  and the AG animation  650 - 1 . In the recommendation list  620 - 1 , details of recommendation information as shown in  FIG. 6  are displayed. On the other hand, the display controller  116  causes the first display  21  not to display the recommendation list and the AG animation. 
     Accordingly, when the agent provides a service in response to the request from the occupant in the passenger&#39;s seat AS, the content of agent information and the fact that the agent is activated can be kept secret from the occupant in the driver&#39;s seat DS. It is possible to prevent information and the agent that the driver did not request from being displayed on the driver&#39;s seat screen  501 , and it is possible to create an environment in which the occupant in the driver&#39;s seat DS concentrates on driving. 
     [Screen Example Part 6] 
     When the occupant who has produced the utterance is an occupant in the driver&#39;s seat DS, the display controller  116  may cause, between the first display  21  and the second display  22 , the second display  22  farther from the position at which the head of the occupant who has produced the utterance is assumed to be located to display more detailed information based on agent information acquired by the agent functional unit, compared to the first display  21  closer to the position at which the head of the occupant who has produced the utterance is assumed to be located. 
       FIG. 11  is a diagram showing an example of a screen when an occupant in a driver&#39;s seat produces an utterance. When the occupant in the driver&#39;s seat DS utters “Tell me about nearby restaurants,” the display controller  116  causes the first display  21  to display the AG animation  550 - 2  and the second display  22  to display the recommendation list  620 - 2 . The AG animation  550 - 2  has a simpler display type than the AG animation  650 - 1  shown in  FIG. 10 . In the recommendation list  620 - 2 , details of recommendation information as shown in  FIG. 6  are displayed. 
     Accordingly, when the agent provides a service in response to the request from the occupant in the driver&#39;s seat DS, the AG animation  550 - 2  is displayed on the first display  21  to inform the occupant in the driver&#39;s seat DS that the agent is providing a service, and it is possible to provide details of information acquired by the agent to the occupant in the passenger&#39;s seat AS. 
     When the occupant who has produced the utterance is an occupant in the driver&#39;s seat DS, the display controller  116  may cause the first display  21  closer to the position at which the head of the occupant who has produced the utterance is assumed to be located to display the outline based on agent information, and cause the second display  22  farther from the position at which the head of the occupant who has produced the utterance is assumed to be located to display more detailed information based on agent information. 
       FIG. 12  is a diagram showing another example of a screen when an occupant in a driver&#39;s seat produces an utterance. When the occupant in the driver&#39;s seat DS uttered “Tell me about nearby restaurants,” the display controller  116  causes the first display  21  to display the recommendation list  520 - 3  and the AG animation  550 - 3 , and causes the second display  22  to display the recommendation list  620 - 3 . The AG animation  550 - 2  has a simpler display type than the AG animation  650 - 1  shown in  FIG. 10  and the AG animation  650 - 2  shown in  FIG. 11 . In the recommendation list  620 - 3 , details of recommendation information as shown in  FIG. 6  are displayed. The recommendation list  520 - 3  has a smaller amount of information than the recommendation list  620 - 3 . Accordingly, a part of the recommendation information acquired by the agent can be provided to the occupant in the driver&#39;s seat DS. 
     [Flowchart] 
       FIG. 13  is a flowchart showing an example of a process performed by the display controller  116 . The display controller  116  repeats the following process at predetermined timings. 
     The display controller  116  determines whether or not to display the AG animation for the driver&#39;s seat on the first display  21  or the like (Step S 101 ). When the AG animation for the driver&#39;s seat is displayed on the first display  21  or the like, the display controller  116  causes it to be displayed in a simpler mode compared to when the AG animation for the passenger&#39;s seat is displayed (Step S 102 ). The display controller  116  determines whether or not to cause the AG animation for the driver&#39;s seat to execute an action (Step S 103 ). When the AG animation for the driver&#39;s seat is caused to execute an action, the display controller  116  is caused to display it in a simpler mode compared to when the AG animation for the passenger&#39;s seat is caused to execute an action (Step S 104 ). 
     Next, the display controller  116  determines whether or not to display a recommendation list on the first display  21  (Step S 105 ). When a recommendation list is displayed on the first display  21 , the display controller  116  displays the recommendation list with a smaller amount of information compared to when the recommendation list is displayed on the second display  22  (Step S 106 ). The display controller  116  determines whether one recommendation element has been selected from the recommendation list displayed on the second display  22  (Step S 107 ). When one recommendation element is selected, the display controller  116  causes the first display  21  to display the selected recommendation element (Step S 108 ). 
     Next, the display controller  116  determines whether the driving situation satisfies a predetermined condition (Step S 109 ). When the driving situation satisfies a predetermined condition, the display controller  116  changes the display position and display type of the AG animation for the driver&#39;s seat and the AG animation for the passenger&#39;s seat (Step S 110 ). 
       FIG. 14  is a flowchart showing another example of a process performed by the display controller  116 . The display controller  116  repeats the following process at predetermined timings. The display controller  116  determines whether the position of the seat of the occupant who has produced the utterance in the host vehicle M is at a passenger&#39;s seat (Step S 201 ). When the position of the seat of the occupant who has produced the utterance in the host vehicle M is at a passenger&#39;s seat, the display controller  116  causes the second display  22  to display the AG animation and details of the recommendation list (Step S 202 ). Then, the display controller  116  prohibits display of the AG animation and the recommendation list on the first display  21  (Step S 203 ). 
     On the other hand, in Step S 201 , when the position of the seat of the occupant who has produced the utterance in the host vehicle M is not at a passenger&#39;s seat, the display controller  116  determines whether the position of the seat of the occupant who has produced the utterance in the host vehicle M is at a driver&#39;s seat (Step S 204 ). When the position of the seat of the occupant who has produced the utterance in the host vehicle M is at a driver&#39;s seat, the display controller  116  causes the first display  21  to display the AG animation (Step S 205 ). In Step S 205 , the display controller  116  may cause the first display  21  to additionally display the outline of the recommendation. The display controller  116  causes the second display  22  to display details of the recommendation list (Step S 206 ). 
     According to the agent device  100  of the first embodiment described above, it is possible to realize in-vehicle displays in an appropriate mode when an agent provides a service. 
     While forms for implementing the present invention have been described above with reference to embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments at all, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
     For example, the passenger&#39;s seat screen may be displayed on the third display  23 .