Robot control system

• US 10,513,038 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2016
• Issued: 12/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp. (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Thapliya, Roshan, Dunstan, Belinda
• Primary Examiner(s): Sample, Jonathan L
• Application Number:
  US15/221,081
• Publication Number:
  US 20170266812A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,245 Days
• Field of Search: 700245-264
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/0005 Manipulators having means for high-level communication with users, e.g. speech generator, face recognition means
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/008 Manipulators for service tasks
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0003 Home robots, i.e. small robots for domestic use

Abstract

A robot control system includes a humanoid conversation robot that has a conversation with a user, at least one service execution robot that provides a service to the user, a recognition unit that recognizes a request and an emotion of the user through the conversation between the user and the humanoid conversation robot, and a determination unit that determines a service which is to be provided to the user and a service execution robot which is to execute the service among the at least one service execution robot according to the request and the emotion of the user. The service execution robot determined by the determination unit executes the determined service.

Claims

1. A robot control system comprising:

a recognition unit that recognizes a request and an emotion of a user through the conversation between the user and a humanoid conversation robot; and

a determination unit that determines an execution manner of service which is provided to the user and a service execution robot which executes the service among a plurality of service execution robots according to a priority based on the recognized request and the recognized emotion.

2. The robot control system according to claim 1, wherein

the humanoid conversation robot changes a shape of a body of the humanoid conversation robot according to the emotion of the user recognized by the recognition unit.

3. The robot control system according to claim 2, wherein

the humanoid conversation robot changes the shape of the body of the humanoid conversation robot by changing orientation of any one or both of a chest and a head of the humanoid conversation robot with respect to a body trunk of the humanoid conversation robot.

4. The robot control system according to claim 1, wherein

the humanoid conversation robot has a protrusion provided on a head of the humanoid conversation robot, and

during the conversation with the user, the protrusion is directed toward the user.

5. The robot control system according to claim 4, wherein

the humanoid conversation robot comprises a lighting device on the head, the lighting device being arranged such that the lighting device converges toward the protrusion, and

a lighting manner of the lighting device is changed according to the emotion of the user recognized by the recognition unit.

6. The robot control system according to claim 4, wherein

elements corresponding to human eyes and mouth are not provided on the head of the humanoid conversation robot, a pressure-sensitive sensor for detecting touch of the user is provided in a region where the protrusion is not provided.

7. The robot control system according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of service execution robots includes at least one or a combination of a transport robot, a table robot, a writing tool providing robot, and an interactive screen robot.

8. The robot control system according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of service execution robots and the humanoid conversation robot have seated portions appearance configurations of which provide a sense of unity.

9. The robot control system according to claim 1, wherein

the recognition unit is provided in the humanoid conversation robot, separately from the humanoid conversation robot, or both in the humanoid conversation robot and separately from the humanoid conversation robot.

10. The robot control system according to claim 1, wherein

a first humanoid conversation robot and a second humanoid conversation robot are included, and

in a case where the first humanoid conversation robot recognizes a first request and a first emotion of the user and, after that, the second humanoid conversation robot recognizes a second request and a second emotion of the user, the second humanoid conversation robot transmits the second request and the second emotion to the determination unit, and the determination unit determines the to-be-executed service and the service execution robot according to the first request and the first emotion and the second request and the second emotion.

11. The robot control system according to claim 1, further comprising an instruction unit that makes an instruction about the execution manner of service determined by the determination unit to the service execution robot,

wherein the humanoid conversation robot comprises the determination unit and the instruction unit.

12. The robot control system according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines that the service execution robot is allowed to execute the service to the user in a quicker manner than a usual manner in accordance with the emotion of the user.