Robot

• US 20040066917A1
• Filed: 08/27/2003
• Published: 04/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Fukuya, Hirohiko, Yasukawa, Yusuke
• Granted Patent: US 7,447,564 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.01
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/0008 Balancing devices
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/02 Sensing devices
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0003 Home robots, i.e. small robots for domestic use
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems

Abstract

A robot of the present invention moves to a place where a user is, in response to the voice of the user who is calling the robot. Then, when the user presses a switch, the robot recognizes that the user desires to send an urgent call and dials a pre-registered telephone number for sending urgent calls. When a receiver responds, the robot reads out and delivers a predetermined message to the receiver as a voice message, and switches the telephone to the handfree state so that the user can talk without holding the telephone.

Claims

1. A robot including a moving mechanism for causing the robot to move freely, comprising:

a communication section which wirelessly connects to a communication line;

a detection section which detects a request provided by a user;

a storing section which stores a message and a telephone number; and

a telephone control section which causes the communication section to dial the telephone number stored in the storing section in response to the detection section detecting the request provided by the user, and then delivers the message stored in the storing section as a voice message to a receiver when the receiver responds.

2. A robot according to claim 1, wherein the storing section stores a plurality of telephone numbers and a plurality of messages respectively associated with the plurality of telephone numbers,

wherein the detection section detects a plurality of modes of requests, and

wherein the telephone control section dials a telephone number according to a mode of request detected by the detection section, and delivers a message associated with the dialed telephone number.

3. A robot according to claim 1, further comprising a microphone and a speaker, and wherein the telephone control section causes, after delivering the message to the receiver, the communication section to be in a state of communication using the microphone and the speaker.

4. A robot according to claim 1, further comprising an e-mail transmission function,

wherein the storing section further stores an email address and a message associated with the e-mail,

wherein the detection section detects a plurality of modes of requests, and

wherein the telephone control section transmits, according to a mode of request detected by the detection section, the message associated with the e-mail address stored in the storing section.

5. A robot according to claim 4, wherein the telephone control section dials a telephone number according to a mode of request detected by the detection section when the detected mode of request is a telephone mode, and then the telephone control section transmits the message to the e-mail address stored in the storing section when a receiver does not respond.

6. A robot according to claim 1, further comprising:

a microphone;

a voice recognition section which recognizes that the robot is called based on a voice received by the microphone; and

a movement control section which controls, when the voice recognition section recognizes that the robot is called, the moving mechanism so as to move the robot closer to a speaker who is calling the robot.