Home robot using home server, and home network system having the same

• US 20040093219A1
• Filed: 10/01/2003
• Published: 05/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Hwang, Bo-Seung, Shin, Ho-Chul, Kim, Young-Jip, Lee, Jae-Kil, Sung, Ki-Yeon, Chun, Kyong-Joon
• Application Number:
  US10/674,509
• Publication Number:
  US 20040093219A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/003 by means of an audio-responsive input audible safety signals B25J19/061
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0003 Home robots, i.e. small robots for domestic use
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/008 based on physical entities controlled by simulated intelligence so as to replicate intelligent life forms, e.g. based on robots replicating pets or humans in their appearance or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command

Abstract

A home robot controlled by a home server. When a user gives a voice command to the home robot, the home robot A/D converts the voice command and transmits the voice command to the home server. The home server interprets the voice command, generates a response control signal to the command, and by wireless transmission, transmits the response control signal to the home robot. A control unit in the home robot receives the response control signal, outputs the response control signal as one or more of a digital voice signal, motion control signal and an image signal. The digital voice signal is converted to an analog signal for reproduction through a speaker. A driving unit moves body components of the home robot in response to one or more of the motion control signals from the control unit. A display unit displays an image in response to the image signal.

Claims

1. A system for controlling a home robot, comprising:

a home server responsive to a user'"'"'s command for controlling said home robot, said home server and said home robot being in a same premises; and

said home robot being controlled to perform only in response to command result signals generated by said home server, said command result signals being generated in response to said user'"'"'s command.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1, said user'"'"'s command being transmitted as a wireless local area network (WLAN) signal to said home server via said home robot for analysis by said home server.

3. The system as set forth in claim 1, said home server comprising:

an internal communication unit generating and receiving wireless local area network (WLAN) signals for communicating with said home robot;

a control unit for analyzing the user'"'"'s commands, where said wireless local area network (WLAN) signals comprises said user'"'"'s command;

a voice recognition unit for performing a voice recognition function on voice signals constituting said user'"'"'s commands and providing command information to said control unit, based on recognition of said voice signals, to said control unit for analyzing the user'"'"'s commands in response to the command information;

a voice synthesizing unit for producing a digital voice signal when said control unit determines that said command information requires a voice response; and

a home robot driving managing unit for producing motion control signals to be transmitted to said home robot to control movements of said home robot, said digital voice signal and said motion control signals being transmitted to said home robot via said control unit and said internal communication unit as said command result signals.

4. The system as set forth in claim 1, said home robot comprising:

a microphone for receiving the user'"'"'s command as an external voice command signal from the user and converting the voice command signal into an electric command signal;

an analog-to-digital converter for converting the electric command signal to a digital command signal;

a wireless communication unit for converting the digital command signal into a wireless command signal and transmitting the wireless command signal to said home server, and for receiving a wireless command result signal from the home server, said wireless communication unit converting the wireless command result signal into a digital command result signal;

a digital-to-analog converter for converting a digital voice signal to an analog voice signal when said digital voice signal is included with said digital command result signal;

a speaker for producing an audio voice signal in response to the analog voice signal from said digital-to-analog converter;

a control unit receiving said digital command result signal from the wireless command unit and analyzing said digital command result signal to control one or more actions of said home robot, and based on said analysis, said control unit outputting one or more of said digital voice signal, motion control signals and an image signal;

a driving unit for moving body components of said home robot in response to one or more of said motion control signals from the control unit, each motion control signal being determined by the analysis performed by said control unit on said digital command result signal; and

a display unit for displaying an image in response to said image signal.

5. The system as set forth in claim 4, said display unit reproducing operation status display information of the home robot.

6. The system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a network for communicating with one or more service servers, said service servers having software modules for downloading to said home server, each service server being utilized to generate a corresponding command for controlling said home robot.

7. A method for operating a home robot using a home server, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a voice service request analog-to-digital at the home robot, for converting the voice, and transmitting the voice to the home server through wireless communication;

receiving the voice at the home server from the home robot, for interpreting a requested service by voice recognition, performing operations for the requested service, generating a response message to the requested service, synthesizing the response message into voice, and transmitting the voice response message to the home robot; and

receiving the voice response message at the home robot from the home server, for reproducing the voice response message as voice through a speaker.