Robot apparatus, control method for robot apparatus, and toy for robot apparatus

• US 20050182520A1
• Filed: 03/17/2005
• Published: 08/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tsurumi, Shingo, Kokubo, Wataru, Takamura, Seiichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,062,356 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/259
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means

Abstract

A robot apparatus 1 is a four-legged mobile robot, and leg units 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D are connected to the left and side parts in the front and rear sides of a body unit 2. Ahead unit 4 is connected to the front end of the body unit 2. The head unit 4 has a mouth (jaw) part capable of biting and holding a toy 200 shaped like a bone. The mouth part is constituted by upper and lower jaw parts, and adopts a structure capable of biting and securely holding a bite part 203 of the bone 200. A CPU as a control part executes programs according to an image recognition processing algorithm for recognizing the bone 200, a bone-bite control algorithm for biting the bone, and a bone-bite detection algorithm for detecting the bone.

Claims

1. A robot apparatus which autonomously makes actions, based on external environment, comprising:

image pick-up means for picking up an image of an object in the external environment;

calculation means for calculating a circularity of a label included in image data based on the image picked up by the image pickup means; and

distinguish means for distinguishing a characteristic part of the object, depending on the circularity calculated by the calculation means, wherein

when the object is a toy having a rod-like bite part to be bitten and held by a mouth part formed in a head unit of the robot apparatus, and two side parts each formed in a substantially triangular shape and both formed respectively at two ends of the toy with the bite part interposed between the two side parts, circularities of labels based on a color applied to predetermined areas of the bite part and the two side parts are calculated by the calculation means, and the distinguish means distinguishes the bite part and the side parts from each other, based on the circularities.