Robot

• US 20050195989A1
• Filed: 09/03/2004
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Sugiyama, Akihiko, Sato, Miki, Ohnaka, Shin'ichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,366,309 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/92
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/003 by means of an audio-responsive input audible safety signals B25J19/061
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/20 Speech recognition techniques specially adapted for robustness in adverse environments, e.g. in noise, of stress induced speech G10L21/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/02165 Two microphones, one receiving mainly the noise signal and the other one mainly the speech signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2410/05 Noise reduction with a separate noise microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

A robot includes first and second microphones and movable portions. The first microphone gathers a first sound reception signal by gathering mainly a target signal. The second microphone gathers a second reception sound signal by gathering mainly noise other than the target signal. The movable portions operate on the basis of the first sound reception signal output from the first microphone and the second sound reception signal output from the second microphone.

Claims

1. A robot comprising:

first sound gathering means for generating a first sound reception signal by gathering mainly a target signal;

second sound gathering means for generating a second reception sound signal by gathering mainly noise other than the target signal; and

first operation means which operates on the basis of the first sound reception signal output from said first sound gathering means and the second sound reception signal output from said second sound gathering means.

2. A robot according to claim 1, further comprising noise reduction means for generating a low-noise signal by reducing the noise components of the target signal on the basis of the first sound reception signal output from said first sound gathering means and the second sound reception signal output from said second sound gathering means,

wherein said first operation means operates on the basis of the low-noise signal output from said noise reduction means.

3. A robot according to claim 2, wherein said noise reduction means comprises an adaptive filter which approximates an acoustic path between said first sound gathering means and said second sound gathering means.

4. A robot according to claim 2, further comprising voice recognition means for performing voice recognition on the basis of the low-noise signal output from said noise reduction means,

wherein said first operation means operates on the basis of a voice recognition result obtained by said voice recognition means.

5. A robot according to claim 1, wherein said first and second sound gathering means are placed to face different directions.

6. A robot according to claim 5, wherein said first and second sound gathering means are placed to face directions forming an angle of not less than 90°

.

7. A robot according to claim 6, wherein said first and second sound gathering means are placed to face opposite directions.

8. A robot according to claim 1, wherein

said first sound gathering means is placed on a front surface of said robot, and

said second sound gathering means is placed on a rear surface of said robot.

9. A robot according to claim 2, further comprising

target signal source direction detection means for detecting a direction of a target signal source and outputting direction information indicating the direction, and

input switching means for inputting the first sound reception signal and the second sound reception signal to said noise reduction means upon switching the first and second sound reception signals when a direction of said second sound gathering means is closer to the direction of the target signal source than a direction of said first sound gathering means on the basis of the direction information output from said target signal source direction detection means.

10. A robot according to claim 2, further comprising

noise source direction detection means for detecting a direction of a noise source and outputting direction information indicating the direction, and

input switching means for inputting the first sound reception signal and the second sound reception signal to said noise reduction means upon switching the first and second sound reception signals when a direction of said first sound gathering means is closer to the direction of the noise source than a direction of said second sound gathering means on the basis of the direction information output from said noise source direction detection means.

11. A robot according to claim 1, further comprising

target signal source direction detection means for detecting a direction of a target signal source and outputting direction information indicating the direction, and

second operation means which directs said first sound gathering means toward the target signal source on the basis of the direction information output from said target signal source direction detection means.

12. A robot according to claim 11, wherein said target signal source direction detection means detects a direction of the target signal source by using at least one of acoustic signal information and image signal information.

13. A robot according to claim 1, further comprising

noise source direction detection means for detecting a direction of a noise source and outputting direction information indicating the direction, and

third operation means which directs said second sound gathering means toward the noise source on the basis of the direction information output from said noise source direction detection means.

14. A robot according to claim 13, wherein said noise source direction detection means detects a direction of the noise source by using at least one of acoustic signal information and image signal information.

15. A robot according to claim 1, further comprising

target signal source distance detection means for detecting a distance to a target signal source and outputting distance information indicating the distance, and

fourth operation means which moves said first sound gathering means closer to a position of the target signal source on the basis of the distance information output from said target signal source distance detection means.

16. A robot according to claim 15, wherein said target signal source distance detection means detects a distance to the target signal source by using at least one of acoustic signal information and image signal information.

17. A robot according to claim 1, further comprising

noise source distance detection means for detecting a distance to a noise source and outputting distance information indicating the distance, and

fifth operation means which moves said second sound gathering means closer to a position of the noise source on the basis of the distance information output from said noise source distance detection means.

18. A robot according to claim 17, wherein said noise source distance detection means detects a distance to the noise source by using at least one of acoustic signal information and image signal information.

19. A robot according to claim 1, wherein said first sound gathering means comprises a microphone group including a plurality of microphones.

20. A robot according to claim 1, wherein said second sound gathering means comprises a microphone group including a plurality of microphones.