Reception system

• US 20070135119A1
• Filed: 12/11/2006
• Published: 06/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Hashimoto, Sachie, Takahashi, Kimio
• Granted Patent: US 7,330,774 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/426.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems

Abstract

An operation control unit of a reception system includes a visitor ID information DB for storing therein visitor comparison information and visitor ID information including a phone number of a receiver of a visitor; an identifying unit for identifying the visitor when visitor information obtained by a camera or the like of the robot is identical to the visitor comparison information; a phone calling module for calling the phone number of a mobile terminal of the receiver via a phone network, when the visitor is identified; an informing content determining unit for determining an informing content to the receiver based on the visitor ID information, when the visitor is identified; and a speech generating part for converting the received information into a voice. The informing content is sent to the mobile terminal of the receiver via the phone network.

Claims

1. A reception system comprising:

an autonomously operating robot; and

an operation control unit for controlling operations of the robot,

wherein the robot or the operation control unit comprises;

a detecting unit for detecting a visitor and obtaining information on the visitor;

a storage unit for storing at least visitor related information including visitor comparison information prepared in advance which is to be compared with the visitor information obtained by the detecting unit, and a phone number of a receiver to receive the visitor;

an identifying unit for identifying the visitor, based on a comparison between the visitor information obtained by the detecting unit and the visitor comparison information stored in the storage unit;

a phone calling unit for making a call via a phone network to a phone of the receiver using the phone number included in the visitor related information, when the identifying unit identifies the visitor; and

an informing content determining unit for determining an informing content to be informed to the receiver based on the visitor related information, when the identifying unit identifies the visitor,

the informing content determined by the informing content determining unit to be transmitted via the phone network to the phone of the receiver, which is confirmed to be connected according to a call by the phone calling unit.

2. The reception system according to claim 1, further comprising a voice synthesizing unit,

wherein both the voice synthesizing unit and the phone calling unit are provided in the operation controlling unit.

3. The reception system according to claim 1,

wherein either the robot or the operation control unit further comprises:

a question content storage unit for storing therein a content of a question to be asked to the visitor,

wherein the robot further comprises;

an informing unit for informing the visitor of the question content stored in the question content storage unit; and

a reply recognition unit for recognizing a reply from the visitor in response to the question content, and

wherein the reply recognized by the reply recognition unit is sent to the receiver via the phone network and the phone.

4. The reception system according to claim 2,

wherein the robot or the operation control unit further comprises:

a question content storage unit for storing therein a content of a question to be asked to the visitor,

wherein the robot further comprises;

a informing unit for informing the visitor of the question content stored in the question content storage unit; and

a reply recognition unit for recognizing a reply from the visitor in response to the question content, and

wherein the reply recognized by the reply recognition unit is sent to the receiver via the phone network and the phone.

5. The reception system according to claim 1,

wherein either the robot or the operation control unit further comprises:

a call error detecting unit for determining whether a call made by the phone calling unit has failed or not based on whether the call error detecting unit receives a predetermined error signal or not, and for outputting an error informing signal when the call is determined to have failed; and

an operator informing unit for informing an operator of the failed call based on the error informing signal.

6. The reception system according to claim 4,

wherein the error signal is a call-receiving error signal indicating that the phone of the receiver is busy, powered off, or out of a service area.

7. The reception system according to claim 4,

wherein the error signal is an unmatched signal indicating that the phone number called by the phone calling unit is different from the phone number of the receiver.

8. The reception system according to claim 1,

wherein either the robot or the operation control unit further comprises:

a call error detecting unit for determining that a call made by the phone calling unit has failed, if a predetermined period of time elapses after the phone calling unit makes a call, and for outputting an error informing signal, if the call is determined to have failed; and

an operator informing unit for informing an operator of the failed call based on the error informing signal.

9. The reception system according to claim 4,

wherein, after the call error detecting unit determines that the call has failed, the call error detecting unit determines whether the number of the failed calls is less than a predetermined number or not;

if the call error detecting unit determines that the number of the failed calls is less than the predetermined number, the call error detecting unit makes the phone calling unit retry a call; and

, if the call error detecting unit determines that the number of the failed calls is not less than the predetermined number, the call error detecting unit outputs the error informing signal to the operator informing unit.

10. The reception system according to claim 7,

wherein, after the call error detecting unit determines that the call has failed, the call error detecting unit determines whether the number of the failed calls is less than a predetermined number or not;

if the call error detecting unit determines that the number of the failed calls is less than the predetermined number, the call error detecting unit makes the phone calling unit retry a call; and

, if the call error detecting unit determines that the number of the failed calls is not less than the predetermined number, the call error detecting unit outputs the error informing signal to the operator informing unit.

11. The reception system according to claim 2,

wherein either the robot or the operation control unit further comprises:

a call-receiving error detecting unit for determining whether a call-receiving by the receiver has failed or not by determining whether a call-receiving termination signal indicating that a state of the call-receiving has terminated is received or not, before a transmission time elapses which is necessary for transmitted information to be conveyed to the receiver via the voice synthesizing unit, the phone network, and the phone, and for outputting an error informing signal when the call is determined to have failed; and

an operator informing unit for informing an operator that a call-receiving has failed when the call-receiving error detecting unit determines the call-receiving has failed.

12. The reception system according to claim 3,

wherein the robot or the operation control unit further comprises:

a call-receiving error detecting unit for determining whether a call-receiving by the receiver has failed or not by determining whether a call-receiving termination signal indicating that a state of the call-receiving has terminated is received or not, before a transmission time elapses which is necessary for transmitted information to be conveyed to the receiver via the voice synthesizing unit, the phone network, and the phone, and for outputting an error informing signal when the call is determined to have failed; and

an operator informing unit for informing an operator that a call-receiving has failed, if the call-receiving error detecting unit determines the call-receiving has failed.

13. The reception system according to claim 2,

wherein the robot or the operation control unit further comprises:

a confirming unit for sending confirming information together with the transmitted information, to the receiver via the voice synthesizing unit, the phone network, and the phone, the confirming information asking the receiver whether or not the receiver has confirmed the transmitted information; and

a resending unit for determining whether the receiver has confirmed the transmitted information or not based on a reply signal replied by the receiver in response to the confirming information, for terminating a connected state of the phone when the receiver is determined to have confirmed the transmitted information, and for resending the transmitted information and the confirming information when the receiver is determined not to have confirmed the transmitted information.

14. The reception system according to claim 3,

wherein the robot or the operation control unit further comprises:

a confirming unit for sending confirming information together with the transmitted information, to the receiver via the voice synthesizing unit, the phone network, and the phone, the confirming information asking the receiver whether or not the receiver has confirmed the transmitted information; and

a resending unit for determining whether the receiver has confirmed the transmitted information or not based on a reply signal replied by the receiver in response to the confirming information, for terminating a connected state of the phone when the receiver is determined to have confirmed the transmitted information, and for resending the transmitted information and the confirming information when the receiver is determined not to have confirmed the transmitted information.

15. The reception system according to claim 9,

wherein the robot or the operation control unit further comprises:

a confirming unit for sending confirming information together with the transmitted information, to the receiver via the voice synthesizing unit, the phone network, and the phone, the confirming information asking the receiver whether or not the receiver has confirmed the transmitted information; and

a resending unit for determining whether the receiver has confirmed the transmitted information or not based on a reply signal replied by the receiver in response to the confirming information, for terminating a connected state of the phone when the receiver is determined to have confirmed the transmitted information, and for resending the transmitted information and the confirming information when the receiver is determined not to have confirmed the transmitted information.