EVENT EXECUTION METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ROBOT SYNCHRONIZED WITH MOBILE TERMINAL

• US 20100010669A1
• Filed: 07/06/2009
• Published: 01/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: LEE, Seung Jai, SON, Suk Ryun
• Granted Patent: US 8,818,554 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces

Abstract

An event execution method and system for a robot synchronized with a mobile terminal is provided for enabling a robot synchronized with a mobile terminal or a character displayed in the mobile terminal to execute an event on behalf of the mobile terminal and share experience points of the character displayed in the mobile terminal. The event execution system includes a mobile terminal and a robot synchronized with the mobile terminal. The mobile terminal includes a short range wireless communication unit which establishes a radio link with the robot, a storage unit which stores a character rearing application for bringing up a character and a behavior contents database of behaviors that a character displayed by the character rearing application conducts, and a control unit which performs synchronization with the robot by means of the short range wireless communication unit and sends, when an event occurs, an event execution command indicating the event to the robot through the radio link, and the robot includes a short range wireless communication unit which establishes the radio link with the mobile terminal, a storage unit which stores a robot displaying application for bringing up the robot and a behavior contents data base of behaviors that the robot conducts, and a control unit which performs synchronization with the mobile terminal by means of the short range wireless communication unit and controls the robot to conduct a behavior corresponding to the event indicated by the event execution command.

Claims

1. An event execution method for a robot synchronized with a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

detecting an event that occurred in a mobile terminal;

transmitting an event execution command from the mobile terminal to a robot through a radio link; and

executing, at the robot, the event indicated by the event execution command.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the event comprises an alarm event, and the executing of the event comprises:

locating and moving to a user; and

outputting an alarm indicated by the alarm event.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the event comprises an incoming message event, and the executing of the event comprises outputting an incoming message in the form of a voice.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the event comprises a call establishment event.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

activating, at the mobile terminal, a character rearing application before detecting the event; and

synchronizing an experience point of a character displayed by the character rearing application and the robot.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the experience point comprises at least one of an intelligence point, an emotion point, a health point, and an affection point.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the synchronizing of the experience point comprises:

requesting, at the mobile terminal, the robot to transmit the experience point;

receiving the experience point from the robot; and

comparing the experience point of the mobile terminal with the experience point of the robot.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the comparing of the experience point comprises:

checking update times of a character displayed in the mobile terminal and the robot; and

updating the experience point of the character and the robot with a most recently updated value at the update times.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the event comprises a behavior event of the character, and the executing of the event comprises conducting, at the robot, a behavior corresponding to the behavior event.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the behavior event comprises at least one of crawling, walking, running, dancing, pupil-dilating, ear-pricking, and lip-pursing events.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the behavior event is determined based on a value of the experience point of the character or the robot.

12. The event execution method of claim 1, wherein the radio link comprises a Bluetooth link.

13. An event execution system for a robot synchronized with a mobile terminal, comprising:

a mobile terminal including a short range wireless communication unit for establishing a radio link with the robot, a storage unit for storing a character rearing application for bringing up a character and a behavior contents database of behaviors that a character displayed by the character rearing application conducts, and a control unit for synchronizing with the robot by means of the short range wireless communication unit and for sending, when an event occurs, an event execution command indicating the event to the robot through the radio link; and

the robot including a short range wireless communication unit for establishing the radio link with the mobile terminal, a storage unit for storing a robot displaying application for bringing up the robot and a behavior contents data base of behaviors that the robot conducts, and a control unit for synchronizing with the mobile terminal by means of the short range wireless communication unit and for controlling the robot to conduct a behavior corresponding to the event indicated by the event execution command.

14. The event execution system of claim 13, wherein the event comprises an alarm event, and the control unit of the robot controls the robot to locate and move to a user and output an alarm indicated by the alarm event.

15. The event execution system of claim 13, wherein the event comprises an incoming message event, and the control unit of the robot controls the robot to output an incoming message in the form of a voice speech.

16. The event execution system of claim 13, wherein the event comprises a call establishment event.

17. The event execution system of claim 13, wherein the control unit of the mobile terminal synchronizes, when the character rearing application is activated, experience point of the character and robot.

18. The event execution system of claim 17, wherein the experience point comprises at least one of an intelligence point, an emotion point, a health point, and an affection point.

19. The event execution system of claim 18, wherein the control unit of the mobile terminal requests the robot to transmit the experience point, receives the experience point from the robot, and compares the experience point of the mobile terminal with the experience point of the robot.

20. The event execution system of claim 19, wherein the control unit of the mobile terminal determines update times of the character and the robot and updates the experience point of the character and the robot with a most recently updated value at the update times.

21. The event execution system of claim 20, wherein the control unit of the mobile terminal controls, when the event is a behavior event, the mobile terminal to send a behavior event execution command to the robot, and the control unit of the robot receives the behavior event execution command and controls the robot to conduct a behavior indicated by the behavior event execution command.

22. The event execution system of claim 21, wherein the control unit of the robot determines the behavior of the robot based on values of the experience point of the character or the robot.

23. The event execution system of claim 13, wherein the radio link comprises a Bluetooth link.