Intelligent robot and control method thereof

• US 20100153317A1
• Filed: 11/24/2009
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Kang Hee
• Granted Patent: US 8,392,341 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 706/12
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1661 characterised by task planning, object-oriented languages
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36118 Adapt interactive dialog, help to experience, short cut menu
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40104 Reactive planner, user is integral component of planner, interactive
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/004 Artificial life, i.e. computing arrangements simulating life

Abstract

Disclosed herein are a robot with a judgment system to enable implementation of multi-dimensional recognitions, thoughts and actions, and a control method thereof. The judgment system includes a dialog system and a task-planning system. The dialog system includes a dialog manager to manage the progress of a dialog of the intelligent robot with a user. The task-planning system includes a leader agent, an action agent and an interaction agent and serve to control a goal, plan and action of a task to be performed by the intelligent robot based on the dialog. The judgment system assists separation of concerns and consequently, enhances convenience of development. The judgment system of the robot contains a mechanism that considers a great number of cases, such as a task priority, immediate user input, inherent robot task, etc., enabling implementation of multi-dimensional recognitions, thoughts and actions.

Claims

1. An intelligent robot having a judgment system, wherein the judgment system comprises:

a dialog system including a dialog manager to manage the progress of a dialog of the intelligent robot with a user; and

a task-planning system which includes a leader agent, an action agent and an interaction agent and which controls a goal, plan and action of a task to be performed by the intelligent robot based on the dialog.

2. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the leader agent integrates and regulates the other agents while maintaining a high-level-goal.

3. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the action agent controls sensing and actuation related to hardware.

4. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the interaction agent monitors a state of the dialog manager and reflects the state of the dialog manager in the task goal, plan and action of the task-planning system.

5. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the judgment system further comprises a situation recognizer,

wherein the situation recognizer synthesizes a dialog situation, a task implementation situation, or sensor input situation, so as to transmit desired information to the dialog system or task-planning system.

6. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the judgment system further comprises a database,

wherein the database stores information generated by the intelligent robot.

7. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the dialog system and the task-planning system are coupled to each other via a homogeneous or heterogeneous communication protocol.

8. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the dialog manager generates a response via comprehension of a meaning of a dialog input by a speaker and synthetic situation judgment.

9. A control method of an intelligent robot comprising a dialog system including a dialog manager to manage the progress of a dialog of the intelligent robot, and a task-planning system which includes a leader agent, an action agent and an interaction agent, and which controls a goal, plan and action of a task to be performed by the intelligent robot based on the dialog, the control method comprising:

transiting the interaction agent to an idle state;

sensing a user interface via the dialog manager;

allowing the robot to perform a user interface attention if the user interface is sensed; and

performing a call-and-come dialog with a user by the dialog manager if the user interface attention is performed.

10. The control method according to claim 9, further comprising:

transiting the interaction agent to a busy state if the call-and-come dialog is performed.

11. The control method according to claim 10, further comprising:

sensing whether or not an additional user interface is generated before the interaction agent is transited to the busy state.

12. The control method according to claim 11, further comprising:

performing a user-interface-busy-interrupt-dialog if the additional user interface is generated.

13. The control method according to claim 10, further comprising:

sensing whether or not an additional user interface is generated if the interaction agent is transited to the busy state.

14. The control method according to claim 13, further comprising:

performing a task busy attention if the presence of the additional user interface is confirmed.

15. The control method according to claim 14, further comprising:

performing a task-busy-interrupt-dialog if the task busy attention is performed.

16. The control method according to claim 10, further comprising:

performing a task attention if the interaction agent is transited to the busy state.

17. The control method according to claim 16, further comprising:

performing a task-specific-dialog if the task attention is performed.