Robot cooperation device, and robot cooperation program storage medium

• US 6,292,714 B1
• Filed: 02/05/2001
• Issued: 09/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Okabayashi, Miwa
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel, Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US09/775,652
• Time in Patent Office: 225 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245, 700/212, 700/257, 700/264, 700/11, 700/56, 700/83, 700/86, 700/17, 700/45, 297/03, 297/20, 297/84, 297/87, 297/95, 219/124.02, 345/435, 345/8, 345/520, 345/521, 434/308, 434/323, 382/155
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1018 Calibration; Key and button assignment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/632 by branching, e.g. choosing one of several possible story developments at a given point in time
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 2200/00 Computerized interactive toys, e.g. dolls
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1615 characterised by special kind of manipulator, e.g. planar, scara, gantry, cantilever, space, closed chain, passive/active joints and tendon driven manipulators
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/35495 Messages to operator in multimedia, voice and image and text
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39438 Direct programming at the console
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/008 based on physical entities controlled by simulated intelligence so as to replicate intelligent life forms, e.g. based on robots replicating pets or humans in their appearance or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53013 Computer input
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53087 with signal, scale, illuminator, or optical viewer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/5337 including assembly pallet

Abstract

A robot control part connected to a robot moving according to control for controlling the motion of the robot; and a media reproduction part to keep scenarios which describes changes in images to the passage of time, and are corresponding to events, present images according to the passage of time following the above scenario, and notify the passage of time at each frame to the robot control part; characterized in that the above robot control part keeps motion procedures denoting changes, which are corresponding to the frame, in the postures of the above robot to the passage of time; receives notifications of the passage of time from the above media reproduction part; and moves the above robot according to the above motion procedures, in the corresponding frame.

Claims

1. A robot cooperation device comprises:

a robot control part connected to a robot moving according to control for controlling the motion of the robot; and

a media reproduction part to keep scenarios, which describes changes in the images to the passage of time, and are corresponding to events;

present images according to the passage of time, following the scenarios; and

notify the passage of time at each frame to said robot control part, characterized in that said robot control part keeps motion procedures denoting changes, which are corresponding to the frame, in the postures of said robot to the passage of time;

receives notifications of the passage of time from said media reproduction part; and

moves said robot according to said motion procedures, in the corresponding frame.

2. A robot cooperation device according to claim 1, wherein

said robot connected with said robot control part comprises a sensor to transmit a sensor detection signal to the robot control part; and

said robot control part transmits events corresponding to the transmitted sensor detection signals to said media reproduction part, characterized in that

said media reproduction part starts or branches said scenario according to the events which has been transmitted from said robot control part.

3. A robot cooperation device according to claim 1, characterized in that

said media reproduction part further keeps the scenario where the voice instruction to the passage of time is described, other than changes of the images to the passage of time;

presents the images and the voices to the passage of time according to the scenario; and

notifies the passage of time for each frame to said robot control part.

4. A robot cooperation device according to claim 1, wherein

said media reproduction part notifies the passage of time for each frame to said robot control part, and requests the motion of said robot, and characterized in that

said robot control part receives the request for the robot motion from said media reproduction part to perform a motion corresponding to the motion request.

5. A robot cooperation device according to claim 4, wherein

priority is given to the motions of said robot, and characterized in that

said robot control part continues or switches the motions, according to comparison results between the priority of the motion under execution and that of the motion corresponding to the requested motion, when the request for the robot motion from said media reproduction part is received during motion of said robot.

6. A robot cooperation device according to claim 1, characterized in that

said robot control part comprises:

a robot proper module which is activated according to the type of the robot connected to the robot control part, and controls the motion of the robot; and

a robot common module to keep said motion procedures, and to give the robot proper module instructions to perform motions according to said motion procedures.

7. A robot cooperation device according to claim 6, characterized in that

it comprises a connection robot retrieval part which identifies the type of the robot connected to said robot control part by retrieval, and activates the robot proper module among robot proper modules, according to the identified type of the robot connected to the robot control part.

8. A robot cooperation device according to claim 1, characterized in that

it comprise:

a display part to display an image expressing the robot connected to said robot control part with buttons for definition of motions of the robot;

an operation part for operation including operation of the buttons displayed on the display part; and

a script forming part to form script describing the motions of said robot according to the operation of said operation part.

9. A robot cooperation device according to claim 1, wherein

the robot connected to the robot control part comprises a plurality of sensors, and each sensor detection signal is transmitted to the robot control part;

said robot control part stores the order of a part of or all of said plurality of sensors; and

events are transmitted to said media reproduction part according to said order when said sensor detection signals are received from said robot in the stored order; and

characterized in that

said media reproduction part starts or branches said scenario according to the event transmitted from said robot control part.

10. A robot cooperation program storage medium, wherein

it is loaded in a computer to which a robot moving according to control is connected;

and

the computer comprises;

a robot control part to control the motion of the connected robot; and

a media reproduction part to describe changes of images to the passage of time;

to keep a scenario corresponding to events;

to present the images according to the passage of time following the scenario; and

to notify the passage of time for each frame to said robot control part; and

characterized in that

said robot control part keeps motion procedures denoting changes, which are corresponding to the frame, in the postures of said robot to the passage of time;

receives notifications of the passage of time from said media reproduction part; and

stores a robot cooperation program to move said robot in the corresponding frame according to said motion procedures as the robot cooperation device.

11. A robot cooperation program storage medium according to claim 10, wherein

a robot connected to said computer comprises a sensor to transmit a sensor detection signal to said computer; and

said robot control part transmits events corresponding to the transmitted sensor detection signals to said robot control, characterized in that

said media reproduction part starts or branches said scenario according to the events which has been transmitted from said robot control part.

12. A robot cooperation program storage medium according to claim 10, characterized in that

said media reproduction part further keeps the scenario where the voice instruction to the passage of time is described, other than changes of the images to the passage of time;

presents the images and the voices to the passage of time according to the scenario; and

notifies the passage of time for each frame to said robot control part.

13. A robot cooperation program storage medium according to claim 10, wherein

said media reproduction part notifies the passage of time for each frame to said robot control part, and requests the motion of said robot, and characterized in that

said robot control part receives the request for the robot motion from said media reproduction part to perform a motion corresponding to the motion request.

14. A robot cooperation program storage medium according to claim 10, wherein

priority is given to the motions of said robot, and characterized in that

said robot control part continues or switches the motions, according to comparison results between the priority of the motion under execution and that of the motion corresponding to the requested motion, when the request for the robot motion from said media reproduction part is received during motion of said robot.

15. A robot cooperation program storage medium according to claim 10, characterized in that

said robot control part comprises:

a robot proper module which is activated according to the type of the robot connected to the computer, and controls the motion of the robot; and

a robot common module to keep said motion procedures, and to give said robot proper module instructions to perform motions according to said motion procedures.

16. A robot cooperation program storage medium according to claim 15, characterized in that

it comprises a connection robot retrieval part which identifies the type of the robot connected to said computer by retrieval, and activates the robot proper module, among robot proper modules, according to the identified type of the robot connected to the computer.

17. A robot cooperation program storage medium according to claim 10, characterized in that

it comprise:

a display control part to display an image expressing the robot, with buttons for definition of motions of the robot; and

a script forming part to form script describing the motions of said robot according to the operation including the operation of the displayed buttons.

18. A robot cooperation program storage medium according to claim 10, wherein

the robot connected to said computer comprises a plurality of sensors, and each sensor detection signal based on each sensor is transmitted to said computer;

said robot control part stores the order of a part of or all of said plurality of sensors; and

events are transmitted to said media reproduction part according to said order when said sensor detection signals are received from said robot in the stored order; and

characterized in that

said media reproduction part starts or branches said scenario according to the event transmitted from said robot control part.