Electronic pet system, network system, robot, and storage medium

• US 7,089,083 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2003
• Issued: 08/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yokoo, Naohiro, Fujita, Masahiro, Hattori, Masakazu, Hosonuma, Naoyasu, Kato, Yasuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US10/411,184
• Publication Number:
  US 20030191560A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,216 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245, 700/248, 700/250, 700/253, 700/258, 700/259, 318/568.2, 318/568.11, 901/1, 901/15, 901/47, 901/49, 345/473, 345/501
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8058 Virtual breeding, e.g. tamagotchi
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 11/00 Self-movable toy figures
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 2200/00 Computerized interactive toys, e.g. dolls
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/006 based on simulated virtual individual or collective life forms, e.g. social simulations or particle swarm optimisation [PSO]
• 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

Abstract

A virtual electronic pet and a pet-type robot that changes emotional state and instinct state according to surrounding information and internal information. The electronic pet behaves according to the emotional state and the instinct state. Transmission/reception of the internal state of the electronic pet (pet characteristic information) is made possible among the virtual electronic pet, the pet-type robot, and a personal computer. Thus, the action of the electronic pet is implemented by each device in accordance with the internal state of the electronic pet affected by other equipment.

Claims

1. An electronic pet system comprising:

an information processing device having radio transmission/reception means capable of radio-transmitting and receiving the internal state of an electronic pet, which is changed in accordance with input information and is information for causing the electronic pet to act, and image display means, the information processing device being adapted for carrying out processing for implementing the electronic pet by the image display means; and

a robot having radio transmission/reception means capable of audio-transmitting and receiving the internal state of the electronic pet, which is changed in accordance with input information and is information for causing the electronic pet to act, and a motion section for moving in the real world, the robot being adapted for controlling the motion section to carry out processing for implementing the electronic pet as an existence in the real world, wherein the radio transmission/reception means of the information processing device and of the robot employ Bluetooth radio interfaces.

2. The electronic pet system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information processing device and the robot have storage means in which the internal state is stored, and

the internal state stored in the storage means is transmitted and received by the transmission/reception means.

3. The electronic pet system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the internal state indicates at least one of the state of the emotion and the state of the instinct.

4. The electronic pet system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the input information is at least one of surrounding information and internal information.

5. The electronic pet system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the internal state is an internal state parameter expressed by a parameter, and

the internal state parameter is updated in accordance with the input information.

6. The electronic pet system as claimed in claim 5, wherein when the internal state parameter has reached a threshold value, a predetermined action is selected and the action is actually carried out.

7. The electronic pet system as claimed in claim 6, wherein when the internal state parameter has reached a threshold value, a plurality of actions are selected and one of the actions is actually carried out.

8. The electronic pet system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the robot actually carries out an action based on the internal state via a posture or a motion to which the motion section can made transition from the current posture.

9. A robot adapted for storing an internal state of a living body object, which is changed in accordance with input information and is information for causing the living body object to act, and for controlling a motion section to carry out processing for implementing the living body object,

wherein the robot transfers at least the internal state to an information processing device, which controls the action of a living body object acting in a virtual world on the basis of the internal state of the living body object in the robot and carries out processing for displaying at least the virtual world and the living body object.

10. The robot as claimed in claim 9, further comprising storage means in which the internal state is stored,

wherein the internal state stored in the storage means is transferred.

11. The robot as claimed in claim 9, wherein the internal state indicates at least one of an emotional state and an instinctive state.

12. The robot as claimed in claim 9, wherein the input information is at least one of surrounding information and internal information.

13. The robot as claimed in claim 9, wherein the internal state is an internal state parameter expressed by a parameter, and

the internal state parameter is updated in accordance with the input information and the updated internal state parameter is stored into storage means.

14. The robot as claimed in claim 13, wherein when the internal state parameter has reached a threshold value, a predetermined action is selected and the action is carried out.

15. The robot as claimed in claim 13, wherein when the internal state parameter has reached a threshold value, a plurality of actions are selected and one of the actions is carried out.

16. The robot as claimed in claim 9, wherein the robot carries out an action based on the internal state via a posture or a motion to which the motion section can transition from the current posture.