Legged robot, legged robot behavior control method, and storage medium

• US 7,219,064 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2001
• Issued: 05/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kasuga, Tomoaki, Nakakita, Hideki
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAWAN, VIJAY B
• Application Number:
  US10/168,740
• Publication Number:
  US 20030130851A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,030 Days
• Field of Search: 704270-275, 704/261, 700/245, 700/261, 700/246, 700/253, 901/1, 901/47, 901/46, 901/3, 901/5, 901/9, 901/33, 318/568.16, 318/568.11, 318/568.12
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 2200/00 Computerized interactive toys, e.g. dolls
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/28 Arrangements of sound-producing means in dolls; Means in dolls for producing sounds

Abstract

To provide a robot which autonomously forms and performs an action plan in response to external factors without direct command input from an operator.

When reading a story printed in a book or other print media or recorded in recording media or when reading a story downloaded through a network, the robot does not simply read every single word as it is written. Instead, the robot uses external factors, such as a change of time, a change of season, or a change in a user'"'"'s mood, and dynamically alters the story as long as the changed contents are substantially the same as the original contents. As a result, the robot can read aloud the story whose contents would differ every time the story is read.

Claims

1. A legged robot which operates in accordance with a predetermined action sequence, comprising:

input means for detecting an external factor;

option providing means for providing changeable options concerning at least a portion of the action sequence;

input determination means for selecting an appropriate option from among the options provided by the option providing means in accordance with the external factor detected by the input means; and

action control means for performing the action sequence, which is changed in accordance with a determination result by the input determination means.

2. A legged robot according to claim 1, further comprising content obtaining means for obtaining external content for use in performing the action sequence.

3. A legged robot according to claim 1, wherein the external factor detected by the input means comprises an action applied by a user.

4. A legged robot according to claim 1, wherein the external factor detected by the input means comprises a change of time or season or reaching a special date.

5. A legged robot according to claim 1, wherein the action sequence is reading a text aloud.

6. A legged robot according to claim 5, wherein, in the action sequence, a scene to be read aloud is changed in response to an instruction from a user, the instruction being detected by the input means.

7. A legged robot according to claim 6, further comprising display means for displaying a state,

wherein the display means changes a display format in accordance with a change of scene to be read aloud.

8. A legged robot according to claim 1, wherein the action sequence is a live performance of a comic story.

9. A legged robot according to claim 1, wherein the action sequence comprises playback of music data.

10. A robot apparatus with a movable section, comprising:

external factor detecting means for detecting an external factor;

speech output means for outputting a speech utterance by the robot apparatus;

storage means for storing a scenario concerning the contents of the speech utterance; and

scenario changing means for changing the scenario,

wherein the scenario is uttered by the speech output means while the scenario is changed by the scenario changing means in accordance with the external factor detected by the external factor detecting means.

11. A robot apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the movable section is actuated in accordance with the contents of the scenario when uttering the scenario.

12. An action control method for a legged robot which operates in accordance with a predetermined action sequence, comprising:

an input step of detecting an external factor;

an option providing step of providing changeable options concerning at least a portion of the action sequence;

an input determination step of selecting an appropriate option from among the options provided in the option providing step in accordance with the external factor detected in the input step; and

an action control step of performing the action sequence, which is changed in accordance with a determination result in the input determination step.

13. An action control method for a legged robot according to claim 12, further comprising a content obtaining step of obtaining external content for use in performing the action sequence.

14. An action control method for a legged robot according to claim 12, wherein the external factor detected in the input step comprises an action applied by a user.

15. An action control method for a legged robot according to claim 12, wherein the external factor detected in the input step comprises a change of time or season or reaching a special date.

16. An action control method for a legged robot according to claim 12, wherein the action sequence is reading a text aloud.

17. An action control method for a legged robot according to claim 16, wherein, in the action sequence, a scene to be read aloud is changed in response to an instruction from a user, the instruction being detected in the input step.

18. An action control method for a legged robot according to claim 17, further comprising a display step of displaying a state,

wherein the display step changes a display format in accordance with a change of scene to be read aloud.

19. An action control method for a legged robot according to claim 12, wherein the action sequence is a live performance of a comic story.

20. An action control method for a legged robot according to claim 12, wherein the action sequence comprises playback of music data.

21. A storage medium which has physically stored therein computer software in a computer-readable format, the computer software causing a computer system to execute action control of a legged robot which operates in accordance with a predetermined action sequence, the computer software comprising:

an input step of detecting an external factor;

an option providing step of providing changeable options concerning at least a portion of the action sequence;

an input determination step of selecting an appropriate option from among the options provided in the option providing step in accordance with the external factor detected in the input step; and

an action control step of performing the action sequence, which is changed in accordance with a determination result in the input determination step.