Robot device with changing dialogue and control method therefor and storage medium

• US 7,251,606 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2002
• Issued: 07/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Fukuchi, Masaki, Fujita, Masahiro, Okubo, Atsushi, Kawamoto, Kenta, Horinaka, Rika, Hanagata, Osamu, Costa, Gabriel, Sabe, Kotaro
• Primary Examiner(s): McFadden; Susan
• Application Number:
  US10/296,403
• Publication Number:
  US 20030182122A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,953 Days
• Field of Search: 704/272
• US Class Current: 704/272
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/003 by means of an audio-responsive input audible safety signals B25J19/061
• 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: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/26 Recognition of special voice characteristics, e.g. for use in lie detectors; Recognition of animal voices

Abstract

Sentences corresponding to internal statuses of a robot device or the like are created and uttered, thereby expressing the internal statuses. The robot device or the like comprise means for recognizing an external status, and means for generating an emotion based on the internals status, whereby a change in the emotion is reflected upon a dialogue. The internal status is not associated with a sentence, but it exists independently of the system and is always varied depending on various external inputs and internal changes of the system. Accordingly, even when the same question is made on the robot device or the like, the contents of a reply are changed depending on the internal status at that time, and a manner of providing a reply also differs depending on the internal status.

Claims

1. A robot device having the function of dialoguing with users, comprising:

external status input means for inputting an external status;

internal status managing means for managing an internal status based on classification of external status along with emotions updated with experiences and learning;

dialogue control means for reflecting a change of the internal status upon a dialogue with a user; and

dialogue means for having a dialogue with the user.

2. A robot device having the function of dialoguing with users, comprising:

external status input means for inputting an external status;

external status recognizing means for recognizing the inputted external status;

external status understanding means for understanding a meaning and implications of the recognized external status in the sentence form;

internal status managing means for managing an internal status based on classification of external status along with emotions updated with experiences and learning;

dialogue sentence creating means for creating a dialogue sentence based on a recognized result of the external status in comparison with the internal status; and

output means for externally outputting the created dialogue sentence.

3. A robot device according to claim 2, wherein the internal status is constituted as an emotion of said robot device.

4. A robot device according to claim 2, wherein said internal status managing means changes the internal status in response to a change of the external status.

5. A robot device according to claim 2, further comprising storage means for storing results obtained by classifying external statuses along with internal statuses, said dialogue sentence creating means creating a dialogue sentence using information stored in said storage means.

6. A robot device according to claim 2, further comprising:

action/behavior creating means for creating an action or a behavior of a robot body based on the recognized result of the external status in comparison with the internal status; and

robot body control means for realizing the created action or behavior of said robot body.

7. A control method for a robot device having the function of dialoguing with users, comprising the steps of:

an external status input step of inputting an external status;

an internal status managing step of managing an internal status based on classification of external status along with emotions updated with experiences and learning;

a dialogue control step of reflecting a change of the internal status upon a dialogue with a user; and

an output step of outputting the dialogue to the user.

8. A control method for a robot device having the function of dialoguing with users, comprising the steps of:

an external status input step of inputting an external status;

an external status recognizing step of recognizing the inputted external status;

an external status understanding step of understanding a meaning and implications of the recognized external status in the sentence form;

an internal status managing step of managing an internal status based on classification of external status along with emotions updated with experiences and learning;

a dialogue sentence creating step of creating a dialogue sentence based on a recognized result of the external status in comparison with the internal status; and

an output step of externally outputting the created dialogue sentence.

9. A control method for a robot device according to claim 8, wherein the internal status is constituted as an emotion of said robot device.

10. A control method for a robot device according to claim 8, wherein said internal status managing step changes the internal status in response to a change of the external status.

11. A control method for a robot device according to claim 8, wherein said dialogue sentence creating step creates a dialogue sentence using a database in which results obtained by classifying external statuses are stored along with internal statuses.

12. A control method for a robot device according to claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

an action/behavior creating step of creating an action or a behavior of a robot body based on the recognized result of the external status in comparison with the internal status; and

a robot body control step of realizing the created action or behavior of said robot body.

13. A dialogue device for dialoguing with users, comprising:

external status input means for inputting an external status;

internal status managing means for managing an internal status based on classification of external status along with emotions updated with experiences and learning;

dialogue control means for reflecting a change of the internal status upon a dialogue with a user; and

dialogue means for having a dialogue with the user.

14. A dialogue device for dialoguing with users, comprising:

external status input means for inputting an external status;

external status recognizing means for recognizing the inputted external status;

external status understanding means for understanding a meaning and implications of the recognized external status in the sentence form;

internal status managing means for managing an internal status based on classification of external status along with emotions updated with experiences and learning;

dialogue sentence creating means for creating a dialogue sentence based on a recognized result of the external status in comparison with the internal status; and

output means for externally outputting the created dialogue sentence.

15. A dialogue device according to claim 14, wherein said internal status managing means changes the internal status in response to a change of the external status.

16. A dialogue device according to claim 14, further comprising storage means for storing results obtained by classifying external statuses along with internal statuses, said dialogue sentence creating means creating a dialogue sentence using information stored in said storage means.

17. A dialogue control method in dialoguing with users, comprising the steps of:

an external status input step of inputting an external status;

an internal status managing step of managing an internal status based on classification of external status along with emotions updated with experiences and learning;

a dialogue control step of reflecting a change of the internal status upon a dialogue with a user; and

an output step of outputting the dialogue to the user.

18. A dialogue control method in dialoguing with users, comprising the steps of:

an external status input step of inputting an external status;

an external status recognizing step of recognizing the inputted external status;

an external status understanding step of understanding a meaning and implications of the recognized external status in the sentence form;

an internal status managing step of managing an internal status based on classification of external status along with emotions updated with experiences and learning;

a dialogue sentence creating step of creating a dialogue sentence based on a recognized result of the external status in comparison with the internal status; and

an output step of externally outputting the created dialogue sentence.

19. A dialogue method according to claim 18, wherein said internal status managing step changes the internal status in response to a change of the external status.

20. A dialogue method for a robot device according to claim 18, wherein said dialogue sentence creating step creates a dialogue sentence using a database in which results obtained by classifying external statuses are stored along with internal statuses.

21. A storage medium product physically storing, in the computer readable form, computer software described so as to execute, on a computer system, control of a robot device having the function of dialoguing with users, said computer software comprising the steps of:

an external status input step of inputting an external status;

an external status recognizing step of recognizing the inputted external status;

an external status understanding step of understanding a meaning and implications of the recognized external status in the sentence form;

an internal status managing step of managing an internal status based on classification of external status along with emotions updated with experiences and learning;

a dialogue sentence creating step of creating a dialogue sentence based on a recognized result of the external status in comparison with the internal status; and

an output step of externally outputting the created dialogue sentence.

22. A storage medium product physically storing, in the computer readable form, computer software described so as to execute a dialogue process with users on a computer system, said computer software comprising the steps of:

an external status input step of inputting an external status;

an external status recognizing step of recognizing the inputted external status;

an external status understanding step of understanding a meaning and implications of the recognized external status in the sentence form;

an internal status managing step of managing an internal status based on classification of external status along with emotions updated with experiences and learning;

a dialogue sentence creating step of creating a dialogue sentence based on a recognized result of the external status in comparison with the internal status; and

an output step of externally outputting the created dialogue sentence.