Information delivery system and method and program of the system

• US 7,373,396 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2002
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Sato, Miki
• Primary Examiner(s): Jacobs; LaShonda T
• Application Number:
  US10/059,000
• Publication Number:
  US 20020111988A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,295 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/220, 709/228, 700/9, 700/69, 700/79, 700/96, 700/245, 701/118
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1676 Avoiding collision or forbidden zones
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0287 involving a plurality of land vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00, particularly anticollision systems G08G1/16

Abstract

An information delivery system and its method and a program of the system, in which plural robots are used and users can obtain information effectively via the plural robots from the wider range than the range where only one robot moves, are provided. Each of the plural robots provides an information delivering means to users and an information exchanging means with an information server. The plural robots and the information server connect to a network. The robot obtains information to be delivered to an identified person from the information storing in the information server. And the robot delivers the obtained information to the identified person.

Claims

1. An information delivery system, comprising:

plural robots;

an information server for storing information transmitted from said plural robots; and

a network for connecting said plural robots and said information server, wherein;

each of said plural robots, comprising;

a person identifying means for identifying persons surrounding each robot;

a person inquiring means for transmitting the user ID of a person identified by said person identifying means to said information server via said network, in order to inquire said identified person;

an information exchanging means for exchanging information with said information server via said network; and

an information delivering means for delivering information obtained from said information server by using said information exchanging means to said identified person, and

said information server, comprising;

an information exchanging means for exchanging information with said plural robots via said network;

shared information storage for storing information transmitted from said plural robots, wherein;

in case that said shared information storage has information for said identified person inquired by said person inquiring means, said information server transmits said information to said robot who inquired said identified person; and

a robot movement means for making said robot move by a moving instruction from said information server or by an automatic movement program, wherein;

the allocation among said plural robots is optimized by said robot movement means of each robot.

2. An information delivery system in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

each of said plural robots, further comprising;

an information memorizing means for memorizing information to be delivered to another user, when said identified user desires to deliver said memorized information to another user; and

an input means for inputting the user ID of another user and information to be delivered to another user if any, when said identified user desires to deliver said information to another user, wherein;

said information to be delivered to another user is transmitted from said robot to said information server and stored in said shared information storage.

3. An information delivery system in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

said person identifying means detects said persons by image recognition or voice recognition and identifies said persons by the result of said image recognition or said voice recognition.

4. An information delivery system in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

each of said plural robots, further comprising;

an obstacle detecting means for detecting obstacles in the moving direction of said robot; and

an obstacle avoiding means for avoiding said obstacles based on information from said obstacle detecting means.

5. An information delivery system, comprising:

plural robots;

a person identifying apparatus;

an information server for storing information transmitted from said plural robots; and

a network for connecting said plural robots, said person identifying apparatus, and said information server, wherein;

each of said plural robots, comprising;

an image or voice obtaining means for obtaining images or voices of persons surrounding each robot;

an information exchanging means for exchanging information with said person identifying apparatus and said information server via said network;

an information memorizing means for memorizing information to be delivered to another user;

an input means for inputting the user ID of another user and information to be delivered to another user if any;

an information delivering means for delivering information obtained from said information server by using said information exchanging means to an identified person;

a robot movement means for making said robot move by a moving instruction from said information server or by an automatic movement program;

an obstacle detecting means for detecting obstacles in the moving direction of said robot; and

an obstacle avoiding means for avoiding said obstacles based on information from said obstacle detecting means, and

said information server, comprising;

an information exchanging means for exchanging information with said plural robots and said person identifying apparatus via said network; and

shared information storage for storing information transmitted from said plural robots, and

said person identifying apparatus, comprising;

an information exchanging means for exchanging information with said plural robots and said information server; and

a person detecting means for detecting persons from said information transmitted from each of said plural robots; and

a person identifying means for identifying said person detected at said person detecting means, wherein;

when said robot transmits said information obtained at said image or voice obtaining means and the robot ID of said robot to said person identifying apparatus, and said person identifying apparatus identified a person from said information transmitted from said robot,

said person identifying apparatus transmits information of said identified person to said robot, and

said robot receives information to be delivered to said identified person from said information server by transmitting said information transmitted from said person identifying apparatus, and delivers said information to said identified person at said information delivering means, and

when said identified person desires to transmit information to another person, said identified person make said information memorizing means memory information to be delivered to another person and input the user ID of another person at said input means and input information to be delivered to another person if any, and transmits said user ID and said information to said information server, and said information server stores said information to be delivered to another person, and

when said robot delivered said information to said identified person, the allocation among said plural robots is optimized by said robot movement means of each robot by said moving instruction from said information server or said automatic movement program of each robot, by that said plural robots move by using said robot movement means, said obstacle detecting means and said obstacle avoiding means.

6. An information delivery method that delivers information to each of plural robots by using an information server which stores information transmitted from said plural robots and a network which connects said plural robots and said information server, comprising the steps of:

identifying persons surrounding each robot by each of said plural robots;

inquiring an identified person by transmitting the user ID of said identified person to said information server from said robot via said network;

transmitting information to said robot from said information server, when said information server has said information to be delivered to said identified person based on said inquiry from said robot;

receiving said information transmitted from said information server at said robot;

delivering information received from said information server to said identified person; and

making said robot move by a moving instruction from said information server or by an automatic movement program, wherein;

the allocation among said plural robots is optimized by said robot movement means of each robot.

7. An information delivery method in accordance with claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

in case that said identified person desires to deliver information to another user,

memorizing information to be delivered to another user in said robot;

inputting the user ID of another user and information to be delivered to another user if any; and

transmitting said user ID and said information to be delivered to another user to said information server; and

storing said user ID and said information to be delivered to another user in said information server.

8. An information delivery method in accordance with claim 6, wherein:

said identifying persons is executed by detecting said persons by image recognition or voice recognition.

9. An information delivery method in accordance with claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

detecting obstacles in the moving direction of said robot; and

avoiding said obstacles based on information from said obstacle detecting means, when said robot moves.

10. An information delivery method that delivers information to each of plural robots by using an information server which stores information transmitted from said plural robots and a person identifying apparatus and a network which connects said plural robots and said information server and said person identifying apparatus, comprising the steps of:

obtaining images or voices of persons surrounding each robot at each of said plural robots;

transmitting said image or voice of a person obtained at each robot and the robot ID of said robot from said robot to said person identifying apparatus via said network;

identifying said person at said person identifying apparatus;

transmitting identified result at said person identifying apparatus to said robot via said network;

transmitting said identified result to said information server from said robot;

transmitting information to be delivered to said identified person from said information server to said robot via said network, when said information server has said information to be delivered to said identified person;

receiving said information to be delivered to said identified person at said robot; and

delivering said information to said identified person, and

in case that said identified person desires to deliver information to another user,

memorizing information to be delivered to another user and inputting the user ID of another user and information to be delivered to another user if any at said robot;

transmitting said user ID and said memorized information to said information server from said robot via said network; and

storing said user ID and said information in said information server, and

in case that said robot did not obtain any image or voice of a person,

making said robot move by a moving instruction from said information server or by an automatic movement program, by avoiding obstacles by detecting obstacles in the moving direction of said robot; and

making optimum allocation among said plural robots.

11. An information delivery program of an information delivery system that delivers information to each of plural robots by using an information server which stores information transmitted from said plural robots and a network which connects said plural robots and said information server, comprising the steps of:

identifying persons surrounding each robot by each of said plural robots;

inquiring an identified person by transmitting the user ID of said identified person to said information server from said robot via said network;

transmitting information to said robot from said information server, when said information server has said information to be delivered to said identified person based on said inquiry from said robot;

receiving said information transmitted from said information server at said robot;

delivering information received from said information server to said identified person; and

making said robot move by a moving instruction from said information server or by an automatic movement program, wherein;

the allocation among said plural robots is optimized by said robot movement means of each robot.

12. An information delivery program in accordance with claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

in case that said identified person desires to deliver information to another user,

memorizing information to be delivered to another user in said robot;

inputting the user ID of another user and information to be delivered to another user if any; and

transmitting said user ID and said information to be delivered to another user to said information server; and

storing said user ID and said information to be delivered to another user in said information server.

13. An information delivery program in accordance with claim 11, wherein:

said identifying persons is executed by detecting said persons by image recognition or voice recognition.

14. An information delivery program in accordance with claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

detecting obstacles in the moving direction of said robot; and

avoiding said obstacles based on information from said obstacle detecting means, when said robot moves.

15. An information delivery program of an information delivery system that delivers information to each of plural robots by using an information server which stores information transmitted from said plural robots and a person identifying apparatus and a network which connects said plural robots and said information server and said person identifying apparatus, comprising the steps of:

obtaining images or voices of persons surrounding each robot at each of said plural robots;

transmitting said image or voice of a person obtained at each robot and the robot ID of said robot from said robot to said person identifying apparatus via said network;

identifying said person at said person identifying apparatus;

transmitting identified result at said person identifying apparatus to said robot via said network;

transmitting said identified result to said information server;

transmitting information to be delivered to said identified person from said information server to said robot via said network, when said information server has said information to be delivered to said identified person;

receiving said information to be delivered to said identified person at said robot; and

delivering said information to said identified person, and in case that said identified person desires to deliver information to another user,

memorizing information to be delivered to another user and inputting the user ID of another user and information to be delivered to another user if any at said robot;

transmitting said user ID and said memorized information to said information server from said robot via said network; and

storing said user ID and said information in said information server,and in case that said robot did not obtain any image or voice of a person,

making said robot move by a moving instruction from said information server or by an automatic movement program, by avoiding obstacles by detecting obstacles in the moving direction of said robot; and

making optimum allocation among said plural robots.