Robot

• US 7,447,564 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2003
• Issued: 11/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Fukuya, Hirohiko, Yasukawa, Yusuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang; Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, HEMANT SHANTILAL
• Application Number:
  US10/648,190
• Publication Number:
  US 20040066917A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,896 Days
• Field of Search: 348/158, 700246-247, 700/253, 700257-258, 700/264, 379 40- 42, 379/38, 318/568.12
• US Class Current: 700/246
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/0008 Balancing devices
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/02 Sensing devices
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0003 Home robots, i.e. small robots for domestic use
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems

Abstract

A robot of the present invention moves to a place where a user is, in response to the voice of the user who is calling the robot. Then, when the user presses a switch, the robot recognizes that the user desires to send an urgent call and dials a pre-registered telephone number for sending urgent calls. When a receiver responds, the robot reads out and delivers a predetermined message to the receiver as a voice message, and switches the telephone to the handfree state so that the user can talk without holding the telephone.

Claims

1. A robot including a moving mechanism for causing the robot to move freely, comprising:

a communication section which wirelessly connects to a communication line;

a detection section which detects a plurality of requests, provided by a user, via an input device upon occurrence of an event;

a storing section which stores a map information providing a floor layout, a user location table providing a location of the user for each time zone, a reporting table providing telephone numbers and messages;

a microphone;

a voice recognition section which recognizes that the robot is called based on a voice received by the microphone;

a direction assuming section which assumes the direction of the voice detected by the microphone in response to the voice recognition section recognizing that the robot is called;

a clock;

a movement control section which controls, when the direction assumed by the direction assuming section is the direction of a door, the moving mechanism so as to move the robot to a location provided in the user location table by referring to the map information and the user location table stored in the storing section as well as referring to the clock; and

a telephone control section which causes the communication section to dial one of the telephone numbers provided in the reporting table stored in the storing section in response to the detection section detecting the request provided by the user when the robot arrives at the location, and then delivers the associated message provided in the reporting table stored in the storing section as a voice message to a receiver when the receiver responds.

2. A robot according to claim 1, further comprising a speaker, and wherein the telephone control section causes, after delivering the associated message to the receiver, the communication section to be in a state of communication using the microphone and the speaker.

3. A robot according to claim 1, further comprising an e-mail transmission function,

wherein the storing section further stores an e-mail address and a message associated with the e-mail,

wherein the detection section detects a plurality of modes of requests, and

wherein the telephone control section transmits, according to a mode of request detected by the detection section, the message associated with the e-mail address stored in the storing section.

4. A robot according to claim 3, wherein the telephone control section dials a telephone number according to a mode of request detected by the detection section when the detected mode of request is a telephone mode, and then the telephone control section transmits the message to the e-mail address stored in the storing section when a receiver does not respond.

5. A robot according to claim 1, wherein said telephone control section delivers the associated message based on one of a priority sequences associated with the designation mode of one of the user requests.

6. A robot according to claim 1, wherein the designation mode of a respective one of the user requests is determined by the user pressing a request button in a respective one of a plurality of coded sequences.

7. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the delivered associated message is

a voice message delivered to a receiver when the receiver responds.

8. A method of having a free moving robot detect a user emergency request and report an emergency in response, the method comprising:

recognizing that the robot is called based on a voice of a user received by a microphone;

assuming the direction of the voice detected by the microphone when it is recognized that the robot is called;

moving, when the assumed direction is the direction of a door, the robot to a location provided in a user location table that provides a location of the user for each time zone, by referring to the user location table, a map information providing a floor layout, and a clock;

when the robot arrives at the location, detecting from among any of a plurality of emergency requests stored in a memory in a priority sequence with an associated designation mode and telephone number, an emergency request, provided by the user, via an input device upon occurrence of an event; and

dialing a telephone number associated with the emergency request in response to the respective designation mode of the detected emergency request, and the robot communicating wirelessly.