Autonomously moving robot management system

• US 7,467,026 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2004
• Issued: 12/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Sakagami, Yoshiaki, Sumida, Naoaki, Matsunaga, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WEISKOPF, MARIE
• Application Number:
  US10/917,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20050065652A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,586 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245, 700/258, 700/250, 318/568.12, 704/E13.008, 704/231, 704/246, 704/259
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1694 characterised by use of sensors other than normal servo-feedback from position, speed or acceleration sensors, perception control, multi-sensor controlled systems, sensor fusion
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31422 Upload, download programs, parameters from, to station to, from server
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/35453 Voice announcement, oral, speech input
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence

Abstract

An autonomous robot is controlled by the local robot information controller which is connected to a robot application network to which the transceiver to communicate with the autonomous robot is attached. The robot application network, a user LAN adaptive controller an information distribution manager and the third party information provider subsystem are linked with a public network. The information distribution manager acquires the information from the third party information provider subsystem on the schedule which is set by the user LAN adaptive controller. The local robot information controller receives the information distribution manager and convert it into the data that generates robot gestures. The robot performs actions in accordance to the gesture data received from the local robot information controller.

Claims

1. An autonomously moving robot management system comprising an information distribution management means, a robot information control means, a user setup means and a robot which has a kinetic-controllable moving means, wherein

said information distribution management means has a data retrieval capability to obtain latest information at least including letter codes periodically updated from an information providing means in accordance with a predetermined schedule given by said user setup means and record said latest information periodically updated in a memory means as a distribution information file,

said robot information control means has a text data generating capability to generate text data from said distribution information file including said latest information periodically updated, a syntax analysis capability to generate an assembly of words to be presented, a voice synthetic data generation capability to generate voice sentences through a process of voice synthetic data conversion and gesture data generation capability to generate physical gesture data by extracting words registered in a predetermined table from said text data in said distributing information file including said latest information periodically updated and

said robot has a moving capability to move in accordance with a route directed by said user setup means under a control of said kinetic-controllable moving means and an action capability to obtain said gesture data and voice synthetic data from said information distribution management means and generate phonation and actions assigned by said gesture data and voice synthetic data on a time schedule which is setup through said user setup means.

2. An autonomously moving robot management system according to claim 1, wherein said information distribution management means and said user setup means are connected to a public communication network to which said information providing means connected with or linked to and said robot information control means is connected through an application network through which communication between said robot and said robot information control means is created.

3. An autonomously moving robot management system according to claim 1, wherein said process of voice synthetic data conversion is carried out under a prescription of parameters set by said user setup means and said predetermined table used for generating said gesture data is set by said user setup means.

4. An autonomously moving robot management system according to claim 1, wherein said user setup means has a capability to set a time and a kind of latest information periodically updated in an information distribution schedule manager installed in said information distribution manager so that said information distribution schedule manager acquires said latest information periodically updated from said information providing means and extracts text data therefrom.

5. An autonomously moving robot management system according to claim 1, wherein

said user setup means has a capability to set the information distribution schedule in accordance to which said robot provides said information, wherein said information distribution schedule is stored in an information distribution user manager transferred to a distribution information memory which records files of said periodically updated information,

an information distribution controller has a capability to obtain said files and inputs a gesture data to information distribution scheduler installed in said robot via a gesture data memory wherein said information distribution scheduler sends a directive regarding said gesture data to a kinematic controller under schedule management carried out by said information distribution controller and

a voice synthetic data memory has a capability to store synthetic data which are input through said information distribution controller periodically acquiring said files which are converted into voice synthetic data being sent to a voice manager installed in said robot.

6. An autonomously moving robot management system according to claim 1, wherein said robot further has

a microphone so that human voice is detected thereby, processed through voice analysis and recognition of which functions are implemented in said voice manager and converted into said text data which is analyzed to determine kind of information presented in said human voice using a syntax analysis which is done in said information distribution controller and

said voice manager that phonates words which are determined by said syntax analysis as a category corresponding to said kind of information.

7. An autonomously moving robot management system according to claim 1, wherein

said robot information controller means further has a voice synthetic data memory which records said voice sentences, a category corresponding to said voice sentences, and at least one associated parameter corresponding to said voice sentences.

8. An autonomously moving robot management system according to claim 1, wherein said information distribution controller carries out comparison of said words determined by said voice manager with said voice sentences, said category and associated parameter of said kind of information recorded in said voice synthetic data memory and

obtains said distribution information file originated by said information at least including letter codes from said information providing means by virtue of intervention of said information distribution management means unless matching in said comparison is obtained so that said text data is generated from said distribution information file and kind of information is newly determined by said text data.