Interface apparatus and mobile robot equipped with the interface apparatus

• US 7,983,794 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2006
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Saito, Yoko, Matsumoto, Satoki, Kawabe, Koji, Yokoyama, Taro, Hashimoto, Sachie
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Edwards; Jerrah
• Application Number:
  US11/635,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20070135962A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,685 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/572.4, 700/245, 700/246, 700/258, 700/259, 700/264, 901/1
• US Class Current: 700/264
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/74 Systems using reradiation of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. IFF, i.e. identification of friend or foe
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• 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

A robot recording a message on a wireless tag which includes: a voice recognition unit recognizing a voice input by a voice input unit which inputs a voice of a person; a message extraction unit extracting the message from the voice recognized by the voice recognition unit based on a fixed phrase provided for obtaining a message; a recording unit recording the message extracted by the message extraction unit on the wireless tag provided on an object.

Claims

1. A mobile robot, comprising:

an interface apparatus recording a message on a wireless tag, the interface apparatus comprising

a voice recognition unit recognizing a voice input by a voice input unit which inputs a voice of a person,

a message extraction unit extracting the message from the voice recognized by the voice recognition unit,

a writer writing the message extracted by the message extraction unit on an object tag, which is a wireless tag for an object and is provided on the object,

an image processing unit extracting image information of a person from an acquired image which is obtained by an image pickup of the person by an image pickup unit,

an image message extraction unit extracting a message associated with unique image information, based on unique image information and image information extracted by the image processing unit,

a reading unit obtaining information from the object tag or a person tag which is a wireless tag for a person and stores personal information of the person, and

a voice synthesizer synthesizing voice information which is associated with the information recorded on the object tag or the person tag as an output voice based on information obtained by the reading unit,

wherein unique image information is a gesture or sign language associated with the message, and

wherein the writer writes the message extracted by the image message extraction unit on the object tag;

a current position information acquisition unit acquiring position information which indicates a current position of the mobile robot;

a locomotion unit for traveling the robot to a destination; and

an autonomous travel controller actuating the locomotion unit based on a command which indicates the destination and map information indicating a map within a predetermined moving range.

2. A mobile robot according to claim 1, further comprising:

a time clock obtaining a time,

wherein the writer writes the time obtained by the time clock together with the message on the object tag.

3. A mobile robot according to claim 1, further comprising:

an operation determination unit determining an operation to be performed by the mobile robot from among operations at least including a delivery of the object and a utterance of a predetermined voice in accordance with an input of a predetermined command,

wherein the motion determination unit determines the operation based on at least one of personal information, which is obtained from the person tag by the reading unit of the interface apparatus, and information written by the writer.

4. A mobile robot according to claim 1, further comprising:

an operation determination unit determining an operation to be performed by the mobile robot from among operations at least including a delivery of the object and a utterance of a predetermined voice in accordance with an input of a predetermined command,

wherein the motion determination unit determines the operation based on at least one of personal information, which is obtained from the person tag by the reading unit of the interface apparatus, and information written by the writer.

5. A mobile robot according to claim 1, wherein the autonomous travel controller actuates the locomotion unit to move the robot to the destination where an operation determined by a motion determination unit is performed.