System and method for toy visual programming

• US 9,672,756 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2016
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wonder Workshop, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Play-I, Inc.
• Inventors: Gupta, Vikas, Gupta, Saurabh, Elenzil, Orion, Huang, Leisen
• Primary Examiner(s): Amin, Bhavesh V
• Application Number:
  US15/260,865
• Publication Number:
  US 20160379519A1
• Time in Patent Office: 270 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 30/04 using wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36025 Link, connect icons together to form program
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0053 Computers, e.g. programming
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/02 with visual presentation of the material to be studied, e.g. using film strip
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/04 Manual lead through

Abstract

A method for programmatic robot control including, at a user device: displaying a set of icons and receiving a program for a robot, wherein receiving a program for a robot includes receiving a selection of a state icon associated with a state; associating a transition with the state; and creating a relationship between the transition and an event. The method functions to provide a user with an environment for creating a program to control the robot, and can additionally function to control the robot.

Claims

1. A method for programmatically controlling a toy robot, comprising:

displaying a set of icons at a user device remote from the toy robot;

at the user device, receiving from a user a selection of a first icon from the set of icons, wherein the first icon comprises an illustration of the toy robot operating in a first state;

at the user device, receiving, from a user, a selection of a second icon from the set of icons, wherein the second icon comprises an illustration of the toy robot operating in a second state;

associating, by a processor, a transition with the first state and the second state, the transition directed from the first state to the second state;

at the user device, receiving, from the user, a selection of an event icon;

in response to receiving the selection of the event icon, associating, by the processor, an event with the transition, wherein the event icon comprises an illustration of the toy robot undergoing the event;

sending a first instruction from the user device to the toy robot to operate in the first state;

receiving a set of sensor measurements from the toy robot at the user device;

determining, by the processor, that the event has occurred based on the set of sensor measurements; and

in response to determining that the event has occurred, sending a second instruction from the user device to the toy robot to operate in the second state.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, at the toy robot:

receiving the first instruction from the user device;

in response to receiving the first instruction, controlling a first robot subsystem associated with the first state to operate in the first state;

recording the set of sensor measurements while operating in the first state;

sending the set of sensor measurements to the user device while operating in the first state;

receiving the second instruction from the user device; and

in response to receiving the second instruction, controlling a second robot subsystem associated with the second state to operate in the second state.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to receiving the selection of the first icon, receiving the selection of the second icon, associating the transition with the first state and the second state, and receiving the selection of the event icon:

displaying a graphical representation of the first state connected to a graphical representation of the second state by a graphical representation of the transition, wherein the graphical representation of the transition is graphically associated with a graphical representation of the event.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first instruction comprises a first set of machine code blocks associated with the first state.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, at the user device:

in response to receiving the selection of the second icon, displaying a control for selecting a parameter value;

receiving the parameter value at the control; and

in response to receiving the parameter value, modifying the second instruction by incorporating the parameter value into the second instruction.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising, at the user device:

while displaying the control for selecting a parameter value, presenting a state preview option;

receiving a selection of the state preview option; and

within a predetermined time period after receiving the selection of the state preview option, sending a preview instruction to the toy robot to perform an action representative of the second state.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the preview instruction comprises the second instruction.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the transition with the first state and the second state is automatically performed in response to receiving the selection of the second icon.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, at the user device, substantially concurrent with sending the second instruction, displaying an indication that the robot has entered the second state.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the selection of the first icon, receiving the selection of the second icon, and receiving the selection of the event icon are performed through a touchscreen interface.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein receiving the selection of the first icon, receiving the selection of the second icon, and receiving the selection of the event icon each comprise receiving the respective selection through a drag-and-drop selection method.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a user-adjustable parameter associated with the second state is precluded from being dependent upon the first state and upon the set of sensor measurements.

13. A method for programmatically controlling a toy robot, comprising:

obtaining an identifier that identifies the toy robot at a user device remote from the toy robot;

based on the identifier, retrieving, at the user device, the set of states the toy robot is capable of operating in;

after retrieving the set of states, displaying a set of state icons at the user device, wherein each state icon is associated with a respective state, wherein the respective state is one of a set of states the toy robot is capable of operating in, the state icon comprising an illustration of the toy robot operating in the respective state;

at the user device, receiving from a user a selection of a first state icon, associated with a first state, from the set of state icons;

associating, by a processor, a first transition with the first state, the first transition originating from the first state;

in response to associating the first transition with the state, automatically associating, by the processor, a first event with the first transition;

associating, by the processor, a second transition with the first state, the second transition originating from the first state;

displaying a set of event icons at the user device, wherein each event icon is associated with a respective event, wherein the respective event is one of a set of events the toy robot is capable of undergoing, the event icon comprising an illustration of the toy robot undergoing the respective event;

in response to associating the first event with the first transition and associating the second transition with the first state, precluding selection of a first event icon associated with the first event at the user device;

while precluding the selection of the first event icon, at the user device, receiving from the user a selection of a second event icon associated with a second event different from the first event; and

in response to receiving the selection of the second event icon, associating, by the processor, the second event with the second transition.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

at the user device, sending an instruction to the toy robot to operate in the state; and

at the toy robot, in response to receiving the instruction, controlling a robot subsystem associated with the state to operate in the state.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the instruction comprises a set of machine code blocks associated with the state.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving the selection of the state icon and receiving the selection of the event icon are performed through a touchscreen interface.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the set of states the toy robot is capable of entering is retrieved from the toy robot.

18. A method for programmatically controlling a toy robot, comprising:

displaying a set of icons at a user device remote from the toy robot;

receiving a selection of a first icon through a drag-and-drop selection method with a touchscreen interface, wherein the first icon is representative of the toy robot operating in a first state;

at the user device, receiving from a user a selection of a second icon through a drag-and-drop selection method with a touchscreen interface, wherein the second icon is representative of the toy robot operating in a second state;

associating, by a processor, a transition with the first state and the second state, the transition directed from the first state to the second state;

in response to receiving a selection of an event icon from the user at the user device through a drag-and-drop selection method with a touchscreen interface, associating, by the processor, an event with the transition, wherein the event icon is representative of the toy robot undergoing the event;

displaying a second state preview option and a run option different from the second state preview option at the user device;

within a predetermined time period after receiving a selection of the second state preview option from the user at the user device, sending a preview instruction from the user device to the toy robot to perform a preview action representative of the second state;

in response to receiving a selection of the run option from the user at the user device, sending a first instruction from the user device to the toy robot to operate in the first state;

in response to receiving a set of sensor measurements from the toy robot at the user device, determining that the event has occurred based on the set of sensor measurements;

in response to determining, by the processor, that the event has occurred, sending a second instruction from the user device to the toy robot to enter the second state;

within a predetermined time period after receiving the preview instruction, at the toy robot, controlling a preview robot subsystem associated with the preview action to perform the preview action;

in response to receiving the first instruction from the user device, at the toy robot, controlling a first robot subsystem associated with the first state to operate in the first state;

sending the set of sensor measurements from the toy robot to the user device; and

in response to receiving the second instruction from the user device, at the toy robot, controlling a second robot subsystem associated with the second state to operate in the second state.