Modular robot with smart device

• US 10,391,631 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2017
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Djugash, Joseph M. A., Moore, Douglas A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bendidi, Rachid
• Application Number:
  US15/451,313
• Publication Number:
  US 20170173787A1
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/00 Controls for manipulators programme controls B25J9/16; control in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/006 by means of a wireless system for controlling one or several manipulators
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0003 Home robots, i.e. small robots for domestic use
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/161 Hardware, e.g. neural networks, fuzzy logic, interfaces, processor
• 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: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/46 Sensing device

Abstract

A wearable smart device is configured to be positioned on and external to a robot having a robot sensor for sensing robot data and a robot input/output port. The wearable smart device includes a device sensor capable of detecting device data corresponding to an environment of the wearable smart device. The wearable smart device also includes a device input/output port. The wearable smart device also includes a device processor coupled to the robot sensor via the robot input/output port and the device input/output port. The device processor is also coupled to the device sensor and configured to control the robot based on the robot data and the device data.

Claims

1. A robot that processes instructions independently and in conjunction with a wearable smart device, the robot comprising:

a sensor device configured to detect environmental data of an environment of the robot;

an input/output port for sending and receiving data to and from the wearable smart device including a presence or a lack of presence of a user within a home; and

a processor coupled to the input/output port and the sensor device, the processor being configured to;

obtain, from the sensor device, the environmental data of the environment of the robot,

obtain, from the wearable smart device and by a sensor of the wearable smart device, the data including the presence or the lack of presence of the user within the home,

determine a powered state of a remotely controllable smart device within the home of the user,

determine that the lack of presence of the user within the home has occurred over a predetermined amount of time based on the data and the environmental data,

determine a first action that includes changing the powered state of the remotely controllable smart device based on the lack of presence of the user within the home over the predetermined amount of time,

change the powered state of the remotely controllable smart device within the home of the user,

determine that the wearable smart device is to control a second action of the robot,

receive, from the wearable smart device, a request for processing assistance,

perform the request for processing assistance,

receive, from the wearable smart device, an instruction to perform the second action, and

perform a processing job to achieve the second action, or delegate the processing job to achieve the second action.

2. The robot of claim 1, further comprising:

determine capabilities of the wearable smart device;

request processing power from the wearable smart device; and

delegate a processing job to the wearable device to change the powered state of the remotely controllable smart device.

3. The robot of claim 1, wherein the sensor device includes at least one of a camera, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) or a global position system (GPS).

4. A robot that processes instructions independently and in conjunction with a wearable smart device, the robot comprising:

a sensor device configured to detect environmental data of an environment of the robot;

an input/output port for sending and receiving data to and from the wearable smart device including a presence or a lack of presence of a user within a home; and

a processor coupled to the input/output port and the sensor device, the processor being configured to;

obtain, from the sensor device, the environmental data of the environment of the robot,

obtain, from the wearable smart device, the data including the presence or the lack of presence of the user within the home,

determine that the lack of presence of the user within the home has occurred over a predetermined amount of time based on the data and the environmental data, determine a first action that includes changing a powered state of a remotely controllable smart device based on the lack of presence of the user within the home over the predetermined amount of time,

change the powered state of the remotely controllable smart device within the home of the user,

determine that the wearable smart device is to control a second action of the robot,

receive, from the wearable smart device, a request for processing assistance,

perform the request for processing assistance,

receive, from the wearable smart device, an instruction to perform the second action, and

perform a processing job to achieve the second action, or delegate the processing job to achieve the second action.

5. The robot of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to:

establish a connection with the wearable smart device; and

determine capabilities of the wearable smart device.

6. The robot of claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to delegate the processing job to the wearable smart device to achieve the second action.

7. The robot of claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to:

perform the processing job to achieve a part of the second action; and

delegate a second processing job to achieve another part of the second action.

8. A robot that processes instructions independently and in conjunction with a wearable smart device, the robot comprising:

a sensor device configured to detect environmental data of an environment of the robot;

an input/output port for sending and receiving data to and from the wearable smart device including a presence or a lack of presence of a user within a home; and

a processor coupled to the input/output port and the sensor device, the processor having at least two auxiliary processors and being configured to;

obtain, from the sensor device, the environmental data of the environment of the robot,

obtain, from the wearable smart device and by a sensor of the wearable smart device, the data including the presence or the lack of presence of the user within the home,

determine that the lack of presence of the user within the home has occurred over a predetermined amount of time based on the data and the environmental data,

determine a first action to be performed by the robot, the first action including changing a powered state of a remotely controllable smart device within the home of the user based on the lack of presence of the user over the predetermined amount of time,

perform, using the at least two auxiliary processors, a first processing job to achieve the first action, or delegate using the at least two auxiliary processors, the first processing job to achieve the first action,

determine that the wearable smart device is to control a second action of the robot,

receive, from the wearable smart device, a request for processing assistance,

perform the request for processing assistance,

receive, from the wearable smart device, an instruction to perform the second action, and

perform a second processing job to achieve the second action, or delegate the second processing job to achieve the second action.

9. The robot of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to determine a plurality of capabilities of the robot including at least one of a plurality of processing capabilities of the robot or a plurality of sensing capabilities of the robot.

10. The robot of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to:

perform the first processing job to achieve the first action; and

delegate the second processing job to achieve the second action.

11. The robot of claim 8, further comprising:

a physical connector that is configured to attach the wearable smart device to the robot; and

an electrical connector that is configured to propagate a signal between the wearable smart device and the robot.

12. The robot of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to determine that a combination of both the wearable smart device and the robot controls the robot.