Robot apparatus for supporting user's actions

• US 20050091684A1
• Filed: 09/22/2004
• Published: 04/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoshimi, Takashi, Ogawa, Hideki, Tamura, Masafumi, Hirokawa, Junko, Kawabata, Shunichi, Miyazaki, Tomotaka
• Application Number:
  US10/946,129
• Publication Number:
  US 20050091684A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/35
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0003 Home robots, i.e. small robots for domestic use
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence

Abstract

A robot apparatus includes a memory unit that stores schedule information indicative of a user identifier for designating one of a plurality of users, an action that is to be done by the user designated by the user identifier, and a start condition for the action, a determination unit that determines whether a condition designated by the start condition is established, and a support process execution unit that executes, when the condition designated by the start condition is established, a support process, based on the schedule information, for supporting the user'"'"'s action corresponding to the established start condition with respect to the user designated by the user identifier corresponding to the established start condition.

Claims

1. A robot apparatus comprising:

a memory unit that stores schedule information indicative of a user identifier for designating one of a plurality of users, an action that is to be done by the user designated by the user identifier, and a start condition for the action;

a determination unit that determines whether a condition designated by the start condition is established; and

a support process execution unit that executes, when the condition designated by the start condition is established, a support process, based on the schedule information, for supporting the user'"'"'s action corresponding to the established start condition with respect to the user designated by the user identifier corresponding to the established start condition.

2. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the user identifier includes a user name of the user who is designated by the user identifier, and

the support process execution unit includes a voice output unit that produces a voice message corresponding to the user name, which is included in the user identifier corresponding to the established start condition, and a voice message that prompts the user to do the action corresponding to the established start condition.

3. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support process execution unit includes a unit which identifies the user designated by the user identifier corresponding to the established start condition by recognizing the face of a person present in a house, and a voice output unit that produces a voice message, which prompts the identified user to execute the action corresponding to the established start condition.

4. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the schedule information includes information indicative of an event, other than time, as the start condition, and

the determination unit includes a unit that executes a monitor operation for detecting occurrence of said event other than time.

5. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the schedule information includes, as the start condition, information indicative of an event relating to the action of the user designated by the user identifier, and

the determination unit includes a unit that identifies the user designated by the user identifier by recognizing the face of a person present in a house, and a unit that monitors the action of the identified user, thereby to detect occurrence of the event.

6. A robot apparatus comprising:

a body having an auto-movement mechanism;

a sensor that is provided on the body and senses a surrounding condition;

a memory unit that stores schedule information indicative of a user identifier for designating one of a plurality of users, an action that is to be done by the user designated by the user identifier, and an event that is a start condition for the action;

a monitor unit that executes a monitor operation for detecting occurrence of the event, using the auto-movement mechanism and the sensor; and

a support process execution unit that executes, when the occurrence of the event is detected by the monitor unit, a support process, based on the schedule information, for supporting the user'"'"'s action corresponding to the event whose occurrence is detected, with respect to the user designated by the user identifier corresponding to the event whose occurrence is detected.

7. The robot apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the support process execution unit includes a unit which identifies the user designated by the user identifier corresponding to the event whose occurrence is detected, by recognizing the face of a person present in a house, and a voice generation unit that produces a voice message, which prompts the identified user to execute the action corresponding to the event whose occurrence is detected.

8. The robot apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the user identifier includes a user name of the user who is designated by the user identifier, and

the support process execution unit includes a voice output unit that produces a voice message corresponding to the user name, which is included in the user identifier corresponding to the event whose occurrence is detected, and a voice message that prompts the user to do the action corresponding to the event whose occurrence is detected.

9. A robot apparatus comprising:

means for storing schedule information indicative of a user identifier for designating one of a plurality of users, an action that is to be done by the user designated by the user identifier, and a start condition for the action;

means for determining whether a condition designated by the start condition is established; and

means for executing, when the condition designated by the start condition is established, a support process, based on the schedule information, for supporting the user'"'"'s action corresponding to the established start condition with respect to the user designated by the user identifier corresponding to the established start condition.

10. The robot apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the user identifier includes a user name of the user who is designated by the user identifier, and

the means for executing the support process includes means for producing a voice message corresponding to the user name, which is included in the user identifier corresponding to the established start condition, and means for prompting the user to do the action corresponding to the established start condition.

11. The robot apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the means for executing the support process includes means for identifying the user designated by the user identifier corresponding to the established start condition by recognizing the face of a person present in a house, and means for producing a voice message, which prompts the identified user to execute the action corresponding to the established start condition.

12. The robot apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the schedule information includes information indicative of an event, other than time, as the start condition, and

the means for determining includes means for executing a monitor operation for detecting occurrence of said event other than time.

13. The robot apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the schedule information includes, as the start condition, information indicative of an event relating to the action of the user designated by the user identifier, and

the means for determining includes means for identifying the user designated by the user identifier by recognizing the face of a person present in a house, and means for monitoring the action of the identified user, thereby to detect occurrence of the event.