Robot apparatus, control method thereof, and method for judging character of robot apparatus

• US 7,117,190 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2000
• Issued: 10/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Inoue, Makoto, Sabe, Kohtaro, Hasegawa, Rika
• Primary Examiner(s): Knight, Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): Williams, Jr., Ronald E
• Application Number:
  US09/890,231
• Publication Number:
  US 20030045203A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,133 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245, 700/247, 700/248, 700/250, 901/1
• US Class Current: 706/45
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39162 Learn social rules, greedy robots become non-greedy, adapt to other robots
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/008 based on physical entities controlled by simulated intelligence so as to replicate intelligent life forms, e.g. based on robots replicating pets or humans in their appearance or behaviour

Abstract

In a robot apparatus and a control method therefor, firstly, partial or whole state space of a behavioral model is expanded or reduced, secondly, transition to a predetermined node in the behavioral model is described as transition to a virtual node and a node group to be allotted to the virtual node is sequentially changed, thirdly, the number of emotions and/or desires which are used for generating actions is gradually increased, and fourthly, an environment is evaluated to update each sensitivity corresponding to each emotion and desire, on the basis of the evaluated. In the robot apparatus and the character discriminating method for the robot apparatus, a pet robot is provided with: detecting means for detecting outputs from other pet robots; character discriminating means for discriminating characters of the pet robots on the basis of the result detected by the detecting means; and character changing means for changing the character on the basis of the result judged by the character discriminating means.

Claims

1. A robot apparatus having emotion models consisting of a plurality of emotional behaviors and instinct models consisting of a plurality of desires, for generating action on the basis of the parameter value of each emotional behavior of the emotion model and/or the parameter value of each desire of the instinct model which are sequentially updated in accordance with prescribed conditions, comprising restricting means for restricting the number of the emotional behaviors or the desires used for generating the action so as to increase or decrease stepwise.

2. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said restricting means increases and/or decreases stepwise the number of the emotional behaviors or the desires used for generating the action on the basis of the accumulation of prescribed stimulation which are externally applied and/or the lapse of time.

3. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, comprising:

action generating means for generating the action on the basis of each of the parameter values of the emotional behaviors and/or the desires and a prescribed behavioral model; and

behavioral model changing means for changing the behavioral model in the action generating means, to a behavioral model whose growth level is higher than that of the former, on the basis of the accumulation of prescribed stimulation which are externally applied and/or the lapse of time, and wherein said restricting means increases or decreases the number of the emotional behaviors and/or the desires used for generating the action depending on the change of the behavioral model by the behavioral model changing means.

4. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said emotion models include six emotional behaviors of joy, sadness, anger, surprise, disgust and fear as said emotional behaviors.

5. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said instinct models include four desires of exercise, affection, appetite and curiosity as said desires.

6. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

emotional behavior and/or desire updating means for sequentially updating the parameter value of each emotional behavior and/or the parameter value of each desire, depending on corresponding sensitivity individually set to each emotional behavior and/or each desire, on the basis of the stimulation and/or the lapse of time; and

sensitivity updating means for evaluating an environment and respectively updating the sensitivity corresponding to each emotional behavior and/or each desire on the basis of the evaluated result.

7. A robot apparatus having emotion models consisting of a plurality of emotional behaviors and instinct models consisting of a plurality of desires, for generating action on the basis of the parameter value of each emotional behavior of the emotion model and/or the parameter value of each desire of the instinct model, comprising:

emotional behavior and/or desire updating means for sequentially updating the parameter value of each emotional behavior and/or the parameter value of each desire, depending on corresponding sensitivity individually set to each emotional behavior and/or each desire, on the basis of externally applied stimulation and/or the lapse of time; and

sensitivity updating means for evaluating an environment and respectively updating the sensitivity corresponding to each emotional behavior and/or each desire on the basis of the evaluated result.

8. The robot apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said sensitivity changing means evaluates the environment on the basis of the parameter value of each emotional behavior and/or the parameter value of each desire which are sequentially updated.

9. The robot apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said emotion models include six emotional behaviors of joy, sadness, anger, surprise, disgust and fear as said emotional behaviors.

10. The robot apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said instinct models include four desires of exercise, affection, appetite and curiosity as said desires.

11. A control method for a robot apparatus having emotion models consisting of a plurality of emotional behaviors and instinct models consisting of a plurality of desires, for generating action on the basis of the parameter value of each emotional behavior of the emotion model and/or the parameter value of each desire of the instinct model which are sequentially updated in accordance with prescribed conditions, comprising:

a first step of restricting the number of the emotional behaviors and/or the desires used for generating the action; and

a second step of increasing or decreasing stepwise the number of the emotional behaviors and/or the desires used for generating the action.

12. The control method for a robot apparatus according to claim 11, wherein in the second step, the number of the emotional behaviors or the desires used for generating the action is increased stepwise on the basis of the accumulation of prescribed stimulation which are externally applied and/or the lapse of time.

13. The control method for a robot apparatus according to claim 11, wherein:

said robot apparatus generates the action on the basis of each of the parameter values of the emotional behaviors and/or the desires and a prescribed behavioral model, and changes the behavioral model in the action generating means, to a behavioral model whose growth level is higher than that of the former, on the basis of the accumulation of prescribed stimulation which are externally applied and/or the lapse of time; and

in the second step, the number of the emotional behaviors and/or the desires employed for generating the action is increased or decreased depending on the change of the behavioral model by the behavioral model changing means.

14. The control method for a robot apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said emotion models include six emotional behaviors of joy, sadness, anger, surprise, disgust and fear as said emotional behaviors.

15. The control method for a robot apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said instinct models include four desires of exercise, affection, appetite and curiosity as said desires.

16. The control method for a robot apparatus according to claim 11, wherein:

the second step comprises, for each stage, an updating step of sequentially updating the parameter value of each emotional behavior and/or the parameter value of each desire, depending on corresponding sensitivity individually set to each emotional behavior and/or each desire, on the basis of the stimulation and/or the lapse of time; and

a sensitivity updating step of evaluating an environment and respectively updating the sensitivity corresponding to each emotional emotional behavior and/or each desire on the basis of the evaluated result.

17. A control method for a robot apparatus having emotion models consisting of a plurality of emotional behaviors and instinct models consisting of a plurality of desires, for generating action on the basis of the parameter value of each emotional behavior of the emotion model and/or the parameter value of each desire of the instinct model, comprising:

a first step of updating the parameter value of each emotional behavior and/or the parameter value of each desire, depending on corresponding sensitivity individually set to each emotional behavior and/or each desire, on the basis of externally applied stimulation and/or the lapse of time; and

a second step of evaluating an environment and respectively updating the sensitivity corresponding to each emotional behavior and/or each desire on the basis of the evaluated result.

18. The control method for a robot apparatus according to claim 17, wherein in the second step, the environment is evaluated on the basis of the parameter value of each emotional behavior and/or the parameter value of each desire which are sequentially updated.

19. The control method for a robot apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said emotion models include six emotional behaviors of joy, sadness, anger, surprise, disgust and fear as said emotional behaviors.

20. The control method for a robot apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said instinct models include four desires of exercise, affection, appetite and curiosity as said desires.