Interactive doll and a method to control the same

• US 9,968,862 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2015
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tencent Technology Company Limited (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Original Assignee: Tencent Technology Company Limited (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: Feng, Yanni
• Primary Examiner(s): HARPER, TRAMAR YONG
• Application Number:
  US15/105,442
• Publication Number:
  US 20160310855A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,203 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/28 Arrangements of sound-producing means in dolls; Means in dolls for producing sounds
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/36 Details; Accessories
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 30/04 using wireless transmission

Abstract

The present disclosure discloses an interactive doll, and an interactive doll control method, wherein, the method includes the following operations: monitoring a control mode selected by a user for controlling the interactive doll; if the selected control mode being a voice control mode, obtaining a voice control instruction, wherein the voice control instruction contains one or more keyword voice segment as input control command to control the interactive doll; obtaining voice control information corresponding to the keyword voice segment, and executing an operation corresponding to the voice control information. The controlling method and the interactive doll may provide more responsiveness and improved user'"'"'s experience in virtual reality.

Claims

1. An interactive doll control method, wherein a processor executing code stored in a memory to configure the interactive doll to perform operations, comprising:

monitoring a control mode selected by a user for controlling the interactive doll;

when the selected control mode being a voice control mode, obtaining a voice control instruction, wherein the voice control instruction contains one or more keyword voice segment as input control command to control the interactive doll;

obtaining voice control information corresponding to the keyword voice segment, and executing an operation corresponding to the voice control information,

when the selected control mode being a touch mode, obtaining a touch control instruction by sensing a touch to a specific body area of the interactive doll;

obtaining touch control information corresponding to sensing the touch to the specific body area of the interactive doll, and executing an operation corresponding to the touch control information, wherein the operation being executed comprising causing the interactive doll to perform at least one of;

gesturing with physical movements, a speech response non-verbal sound responses, and changing a temperature of certain body area of the interactive doll when touched; and

wherein the interactive doll is equipped with an odor sensor, in response to sensing the touch to the specific body area of the interactive doll, further detecting by the odor sensor, certain odor of the interactive doll'"'"'s surrounding when currently being touched, and causing the interactive doll to initiate a speech warning of the detection of the certain odor, wherein the speech warning is different from the speech response.

2. The interactive doll control method according to claim 1, further comprising:

when the selected control mode being both the voice control mode and a touch control mode, monitoring respectively, the voice control instruction and a touch control instruction for input in the interactive doll, and;

when the voice control instruction containing a keyword voice segment, obtaining the voice control information corresponding to the keyword voice segment;

when the control instruction may be a touch control instruction sensing a touch to a specific body area of the interactive doll, obtaining touch control information corresponding to sensing the touch to the specific body area of the interactive doll; and

executing a respective operation corresponding to the voice control information and the touch control information.

3. The interactive doll control method according to claim 1, wherein before the step of monitoring the control mode selected by the user for controlling the interactive doll, further comprises:

obtaining at least one control instruction set corresponding to at least one piece of control information configured in the interactive doll, the control instruction set being one or both of;

the voice control instruction and the touch control instruction;

storing the at least one control instruction set corresponding to the at least one piece of control information;

wherein, the at least one piece of control information contains a control signal which executes an operation to control a corresponding specific body area on the interactive doll.

4. The interactive doll control method according to claim 3, wherein the step of executing the operation to control the corresponding specific body area on the interactive doll, comprises:

instructing the corresponding specific body area of the interactive doll to respond by executing the operation corresponding to the control signal.

5. The interactive doll control method according to claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining feedback information generated according to a status of the executed operation corresponding to one or both of;

the voice control information and the touch control information; and

outputting the feedback information.

6. The interactive doll control method according to claim 1, wherein the interactive doll is a physical doll electronically programmed and controlled to perform physical actions to simulate one of:

a helper, a nanny, a child, a baby, a security guard, a personal assistant, a companion, an adult toy, and a pet.

7. An interactive doll, comprises a doll figure having sensor circuitry embedded in relevant body areas for sensing or detection, wherein more than one relevant body areas are controlled by at least one processor with circuitry which executes program codes stored within at least a non-transitory computer readable memory medium which configures the interactive doll to:

monitor a control mode selected by a user for controlling the interactive doll;

in response to detecting that the selected control mode being a voice control mode, obtain a voice control instruction, wherein the voice control instruction contains one or more keyword voice segment as input control command to control the interactive doll;

obtain voice control information corresponding to the keyword voice segment, and execute an operation corresponding to the voice control information,

detect that when the selected control mode being a touch mode, obtain a touch control instruction by sensing a touch to a specific body area of the interactive doll, obtain touch control information corresponding to sensing the touch to the specific body area of the interactive doll, and execute an operation corresponding to the touch control information, wherein the operation being executed comprising causing the interactive doll to perform at least one of;

gesturing with physical movements, a speech response or non-verbal sound responses, and an instructed task; and

wherein the interactive doll is equipped with an odor sensor, in response to sensing the touch to the specific body area of the interactive doll, further detect by the odor sensor, certain odor of the interactive doll'"'"'s surrounding when currently being touched, and causes the interactive doll to initiate a speech warning of the detection of the certain odor, wherein the speech warning is different from the speech response.

8. The interactive doll according to claim 7, further configured to, when it is detected that the selected control mode being both voice control mode and a touch control mode, monitor respectively, the voice control instruction and a touch control instruction for input in the interactive doll;

when it is detected that the control instruction containing a keyword voice segment, obtain the voice control information corresponding to the keyword voice segment,

when it is detected that the control instruction may be a touch control instruction sensing a touch to a specific body area of the interactive doll, obtain touch control information corresponding to sensing the touch to the specific body area of the interactive doll; and

execute a respective operation corresponding to the voice control information and the touch control information.

9. The interactive doll according to claim 7, further configured to obtain at least one control instruction set corresponding to at least one piece of control information configured in the interactive doll, the control instruction set being one or both of:

the voice control instruction and the touch control instruction;

store the at least one control instruction set corresponding to the at least one piece of control information;

wherein, the at least one piece of control information contains a control signal which executes an operation to control a corresponding specific body area on the interactive doll.

10. The interactive doll according to claim 9, configured to obtain the control signal corresponding to the keyword voice segment spoken to the interactive doll, and instruct the interactive doll to respond by executing the operation corresponding to the control signal;

alternatively, obtain the control signal corresponding to the specific body area of the interactive doll being touched, and instruct the corresponding specific body area of the interactive doll to respond by executing the operation corresponding to the control signal.

11. The interactive doll according to claim 9, configured to instruct the corresponding specific body area of the interactive doll to respond by executing the operation corresponding to the control signal.

12. The interactive doll according to claim 9, wherein the interactive doll is a physical doll electronically programmed and controlled to perform physical actions to simulate one of:

a helper, a nanny, a child, a baby, a security guard, a personal assistant, a companion, an adult toy, and a pet.

13. The interactive doll according to claim 7, further configured to obtain feedback information generated according to a status of the executed operation corresponding to one or both of:

the voice control information and the touch control information, and outputting the feedback information.