Data processing: artificial intelligence – Adaptive system
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-10
2002-09-03
Starks, Jr., Wilbert L. (Department: 2121)
Data processing: artificial intelligence
Adaptive system
C345S157000, C345S473000, C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06446056
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for adjusting behavior of a device, and particularly to a method for adjusting the behavior based on the device's experience.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, various controlling methods have been available for controlling a device in accordance with a user's demand.
In such controlling methods, normally, the user sets a target value at output which the user wants, and the device is controlled in such a way that the output matches the target value, while feeding the output back to a control system which compares the feedback and the target value to adjust the output. In the above, by feeding the output back to the system to adjust the output, the output of the device to be controlled can approach the target value, thereby achieving control satisfying the user's preference.
However, the above control system may not be appropriate in an area where the user can develop emotions such as companionship toward a device. Such a device includes toys, games, communication tools, search tools, and other tools and devices subjected to personal use. Further, if a target value is not determinable due to the system's complexity or lack of information, the conventional control system does not work.
Furthermore, if a device senses numerous pieces of information, it is difficult to sort them out and use them as useful information to act thereon. If the device is operated solely in accordance with the user's command, the above may not be a problem. However, for an autonomic device which acts without the user's command, it is important to obtain meaningful information.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A general objective of the present invention is to provide a control system which enables a device to autonomously modify its behavior or performance through interaction with its external environment, i.e., based on its experience. That is a self-development system. The control system can generate pseudo-emotions which are used as a parameter for controlling behavior. The control system can collect information on an object of its own concern, and can store the information and update it by itself. This autonomous behavior system is advantageous, especially when applied to robots, toys, or games. The present invention has exploited a real-time basis behavior-adjusting system.
An embodiment of the present invention is a method for adjusting behavior of a device based on the device's experience. The device comprises: (i) a sensing unit for sensing signals; (ii) a concern-generating unit programmed to generate concern-parameters; (iii) an actuating unit for actuating the device; and (iv) a memory storing a spreadsheet composed of multiple sets of data, each set corresponding to an event defined by signals received by the device, variations in its concern-parameters, and behavior of the device. The method comprises steps of: (a) sensing signals receivable by the device; said device having concern-parameters (C
i
) (i=entry number or time) which vary from predetermined standards (SC); (b) extracting from the memory an event, if any, to best compensate for the variations in its concern-parameters; and (c) actuating the device based on the extracted information, and then computing variations in its concern-parameters (&Dgr;C
i
), thereby updating the memory. Accordingly, when the device is in a situation, the device recalls (extracts) memory relevant to the situation based on variations in its concern-parameters. The behavior of the device is regulated by variations in its concern-parameters, and the device can modify or improve its behavior based on the information obtained in the past.
In the above, in an embodiment, the device further comprises an emotion-generating unit programmed to generate emotion-parameters, and wherein, in step (a), the device has variations in its emotion-parameters, and in step (c), behavior of the device extracted from the memory is modified by the variations in its emotion-parameters under predetermined rules. By adjusting the behavior of the device based on variations in its emotion-parameters, the device can behave based on not only variations in its concern-parameters but also on current variations in its emotion-parameters, so that more complex and natural behavior of the device can be realized.
In the above, in an embodiment, updated memory stores variations in its concern-parameters (&Dgr;C′
i
) linked with the event, wherein &Dgr;C′
i
=&agr;&Dgr;C
i
+(1−&agr;) &Dgr;C′
i−1
(0<&agr;<1), wherein &Dgr;C′
i−1
is the previous data saved under the index of the event. Accordingly, the memory needs one column for one event and can reduce its capacity. Further, the influence of new experience can be controlled to moderate the behavior changes.
In an embodiment, the relevancy of data stored in the memory can be determined as follows: The concern-generating unit comprises a plurality (p) of concern modules, each differently programmed to generate and output the concern-parameters (C(n)
i
) (n=1−p), and, in step (b), the best compensating event is selected if the relevancy calculated based on the difference between the initial variation (SC(n)−C(n)
i
) and the recorded variation (&Dgr;C′(n)
i−1
) in each concern-parameter is higher than a pre-selected score, wherein the relevancy is defined by &Sgr;((SC(n)−C(n)
i
)−&Dgr;C′(n)
i−1
)
2
(n=1−p). The equation defining the relevancy is not limited to the above and can be of any type which is selected depending on the user's preference. In step (b), if no data on the event is extracted from the memory, the device can behave under predetermined rules.
Preferably, the control system further comprises a working memory which temporarily pools and stores information from the sensing unit and the concern-generating unit, in the first-mentioned memory until the device completes its action, and which outputs information to the concern-generating unit, the actuating unit, and the first-mentioned memory. Accordingly, processing becomes efficient.
The concern-parameters and the emotion-parameters can have any labels and definitions. For example, the concern-parameters can represent “safety”, “affection”, “hunger”, and “play”, respectively, and the emotion-parameters can represent “happy”, “angry”, “surprised”, “sad”, “fearful”, and “disgust”, respectively. The term “needs” can be a synonym for the concerns. The definition of each label can be predetermined. The number of concern-parameters and the number of emotion-parameters are not limited. The larger the number of parameters, the more complex the behavior becomes. If an object-oriented language program, such as JAVA and C++, is used for parameter control, new labels can be automatically created, so that new behavior can be generated accordingly.
A device controlled by the above control system can behave autonomously and improve behavior based on its experience.
The present invention can be applied to a method as well as an apparatus. Further, the system need not be an integrated system, but can be composed of plural separate units. That is, by networking plural devices or by using a separable medium (CD or IC card), an individual device can be downsized without losing memory and programming capacities.
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