Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Specific application – apparatus or process – Robot control
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-30
2004-09-28
Black, Thomas G. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Specific application, apparatus or process
Robot control
C700S252000, C700S255000, C700S257000, C700S247000, C700S249000, C700S251000, C700S259000, C700S264000, C700S167000, C700S174000, C318S568100, C318S568130, C318S568160, C318S568210, C901S023000, C901S033000, C901S042000, C901S046000, C901S047000, C701S023000, C701S028000, C701S050000, C701S300000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06799086
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a robot, a robot control system, and a program for the same, and in particular, to a robot, a robot control system, and a program for the same in which a new control program module is received via a network connected to a robot such that the program is added to and is executed in the robot.
Description of the Prior Art
In the prior art, a robot of this kind includes such constituent components as an image input unit, a human searching sensor, a voice input unit, a voice recognizer unit, a voice output unit, a leg motor, a head motor, and an action control unit. Actions of the robot are controlled by a control program installed in the action controller.
FIG. 1
shows an example of constitution of such a robot. As can be seen from
FIG. 1
, the robot includes a voice input unit
900
such as a microphone, a voice recognizer unit
901
which recognizes words according to voice or sound inputted from the voice input unit
900
to convert the words into a string of characters representing a reading of the words, a voice output unit
902
to sound a voice file from a speaker or the like, an ultrasonic sensor
903
to measure distance to an obstacle, a leg motor
904
to move a main body of the robot, a head motor
905
to turn a head of the robot, and a data processing unit
906
to process data under control of a program.
FIG. 2
shows a flowchart of a control program of the robot.
First, whether or not any voice has been received from the voice input unit
900
(step S
10
). If such a voice input is absent (no in step S
10
), the program calls “stroll” (step S
11
). If the input is present (yes in step S
10
), program calls “dialog” (step S
12
).
FIG. 3
shows processing of “stroll” in a flowchart. The program a plurality of kinds of moving program modules and obstacle avoiding program modules. The program has various moving patterns. That is, the program generates random numbers to select program modules to be executed.
The program first generates a random number ranging from 0 to 2 (step T
10
) to select one module from three basic moving program modules (steps T
11
, T
12
, T
31
, T
32
, and T
33
) according to the random number. In this specification, such a basic action program module of the robot is referred to as “scenario”. That is, one scenario is selected from three moving or action scenarios of the robot according to the random number. The action scenario are “move 10 centimeters (cm) forward”, “turn right widely”, and “turn left widely”.
Next, a signal from the ultrasonics sensor
903
is examined to determine whether or not an obstacle exists in front of the robot (step T
16
). If no obstacle exists (no in step T
16
), the processing is terminated. If any obstacle exists (yes in step T
16
), the program generates a random number ranging from 0 to 2 to select one scenario from three obstacle avoiding scenarios (steps T
17
, T
18
, T
19
, T
41
, and T
42
). The obstacle avoiding scenarios are “turn right 45°”, “turn left 45°”, and “face to random direction”.
FIG. 4
shows processing of “dialog” in a flowchart. The program includes a response program according to recognized words to conduct a dialog with a user in response to a call from the user.
The program first receives the reading of recognized words from the voice recognizer
901
(step U
10
). The program then calls a dialog scenario according to each recognition word (steps U
11
to U
16
). If there does not exist any corresponding dialog scenario, the program calls a wrong recognition response scenario (step U
17
).
Each scenario is a program executable in the data processor
906
. The program is described in the C language to be directly executed by the data processor
906
or is described in a high level language which is interpreted and is or may be executed by an interpreter of the data processor
906
.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-326274 describes an example of a robot of the prior art.
The robot described in the publication includes a moving control processing section, a human search processing section, a control switching section, and an input information storing section. For example, when the dialog processing section receives input information containing an output from a voice recognizer, the dialog processing section outputs a voice according to recognized words from a voice output unit. The dialog processing section refers to friendliness of a human being recognized and produces a response, i.e., a voice according to the friendliness.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 11-327872 describes a technology for use with a robot of animal type connected to a network. In the technique, by analyzing an electronic-mail or e-mail letter received from the network, the program reads out the contents of the analyzed e-mail letter and produces an effect sound according to a string of particular symbols contained in the e-mail letter, thereby controls all or part of operation of the robot.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-75907 describes a technique regarding an industrial robot to receive an operation indication by e-mail. In the technique, a product agent has a mail unit and an execution unit. The execution unit executes processing of an operation according to an e-mail letter received by the mail unit.
However, the techniques of the prior art are attended with a problem that it is impossible to receive a new function via the network to add the function to an existing robot control program for the following reason.
In the robot control program of the prior art, the operation to receive a new function to add the function thereto has not been taken into consideration.
In the prior art described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 11-327872, any operation to be conducted as a result of the analysis of an e-mail letter received from the network has been beforehand incorporated in the robot. This leads to a problem that a new operation cannot be added thereto.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Ser. No. 2000-75907 describes a technique of the prior art in which the acceptable e-mail letter is an indication of operation for an executing block incorporated in the product agent in advance. This brings about a problem that a new executing block cannot be added to the agent by electronic mail.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention, which has been devised to remove the problems, to provide a robot, a robot control system, and a program for the same in which a new function of a control program of a robot can be received via a network so that the new function is added to the robot control program and is executed in the robot.
To achieve the object in accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a robot for executing a robot control program module, the robot receiving a new robot control program module from a communication line and writing the new robot control program module in a recording section of the robot.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a robot, comprising receiver means for receiving a new robot control program module from a communication line, register means for adding the control program module received by the receiver means to the robot, selector means for selecting a robot control program module to be executed from a robot control program module originally included in the robot and the robot control program module added to the robot, and control program executor means for executing the robot control program module selected by the selector means.
In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a robot, wherein the receiver means uses an internet as the communication line and receives the control program module by electronic mail.
In accordance with a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a robot further comprising initialization program executor means for executing an initialization program included in the control program module register
Black Thomas G.
Marc McDieunel
NEC Corporation
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