WO2025037529A1 - Control device and control method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present technology pertains to a control device and a control method capable of diversifying operations related to charging of an autonomous mobile body. The control device is provided with an operation control unit that controls the operation of the autonomous mobile body during charging, on the basis of the individuality and the remaining charge amount of the autonomous mobile body. The present technology can be applied to, for example, a control device that controls the operation of a pet-type robot.

Description

Control device and control method

This technology relates to a control device and a control method, and in particular to a control device and a control method that enable diversification of operations related to charging an autonomous mobile object.

　Conventionally, robots have been proposed that perform specific actions depending on the charge level while charging (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

International Publication No. 2000/038295

However, the robot described in Patent Document 1 depends only on the charge level for its choice of actions, and can only select from pre-prepared actions. Therefore, the range of actions that the robot described in Patent Document 1 can perform while charging is limited, making it difficult to differentiate it from other robots.

This technology was developed in light of these circumstances, and makes it possible to diversify the charging operations of autonomous mobile objects such as pet robots.

The control device of one aspect of the present technology includes an operation control unit that controls the operation of the autonomous mobile body during charging based on the personality of the autonomous mobile body and the remaining charge.

In one aspect of the control method of the present technology, a control device controls the operation of an autonomous moving body during charging based on the autonomous moving body's personality and remaining charge.

In one aspect of this technology, the operation of an autonomous mobile body during charging is controlled based on the personality of the autonomous mobile body and the remaining charge.

1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an information processing system to which the present technology is applied. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an autonomous moving body. 2 illustrates a configuration example of an actuator equipped in an autonomous moving body. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining functions of a display provided in an autonomous moving body. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of an autonomous moving body. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic diagram of an autonomous moving body in a charging state. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of an autonomous moving body and a charging stand. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a main control unit of the autonomous moving body; 11 is a flowchart for explaining a charging support process of an autonomous moving body. 11 is a table showing examples of motions that the autonomous moving body executes on the charging stand. 11 is a table showing an example of characteristics of an autonomous moving body's behavior on a charging stand with respect to the remaining charge amount and the innate personality of the autonomous moving body. 13 shows an example of a method for correcting the motion of an autonomous moving body with respect to its inherent individuality when the remaining charge is less than 10%. 13 shows an example of a method for correcting the motion of an autonomous moving body with respect to its inherent individuality when the remaining charge is 26% or more. 1 shows examples of motions of an autonomous mobile object on a charging base specific to each innate personality. 11 is a table showing an example of characteristics of an autonomous moving body's operation on a charging stand with respect to the remaining charge amount and acquired personality. 13 shows an example of a method for correcting the motion of an autonomous moving body for an acquired personality when the remaining charge is less than 10%. 13 shows an example of a method for correcting the motion of an autonomous moving body for an acquired personality when the remaining charge is 26% or more. 1 shows examples of motions of an autonomous mobile object on a charging base that are specific to each acquired personality. 5 is a flowchart for explaining a first embodiment of a charging stand return process of an autonomous moving body. 11 is a flowchart for explaining a first embodiment of another autonomous mobile body support processing by an autonomous mobile body. 13 is a flowchart for explaining a second embodiment of another autonomous mobile body support processing by an autonomous mobile body. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a wireless power supply unit of an autonomous moving body; FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for supplying power between autonomous moving bodies. 10 is a flowchart for explaining a second embodiment of a charging stand return process of an autonomous moving body. FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the configuration of a computer.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present technology will be described in the following order.
1. Embodiment 2. Modification 3. Others

<<1. Embodiment>>
An embodiment of the present technology will be described with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG.

<Configuration example of information processing system 1>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an information processing system 1 to which the present technology is applied.

The information processing system 1 includes autonomous mobile units 11-1 to 11-n, information processing terminals 12-1 to 12-n, and an information processing server 13.

Note that, hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between the autonomous mobile units 11-1 to 11-n, they will simply be referred to as the autonomous mobile unit 11. Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between the information processing terminals 12-1 to 12-n, they will simply be referred to as the information processing terminals 12.

Communication is possible between each autonomous mobile body 11 and the information processing server 13, between each information processing terminal 12 and the information processing server 13, between each autonomous mobile body 11 and each information processing terminal 12, between each autonomous mobile body 11, and between each information processing terminal 12, via the network 21. In addition, direct communication is also possible between each autonomous mobile body 11 and each information processing terminal 12, between each autonomous mobile body 11, and between each information processing terminal 12, without going through the network 21.

The autonomous mobile unit 11 is an information processing device that recognizes its own and its surrounding situations based on collected sensor data, etc., and autonomously selects and executes various actions according to the situation. Unlike a robot that simply performs actions according to the user's instructions, one of the features of the autonomous mobile unit 11 is that it autonomously executes appropriate actions according to the situation.

The autonomous mobile body 11 can, for example, perform user recognition and object recognition based on captured images, and perform various autonomous actions according to the recognized user, object, etc. The autonomous mobile body 11 can also, for example, perform voice recognition based on the user's speech, and perform actions based on the user's instructions, etc.

Furthermore, the autonomous mobile body 11 performs pattern recognition learning to acquire the ability to recognize users and objects. In this case, the autonomous mobile body 11 can perform pattern recognition learning relating to objects, etc., not only by supervised learning based on given learning data, but also by dynamically collecting learning data based on instructions from a user, etc.

The autonomous moving body 11 can also be disciplined by the user. Here, discipline of the autonomous moving body 11 is broader than general discipline, such as teaching the autonomous moving body 11 rules and prohibitions and having it memorize them, and refers to changes in the autonomous moving body 11 that the user can sense as a result of the user's interaction with the autonomous moving body 11.

The shape, capabilities, desires, and other levels of the autonomous mobile body 11 can be designed appropriately according to the purpose and role. For example, the autonomous mobile body 11 is composed of an autonomous mobile robot that moves autonomously within a space and performs various operations. Specifically, for example, the autonomous mobile body 11 is composed of an autonomous mobile robot that has a shape and operational capabilities that mimic those of an animal such as a human or a dog. Also, for example, the autonomous mobile body 11 is composed of a vehicle or other device that has the ability to communicate with a user.

Furthermore, each autonomous mobile body 11 has its own unique personality. The personality of the autonomous mobile body 11 is, for example, the internal personality of the autonomous mobile body 11, and is expressed by the behavior of the autonomous mobile body 11. In other words, the personality of the autonomous mobile body 11 includes characteristics (e.g., personality, disposition) and features expressed by the behavior of the autonomous mobile body 11. Here, the behavior of the autonomous mobile body 11 is expressed not only by the movement of each part of the autonomous mobile body 11, but also by facial expressions, voice, and the like. In other words, the behavior of the autonomous mobile body 11 includes visual, auditory, and tactile movements and changes that are manifested externally.

Furthermore, the personality of the autonomous moving body 11 includes innate personality and acquired personality.

The innate personality is a personality that is set before the autonomous moving body 11 starts operating, and is represented by, for example, various parameters that are set in advance before the autonomous moving body 11 is shipped. For example, one of multiple types of innate personality is set in advance for each autonomous moving body 11.

The acquired personality is a personality acquired through experiences after the autonomous mobile body 11 is put into operation and through interactions with the user, such as training, and is represented, for example, by various parameters that are set or changed after the autonomous mobile body 11 is put into operation. For example, multiple autonomous mobile bodies 11 with the same innate personality will come to have different personalities due to acquired personality.

The information processing terminal 12 may be, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a PC (personal computer), and is used by the user of the autonomous mobile body 11. The information processing terminal 12 executes a specific application program (hereinafter simply referred to as an application) to realize various functions. For example, the information processing terminal 12 manages and customizes the autonomous mobile body 11 by executing a specific application.

For example, the information processing terminal 12 communicates with the information processing server 13 via the network 21 or directly with the autonomous mobile body 11 to collect various data related to the autonomous mobile body 11, present the data to the user, or give instructions to the autonomous mobile body 11.

The information processing server 13, for example, collects various data from each autonomous mobile body 11 and each information processing terminal 12, provides various data to each autonomous mobile body 11 and each information processing terminal 12, and controls the operation of each autonomous mobile body 11. For example, the information processing server 13 can also perform pattern recognition learning and processing corresponding to user discipline, similar to the autonomous mobile body 11, based on the data collected from each autonomous mobile body 11 and each information processing terminal 12. Furthermore, for example, the information processing server 13 supplies the above-mentioned applications and various data related to each autonomous mobile body 11 to each information processing terminal 12.

Network 21 may be composed of, for example, public line networks such as the Internet, telephone line networks, and satellite communication networks, as well as various LANs (Local Area Networks) including Ethernet (registered trademark), and WANs (Wide Area Networks). Network 21 may also include dedicated line networks such as IP-VPN (Internet Protocol-Virtual Private Network). Network 21 may also include wireless communication networks such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and Bluetooth (registered trademark).

The configuration of the information processing system 1 can be flexibly changed depending on the specifications, operation, etc. For example, the autonomous mobile body 11 may communicate information with various external devices in addition to the information processing terminal 12 and the information processing server 13. The above external devices can include, for example, servers that transmit weather, news, and other service information, and various home appliances owned by the user.

Furthermore, for example, the autonomous mobile bodies 11 and the information processing terminals 12 do not necessarily have to have a one-to-one relationship, and may have, for example, a many-to-many, many-to-one, or one-to-many relationship. For example, it is possible for one user to check data related to multiple autonomous mobile bodies 11 using one information processing terminal 12, or to check data related to one autonomous mobile body 11 using multiple information processing terminals.

<Hardware Configuration Example of the Autonomous Moving Body 11>
Next, a description will be given of an example of the hardware configuration of the autonomous moving body 11. In the following, a case will be described in which the autonomous moving body 11 is a dog-type quadruped robot.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the autonomous mobile unit 11. The autonomous mobile unit 11 is a dog-like quadruped robot equipped with a head, a body, four legs, and a tail.

The autonomous moving body 11 is equipped with two displays, a display 51L and a display 51R, on its head. In the following, when there is no need to distinguish between the display 51L and the display 51R, they will simply be referred to as the display 51.

The autonomous moving body 11 also includes various sensors. For example, the autonomous moving body 11 includes a microphone 52, a camera 53, a ToF (Time Of Flight) sensor 54, a human presence sensor 55, a distance measurement sensor 56, a touch sensor 57, an illuminance sensor 58, a sole button 59, and an inertial sensor 60.

The autonomous mobile body 11 is equipped with, for example, four microphones 52 on its head. Each microphone 52 collects surrounding sounds including, for example, the user's speech and surrounding environmental sounds. Furthermore, by providing multiple microphones 52, surrounding sounds can be collected with high sensitivity and sound source localization becomes possible.

The autonomous mobile body 11 is equipped with two wide-angle cameras 53, for example, at the nose and waist, which capture images of the autonomous mobile body 11's surroundings. For example, the camera 53 located at the nose captures images within the autonomous mobile body 11's forward field of view (i.e., the dog's field of view). The camera 53 located at the waist captures images of the surroundings centered around the upper part of the autonomous mobile body 11. The autonomous mobile body 11 can extract feature points of the ceiling, for example, based on images captured by the camera 53 located at the waist, and achieve SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping).

The ToF sensor 54 is provided, for example, at the tip of the nose and detects the distance to an object that is in front of the head. The ToF sensor 54 enables the autonomous mobile body 11 to detect the distance to various objects with high accuracy, and to realize operations according to the relative position to objects, including the user, obstacles, etc.

The human presence sensor 55 is placed, for example, on the chest and detects the presence of the user or a pet kept by the user. By detecting an animal object in front of the autonomous mobile body 11 using the human presence sensor 55, the autonomous mobile body 11 can realize various actions toward the animal object, such as actions corresponding to emotions such as interest, fear, or surprise.

The distance sensor 56 is placed, for example, on the chest and detects the condition of the floor surface in front of the autonomous mobile body 11. The distance sensor 56 allows the autonomous mobile body 11 to accurately detect the distance to an object present on the floor surface in front of it, and to realize operations according to the relative position of the object.

The touch sensor 57 is arranged in areas where the user is likely to touch the autonomous moving body 11, such as the top of the head, under the chin, and on the back, and detects contact (touch) by the user. The touch sensor 57 is composed of, for example, a capacitive or pressure-sensitive touch sensor. The autonomous moving body 11 can detect contact actions by the user, such as touching, stroking, tapping, and pushing, using the touch sensor 57, and can perform an action according to the contact action. In addition, for example, by arranging the touch sensors 57 in a line or a plane on each part, it becomes possible to detect the position touched within each part.

The illuminance sensor 58 is located, for example, on the back of the head at the base of the tail, and detects the illuminance of the space in which the autonomous mobile body 11 is located. The autonomous mobile body 11 can detect the surrounding brightness using the illuminance sensor 58 and perform operations according to the brightness.

The sole buttons 59 are, for example, located on the areas corresponding to the paw pads of each of the four legs, and detect whether the bottom surfaces of the legs of the autonomous mobile body 11 are in contact with the floor. The sole buttons 59 enable the autonomous mobile body 11 to detect contact or non-contact with the floor surface, and can, for example, know when it has been picked up by a user.

The inertial sensor 60 is, for example, disposed in the head and torso, respectively, and detects physical quantities such as speed, acceleration, and rotation of the head and torso. For example, the inertial sensor 60 is composed of a six-axis sensor that detects acceleration and angular velocity on the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis. The autonomous mobile body 11 can detect the movement of the head and torso with high accuracy using the inertial sensor 60, and realize operation control according to the situation.

The configuration of the sensors equipped in the autonomous mobile body 11 can be flexibly changed depending on the specifications, operation, etc. For example, in addition to the above configuration, the autonomous mobile body 11 may further include various communication devices including a temperature sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, and a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) signal receiver.

Next, an example of the configuration of the joints of the autonomous mobile body 11 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 shows an example of the configuration of an actuator 71 provided in the autonomous mobile body 11. In addition to the rotation points shown in FIG. 3, the autonomous mobile body 11 has two degrees of freedom of rotation each in the ears and tail, and one in the mouth, for a total of 22 degrees of freedom of rotation.

For example, the autonomous mobile body 11 has three degrees of freedom in its head, allowing it to perform both nodding and tilting its head. In addition, the autonomous mobile body 11 can reproduce the swinging motion of its hips using the actuator 71 in its hips, allowing it to achieve natural and flexible movements that are closer to those of a real dog.

The autonomous mobile body 11 may achieve the above 22 degrees of rotational freedom by combining, for example, a single-axis actuator and a two-axis actuator. For example, single-axis actuators may be used in the elbows and knees of the legs, and two-axis actuators may be used in the shoulders and the base of the thighs.

Next, the functions of the display 51 provided on the autonomous moving body 11 will be described with reference to FIG. 4.

The autonomous mobile body 11 is equipped with two displays, 51R and 51L, which correspond to the right and left eyes, respectively. Each display 51 has a function to visually express the eye movements and emotions of the autonomous mobile body 11. For example, each display 51 can express the movements of the eyeballs, pupils, and eyelids according to emotions and actions, thereby producing natural expressions and movements similar to those of real animals such as dogs, and can express the line of sight and emotions of the autonomous mobile body 11 with high precision and flexibility. In addition, the user can intuitively grasp the state of the autonomous mobile body 11 from the eyeball movements displayed on the display 51.

In addition, each display 51 is realized, for example, by two independent OLEDs (Organic Light Emitting Diodes). By using OLEDs, it is possible to reproduce the curved surface of an eyeball. As a result, a more natural appearance can be realized compared to a pair of eyeballs represented by a single flat display, or two eyeballs each represented by two independent flat displays.

With the above configuration, the autonomous mobile body 11 can reproduce movements and emotional expressions that are closer to those of real living creatures by controlling the movements of the joints and eyeballs with high precision and flexibility, as shown in Figure 5.

Also, as shown in FIG. 6, the autonomous moving body 11 is charged while placed on a platform-shaped charging stand 101. As described below, the autonomous moving body 11 performs operations on the charging stand 101 based on its personality and remaining charge.

Note that Figures 5 and 6 show a simplified external structure of the autonomous moving body 11.

<Example of Functional Configuration of Autonomous Moving Body 11 and Charging Stand 101>
Next, an example of the functional configuration of the autonomous moving body 11 and the charging stand 101 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Note that Fig. 7 illustrates only the configuration necessary for the processing described later, and the description of the configuration not necessary for the processing described later is appropriately omitted.

The autonomous mobile body 11 includes a display 51, an input unit 121, a main control unit 122, a memory 123, an eye display control unit 124, a mouth drive control unit 125, a mouth drive unit 126, a neck drive control unit 127, a neck drive unit 128, a leg drive control unit 129, a leg drive unit 130, a tail drive control unit 131, a tail drive unit 132, a voice control unit 133, a speaker 134, a wireless communication module 135, a power supply control unit 136, and a rechargeable battery 137.

The charging stand 101 includes a charging control unit 201, a charging circuit 202, and a display unit 203.

The autonomous moving body 11 and the charging stand 101 are connected via a connection connector 102.

The input unit 121 includes the microphone 52, camera 53, ToF sensor 54, human presence sensor 55, distance measurement sensor 56, touch sensor 57, illuminance sensor 58, sole button 59, and inertial sensor 60 described above, and has the function of collecting various sensor data related to the user and the surrounding conditions. The input unit 121 also includes input devices such as switches and buttons. The input unit 121 supplies the collected sensor data and input data input via the input devices to the main control unit 122.

The main control unit 122 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and performs various types of information processing and controls each part of the autonomous mobile body 11.

For example, the main control unit 122 recognizes the situation in which the autonomous mobile body 11 is located based on data supplied from each part of the autonomous mobile body 11.

For example, the main control unit 122 controls the operation of the autonomous mobile body 11 by controlling the pupil display control unit 124, the mouth drive control unit 125, the neck drive control unit 127, the leg drive control unit 129, the tail drive control unit 131, and the voice control unit 133 based on the recognition results of the situation in which the autonomous mobile body 11 is placed.

For example, the main control unit 122 executes learning processes related to the behavior of the autonomous mobile body 11 and recognition of the surrounding conditions, etc., based on data supplied from each part of the autonomous mobile body 11.

For example, the main control unit 122 controls the power supply of the autonomous moving body 11 by controlling the power supply control unit 136.

Memory 123 includes, for example, non-volatile memory and volatile memory, and stores various programs and data.

The pupil display control unit 124 controls the display 51 to control the movement of the left and right eyes displayed on the display 51.

The mouth drive control unit 125 controls the mouth movement of the autonomous mobile body 11 by controlling the mouth drive unit 126. The mouth drive control unit 125 supplies drive data (hereinafter referred to as mouth drive data) indicating the movement angle, movement speed, etc. of the actuator 71 provided in the mouth drive unit 126 to the main control unit 122.

The mouth drive unit 126 includes an actuator 71 that drives the mouth of the autonomous mobile body 11.

The pupil display control unit 124 and the mouth drive control unit 125 control the movement of the eyes and mouth of the autonomous mobile body 11, thereby changing the facial expression of the autonomous mobile body 11.

The neck drive control unit 127 controls the neck movement of the autonomous mobile body 11 by controlling the neck drive unit 128. The neck drive control unit 127 supplies drive data (hereinafter referred to as neck drive data) indicating the movement angle, movement speed, etc. of the actuator 71 provided in the neck drive unit 128 to the main control unit 122.

The neck drive unit 128 includes an actuator 71 that drives the neck joint of the autonomous mobile body 11.

The leg drive control unit 129 controls the movement of each leg of the autonomous mobile body 11 by controlling the leg drive unit 130. The leg drive control unit 129 supplies drive data (hereinafter referred to as leg drive data) indicating the movement angle, movement speed, etc. of the actuator 71 provided in the leg drive unit 130 to the main control unit 122.

The leg drive unit 130 includes actuators 71 that drive the joints of each leg of the autonomous mobile body 11.

The tail drive control unit 131 controls the tail movement of the autonomous mobile body 11 by controlling the tail drive unit 132. The tail drive control unit 131 supplies drive data (hereinafter referred to as tail drive data) indicating the operating angle, operating speed, etc. of the actuator 71 equipped in the tail drive unit 132 to the main control unit 122.

The tail drive unit 132 includes an actuator 71 that drives the tail of the autonomous mobile body 11.

The audio control unit 133 generates and processes audio data corresponding to the audio output by the autonomous mobile body 11, and controls the characteristics and output timing of the audio.

The sounds output by the autonomous mobile body 11 include, for example, sounds by which the autonomous mobile body 11 communicates with the user and expresses its state or emotion, operation sounds accompanying the operation of the autonomous mobile body 11, and performance sounds for enhancing the performance of the autonomous mobile body 11. The sounds by which the autonomous mobile body 11 communicates with the user and expresses its state or emotion include, for example, cries, conversation sounds, talking in its sleep, etc. Operation sounds include, for example, cries, footsteps, etc. Performance sounds include, for example, sound effects, music, etc.

The sounds output by the autonomous mobile body 11 include, for example, sounds that are output or change in response to external stimuli (hereinafter referred to as stimulus-responsive sounds), and sounds that are output or change in accordance with (linked to) the operation of the autonomous mobile body 11. Stimulus-responsive sounds include, for example, cries, conversation sounds, talking in one's sleep, etc. Sounds that are output or change in accordance with the operation of the autonomous mobile body 11 include, for example, operation sounds and performance sounds.

The characteristics of the sound to be controlled include, for example, the type of sound (e.g., bird cry, conversation, etc.), content, characteristics (e.g., pitch, volume, timbre, etc.), and sound quality. For example, in the case of conversation, the content of the sound includes the content of the conversation.

The speaker 134 outputs the various sounds described above based on the audio data supplied from the audio control unit 133.

The wireless communication module 135 communicates with other autonomous mobile bodies 11, the information processing terminal 12, and the information processing server 13, either via the network 21 or without the network 21, and transmits and receives various types of data. The wireless communication module 135 supplies the received data to the main control unit 122, and obtains data to be transmitted from the main control unit 122.

The communication method of the wireless communication module 135 is not particularly limited and can be flexibly changed according to the specifications and operation.

The power supply control unit 136 controls the supply of power stored in the rechargeable battery 137 to each unit of the autonomous mobile body 11. The power supply control unit 136 detects the remaining charge of the rechargeable battery and supplies remaining charge data indicating the detection result to the main control unit 122.

The charging control unit 201 controls the charging of the rechargeable battery 137 of the autonomous moving body 11 by the charging circuit 202.

The charging circuit 202 charges the rechargeable battery 137 of the autonomous mobile unit 11 under the control of the charging control unit 201.

The display unit 203 includes, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) and displays the charging status of the rechargeable battery 137 of the autonomous mobile unit 11.

<Example of configuration of main control unit 122>
Fig. 8 shows an example of the functional configuration of the main control unit 122 in Fig. 7. The main control unit 122 includes a recognition unit 151, a learning unit 152, and an operation control unit 153.

The recognition unit 151 recognizes the situation in which the autonomous mobile body 11 is placed, based on the sensor data and input data supplied from the input unit 121, the received data supplied from the wireless communication module 135, the mouth drive data supplied from the mouth drive unit 126, the neck drive data supplied from the neck drive control unit 127, the leg drive data supplied from the leg drive control unit 129, and the tail drive data supplied from the tail drive control unit 131.

The situation in which the autonomous mobile body 11 is placed includes, for example, the situation of itself and the surroundings. The situation of itself includes, for example, the state and movement of the autonomous mobile body 11. The surrounding situation includes, for example, the state, movement, and instructions of people in the vicinity such as a user, the state and movement of living things in the vicinity such as pets, the state and movement of surrounding objects, time, place, and the surrounding environment. The surrounding objects include, for example, other autonomous mobile bodies. Furthermore, in order to recognize the situation, the recognition unit 151 performs, for example, person identification, facial expression and gaze recognition, emotion recognition, object recognition, action recognition, spatial region recognition, color recognition, shape recognition, marker recognition, obstacle recognition, step recognition, brightness recognition, temperature recognition, voice recognition, word understanding, position estimation, posture estimation, etc.

The recognition unit 151 also has a function of estimating and understanding the situation based on the various recognized information. For example, the recognition unit 151 recognizes stimuli given to the autonomous mobile body 11 from the outside and the person who gave the stimuli. The stimuli to be recognized include, for example, visual stimuli, auditory stimuli, and tactile stimuli. At this time, the recognition unit 151 may make a comprehensive estimation of the situation using knowledge stored in advance.

The recognition unit 151 supplies data indicating the result of the recognition or estimation of the situation (hereinafter referred to as situation data) to the learning unit 152 and the operation control unit 153. In addition, the recognition unit 151 registers the situation data in the behavior history data stored in the memory 123.

The behavior history data is data that indicates the history of the behavior of the autonomous mobile body 11. The behavior history data includes, for example, items such as the date and time when the behavior started, the date and time when the behavior ended, the trigger for performing the behavior, the location where the behavior was instructed (if a location was instructed), the situation when the behavior was performed, and whether the behavior was completed (whether the behavior was performed to the end).

When an action is executed as a result of, for example, a user instruction, the content of that instruction is registered as the trigger for the action. When an action is executed as a result of, for example, a specific situation occurring, the content of that situation is registered. Furthermore, when an action is executed as a result of, for example, an object indicated by the user or a recognized object, the type of object is registered.

The learning unit 152 learns the situation, behavior, and the effect of the behavior on the environment based on one or more of the sensor data and input data supplied from the input unit 121, the received data supplied from the wireless communication module 135, the mouth drive data supplied from the mouth drive unit 126, the neck drive data supplied from the neck drive control unit 127, the leg drive data supplied from the leg drive control unit 129, the tail drive data supplied from the tail drive control unit 131, the situation data supplied from the recognition unit 151, and the data related to the behavior of the autonomous mobile body 11 supplied from the operation control unit 153. For example, the learning unit 152 performs the above-mentioned pattern recognition learning, and learns behavior patterns corresponding to the user's discipline. For example, the learning unit 152 changes the personality of the autonomous mobile body 11, particularly the acquired personality, by performing a learning process based on experience and discipline after the start of operation.

For example, the learning unit 152 realizes the above learning by using a machine learning algorithm such as deep learning. Note that the learning algorithm adopted by the learning unit 152 is not limited to the above example, and can be designed as appropriate.

The learning unit 152 supplies data indicating the learning results (hereinafter referred to as learning result data) to the operation control unit 153 and stores the data in the memory 123.

The operation control unit 153 controls the operation of the autonomous mobile body 11 based on the recognized or estimated situation and the learning result data. The operation control unit 153 supplies data on the behavior of the autonomous mobile body 11 to the learning unit 152 and registers the data in the behavior history data stored in the memory 123.

The operation control unit 153 controls the internal state of the autonomous mobile body 11 based on the recognized or estimated situation and the learning result data. For example, the operation control unit 153 controls the state transition of the internal state of the autonomous mobile body 11.

The internal state of the autonomous mobile body 11 is an internal state that is not visible to the outside of the autonomous mobile body 11, and is set based on at least one of the autonomous mobile body 11's behavior, physical condition, emotions, age, remaining charge, etc., for example. The physical condition of the autonomous mobile body 11 includes, for example, hunger level. The hunger level is set based on, for example, the time that has elapsed since the autonomous mobile body 11 took the action of eating food. The age of the autonomous mobile body 11 is set based on, for example, the date of purchase of the autonomous mobile body 11, or the time that has elapsed since the power was first turned on, or the total operating time of the autonomous mobile body 11.

The operation control unit 153 controls the operation of the autonomous mobile body 11 by controlling the pupil display control unit 124, mouth drive control unit 125, neck drive control unit 127, leg drive control unit 129, tail drive control unit 131, and audio control unit 133 based on at least one of the recognized or estimated situation, the learning result data, and the internal state of the autonomous mobile body 11. For example, the operation control unit 153 executes rotation control of each actuator 71, display control of the display 51, audio output control from the speaker 134, etc.

Note that the actions of the autonomous mobile body 11 include, for example, actions necessary for the operation of the autonomous mobile body 11, as well as actions expressing will or emotion, and performances. Hereinafter, the latter actions will be referred to as motions.

Furthermore, the actions that the autonomous mobile body 11 executes for various purposes are referred to as actions. An action may include only the actions necessary for the operation of the autonomous mobile body 11, or may include one or more types of motion. The purpose that is the target of an action is not particularly limited. For example, it may include not only specific purposes such as moving to a target location or transporting a specific object, but also abstract purposes such as expressing will or emotion.

Data for realizing the motion (hereinafter referred to as motion data) is, for example, created in advance using an authoring tool and stored in the memory 123 when the autonomous moving body 11 is manufactured. Alternatively, for example, the motion data is downloaded to the autonomous moving body 11 from the information processing terminal 12 or the information processing server 13.

The motion data includes, for example, data continuously describing in a time series the movement of the eyes of the display 51, the target joint angles and joint movement speeds of each joint of each drive unit (each actuator 71) of the autonomous mobile body 11, and control values such as the type and volume of the sound to be output.

The movement control unit 153 controls the eye display control unit 124, mouth drive control unit 125, neck drive control unit 127, leg drive control unit 129, tail drive control unit 131, and voice control unit 133 based on the motion data, thereby causing the autonomous mobile body 11 to execute a motion. In addition, the movement control unit 153 can cause the autonomous mobile body 11 to take any posture by instructing the mouth drive control unit 125, neck drive control unit 127, leg drive control unit 129, and tail drive control unit 131 on the target joint angles of each drive unit between successive motions.

<Processing of the autonomous moving body 11>
Next, the processing of the autonomous moving body 11 will be described with reference to FIGS.

<Charging processing>
First, the charging handling process executed by the autonomous moving body 11 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In step S1, the autonomous mobile body 11 performs an autonomous operation under the control of the operation control unit 153. That is, the autonomous mobile body 11 performs various operations autonomously. The content of the operation is not particularly limited.

In step S2, the operation control unit 153 determines whether charging is necessary. Specifically, the operation control unit 153 detects the remaining charge of the autonomous moving body 11 based on the remaining charge data from the power supply control unit 136. If the remaining charge is equal to or greater than the required charging level, the operation control unit 153 determines that charging is not necessary, and the process returns to step S1.

The required charging level can be set to any value, for example, 26%.

Then, in step S2, the processes of steps S1 and S2 are repeatedly executed until it is determined that charging is necessary.

On the other hand, in step S2, if the remaining charge is less than the required charging level, the operation control unit 153 determines that charging is necessary, and the process proceeds to step S3.

In step S3, the autonomous mobile object 11 returns to the charging station 101 under the control of the operation control unit 153. In other words, the autonomous mobile object 11 moves to the charging station 101.

In step S4, the autonomous mobile object 11 starts charging on the charging stand 101 under the control of the operation control unit 153.

In step S5, the operation control unit 153 determines whether or not to stop operation on the charging base 101. Specifically, the operation control unit 153 detects the remaining charge of the autonomous mobile body 11 based on the remaining charge data from the power supply control unit 136. If the remaining charge is less than the operation stop level, the operation control unit 153 determines not to stop operation on the charging base 101, and the process proceeds to step S6.

The operation stop level can be set to any value within a range greater than the required charging level, for example, 40%.

In step S6, the autonomous mobile object 11 wakes up on the charging stand 101 under the control of the operation control unit 153, and performs an operation according to the remaining charge and its personality.

Then, in step S5, the processes of steps S5 and S6 are repeatedly executed until it is determined that operation on the charging stand 101 is to be stopped.

As a result, the autonomous moving body 11 will operate (behave) in accordance with its remaining charge and its personality while charging, until the remaining charge reaches or exceeds the operation stop level.

Specific examples of the operation of the autonomous moving body 11 on the charging stand 101 will be described later.

On the other hand, in step S5, if the remaining charge is equal to or greater than the operation stop level, the operation control unit 153 determines to stop operation on the charging stand 101, and the process proceeds to step S7.

In step S7, the autonomous mobile object 11 goes to sleep on the charging stand 101 under the control of the operation control unit 153.

Then the charging process ends.

Now, with reference to Figures 10 to 18, an example of the operation of the autonomous moving body 11 on the charging stand 101 will be described.

FIG. 10 shows an example of a motion that the autonomous moving body 11 performs on the charging stand 101.

The motions that the autonomous mobile body 11 performs on the charging stand 101 include, for example, "flapping legs," "looking around," "yawning," "smelling," "tilting head," "burping," "sneezing," "shaking hands," etc.

"Flapping legs" is a motion that includes, for example, throwing out the front legs and moving them up and down.

"Look around" is a motion that includes, for example, turning your head to look around.

"Yawning," for example, is a motion that includes turning the head while opening the mouth.

"Smelling," for example, is a motion that includes lifting the head and moving the tip of the nose.

"Tilt your head," for example, is a motion that includes moving your head from side to side.

"Burp," for example, is a motion that includes opening the mouth to burp and then shaking the head from side to side.

"Sneezing," for example, is a motion that includes bobbing the head up and down while moving the neck back, and then opening the mouth while moving the neck forcefully forward.

"Shake hands," for example, is a motion that includes raising one front leg high and then lowering it diagonally forward.

For example, when the autonomous mobile body 11 is charging and the remaining charge is less than the operation stop level, the operation control unit 153 appropriately selects motions to be executed from the above motions and causes the autonomous mobile body 11 to execute them in order. For example, the probability that each motion will be selected is set in advance. Note that, as described below, the probability that each motion will be selected during charging is changed based on the personality and remaining charge of the autonomous mobile body 11.

Furthermore, the characteristics of the autonomous moving body 11's operation on the charging stand 101 change depending on, for example, the characteristics of the autonomous moving body 11 and the remaining charge.

FIG. 11 shows an example of the characteristics of the autonomous mobile body 11's behavior on the charging stand 101 in relation to the remaining charge and innate personality. In this example, the innate personality is classified into four types: "insensitive," "loyal and sensitive," "intelligent and cautious," and "active and sociable."

For example, an insensitive autonomous moving body 11 is not significantly affected by the remaining charge. In other words, the operation of an insensitive autonomous moving body 11 on the charging stand 101 does not change significantly whether the remaining charge is high or low.

Here, whether the remaining charge is high or low is determined based on a predetermined threshold. This threshold may be variable, and if variable, may be set by the user.

For example, when the remaining charge of a loyal and responsive autonomous mobile unit 11 is high, it will move its head more to search for its owner. On the other hand, when the remaining charge of a loyal and responsive autonomous mobile unit 11 is low, it will move more slowly and become smaller.

Here, the owner is, for example, a user who owns the autonomous mobile unit 11.

For example, an intelligent and cautious autonomous mobile body 11 will behave cautiously and not move too much when it has a large remaining charge. On the other hand, an intelligent and cautious autonomous mobile body 11 will move slowly and become smaller when it has a small remaining charge.

For example, an active and sociable autonomous mobile body 11 will move more agilely and larger when it has a large remaining charge. On the other hand, for example, an active and sociable autonomous mobile body 11 will continue to play when it has an owner or other individuals (other autonomous mobile bodies 11) present when it has a low remaining charge.

In order to realize the characteristics of the operation of FIG. 11, each motion of the autonomous moving body 11 is corrected based on, for example, the remaining charge and the innate personality. FIGS. 12 and 13 show examples of methods for correcting each motion of the autonomous moving body 11 in order to realize the characteristics of the operation of FIG. 11.

FIG. 12 shows an example of a method of correcting motion by the pupil display control unit 124, mouth drive control unit 125, neck drive control unit 127, leg drive control unit 129, tail drive control unit 131, and operation control unit 153 of the autonomous moving body 11 when the remaining charge is less than 10%.

In an insensitive autonomous mobile body 11, no correction is made to the control values of the motion data. Therefore, each motion is executed as is according to the motion data, resulting in standard movement.

In the faithful and responsive autonomous mobile body 11, the mouth drive control unit 125, neck drive control unit 127, leg drive control unit 129, and tail drive control unit 131 correct the joint movement speed (velocity) to 0.9 times the motion data. Other control values of the motion data are not corrected. Therefore, in each motion, the movement of the mouth, neck, each leg, and tail is slowed down.

In the intelligent and vigilant autonomous mobile body 11, the mouth drive control unit 125, neck drive control unit 127, leg drive control unit 129, and tail drive control unit 131 correct the joint movement speed to 0.9 times the motion data. Other control values of the motion data are not corrected. Therefore, in each motion, the movement of the mouth, neck, each leg, and tail becomes slower.

In an active and sociable autonomous mobile body 11, if the owner or another individual is nearby, the mouth drive control unit 125, neck drive control unit 127, and leg drive control unit 129 correct the joint movement speed and target joint angle (amplitude) to 1.1 times the motion data. The control values of other motions are not corrected. Therefore, if the owner or another individual is nearby, the movement of the mouth, neck, and each leg becomes faster and larger in each motion. On the other hand, if the owner or another individual is not nearby, the control values of the motion data are not corrected. Therefore, if the owner or another individual is not nearby, each motion is executed as is according to the motion data, resulting in standard movement.

FIG. 13 shows an example of a method of correcting motion by the pupil display control unit 124, mouth drive control unit 125, neck drive control unit 127, leg drive control unit 129, tail drive control unit 131, and operation control unit 153 of the autonomous moving body 11 when the remaining charge is 26% or more.

In an insensitive autonomous mobile body 11, no correction is made to the control values of the motion data. Therefore, each motion is executed as is according to the motion data, resulting in standard movement.

In a faithful and responsive autonomous mobile body 11, the operation control unit 153 corrects the probability of selecting the operation of shaking its head to look for its owner by 1.2 times. Other control values of the motion data are not corrected. Therefore, the autonomous mobile body 11 increases the operation of shaking its head to look for its owner.

In the case of an autonomous mobile body 11 that is intelligent and highly alert, the operation control unit 153 corrects the probability that the autonomous mobile body 11 will do nothing to 1.2 times the probability. Other control values of the motion data are not corrected. Therefore, the autonomous mobile body 11 will spend more time doing nothing.

In an active and sociable autonomous mobile body 11, the mouth drive control unit 125, neck drive control unit 127, and leg drive control unit 129 correct the joint movement speed and target joint angle to 1.1 times the motion data. Other control values of the motion data are not corrected. Therefore, in each motion, the movement of the mouth, neck, and each leg becomes faster and larger.

Also, for example, the autonomous mobile body 11 performs a motion specific to each innate personality on the charging stand 101.

FIG. 14 shows an example of the motion of the autonomous mobile body 11 on the charging stand 101 that is specific to each innate personality.

For example, the insensitive autonomous mobile object 11 performs a motion that includes slowly moving its head up and down on the charging stand 101 as if trying to doze off.

For example, when the loyal and responsive autonomous mobile unit 11 finds its owner on the charging stand 101, it performs a motion that includes raising both hands (front legs) and barking.

For example, an intelligent and alert autonomous mobile body 11 performs a motion on the charging base 101 that includes turning toward the direction of a sound, lowering its head and lying prone.

For example, an active and sociable autonomous mobile body 11 performs motions on the charging stand 101, including swinging its head from side to side and flapping its front and back legs.

FIG. 15 shows an example of the characteristics of the autonomous mobile body 11's behavior on the charging stand 101 in relation to the remaining charge and acquired personality. In this example, the acquired personality is classified into four types: "cute," "dependent," "shy," and "wild."

The cute autonomous mobile body 11, for example, has a strong desire to express emotions and a whimsical personality. For example, when the cute autonomous mobile body 11 has a high remaining charge, it wags its head or tail to show that it is playful. On the other hand, for example, when the cute autonomous mobile body 11 has a low remaining charge, it moves its body slowly but moves its tail a lot. Also, when the cute autonomous mobile body 11 has a low remaining charge, it looks down and has a dissatisfied look in its eyes.

The spoiled autonomous mobile body 11, for example, has a personality that has a strong desire to communicate. For example, when the spoiled autonomous mobile body 11 has a large remaining charge, it moves its head more and more to search for its owner. On the other hand, when the spoiled autonomous mobile body 11 has a small remaining charge, it waits quietly to be charged and only moves more when it finds its owner.

A shy autonomous mobile unit 11, for example, has a personality with a strong desire to explore and a weak desire to move. For example, when the shy autonomous mobile unit 11 has a large remaining charge, it will look around the room. On the other hand, when the shy autonomous mobile unit 11 has a small remaining charge, it will quietly wait to be charged. Furthermore, when the shy autonomous mobile unit 11 has a small remaining charge, it will move slowly and tend to lie down.

The wild autonomous mobile body 11, for example, has a personality with a strong desire to exercise. For example, when the wild autonomous mobile body 11 has a high remaining charge, it wants to move its arms and legs and get out of the charging base 101. On the other hand, when the wild autonomous mobile body 11 has a low remaining charge, it wants to play but runs out of energy. Also, when the wild autonomous mobile body 11 has a low remaining charge, it may be in a tired position, but it will still move its legs well.

In order to realize the characteristics of the operation of FIG. 15, each motion of the autonomous moving body 11 is corrected based on, for example, the remaining charge and acquired personality. FIGS. 16 and 17 show examples of methods for correcting each motion of the autonomous moving body 11 in order to realize the characteristics of the operation of FIG. 15.

FIG. 16 shows an example of a method of correcting motion by the pupil display control unit 124, mouth drive control unit 125, neck drive control unit 127, leg drive control unit 129, tail drive control unit 131, and operation control unit 153 of the autonomous moving body 11 when the remaining charge is less than 10%.

In the cute autonomous moving body 11, the pupil display control unit 124 controls the display 51 so that the eyes appear dissatisfied. In addition, the neck drive control unit 127 and leg drive control unit 129 correct the joint movement speed to 0.9 times the motion data, and the tail drive control unit 131 corrects the joint movement speed to 1.1 times the motion data. Other control values of the motion data are not corrected. Therefore, in each motion, the autonomous moving body 11 has dissatisfied eyes, the movement of the neck and each leg slows down, and the movement of the tail speeds up.

In the spoiled autonomous mobile body 11, if the owner is nearby, the mouth drive control unit 125, neck drive control unit 127, leg drive control unit 129, and tail drive control unit 131 correct the joint movement speed to 1.1 times the motion data. Other control values of the motion data are not corrected. Therefore, if the owner is nearby, the movement of the mouth, neck, legs, and tail will be faster in each motion. On the other hand, if the owner is not nearby, the control values of the motion data are not corrected. Therefore, if the owner is not nearby, each motion is executed as is according to the motion data, resulting in standard movements.

In the shy autonomous mobile body 11, the mouth drive control unit 125, neck drive control unit 127, leg drive control unit 129, and tail drive control unit 131 correct the joint movement speed to 0.9 times the motion data. The neck drive control unit 127 also controls the neck drive unit 128 so that the body assumes a head-down posture between motions. Other control values of the motion data are not corrected. Therefore, in each motion, the movement of the mouth, neck, legs, and tail slows down, and the body assumes a head-down posture between motions.

In the wild autonomous mobile body 11, the pupil display control unit 124 controls the display 51 so that the eyes appear dissatisfied. The neck drive control unit 127 controls the neck drive unit 128 so that the body assumes a posture with its head lowered between motions. The leg drive control unit 129 corrects the joint movement speed and target joint angle to 1.1 times the motion data, and controls the leg drive unit 130 so that the angle in the leg opening direction between motions becomes 1.1 times. Other control values of the motion data are not corrected. Therefore, in each motion, the movement of each leg becomes faster and larger, and the body assumes a posture with its head lowered and its legs widely opened between motions.

FIG. 17 shows an example of a method of correcting motion by the pupil display control unit 124, mouth drive control unit 125, neck drive control unit 127, leg drive control unit 129, tail drive control unit 131, and operation control unit 153 of the autonomous moving body 11 when the remaining charge is 26% or more.

In the cute autonomous mobile body 11, the neck drive control unit 127 and tail drive control unit 131 correct the joint movement speed and target joint angle to 1.1 times the motion data. Other control values of the motion data are not corrected. Therefore, in each motion, the movement of the neck and tail becomes faster and larger.

In the case of a spoiled autonomous mobile body 11, the operation control unit 153 corrects the probability of selecting the operation of shaking its head to look for its owner by a factor of 1.2. Other control values of the motion data are not corrected. Therefore, the autonomous mobile body 11 will frequently perform the operation of shaking its head to look for its owner.

In a shy autonomous mobile body 11, the motion control unit 153 corrects the probability of selecting the motion of moving its head around by 1.2 times. Other control values of the motion data are not corrected. Therefore, the autonomous mobile body 11 moves its head around more often.

In the wild autonomous mobile body 11, the mouth drive control unit 125, neck drive control unit 127, and leg drive control unit 129 correct the joint movement speed and target joint angle to 1.1 times the motion data. Other control values of the motion data are not corrected. Therefore, in each motion, the movement of the mouth, neck, and each leg becomes faster and larger.

Also, for example, the autonomous mobile body 11 performs a motion specific to each acquired personality on the charging stand 101.

FIG. 18 shows an example of the motion of the autonomous mobile body 11 on the charging stand 101 that is specific to each acquired personality.

For example, the cute autonomous mobile body 11 performs a motion that includes swinging its head from side to side in rhythm while moving its ears and tail widely on the charging stand 101.

For example, when the spoiled autonomous mobile body 11 finds its owner on the charging stand 101, it executes a motion that includes a beckoning motion by moving one of its front legs up and down.

For example, a shy autonomous mobile body 11 performs a motion that includes spreading its front and back legs wide, lowering its head, and limplying on the charging stand 101.

For example, a wild autonomous mobile body 11 may perform motions on the charging stand 101, including quickly moving its front legs and tail up and down to show that it wants to play.

For example, the operation control unit 153 controls the ratio of operations based on innate personality and operations based on acquired personality while the autonomous moving body 11 is charging. For example, the operation control unit 153 weights the motion and posture of the autonomous moving body 11 on the charging stand 101 for corrections based on innate personality and corrections based on acquired personality, and controls the weighting values.

For example, the corrected target joint angle and joint movement velocity Mt for each motion of the autonomous moving body 11 are calculated using the following formula (1).

Mt=Mn×(1+λ×ΔMc)×{1+(1−λ)×ΔMa}
...(1)

Mn indicates the target joint angle and joint movement speed of the motion of the autonomous mobile body 11 before correction (normal). ΔMc indicates the correction amount of the target joint angle and joint movement speed of the motion of the autonomous mobile body 11 based on the innate personality. ΔMa indicates the correction amount of the target joint angle and joint movement speed of the motion of the autonomous mobile body 11 based on the acquired personality. λ is a coefficient (weight) in the range from 0 to 1.

Also, for example, the target joint angle Pt after correcting the posture between motions of the autonomous moving body 11 is calculated by the following formula (2).

Pt=Pn×(1+λ×ΔPc)×{1+(1−λ)×ΔPa}
...(2)

Pn indicates the target joint angle of the posture of the autonomous mobile body 11 before correction (normal). ΔPc indicates the correction amount of the target joint angle of the posture of the autonomous mobile body 11 based on the innate personality. ΔPa indicates the correction amount of the target joint angle of the posture of the autonomous mobile body 11 based on the acquired personality.

For example, the coefficient λ is set to 1 at the time of shipment, and approaches 0 as time passes from when the autonomous mobile body 11 starts operating. This makes it possible to change the personality of the autonomous mobile body 11 so that it is initially strongly influenced by its innate personality, and as it lives with its owner longer, it becomes more influenced by its acquired personality based on experience and relationships with users such as the owner.

In addition, to further highlight the differences in the personalities of the autonomous mobile bodies 11, the required charging level used to determine whether or not to return to the charging base 101 may be changed based on, for example, acquired personalities.

For example, the cute autonomous moving body 11 has a volatile personality, so the charging level required changes randomly within a predetermined range (for example, within a range of ±5%) each time.

For example, when a spoiled autonomous mobile body 11 is playing with its owner, the required charge level drops to 20% due to its spoiled nature, and the autonomous mobile body 11 continues to play until the limit.

For example, a shy autonomous moving body 11, being a reserved person, will quickly return to the charging base 101 when the required charging level rises to 28%.

For example, a wild autonomous mobile unit 11 has an active personality, so the required charging level drops to 20% and the unit continues to play until it reaches its limit.

As described above, by reflecting the individuality of each autonomous mobile body 11, the actions related to charging the autonomous mobile body 11 are diversified, and the individuality of the autonomous mobile body 11 is expressed. This allows each owner to get a real sense that their autonomous mobile body 11 is different from other autonomous mobile bodies and that it is their own. In addition, by varying the actions of the autonomous mobile body 11 while charging, it is possible to prevent users such as owners from getting bored.

<Method of cooperation with other autonomous moving bodies 11>
For example, when returning (moving) to the charging stand 101, the autonomous mobile body 11 can execute an operation in cooperation with the other autonomous mobile body 11 by sharing charging-related information with the other autonomous mobile body 11. Here, with reference to Figs. 19 to 24, an example of a process in which the autonomous mobile body 11 executes an operation in cooperation with the other autonomous mobile body 11 when returning to the charging stand 101, etc. will be described.

<First embodiment of charging base return processing>
First, a first embodiment of the charging base return process executed by the autonomous moving body 11 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In the following, the autonomous mobile body 11 that executes the charging base return process will be referred to as the autonomous mobile body 11A.

In step S101, autonomous operation is performed in the same manner as in step S1 of FIG. 9.

In step S102, similar to the process in step S2 of FIG. 9, it is determined whether charging is necessary. If it is determined that charging is not necessary, the process returns to step S101.

Then, in step S102, the processes of steps S101 and S102 are repeatedly executed until it is determined that charging is necessary.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S102 that charging is necessary, the process proceeds to step S103.

In step S103, the autonomous mobile object 11A starts returning to the charging base 101 under the control of the operation control unit 153. In other words, the autonomous mobile object 11A starts moving in the direction of the charging base 101.

In step S104, the recognition unit 151 determines whether or not the robot has returned to the charging base 101 based on the sensor data from the input unit 121. If it is determined that the robot has not returned to the charging base 101, the process proceeds to step S105.

In step S105, the operation control unit 153 determines whether or not there is enough charge remaining to enable movement. Specifically, the operation control unit 153 detects the remaining charge of the autonomous moving body 11A based on the remaining charge data from the power supply control unit 136. If the remaining charge is equal to or greater than the operable level, the operation control unit 153 determines that there is enough charge remaining to enable movement, and the process returns to step S104.

The operable level can be set to any value. For example, the operable level may be changed based on the distance to the charging station 101, etc.

Then, the processes of steps S104 and S105 are repeatedly executed until it is determined in step S104 that the robot has returned to the charging base 101, or until it is determined in step S105 that the robot does not have enough charge left to move.

On the other hand, in step S105, if the remaining charge is equal to or greater than the operable level, the operation control unit 153 determines that there is not enough charge left to move, i.e., that it is difficult to return (move) to the charging base 101, and the process proceeds to step S106.

In step S106, the operation control unit 153 notifies the surrounding autonomous moving bodies 11 of the insufficient remaining charge. Specifically, the operation control unit 153 generates information for notifying the insufficient remaining charge (hereinafter referred to as insufficient remaining charge information). The operation control unit 153 transmits the insufficient remaining charge information to the surrounding autonomous moving bodies 11 via the wireless communication module 135.

In step S107, the autonomous moving body 11A waits in a prone position under the control of the operation control unit 153.

Then the charging base return process ends.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S104 that the device has returned to the charging base 101, steps S105 to S107 are skipped and the charging base return process ends.

<First embodiment of other autonomous mobile body support processing>
Next, referring to the flowchart of FIG. 20 , a first embodiment of a process for supporting other autonomous mobile bodies that is executed by a surrounding autonomous mobile body 11 (hereinafter referred to as the autonomous mobile body 11B) in response to the charging base return process of the autonomous mobile body 11A in FIG. 19 will be described.

This process is executed when at least one of the autonomous mobile units 11A and 11B does not have the ability to share power.

In step S131, autonomous operation is performed in the same manner as in step S1 of FIG. 9.

In step S132, the recognition unit 151 determines whether or not there is an autonomous moving body 11 with insufficient remaining charge in the vicinity. If the recognition unit 151 has not received the insufficient remaining charge information transmitted in step S106 of FIG. 19, it determines that there is no autonomous moving body 11 with insufficient remaining charge in the vicinity, and the process returns to step S101.

Then, in step S132, the processes of steps S131 and S132 are repeatedly executed until it is determined that an autonomous moving body 11 with insufficient remaining charge is present in the vicinity.

On the other hand, in step S132, if the recognition unit 151 receives insufficient remaining charge information from the autonomous mobile unit 11A via the wireless communication module 135, it determines that there is an autonomous mobile unit 11 (autonomous mobile unit 11A) with insufficient remaining charge in the vicinity, that is, it determines that there is an autonomous mobile unit 11 in the vicinity that has difficulty returning (moving) to the charging station 101 due to insufficient remaining charge, and the process proceeds to step S133.

In step S133, the recognition unit 151 determines whether or not the owner is nearby based on sensing data from the input unit 121. If it is determined that the owner is nearby, the process proceeds to step S134.

In step S134, the autonomous mobile unit 11B moves to the owner's side under the control of the operation control unit 153.

Then, processing proceeds to step S135.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S133 that the owner is not nearby, step S134 is skipped and processing proceeds to step S135.

In step S135, the autonomous mobile unit 11B turns toward the autonomous mobile unit 11 (autonomous mobile unit 11A) that is running low on charge and barks. This notifies the owner or people around the autonomous mobile unit 11B of the presence of the autonomous mobile unit 11A that is running low on charge.

Then, the other autonomous mobile body support process ends.

<Second embodiment of other autonomous mobile body support processing>
Next, with reference to a flowchart in FIG. 21, a second embodiment of another autonomous mobile body support processing executed by a surrounding autonomous mobile body 11B in response to the charging base return processing of the autonomous mobile body 11A in FIG. 19 will be described.

This process is executed when both the autonomous mobile body 11A and the autonomous mobile body 11B have a function for sharing power. For example, as shown in FIG. 22, this process is executed when both the autonomous mobile body 11A and the autonomous mobile body 11B have a wireless power supply unit 302 at the tip of the front leg 301.

In steps S161 and S162, the same processing as in steps S131 and S132 in FIG. 20 is performed.

In step S163, the operation control unit 153 determines whether or not it is possible to share power based on information from the power supply control unit 136. For example, if the remaining charge is less than a predetermined threshold, the operation control unit 153 determines that it is not possible to share power, and the process proceeds to step S164.

In steps S164 through S166, the same processing as in steps S133 through S135 of FIG. 20 is performed.

On the other hand, in step S163, if the remaining charge is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, the operation control unit 153 determines that power can be shared, and the process proceeds to step S167.

In step S167, the autonomous mobile unit 11B goes to the autonomous mobile unit 11 that is running low on charge and shares some of its power with it.

Specifically, the autonomous moving body 11B moves to the location of the autonomous moving body 11A under the control of the operation control unit 153.

Next, as shown in FIG. 23, under the control of the operation control unit 153, the autonomous mobile body 11B places the wireless power supply unit 302B at the tip of the front leg 301B over the wireless power supply unit 302A of the front leg 301A of the autonomous mobile body 11A. Then, the autonomous mobile body 11B wirelessly supplies power from the wireless power supply unit 302B to the wireless power supply unit 302A of the autonomous mobile body 11A. This allows the autonomous mobile body 11A to obtain the power necessary to return to the charging base 101, and enables it to return to the charging base 101 on its own.

Then, the other autonomous mobile body support process ends.

<Second embodiment of charging base return process>
Next, a second embodiment of the charging base return process executed by the autonomous moving body 11A will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

This process is executed when the autonomous mobile body 11A and another autonomous mobile body 11 have a function to share the charging stand 101 depending on the remaining charge.

In steps S201 to S203, the same processing as in steps S101 to S103 in FIG. 19 is performed.

In step S204, the recognition unit 151 determines whether or not there is another autonomous mobile body 11 returning to the same charging base 101 based on the sensor data from the input unit 121 and information received from another autonomous mobile body 11 via the wireless communication module 135. If it is determined that there is no another autonomous mobile body 11 returning to the same charging base 101, the process proceeds to step S205.

In step S205, similar to the process in step S104 in FIG. 19, it is determined whether or not the battery has returned to the charging base 101. If it is determined that the battery has not returned to the charging base 101, the process returns to step S204.

Then, the processes of steps S204 and S205 are repeatedly executed until it is determined in step S204 that there is no autonomous moving body 11 returning to the same charging base 101, or until it is determined in step S205 that the autonomous moving body 11 has returned to the charging base 101.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S204 that there is an autonomous moving body 11 returning to the same charging station 101, the process proceeds to step S206.

In step S206, the autonomous mobile body 11A communicates with the other autonomous mobile bodies 11 to share the remaining charge. Specifically, the recognition unit 151 communicates with an autonomous mobile body 11 (hereinafter referred to as autonomous mobile body 11C) that is returning to the same charging stand 101 via the wireless communication module 135, and shares information regarding the remaining charge with each other.

In step S207, the recognition unit 151 determines whether the other autonomous mobile body 11 (autonomous mobile body 11C) has a lower remaining charge than the autonomous mobile body 11 itself. That is, the recognition unit 151 compares the remaining charge of the autonomous mobile body 11A with that of the other autonomous mobile body 11 (autonomous mobile body 11C), and if it determines that the other autonomous mobile body 11 has a lower remaining charge, the process proceeds to step S208.

In step S208, the autonomous mobile object 11A, under the control of the operation control unit 153, makes a motion as if to give up the charging stand 101.

In step S209, the recognition unit 151 determines whether or not there are any other available charging stations 101 based on the sensor data from the input unit 121 and information received from other autonomous moving bodies 11 via the wireless communication module 135. If it is determined that there are no other available charging stations 101, the process proceeds to step S210.

In step S210, the autonomous moving body 11A waits in a prone position under the control of the operation control unit 153.

Then, in step S209, the processes of steps S209 and S210 are repeatedly executed until it is determined that there is another available charging station 101.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S210 that there is another available charging station 101, the process returns to step S203. This also includes the case where the charging station 101 that was handed over to the autonomous mobile unit 11C becomes available as a result of the autonomous mobile unit 11C finishing charging.

Then, processing returns to step S203, and subsequent processing is performed in step S203.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S207 that another autonomous moving body 11 (autonomous moving body 11C) has a greater remaining charge than the autonomous moving body 11 itself, the process proceeds to step S211.

In step S211, the autonomous moving body 11A performs a motion expressing gratitude for the transfer of the charging stand 101.

For example, in this case, the autonomous moving body 11C performs a motion as if it is yielding the charging stand 101 by processing similar to step S208 described above.

In response to this, the autonomous mobile body 11A, under the control of the operation control unit 153, performs a motion expressing gratitude for the charging stand 101 being handed over to it.

For example, if the remaining charge of the autonomous mobile body 11A and the autonomous mobile body 11C is approximately the same, the autonomous mobile body 11 that will hand over the charging stand 101 is determined based on other criteria.

For example, according to a predetermined priority order, an autonomous moving body 11 with a low priority may yield the charging stand 101 to an autonomous moving body 11 with a high priority order.

For example, an autonomous moving body 11 that is farther from the charging stand 101 may hand over the charging stand 101 to an autonomous moving body 11 that is closer to the charging stand 101.

Then, processing returns to step S205.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S205 that the device has returned to the charging base 101, the charging base return process ends.

As described above, the operation of the autonomous mobile body 11 changes in response to the remaining charge and the state of the other autonomous mobile bodies 11 when it returns to the charging base 101, making the autonomous mobile body 11 feel alive.

In addition, when the autonomous mobile body 11 cooperates with other autonomous mobile bodies 11 or supports other autonomous mobile bodies 11, the autonomous mobile body 11 becomes perceived as intelligent.

<<2. Modified Examples>>
Below, a modification of the above-described embodiment of the present technology will be described.

The classification of the personality of the autonomous mobile body 11 can be changed as appropriate. For example, the types of personality of the autonomous mobile body 11 can be increased or decreased. For example, a level (e.g., high, medium, low, etc.) can be set for each personality of the autonomous mobile body 11, and the amount of correction for each motion can be varied according to the level. For example, the innate personality of the autonomous mobile body 11 can be made common to all individuals, and only the acquired personality can be changed for each individual.

Furthermore, for example, the external personality of the autonomous moving body 11 may be changed in a similar manner. For example, the appearance of the autonomous moving body 11 may be changed in accordance with a change in the internal personality.

The operation of the autonomous moving body 11 while charging can be changed as appropriate. For example, the types of motions that the autonomous moving body 11 performs while charging can be increased or decreased. In addition, the method of correcting each motion and the amount of correction can be changed as appropriate based on the characteristics of the autonomous moving body 11 and the remaining charge.

The form and charging method of the charging device that charges the autonomous moving body 11 can be changed as appropriate. For example, the charging method for the autonomous moving body 11 may be either wireless or wired.

For example, the information processing terminal 12 or the information processing server 13 may execute part of the processing of the autonomous mobile body 11 described above. For example, the information processing terminal 12 or the information processing server 13 may execute all or part of the processing of the main control unit 122 of the autonomous mobile body 11 to remotely control the autonomous mobile body 11. Specifically, for example, the information processing terminal 12 or the information processing server 13 may control the operation of the autonomous mobile body 11 during charging based on the personality and remaining charge of the autonomous mobile body 11. For example, the information processing terminal 12 or the information processing server 13 may learn the acquired personality of the autonomous mobile body 11.

In addition to the dog-type quadruped robot described above, this technology can also be applied to entertainment robots, such as pet-type robots that can express the individual personalities of each individual.

<<3. Others>>
<Example of computer configuration>
The above-mentioned series of processes can be executed by hardware or software. When the series of processes is executed by software, the programs constituting the software are installed in a computer. Here, the computer includes a computer built into dedicated hardware, and a general-purpose personal computer, for example, capable of executing various functions by installing various programs.

FIG. 25 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer that executes the above-mentioned series of processes using a program.

In computer 1000, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1001, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 1002, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 1003 are interconnected by a bus 1004.

Further connected to the bus 1004 is an input/output interface 1005. Connected to the input/output interface 1005 are an input unit 1006, an output unit 1007, a storage unit 1008, a communication unit 1009, and a drive 1010.

The input unit 1006 includes an input switch, a button, a microphone, an image sensor, etc. The output unit 1007 includes a display, a speaker, etc. The storage unit 1008 includes a hard disk, a non-volatile memory, etc. The communication unit 1009 includes a network interface, etc. The drive 1010 drives removable media 1011 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory.

In the computer 1000 configured as above, the CPU 1001 loads a program recorded in the storage unit 1008, for example, into the RAM 1003 via the input/output interface 1005 and the bus 1004, and executes the program, thereby performing the above-mentioned series of processes.

The program executed by the computer 1000 (CPU 1001) can be provided by being recorded on a removable medium 1011 such as a package medium, for example. The program can also be provided via a wired or wireless transmission medium such as a local area network, the Internet, or digital satellite broadcasting.

In the computer 1000, the program can be installed in the storage unit 1008 via the input/output interface 1005 by inserting the removable medium 1011 into the drive 1010. The program can also be received by the communication unit 1009 via a wired or wireless transmission medium and installed in the storage unit 1008. Alternatively, the program can be pre-installed in the ROM 1002 or storage unit 1008.

The program executed by the computer may be a program in which processing is performed chronologically in the order described in this specification, or a program in which processing is performed in parallel or at the required timing, such as when called.

In addition, in this specification, a system refers to a collection of multiple components (devices, modules (parts), etc.), regardless of whether all the components are in the same housing. Therefore, multiple devices housed in separate housings and connected via a network, and a single device in which multiple modules are housed in a single housing, are both systems.

Furthermore, the embodiments of this technology are not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of this technology.

For example, this technology can be configured as cloud computing, in which a single function is shared and processed collaboratively by multiple devices over a network.

In addition, each step described in the above flowchart can be executed by a single device, or can be shared and executed by multiple devices.

Furthermore, when a single step includes multiple processes, the processes included in that single step can be executed by a single device, or can be shared and executed by multiple devices.

<Examples of configuration combinations>
The present technology can also be configured as follows.

(1)
A control device comprising: an operation control unit that controls an operation of an autonomous moving body during charging based on an individuality of the autonomous moving body and a remaining charge amount of the autonomous moving body.
(2)
The control device according to (1), further comprising a learning unit that changes a personality of the autonomous moving body based on an experience of the autonomous moving body and an interaction with a user.
(3)
The personality of the autonomous moving body includes an innate personality and an acquired personality,
The control device according to (2), wherein the learning unit changes the acquired personality based on an experience of the autonomous moving body and an interaction with a user.
(4)
The control device according to (3), wherein the operation control unit controls a ratio of the operation based on the innate personality and the operation based on the acquired personality during charging of the autonomous moving body.
(5)
The control device according to (4), wherein the operation control unit increases a ratio of the operation based on the acquired personality as time passes from the start of operation of the autonomous moving body.
(6)
The control device according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the operation control unit changes at least one of a motion and a posture performed by the autonomous moving body during charging, based on a personality and a remaining charge of the autonomous moving body.
(7)
The control device according to (6), wherein the operation control unit changes at least one of a speed and a magnitude of the motion performed by the autonomous moving body while charging, based on an individuality of the autonomous moving body and a remaining charge level.
(8)
The control device according to (6) or (7), wherein the operation control unit changes a probability that the autonomous moving body will select the motion to be executed while charging from among the plurality of motions, based on an individuality of the autonomous moving body and a remaining charge.
(9)
The control device according to any one of (6) to (8), wherein the operation control unit changes a posture between the motions based on a personality and a remaining charge of the autonomous moving body.
(10)
The control device according to any one of (6) to (9), wherein the operation control unit changes a facial expression of the autonomous moving body in the motion based on a personality of the autonomous moving body and a remaining charge level.
(11)
The control device according to any one of (6) to (10), wherein the operation control unit executes the motion specific to an individuality of the autonomous moving body during charging.
(12)
The control device according to any one of (1) to (11), wherein the operation control unit controls an operation of the autonomous moving body during charging, further based on whether or not at least one of an owner and another autonomous moving body is present in the vicinity.
(13)
The control device according to any one of (1) to (12), wherein the operation control unit further controls an operation of the autonomous moving body when the autonomous moving body moves to a charging device for charging.
(14)
The control device according to (13), wherein, when it is difficult for the autonomous moving body to move to the charging device due to a lack of remaining charge, the operation control unit notifies other autonomous moving bodies of the lack of remaining charge and controls the operation of the autonomous moving body to wait.
(15)
The control device according to (13) or (14), wherein, when another autonomous moving body is moving toward the same charging device, the operation control unit controls the operation of the autonomous moving body based on a result of comparing a remaining charge of the autonomous moving body with that of the other autonomous moving body.
(16)
The control device according to any one of (1) to (15), wherein the operation control unit controls the operation of the autonomous moving body to assist another autonomous moving body when there is another autonomous moving body that has difficulty moving to a charging device due to a lack of remaining charge.
(17)
The control device according to (16), wherein the operation control unit controls an operation of the autonomous moving body so as to share power with the other autonomous moving body.
(18)
The control device according to (16) or (17), wherein the operation control unit controls an operation of the autonomous moving body so as to notify surroundings of the presence of the other autonomous moving body.
(19)
The control device according to any one of (1) to (18), wherein the autonomous moving body is a pet-type robot.
(20)
The control device,
A control method for controlling an operation of an autonomous moving body during charging based on an individuality and a remaining charge of the autonomous moving body.

Note that the effects described in this specification are merely examples and are not limiting, and other effects may also be present.

1 Information processing system, 11-1 to 11-n Autonomous mobile body, 12-1 to 12-n Information processing terminal, 13 Information processing server, 51L, 51R Display, 71 Actuator, 101 Charging stand, 121 Input unit, 122 Main control unit, 124 Eye display control unit, 125 Mouth drive control unit, 126 Mouth drive unit, 127 Neck drive control unit, 128 Neck drive unit, 129 Leg drive control unit, 130 Leg drive unit, 131 Tail drive control unit, 132 Tail drive unit, 133 Voice control unit, 134 Speaker, 135 Wireless communication module, 151 Recognition unit, 152 Learning unit, 153 Motion control unit

Claims (20)

A control device comprising: an operation control unit that controls an operation of an autonomous moving body during charging based on an individuality of the autonomous moving body and a remaining charge amount of the autonomous moving body. The control device according to claim 1 , further comprising a learning unit that changes a personality of the autonomous mobile body based on an experience of the autonomous mobile body and an interaction with a user. The personality of the autonomous moving body includes an innate personality and an acquired personality,
The control device according to claim 2 , wherein the learning unit changes the acquired personality based on an experience of the autonomous moving body and an interaction with a user. The control device according to claim 3 , wherein the operation control unit controls a ratio of the operation based on the innate personality and the operation based on the acquired personality during charging of the autonomous moving body. The control device according to claim 4 , wherein the operation control unit increases a ratio of the operation based on the acquired personality as time passes from the start of operation of the autonomous moving body. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the operation control unit changes at least one of a motion and a posture performed by the autonomous moving body during charging, based on a personality and a remaining charge of the autonomous moving body. The control device according to claim 6 , wherein the operation control unit changes at least one of a speed and a magnitude of the motion performed by the autonomous moving body while the autonomous moving body is charging, based on an individuality of the autonomous moving body and a remaining charge level. The control device according to claim 6 , wherein the operation control unit changes a probability that the autonomous moving body will select the motion to be executed while charging from among the plurality of motions, based on an individuality of the autonomous moving body and a remaining charge level. The control device according to claim 6 , wherein the operation control unit changes a posture between the motions based on a personality of the autonomous moving body and a remaining charge level. The control device according to claim 6 , wherein the operation control unit changes a facial expression of the autonomous moving body in the motion based on a personality of the autonomous moving body and a remaining charge level. The control device according to claim 6 , wherein the operation control unit causes the autonomous moving body to execute the motion specific to the personality of the autonomous moving body during charging. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the operation control unit controls the operation of the autonomous moving body during charging further based on whether or not at least one of an owner and another autonomous moving body is present in the vicinity. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the operation control unit further controls an operation of the autonomous moving body when the autonomous moving body moves to a charging device for charging. The control device according to claim 13, wherein when it is difficult for the autonomous moving body to move to the charging device due to a lack of remaining charge, the operation control unit notifies another autonomous moving body of the lack of remaining charge and controls the operation of the autonomous moving body to wait. The control device according to claim 13, wherein, when another autonomous moving body is moving toward the same charging device, the operation control unit controls the operation of the autonomous moving body based on a result of comparing a remaining charge amount of the autonomous moving body with that of the other autonomous moving body. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein, when there is another autonomous moving body that has difficulty moving to a charging device due to a lack of a remaining charge, the operation control unit controls the operation of the autonomous moving body so as to assist the other autonomous moving body. The control device according to claim 16 , wherein the operation control unit controls the operation of the autonomous moving body so as to share power with the other autonomous moving body. The control device according to claim 16 , wherein the operation control unit controls the operation of the autonomous moving body so as to notify surroundings of the presence of the other autonomous moving body. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the autonomous moving body is a pet-type robot. The control device,
A control method for controlling an operation of an autonomous moving body during charging based on an individuality and a remaining charge of the autonomous moving body.

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