JP2007125646A - Communication robot - Google Patents

Abstract

[Configuration] The communication robot 10 includes a wireless tag reader 70 and circulates in a certain real space where a plurality of humans A, B, C,. The wireless tag 14 is attached to each person, and when the robot 10 meets the person, the wireless tag reader 70 acquires the identification information of the wireless tag 14. When detecting the identification information, the robot 10 stores a human action history corresponding to the detected identification information. Also, the robot 10 creates a rumor based on the human action history. Then, if there is a rumor to be transmitted to the human being met, the robot 10 transmits the rumor to the human through the speaker 66.
[Effects] Creating and communicating rumors can help build relationships.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication robot, and more particularly to a communication robot that performs a communication action with a human using at least one of body movement and voice.

An example of background art is disclosed in Patent Document 1. According to Patent Document 1, an agent imitating a sheep is displayed in a virtual space of a user imitating a ranch. The personal data of the user who generated the sheep is added to the object data of the sheep generated in this virtual space. As the sheep circulates on the network, the personal data of the user who generated the sheep is transmitted to the circulation destination as rumors. Thus, since personal data is acquired as a rumor, it is possible to get acquainted with a user on a network such as the Internet as if it were a game, for example, to find an e-mail or chat partner and to have an opportunity to communicate.
JP 2002-123694 A [G06F17 / 60]

  However, this background technology is limited to the virtual space, and cannot support the construction of human relationships in the real space.

  Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide a communication robot that can support the construction of a human relationship in a real space.

  The invention of claim 1 is a communication robot that communicates with a human using at least one of body movement and voice, and detects a human by means of human detection means for detecting at least a human being met, and human detection means The history recording means for recording the history information including the information about the person, the detection time and the detection location, the rumors creation means for creating a rumor based on the history information recorded by the history recording means, and detected by the human detection means The condition determination means for determining whether or not a human satisfies the rumors transmission condition, and when the condition determination means determines that the rumors transmission condition is satisfied, the human being detected by the human detection means is created by the rumors creation means. It is a communication robot equipped with rumors transmission means to transmit rumors.

  In the invention of claim 1, for example, a communication robot (10: reference number corresponding to the embodiment; the same applies hereinafter) moves (circulates) a building or event venue of a certain company (organization). When the robot (10) meets a human, the human detection means (18, 72) detects the human. When the human detection means (18, 72) detects a person, that is, when the robot (10) encounters a person, the history recording means (72, 100, S3), the person, its detection time (date and time) and its Record history information including detection location. That is, a human action history is recorded. The rumors creating means (72, S9) creates rumors based on the history information recorded by the history recording means (72, 100, S3). Further, the condition determining means (72, S13) determines whether or not the person who the robot (10) encountered satisfies the rumors transmission condition. The rumors transmitting means (66, 72, 82, S15) is the person who the robot (10) encounters when the condition determining means (72, S13) determines that the rumors transmitting condition is satisfied ("YES" in S13). Communicate the rumors created. In this way, the person who heard the rumors can get an opportunity to learn about a person who has not known much before, for example, and a new aspect of a friend (other person) who does not show much when he / she is with him / her You can know the hidden side. On the other hand, if a party to the rumors hears the rumors, they can eliminate the anxiety that only the rumors spread without their knowledge. You can also improve your behavior by comparing rumors with others and knowing your behavior objectively.

  Therefore, according to the invention of claim 1, since the rumors are created based on the history of the person, time, and place that are met, and the rumors are transmitted, the rumors are dispelled into the human society, and the human being in the real space Can help build relationships. Also, since the rumors that are created are based on the objective facts of normal human behavior, malicious and unfamiliar rumors, such as those written on the Internet, will be shed. There is nothing.

  The invention of claim 2 is dependent on claim 1, wherein a plurality of persons wear radio tags with different identification information, respectively, and the human detection means detects identification information transmitted from the radio tag, And specifying means for specifying a person based on the identification information detected by the identification information detecting means.

  In the invention of claim 2, a wireless tag (14) in which personal information such as names is registered in the user DB (98) is attached to a plurality of persons. The identification information detecting means (18) can receive the identification information from the wireless tag (14) within a predetermined range. The specifying means (72) for specifying a person can specify each person by searching the user DB (98) for the received identification information (S1).

  Therefore, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the robot (10) can easily identify the detected person simply by attaching the wireless tag (14) to each person.

  The invention of claim 3 is dependent on claim 1 or 2, and further comprises a rumors creation condition storage means for storing a plurality of rumors creation conditions, wherein the rumors creation means is configured to report rumors based on history information and rumors creation conditions. create.

  In the invention of claim 3, the rumors DB (102) which is also the rumors creation condition storage means stores a plurality of rumors creation conditions for creating rumors based on the history information of human behavior. The rumor creation condition is a condition for determining whether or not to create a certain rumor. For example, whether or not to make a rumor that “□ always works late” is often observed at a later time (eg, after 21:00) (eg, more than 3 days a week) It is judged by how. The rumors creating means (72, S9) creates rumors when the history information of the human action that the robot (10) meets satisfies the rumors creating conditions (“YES” in S7).

  Therefore, according to the invention of claim 3, since a plurality of rumors creation conditions are stored, various rumors are created. The rumors are created based on objective facts detected by the robot (10) (history information of people, time, and places encountered). Rumors will never be created.

  The invention of claim 4 is dependent on any one of claims 1 to 3, and further comprises a rumor storage means for storing the rumor created by the rumor creation means.

  In the invention of claim 4, the rumors storing means (72, 102, S11) stores the rumors when the rumors creating means (72, S9) creates rumors.

  Therefore, according to the invention of claim 4, it is not necessary to transmit the rumors at the time when the rumors are created. Can be read and communicated.

  The invention of claim 5 is dependent on any one of claims 1 to 4 and is a transmitted information storage means for storing transmitted information including the rumors transmitted by the rumors transmitting means and information about the person who transmitted the rumors. The condition determining means determines whether or not the rumors transmission condition is satisfied based on the transmitted information stored by the transmitted information storage means.

  In the invention of claim 5, the rumors transmitted by the rumors transmitting means (66, 72, 82, S 15) and the information about the person who has transmitted the rumors ( For example, name) is stored. The condition judging means (72, S13) judges based on the transmitted information (102) whether or not the person detected by the person detecting means (18, 72) satisfies the rumors transmission condition. That is, when the robot (10) meets a certain person, it is determined whether or not the person satisfies (satisfies) the rumors transmission condition with reference to the transmitted information (102) in the rumors DB. When it is determined that there is a rumor that satisfies the rumor transmission condition (“YES” in S13), the rumor is transmitted to the person who met.

  Therefore, according to the invention of claim 5, it is memorized to whom the created rumors were transmitted, and it is judged whether or not the rumors transmission conditions are satisfied, and a person who transmits the rumors is selected and the rumors are selected. In order to communicate, there is no human discomfort, for example, the same rumors are heard many times, and rumors are not inadvertently spread.

  The invention of claim 6 is dependent on the invention of claim 5, and the rumors transmitting means includes voice output means for outputting the rumors by voice.

  In the invention of claim 6, the robot (10) includes voice output means (66, 72, 82), and can transmit rumors by voice. Therefore, more natural rumors can be transmitted.

  According to the present invention, rumors are created based on the history of people, time, and places encountered, and the rumors are communicated, so the rumors act to dissolve human society and help build human relationships in real space can do.

  The above object, other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments with reference to the drawings.

  Referring to FIG. 1, a communication robot (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “robot”) 10 of this embodiment is an interaction-oriented one intended mainly to communicate with a communication target such as a human. It has a function to perform communication behavior using body movements such as gestures. However, the communication behavior may include voice.

  The robot 10 is arranged in a real space such as a building of a certain company (organization) or a certain event venue. Although the detailed configuration will be described later, the robot 10 is provided with a mechanism for autonomous movement, and meets a human (in FIG. 1, humans A, B, and C) existing in the real space, and communicates with the human. To do.

  In FIG. 1, three persons are shown for simplicity, but the present invention is not limited to this, and any number of persons may be used as long as the number is two or more.

  As shown in FIG. 1, humans A, B, and C each wear or possess a wireless tag 14, and identification information transmitted from the wireless tag 14 is detected by the robot 10.

  As the wireless tag 14, for example, an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag can be used. Although not shown, the RFID tag includes an IC chip, an antenna, and the like that include a memory for storing identification information, a control circuit for communication, and the like. In this embodiment, as will be described later, since the robot 10 records a history of the actions of the human being met or rumors the human being met, for example, an electromagnetic induction method with a relatively long communication distance (maximum 1 m). It is desirable to use an RFID tag of a microwave type (up to about 5 m).

  In addition, an electrostatic coupling method (about several millimeters) or an electromagnetic coupling method (about several centimeters) of an RFID tag having a relatively short communication distance can be used. In these cases, the robot 10 approaches a human. Thus, it is necessary to bring the wireless tag reader 18 (see FIG. 3) closer to the person (strictly, the wireless tag 14).

  The wireless tag 14 may be either an active type (active type) with a built-in battery or a passive type (passive type) without a battery.

  FIG. 2 is a front view showing the appearance of the robot 10, and the hardware configuration of the robot 10 will be described with reference to FIG. The robot 10 includes a carriage 22, and wheels 24 for autonomously moving the robot 10 are provided on the lower surface of the carriage 22. The wheel 24 is driven by a wheel motor 26 (see FIG. 3), and the carriage 22, that is, the robot 10 can be moved in any direction, front, rear, left, and right. As described above, the robot 10 is movable in the space of the tissue, but may be fixedly provided at a predetermined position in the space depending on circumstances.

  Although omitted in FIG. 2, a collision sensor 28 (see FIG. 3) is attached to the front surface of the carriage 22, and the collision sensor 28 detects contact of a person and other obstacles to the carriage 22. That is, when contact with an obstacle is detected during the movement of the robot 10, the driving of the wheels 24 is immediately stopped to suddenly stop the movement of the robot 10.

  In this embodiment, the height of the robot 10 is about 100 cm so as not to intimidate people, particularly children. However, this height can be changed.

  A polygonal column sensor mounting panel 30 is provided on the carriage 22, and an ultrasonic distance sensor 32 is mounted on each surface of the sensor mounting panel 30. The ultrasonic distance sensor 32 measures the distance between the sensor mounting panel 30, that is, the person around the robot 10 mainly.

  Moreover, the lower part of the robot 22 is surrounded by the sensor mounting panel 30 so that the body of the robot 10 stands upright. This body is constituted by a lower body 34 and an upper body 36, and the lower body 34 and the upper body 36 are connected to each other by a connecting portion 38. Although illustration is omitted, the connecting portion 38 has a built-in lifting mechanism, and the height of the upper body 36, that is, the height of the robot 10 can be changed by using this lifting mechanism. The lifting mechanism is driven by a waist motor 40 (see FIG. 3), as will be described later.

  The height of the robot 10 described above is that when the upper body 36 is at its lowest position. Therefore, the height of the robot 10 can be 100 cm or more.

  One omnidirectional camera 42 and one microphone 46 are provided in the approximate center of the upper body 36. The omnidirectional camera 42 photographs the surroundings of the robot 10 and is distinguished from an eye camera 48 described later. As this omnidirectional camera 42, for example, a camera using a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD or a CMOS can be adopted. The microphone 46 captures ambient sounds, particularly voices of people who are communication targets. The installation positions of the omnidirectional camera 42 and the microphone 46 are not limited to the upper body 36 and can be changed as appropriate.

  Upper arms 52R and 52L are provided on both shoulders of the upper body 36 by shoulder joints 50R and 50L, respectively. The shoulder joints 50R and 50L each have three axes of freedom. That is, the shoulder joint 50R can control the angle of the upper arm 52R around each of the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis. The Y axis is an axis parallel to the longitudinal direction (or axis) of the upper arm 52R, and the X axis and the Z axis are orthogonal to the Y axis from different directions. On the other hand, the shoulder joint 50L can control the angle of the upper arm 52L around each of the A axis, the B axis, and the C axis. The B axis is an axis parallel to the longitudinal direction (or axis) of the upper arm 52L, and the A axis and the C axis are axes orthogonal to the B axis from different directions.

  Further, forearms 56R and 56L are provided at the respective distal ends of the upper arms 52R and 52L via elbow joints 54R and 54L. The elbow joints 54R and 54L can control the angles of the forearms 56R and 56L around the axes of the W axis and the D axis, respectively.

  In the X axis, Y axis, Z axis, W axis, A axis, B axis, C axis, and D axis that control the displacement of the upper arms 52R and 52L and the forearms 56R and 56L, "0 degree" is the home position, respectively. In this home position, as shown in FIG. 2, the upper arms 52R and 52L and the forearms 56R and 56L are directed downward.

  Although not shown in the figure, the shoulder portion including the shoulder joints 50R and 50L of the upper body 36, the upper arms 52R and 52L, and the forearms 56R and 56L described above are each shown by touch sensors (shown comprehensively in FIG. 3). : 58), and these touch sensors 58 detect whether or not a person touches each part of the robot 10.

  Spheres 60R and 60L corresponding to hands are fixedly provided at the tips of the forearms 56R and 56L, respectively. However, if a finger or palm function is required, a “hand” in the shape of a human hand can be used.

  Although the shape, dimensions, etc. of the robot 10 are set as appropriate, in another embodiment, the upper body 36 includes a front surface, a back surface, a right side surface, a left side surface, a top surface and a bottom surface, and the right side surface and the left side surface are surfaces. You may form so that may face diagonally forward. That is, the width of the front surface may be shorter than the width of the back surface, and the shape of the upper body 36 viewed from above may be a trapezoid.

  In such a case, the shoulder joints 50R and 50L are provided on the right side surface and the left side surface via left and right support portions whose surfaces are parallel to the left and right side surfaces, respectively. The rotation range of the upper arm 52R and the upper arm 52L is restricted by the left and right side surfaces or the surface (attachment surface) of the support portion, and the upper arms 52R and 52L do not rotate beyond the attachment surface.

  However, if the inclination angle of the left and right side surfaces, the distance between the B axis and the Y axis, the lengths of the upper arms 52R and 52L, the lengths of the forearms 56R and 56L, etc. are appropriately set, the upper arms 52R and 52L exceed the front. Since it can rotate to the inner side, the arms of the robot 10 can cross forward even if there is no degree of freedom of the arms by the W axis and D axis. Therefore, even when the degree of freedom of arms is small, it is possible to execute close and intimate communication behavior such as embracing a person in front.

  A head 64 is provided above the center of the upper body 36 via a neck joint 62. The neck joint 62 has a degree of freedom of three axes, and the angle can be controlled around each of the S axis, the T axis, and the U axis. The S-axis is an axis that extends from the neck directly upward (vertically upward), and the T-axis and the U-axis are axes that are orthogonal to the S-axis in different directions. The head 64 is provided with a speaker 66 at a position corresponding to a human mouth. The speaker 66 is used for the robot 10 to communicate with people around it by voice or sound. However, the speaker 66 may be provided in another part of the robot 10, for example, the trunk.

  The head 64 is provided with eyeballs 68R and 68L at positions corresponding to the eyes. Eyeball portions 68R and 68L include eye cameras 48R and 48L, respectively. Hereinafter, the right eyeball portion 68R and the left eyeball portion 68L may be collectively referred to as the eyeball portion 68, and the right eye camera 48R and the left eye camera 48L may be collectively referred to as the eye camera 48.

  The eye camera 48 captures a human face approaching the robot 10, other parts or objects, and captures a corresponding video signal. As the eye camera 48, a camera similar to the omnidirectional camera 42 described above can be used.

  For example, the eye camera 48 is fixed in the eyeball part 68, and the eyeball part 68 is attached to a predetermined position in the head 64 via an eyeball support part (not shown). The eyeball support unit has two degrees of freedom and can be controlled in angle around each of the α axis and the β axis. The α axis and the β axis are axes provided with respect to the head 64, the α axis is an axis in a direction toward the top of the head 64, the β axis is orthogonal to the α axis and the front side of the head 64 ( It is an axis in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the face is facing. In this embodiment, when the head 64 is at the home position, the α axis is set to be parallel to the S axis, and the β axis is set to be parallel to the U axis. In such a head 64, when the eyeball support portion is rotated around each of the α axis and the β axis, the tip (front) side of the eyeball portion 68 or the eye camera 48 is displaced, and the camera axis, that is, the line-of-sight direction is changed. Moved.

  In the α axis and β axis that control the displacement of the eye camera 48, “0 degree” is the home position. At this home position, the camera axis of the eye camera 48 is the head 64 as shown in FIG. The direction of the front side (face) is directed, and the line of sight is in the normal viewing state.

  Further, for example, an antenna 70 of the wireless tag reader 18 is provided on the right shoulder next to the head 64. The antenna 70 receives an electromagnetic wave or a radio wave on which identification information transmitted from the wireless tag 14 is superimposed.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the robot 10. With reference to FIG. 3, the robot 10 includes a CPU 72 for controlling the whole. The CPU 72 is also called a microcomputer or a processor, and is connected to the memory 76, the motor control board 78, the sensor input / output board 80, and the audio input / output board 82 via the bus 74.

  Although not shown in the figure, the memory 76 includes a ROM and a RAM. The ROM 10 stores a control program for the robot 10 in advance, and voice or voice data to be generated from the speaker 66 when the communication action is executed. (Speech synthesis data) and angle data for presenting a predetermined gesture are also stored. The RAM is used as a work memory or a buffer memory. In addition, the memory 76 obtains identification information of the wireless tag 14 and records a human action history, a creation program for creating rumors, a transmission program for transmitting rumors, and the external computer 20. A communication program or the like for communicating with the computer is recorded. Furthermore, the memory 76 also stores image data of an image obtained by photographing the floor, wall, and ceiling of the building or venue where the robot exists, corresponding to the name (identification information) of each location.

  The motor control board 78 is configured by a DSP, for example, and controls driving of each axis motor such as each arm, head, and eyeball. That is, the motor control board 78 receives the control data from the CPU 72 and controls two angles of the α axis and β axis of the right eyeball portion 68R (in FIG. 3, collectively referred to as “right eyeball motor”). .) Control the rotation angle of 84. Similarly, the motor control board 78 receives control data from the CPU 72, and controls two angles of the α axis and β axis of the left eyeball portion 68L (in FIG. 3, collectively referred to as “left eyeball motor”). Controls the rotation angle of 86.

  The motor control board 78 receives the control data from the CPU 72, and controls the angles of the X axis, Y axis and Z axis of the right shoulder joint 50R and the W axis angle of the right elbow joint 54R. The rotation angles of a total of four motors (one collectively shown as “right arm motor” in FIG. 3) 88 including one motor to be controlled are adjusted. Similarly, the motor control board 78 receives the control data from the CPU 72 and determines the angles of the three motors for controlling the angles of the A-axis, B-axis and C-axis of the left shoulder joint 50L and the D-axis angle of the left elbow joint 54L. The rotation angle of a total of four motors (one collectively shown as “left arm motor” in FIG. 3) 90 with one motor to be controlled is adjusted.

  Further, the motor control board 78 receives control data from the CPU 72, and controls three angles of the S-axis, T-axis, and U-axis of the head 64 (collectively "head motor" in FIG. 3). The rotation angle of 92 is controlled. Furthermore, the motor control board 78 receives the control data from the CPU 72 and controls the rotation angle of two motors 26 (hereinafter collectively referred to as “wheel motors”) 26 that drive the waist motor 40 and the wheels 24. To do.

  In this embodiment, a motor other than the wheel motor 26 is a stepping motor or a pulse motor in order to simplify the control. However, as with the wheel motor 26, a DC motor may be used.

  Similarly, the sensor input / output board 80 is also constituted by a DSP, and takes in signals from each sensor and gives them to the CPU 72. That is, data relating to the reflection time from each of the ultrasonic distance sensors 32 is input to the CPU 72 through the sensor input / output board 80. Further, a video signal from the omnidirectional camera 42 is input to the CPU 72 after being subjected to predetermined processing by the sensor input / output board 80 as required. Similarly, the video signal from the eye camera 48 is also input to the CPU 72. Further, signals from the plurality of touch sensors described above (collectively indicated as “touch sensor 58” in FIG. 3) are provided to the CPU 72 via the sensor input / output board 80. Further, the signal from the collision sensor 28 described above is also given to the CPU 72 in the same manner.

  Similarly, the voice input / output board 82 is also configured by a DSP, and voice or voice in accordance with voice synthesis data provided from the CPU 72 is output from the speaker 66. That is, rumors are emitted from the speaker 60 as voice or voice. Also, the voice input from the microphone 46 is taken into the CPU 72 via the voice input / output board 82.

  The CPU 72 is connected to the communication LAN board 94 and the wireless tag reader 18 via the bus 74. The communication LAN board 94 is configured by a DSP, gives transmission data sent from the CPU 72 to the wireless communication device 96, and transmits the transmission data from the wireless communication device 96 to the wireless communication device 96 via a network such as a wireless LAN, although not shown. To be transmitted to the external computer 20. The communication LAN board 94 receives data via the wireless communication device 96 and gives the received data to the CPU 72. That is, the communication LAN board 94 and the wireless communication device 96 allow the robot 10 to perform wireless communication with the external computer 20 or the like.

  The wireless tag reader 18 receives the radio wave on which the identification information transmitted from the radio tag 14 is superimposed via the antenna 70, amplifies the radio signal, separates the identification information from the radio signal, Demodulate (decode) and give to CPU72. However, the RFID information may be decoded by an external computer and given to the CPU 72.

  Furthermore, the CPU 72 is connected to a plurality (three in this embodiment) of databases (DB) via the bus 74. Specifically, it is connected to a user information database (hereinafter referred to as “user DB”) 98, an action history database (hereinafter referred to as “history DB”) 100, and a rumor information database (hereinafter referred to as “rumor DB”) 102. . However, these databases do not have to be built in the robot 10 and may be connected so as to be accessible via a network.

  The user DB 98 is a database that records user information as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the user information is associated with the name of a person (A, B, C...) And describes identification information (RFID) of the wireless tag 14 attached to the person. For convenience of explanation, in FIG. 4 (FIGS. 5 and 6 are also the same), human reference numerals are described as names. For example, in the user information shown in FIG. 4, the identification information “AAAA” is described corresponding to the name of the person A. Further, identification information “BBBB” is described corresponding to the name of the person B. Further, identification information “CCCC” is described corresponding to the name of the person C.

  The history DB 100 is a database that stores history information as shown in FIG. In this history information, a name and a detection place are described corresponding to the date and time. In the date and time column, the date and time when the robot 10 meets the person described in the name column are described. In the name column, the name of the person whom the robot 10 met is written. However, human identification information may be described instead of the name. The place where the robot 10 meets a human is described in the detection place column. By referring to this history information, it is possible to know when and where the person whom the robot 10 met was. For example, from the history information shown in FIG. 5, it can be seen that the person A was at the entrance at time t1, that is, passed through the entrance. It can also be seen that the human B and the human C were in front of the public telephone at the time t2. Further, it can be seen that human A, human B, and human C were in the cafeteria at time t3.

  The rumors DB 102 is a database for recording information about rumors as shown in FIG. 6 (hereinafter referred to as “rumor information”). Although not shown in the figure, further, conditions for creating rumors (rumor creation conditions) And the conditions for transmitting the rumors (rumor transmission conditions) are memorized. As shown in FIG. 6, in the rumors information, the names of the parties to the rumors and the names of the persons who transmitted the rumors (persons who have already been transmitted) are described corresponding to the created rumors. In the created rumors column, text data of rumors created according to the rumors creation conditions described later is described. The column of the rumored party will contain the name of the relevant rumored party. As can be seen from FIG. 6, when there are a plurality of parties, the names of the respective persons are described. In the “Transmitted” column, the name of the person who transmitted the relevant rumor will be listed. As can be seen from FIG. 6, when there are a plurality of transmitted persons, the names of the persons are described. However, human identification information may be written in the rumored party and transmitted column instead of the name. For example, from the identification information shown in FIG. 6, a rumor that “A is accurate in time” is created, and it is understood that the party of this rumor is human A and this rumor has been transmitted to human B. Further, a rumor that “B and C are good friends” is created, and it is understood that the parties of this rumor are human B and human C, and this rumor has been transmitted to human A and human B. Furthermore, a rumor that “C is calling well” is created, and the party to this rumor is human C, and it can be seen that this rumor has been communicated to human A, human B, and human C.

  The rumor creation condition is a condition for determining whether or not to create a certain rumor. For example, whether or not to create a rumor that “□ always works until late” depends on whether a certain person (□) is in a specific place (for example, a certain department) at a later time (for example, after 21:00). Is frequently present (for example, 3 days or more per week). Also, whether or not to create a rumor that “○ is accurate in time” depends on whether a human being is at a specific place (eg, entrance) at the same or nearly the same time for a certain number of days (eg, 10 days). Is determined by whether or not it exists. In addition, whether or not to create a rumor that “△ and X are good friends” is often that two humans (Δ and X) are present at the same place at the same time (for example, three times a day) Or more). However, these are merely examples, and rumors creation conditions are predetermined according to the rumors to be created. Although not shown in the figure, the text (text data) that is the source of the rumors as described above is stored in the rumors DB 102 corresponding to each rumors creation condition.

  The rumors transmission condition is a condition for determining whether or not to transmit the rumors to the human being met. For example, it is possible to set a condition that the rumors are transmitted to a person other than the rumor party. It is also possible to set a condition that the rumors are communicated to all persons regardless of whether or not they are parties to the rumors. Also, if you meet more than one person at a time, even if any one of them has not communicated the rumors, even if you have communicated the rumors to another person, communicate the rumors to that person You can also set a condition to do. These are merely examples, and any condition can be set. However, different conditions may be set for each created rumor. In addition, two or more conditions can be set in combination for one rumor.

  As described above, the robot 10 having such a configuration autonomously moves in a real space such as a building of an organization or an event venue. When the robot 10 meets a person, the robot 10 stores (registers) the action history of the person in the history DB 100 as history information. Specifically, when the robot 10 detects the identification information of the wireless tag 14 attached to the person, the robot 10 determines that the person has been met. At this time, the robot 10 acquires the date and time from an internal timer (not shown in FIG. 3). Next, the robot 10 refers to the user DB 98 and acquires a human name corresponding to the detected identification information. Then, the robot 10 captures the surroundings (ceiling, wall, floor) of the current position with the omnidirectional camera 42 and / or the eye camera 48, image data of the captured image, and image data stored in the memory 76. To identify (identify) the current position (detection location). Then, the date and time, the name of the person, and the detection location are registered in the history DB 100 as history information. That is, the history DB 100 is updated.

  In this embodiment, the current position, that is, the human detection location is specified by comparing the image data of the ceiling, wall, floor, etc., previously captured with the surrounding image data currently captured. It is. However, the detection location can be specified by other methods. For example, if a wireless tag is arranged at each location and a database in which the location is associated with the identification information of the wireless tag is provided, the detection location can be easily specified.

  When the history DB 100 is updated, the robot 10 refers to the history DB 100 and determines whether the history information satisfies (satisfies) the rumors creation condition. Specifically, all the history information about the person whose history information is stored this time is read out, and it is determined whether or not the history information satisfies the rumors creation condition. However, when the history information for a plurality of people is updated, the history information for each person is read out, and it is determined whether the history information for each person satisfies the rumors creation condition.

  In addition, by referring to the history information of two or more people, it is determined whether or not the rumors creation conditions for rumors concerning a plurality of people are satisfied. For example, when the history information of the persons A, B, and C is registered (updated), the history information of the persons A, B, and C is read to determine whether the history information of each person satisfies the rumors creation condition. To do. Further, it is determined whether or not the history information about the human A and the human B, the human B and the human C, the human A and the human C, and the humans A, B and C satisfies the rumors creation condition.

  If the rumors creation conditions are not met, no rumors will be created. On the other hand, when the rumors creation information is satisfied, rumors are created based on the history information. When the rumors are created, the rumors are registered in the rumors DB 102. That is, rumors information is updated. Specifically, the created rumors text data is registered in the rumors information table, and the rumors parties are registered corresponding to the text data. It should be noted that since the rumor has not been communicated to anyone at the beginning of the creation of the rumor, the transmitted column is blank.

  Further, when the robot 10 meets a human, the robot 10 determines whether the human satisfies the rumors transmission condition. Specifically, with reference to the rumors DB 102, it is determined whether or not the person satisfies (satisfies) the rumors transmission conditions set for the registered rumors. When there are a plurality of rumors, it is determined whether or not the rumors transmission condition is satisfied for each rumors. If the conditions for transmitting rumors are not satisfied, it is determined that the rumors should not be transmitted and the rumors are not transmitted. On the other hand, when the rumors transmission conditions are satisfied, the rumors corresponding to the rumors transmission conditions are transmitted to the person. Specifically, the robot 10 conveys rumors to humans by voice. Then, the name of the person who has transmitted the rumors this time is registered in the “Rumored Information” field. That is, the rumor DB 102 is updated.

  Although detailed description is omitted, in this embodiment, when there are a plurality of rumors satisfying the rumors transmission condition by the person whom the robot 10 meets, one rumor selected according to a predetermined rule is transmitted. It is. For example, priorities may be given to created rumors (the order in which they were created, etc.), and rumors with the highest priority may be transmitted, or rumors selected at random may be transmitted. . However, it is not necessary to be limited to this, and all rumors may be communicated.

  Specifically, the CPU 72 shown in FIG. 3 executes the entire process according to the flowchart shown in FIG. In FIG. 7, for the sake of simplicity, the processing after the robot 10 detects a human (specifically, RFID) is shown. However, before the human 10 is detected, the robot 10 may be in an organization building or an event. They are moving (touring) the venue or staying at a certain place for a certain period of time.

  Referring to FIG. 7, when starting the whole process, CPU 72 specifies a user (human) in step S1. That is, referring to the user DB 98, a human name corresponding to the detected RFID (identification information) is acquired. However, when a plurality of pieces of identification information are detected, a human name corresponding to each piece of identification information is acquired. In subsequent step S3, the history DB 100 is updated. Specifically, as described above, the date and time when a person (RFID) is detected is acquired from the internal timer. Further, the detection location is specified by comparing the image data of the image taken around the current position (detection location) with the image data stored in the memory 76. Then, the date and time, the name of the person who met and the detection location are registered in the history information. However, as described above, when a plurality of persons (identification information) is detected, history information about each person is stored in step S3.

  Subsequently, in step S5, history information about the person who meets or who has registered history information (hereinafter referred to as “the person”) is read from the history DB 100. Here, when a plurality of history information about the person is stored in the history DB 100, all the history information is read out. In addition, when there are a plurality of people who have met, history information about all of those people is read out. Then, in step S7, it is determined whether or not the human history information satisfies the rumors creation conditions stored in the rumors DB 102. If “NO” in the step S7, that is, if the rumors creation condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to a step S13 as it is. On the other hand, if “YES” in the step S7, that is, if the rumors creation conditions are satisfied, the rumors about the person are created in accordance with the rumors creation conditions in a step S9. In step S11, the rumor DB 102 is updated, and the process proceeds to step S13. That is, in step S11, the text data of the rumors created in step S9 and the names of the parties to the rumors (here, the person) are stored as rumors information.

  As described above, since the rumors are not communicated to anyone at the beginning of the creation of the rumors, no name is written in the transmitted column corresponding to the rumors.

  In this way, the CPU 72 records the detected action history (history information) for each person, and creates a rumor if this action history satisfies the rumors creation condition. That is, various rumors about each person based on objective facts are created, and many rumors are accumulated in the rumors DB 102.

  In step S13, it is determined whether or not the person satisfies the rumors transmission condition. However, if a plurality of created rumors are stored in the rumors DB 102, it is determined whether or not the person satisfies the rumors transmission conditions for each rumor. However, as mentioned above, when multiple people are met, it is determined whether each person satisfies the rumors transmission conditions, or whether all those persons satisfy the rumors transmission conditions. To do. This varies depending on rumors transmission conditions. If “NO” in the step S13, that is, if the person does not satisfy the rumors transmission condition, the entire process is ended as it is. On the other hand, if “YES” in the step S13, that is, if the person satisfies the rumors transmission conditions, the rumors corresponding to the rumors transmission conditions are transmitted by voice in a step S15. That is, the CPU 72 reproduces the voice synthesis data corresponding to the rumors and outputs it from the speaker 66 via the voice input / output board 82. However, as described above, when there are a plurality of rumors that satisfy the transmission condition, for example, the rumors with the highest priority set in the created rumors are transmitted. Or you may make it transmit 1 rumor selected at random.

  In this way, since the CPU 72 is configured to transmit the rumors according to the rumors transmission conditions, for example, the rumors can be appropriately transmitted without giving a person the discomfort that the same rumors are heard many times. can do. In addition, for example, a person who has been informed of rumors can get a chance to know a person who has not been known so far, and also a new friend (other) who does not show much when he / she is with him / her. You can also know one side or one side hidden. On the other hand, if a party to the rumors hears the rumors, they can eliminate the anxiety that only the rumors spread without their knowledge. You can also improve your behavior by comparing your rumors with others or knowing your behavior objectively.

  According to this embodiment, since a human action history is stored, a rumor is created based on objective facts such as the action history, and the created rumor is communicated to the parties to the rumor and other human beings. It is possible to create an opportunity for people to talk and humans to recognize each other. In other words, it fulfills an important function in forming human relations, and can support the construction of human relations.

  In this embodiment, when a human being met satisfies the rumors transmission condition, only the rumors are transmitted for the sake of simplicity. In addition to communicating rumors, the robot may perform other communication actions. For example, talking with the "Hello", when there is a reply, held out one arm 52 (or 60) to the front to say "Let's shake hands", from shaking hands, to transfer rumor. However, despite the talk as "Hello", if there is no answer, without transfer rumors, leave the place saying "buying and selling". In this way, the robot can have a natural conversation with humans, can easily dissolve into the human world, and can transmit rumors extremely naturally. Furthermore, since each person can be identified by the wireless tag, not only the human behavior history but also the robot behavior history for the human can be stored, so that the communication behavior from the next time onward can be appropriately performed, and the human It is thought that it will be easy to dissolve in the world. For example, after multiplied by the voice as "Nice to meet you" is to a certain person, when you encounter the man, it is possible to apply a voice such as "Hello" and "Long time no see."

  In this embodiment, the history information recording process, the rumor creation process, and the process for determining whether or not to transmit the rumor are performed by the robot. However, at least one process is performed by an external computer. It may be. In such a case, the information (identification information) detected by the robot is transmitted to the external computer, and the external computer accesses each DB and executes the processing as described above.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, a person is identified using a wireless tag, but it is not necessary to be limited to this. For example, a human face image is stored in a database (face image database) in advance, and the human face image that the robot has encountered (encountered) is photographed and collated with the face image database to identify the person. You can also However, since such image processing is enormous, each person is put on clothes with different marks (symbols, patterns, figures, numerical values, etc.), and the person who the robot encounters is identified by shooting the marks. You may make it do.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the action history of the person that the robot met is recorded and the rumors are created based on the action history information. However, the present invention should not be limited to this. For example, since the robot 10 can interact with a human, a conversation history may be recorded and a rumor may be created based on the conversation history information. For example, if the robot 10 interacts with the human P and the human Q in different places, and it turns out that the human P and the human Q are fans of the same professional baseball team Z, “P and Q are the teams. Create a rumor that "I like Z". It is also possible to create a rumor based on a combination of action history information and dialog history information.

  In this embodiment, the robot generates rumors and transmits the generated rumors. Therefore, when constructing a human relationship in a certain organization, a long period for placing (existing) the robot is set, a lot of history information is stored, many rumors are created, and many rumors are created. It goes without saying that the effect can be increased if the current is made to flow.

FIG. 1 is an illustrative view showing a communication robot according to an embodiment of the present invention and a state of a real space where the communication robot exists. FIG. 2 is an illustrative view showing the appearance of the communication robot shown in FIG. 1 from the front. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the communication robot shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is an illustrative view showing one example of contents of the user DB shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is an illustrative view showing one example of contents of the history DB shown in FIG. 6 is an illustrative view showing one example of the contents of the rumors DB shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the whole process of CPU shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Communication robot 14 ... Wireless tag 18 ... Wireless tag reader 20 ... External computer 42 ... Omnidirectional camera 66 ... Speaker 72 ... CPU
76 ... Memory 98, 100, 102 ... Database

Claims (6)

A communication robot that communicates with humans using at least one of body movement and voice,
A human detection means for detecting at least the human being met,
A history recording means for recording history information including information related to the person, detection time and detection location when the person is detected by the person detection means;
Rumors creating means for creating rumors based on the history information recorded by the history recording means;
A condition determining means for determining whether or not a person detected by the human detection means satisfies a rumors transmission condition; and a detection by the human detection means when the condition determination means determines that the rumors transmission conditions are satisfied. A communication robot comprising rumors transmitting means for transmitting the rumors created by the rumors creating means to a human being. The plurality of humans wear wireless tags with different identification information,
The human detection means includes identification information detection means for detecting identification information transmitted from the wireless tag, and specifying means for specifying the human based on the identification information detected by the identification information detection means. The communication robot according to 1. A rumors creation condition storage means for storing a plurality of rumors creation conditions;
The communication robot according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rumors creating means creates rumors based on the history information and the rumors creating conditions.   The communication robot according to claim 1, further comprising a rumors storage unit that stores rumors created by the rumors creation unit. Further comprising transmitted information storage means for storing transmitted information including the rumors transmitted by the rumors transmitting means and information about the person who transmitted the rumors,
5. The communication robot according to claim 1, wherein the condition determination unit determines whether or not the rumors transmission condition is satisfied based on the transmitted information stored by the transmitted information storage unit.   The communication robot according to claim 1, wherein the rumors transmitting means includes voice output means for outputting the rumors by voice.

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