JPS63200786A - Automatic doll - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an automaton, and particularly to an automaton that performs predetermined actions and emits sounds when a person approaches.

[Prior art and its problems]

Generally, automatons are configured to generate predetermined movements and sounds. A switch is provided to start or stop the output of the sound, and some of these switches can be operated from the outside, while others cannot be operated from the outside. For example, JP-A-60-203
Japanese Patent No. 287 discloses a doll that is provided with a sound device switch that can be operated from the outside and is configured such that a predetermined sound is output by operating the switch. For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 60-50469 discloses a switch circuit that turns on/off depending on whether or not the audio level output from an audio output device exceeds a predetermined value, and a switch circuit that turns the doll's movable parts until the A model device is disclosed that is provided with a switch that is turned on and off when the doll moves, and is configured so that the doll takes actions corresponding to the voice.

When using a switch that can be operated from the outside, the automaton's movements and audio output depend on the will of the person approaching the automaton, and it is difficult to ensure that the automaton performs the prescribed movements when a person approaches. It is not possible to output audio or output audio.

In addition, if a switch is installed inside and cannot be operated from the outside, the automaton will operate and output sounds continuously regardless of the proximity of a person, so it can be used even when no person is nearby. There is a problem of wasting energy.

The present invention was proposed in view of the above circumstances, and includes:
In an automatic doll that includes a doll body that has a movable part, a drive device that drives the movable part, and a voice output device, when a person approaches within a predetermined range, a predetermined movement or sound is reliably performed. The object of the present invention is to provide an automatic doll configured to start outputting and eliminate wasteful energy consumption when no person is nearby.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to achieve the above object, the automatic doll according to the present invention includes a detection means for detecting when a person or the like approaches within a predetermined distance from the doll body; The present invention is characterized in that it includes a control section that controls the drive device and the audio output device based on a detection operation that detects the approach of a person or the like.

[For production]

According to the automatic doll configured in this way, when a person approaches within a predetermined distance from the doll body, the detection means detects and operates, and based on this detection operation, the control unit controls the movable parts of the doll body to the drive device. , and output the audio from the audio output device. In addition, since the movement or sound output does not start unless a person approaches, there is no need to perform movements or output sound when a person is not close, eliminating unnecessary energy consumption. be able to.

The detection means is preferably configured to be able to detect the presence of a person regardless of the person's consciousness, such as a mat-like switch that is activated by detecting the weight of a person when the person steps on it. , a sensor that emits ultrasonic waves, light beams, etc. and detects the presence or absence or strength of reflected waves is used.

As the drive device, a known electric drive device such as a linear solenoid, a DC motor, a stepping motor, etc. may be used.

The audio output device is not particularly limited, but includes, for example, one or more storage devices that store audio signals constituting specific sounds, conversation sentences, advertising slogans, etc., and a storage device that stores audio signals that are read from the storage device. A voice synthesis circuit that synthesizes or reproduces voice signals into voice, and a voice output circuit that outputs the synthesized or reproduced voice signals are provided.

The control section is not particularly limited, but may include, for example, a microcomputer and start the drive device based on the detection operation of the detection means, switch the audio output device to the on state, and select the audio signal to be read from the storage device. , the selected audio signal may be read out, and the audio synthesis circuit and the audio output circuit may be controlled to output audio.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 2, the automaton 1 is placed on a fixed stand 2, with eyelids 3. Eyeball 41 Lips 5 and Jaw 6.
It is also designed to move its head 7. These eyelids3.
The movable parts of the eyeball 41, lips 5, jaw 6°, and head 7 are as follows:
When the three human body sensors 8 fixed to the table 2 detect that a person (not shown) approaches a predetermined distance, the controller 9 controls the eyelid drive mechanism 10. It is controlled to take a predetermined action via an eyeball drive mechanism 111, a mouth and jaw drive mechanism 122, a head vertical swing drive mechanism 13, and a head horizontal swing drive mechanism 14, and an audio output device 15 that outputs sounds corresponding to the actions. It is designed to be output via .

For example, if a person approaches one automaton within a certain distance from a certain direction,
When you approach someone, turn your eyes 4 in the direction of the person's approach, follow the movement of the eyes 4, and turn your head 7 in the direction of the person's approach.
The device is configured to point the person at the camera and speak to the person. When speaking to a person, the user moves the lips 5 and jaw 6 in the same way as when a person speaks. Also, when talking to the person or during a conversation with the person, the user may shake the head 7 vertically or sideways, open or close the eyelids 3, move the eyeballs 4, or perform these actions at the same time. It is configured to be able to do two or more things.

The eyelid drive mechanism 10. The eyeball drive mechanism 112, the mouth and jaw drive mechanism 12, and the vertical head swing drive mechanism 13 are located in the head 7 of the automatic doll 1, the head horizontal swing drive mechanism 14 is located in the neck 16, and the control unit 9 and the audio output device 15 are located in the automatic doll 1. Each is placed within the chest 17 of the doll 1.

In addition, the movable parts are not limited to the above parts (,
For example, torso, waist, 2 arms, 1 m palm, 1 foot.

Fingers and toes, eyebrows, nose, ears, hair, etc. can also be made into movable parts.

The human body sensor 8 can be configured, for example, by a mat-like switch placed around the doll 1 or the stand 2, but in this case, the range in which the doll begins to move can be clearly seen. People may be hesitant or wary of entering the mat from its peripheral edges. In order to avoid such hesitation or wariness, it is advantageous to make it impossible for people to predict whether the doll 1 has entered the range where the doll 1 starts moving. It is composed of a sound wave transmitting/receiving device, for example, emits ultrasonic waves in a predetermined direction, for example, centered on the direction of the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 3, and receives the ultrasonic waves reflected from a person who approaches the automaton. The human body sensor 8 can be configured to detect the approach of a person.Furthermore, instead of ultrasonic waves, it is also possible to configure the human body sensor 8 with a light detection device that emits a light beam of a predetermined wavelength and detects the reflected wave. It is also possible to configure the human body sensor 8 with a light detection device that detects the approach of a person by detecting a light beam of a specific wavelength emitted from the human body.

Here, the human body sensor 8 is constituted by an ultrasonic transmitting/receiving device that detects the approach of a person by emitting ultrasonic waves that are not susceptible to disturbances from the surroundings and detecting reflected waves from the human body.

The number of human body sensors 8 may be one or more. If there are two or more, the number of human body sensors 8 may be one or more, and if there are two or more, the number of human body sensors 8 may be as shown in FIG. 3 or 4 so that the approach of a person can be detected from as wide an angle as possible. , a human body sensor 8 in a radial direction centered on the automaton 1
It is preferable to direct the ultrasonic emission center.

In addition, when only one human body sensor 8 is provided, the effectiveness of the human body sensor 8 can be increased by supporting the human body sensor 8 swingably on a stand so that its ultrasonic emission center can swing in the horizontal direction. It becomes possible to detect the approach of a person over a wider angle range.

As shown in FIG. 5 to FIG. The eyeball 4 is swingably supported by the head 16 of the automaton 1.

The eyelid 3 is connected to a beam part 1 that constitutes a part of the frame 18.
The eyelid drive mechanism I is pivotably supported directly on the front end of the eyelid drive mechanism I
O, the eyelid is oscillated between an open eyelid position (indicated by a solid line in FIG. 8) and a closed eyelid position (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 8), in which the front surface of the eyeball 4 is released. The structure of the eyelid drive mechanism 10 is not particularly limited, and for example, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, it includes a rond 20 whose one end is swingably connected to the eyelid 3, and a linear solenoid 22. , a lever 21 and a beam 23 that interlock and connect the iron 20 to the linear solenoid 22. The operating speed of the eyelids 3 is preferably the same as the operating speed of the human eyelids 3. For example, as shown in FIG. It is preferable to appropriately reduce the operating speed of the eyelids 3 and the eyelid drive mechanism 10. In this way, the resistance means 2
When the eyelid 4 is configured with a spring, the eyelid 3 can be automatically returned to the eye-opening position when the linear solenoid 22 is not activated.

The eyeball 4 is supported by the frame 18 via the eyeball support frame 25 so as to be swingable vertically and horizontally, and is driven to swing vertically and horizontally by the eyeball drive mechanism 11.

In this embodiment shown in FIGS. 5, 6, and 9, an eyeball support frame 25 is pivotally supported on the frame 18 so as to be swingable in the left-right direction, and the eyeball 4 is pivoted on the eyeball support frame 25 in the vertical direction. The eyeball support frame 25 is pivotably supported on the frame 18 so as to be pivotable in the left-right direction, and the eyeball 4 is pivotably supported on the eyeball support frame 25 so as to be pivotable in the vertical direction. It may be configured as follows.

The eyeball drive mechanism 11 consists of an eyeball lateral drive mechanism 26 and an eyeball vertical drive mechanism 27, and the eyeball lateral drive mechanism 26 includes, for example, the left and right eyeball support frames 25, as shown in FIGS.
a lever 28 connected to the lever 28, a connecting rod 29 connecting both levers 28, a vertical axis motor 30, a rod 31 connecting the motor 30 and one lever 28, and a rotating plate 32.
In addition, the eyeball vertical drive mechanism 27 includes a lever 33 directly connected to each of the left and right eyeballs 4, and both levers 29.
It may be configured by a connecting rod 34 that connects the two levers, a horizontal motor 35, a rod 36 that connects the motor 35 to one of the levers 33, and a rotary plate 37.

It is preferable that the operating speeds of the vertical eyeball drive mechanism 26 and the horizontal eyeball drive mechanism 27 be the same as the operating speed of the human eyeball 4. For example, as shown in FIG. It is preferable to use Note that the configuration of the eyeball drive mechanism 11 is not limited to the above configuration, and for example, as shown in FIG. 10, the eyeball lateral drive mechanism 2
6 motors 30 are arranged on the horizontal axis, and a pair of bevel gears 38a.

Gear device 3 such as 38b1 worm and worm wheel
The eyeball 4 may be configured to swing from side to side via the eyeball 8. Further, in order to make the amplitude of the movement of the eyeball 4 in the vertical direction smaller than that in the left-right direction of the eyeball 4, it is also possible to interpose a reduction gear device 39 in the eyeball vertical drive mechanism 27. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 11, the eyeball vertical drive mechanism 27 has a motor 30 disposed on the vertical axis, and is decelerated by a high rate deceleration device 40 consisting of a worm 40a and a worm wheel 40b, and then decelerated by a deceleration gear device 39. It is also possible to reduce the speed in two stages. Regarding the eyeball lateral drive mechanism 26, for example, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, a motor 30 is arranged on the horizontal axis, and a high-rate deceleration device 41 consisting of a worm 41a and a worm wheel 41b and large and small gears 41a and 42b are used. It is possible for the eyeball 4 to be driven via a two-stage deceleration device 41,42 with a deceleration device 42 consisting of:

As shown in FIG. 14, the jaw drive mechanism 12 includes a frame 43, an oral drive piece 44, a motor 45, and a deceleration mechanism 46.
A fixing piece 47 is extended to be fitted into. The oral driving piece 44 has a middle portion pivotally supported by the frame 43 so as to be able to swing, and a front end portion of the oral driving piece 44 is fitted into the lower lip 5b. A rear end portion of the mouth drive piece 44 is interlocked and connected to a motor 45 via a deceleration mechanism 46 . The speed reduction mechanism 46 includes a worm 4B, a worm wheel 49. Worm wheel 49
The large gear 51 and the rear end of the mouth drive piece 44 are connected by a rod 52.

By making the part of the doll 1's class 7 from the nose head to the lower part hollow, the lower lip 5b, which is swing-driven by the motor 45 via the deceleration device 46 and the oral drive piece 44, is 6 is now moving.

Here, the mouth drive piece 44 is swing-driven via a crank mechanism consisting of a large gear 51 and a rod 52, but instead of this, the rear end of the mouth drive piece 44 is driven via a cam. It is also possible to move it up and down.

The head vertical swing drive mechanism 13 of Dokuri is for vertically swinging the head 7 with respect to the body of the doll 1, and as shown in FIG. It has a frame 53, a support frame 54 that swingably supports the frame 53, a motor 55, and an interlocking mechanism 56. A support spring 57a that supports the weight of the head 7 and reduces the load on the motor 55, and a spring 57b that prevents the swing frame 53 and the head 7 from jumping up are mounted between the swing frame 53 and the support frame 54. has been done. In short, the interlocking mechanism 56 only needs to be configured so that the swinging frame 53 can be swing-driven by the motor 55.
High rate reduction gear 5 consisting of 8a1 worm wheel 58b
8, a reduction gear 59 consisting of a small gear 59a and a large gear 59b integrated with a worm wheel 58b, and a large gear 59b.
and a link device 60 that interlocks and connects the swing frame 53.

Note that it is also possible to use a cam instead of such a link device 60.

The head lateral swing drive mechanism 14 is provided to swing the head 7 in the left-right direction over a predetermined angular range.
As shown in the figure and FIG.
is supported so as to be swingable in the left and right direction, and a motor 62 supported by a fixed frame 61 moves the support frame 54 within a predetermined angular range via an output gear 63 and an internal gear 64 having a tooth row formed on the inner periphery. The swinging range of the head 7, which is configured to swing horizontally across the range, is fixed to the support frame 54 via a pair of pins 65 implanted in the fixed frame 61 and an internal gear 64. It is regulated by a stopper 66.

In order to make the support frame 54 swing smoothly, a support means 67 such as a ball is inserted between the fixed frame 61 and the support frame 54 as necessary.

: The audio output device 15 of tt-1 is not particularly limited, but
For example, as shown in FIG.
For example, a magnetic recording/reproducing device 69 with a built-in magnetic recording tape.
, a voice synthesis circuit 70 that synthesizes the voice signal read from the RAM 68 into voice, an analog switch 71 that selects and outputs the output of the voice synthesis circuit 70 and the output of the magnetic recording/reproducing device 69, and an amplifier 72. and a speaker 73, and the storage of the audio signal in the RAM 68, the reading of the audio signal from the RAM 68, the input/output to the magnetic recording/reproducing device 69, the switching of the analog switch 71, etc. are controlled by the control unit 9, which will be described later. It looks like this.

The HoW seal 1 doctor control unit 9 is equipped with a central processing unit (CPU) 74 consisting of a microcomputer, and the ROM is
According to the sequence program incorporated in the eyelid drive mechanism 10, the near solenoid 22. Motor 30 of the eyeball lateral drive mechanism 26. Motor 35 of the eyeball vertical drive mechanism 27
9 mouth and jaw drive mechanism 12 motors 459 heads vertical swing drive mechanism 1
The three motors 55 are designed to control the horizontal swing drive mechanism 14 and the audio output device 15 sequentially or simultaneously.

That is, for example, when the human body sensor 8 detects that a person or the like approaches within a predetermined distance from the doll 1, the interrupt control circuit 7
7 interrupts the CPU 74 and drives the motor 30 of the eyeball lateral drive mechanism 26 to direct the eyeball 4 in the direction in which the person approaches, and the motor of the head lateral swing drive mechanism 14 follows the movement of the eyeball 4. 62 to turn the head 7 in the approaching direction of the person, and drive the motor 45 of the zero jaw drive mechanism 12 and the voice output device 15 to speak to the person.

In this way, when talking to someone, use the 0 jaw drive mechanism 12.
By driving the motor 45, the lips 5 and jaw 6 are moved in the same way as when a person speaks. Also, when talking to the person or during a conversation with the person, the motor 55 of the head vertical swing drive mechanism 13 is driven to shake the head 7 vertically,
The motor 62 of the head-lateral swing drive mechanism 14 is driven to swing the head 7 sideways, the solenoid 22 of the eyelid drive mechanism 10 is driven to close or open the eyelids 3, and the motor of the eyeball drive mechanism 11 is driven to close or open the eyelids 3. 30 and 35 to move the eyeball 4, or perform two or more of these actions at the same time.

In this embodiment, an audio sensor 78 for inputting an external audio signal is provided, and when an external audio signal is input via this audio sensor 78, the interrupt control circuit 77 issues an interrupt and outputs the audio. The device 15 is configured to output audio having content corresponding to the content of the input audio signal. The outputs of the audio sensor 78 and the magnetic recording/reproducing device 69 are filtered by filters 79 and 80 to select only those in a predetermined frequency range. 82
When the voltage is below a predetermined level, the output is canted. Further, a microphone 83 is provided in the voice synthesis circuit 70 for inputting to the RAM 68.

゛A timer 84 is externally attached to the CPU 74, and this timer 84 measures the time from the emission of ultrasonic waves by the human body sensor 8 to the reception of the reflected waves, and determines how far the person is from the doll 1. used for. Also, CPU74
Is the person approaching or receding due to a frequency change due to the Doppler effect of the reflected wave received by the human body sensor 8 or a change in time from the transmission of the ultrasonic wave by the human body sensor 8 to the reception of the reflected wave? There is a built-in discriminating means for discriminating, and when a person approaches the doll or leaves the doll, the voice output device 1 sends greetings to the person.
The program to be output from the CPU 74 is read out from the ROM 76 and interrupts the control operation of the CPU 74.

A battery 85 is connected to the RAM 68 as a backup power source, and inputs from the human body sensor 8, audio sensor 78, or magnetic recording/reproducing device 69 to the CPU 74, and inputs from the CPU 74 to the magnetic recording/reproducing device 69, analog switch 71, solenoid 22, Each motor 30.35.45,
The output to the motors 55 and 55 is performed via an interface 85, and drivers 86 to 92 are interposed between the interface 85, the solenoid 22, and the motors 30, 35, 45, and 55, 62, respectively. Furthermore, an operation panel 93 is provided to operate the control section 9.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the automatic doll of the present invention, when the detection means detects that a person approaches within a predetermined distance from the doll body, the drive device for driving the movable parts or the voice output device starts. Because of this structure, when a person approaches within a predetermined range, the predetermined information can be reliably communicated to the person through movement, and it also prevents unnecessary movement and sound when the person is not close. Energy can be saved by eliminating output.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view of the head of an automaton according to an embodiment of the present invention, taken vertically through the skin, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the automaton, and FIG. Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the effective range of the human body sensor; Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the effective range of the human body sensor when two human body sensors are used;
The figure is a perspective view of the eyelid and eyeball drive mechanism, Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the principle of the eyelid and eyeball drive mechanism, Figure 7 is a side view showing the principle of the eyelid drive mechanism, and Figure 8 is the eyelid drive. FIG. 9 is a side view showing the principle of a modified example of the mechanism, FIG. 9 is a back view showing the principle of the eyeball support mechanism, and FIG. 10 is the eyeball drive mechanism 1.
11 is a side view showing the principle of a modification of the eyeball vertical drive mechanism; FIG. 12 is a plan view of a deceleration device of a modification of the eyeball lateral drive mechanism; FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the principle of a modification of No. 1; 14 is a perspective view showing the principle of the zero-jaw drive mechanism, FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the head vertical swing mechanism, and FIG. 16 is a rear view of the reduction gear.
The figure is a perspective view of the head-lateral rocking mechanism, FIG. 17 is a longitudinal sectional view of the head-lateral rocking mechanism, and FIG. 18 is a control electric circuit diagram thereof. In the figure, 1... Doll, 3... Eyelids, 4... Eyeballs, 5... Lips, 6... Chin, 7... Head, 8... Human body sensor, 9... Control unit, 10... Eyelid drive mechanism, 11... Eyeball drive mechanism, 12... Mouth and neck drive mechanism, 13... Head vertical swing drive mechanism, 14... Head horizontal swing drive mechanism, 15...Audio output device. Spear 1 Figure 22 Figure 3 Figure 4 Fang Figure 5 Figure O 6 Figure 10 Figure 11 Figure 14 Figure 15 Figure 16

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] In an automatic doll equipped with a doll body having a movable part, a drive device for driving the movable part, and a voice output device, when a person etc. approaches within a predetermined distance from the doll body. and a control section that controls the drive device and the audio output device based on the detection operation of the detection means to detect that a person, etc. approaches within a predetermined distance from the doll body. An automaton characterized by: