KR20010087755A - A toy which moves by the signal from personal computer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A toy moving according to a signal from a PC is provided to help the users to use the PC with amusement by supplying a toy operated variously according to the signal from the PC and to develop the emotion of the users by stimulating sensitivity. CONSTITUTION: The toy moving according to the signal from the PC includes a PC(15), the head(2), arms(3, 4), a body(5), the first, second and third LEDs(6, 7, 8) etc. A USB driver is included inside the PC(15) and the USB cable is connected with the PC(15). The head(2), arms(3, 4) and the body(5) of the toy are operated independently and a driving instrument is connected with the inside of the toy. The first, second and third LEDs(6, 7, 8) are included inside the toy and are radiated by the control order from the PC. The operating order of a USB IC and a CPU is set up in advance in order that the driving instrument and the radiating instrument are operated variously according to all kinds of control signals input from the PC. In the PC(15), the character animation(17) is operated as the toy through a monitor screen(17).

Description

A toy which moves by the signal from personal computer}

The present invention relates to a toy that is connected to a PC by a USB cable and operates in various ways according to a signal from the PC. For example, when an e-mail or a preset schedule date is delivered to a toy via a USB cable, the toy moves according to a signal from the PC, which causes the toy to behave accordingly.

In general, toys can be divided into mechanical toys, plastic toys, cloth toys, etc. on the basis of materials, and functional toys are divided into block toys, animal toys, and doll toys. Recently, artificial intelligence toys with various electronic functions have been introduced. have. An example of an artificial intelligence toy is a contact type that touches or sings when touched, a proximity type that responds when a person approaches, and a mobile toy that is remotely controlled by remote control of a motor using a remote control or a wire. There is a doll that stops crying by biting a nipple, and is developing into a high-performance doll that approximates reality. However, these are usually toys for children of infants and young children, and are rarely used by those older than boys who are more interested in PCs than general toys.

As science develops, human emotions become dry and loneliness grows, so even older children need toys that are suitable for their level. Such toys have not been developed yet.

An object of the present invention is to provide a toy for directing a variety of motions according to the signal from the PC to the younger age group who can handle the PC, to make the PC more enjoyable, to stimulate the user's emotions in terms of emotional It is a great help.

In other words, in the present invention, when an e-mail or a preset schedule date is reached, the toy recognizes this and takes an action appropriate to the situation (move the neck or the body to the left or the right or move the arm up and down). Not only can you easily check your e-mails, but the various and comical movements that toys produce make PC users feel more relaxed and entertained.

To this end, in the present invention, when the operation method for various conditions is set in the toy in advance, a signal (for example, when an e-mail or a preset schedule date has been reached) from the computer that meets the condition is connected to the USB cable. When delivered to the toy through the toy to produce a corresponding action.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, the configuration and effect and the like of the present invention will be described in more detail as follows.

1 is a block diagram for explaining the operation of the toy according to the present invention;

2 is a perspective view of a toy according to the present invention,

Figure 3 is an installation state showing a state in which the toy according to the invention installed in the PC,

Figure 4 is a block diagram showing a connected state of the toy according to the present invention,

5 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an operation process of a toy according to the present invention;

6 is a view showing the initial screen of the address book required to use the email alarm function in the present invention,

7 is a view for explaining a process of inputting data in the address book of FIG. 6;

8 is a view for explaining a process of editing data in the address book of FIG. 6;

9 is a view for explaining a process of deleting data from the address book of FIG. 6;

10 is a control flowchart illustrating an email alarm function according to the present invention;

11 is a view showing the initial screen of the schedule management table required for using the schedule alarm function in the present invention,

12 is a view for explaining a process of inputting data in the schedule management table of FIG. 10;

13 is a view for explaining an operation state of the schedule alarm function;

14 is a flowchart illustrating a schedule alarm function according to the present invention;

15 is a control flowchart illustrating a system check function according to the present invention;

16 is a block diagram illustrating a dialogue function between a toy and a user according to the present invention;

17 is a control flowchart illustrating a dialogue function between a toy and a user according to the present invention;

18 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a conversation function between a toy and a user.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

One ; Eyes 2; head

3, 4; Arm 1, arm 2 5; body

6, 7; LED 1, LED 2 8; Translucent window

9; Base portion 10; LED 3

11; Shortcut button 12; USB cable

13; Speaker 14; Memo Board

15; PC 16; Monitor screen

17; Character Animation

1 is a block diagram for explaining the operation of the toy according to the invention, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the toy according to the present invention, Figure 3 is an installation state diagram showing a state in which the toy according to the invention installed on a PC, Figure 4 is a block diagram showing a connection state of the toy according to the present invention,

Inside the PC (15), a USB driver is built in, and the toy and the PC (15) are connected with a USB cable, and the toy has a head (2), arms (1), (2) (3) (4) and a torso (5). A driving means such as a DC motor is connected to each other so that they can operate independently, and a plurality of LEDs 1, 2, 3 (6) (7) (8) are built in together and are controlled by a control command from a PC. It is provided with a USB IC and a CPU configured to emit light, and in which various operation commands are preset in accordance with a situation so that the driving means and the light emitting means can operate in various ways by various control signals input from a PC.

In other words, the PC and the toy are connected by a USB cable via a USB port. The PC is equipped with a USB driver and the toy is equipped with a USB IC.

In addition, the toys are programmed in the CPU in advance so that various types of operation instructions can be executed according to the control signal from the PC. The head (2), the body (5), the arms (1), (2) (3) (4), Since the eyes 1 are configured to operate independently of each other, various forms of directing are possible by combining these movements.

For example, if an email comes from a friend, the head 2 is rotated 90 ° clockwise, the body 5 is rotated 360 ° counterclockwise, and the arms 1, 2 (3) (4) are all Set the movement so that the eye (1) is closed, and when the mail comes from the lover, the head (2) is rotated 180 °, the torso (5) is rotated 720 °, and the arms 1, 2 (3) If (4) is set to go down all the eyes (1) to move, you can see where the e-mail comes from just watching the movement of the toy.

The movement of the toy can be combined by five variables: head (2), torso (5), arm 1 (3), arm 2 (4), and eye (1), especially head (2) and torso (5). ) Can produce different movements by varying the rotation angle, which can produce more than 500 different movements.

On the other hand, since the toy includes a chip selection function (see Fig. 1), it is possible to additionally input an operation command for the control signal of the PC.

Toys are usually made up of animal-like characters, and the head (2), torso (5), arms (3) (4) and eyes (1) can be moved individually. It is built in the (9) part.

On the other hand, the base unit 9 is provided with LEDs 1, 2, 3 (6) (7) (10) which are controlled to emit light by a control signal of a PC. Directing is possible.

The LED may be arbitrarily installed at the proper site, but in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the LED 1 (6) is installed in a translucent window (8) coupled to the top of the base (9), and the LED 2 (7) is a toy. And installed on the back of the, LED 3 (10) was installed in each of the front corner of the base portion 9 was configured to look beautiful.

On the other hand, the base unit 9 is provided with a speaker 13 for expressing the voice of the toy, the head 2 of the toy is provided with a memo board fixture 14 for fixing a memo board recording the appointment time or notice phrases, etc. You may.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 3, in the PC 15, the character animation 17 may be configured to produce the same motion as the toy through the monitor screen 16. Since the operation of the toy can be confirmed, more convenient use is possible.

That is, in the present invention, as shown in Figure 4, when the control signal is generated in the PC 15, the function program is executed to transmit the control signal through the communication drive to the toy, the control of the PC to the toy in this way When the signal is transmitted, the control module is executed to independently turn on the LED lamp with various operations.

In addition, when the function program is executed on the PC 15, the character animation 17 is executed on the monitor screen 16 to operate together with the toy.

Meanwhile, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 5, an email alarm function, a system check function, a schedule alarm function, and a toy and a conversation function between the user and the user are received. When an email is received from the PC 15 or a problem occurs in a system resource, When the preset schedule date is reached or when the user starts the conversation program, the toy outputs voice and song, or the dance and LED signal is output so that the user can check it.

When an e-mail is received, a problem occurs in system resources, a preset schedule date is reached, or a user runs a conversation program, a function program is activated on the PC 15 to transmit a control signal to the toy, and the toy is transmitted. The control signal is determined to generate an operation command corresponding to the control signal. The operation command outputs a voice and a song from the speaker 13, or the head (2), the trunk (5), the arms 1 and 2 of the toy. (3) (4) or the eye (1) to operate the toy to dance, or the LED 1, 2, 3 (6) (7) (10) lights up and the character animation (17) is displayed on the monitor screen (16) By executing it, it is easy to visually and visually confirm that a signal for an e-mail or the like has been transmitted.

This will be described in more detail as follows.

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating an initial screen of an address book required to use an email alarm function in the present invention. FIG. 7 is a view for explaining a process of inputting data from the address book of FIG. 6, and FIG. 8 is a view of FIG. 6. FIG. 9 is a diagram for describing a process of editing data in an address book, and FIG. 9 is a diagram for describing a process of deleting data from an address book of FIG. 6.

When adding, modifying or deleting member information, the address book screen as shown in FIG. 6 should first be displayed on the monitor screen. To add member information, "Add member", "Edit member information", "Add Member" should be selected from "Delete Member" and "Send Mail".

In this state, in order to further input member information, first, a person to input from the "Group name" menu divided by the group can be classified into any group (for example, heterosexual friends, same-sex friends, lovers, customers, etc.). Then enter your name, email, and phone number.

If you want to modify or delete the member information entered in this way, you can select "Edit Member Information" or "Delete Member" to work. If you want to send an email to the selected member's address, select "Send mail". This can be done by, which is not much different from the conventional e-mail transmission program will not be described in detail.

In this way, after the member information is input to the address book, when the e-mail transmitted from the member is received by the user's PC, the function program is executed (see Fig. 4) to generate a control signal corresponding to the group name of the e-mail. It is transmitted to the toy via a driver and a USB cable (12).

When the control signal is transmitted to the toy as described above, the CPU checks the group name of the transmitted e-mail and generates an operation signal corresponding thereto, and the operation signal generated from the CPU is LED 1, 2, 3 (6) (7) (10). ), Voice IC, solenoid (drive means for controlling eyes), DC motor 1, 2 (drive means for controlling head, torso, arm 1, arm 2), etc. The operation is performed according to the group name of (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

That is, when the group name of the e-mail is "Friends", the head 2 is rotated 90 ° clockwise, the body 5 is rotated 360 ° counterclockwise, and the arms 1, 2 (3) (4) are all Set the motion to raise the eyes (1) to close, and if the email group name is "lover", rotate the head (2) 180 °, the body (5) rotates 720 °, arms 1, 2 ( 3) If (4) is set to go down all the time and the eyes (1) are set to move in advance, the toy CPU checks the group name of the e-mail from the control signal sent from the PC, and then executes the operation of the preset contents. For example, the user can see where the e-mail comes from just by looking at the motion of the toy.

In the e-mail alarm function according to the present invention, the e-mail checking program checks in real time from the e-mail checking program to the POP3 server, and if the e-mail is received, searches for an address in the e-mail address database by the search program. According to the pre-categorized group of toys will produce a certain movement (event). (See FIG. 10)

Meanwhile, the present invention includes a schedule alarm function in addition to the above-described e-mail alarm function. The schedule alarm function is controlled when the schedule is imminent when the user inputs his schedule in advance in the schedule management table as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. As the signal is transmitted from the PC to the toy, the toy generates a corresponding motion and voice signal so that the user can recognize that the schedule is imminent.

11 is a view showing the initial screen of the schedule management table required for using the schedule alarm function in the present invention, the calendar of the month is displayed in the center, the corresponding date is displayed on the center, the daily schedule management screen on the right side "DAY" button to move to, "WEEK" button to move to monthly schedule management screen, "MONTH" button to move to monthly schedule management screen, "YEAR" button to move to year schedule management screen In the lower part, a "schedule classification" button is displayed at the bottom to classify the schedule schedule (e.g., "schedule", "to do", "anniversary", etc.).

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a process of inputting data in the schedule management table of FIG. 11. When the user selects “schedule classification” in the schedule management table of FIG. 11, the screen is switched to the screen of FIG. 12. Is when "promise" is selected and (B) is when "anniversary" is selected.

In this case, there is a division window for distinguishing the types of "Promise" and "Anniversary", and there is a window for inputting "Title", "Date", "Time", and "Note", and for selecting the type of alarm. In the window for selecting the type of alarm, a "Repeat" button for selecting whether to repeat the alarm to the scheduled date and an "Alarm" button for selecting an alarm cycle are displayed.

If the user inputs his schedule in advance using the diagrams of Figs. 11 and 12, the function program is executed when the schedule is imminent (see Fig. 4) to generate a control signal having a preset content, and this control signal. Is transmitted to the toy via a USB driver and a USB cable (12).

When the control signal is transmitted to the toy as described above, the CPU generates an operation signal corresponding thereto, and the operation signal generated from the CPU is LED 1, 2, 3 (6) (7) 10, voice IC, solenoid ( When it is transmitted to the driving means for controlling the eyes and the DC motors 1 and 2 (the driving means for controlling the head, torso, arm 1 and arm 2), etc., the operation is performed according to the schedule content according to a predetermined rule. (See Figures 1 and 2)

The operation of the toy can be variously set according to the schedule contents. For example, the operation method of the toy can be classified according to the schedule classification ("commitment", "anniversary", "to do", etc.). , If you set the operation method of the toy according to the subdivision (for example, "Call", "Mail", "Meeting" among "Promise"), you can see the contents of the schedule You can expect

If the operation method of the toy is classified according to the type of "alarm" (repetition and alarm cycle setting) (for example, as the number of repetitions increases and the alarm time is imminent, the operation of the toy may become intense and the warning sound may be sharpened). You can expect that the schedule is imminent just by looking at the toys.

FIG. 13 is a view for explaining an operation state of a schedule alarm function. When a schedule is imminent, the display is displayed on the monitor screen as described above, so that the user can check and prepare the contents of the correct schedule through the monitor screen.

Meanwhile, a character animation 17 having the same shape as a toy is displayed at one corner of the monitor screen. The character animation 17 mainly performs a toy-like operation, and may add various operations due to the characteristics of the animation.

In other words, it is difficult to produce sweating or changing facial expressions in toys, but in animation, all of these productions are possible. For example, when the number of alarms is repeated and the alarm time is imminent, the animation character 17 sweats. You can also add extra features to the basic toy movement by shedding or reddening the face.

The schedule alarm function according to the present invention inputs a schedule into the schedule program, and checks the arrival of the schedule date from time to time by checking the time provided by the system in real time. When the time is reached, a preset alarm is generated according to each classified group so that the user can conveniently confirm that the schedule date has been reached. (See Figure 14)

On the other hand, the present invention includes a system check function in addition to the above-described schedule alarm function, the system check function checks whether there is a problem in the user PC, if there is a problem, the control signal is transmitted from the PC to the toy to operate accordingly This function is to generate a voice signal so that the user can recognize a problem with the PC.

In the system scan function according to the present invention, various types of tests may be performed. Representative examples thereof include tests for the remaining amount of system resources and tests for virus infection.

System resource checking function checks system resources provided by the Windows operating system to prevent system pause and down. It checks system resource checking program in real time and checks the remaining amount of system resources. Therefore, the LED color changes accordingly, so that the remaining amount of system resources can be checked at any time. (See Figure 15)

For example, if the remaining amount of system resources is more than 80%, the LED is displayed in green because it is a safe state, and in 50-80%, the LED is displayed in yellow, and under 40%, the system is very unsafe. Since the LED is displayed in red because it is easy to be down, and the character animation 17 runs like a marathon runner on the monitor screen, expressing a difficult state to breathe, the user can easily check the lack of system resources.

On the other hand, in the present invention, in addition to the system check function described above includes a dialogue function between the toy and the user. It is possible to determine whether the signal can be transmitted through the search engine of the database, and each corresponding signal is transmitted to the response database of the toy, so that the voice and body motion corresponding to the corresponding signal can be produced to communicate with the user. (See FIG. 16, FIG. 17)

That is, when a user inputs a conversation content using a conversation program installed on the PC (various data input means such as a keyboard or a mouse can be used), the user can search for the presence or absence of the conversation content from the user database, and enter the user database. If the conversation does not exist, wait for the new conversation to be entered. If the conversation exists in the user database, search for the corresponding conversation from the toy database, and then use the PC's USB driver to play the conversation. Therefore, the toy can communicate with the user by generating an action or voice suitable for the conversation.

For example, if the user enters "Did you eat?" In the chat screen, the toy says "I'm hungry!" "I'm full!" When the voice is generated, the body motion is performed, and the body motion is a standardized body language used only in this toy, and as shown in FIG. 18, the motion corresponding to "I" and "satisfied" or "hungry" correspond to. By linking the actions, the user can understand the conversation.

On the other hand, toys according to the present invention is connected to the USB port of the PC using a USB cable, so that the ON / OFF is controlled together by turning on / off the PC power, and initializes each time the power is turned on (Initialize) You can start with the basic action.

As described above, in the present invention, by providing toys that produce a variety of actions according to the signal from the PC to the younger age group who can handle the PC, to make the PC more enjoyable, stimulate the user's emotion emotional It is a great help in terms of personality.

In other words, in the present invention, when an e-mail or a preset schedule date is reached, the toy recognizes this and takes an action appropriate to the situation (move the neck or the body to the left or the right or move the arm up and down). Not only can you easily check your e-mails, but the various and comical movements that toys produce make PC users feel more relaxed and entertained.

Claims (8)

It is connected by a cable from the PC 15, and a driving means such as a DC motor is provided therein so that the head 2, the arms 1, 2 (3) (4) and the body (5) can operate independently. In the toy that is provided, the CPU is built in accordance with the signal from the PC configured to perform a suitable operation in accordance with the control command transmitted from the PC, The PC 15 and the toy are internally built with a USB driver and a USB IC, respectively, and they are connected to each other by a USB cable, so that the PC and the toy are controlled on and off together. A function program is provided for causing the toy to produce various operations by a control signal, and the CPU includes various types of operation instructions for the control signal from the PC 15. Moving toys. The toy of claim 1, wherein the character animation (17) in the PC (15) is configured to produce the same motion as the toy through the monitor screen (16). The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when an e-mail transmitted from the member is received at the user PC 15, a function program is executed to execute a group name (e.g., "boyfriend", "girlfriend", "lover" of the e-mail. And a control signal, which is configured to be transmitted to the toy via a USB driver and a USB cable (12). The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when a schedule is input in advance in a schedule management table, a function program is executed in the PC 15 to generate a control signal when the schedule is imminent, and the control signal is a USB driver and a USB cable. A toy moving according to a signal from a PC, characterized in that it is configured to be transmitted to the toy via (12). The signal from the PC according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the character animation 17 is configured to express additional motions such as sweating or facial expressions in addition to the same motion as a toy. Moving toys. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the user program (15) is inspected for a problem, and if there is a problem, a function program is executed on the PC (15) to generate a control signal. A toy moving according to a signal from a PC, characterized in that it is configured to be transmitted to the toy via a cable (12). The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein when a user inputs a word that he / she wants to talk by using a keyboard while a chat program is installed in the user PC 15, the input sentence is determined whether a signal can be transmitted through a search engine of a database. Each of the corresponding signals is transmitted to the response database of the toy, the voice and body motion corresponding to the corresponding signal is produced to communicate with the user, characterized in that the toy is configured to communicate with the user. When the user inputs the conversation contents using a conversation program installed in the PC 16 (various data input means such as a keyboard or a mouse can be used), the user can search for the presence or absence of the conversation contents from the user database, and the user database. If the conversation does not exist in the conversation, wait for a new conversation to be entered. If the conversation exists in the user's database, search for the corresponding conversation from the toy database, and then use the USB driver of the PC 16. And a USB cable (13) to transmit to the toy, according to the toy to move according to the signal from the PC, characterized in that for generating a motion or voice suitable for the conversation.