JP2002066155A - Emotion-expressing toy - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an emotion-expressing toy which can complexly express emotions by voice, the eyes, motion, etc., and develop a game using a means to express emotions. SOLUTION: The main body 1 of this emotion-expressing toy is formed by modelizing an animal, a robot, etc., and equipped with a moving means 23 to move a part of the body such as a hand, a leg, etc., emotion-expressing means 17, 18 to express emotions, and a sound output means 5 to output sound, as a well as plural sensors such as a sound sensor 13 to sense sound, a touch sensor 6 to sense touching the main body 1, etc., and a control means 10 to correct a emotion value corresponding to a result sensed by the sensor 6 to control at lest one of the emotion-expressing means 17, 18, the moving means 23, and the sound output means 5 corresponding to the emotion value to make the main body 1 make emotion-expressing.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an emotional expression toy for expressing emotions by voice, eyes, movements and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Hitherto, there have been proposed various toys which express emotions by voice depending on how they are bred and put them to practical use.

[0003]

However, the expression of emotions is not limited to voice only, but can also be expressed by actions or facial expressions. There was a problem of becoming single.

[0004] The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and voices emotions,
It is an object of the present invention to provide an emotion expression operation toy that can be expressed in a complex manner with eyes, actions, and the like, and that can develop a game using a means for expressing the emotion.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an emotion expression operation toy according to the present invention is characterized by having the following requirements. (A) The toy body is formed to imitate animals, robots, etc.
Actuating means for operating parts of the body such as hands and legs, emotion expressing means for expressing emotions, and voice output means for outputting voice are provided. (B) The body of the toy senses sound Sound sensors, a plurality of sensors such as a touch sensor that senses that the toy body has been touched, and corrects the mood value according to the sensing result of the sensor,
Control means for controlling at least one operation state of the emotion expression means, the operation means, and the voice output means according to the mood value, and causing the toy body to perform an emotion expression operation.

The emotion expressing means is constituted by a luminous body whose luminous state changes color, and the luminous bodies are arranged at the left and right eyes of the toy body, respectively, so that the luminous state of the luminous body expresses an emotion. It may be.

When the touch sensor detects a touch for a predetermined time or more, the control means changes the setting of the operation of the toy body from the emotional expression operation to the game operation, so that the game can be played on the toy body. You may do so.

In the setting of the game operation, the control means randomly changes the light emission state of the light emitters arranged on the left and right eyes of the toy main body, respectively, at a timing when the touch sensor detects a touch by the player. The light emission state of the left and right light emitters may be determined, and the game may be advanced based on the determination result.

Further, in the setting of the game operation, the control means may output the sound at random to the sound output means, count the number of sounds detected by the sound sensor, and determine whether the same number of sounds has been detected. It may be determined whether or not to proceed, and the game may be advanced based on the result of the determination.

[0010]

1 (a) and 1 (b) show a left perspective view and a front perspective view of an emotion expression operation toy according to the present invention. The emotion expression operation toy (hereinafter referred to as operation toy) is a toy body. 1 is formed in the shape of a dog-shaped robot toy, the upper surface of the head 2 is open, the opening 3 is closed by a cover member 4 which can be pushed down, and a voice output means is provided below the cover member 4. , And a touch sensor (tact switch) 6 for sensing that the cover member 4 has been touched. A hole 7 is formed.
The cover member 4 is rotatably supported at its front end by the head 2 so as to rotate downward by pressing the cover member 4 from above so as to turn on the tact switch 6 disposed below. Has become. The presence or absence of the touch by the tact switch 6 and the state of the touch are recognized by the control unit 10 described later.

An ear member 11 is rotatably supported on the left and right side surfaces of the head 2 and swings back and forth in conjunction with the movement of the toy body 1 to operate as if the ears were moving. It has become.

A small hole 12 is formed at the tip of the nose 2a, and a microphone 13 serving as a sound sensor is arranged in the nose inside the small hole 12. The sensing of the sound by the microphone 13 is recognized by the control means 10.

The left and right eyes are open, and a lens 16 is fitted in the opening 15. Inside the lens 16, luminous bodies (two-color LEDs) 17, 18 as emotion expressing means are provided.
Are respectively arranged, and the light-emitting members 17 and 18 are
The lighting control is performed so that the light emission state changes to red, orange, and green, and the light emission state is such that the entire opening 15 is illuminated by the lens 16 and the color of the eyes changes.

The front leg 20 is rotatably attached to the body 21. The front leg 20 is interlocked with operating means 23 which uses a motor 22 as a driving force, and rotates the leg 20 back and forth to move the body back and forth. It can be rocked or turned upside down (see FIGS. 2A to 2D). The rotation position of the front leg 20 is checked by a position sensor 24 described later, and the control means 10 can recognize the rotation state of the front leg 20 by the position sensor 24.

In the present invention, the case where the front leg is operated by the operating means has been described. However, when the rear leg is rotatably attached to the body like the front leg and is linked with the operating means, and the rear leg is operated. When the front leg and the rear leg are operated at the same time, the prone operation may be performed.

FIG. 3 shows an electrical configuration diagram of the moving toy.
CPU (programmable speech synthesis I) as control means 10
C), a control program for controlling the entire operation toy, audio data, and the like are stored in a built-in memory 25, and various counters and registers are set. The mood level is determined by whether or not sound is detected by the microphone 13 disposed on the nose 2a and whether or not the head 2 is pressed by the tact switch 6 disposed on the head 2 and the manner of pressing. The counter is incremented and decremented, an emotion level is set based on the count value of the mood counter, and the voice output means 5, the emotion expression means 17, 18 and the operation means 2 are set according to the emotion level.
3 is controlled so that the emotion and mood of the moving toy are expressed by voice, eyes, movement, and the like.

The control means 10 includes a tact switch 6
Is turned on (the head 2 is pressed) for more than a predetermined time (3 seconds in the present invention), it is determined that the user has intentionally pressed to play a game with the moving toy, and The program is programmed to execute a game mode in which the light emission states of the light emitting elements 17 and 18 are changed to adjust the color of the left and right light emitting elements.

Next, the operation mode of the moving toy will be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of the main routine, and shows a step ST1.
After the initial setting (the mood value counter = 0 and the emotion level = 1), the tact switch 6 is pressed (step ST2) or the microphone 13 detects a sound (step S2).
T3) is checked, and if the tact switch 6 is turned on, the process proceeds to step ST5, and if the microphone 13 detects a sound, the process proceeds to step ST6. It is checked whether or not the user has been left for a predetermined time without doing anything (step ST4). If the predetermined time (in the present invention, set to 30 seconds) has elapsed without any operation, the process proceeds to step ST12 to perform a mood value minus process, A voice (for example, “Koon”) is output (step ST13), and L
ED 17 and 18 are turned off after blinking (step ST
14), and enters a sleep mode (standby mode) (step ST15). To return from the standby mode, the tact switch 6 may be turned on.

In the switch check process (see FIG. 5),
It is determined whether the time during which the tact switch 6 is ON is 0.3 seconds or less (step ST100). If the time is 0.3 seconds or less, it is determined that the head has been hit, and the process proceeds to step ST101 to perform a mood value minus process. Do.

In the mood value minus process (see FIG. 6), the mood value counter is decremented by 1 (step ST30).
0), it is determined whether the mood counter has shifted down (step ST301). If not, the process returns to the switch check process. If so, the process proceeds to step ST302. If the current emotion level is 1, the process returns to the switch check process while maintaining the emotion level 1. If the emotion level is not 1, the process proceeds to step ST304 to determine whether the emotion level is 2 or not. If the emotion level is 2, the process proceeds to step ST305 to lower the emotion level to 1 and returns to the switch check process. If the emotion level is not 2, it is determined to be 3, and in step ST306, the emotion level is reduced to 2 and the process returns to the switch check process.

In the switch check process, step ST
An angry voice (for example, "Woo") is output in step 102, a predetermined operation is executed in step ST103, and the process returns to the main routine.

If the tact switch 6 is ON for 0.3 seconds or more and less than 3 seconds, it is determined that the head has been stroked, and the process proceeds to step ST105 to perform a mood value plus process.

In the mood value adding process (see FIG. 6), the mood value counter is incremented by 1 (step ST200), and it is determined whether the mood value counter has carried a digit (step ST201). If not, the process returns to the switch check process. If there is a carry, step ST2
02, if the current emotion level is 1, step S
Proceeding to T203, the emotion level is raised to 2 and the process returns to the switch check process.
The process proceeds to T204 to determine whether the emotion level is 2, and if the emotion level is 2, the process proceeds to step ST205 to increase the emotion level to 3 and returns to the switch check process. If the emotion level is not 2, judge that it is 3 and set the emotion level to 3.
(Step ST206), and returns to the switch check process.

In the switch check processing, step ST
At 106, a mood sound (for example, "one") is output, and the process proceeds to step ST107 to perform an LED check process.

In the LED check process (see FIG. 7), the color of the eyes is changed according to the emotional level, with red eyes when angry, orange eyes in a normal state, and green when feeling good. Eyes to express the current emotions. In step ST400, it is determined whether or not the current emotion level is 1, and if the emotion level is 1, it is determined that the user is in a bad mood, the LEDs 17 and 18 are lit in red, and the process returns to the switch check process. If not, it is determined in step ST402 whether the emotion level is 2. If the emotion level is 2, it is judged that it is in a normal state, and LE
D17 and D18 are turned on in orange, and the process returns to the switch check process. If the emotion level is 3, it is determined that the user is in a good mood, and the LEDs 17 and 18 are turned on in green and the process returns to the switch check process.

If it is determined in step ST104 that the tact switch 6 has been turned on for 3 seconds or more, it is determined that the owner wants to play the game with the toy body, and the process proceeds to step ST104.
Proceeding to 108, game processing is performed.

When the microphone 13 senses a sound in step ST3, a mood value plus process is performed in step ST6, an LED check process is performed in step ST7, and the process proceeds to step ST8 to check an emotion level. If the emotion level is 1, the process proceeds to step ST9, where the emotion level 1
Is performed, and if the emotion level is 2, step ST
Proceeding to 10, the operation of the emotion level 2 is performed, and if the emotion level is 3, the operation proceeds to step ST11, after performing the operation of the emotion level 3, respectively, and then returns to step ST2 to determine whether the tact switch 6 is pressed again. Wait for the microphone 13 to detect the sound.

By hitting the head as described above or leaving it unattended, the mood drops and an angry voice is made, or the eyes turn red to perform a menacing action, and by calling or stroking the head, , Raise your mood, perform a mood-sounding voice, or turn your eyes green to perform handstands, etc. A complicated emotional expression can be performed by the combination of the motions, and an emotional expression operation toy with a sense of closeness and timelessness can be realized.

Next, a case where the owner plays a game with the toy body will be described. If it is recognized in step ST104 that the tact switch 6 has been turned on for 3 seconds or more, the process proceeds to step ST108, and the CPU executes a game operation process. In the game operation process (see FIG. 8), first, in step S
At T500, the game selector is set to 0.

The process proceeds to step ST501, and if the game selector is 0, the process proceeds to step ST502 and the LED 1
7 and 18 are lit in red to indicate that Game 1 can be selected.
If the game selector is 1, the process proceeds to step ST504, where the LEDs 17 and 18 are lit in orange to select the game 2. If the game selector is 2, the process proceeds to step ST505 and the LEDs 17 and 18 are lit in green. The owner is notified that the game 3 can be selected, and a sound (for example, “beep”) prompting to press the head (tact switch) is output.

Press the head within one second and turn the tact switch
N (step ST508), step ST50
At steps 9 and 510, the value of the game selector is determined. If the value of the game selector is 0, the process proceeds to step ST511 to execute the game 1
And if the game selector is 1, step S
Proceeding to T512, the process of game 2 is performed. If the game selector is 2, the process of game 3 is performed, and then the process returns to the main routine.

In step ST507, the tact switch is set to O
If one second has elapsed without N, the process proceeds to step ST514 to count up (+1) the game selector. If the game selector does not reach 3, the process returns to step ST501.
And returns to step ST501, and the LED 17
18 is turned on to notify the owner again which game can be selected.

When proceeding to the processing of game 1 (see FIG. 9), the level counter is reset (= 0) (step S).
T600), the left eye stop flag is reset (step ST601). In step ST602, the left and right LEs
The color of D is emitted at random, the emission time is set, and it is checked whether the head is pressed (steps ST603 and ST604).

When a predetermined time has passed without the head being pressed, the process returns to step ST602 to change the colors of the left and right eye LEDs.

When the head is pressed within a predetermined time, step ST6
05, the left eye stop flag is checked. If the flag is OFF, the process proceeds to step ST606, where it is checked whether the color of the left eye is black (off), and if it is not off, the left eye is red, orange, Step ST602: storing any one of the green) colors and setting a flag
Return to If the light is turned off, an incorrect sound is output (step ST608), and the game is over. It is checked whether the head has been pressed within a predetermined time (set to 6 seconds in the present invention) (steps ST609 and ST610). If the head has not been pressed within the predetermined time, the process returns to the main routine. If the head is pressed within the predetermined time, the process returns to step ST600, and the game can be restarted from level 0.

In step ST605, the flag is set (O
If N), the process proceeds to step ST611 to determine whether the left eye and the right eye have the same color. If they are not the same, the process proceeds to step ST608, and if they are the same, the process proceeds to step ST612 to output a correct sound, count up the level (step ST613), and perform level determination.

If the level is 10, step ST615
After performing a bonus operation (for example, performing a handstand operation for 4 to 5 seconds and singing a song), the process proceeds to step ST609. If the player presses his / her head within a predetermined time, the process returns to step ST600 and the game is restarted. When the predetermined time has elapsed without being pressed, the process returns to the main routine.

If the level is 7, the process proceeds to step ST617 to perform a bonus operation (for example, a handstand operation is performed once,
After "one" is output), the process returns to step ST601 to continue the game.
Proceeding to T619, a bonus operation (for example, "one" is output by slightly moving the leg) is performed, and then step ST601 is performed.
Return to and continue the game. Thus, when the game starts, the colors of the left and right eyes are red, orange, green, black (unlit)
And randomly and randomly. Pressing the head once keeps the right eye glowing. However, when the player presses his / her head in a black (light-out) state, the game is over. Since the light emission state of the left eye is continuously changing, the head is pressed to stop the blinking of the left eye. If the light emission state of the left eye is the same as that of the right eye, it is possible to proceed to the next game level together with a sound signal, and the game is over if the colors of the left and right eyes do not match when stopping.

When proceeding to the processing of game 2 (see FIG. 10), the level counter is reset (= 0),
The color of the ED is emitted at random and the emission time is set (step ST701), and it is checked whether the head is pressed (steps ST702 and ST702).
3). When a predetermined time has elapsed without the head being pressed, the process returns to step ST701 and the colors of the left and right eye LEDs are changed at random, so that the left and right eye colors are separated into red, orange, green, and black (off). And change randomly,
Sometimes the colors of the left and right eyes are the same.

If the head can be pressed at the timing when the colors of the left and right eyes become the same color (step ST704), the level counter is counted up (+1) together with the signal of the correct answer (step ST706), and the level is determined. .

If the level is 10, step ST708
After performing a bonus operation (for example, performing a handstand operation for 4 to 5 seconds and singing a song), the process proceeds to step ST714. If the head is pressed within a predetermined time, the process returns to step ST700, and the game is restarted. When the predetermined time has elapsed without being pressed, the process returns to the main routine.

If the level is 7, the process proceeds to step ST710 to perform a bonus operation (for example, a handstand operation is performed once,
After "one" is output, the process returns to step ST701 to continue the game.
After proceeding to T712 to execute a bonus operation (for example, slightly move the leg to output "one"), step ST701 is performed.
Return to and continue the game.

If the left and right eyes do not match when the head is pressed in step ST704, or if both eyes are black (off), the process proceeds to step ST713 to output an incorrect sound and the game is over. Step S if you press your head within a predetermined time
Returning to T700, the game is restarted, and when a predetermined time has elapsed without the head being pressed, the process returns to the main routine.

When the process has proceeded to the game 3 (see FIG. 11), the level counter is reset (= 0) and the answer counter is reset (steps ST800 and ST800).
01), a simple problem or a difficult problem is output based on the count value of the level counter (steps ST803 and ST803).
4). The difficulty of this problem corresponds to the number of times the dog barks (in the present invention, it is set to bark up to 12 times). When the question is over, clap your hands according to the question. The sound of clapping the hand is sensed by the microphone (step ST806), and the number of answers is counted up (step ST808). If the number of answers exceeds 13, it is determined that the answer is incorrect, and the process proceeds to step ST810, where an incorrect answer is output and the game is over. If the head is pressed within the predetermined time, the process returns to step ST800 and the game is restarted. If the predetermined time elapses without the head being pressed, the process returns to the main routine.

If there is no microphone input after a predetermined time has elapsed (step ST805), it is determined that the answer has been completed, and the process proceeds to step ST807. If the number of answers is equal to the number of correct answers, the process proceeds to step ST813 to output a correct answer sound. The level counter is counted up (step ST814), and the level is determined.

If the level is 10, step ST816
After performing a bonus operation (for example, performing a handstand operation for 4 to 5 seconds and singing a song), the process proceeds to step ST811, and if the head is pressed within a predetermined time, the process returns to step ST800 to restart the game, and the head is restarted. When the predetermined time has elapsed without being pressed, the process returns to the main routine.

If the level is 7, the process proceeds to step ST818 to perform a bonus operation (for example, performing a handstand operation once,
After "one" is output), the process returns to step ST801 to continue the game.
After proceeding to T820 to execute a bonus operation (for example, output "one" by slightly moving the leg), step ST801 is performed.
Return to and continue the game.

In any of the games, the game level is sequentially increased each time the game level is cleared, and 3
An action (a bonus operation) is performed when the user clears seven times, clears seven times, and clears ten times.
When you clear 10 times, sing a song with your favorite action.

Then, even when the game is over, the same game can be challenged again by pressing the head within a predetermined time.

As described above, the mood of the toy changes according to the manner of care, the emotion level changes according to the mood, and the state of the toy changes depending on the emotion level by sound (voice) and light (eye color). Because it is expressed by motion, it can express emotions in a complex way, it does not stay in a uniform motion, and it can be taken care of by a simple method such as calling or stroking the head Therefore, it is possible to provide a toy that can be enjoyed sufficiently by young people.

Also, since the game can be developed using the mechanism provided in the toy, there is no need for a separate control device, and the user can take care of the toy, play the game, or at any time according to the user's intention. You can play.

[0052]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the mood of the toy changes depending on the detection result of the sensor provided on the toy body, and the mood is expressed not only by the voice output means but also by the emotion expression means. It is possible to realize a toy that is expressed in a complex manner by the operation of a part of the body by the operating means and the emotional expression operation does not get tired.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, unlike the toy that closes and opens the eyes, the feeling of the toy can be expressed more strongly by expressing the emotion by the color of the eyes.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the owner operates the toy consciously, the emotional expression operation can be changed to the game operation, and the user can play whenever he wants.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the colors of the left and right eyes can be randomly emitted, and the color of the left and right eyes can be adjusted using the change in the color of the eyes. You can enjoy games that cannot be done.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the game can proceed in an interactive manner with the toy by clapping or vocalizing the hand according to the number of sounds emitted by the toy. Unlike the game in which the player operates the game, a game that can be enjoyed even by young people can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b) are perspective views of an emotion expression operation toy according to the present invention.

FIGS. 2A to 2D are explanatory diagrams illustrating an example of an operation state of an emotion expression operation toy.

FIG. 3 is an electrical configuration diagram of a moving toy.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation state of the emotion expression operation toy.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation state of the emotion expression operation toy.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation state of the emotion expression operation toy.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation state of the emotion expression operation toy.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining an operation state of the emotion expression operation toy.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation state of the emotion expression operation toy.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation state of the emotion expression operation toy.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an operation state of the emotion expression operation toy.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 6 touch sensor (tact switch) 5 sound output means (speaker) 10 control means 13 sound sensor (microphone) 17, 18 emotion expression means (light emitter) 23 actuation means

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat II (Reference) H01L 33/00 H01L 33/00 L (72) Inventor Ritsuto Yamanaka 3-31-1 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo Stock Association 2C150 CA02 CA25 DA01 DA23 DA25 DA27 DA28 DC17 DC28 DF01 DF04 DF33 DG01 DG02 DG13 DG34 DJ04 DJ08 EB01 ED31 ED42 ED49 EF11 EF16 EF23 EF29 FA01 FA42 3F060 AA00CA14A

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An emotional expression toy characterized by the following requirements: (A) The toy body is formed to imitate animals, robots, etc.
Actuating means for operating parts of the body such as hands and legs, emotion expressing means for expressing emotions, and voice output means for outputting voice are provided. (B) The body of the toy senses sound A plurality of sensors such as a sound sensor and a touch sensor for sensing that the toy body 1 has been touched; and a mood value corrected in accordance with the result of the sensor detection; And control means for controlling at least one operation state of the voice output means and causing the toy body to perform an emotion expression operation. 2. The emotion expressing means is constituted by a luminous body whose luminous state changes color, the luminous bodies are respectively arranged on left and right eyes of a toy body, and expresses an emotion by the luminous state of the luminous body. The emotional expression operation toy according to claim 1. 3. The control unit changes the setting of the operation of the toy main body from the emotional expression operation to the game operation when the touch sensor senses a touch for a predetermined time or more. Emotional expression toys. 4. The control means randomly changes light emission states of light emitters arranged on left and right eyes of the toy main body at the time of game operation setting, and at a timing when the touch sensor detects a touch by a player. 4. The emotion expressing operation toy according to claim 3, wherein the light emitting state of the left and right light emitters is determined, and the game is advanced based on the determination result. 5. In the setting of a game operation, the control means causes the sound output means to output sound at random times, and then counts the number of sounds detected by the sound sensor,
4. The emotional expression operation toy according to claim 3, wherein it is determined whether or not the same number of sounds have been detected, and the game proceeds based on the determined result.