JP2002361582A - Robot power supplying system and robot - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To give the deed as electric charge a meaning in terms of real life such as taking a meal or feeding on the feed. SOLUTION: The whole construction including a receiver 4 and a load part 5 corresponds to a robot. A combination of a signal transmitter 3 and power supply for driving 1 to be jioned with the robot constitutes a charging station to work as a feed place for robot. At the charging station as feed place, the transmitter 3 supplies the robot supplementary information superposed on the supply voltage on a power line 2 as a device to supply a meal (precisely, a thing like a fish flour to be sprinkled over the electric power which is the meal). A database 6 has a meaning as a retailer for the meat of the robot.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a multi-joint type robot having a plurality of joint degrees of freedom, and more particularly to a mobile robot such as a leg-type movement which realizes movement of each joint by a joint actuator.

More specifically, the present invention relates to a power supply system for a robot that can move a work space without a path using a rechargeable battery without being restricted by an external power cable, and a robot. "Eating" or "eating" for charging
The present invention relates to a power supply system for a legged mobile robot that gives a meaning in real life as described above, and a robot.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art A mechanical device that performs a motion similar to a human motion by using an electric or magnetic action is called a "robot". The robot is derived from the Slavic word "ROBO"
TA (slave machine) is said to have come from. In Japan, robots began to spread from the late 1960's, but most of them were based on automation of production work in factories.
These were industrial robots such as manipulators and transfer robots for unmanned purposes.

[0004] A stationary type robot such as an arm type robot which is implanted and used in a specific place,
Active only in fixed and local work spaces such as parts assembly and sorting work. On the other hand, the mobile robot has a work space that is not limited, and can freely move on a predetermined route or on a non-route to perform a predetermined or arbitrary human work, or perform a human or dog operation. Alternatively, a wide variety of services that replace other living things can be provided.

[0005] Among them, legged mobile robots are unstable and difficult to control posture and walking, as compared with crawler type and tire type robots. However, legged mobile robots go up and down stairs and ladders, climb over obstacles, and perform leveling and unevenness. It is excellent in that it can realize flexible walking and running motions regardless of the leveling.

Recently, a "humanoid" or "humanoid" robot (huma) designed based on a model of a body mechanism or movement of an animal that walks upright on two legs such as a human.
Noidrobot) and other research and development related to legged mobile robots are progressing, and expectations for practical use are also increasing. For example, Sony Corporation announced a bipedal humanoid robot "SDR-3X" on November 21, 2000.

[0007] The robot is basically an electric motor-driven mechanical device, and a power supply operation for the device is indispensable.

In the case of a robot that is fixedly installed at a specific place, such as an arm type robot, or a mobile robot that has a limited radius of movement or operation pattern, power is always supplied from a commercial AC power supply via a power cable. Can be.

On the other hand, in the case of a mobile robot of the type that can move freely and autonomously, the radius of action is limited by a power cable, so that power cannot be supplied by a commercial AC power supply. As a natural consequence of this, mobile robots are introduced with autonomous driving by rechargeable batteries. According to the battery drive, the mobile robot is not aware of physical restrictions such as the location of the power outlet and the length of the power cable,
Self-propelled in human living space and various work spaces.

For example, in the case of a mechanical device such as a humanoid robot having a large number of degrees of freedom, that is, a large number of actuators, the power consumption is large, and in order to supply an inrush current at the time of starting the actuator, a large capacity and high output are required. Rechargeable battery (especially, a leg requires a powerful actuator and consumes a lot of power). As a result, the weight of the rechargeable battery increases, and 10 to 20 times the total weight of the robot body.
%, And power consumption further increases due to an increase in weight. However, in order to eliminate restrictions such as interference between the power cable and the limbs and the radius of action due to the length of the power cable, and to secure the degree of freedom of the robot's behavior, it is concluded that a battery-driven type is preferable.

[0011] By the way, charging of a moving body such as a conventional robot is generally performed by connecting the moving body to a power line by wire and storing power in a charger on the moving body side.

However, apart from industrial robots, a four-legged pet robot "AIBO" and a bipedal humanoid robot developed and manufactured by Sony Corporation.
In an entertainment robot typified by SDR-3X "or the like, such a form of" small "power supply impedes the transfer of emotions to a general user's robot.

For anthropomorphic or anthropomorphic robots for entertainment, electric power is "food" for energizing the robot due to empathy of the user. It has a metaphor of "eat" or "give food".

[0014] The change of emotions such as the sensation that a real person or animal becomes full and rejoiced with food, eats something strange to break the stomach, or takes medicine to recover when the stomach is broken If a phenomenon similar to the above can be naturally expressed by the robot, it is possible to further enhance the user's empathy for the robot, and to improve the entertainment property of the robot.

On the other hand, in a virtual pet such as "PostPet" provided by So-net on the Internet, various foods can be given to the pet, and the pet can become hungry or emotional depending on the food. The change allows the user to more and more attach to the pet and enhance empathy.

Further, various foods of pets are sold on a site on the Internet, and a user purchases food from the site and gives food to his / her pet, thereby increasing empathy for the pet. .

On the other hand, make the robot resemble a real person or animal,
In order to increase the empathy of the user to the robot, when a real person or animal changes their emotions such as being full and happy with food, eating something strange and breaking the stomach, or breaking the stomach The challenge is to make the robot naturally recover from taking medicine.

[0018]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a real-life meaning, such as eating or eating, to the act of charging.
An object of the present invention is to provide an excellent power supply system for a robot and a robot with improved entertainment.

A further object of the present invention is to change the emotions of a real person or animal, such as being satisfied with food, being full and rejoicing, to eat something strange and to break the stomach, Power supply for superior robots, which can make the robots more like real people and animals and increase the empathy of the users by making the robots naturally express things like drinking and recovering system,
And to provide a robot.

[0020]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and a first aspect of the present invention is a power supply system for a robot, which drives the robot. A power line for supplying driving power for the transmitter, a transmitter for superimposing and transmitting additional information on the power line, and a receiver for separating and receiving the additional information from the power line. It is a power supply system for a robot.

However, the term "system" as used herein refers to a logical collection of a plurality of devices (or function modules for realizing specific functions), and each device or function module is a single case. It does not matter whether it is in the body or not.

In the robot control system according to the first aspect of the present invention, the transmitter is used in combination with a device for supplying driving power for the robot, such as an AC power supply, and transmits additional information on the power line. It can be supplied to the robot by superimposing it on the voltage. In addition, the receiver is configured integrally with the robot, for example, and can control the body operation of the robot based on additional information that is received when power is supplied.

Further, the additional information may be food or
This is information describing something like "sprinkling" applied to the electric power that is food. Therefore, according to the power supply system for a robot according to the first aspect of the present invention, in an actual life such as “eating” or “eating food” in response to powering the robot such as charging. And the entertainment of the robot can be further enhanced.

For example, when a real person or animal is eaten by food,
Robots can naturally change their emotions, such as being full and happy, eating strange things to break their stomach, taking medicine when they break their stomach, and recovering when charging or supplying power. Can be expressed. As a result,
It is possible to encourage the user to transfer emotions to the robot, and to stimulate a feeling of attachment to the robot.

[0025] The receiver may be fixedly connected to the power line. Alternatively, the receiver may be detachably connected to the power line.

In the latter case, the combination of the transmitter and the drive power supply connected to the robot constitutes a charging station that serves as a feeding ground for the robot. That is, the transmitter transmits the food (exactly,
It's like "sprinkling" on the power of food)
Can be supplied to the robot by superimposing the additional information on the power supply voltage on the power line.

[0027] The receiver may further include a charger for storing electric power for driving the robot in a power-off state disconnected from the power line. The charger includes, for example, a reusable battery cell such as NiMH, and a charge control circuit that controls a charging operation for the battery cell.

The receiver can be detached from the power line via a first converter disposed on the power line side and a second converter disposed opposite the receiver side. May be joined. In such a case, the first converter generates a magnetic field in response to an electric signal applied to the power line, and the second converter generates an electric signal in response to the applied magnetic field, The receiver side can receive the supplied power as well as additional information superimposed thereon.

The receiver may include means for measuring a coupling ratio between the first converter and the second converter, and may improve the coupling ratio when the coupling ratio is lower than a predetermined value. Means for moving the body of the robot. In such a case, it is possible to improve the efficiency of power supply to the robot, such as charging, by improving the connection state with the drive power supply.

[0030] The receiver may hold a state variable that defines an internal state of the robot.
Then, the state variable may be sequentially updated according to the additional information received via the power line, and the operation of the robot may be determined based on the state variable.
The state variables mentioned here include, for example, factors such as an excitement degree and an interest degree expressing the emotion of the robot.

Therefore, by transmitting information of various foods containing predetermined nutrients as additional information at the time of power supply, the receiver side performs charging and other operations based on the nutrients obtained from the additional information. By giving the action of power supply a meaning in real life such as "eat meal" or "eat food", the entertainment property of the robot can be enhanced.

[0032] Based on the degree of interest and the degree of excitement, the receiver may be, for example, a light color, intensity, or blinking speed of a light provided to the robot, a type, speed, or size of movement of the robot; By controlling the sound, voice intensity, reproduction speed, tone, etc. of the user, it is possible to provide explicit user feedback on receiving power, that is, having a meal. As a result,
The user is prompted to transfer emotions to the robot.

Further, the transmitter prepares food information for each type of robot, sorts out the food information, and superimposes the information on the power line as additional information to transmit. Is also good.

The types of food that can be eaten and the degree of influence of nutrients on the emotions of nutrients differ for each robot type. Therefore, the receiver only needs to update the state variable according to the nutrient contained in the received food information according to the type of the robot.

For example, by preparing individual food information for each type of robot such as a rabbit-type robot and a cat-type robot, the types of food that can be eaten and the degree of influence of nutrients on emotions by nutrients differ. Can be done. By supplying the rabbit type robot with carrot food as additional information, a happy state can be achieved. In addition, the cat-type robot can be maintained in a normal state by supplying beef.

Further, the transmitter may include a database for providing additional information.

Alternatively, the transmitter may be provided with an input device for inputting additional information. The input device may be an image input device. In such a case, various additional information can be input depending on the colors included in the image of the real world. From a psychological point of view, robots ate red because nutrients in red can be used to increase the excitement of the robot, while blue nutrients can be used to reduce the excitement of the robot. The robot's body movements may be programmed so that the robot is excited when it is eaten, but becomes calm when eating blue food. Of course, not only does the content of nutrients correspond to the color, but also the shape and shape changes, such as the amount of movement of various facial muscles when recognizing the user's facial expressions, and various brightness parts in the infrared image It can also be made to correspond to the area and the like.

Alternatively, the input device provided on the transmitter side may be a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or a physiological sensor. In such a case, the temperature from the temperature sensor, the humidity from the humidity sensor, or the pulse from the physiological sensor, sweating, peripheral blood flow, respiration, brain waves, electromyogram, electrocardiogram, body temperature, blood pressure, etc. Can correspond.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a robot of a type driven by supply of electric power, wherein a load unit that consumes a driving power source to realize a body operation of the robot,
Coupling means for coupling to a power line for supplying a drive power supply, means for separating a power supply voltage for driving carried via the power line and supplying the separated power supply voltage to the load portion, and additional means superimposed and carried on the power line A robot comprising: receiving means for separating and receiving information; and control means for controlling an operation of the load unit based on the received additional information.

Further, the additional information is information describing food or something like "sprinkling" applied to electric power as food. Therefore, according to the robot according to the second aspect of the present invention, the action of supplying power to the robot such as charging has a real life meaning such as "eat" or "eat". Therefore, the entertainment property of the robot can be enhanced.

For example, when a real person or animal is eaten by food,
Robots can naturally change their emotions, such as being full and happy, eating strange things to break their stomach, taking medicine when they break their stomach, and recovering when charging or supplying power. Can be expressed. As a result,
It is possible to encourage the user to transfer emotions to the robot, and to stimulate a feeling of attachment to the robot.

[0042] The coupling means may be fixedly connected to the power line. Alternatively, the coupling means may be configured to be detachably connected to the power line.

[0043] The coupling means may include a second converter disposed opposite to the first converter disposed on the power line side. In such a case, the first converter generates a magnetic field in response to an electric signal applied to the power line, and the second converter generates an electric signal in response to the applied magnetic field. Accordingly, it is possible to receive the driving power conveyed on the power line and additional information transmitted in a manner superimposed on the driving power.

Further, the robot according to the second aspect of the present invention is a robot for measuring a coupling ratio between the first converter and the second converter, wherein the coupling ratio is smaller than a predetermined value. Means for moving the body of the robot so as to improve this. In such a case, in such a case, it is possible to improve the efficiency of power supply to the robot, such as charging, by improving the connection state with the drive power supply.

Further, the control means holds a state variable defining the internal state of the robot, updates the state variable according to the additional information received via the power line, and furthermore, based on the state variable. The operation of the robot may be determined first. The state variables mentioned here are
It is composed of factors such as excitement and interest expressing the robot's emotions.

Therefore, by transmitting information of various foods containing predetermined nutrients as additional information at the time of power supply, the robot can “eat” or perform an action of power supply such as charging. Since it can have a meaning in real life such as “eat food”, the entertainment of the robot can be enhanced.

[0047] The control means may control the robot based on the degree of interest or the degree of excitement, for example, the color, intensity or blinking speed of the light provided to the robot, the type, speed or size of the movement of the robot, By controlling the sound, voice intensity, reproduction speed, tone, etc. of the user, it is possible to provide explicit user feedback on receiving power, that is, having a meal. As a result,
The user is prompted to transfer emotions to the robot.

The types of foods that can be eaten and the degree of influence of nutrients on emotions differ depending on the type of robot. Therefore, the control means may update the state variable according to the nutrient contained in the received food information according to the type of the robot.

Still other objects, features and advantages of the present invention are:
It will become apparent from the following more detailed description based on the embodiments of the present invention and the accompanying drawings.

[0050]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a configuration of a power supply system for a robot according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The power supply system shown in FIG. 1 includes an AC power supply 1 which is a power supply source for operating the robot, a power line 2 for carrying an AC voltage from the AC power supply 1, food provided for the power supply, and the like. , A transmitter 3 for transmitting the additional information, a receiver 4 for receiving the additional information, and a load unit 5 operated by the supplied power.

The load section 5 is composed of, for example, a movable module such as a joint actuator of a robot, a control circuit for controlling the operation of these movable sections, and other functional modules on the robot body that consume power. The robot here is
For example, it corresponds to a four-leg pet robot “AIBO” developed and manufactured by Sony Corporation, a two-legged humanoid robot “SDR-3X”, and the like. However, since the body configuration of the robot is not directly related to the gist of the present invention, it will not be further described herein.

The transmitter 3 generates additional information such as food given to the power supply, and transmits this to the receiver 4.
Send to the side. The receiver 4 receives and decodes the additional information sent from the transmitter 3 and uses the information for the operation of the load unit 5, that is, the robot body operation. Receiver 4
Is mounted, for example, on the load unit 5, that is, on the robot body.

The transmitter 3 superimposes the generated additional information on the power line 2 that carries the driving power, and sends it to the receiver 4. Therefore, by providing additional information in accordance with the timing of supplying driving power to the robot, the task of supplying power can be reduced to a reality such as "eat meal" or "eat food". Can give meaning to life.

The transmitter 3 includes a microcomputer 31
, Transmission / reception circuit 32, coupling circuit 33, synchronization circuit 34
It is composed of

The microcomputer 31 generates information such as food to be additionally given when supplying power to the robot. The transmission / reception circuit 32 performs transmission / reception processing of such additional information and other data exchanged via the power line 2.

The coupling circuit 33 connects the transmission / reception circuit 32 and the power line 2 as a data transmission path based on the synchronization signal from the synchronization circuit 34.

The receiver 4 includes a microcomputer 41, a transmission / reception circuit 42, a coupling circuit 43, and a synchronization circuit 44.

As described above, in this embodiment, the power line 2 carries additional information while being superimposed on the power supply voltage for driving the robot. On the receiver 4 side, the power supply voltage and the additional information are separated, and the power supply voltage is sent to the load unit 5 as it is.

The coupling circuit 43 connects to the power line 2 as a data transmission path based on the synchronizing signal from the synchronizing circuit 44, and transmits the carried additional information to the transmitting / receiving circuit 4.
Output to 2. The transmission / reception circuit 42 processes the signal and sends it to the microcomputer 41.

The microcomputer 41 controls the load unit 5, that is, the robot body. In the present embodiment, the microcomputer 41 controls the emotional operation including elements such as the degree of excitement and the degree of interest of the robot by using additional information such as food. This will be described in detail later.

FIG. 2 schematically shows the configuration of a power supply system for a robot according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the power supply system shown in FIG. 1 includes an AC power supply 1 serving as a power supply source for charging, and an AC A power line 2, a transmitter 3 for transmitting additional information such as food given to the power supply, a receiver 4 for receiving the additional information, and a load unit 5 operated by the supplied power. Is done.

The difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment is that the microcomputer 31 of the transmitter 3 has the database 6.

This database 6 can be either locally connected to the microcomputer 31 or
It may be connected via a network (not shown) such as N (Local Area Network) or the Internet. Also, the database 6 itself may be connected to a wide area network such as the Internet, and the contents of the data managed by the database may be obtained or updated from a predetermined site via the Internet.

In the present embodiment, data necessary for generating additional information to be sent along with charging of the robot, such as food, is stored in the database 6. The microcomputer 31 accesses the database 6 and generates additional information.

Another difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment is that, in the latter, the receiver 4 integrated with the robot is inseparable from the power line 2 for supplying power and transmitting data. In the former, the receiver 4
Is configured to be detachable from the power line 2 by the separation joint 8.

That is, in the case of the second embodiment, for example, the power supply 1, the power line 2, and the transmitter 3 can be designed and manufactured as a single unit such as a so-called “charging station”. Further, when the charging start time or power supply of the robot including the receiver 4 and the load unit 5 is reached, the user may set the robot body to the charging station via the separation joint 8. Alternatively, if the robot is an autonomously driven robot, when the charging time is automatically detected, the robot may autonomously dock with the separation joint 8 toward the charging station. Also, when charging work is completed at the charging station,
The robot disconnects from the separation joint 8 (or the robot autonomously leaves the charging station), and the robot freely moves around the work space using the accumulated electric charge. That is, the movable range and route of the robot are determined by the driving power source 1
Is not restricted by the installation location.

Accordingly, the receiver 4 includes a charger 46 for storing the electric charge supplied from the AC power supply 1 so that the receiver 4 can operate even in a power-off state disconnected from the power line 2. ing. The charger 46 is, for example, a Ni-M
H and the like, and a controller for controlling the charging operation of this battery.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, the separation junction 8 has a first converter 81 connected to the power line 2. On the other hand, on the receiver 4 side, the second converter 45 is disposed so as to face the first converter 81 when set in the charging station. Therefore, the first converter 81 generates a magnetic field in response to the electric signal applied to the power line 2, and the second converter 45 generates the electric signal in response to the applied magnetic field. It has become. Needless to say, the connection method between the power line 2 and the receiver 4 at the separation connection part 8 does not need to be limited to the electromagnetic induction method as shown in FIG. The system may be used.

The first converter 81 and the second converter 45 are electrically separated from each other, and the electric power on which the control signal is superimposed via the first converter 81 and the second converter 45 is provided. To
It can be conveyed to the receiver 4 via the power line 2. The power transmitted to the receiver 4 is supplied to a charger 46 in the receiver 4.
Is accumulated in The electric power stored in the charger 46 is supplied to the load unit 5 including each joint actuator of the robot.

The coupling circuit 43 separates additional information from the power line 2 based on the synchronization signal from the synchronization circuit 44 and outputs the separated information to the transmission / reception circuit 42. The transmission / reception circuit 42 processes the signal and sends it to the microcomputer 41.

The microcomputer 41 controls the load unit 5, that is, the robot body. In the present embodiment, the microcomputer 41 can control an emotional motion composed of factors such as the degree of excitement and the degree of interest of the robot using additional information such as food.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the microcomputer 41 can control the autonomous operation of the robot and the emotional operation such as a feeling of hunger based on the amount of charge from the charger 46. Also, the first converter 81 and the second
Since the coupling ratio between the two varies depending on the physical positional relationship of the converter 45, the entire robot including the receiver 4 and the load unit 5 is moved or rotated in accordance with the coupling ratio during charging. Aircraft operation can be controlled.

FIG. 3 schematically shows a configuration of a power supply system for a robot according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The power supply system shown in FIG. 3 has an AC power supply 1 as a power supply source for charging and an AC power supply A power line 2, a transmitter 3 for transmitting additional information such as food given to the power supply, a receiver 4 for receiving the additional information, and a load unit 5 operated by the supplied power. Is done.

The power supply system according to this embodiment includes:
The receiver 4 that is integral with the robot body is
This is similar to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 2 in that the power line 2 is configured to be detachable from the power line 2. Therefore, when charging is completed, the robot according to this embodiment is disconnected from the power line 2 (or the charging station), is not restricted by the installation location of the driving power supply 1, and uses the electric charge accumulated in the charger 46 to operate the work space. Can be moved freely.

The third embodiment is different from the second embodiment in that the microcomputer 31 of the transmitter 3 has an input device 7 instead of the database 6.

The input device 7 is composed of a general device such as a keyboard and a mouse. Therefore, the user can directly input or edit additional information to be sent along with charging of the robot, such as food, from the input device 7.

Alternatively, the input device 7 can be configured as a computer having a user interface such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a display. In such a case, the user can input, edit, or manage additional information to be sent along with charging of the robot such as food on the computer, and provide such information to the transmitter 3 as appropriate. be able to.

The input device 7 is, for example, a LAN (Loca
l Area Network) and the Internet
The additional information may be transferred to or from another computer, or the additional information may be edited by a cooperative operation between the computers, and the result may be accumulated and shared between a plurality of systems.

FIG. 4 schematically shows a configuration of a power supply system for a robot according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the power supply system shown in the figure, a microcomputer 31 on the transmitter 3 side is equipped with a database 6, as in the second embodiment shown in FIG. The database 6 stores data necessary for generating additional information, such as food, to be sent when the robot is charged. The microcomputer 31 accesses the database 6 and generates additional information.

The power supply system according to this embodiment includes:
In that a receiver 4 integral with the robot is inseparably coupled to the power line 2 for power supply and data transmission,
This is different from the second embodiment.

FIG. 5 schematically shows the configuration of a robot power supply system according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. In the power supply system shown in the figure, similarly to the third embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the microcomputer 31 of the transmitter 3 has an input device 7 instead of the database 6. The input device 7 is configured by a general device such as a keyboard and a mouse. Therefore, the user can directly input or edit additional information to be sent along with charging of the robot, such as food, from the input device 7. Alternatively, the input device 7 can be configured as a computer having a user interface such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a display.

The power supply system according to this embodiment includes:
In that a receiver 4 integral with the robot is inseparably coupled to the power line 2 for power supply and data transmission,
This is different from the third embodiment.

FIG. 6 schematically shows a configuration of a power supply system for a robot according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. The power supply system shown in the figure is different from the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in that the receiver 4 is configured to be detachable from the power line 2 by a separation joint 8.

That is, in the sixth embodiment, the receiver 4
When the charging start time or the power supply time of the robot including the load unit 5 is reached, the user may set the robot body to the charging station via the separation joint unit 8. Alternatively, if the robot is an autonomously driven robot, when the charging time is automatically detected, the robot may autonomously dock with the separation joint 8 toward the charging station. When the charging operation is completed at the charging station, the robot is separated from the separation joint 8, and the robot moves freely in the work space using the accumulated electric charge. That is, the movable range and route of the robot are not restricted by the installation location of the drive power supply 1.

The receiver 4 is provided with a charger 46 for accumulating the electric charge supplied from the AC power supply 1 so that the receiver 4 can operate even in a no power supply state disconnected from the power line 2. The charger 46 includes, for example, a rechargeable battery cell such as Ni-MH and a controller that controls a charging operation of the battery.

In the example shown in FIG. 6, similarly to the embodiment shown in FIG.
Is provided. On the other hand, on the receiver 4 side, the second converter 45 is disposed so as to face the first converter 81 when set in the charging station. Therefore, the first converter 81 generates a magnetic field in response to the electric signal applied to the power line 2, and the second converter 45 generates the electric signal in response to the applied magnetic field. It has become. Needless to say, the connection method between the power line 2 and the receiver 4 at the separation connection part 8 does not need to be limited to the electromagnetic induction method as shown in the figure, but is, for example, a general connector connection method by mechanical connection of conductive terminals. There may be.

In each of the embodiments of the present invention described above, the microcomputer 41 of the receiver 4 controls the operation of the load unit 5, that is, the body operation of the robot. In particular, in the present invention, the microcomputer 41 can adaptively control the machine operation according to the power supply state.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a basic algorithm of robot operation control performed by the microcomputer 41 according to the power supply state. Less than,
The operation control of the robot will be described according to this flowchart.

First, the charging amount in the charger 46 is 20%
It is checked whether it is less than (Step S1). If it is not less than 20%, the charging of the charger 46 is not required yet, that is, the operation can be continued, so that the entire processing routine ends.

On the other hand, when the charged amount is less than 20%, it is further determined whether the coupling ratio between the first converter 81 and the second converter 45 is 80% or more, that is, the power line 2 and the reception It is checked whether the connection state of the device 4 is good (step S2).

When the coupling ratio between the converters is less than 80%, in order to move or rotate the robot body including the receiver 4 and the load 5 so as to increase the coupling ratio, the load unit 5, ie, each of the robots, is moved. The operation of the joint actuator is controlled (step S6).

When the coupling ratio between the converters is 80% or more, it is determined that the connection state at the separation junction 8 is good, and the control signal from the power line 2 is transmitted via the coupling circuit 43 and the transmission / reception circuit 42. And rewrites the state variables in the microcomputer 41 based on the additional information included in the control signal (step S4). The state variables referred to here include, for example, instruction values such as the degree of interest and the degree of excitement, which are internal states of the robot.

Of course, when the control signal is received from power line 2, power is stored in charger 46 simultaneously and in parallel.

The above processing is repeated until the charged amount is 100%, that is, the charger 46 is fully charged.

As described above, the whole including the receiver 4 and the load unit 5 corresponds to a robot. The combination of the transmitter 3 and the driving power supply 1 joined to the robot at the first converter 81 constitutes a charging station that serves as a feeding ground for the robot. In addition, the transmitter 3 operates as a device for supplying food (to be more precise, "sprinkling" applied to the electric power as food) at the charging station serving as the feeding ground, and thus, such an additional device is provided. The information is superimposed on the power supply voltage on the power line 2 and supplied to the robot.
Further, the database 6 has a meaning of a food store of the robot.

In the following, the contents of the control signal, that is, the additional information, which is mainly transmitted while being superimposed on the power line 2, will be described in detail.

The following tables show the databases that can be used in the transmitter 3 by means such as the database 6 or the input device 7.

[0099]

[Table 1]

As can be seen from the above table, the database provides a list of foods applicable to various types of robots (for example, rabbit type, cat type, dog type, etc.). Then, the robot user can download foods suitable for his robot from such a list.

The food list has an entry for each food type, and each entry has a food name and a nutrient content (0
To 1).

The food type is a type of food such as vegetables, fruits and meat. The food name is the name of the food, and the nutrient content is the content of each nutrient.

For example, a carrot has a food type of A (vegetable), and contains 0.2 of the nutrient a and 0.3 of the nutrient b. In addition, beef has a food type of L (meat), and the nutrient p is 0.3, q
Each contains only 0.5 nutrients.

[0104] Food information downloaded from the database and available on the microcomputer 31 of the transmitter 3 is conveyed by being superimposed on the power line 2 as a control signal. Then, the receiver 4 on the robot side separates the control signal from the power line 2 and the microcomputer 41 can use the information on the food extracted from the control signal.

The microcomputer 41 of the receiver 4 on the robot side has a degree of excitement (0 to 0) expressing the emotion of the robot.
It holds state variables that define the internal state of the robot, such as 1) and the degree of interest (0 to 1). Then, the microcomputer 41 rewrites the indicated values of these state variables based on the food obtained from the control signal.

By the way, as a study on emotions,
There are two types of basic emotions, such as "joy" and "sadness," which are captured in discrete categories, and those which are captured in continuous dimensions, such as emotional space. In the latter, the awake state (arou
The emotion space is defined using the height of sal) and the sign of valence as dimensions.

In this specification, the degree of excitement and the degree of interest correspond to the above-mentioned arousal state and provocation. That is, when the degree of excitement is close to 1, the excitement state is expressed, and when the degree of excitement is close to 0, the calm state is expressed. Also, when the degree of interest is close to 1, the user has a positive (ie, “like”) interest, when the degree of interest is 0.5, the state is indifferent, and when the degree of interest is close to 0, the negative ( In other words, each represents a state of interest (called "dislike").

In the present embodiment, the microcomputer 41 of the receiver 4 on the robot side has a coordinate system of the degree of excitement and the degree of interest as shown in FIG. In the figure, there are several states according to the values of the degree of excitement and the degree of interest.
The microcomputer can control the body operation of the load unit 5, that is, the robot, so as to correspond to each state.

The robot operation based on the degree of interest and the degree of excitement includes, for example, the color, intensity and blinking speed of the light provided on the robot, the type, speed and size of the robot movement, Sound, voice strength, playback speed, tone, and the like.

For example, in the “joy state” in which both the degree of excitement and interest are high, the light of the robot becomes bright or the movement speeds up. The lights can be darker or slower to move.

In order to get out of the “sick state”,
It is necessary to provide food such as medicine to increase excitement and interest.

Next, a mechanism by which food influences the excitement and the degree of interest expressing the emotion of the robot will be described.

In the microcomputer 41 of the receiver 4 on the robot side, for example, food information as shown in [Table 2] and [Table 3] can be used. By preparing individual food information for each type of robot, such as a rabbit-type robot or a cat-type robot, the type of food that can be eaten and the degree of influence of nutrients on the emotion (-1.0 to 1) .0) are different.

[0114]

[Table 2]

[0115]

[Table 3]

For example, in the rabbit type robot shown in [Table 2], the type of food that can be eaten is A
(Vegetables) and B (fruits). Nutrient a has a degree of excitement of 1.
0, affect the degree of interest by 0.0. Nutrient b
Has an effect of 0.0 on the degree of excitement and 1.0 on the degree of interest.

In the cat-type robot shown in Table 3, the type of food that can be eaten is L (meat). The nutrient p is -0.4 for excitement and 0.2 for interest.
Influence. The nutrient q has an effect of 0.2 on the degree of excitement and 0.1 on the degree of interest.

When carrots are given to the rabbit type robot shown in [Table 2], food type A (vegetable) of food
Since the carrot is included in the food type of the food information of the rabbit type robot, the carrot has an effect on the excitement degree α and the degree of interest β of the rabbit type robot as shown in the following expression.

[0119]

Δα = 0.2 × 1.0 + 0.3 × 0.0 =
0.2Δβ = 0.2 × 0.0 + 0.3 × 1.0 =
0.3

Therefore, assuming that the current excitement degree α is 0.5 and the interest degree β is 0.5, the values after eating the carrot (that is, after charging) in the robot are as follows. .

[0121]

Α = 0.5 + 0.2 = 0.7 β = 0.5 + 0.3 = 0.8

When the above calculation result is applied to the table shown in FIG. 8, the rabbit type robot is in a "happy state". In such a case, the microcomputer 41 controls the body operation of the load unit 5, that is, the robot so as to perform happy behavior.

On the other hand, when beef is given to the rabbit-type robot, the beef does not affect the emotions of the rabbit-type robot because there is no food type L (meat) in the food information.
In other words, even if the control information regarding the beef is received during the charging operation period, it does not affect the emotions and motion expressions of the rabbit type robot.

On the contrary, when beef is given to the cat-type robot, the food type L (meat) is included in the food type, and thus the excitement α and the interest β are affected as shown in the following formula.

[0125]

Δα = 0.3 × (−0.4) +0.5
× 0.2 = −0.02Δβ = 0.3 × 0.2 + 0.5 × 0.1 =
0.11

Therefore, assuming that the current degree of excitement α and the degree of interest β in the cat-type robot are 0.5 and 0.5, respectively, the values after eating beef (that is, after charging) are as follows. Become.

[0127]

Α = 0.5 + (− 0.02) = 0.48 β = 0.5 + 0.11 = 0.61

When the result of the above calculation is applied to the table shown in FIG. 8, the cat-type robot enters a “normal state” and performs an operation that is not particularly delighted.

In an embodiment in which the receiver 4 as shown in FIG. 2 is detachably joined to the power line 2 via the separation joint 8, the transmitter 3 and the first converter 81 are connected.
May be prepared in plurality. In such a case,
Different foods can be supplied in each combination of the transmitter 3 and the first converter 81 so that the robot can gather at favorite foods.

Next, an example of an operation which can operate using the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 will be described.

As described above, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the input device 7 is used instead of the database 6 used in FIG.

Similarly, the food from the input device includes a food type, a food name, and a nutrient content (0 to 1), which are determined according to the processing method of various data from various input devices. Is done.

For example, when the input device 7 connected to the microcomputer 31 is an image input device, various foods can be input according to the colors included in the image of the real world.

In order to input a food having a nutrient x by a red color and a nutrient y by a blue color, first, for each pixel of the image obtained from the image input device 7, the color hue (H: 0 degree) 360 degrees), brightness (L: 0 to 1), and saturation (S: 0 to 1).

[0135] Next, determine the total number N _x of the red pixel that satisfies all of the conditions listed below.

[0136]

## EQU5 ## 330 degrees <H <360 degrees or 0 degree <H <30 degrees 0.4 <L <0.6 0.5 <S <1.0

[0137] Next, determine the total number N _y of blue pixels that satisfy all the conditions listed below.

[0138]

[Equation 6] 210 degrees <H <270 degrees 0.4 <L <0.6 0.5 <S <1.0

Assuming that the total number of pixels is N, the content of red nutrient x is (N _x / N) and the content of blue nutrient y is (N _y / N).
N).

From a color psychological point of view, red nutrients can increase the excitement of the robot, and blue nutrients can reduce the excitement of the robot.

Therefore, if the microcomputer 41 of the receiver 4 on the robot side sets or programs the emotional influence of the food information according to the nutrients as shown below, the robot is excited when eating a red one and blue when eating a red one. When the food is eaten, the operation of the load unit 5, that is, the body motion of the robot can be controlled so as to be calm.

[0142]

X: (1.0, 0.0) y: (−1.0, 0.0)

When the input device 7 connected to the microcomputer 31 is an image input device, not only the content of nutrients is made to correspond to the color, but also the shape and the change of the shape, for example, the facial expression of the user are recognized. It can be made to correspond to the amount of movement of various facial muscles at the time or the area of various brightness portions in the infrared image.

In addition to the image input device, a voice input device can be used as the input device 7. In this case, the high-frequency component and the low-frequency component of the input voice can be made to correspond to the respective nutrient contents.

A temperature sensor can be used as the input device 7. That is, the values of the temperature from the temperature sensor and the humidity from the humidity sensor, or the pulse from the physiological sensor, sweating, peripheral blood flow, respiration, brain wave, electromyogram, electrocardiogram, body temperature, blood pressure, etc. are made to correspond to the nutrient content. You can also.

[Supplement] The present invention has been described in detail with reference to the specific embodiments. However, it is obvious that those skilled in the art can modify or substitute the embodiment without departing from the spirit of the present invention. That is, the present invention has been disclosed by way of example, and should not be construed as limiting. In order to determine the gist of the present invention, the claims described at the beginning should be considered.

[0147]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention,
A power supply system for robots that enhances entertainment by giving real-life meanings such as “eat meal” or “eat food” to the action of power supply such as charging. , As well as a robot.

According to the present invention, in order to make the robot resemble a real person or animal, and to increase the user's empathy with the robot, the real person or animal can change his / her emotions such as being full and happy with food. The robot can spontaneously express, at the time of charging, such things as eating a strange thing, breaking the stomach, drinking medicine when the stomach is broken, and recovering.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a power supply system for a robot according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a power supply system for a robot according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a power supply system for a robot according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a power supply system for a robot according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a power supply system for a robot according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a power supply system for a robot according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a basic algorithm of robot operation control performed by the microcomputer 41 according to a power supply state.

FIG. 8 is a diagram exemplifying a coordinate system of the degree of excitement and the degree of interest held by the microcomputer 41 of the receiver 4;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Power supply 2 ... Power line 3 ... Transmitter 31 ... Microcomputer 32 ... Transmission / reception circuit 33 ... Coupling circuit 34 ... Synchronization circuit 4 ... Receiver 41 ... Microcomputer 42 ... Transmission / reception circuit 43 ... Coupling circuit 44 ... Synchronization circuit 45 ... Second Converter 46 ... charger 5 ... load unit (robot) 6 ... database 7 ... input device 8 ... converter 81 ... first converter

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2C150 CA01 DA04 DA24 DA26 DA27 DA28 DF02 DF03 DF06 DF33 ED42 ED47 ED52 EF07 EF16 EF23 EF28 EF29 EF33 EF36 FA03 FA11 3C007 AS36 CS08 CY02 JS02 JS07 JU15 WB12 WC06

Claims (30)

[Claims] 1. A power supply system for a robot, comprising: a power line for supplying a drive power supply for driving the robot; a transmitter for superimposing and transmitting additional information on the power line; And a receiver for separating and receiving additional information from the robot. 2. The robot power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the receiver controls the operation of the robot according to the received additional information. 3. The power supply of a robot according to claim 1, wherein the additional information is information describing something like “sprinkling” on food or electric power as food. system. 4. The power supply system for a robot according to claim 1, wherein the receiver is fixedly connected to the power line. 5. The power supply system for a robot according to claim 1, wherein the receiver is detachably connected to the power line. 6. The power supply for a robot according to claim 5, wherein the receiver includes a charger for storing power for driving the robot in a power-off state disconnected from the power line. Feeding system. 7. The receiver can be detached from the power line via a first converter disposed on the power line side and a second converter disposed opposite the receiver side. Wherein the first converter generates a magnetic field in response to an electric signal applied to the power line, and wherein the second converter generates an electric signal in response to the applied magnetic field. The power supply system for a robot according to claim 5, wherein 8. A receiver for measuring a coupling ratio between the first converter and the second converter, wherein the coupling ratio is improved when the coupling ratio is lower than a predetermined value. The power supply system for a robot according to claim 7, further comprising: means for moving a body of the robot. 9. The receiver holds a state variable that defines an internal state of the robot, and updates the state variable according to additional information received via the power line.
The robot power supply system according to claim 1, further comprising determining an operation of the robot based on the state variable. 10. The power supply system for a robot according to claim 9, wherein the state variables include elements such as an excitement degree and an interest degree that express the emotions of the robot. 11. The receiver according to claim 1, further comprising: a color, intensity, or blinking speed of a light provided to the robot; a type, speed, or magnitude of a motion of the robot;
The power supply system for a robot according to claim 10, wherein the robot controls sound, voice intensity, reproduction speed, tone, and the like emitted by the robot. 12. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter prepares food information for each type of robot, and superimposes the information on the power line as additional information and transmits the information. 13. The power supply system for a robot according to claim 12, wherein the types of food that can be eaten and the degree of influence of nutrients on emotions by nutrients are different for each type of robot. 14. The power supply system for a robot according to claim 12, wherein the receiver updates a state variable according to a nutrient contained in the received food information. 15. The power supply system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter includes a database that provides additional information. 16. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter includes an input device for inputting additional information. 17. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said input device is an image input device, and inputs various kinds of additional information according to colors contained in an image of the real world.
7. The power supply system for a robot according to 6. 18. The power supply system for a robot according to claim 16, wherein said input device is a voice input device, and makes a high frequency component or a low frequency component of the input voice correspond to additional information. . 19. The input device is a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or a physiological sensor. The temperature from the temperature sensor, the humidity from the humidity sensor, the pulse from the physiological sensor,
17. The power supply system for a robot according to claim 16, wherein values such as sweating, peripheral blood flow, respiration, electroencephalogram, myoelectricity, electrocardiogram, body temperature, and blood pressure correspond to the additional information. 20. A robot driven by power supply, comprising: a load unit that consumes a drive power supply to realize a body operation of the robot; a coupling unit that couples with a power line that supplies the drive power supply; Means for separating and supplying the power supply voltage for driving carried via the power line to the load unit; receiving means for separating and receiving additional information superimposed and carried on the power line; Control means for controlling the operation of the load unit based on the additional information. 21. The robot according to claim 20, wherein the additional information is information describing something like “sprinkling” on food or electric power as food. 22. The robot according to claim 20, wherein said coupling means is fixedly connected to said power line. 23. The robot according to claim 20, wherein said coupling means is detachably connected to said power line. 24. The coupling means includes a second converter disposed opposite to a first converter disposed on the power line side, wherein the first converter is applied to the power line. 24. The robot according to claim 23, wherein a magnetic field is generated in response to the applied electric signal, and wherein the second converter generates an electric signal in response to an applied magnetic field. 25. A means for measuring a coupling ratio between the first converter and the second converter, and when the coupling ratio is lower than a predetermined value, the robot body is improved so as to improve the coupling ratio. The robot according to claim 24, further comprising: means for moving. 26. The control device according to claim 26, wherein said control means retains a state variable defining an internal state of said robot, updates said state variable in accordance with additional information received via said power line, and further stores a state variable based on said state variable. 21. The robot according to claim 20, wherein the operation of the robot is determined. 27. The robot according to claim 26, wherein the state variables include factors such as an excitement degree and an interest degree expressing the emotion of the robot. 28. The control means, based on the degree of interest and the degree of excitement, the color, intensity and blinking speed of light provided to the robot, the type, speed and size of the movement of the robot, 28. The robot according to claim 27, wherein the robot controls sound, voice intensity, reproduction speed, tone, and the like generated by the robot. 29. The robot according to claim 27, wherein the types of food that can be eaten and the degree of influence of nutrients on the emotions by nutrients are different for each type of robot. 30. The robot according to claim 27, wherein said control means updates a state variable according to a nutrient contained in the received food information.