JP2005202609A - Content management device and method, robot device and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a content management device and method capable of efficiently deleting data of an unnecessary content, a robot device and a control method thereof. <P>SOLUTION: Data of each content and predetermined management information for each content are stored, a content to be deleted is selected based on the management information as needed, and according to the selection result, the data of the corresponding content is deleted. According to this, when deletion of data of contents is needed, unnecessary contents can be surely selected and deleted, and deletion of data of the unnecessary contents can be thus efficiently performed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a content management apparatus and method, a robot apparatus, and a control method therefor, and is suitable for application to a robot that can download content data from an external server connected online to a network.

  In recent years, external sensors such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera, a microphone and a touch sensor, and internal sensors such as a battery sensor and an acceleration sensor are mounted, and external and internal conditions are based on the outputs of these external sensors and internal sensors. Has been proposed and developed by the present patent applicant (see Non-Patent Document 1, for example).

  In such a robot, data of various contents stored in the loaded external memory is read into the internal memory at the time of activation, and contents corresponding to the external and internal conditions at that time are selected from these read contents. By playing it back, it is possible to express autonomous behavior.

Note that the content here means unit movements such as “forward”, “turn to the right”, “bow”, etc. (PM: Primitive Motion), and “run the bow after turning forward” A series of combined actions, dance, “listen to the conversation partner, raise either the right or left hand according to the content, and at the same time output a predetermined word, then the conversation partner utters the next word A scenario that defines a robot's movement and a series of actions, such as a scenario that defines a series of interactions such as "Waiting for ...".
Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-270835

  However, since the storage capacity of the internal memory of the robot is limited, the robot can hold only a limited number of content data. For this reason, when such a robot is used for a long time, the same content is used over and over, which causes a problem that makes the user feel bored.

  In this case, when the robot is activated, the content read from the external memory to the internal memory is changed each time so that a different behavior is manifested at each activation, or the behavior is executed from a disk-shaped recording medium such as a hard disk. Although it may be possible to diversify the behavior of the robot by reading content data corresponding to the occasion (hereinafter referred to as content data) into the internal memory, in any case the storage capacity of the external memory, disk device, etc. Because it is limited, it does not solve the problem.

  As one method for solving such a problem, a method of virtually increasing the storage capacity of the robot by using an external huge server or a distributed server connected online to a network is conceivable. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-111981 discloses a method in which a robot downloads information necessary for user interaction via a network each time.

  However, according to the method of downloading information whenever necessary as in JP-A-2003-111981, there is an insufficient problem for the purpose of moving the robot. That is, since the robot motion control requires high speed, control data for such control needs to be developed in the internal memory. For this reason, repeated downloads of content data may cause the robot to become inoperable due to insufficient memory capacity in the internal memory, or to slow down the behavior of the robot due to the large amount of download time of content data. is there. The same can be said for the conversation scenario that defines the flow of conversation with the user.

  In order to solve this problem, it is considered that a cache mechanism that basically holds content data in an internal memory and erases content data that is considered unnecessary when the storage capacity is insufficient is considered effective.

  However, due to the characteristics of the target robot, there is a problem in that efficient processing cannot be performed by the mechanical erasing method based on the data utilization state conventionally used in personal computers and the like. For example, if the content data to be deleted is not determined in consideration of the dependency relationship between the contents, the necessary content data is also deleted, and the robot behavior may be reduced in speed or the content may not be executed. is there.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and intends to propose a content management apparatus and method, a robot apparatus, and a control method thereof that can efficiently delete unnecessary content data.

  In order to solve such a problem, in the present invention, in the content management apparatus, management information storage means for storing predetermined management information for each content stored in the content storage means, and deletion when necessary based on the management information Selection means for selecting content and deletion means for deleting the corresponding content data from the content storage means according to the selection result of the selection means are provided.

  As a result, when it becomes necessary to delete content data, the content management apparatus can reliably select and delete unnecessary content based on the management information for each content.

  In the present invention, in the content management method, when necessary, a step of selecting content to be deleted based on management information and a step of deleting data of the corresponding content according to the selection result are provided.

  As a result, according to this content management method, when it is necessary to delete content data, it is possible to reliably select and delete unnecessary content based on management information for each content.

  Further, in the present invention, in the robot apparatus, management information storage means for storing management information for each content stored in the content storage means, and selection means for selecting content to be deleted based on the management information when necessary, According to the selection result of the selection means, there is provided a deletion means for deleting the corresponding content data from the content storage means.

  As a result, when it becomes necessary to delete content data, this robot apparatus can reliably select and delete unnecessary content based on the management information for each content.

  Further, according to the present invention, in the control method of the robot apparatus, when necessary, a step of selecting content to be deleted based on management information and a step of deleting corresponding content data according to the selection result are provided.

  As a result, according to the control method of the robot apparatus, when it becomes necessary to delete content data, it is possible to reliably select and delete unnecessary content based on management information for each content.

  According to the present invention, in a content management apparatus that manages content in units of predetermined information, content storage means for storing data of each content, and predetermined management information for each content in which data is stored in the content storage means. Management information storage means for storing, selection means for selecting content to be deleted based on management information when necessary, and deletion means for deleting corresponding content data from the content storage means according to the selection result of the selection means As a result, when it becomes necessary to delete content data, it is possible to reliably select and delete unnecessary content based on the management information for each content, and thus efficiently delete unnecessary content. A content management apparatus capable of deleting data can be realized.

  According to the present invention, in the content management method for managing content in units of predetermined information, the first step of storing the data of each content and the predetermined management information for each content, and when necessary, based on the management information When it becomes necessary to delete content data by providing a second step of selecting content to be deleted and a third step of deleting data of the corresponding content according to the selection result Based on the management information for each content, it is possible to reliably select and delete unnecessary content, thus realizing a content management method capable of efficiently deleting unnecessary content data.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, in a robot apparatus capable of downloading content data defining the details of an action or action from the outside, content storage means for storing data of each content, and data stored in the content storage means Management information storage means for storing management information for each stored content, selection means for selecting content to be deleted based on management information when necessary, and content data corresponding to the result of selection by the selection means By providing the deleting means for deleting from the means, when it becomes necessary to delete content data, it is possible to reliably select and delete unnecessary contents based on the management information for each content. Robot equipment that can delete unnecessary content data efficiently. It can be realized.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, in the control method of a robot apparatus capable of downloading content data defining the details of the action or action from the outside, the first data for storing the data of each content and the management information for each content is stored. Content, the second step of selecting the content to be deleted based on the management information when necessary, and the third step of deleting the corresponding content data according to the selection result. When it becomes necessary to delete the data, it is possible to select and delete the unnecessary content reliably based on the management information for each content, and thus to efficiently delete the unnecessary content data. The control method can be realized.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(1) Configuration of Robot 1 According to the Present Embodiment (1-1) Hardware Configuration of Robot 1 In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a robot according to the present embodiment as a whole. The head unit 4 is attached to the body unit 2, the arm units 5 A and 5 B are attached to the left and right upper parts of the body unit 2 through shoulder joints 4 A and 4 B, respectively, and the lower part of the body unit 2 is a hip joint. A pair of leg units 7A and 7B are attached via 6A and 6B.

  FIG. 2 schematically shows the configuration of the electric / control system of the robot 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the robot 1 includes a control unit 10 that performs overall control of the entire operation and other data processing, an input / output unit 11, a drive unit 12, and a power supply unit 13. .

  The input / output unit 11 serves as an input unit for detecting the external environment, such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera 20 corresponding to the eyes of the robot 1, a microphone 21 corresponding to the ears, the head, both left and right shoulders, hands and feet. Includes touch sensor 22 that is placed on the back or the like to detect physical actions from the user, contact between the hand and an external object, grounding of the back of the foot, or other various sensors corresponding to the five senses . As an output unit for performing user feedback, a speaker 23 corresponding to the mouth of the robot 1 or an LED (eye lamp) 24 that forms a facial expression by a combination of blinking and lighting timing is provided.

The drive unit 12 is a functional block that realizes the body operation of the robot 1 in accordance with a predetermined motion pattern commanded by the control unit 10, and rolls at each joint such as the neck joint 3, the shoulder joints 4A and 4B, and the hip joints 6A and 6B. Drive units 25 _{1 to} 25 _n provided for each axis such as pitch, yaw and the like. Each driving unit ₂₅ 1 to 25 _n includes a motor ₂₆ 1 ~ 26 _n for rotating operation of the predetermined axis, an encoder ₂₇ 1 ~ 27 _n for detecting a rotational position of the motor ₂₆ 1 ~ 26 _n, encoders ₂₇ 1 to It is configured by a combination of drivers 28 _{1 to} 28 _n that adaptively control the rotational positions and rotational speeds of the motors 26 _{1 to} 26 _n based on the outputs of 27 _n .

  The power supply unit 13 is a functional module that supplies power to each electric circuit or the like in the robot 1 in accordance with its meaning. The robot 1 according to the present embodiment is an autonomous drive type using a battery, and the power supply unit 13 includes a charging battery 29 and a charging / discharging control unit 31 that manages a charging / discharging state of the charging battery 30.

  The rechargeable battery 29 is configured, for example, in the form of a “battery pack” in which a plurality of lithium ion secondary battery cells are packaged in a cartridge type.

  Further, the charge / discharge control unit 30 grasps the remaining capacity of the battery 29 by measuring the terminal voltage of the battery 29, the amount of charge / discharge current, the ambient temperature of the battery 29, and the like, and determines the charging start time, end time, etc. To do. The charging start / end timing determined by the charge / discharge control unit 30 is notified to the control unit 10 and serves as a trigger for the robot 1 to start and end the charging operation.

  The control unit 10 corresponds to a “brain” and is disposed in the head unit 4 or the torso unit 2, for example. As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 10 has a configuration in which a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 31 serving as a main controller is connected to a memory, other circuit components, and peripheral devices via a bus. The bus 32 is a common signal transmission path including a data bus, an address bus, a control bus, and the like.

  A RAM (Read Access Memory) 33 is a writable memory composed of a volatile memory such as a DRAM (Dynamic RAM), loads a program code to be executed by the CPU 31, and temporarily stores work data by the execution program. Used for preservation.

  A ROM (Read Only Memory) 34 is a read-only memory that permanently stores programs and data. Examples of the program code stored in the ROM 34 include a self-diagnosis test program that is executed when the robot 1 is powered on, and various control programs that define the behavior of the robot 1.

  The control program of the robot 1 includes a “sensor input / recognition processing program” that processes sensor inputs from the CCD camera 20 and the microphone 21 and recognizes them as symbols, and sensor inputs while managing storage operations such as short-term memory and long-term memory. “Content data” as a behavior control program for controlling the behavior of the robot 1 based on a predetermined behavior control model, “drive control program” for controlling the driving of each joint motor and the sound output of the speaker 22 in accordance with the content data, etc. Is included.

  The nonvolatile memory 35 is composed of a memory element that can be electrically erased and rewritten, such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable ROM), and is used to hold data to be sequentially updated in a nonvolatile manner. Data to be updated sequentially includes a memorization key and other security information, content data downloaded via a network as will be described later, and the like.

The interface 36 is a functional block for interconnecting with devices outside the control unit 10 and enabling data exchange. The interface 36 performs data input / output with the camera 20, the microphone 21, and the speaker 22 in the input / output unit 11, for example. The interface 35 inputs and outputs data and commands to and from the drivers 28 _{1 to} 28 _n in the drive unit 12.

  The interface 36 is a serial interface such as RS (Recommended Standard) -232C, a parallel interface such as IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 1284, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface, an i-Link (IEEE 1394) interface, A general-purpose interface for connecting computer peripherals such as a SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) interface, a memory card interface (card slot) that accepts PC cards and memory sticks, etc. It may be possible to move programs and data between. Furthermore, as another example of the interface 36, an infrared communication (IrDA) interface may be provided to perform wireless communication with an external device.

  Further, the control unit 10 includes a wireless communication interface 37, and is connected to an access point 38 disposed within a few meters of the robot 1 by proximity wireless data communication such as Bluetooth or a wireless network such as IEEE802.11b. Wireless data communication can be performed, and further, data communication can be performed with the external device 39 connected to a small-scale network such as a LAN or a wide area network such as the Internet via the access point 38.

(1-2) Software Configuration of Robot 1 In the robot 1 according to the present embodiment, the CPU 31 in the control unit 10 executes predetermined content, whereby behavior control according to a recognition result of an external stimulus and a change in an internal state is performed. It can be performed. FIG. 4 schematically shows the basic architecture of the behavior control system 40 that performs the behavior control of the robot 1.

  This behavior control system 40 is implemented by adopting object-oriented programming. In this case, each software is handled in units of modules called “objects” in which data and processing procedures for the data are integrated. Each object can perform data transfer and invoke using message communication and an inter-object communication method using a shared memory.

  The behavior control system 40 includes a visual recognition function unit 41, an auditory recognition function unit 42, and the like for recognizing an external environment based on output of each sensor such as the CCD camera 20, the microphone 21, and the touch sensor 23 in the input / output unit 11. The contact recognition function unit 43 is provided.

  The visual recognition function unit 41 executes image recognition processing such as face recognition and color recognition and feature extraction based on the image signal formed by the sensor output of the CCD camera 20. The visual recognition function unit 41 then detects the face ID (identifier) unique to the person as the face recognition result, the face recognition information such as the position and size of the face image area, the position of the color area as the color recognition result, Various visual recognition results such as color recognition information such as size and feature amount are output.

  The auditory recognition function unit 42 executes recognition processing related to various sounds such as voice recognition, speaker recognition, and sound source direction recognition based on a voice signal that is a sensor output of the microphone 21. The auditory recognition function unit 42 then recognizes the character string information of the recognized word as the speech recognition result, speaker ID information unique to the speaker as the speaker recognition processing result based on the acoustic features, and the sound source direction. Various auditory recognition results such as sound source direction information which is a recognition result are output.

  The contact recognition function unit 43 is said to be “struck”, “struck”, “gripped an object”, “the back of the foot is grounded” based on a pressure detection signal that is a sensor output of each touch sensor 22. It recognizes physical contact with the outside and outputs the various contact recognition results obtained.

  The internal state management unit 44 manages instinct and emotion as mathematical models and manages them as internal states. The internal state management unit 44 determines the state according to the recognition results of the visual recognition function unit 41, the auditory recognition function unit 42, and the contact recognition function unit 43. Change.

  Specifically, the internal state management unit 44 may include fatigue, heat or body temperature, pain, appetite or hunger, thirst, affection, curiosity. Each of the nine instinctive elements that make up the instinct, such as elimination and sexuality, holds parameters that represent its strength, happiness, sadness, anger, Surprise, disgust, fear, frustration, boredom, sleep, somnolence, gregariousness, patience, tension, relaxed Strength of each of the 18 emotional elements that make up emotions such as alertness, guilt, spite, loyalty, submission and jealousy Parameter to represent keeping.

  Then, the internal state management unit 44 determines the parameter values of these instinctive elements and emotional elements based on the recognition results of the visual recognition function unit 41, the auditory recognition function unit 42, and the contact recognition function unit 43, the elapsed time, and the like. Thus, the instinct and emotion of the robot 1 are changed every moment by periodically updating.

  On the other hand, in the behavior control system 40, in order to perform behavior control according to the recognition result of the external stimulus and the change in the internal state, the information is compared with the short-term storage unit 45 that performs short-term memory that is lost over time. A long-term storage unit 46 is provided for maintaining a long period of time. The classification of memory mechanisms, short-term memory and long-term memory, relies on neuropsychology.

  The short-term storage unit 45 is an object that holds information about the external environment of the robot 1 for a relatively short time, and various visual recognition results output from the visual recognition function unit 41 and various types of output output from the auditory recognition function unit 42. Receiving the auditory recognition result, various contact recognition results output from the contact recognition function unit 43, and various sensor outputs supplied via the visual recognition function unit 41, the auditory recognition function unit 42, or the contact recognition function unit 43; This is stored for a short period.

  In addition, the short-term storage unit 45 uses the received visual recognition result, auditory recognition result, contact recognition result, and various sensor outputs in an integrated manner to associate the face image area, person ID, speaker ID, character string information, and the like. By doing, it generates target information and event information about where the person is and where the spoken word is, and what kind of dialogue the person has so far, and saves it. .

  The long-term storage unit 46 is used to hold information obtained by learning, such as the name of an object, for a long period of time. The RAM 32 and the nonvolatile memory 34 in the control unit 10 (FIG. 3) are used. The long-term storage unit 36 stores information obtained by learning as a combination of several elements such as color, shape, face ID, voice, instinct value, and emotion value, and then outputs from the visual recognition function unit 41. Associating the remaining elements related to the target based on the combination pattern of the color and shape of the target and the face ID obtained based on the various visual recognition results and the auditory recognition result output from the auditory recognition function unit 42 It is made to be able to do.

  Based on various information stored and held in the short-term storage unit 44 and the long-term storage unit 46, the behavior control unit 47 determines the situation in which the robot 1 is currently placed and the previous behavior from among the various behaviors prepared in advance. Based on behavior selected depending on the situation (situation-dependent behavior), reflexive behavior in response to external stimuli (reflective behavior), or a relatively long-term behavior plan in response to a given situation or user command The action (contemplation action) or the like is determined as the action of the next robot 1.

Then, the action selection control unit 47 selects the content data of the content corresponding to the action determined as described above from the content data of the various contents read from the ROM 34 and the nonvolatile memory 35 and developed in the RAM 33, and this content or by driving the motor ₂₆ 1 ~ 26 _n for the corresponding drive units ₂₅ 1 to 25 _n based on the data, to blink driven LED24 in a predetermined pattern.

  In addition, when the action selection control unit 47 decides to interact with the user as the next action, the action recognition control unit 47 continuously monitors the voice recognition result of the user's utterance sequentially stored in the short-term storage unit 44 by the voice recognition unit 42 thereafter. Based on the voice recognition result and the content data of the corresponding content, a necessary synthesized voice signal is generated and sent to the speaker 23 (FIG. 2), so that the voice based on the voice signal is transmitted to the speaker 23. Output from.

  In this way, the robot 1 can act autonomously based on external and internal conditions recognized based on sensor outputs of various sensors such as the CCD camera 20, the microphone 21, and the touch sensor 23. ing.

(2) Configuration of content data download system according to the present embodiment (2-1) Configuration of content data download system Here, FIG. 5 shows that the robot 1 downloads content data designated in response to a user request. 1 shows a content data download system 50 adapted to be obtained. The content data download system 50 is configured by interconnecting a content provider side system unit 51 and a user side system unit 52 via a network 53.

  The content provider side system unit 51 includes a content server 60 connected online to the network 53 and a plurality of personal computers 61 and 62, and the content producer uses the personal computers 61 and 62 directly or The content data can be transmitted to the content server 60 via the network 53 and stored in the content server 60.

  The user-side system unit 52 includes the robot 1 and a personal computer 63 owned by the user who functions as the access point 38 described above with reference to FIG.

  In this case, the robot 1 and the personal computer 63 are wirelessly connected, and the personal computer 63 is connected to the network 53 through a predetermined communication line, whereby the robot 1 sequentially passes through the personal computer 63 and the network 53 when necessary. The content data of the desired content can be downloaded from the content stored and held in the content server 60 of the content providing system unit 51.

  A specific configuration of the content server 60 is shown in FIG. As apparent from FIG. 6, the content server 60 includes a CPU 70 that controls the entire content server 60, a RAM 71 as a work memory of the CPU 70, a ROM 72 that stores various control programs, and various content contents. A large-capacity storage unit 73 composed of a hard disk device or the like for storing and holding data and a communication unit 74 for communicating with an external device are connected to each other through a bus 75.

  In the content server 60, commands and content data supplied via the Internet or directly from the personal computers 61 and 62 of the content providing system unit 51 are fetched via the communication unit 74, and the content data is controlled by the CPU 70. Is stored and held in the storage unit 73.

  Further, the CPU 70 manages the content data of each content stored and held in the storage unit 73 in accordance with the control program stored in the ROM 72 as described later, and the content given from the robot 1 of the user side system unit 52 via the network 53. The content data of the content designated in response to the transmission request is transmitted to the robot 1 via the network 53.

(2-2) Download of Content Data FIG. 7 schematically shows a software configuration related to downloading of content data by the robot 1 in the content data download system 50.

  As is clear from FIG. 7, in this content data download system 50, a server manager 80 is provided as a software module for content management in the content server 60 (FIG. 5) of the content providing system unit 51 (FIG. 5). A content manager 81 is provided in the robot 1 (FIG. 5) of the user-side system unit 52 (FIG. 5).

  In this case, the server manager 80 stores content data of new content (hereinafter referred to as new content) supplied from the personal computers 61 and 62 (FIG. 5) in the server-side content database 82 in the storage unit 73. On the other hand, the management information of the content transmitted from the personal computers 61 and 62 together with the content data is registered in the server-side content management table 83 stored and held in the storage unit 73.

  In practice, in the case of the content data download system 50, the personal content is transmitted from the personal computers 61 and 62 together with the content data of the new content as the management information of the new content. (DNC) or scenario (SNL), etc., "Type information (type)" that indicates which type it belongs to, and the new content is joy (HAPPY), sadness (SAD), hard dance (H_DNC) , “Group information (Group)” that indicates which of the various groups of “Types” subcategories such as Soft Dance (S_DNC), Greeting (GRT), Christmas Only (XMAS), The dependency between the new content and other content (for example, when dancing in the middle of a scenario) "Related content information (Child)" representing the ID of other related content necessary for executing the new content, "data size information (size)" representing the data size of the new content, “Use restriction information (Cond)” representing the use restriction when the new content has a use restriction such as an expiration date or the number of executable times is given (see FIG. 8).

  When such management information is given, the server manager 80, as shown in FIG. 8, "content ID information" representing a unique ID (hereinafter referred to as a content ID) assigned to the new content in the management information. (ID) ”and link information representing“ link (p_data) ”to the data entity stored in the server-side content database 82 are added, and the management information is registered in the server-side content management table 83. Thereafter, the new content is managed based on the management information.

  In addition to this, when content data of new content is given from the personal computers 61 and 62, the server manager 80 stores various management information such as content ID, type and group of the new content in the storage unit 73. The new content list 84 is registered.

  On the other hand, the content manager 81 is an object for managing content in the robot 1, and stores content data read from the ROM 34 (FIG. 3) or downloaded via the network 53 in the content database 85 in the flash ROM 35 (FIG. 3). On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, various types of management information (content ID information, type information, group information, related content information, data size information, usage restriction information) of the contents supplied and supplied to these contents, “Link information (p_data)” representing a link to the data entity of the content in the robot 1 is registered in the robot-side content management table 86 stored in the flash ROM 35.

  In addition to the management information described above, the content manager 81 further includes “download date / time information (DL_time)” indicating the download date / time of the content and the content for each content whose data is stored in the robot-side content database 85. "Execution count information (repeat)" representing the number of times of execution, "Failure number information (fail)" representing the number of failures of the content, and an evaluation accumulation consisting of accumulation of user responses (evaluations) to the content " "Evaluation cumulative information (react)" is registered in the robot-side content management table 86 as management information of the content, while the execution frequency information, failure frequency information, and evaluation cumulative information of these management information are stored in the subsequent content. Update as necessary according to usage conditions.

  In other words, the content manager 81 registers “0” as the initial value when registering the content in the robot-side content management table 86 for the execution count information, and thereafter, at the timing when the robot 1 tries to execute the content. The numerical value is incremented (increased by “1”). Therefore, even when the content fails in the content execution process as described later, the numerical value of the execution frequency information is increased by “1”.

  The content manager 81 registers “0” as the initial value when registering the content in the robot-side content management table 86 for the failure count information, and when the content is subsequently executed by the robot 1, the content manager 81 registers the content. When does not advance to the specified location, increment the value. Therefore, for example, when the robot 1 falls while the dance content is being executed, or when the content is terminated halfway because the user has disappeared while the scenario content is being executed, the numerical value of the failure frequency information is “ It will be increased by 1 ”.

  Further, the content manager 81 registers “5” as an initial value when registering the content in the robot-side content management table 86 for the accumulated evaluation information, and thereafter, when the robot 1 executes the content, Depending on the reaction, this number is varied in the range of 0-10. Specifically, the content manager 81 performs a predetermined reaction meaning that the user likes the content during or after the execution of the content (for example, the user touches the touch sensor 22 on the right shoulder of the robot 1). In the case of pressing (FIG. 2), the numerical value of the evaluation accumulated information is increased by, for example, “1”, and a predetermined reaction meaning that it is disliked (for example, a user) When the touch sensor 22 on the left shoulder of the robot 1 is pressed), the numerical value of the accumulated evaluation information is decreased.

  Then, the content manager 81 uses the robot-side content management table 86 in this way to manage each content stored in the robot-side content database 85 (type, group, related content, link, execution count information, failure count information, Processing for deleting other content from the robot-side content database 85 when a new content download request is given by the user based on the evaluation accumulation information and the like and the flash ROM 35 does not have sufficient storage capacity Is performed according to the download processing procedure RT1 shown in FIG. 10 using the robot-side content management table 86.

  In practice, in the case of this robot 1, the behavior control unit 47 (FIG. 4) informs the short-term storage unit 45 (FIG. 4) that a download request for new content such as “no new dance?” Is given by the user. When the recognition is performed based on the voice recognition result of the auditory recognition function unit 42 (FIG. 4) stored and held, the content manager 81 is notified of this.

  When the notification is given, the content manager 81 starts the content data download processing procedure RT1 at step SP0, and at the subsequent step SP1, the content manager 81 transmits to the server manager 80 of the content server 60 (FIG. 5) via the network 53 (FIG. 5). A transfer request for the new content list 84 is issued.

  As a result, when the data of the new content list 84 is transmitted from the server manager 80 of the content server 60 as a result, the content manager 81 proceeds to step SP1, and based on the new content list 84, whether there is a corresponding new content. Judge whether or not.

  If the content manager 81 obtains a negative result in step SP2, the content manager 81 proceeds to step SP3 and notifies the behavior control unit 47 to that effect. Thus, at this time, under the control of the behavior control unit 47, the robot 1 outputs a sound indicating that there is no new content such as “No new dance”.

  On the other hand, when the content manager 81 obtains a positive result in step SP2, the content manager 81 proceeds to step SP4 and notifies the behavior control unit 47 to that effect. Thus, under the control of the action control unit 47 at this time, the robot 1 “has a hard dance”, “has four soft dances”, “has three hard dances and two soft dances”, etc. A sound indicating that there is new content is output.

  Then, the content manager 81 proceeds to step SP5 and waits for the user to specify new content to be downloaded. After that, when the user designates new content to be downloaded by voice, such as “Download the second hard dance”, a notification corresponding to this is given from the behavior control unit 47 to the content manager 81.

  Thus, upon receiving this notification, the content manager 81 proceeds to step SP6 to determine whether or not there is enough space in the flash ROM 35 to download the designated new content.

  If the content manager 81 obtains an affirmative result in step SP6, it proceeds to step SP10 and transfers the data of the content designated by the user to the server manager 80 (FIG. 7) of the content server 60 via the network 53. Send a request.

  Thus, at this time, the server manager 80 transfers the data of the designated content to the content manager 81 of the robot 1 via the network 53, and at the same time, the ID of the content stored in the server-side content management table 83. Various management information such as (ID) and type is transmitted to the content manager 81 of the robot 1 via the network 53.

  On the other hand, when the content data and the management information of the content are transferred from the server manager 80, the content manager 81 stores the content data in the robot-side content database 85, and also manages the management information and other necessary management. Information is written in the robot-side content management table 86 and the content is registered in the robot-side content management table 86.

  On the other hand, if the content manager 81 obtains a negative result in step SP6, it proceeds to step SP7 to select a deletion candidate content from the contents registered in the robot-side content database 85 as shown in FIG. Select according to RT2.

  That is, when the content manager 81 proceeds to step SP7 of the content data download processing procedure RT1, the deletion candidate selection processing procedure RT2 is started in step SP20, and in the following step SP21, for example, the figure stored in the ROM 34 (FIG. 3) in advance. A scoring table 87 as shown in FIG.

  Here, the scoring table 87 is used to determine how much each content currently stored in the robot-side content database 85 (flash ROM 35) satisfies a condition for deleting from the robot-side content database 85. Various conditions and points when the conditions are satisfied are defined, and the score is defined in correspondence with each piece of management information such as “type”, “group”, and “related content” of the content.

  For example, in the example of FIG. 12, when the content of the judgment target and the type of the content of the download match, “1”, when the group matches, “2”, when the judgment target content has related content. Is “1”, “1” if the data size of the content is 1000 or more, “100” if the content is past usage permission conditions such as the expiration date or the number of times it can be used, etc. "1" if 100 days or more have passed since download, "0" if the content has never been executed, failure rate of the content (percentage of failed times relative to the number of attempts to execute) ) Is 50 [%] or more, and “2” is defined as the score when the accumulated value of the user evaluation is 2 or less.

  When the content manager 81 reads out the scoring table 87 from the ROM 34, the process proceeds to step SP22. Based on the scoring table 87 and the robot-side content management table 86 stored in the flash ROM 35, for example, FIG. In this way, all content is scored, and the total score (“SUM”) is calculated for each content.

  Thereafter, the content manager 81 proceeds to step SP23, and determines whether or not there are a plurality of contents that have obtained the maximum total score based on the total score of each content calculated in step SP22. If the content manager 81 obtains a negative result in step SP23, it proceeds to step SP25 to end this deletion candidate selection processing procedure RT2, and if it obtains an affirmative result, it proceeds to step SP24 and obtains the maximum total score. After randomly selecting one of the contents as the candidate deletion content, the process proceeds to step SP25 to end the deletion candidate selection processing procedure RT2.

  Therefore, in the example of FIG. 13, the contents assigned with IDs “3”, “4”, “7”, and “9” are registered in the current robot 1, and as a result of such scoring, ID Since the content of “7” and the content of ID “9” both have acquired the maximum total score of “5”, the content manager selects the content with the ID of “7” and the content of ID “9”. Any one of these is randomly selected as a deletion candidate.

  When the content manager 81 finishes selecting one content as a deletion candidate in this way, the content manager 81 returns to the content data download processing procedure RT1 and then proceeds to step SP8 to select it at step SP24 of the deletion candidate selection processing procedure RT2. A deletion process for deleting the content data of the content from the robot-side content database 85 (flash ROM 35) is executed.

  Further, the content manager 81 thereafter proceeds to step SP9 to determine whether or not the current remaining capacity of the storage capacity of the flash ROM 35 is larger than the data amount of the content designated by the user in step SP5. If it is obtained, the process returns to step SP7, and thereafter, the loop of steps SP7 to SP9-SP7 is repeated until a positive result is obtained in step SP9.

  On the other hand, if the content manager 81 obtains a positive result in step SP9, it proceeds to step SP10 and executes the content data download process of the content selected by the user in step SP5.

  Specifically, the content manager 81 transmits a request for transferring the content data to the server manager 80 on the content server 60 side, and as a result, the content data transmitted from the content server 60 is transmitted to the robot-side content database 85 ( Register in the flash ROM 35). Further, the content manager 81 writes necessary information such as management information and download date / time of the content transmitted together with the content data in the content management table.

  When the content manager 81 ends the download process, the process proceeds to step SP11 and ends the content data download process procedure RT2.

(3) Operation and effect of the present embodiment In the above configuration, the content manager 81 of the robot 1 has the type, group, related content, size, number of executions, etc. for all content stored in the robot-side content database 85. Management information such as the number of failures and evaluation accumulation is registered in the robot-side content management table 86, and after that, when it becomes necessary to delete the content data, unnecessary content is selected based on the robot-side content management table 86, The content data is deleted from the robot-side content database 85.

  Therefore, the robot 1 selects unnecessary content based on the content management table 86 while comprehensively judging the similarity and substitutability of the content, the dependency between the content, the usage status, the evaluation from the user, and the like. Since the content data can be deleted, there is no possibility that necessary content data will be deleted, and it is possible to effectively prevent the possibility that the behavior of the robot will be reduced and the content cannot be executed.

  According to the above configuration, the management information such as the type, group, related content, size, number of executions, number of failures, and evaluation accumulation is stored in the robot-side content management table 86 for all the contents stored in the robot-side content database 85. When it is necessary to register and then delete the content data, unnecessary content is selected based on the robot-side content management table 86, and the content data is deleted from the robot-side content database 85. It is possible to select unnecessary contents while comprehensively judging content similarity and substitutability, dependency between contents, usage status, user evaluation, etc., and delete the content data, thus efficiently eliminating Realize a robot that can delete data It can be.

(4) Other Embodiments In the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the humanoid-type entertainment robot 1 configured as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 has been described. The present invention is not limited to this, and can be widely applied to content management devices that manage the content in robot devices having various configurations and devices that can download content data other than robot devices.

  In this case, in the above-described embodiment, the case has been described in which the content to be managed by the content management device defines the operation of the robot and a series of actions. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the music The same applies to a predetermined information unit such as data.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the content storage means for storing content data and the management information storage means for storing management information for each content are configured by the flash ROM 35 has been described. The present invention is not limited to this, and various other storage means such as a disk-shaped recording medium such as a hard disk can be widely applied.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, selection means for selecting content to be deleted when necessary based on various management information stored in the robot-side content management table 86 stored in the robot-side content database 85 (flash ROM 35). And the case where the same content manager 81 is used together with the deleting means for deleting the content data of the corresponding content from the robot-side content database 85 (flash ROM 35) according to the selection result of the selecting means. The present invention is not limited to this, and the selection unit and the deletion unit may be configured as separate objects.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the content manager 81 uses the management information as content ID information, type information, group information, related content information, data size information, use restriction information, link information, download date / time information, execution frequency information, and failure. Although the case where the frequency information and the accumulated evaluation information are registered in the robot-side content management table 86 has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and other information in addition to or instead of these information is used as management information on the robot side. It may be registered in the content management table 86 and each content may be managed based on the management information.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, “type information” of the content and “group information” as a subcategory of “type” are adopted as the similarity information for determining the similarity of the content contents. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In short, if management information includes information that can determine the similarity of contents, the contents include “type information” and “group”. Other information may be adopted in addition to or instead of “information”.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where two of “failure frequency information” and “evaluation cumulative information” are applied as execution result information obtained as a result of executing content has been described. Not limited to this, other information may be applied as execution result information in addition to or instead of these pieces of information.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which the content data of unnecessary content is deleted based on the robot-side content management table 86 when the content data of new content is downloaded. For example, content that is restricted in use and for which the permission condition has ended is determined at a predetermined timing such as when the permission condition ends or when the robot 1 is turned on. The content data may be deleted.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the user's reaction to the content executed by the robot 1 is predetermined between the user and the robot 1 has been described. As in the case of communication, for example, the robot 1 may make a unilateral determination based on, for example, the user's facial expression or the content of a statement during or after execution of the content.

  The present invention can be widely applied not only to entertainment robots, but also to robot devices having various configurations and uses, and various devices that can download content data other than robot devices.

It is a perspective view which shows the hardware constitutions of the robot by this Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the robot by this Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a control unit. It is a block diagram which shows the software structure of a robot. It is a basic diagram which shows the whole structure of the content data download system by this Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the simple structure of a content server. It is a block diagram which shows the software structure regarding download of the content data in a content data download system. It is a chart which shows a server side content management table. It is a chart which shows a robot side content management table. It is a flowchart which shows a content data download process sequence. It is a flowchart which shows the deletion candidate selection processing procedure. It is a chart which shows an example of a scoring table. It is a chart which shows an example of a scoring result.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Robot, 31 ... CPU, 40 ... Action control system, 47 ... Action control part, 50 ... Content data download system, 53 ... Network, 80 ... Server manager, 81 ... Content manager, 82 ... Server-side content database, 83 ... Server-side content management table, 84 ... New content list, 85 ... Robot-side content database, 86 ... Robot-side content management table, RT1 ... Content data download system, RT2 ... ... deletion candidate selection processing procedure.

Claims (24)

In a content management apparatus that manages content in a predetermined information unit,
Content storage means for storing data of each of the above contents;
Management information storage means for storing predetermined management information for each content in which the data is stored in the content storage means;
A selection means for selecting the content to be deleted based on the management information when necessary;
A content management apparatus comprising: a deletion unit that deletes the data of the content corresponding to the selection result of the selection unit from the content storage unit. The above management information
When there is a usage restriction on the content, the usage restriction information regarding the usage restriction, the similarity information for determining the similarity of the content of the content, the dependency relationship information indicating the dependency of the content, the content of the content The content management apparatus according to claim 1, comprising at least one of data amount information representing a data amount. The above management information
The content management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising execution result information obtained as a result of executing the content. The above execution result information
The content management apparatus according to claim 3, comprising at least one of evaluation information representing the user's evaluation of the content and success / failure information representing success / failure when the content is executed. The above management information
The content management apparatus according to claim 1, comprising at least one of download time information indicating a time when the content is downloaded and use count information indicating the use count of the content. Comprising a scoring table storage means for storing a scoring table in which scores are defined in correspondence with the various management information,
The determination means is
Scoring each content stored in the content storage means based on the scoring table stored in the scoring table storage means, and selecting the content to be deleted based on the scoring results. The content management apparatus according to claim 1. In a content management method for managing content in a predetermined information unit,
A first step of storing data of each content and predetermined management information for each content;
When necessary, a second step of selecting the content to be deleted based on the management information;
A content management method comprising: a third step of deleting the data of the content corresponding to the selection result. The above management information
When there is a usage restriction on the content, the usage restriction information regarding the usage restriction, the similarity information for determining the similarity of the content of the content, the dependency relationship information indicating the dependency of the content, the content of the content The content management method according to claim 7, comprising at least one of data amount information representing a data amount. The above management information
The content management method according to claim 7, comprising execution result information obtained as a result of executing the content. The execution result information above is
The content management method according to claim 9, comprising at least one of evaluation information representing the user's evaluation of the content and success / failure information representing success / failure when the content is executed. The above management information
The content management method according to claim 7, comprising at least one of download time information indicating a time when the content is downloaded and use count information indicating the use count of the content. In the first step,
Store a scoring table with points defined in correspondence with the various management information,
In the second step,
Scoring each content stored in the content storage means based on the scoring table stored in the scoring table storage means, and selecting the content to be deleted based on the scoring results. The content management method according to claim 7. In a robot apparatus configured to be able to download content data defining the details of an action or action from the outside,
Content storage means for storing data of each of the above contents;
Management information storage means for storing management information for each content in which the data is stored in the content storage means;
A selection means for selecting the content to be deleted based on the management information when necessary;
A robot apparatus comprising: a deletion unit that deletes the data of the corresponding content from the content storage unit according to a selection result of the selection unit. The above management information
When there is a usage restriction on the content, the usage restriction information regarding the usage restriction, the similarity information for determining the similarity of the content of the content, the dependency relationship information indicating the dependency of the content, the content of the content The robot apparatus according to claim 13, comprising at least one of data amount information representing a data amount. The above management information
The robot apparatus according to claim 13, comprising execution result information obtained as a result of executing the content. The above execution result information
The robot apparatus according to claim 15, comprising at least one of evaluation information indicating evaluation of the user with respect to the content and success / failure information indicating success / failure when the content is executed. The above management information
The robot apparatus according to claim 13, comprising at least one of download time information indicating a time when the content is downloaded and use count information indicating the use count of the content. Comprising a scoring table storage means for storing a scoring table in which scores are defined in correspondence with the various management information,
The determination means is
Scoring each content stored in the content storage means based on the scoring table stored in the scoring table storage means, and selecting the content to be deleted based on the scoring results. The robot apparatus according to claim 13. In a control method of a robot apparatus configured to be able to download content data defining the details of an action or action from the outside,
A first step of storing each content data and management information for each content;
When necessary, a second step of selecting the content to be deleted based on the management information;
And a third step of deleting the data corresponding to the content according to a selection result. The above management information
When there is a usage restriction on the content, the usage restriction information regarding the usage restriction, the similarity information for determining the similarity of the content of the content, the dependency relationship information indicating the dependency of the content, the content of the content The robot apparatus control method according to claim 19, comprising at least one of data amount information representing a data amount. The above management information
The robot apparatus control method according to claim 19, further comprising execution result information obtained as a result of executing the content. The execution result information above is
The robot apparatus control method according to claim 21, comprising at least one of evaluation information indicating the user's evaluation of the content and success / failure information indicating success or failure when the content is executed. . The above management information
The robot apparatus control method according to claim 19, comprising at least one of download time information indicating a time when the content is downloaded and use count information indicating the use count of the content. In the first step,
Store a scoring table with points defined in correspondence with the various management information,
In the second step,
Scoring each content stored in the content storage means based on the scoring table stored in the scoring table storage means, and selecting the content to be deleted based on the scoring results. The method for controlling a robot apparatus according to claim 19.

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