JP6411128B2 - Attitude control device and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a posture control device and a program for controlling the posture of a robot.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been disclosed a technique for notifying a user of an incoming call and mail reception at a communication terminal by changing the external shape of the terminal body or an accessory. For example, in Patent Document 1, the drive pattern generation unit generates a drive pattern signal in real time, and transmits the drive pattern signal to the actuator, whereby the shape of the communication terminal accessory or the member constituting the communication terminal itself is defined. There has been disclosed an event notification mechanism that changes and notifies a user of an event that has occurred (for example, an incoming call, an incoming mail, or reception of a digital television broadcast).

JP 2007-214908 A (released on August 23, 2007)

  However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is important for the user to grasp the continuation of the state of the communication terminal after the change in the external shape of the terminal body or the like, such as the event type being out of communication range or manner mode. It is not applied to what has significance. In addition, the change in the external shape cannot be understood at a glance by the user that the state of the communication terminal indicated by the event (out of communication range, manner mode, etc.) is continuing. Therefore, when the type of event that occurred is out of communication range or manner mode, the user cannot grasp that the state of the communication terminal indicated by the event continues.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its purpose is an event in which it is important for a user to grasp the continuation of the state of the communication terminal indicated by a change in the external shape of the communication terminal main body or the like. Therefore, the user can easily grasp the occurrence of the event.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the posture control apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention requires the user to recognize that the internal state after the change continues after the internal state of the robot changes. When the state recognition event detecting means for detecting the occurrence of the state recognition event that is an event and the state recognition event detecting means detects that the state recognition event has occurred, the posture of the robot is Drive control means for controlling the drive of the drive unit provided in the movable part of the robot so as to obtain a state recognition event posture suitable for the user to recognize the occurrence of the state recognition event.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, since the user can easily grasp the occurrence of the state recognition event, the user can easily cope with the occurrence of the state recognition event.

It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the robot which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. (A) is a front view which shows the outline of the said robot. (B) is a rear view showing an outline of the robot. (C) is a side view showing an outline of the robot. It is an example of the state recognition event attitude | position table memorize | stored in the memory | storage part of the said robot. (A)-(e) is the schematic which shows an example of a state recognition event attitude | position. It is a flowchart which shows the control method of the attitude | position of the robot by the attitude | position control apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is an example of the execution availability determination condition table memorize | stored in the memory | storage part of the robot which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the control method of the attitude | position of the robot by the attitude | position control apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is an example of the time-out table memorize | stored in the memory | storage part of the robot which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the control method of the attitude | position of the robot by the attitude | position control apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention.

Embodiment 1
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. In the following embodiment, the posture control device is described as being provided in a biped walking humanoid robot. However, the posture control device may be provided not only for the biped walking humanoid robot but also for all robots such as an anime character battle robot or animal robot. In the following embodiments, a biped walking humanoid robot with a mobile phone function will be described as an example.

  (Outline of Robot) First, an outline of the robot 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2A is a front view showing an outline of the robot 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2B is a rear view illustrating the outline of the robot 100. Further, FIG. 2C is a side view illustrating the outline of the robot 100.

  As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2C, the robot 100 includes a head portion 100a, a torso portion 100b, arm portions 100c, leg portions 100d, and foot portions 100e. The head 100a is movably connected to the body 100b via the neck 100g, the arm 100c via the shoulder joint 100h, and the leg 100d via the leg joint 100i. Further, the foot part 100e is movably connected to the leg part 100d via the foot joint part 100j. A servo motor 24a, which will be described later, is built in the neck portion 100g and each joint portion. When the servo motor 24a is driven, the head portion 100a, the arm portion 100c, the leg portion 100d, and the foot portion 100e are movable. . Further, a mouth portion 100l constituting a part of the head portion 100a is provided with a speaker portion 22 described later, and a foot portion 100f constituting a portion of the foot portion 100e is provided with a microphone portion 21 described later. .

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C, a display unit 23 to be described later is provided on the back part 100k constituting a part of the body part 100b. In addition, as a position which arrange | positions the display part 23, it is not necessarily limited to the back part 100k, For example, you may arrange | position to the abdominal part 100m (refer (a) and (c) of FIG. 2).

  (Specific Configuration of Robot) Next, a specific configuration of the robot 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a specific configuration of the robot 100. As shown in FIG. 1, the robot 100 includes a control unit 10, an operation input unit 20, a microphone unit 21, a speaker unit 22, a display unit 23, a drive unit 24, a battery unit 25, an antenna unit 26, a transmission / reception unit 27, and a storage. A portion 28 is provided.

  The control unit 10 comprehensively controls the robot 100 and includes the attitude control device 1. The attitude control device 1 supervises various processes for controlling the attitude of the robot 100, and details thereof will be described later.

  The operation input unit 20 acquires an input user operation. Examples of the operation input unit 20 include a touch panel and an optical sensor. The microphone unit 21 is, for example, a sound collector that collects sound during a call. The speaker unit 22 is a reproduction unit that includes a function of reproducing information including audio data and a speaker that outputs audio so that it can be heard by non-users. The display unit 23 displays various images such as images resulting from the execution of various functions (application software) installed in the robot 100. As the display unit 23, for example, an LCD (Liquid crystal display) having a touch panel is used. The drive unit 24 drives each movable part such as the head 100a in the robot 100, and includes a number of servomotors 24a corresponding to the neck 100g and each joint. The battery unit 25 supplies power to each unit constituting the robot 100. The transmission / reception unit 27 transmits / receives various data such as audio data via the antenna unit 26.

  Next, a specific configuration of the storage unit 28 will be described. The storage unit 28 stores a state recognition event / posture table 28a and various control programs executed by the control unit 10. The storage unit 28 is configured by a nonvolatile storage device such as a hard disk or a flash memory. Note that the execution availability determination condition table 28b and the timeout table 28c will be described later.

  FIG. 3 is an example of the state recognition event posture table 28 a stored in the storage unit 28. The state recognition event posture table 28a is a data table showing the correspondence between the state recognition event and the state recognition event posture.

  The state recognition event is an event that requires the user to recognize that the internal state after the change continues after the internal state of the robot 100 changes, such as out of communication range or manner mode. “Internal state” refers to various functions provided in the robot 100 and states of various components accommodated in the robot 100. Examples of the “internal state” include “out of communication range (state in which the transmission / reception function of the transmission / reception unit 27 does not work)”, “manner mode” (sound from the speaker unit 22 of the robot 100 is muted) as shown in FIG. In a low voltage state (a state in which the remaining battery level of the battery unit 25 has decreased). Therefore, according to each of the above examples, “change in internal state” means “going from communication range to out of communication range”, “normal mode (the incoming call notification function of the robot 100 or the like depending on the sound output from the speaker unit 22) It means “being in manner mode” from “executed state”, and “from normal voltage state to low voltage state”.

  Note that “waiting for voice” in FIG. 3 waits for a specific registered word or an arbitrary word in order for the robot 100 to start voice input (voice recognition) from the user with low current consumption. Refers to the state. The “low voltage state (caution level)” is a state in which the remaining battery level is low enough that there is no problem even if various functions of the robot 100 are operated for a short time, that is, the low voltage state is a caution level. Point to. The “low voltage state (fatal level)” refers to a state where the remaining battery level becomes zero when various functions of the robot 100 are operated to some extent, that is, the low voltage state is a fatal level. “Bluetooth (registered trademark) OFF” indicates that Bluetooth, which is a short-range wireless communication technology used between the robot 100 and its peripheral devices, is unusable. “Security lock ON” indicates that a person other than the user cannot use various functions of the robot 100 by an input from the operation input unit 20 or the like for protecting the privacy of the user.

  Here, with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the transition method to a state recognition event attitude | position is demonstrated. 4A to 4E are schematic diagrams illustrating examples of state recognition event postures. The state recognition event posture refers to the posture of the robot 100 suitable for the user to recognize the occurrence of the state recognition event.

  Specifically, for example, when the state recognition event occurs and “manner mode” is set, the drive control unit 14 to be described later refers to the state recognition event posture table 28a so that the posture of the robot 100 is “Manner”. The servo motor 24a constituting the drive unit 24 is driven so as to shift to the state recognition event posture A2 (see FIG. 3) associated with “mode in progress”. In addition, as said attitude | position A2, the attitude | position where the site | part equivalent to any one hand of the arm part 100c hides the mouth part 100l is assumed, for example (refer (a) of FIG. 4).

  Note that the state recognition event posture may be any posture as long as the user can easily recognize the occurrence of the state recognition event. For example, as the state recognition event posture A1 associated with “out of communication range” in FIG. 3, both arm portions 100c are rotated around the shoulder joint portion 100h, and a “banzai (lift)” pose is taken. Such a posture is assumed (see FIG. 4B). Alternatively, as the posture A1, a posture in which the robot 100 lies on its back and takes a “large letter” pose is assumed (see FIG. 4C). Further, as the state recognition event posture A4 associated with the “low voltage state (caution level)”, the servo motor 24a is powered by a sitting posture or the like in which the angle between the body portion 100b and the leg portion 100d is approximately 90 degrees. A posture suitable for charging in which the robot 100 does not tilt even when it is in a non-driven state such as OFF is assumed (see FIG. 4D). Furthermore, as the state recognition event posture A7 associated with “security lock ON”, a posture in which “cross mark” is created by both of the arm portions 100c is assumed (see FIG. 4E). As the state recognition event posture, it is possible to define not only a stationary state but also a continuous motion (motion).

  Next, a specific configuration of the attitude control device 1 will be described. The posture control device 1 includes a state recognition event detection unit 11, a request detection unit 12, and a drive control unit 14. Note that the execution availability determination unit 13 will be described later.

  The state recognition event detection unit 11 detects the occurrence of a state recognition event and transmits the detection result to the drive control unit 14. The presence / absence of a state recognition event is determined, for example, based on the communication state of the transmission / reception unit 27 if it is out of the communication range, or is determined based on the remaining battery level of the battery unit 25 if it is a low voltage state. The request detection unit 12 detects a user request to the robot 100 in a state where the posture of the robot 100 is the state recognition event posture, and transmits a detection result to the drive control unit 14. The presence / absence of the user request is determined based on, for example, the presence / absence of a user operation by an input from the operation input unit 20, or the microphone unit 21 collects the user's voice and is acquired via a voice recognition processing unit (not shown). For example, based on the presence or absence of the requested command.

  When receiving the detection result that the state recognition event has occurred from the state recognition event detection unit 11, the drive control unit 14 controls the drive of each servo motor 24a so that the posture of the robot 100 becomes the state recognition event posture. . The drive control unit 14 cancels the state recognition event posture when the detection result indicating that the user request is received from the request detection unit 12 in a state where the posture of the robot 100 is the state recognition event posture. The drive of each servo motor 24a is controlled so as to do this. Further, in a state where the state recognition event posture is released, the drive control unit 14 returns to the released state recognition event posture when a predetermined time has elapsed since the processing of the robot 100 corresponding to the user request has been completed. The drive of each servo motor 24a is controlled so as to do this.

  Here, the release of the state recognition event posture means, for example, that the drive control unit 14 shifts the posture of the robot 100 to a posture suitable for the user request or shifts to a stand-by immovable standby posture. . The predetermined time is a time during which the state in which the user cannot recognize the continuation of the state recognition event is allowed, and is set in advance when the robot 100 is produced. Although not shown, the data is stored in the storage unit 28 as predetermined time data. The predetermined time in this embodiment is set to “30 seconds”. The predetermined time may be arbitrarily set by the user by inputting from the operation input unit 20 or the like.

  (Robot Posture Control Method by Posture Control Device) Next, a posture control method of the robot 100 by the posture control device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the control method.

  As shown in FIG. 5, first, when the state recognition event detection unit 11 detects the occurrence of a state recognition event (Y in Step 100; hereinafter abbreviated as S100), it indicates that the generation of the state recognition event has been detected. The detection result is transmitted to the drive control unit 14 (S100). On the other hand, when the occurrence of the state recognition event is not detected (N in S100), the state recognition event detection unit 11 detects again whether or not the state recognition event has occurred (S100).

  Next, when the drive control unit 14 determines Y (YES) in S100, the drive control unit 14 determines the state recognition event posture associated with the generated state recognition event by referring to the state recognition event posture table 28a ( S101). Then, the drive control unit 14 shifts the posture of the robot 100 to the state recognition event posture determined by itself (S102).

  Next, when the request detection unit 12 detects a user request to the robot 100 in a state where the posture of the robot 100 is the state recognition event posture (Y in S103), the detection result indicating that the user request is detected Is transmitted to the drive control unit 14 (S103). On the other hand, when the user request is not detected (N in S103), the request detection unit 12 detects again the presence or absence of the user request (S103).

  Next, the drive control part 14 cancels | releases a state recognition event attitude | position, when it determines with Y by S103 (S104). Then, the robot 100 executes processing for the user request (S105).

  Next, the drive control unit 14 measures the time from the point when the processing of the robot 100 in response to the user request is completed, and refers to the predetermined time (30 seconds) data stored in the storage unit 28, thereby determining the predetermined time. It is determined whether or not elapses (S106). When it is determined as Y in S106, the drive control unit 14 returns the posture of the robot 100 to the state recognition event posture (S107). On the other hand, if it is determined as N in S106, the drive control unit 14 determines again whether or not the predetermined time has elapsed.

  (Effects) As described above, according to the present embodiment, the posture control device 1 shifts the posture of the robot 100 to the state recognition event posture when the state recognition event occurs. Therefore, since the user can easily grasp the occurrence of the state recognition event, the user can easily cope with the state recognition event. In addition, when the user makes a request to the robot 100, the posture control device 1 cancels the state recognition event posture even in a state where the state recognition event continues. Therefore, the user can easily take an action to respond to the requested content. Furthermore, even when the state recognition event posture is released based on a user request under a state in which the state recognition event continues, the posture control device 1 returns to the state recognition event posture after a predetermined time has elapsed. Therefore, the state recognition event posture release state does not continue unnecessarily, and the user can re-recognize that the state recognition event continues.

[Embodiment 2]
Another embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those described in the embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

  The posture control device 2 according to the present embodiment includes an execution availability determination unit 13 that determines whether or not the request content of the user request for the robot 200 can be executed in a state where the state recognition event continues. This is different from the attitude control device 1 according to the first embodiment. Also, the drive control unit 14 controls driving of the drive unit 24 so as to cancel the state recognition event posture or maintain the state recognition event posture according to the determination result received from the execution determination unit 13. This is different from the attitude control device 1 according to the first embodiment. Furthermore, the robot 200 according to the present embodiment is different from the robot 100 according to the first embodiment in that an execution availability determination condition table 28 b is stored in the storage unit 28.

  (User Request Executability Determination Method) First, the user request execution permission determination method by the execution permission determination unit 13 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is an example of the execution possibility determination condition table 28 b stored in the storage unit 28. The execution possibility determination condition table 28b is a data table showing a correspondence relationship between a state recognition event and a user request to the robot 200 under a continuation state of the state recognition event. Here, the user request means that the user requests a process of the robot 200 desired by the user through a user operation or user action such as speech from the user. For example, the user request is received by the robot 200 via the operation input unit 20 in the case of a user operation, and via a voice recognition processing unit (not shown) in the case of an utterance from the user.

  In the present embodiment, “motion”, “speech”, and “net use” are listed as user requests. Here, the “motion” is a specific operation of the robot 200 desired by the user. “Speech” means that the response voice of the robot 200 desired by the user is output through the speaker unit 22. The response voice is generated by a voice synthesis processing unit (not shown) included in the control unit 10 based on a response word generated by a response generation processing unit (not shown) included in the control unit 10. The user request is not limited to the above three types, and may include, for example, “mail transmission”.

  Specifically, for example, when the request detection unit 12 detects a request for “dancing” from the user in a state where “out of communication range” continues as a state recognition event, Then, by referring to the execution possibility determination condition table 28b, it is determined whether or not the above-mentioned request, that is, “motion” can be executed. Here, since it is possible for the robot 200 to perform a specific “motion” even in the “out of communication range” state, if the state recognition event is “out of communication range” in the execution possibility determination condition table 28b, the user The “motion” as a request is executable (“◯” in FIG. 6). Therefore, the executability determination unit 13 determines that the user's request “dancing” can be executed, and transmits the determination result to the drive control unit 14.

  Further, if the robot 200 is in the “low voltage state (fatal level)”, there is a risk that the remaining battery level becomes zero even if the processing of the robot 200 that consumes little power is executed. Therefore, in the execution possibility determination condition table 28b, when the state recognition event is “low voltage state (fatal level)”, all user requests cannot be executed (“×” in FIG. 6). Therefore, for example, when the request detection unit 12 detects a request from the user that “I want to use the Internet” in a state where the “low voltage state (fatal level)” continues as a state recognition event, it is determined whether or not to execute. The unit 13 determines that the request cannot be executed. Then, the determination result is transmitted to the drive control unit 14.

  As described above, whether or not the requested content of the user request for the robot 200 can be executed is determined individually according to the relationship between the type of the state recognition event where the robot 200 is placed and the requested content.

  Next, the request contents of each user request in the execution possibility determination condition table 28b are prioritized according to the execution priority. In the present embodiment, the priority is increased from the request content on the right side in FIG. 6 toward the left side (No. 1: “motion”, No. 2: “utterance”, No. 3: “Internet use”). Hereinafter, a user request execution feasibility determination method when a plurality of user requests are included in the processing content of the robot 200 requested by the user will be described.

  For example, in a state where “in manner mode” continues as a state recognition event, when a user requests “dancing while singing”, there are two types of requests, “motion” and “utterance”. Contains user requests. When a plurality of user requests are included in this way, the execution permission determination unit 13 refers to the execution permission determination condition table 28b, so that the user requests having the highest priority among the plurality of user requests are sequentially ordered. It is determined whether or not the requested content can be executed. Then, when a user request that is determined to be unable to execute the request content appears, the execution determination unit 13 determines that the request content cannot be automatically executed for a user request having a lower priority than the user request. To do.

  Specifically, since “motion” and “utterance” have a higher priority of “motion”, the execution determination unit 13 first determines whether or not “motion” can be executed. Since “motion” can be executed if the “silent mode” is being executed (see FIG. 6), the execution determination unit 13 determines whether or not “speech” can be executed next. Since “speech” cannot be executed in the “manner mode” (see FIG. 6), the execution possibility determination unit 13 finally determines that only the request of “motion”, that is, “dancing” can be executed. The determination result is transmitted to the drive control unit 14.

  Also, for example, in a state where “in manner mode” continues as a state recognition event, the user “speaks tomorrow ’s weather by voice” (“utterance” and “net use” are included as user requests) When the request is made, the execution possibility determination unit 13 first determines whether or not “speech” can be executed. Since “speech” cannot be executed in the “silent mode”, the executability determination unit 13 automatically executes “net use” in “in manner mode” (see FIG. 6). It is determined that “net use” cannot be executed. Then, the executability determination unit 13 determines that the request content “Tell me the weather of tomorrow with voice” cannot be executed finally, and transmits the determination result to the drive control unit 14.

  The priority order of each user request can be arbitrarily set. For example, the priority order may be changed for each request content of the user request. In the previous example, the priority order of “speech” and “net use” is switched, the net use is executed and the weather is searched, but the voice utterance from the robot is not executed, and the search result is displayed on the display unit 23. It may be displayed.

  (Robot Posture Control Method Using Posture Control Device) Next, the posture control method of the robot 200 using the posture control device 2 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the control method. Note that the processing from S200 to S203 in FIG. 7 and the processing from S206 to S208 are the same as the processing from S100 to S103 and the processing from S105 to S107 in the flowchart of FIG. Omitted.

  As illustrated in FIG. 7, when the execution determination unit 13 receives a detection result indicating that a user request has been detected from the request detection unit 12, the execution determination unit 13 determines whether the request content of the user request can be executed (S204). ). If the execution determination unit 13 determines that the requested content can be executed (Y in S204), the drive control unit 14 that receives the determination result releases the state recognition event posture (S205). On the other hand, when the execution determination unit 13 determines that the requested content cannot be executed (N in S204), the drive control unit 14 that has received the determination result maintains the state recognition event posture (S209).

  (Effect) As described above, according to the present embodiment, the user can easily grasp whether or not the request content of the user request for the robot 200 can be executed, and can suppress the release of the useless state recognition event posture. . Further, when the state recognition event posture is released, the user can easily take an action according to the request content. Furthermore, when the state recognition event posture is maintained, it is possible to prevent the user from malfunctioning based on the release of the useless state recognition event posture.

[Embodiment 3]
The following will describe another embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIGS. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those described in the embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

  In the posture control device 3 according to the present embodiment, when the drive control unit 14 is in a state where one of the plurality of state recognition events continues, a timeout time set for the state recognition event has elapsed. In addition, the posture of the robot 300 is different from the posture control devices 1 and 2 according to the first and second embodiments in that the drive of the drive unit 24 is controlled so as to return to the released state recognition event posture. The robot 300 according to the present embodiment is different from the robots 100 and 200 according to the first and second embodiments in that a timeout table 28c is stored in the storage unit 28.

  (Returning method to a state recognition event posture) First, the return method to a state recognition event posture by the drive control part 14 is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 8 is an example of the timeout table 28 c stored in the storage unit 28. The timeout table 28c is a data table indicating the correspondence between the state recognition event and the timeout time.

Here, the timeout time is a time during which a state in which the user cannot recognize the continuation of a specific state recognition event is allowed, and is individually set according to the content of the state recognition event. For example, since the state change from the outside of the communication range to the communication range is fast, the time-out time when the state recognition event is “out of communication range” is set earlier (set to “10 seconds” in FIG. 8). . On the other hand, since the manner mode ON / OFF is set by a user operation, the timeout time when the state recognition event is “in manner mode” can be set later (“600 seconds” in FIG. 8). Set). Further, even Bluetooth is ON / OFF any state, since various functions of the robot 3 00 itself which is operating normally, the state recognition event in timeout late in the case of "Bluetooth OFF" There is no problem even if it is set (in FIG. 8, it is set to “500 seconds”). Note that the timeout time may be set in advance at the time of production of the robot 300, or may be arbitrarily set by the user by inputting from the operation input unit 20, or the like.

  Specifically, for example, when “Bluetooth OFF” occurs as the state recognition event, the drive control unit 14 selects the timeout time “500 seconds” associated with “Bluetooth OFF” from the timeout table 28 c, and Store as timeout time data. Next, when the process of the robot 300 in response to the user request is completed while “Bluetooth OFF” continues, the drive control unit 14 determines whether “500 seconds” have elapsed since the end of the process. Then, when it is determined that “500 seconds” has elapsed, the drive control unit 14 returns the state of the robot 300 to the state recognition event posture.

  (Robot Posture Control Method by Posture Control Device) Next, a posture control method of the robot 300 by the posture control device 3 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the control method. The flowchart shown in FIG. 9 is executed after the process of S104 in the flowchart of FIG. 5 or the process of S205 in the flowchart of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 9, after the state recognition event posture is released (S104 or S205), the drive control unit 14 selects a time-out time associated with the state recognition event generated from the time-out table 28c ( S300). And the process of the robot 300 with respect to a user request | requirement is performed (S301).

Next, the drive control unit 14 measures the time from when the processing of the robot 3 00 has ended, it is determined whether the timeout period elapses selected (S302). If it is determined that the timeout time has elapsed (Y in S302), the drive control unit 14 returns the posture of the robot 300 to the released state recognition event posture (S303). On the other hand, if it is determined that the timeout time has not elapsed (N in S302), the drive control unit 14 determines again whether the timeout time has elapsed.

  (Effect) For example, if the generated state recognition event is a low voltage state, the user should re-recognize the low voltage state earlier after the processing of the robot 300 in response to the user request. Thus, the time when the state in which the user cannot recognize the continuation of the state recognition event is allowed depends on the type of the state recognition event. According to the said structure, since timeout time changes according to the kind of state recognition event, the continuation of a state recognition event can be re-recognized more efficiently.

[Example of software implementation]
The control blocks (particularly the control unit 10) of the attitude control devices 1 to 3 may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or using a CPU (Central Processing Unit). It may be realized by software.

  In the latter case, the attitude control devices 1 to 3 are a CPU that executes instructions of a program that is software that realizes each function, and a ROM (Read Only) in which the program and various data are recorded so as to be readable by a computer (or CPU). Memory) or a storage device (these are referred to as “recording media”), a RAM (Random Access Memory) for expanding the program, and the like. And the objective of this invention is achieved when a computer (or CPU) reads the said program from the said recording medium and runs it. As the recording medium, a “non-temporary tangible medium” such as a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, or the like can be used. The program may be supplied to the computer via an arbitrary transmission medium (such as a communication network or a broadcast wave) that can transmit the program. The present invention can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

[Summary]
The posture control device (1, 2, 3) according to the aspect 1 of the present invention provides a user about that the internal state after the change continues after the internal state of the robot (100, 200, 300) changes. That the state recognition event has occurred by the state recognition event detection means (state recognition event detection unit 11) for detecting the occurrence of the state recognition event, which is an event that requires recognition, and the state recognition event detection means. When detected, the driving unit (24) provided in the movable part of the robot is driven so that the posture of the robot becomes a state recognition event posture suitable for the user to recognize the occurrence of the state recognition event. Drive control means (drive control unit 14) for controlling.

  According to the above configuration, when the state recognition event detection unit detects the occurrence of the state recognition event, the drive control unit detects the state recognition event suitable for the user to recognize the occurrence of the state recognition event. The driving of the driving unit provided in the movable part of the robot is controlled so as to be in the posture. Therefore, the user can easily grasp the occurrence of the state recognition event. Therefore, when a state recognition event occurs, the user can easily respond.

  The posture control device (1, 2, 3) according to aspect 2 of the present invention is the robot according to aspect 1, in which the robot (100, 200, 300) is in the state recognition event posture. Request detecting means (request detecting section 12) for detecting a user request to the user, and the drive control means (drive control section 14) recognizes the state when the user request is detected by the request detecting means. You may control the drive of the said drive part (24) so that an event attitude | position may be cancelled | released.

  According to the above configuration, when the user makes a request to the robot, the posture control device releases the state recognition event posture even in a state where the state recognition event continues. Therefore, the user can easily take an action to respond to the requested content.

  The posture control device (1, 2, 3) according to aspect 3 of the present invention is the above-described robot in the state 1, wherein the robot (100, 200, 300) is in the state recognition event posture. Whether the request content of the user request detected by the request detection unit can be executed in a state where the request detection unit (request detection unit 12) for detecting a user request for the request and the state recognition event continues. An execution feasibility judgment unit (execution feasibility judgment unit 13) for determining, and the drive control unit (drive control unit 14) needs to change the posture of the robot according to a judgment result of the execution feasibility judgment unit. No may be determined.

  According to the above configuration, the posture control device determines whether or not the posture change is necessary according to the content of the user request for the robot in a state where the state recognition event continues. Therefore, the useless posture change can be suppressed, and the user can surely recognize that the state recognition event continues.

  In the posture control device (1, 2, 3) according to the aspect 3, the drive control unit (drive control unit 14) can execute the request content by the execution determination unit (execution determination unit 13). When it is determined that, the drive of the drive unit (24) may be controlled so as to release the state recognition event posture.

  According to the above configuration, the posture control device cancels the state recognition event posture even when the state recognition event continues when the request content of the user request to the robot can be executed. Therefore, the user can easily grasp that the requested content can be executed, and can suppress the release of the useless state recognition event posture. Further, when the state recognition event posture is released, the user can easily take an action according to the request content.

  In the attitude control device (1, 2, 3) according to the aspect 3, the drive control unit (drive control unit 14) cannot execute the request content by the execution determination unit (executability determination unit 13). When it is determined that, the driving of the driving unit (24) may be controlled so as to maintain the state recognition event posture.

  According to the above configuration, even if the user makes a request to the robot, the state recognition event is maintained when the request content cannot be executed in a state where the state recognition event continues. Therefore, the user can easily grasp that the request content cannot be executed. Moreover, since cancellation | release of a useless state recognition event attitude | position can be suppressed, a user's malfunctioning based on cancellation | release of the said useless state recognition event attitude | position can be prevented.

  In the posture control device (1, 2, 3) according to the aspect 4 of the present invention, in the aspect 2, the drive control means (drive control unit 14) is configured such that the robot (100, 200, 300) responds to the user request. ), When the predetermined time has elapsed from the end of the process, the drive of the drive unit (24) may be controlled so that the posture of the robot returns to the released state recognition event posture.

  According to the above configuration, even when the state recognition event posture is released based on a user request under a state in which the state recognition event continues, the state recognition event posture is restored after a predetermined time has elapsed. Therefore, the state recognition event posture release state does not continue unnecessarily, and the user can re-recognize that the state recognition event continues.

  In the posture control device (1, 2, 3) according to the aspect 4, the predetermined time is set for each of the plurality of state recognition events, and the drive control means (drive control unit 14) In a state where one of the plurality of state recognition events is detected by the state recognition event detection means (state recognition event detection unit 11), the detected state recognition event is detected from the end point. A configuration for controlling the drive of the drive unit (24) so that the posture of the robot (100, 200, 300) returns to the released state recognition event posture when a predetermined time set for the passage has elapsed. It may be.

  For example, if the generated state recognition event is a low voltage state, the user should re-recognize the low voltage state at an earlier stage after the completion of the robot processing for the user request. Thus, the time when the state in which the user cannot recognize the continuation of the state recognition event is allowed depends on the type of the state recognition event. According to the said structure, since predetermined time changes according to the kind of state recognition event, the continuation of a state recognition event can be re-recognized more efficiently.

  Further, the posture control device (1, 2, 3) according to the aspect 4 may be configured such that the user can arbitrarily set the predetermined time.

  According to the above configuration, the user can be customized for a predetermined time, so that the process of returning to the state recognition event posture according to the user's preference can be realized.

  The robot (100, 200, 300) according to the fifth aspect of the present invention may include the posture control device (1, 2, 3) according to any one of the first to fourth aspects.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to execute a robot that allows a user to easily grasp the occurrence of a state recognition event. As a result, it is possible to realize a robot that can be easily handled by the user when a state recognition event occurs.

  The posture control device according to each aspect of the present invention may be realized by a computer. In this case, the posture control device is realized by a computer by causing the computer to operate as each unit included in the posture control device. An attitude control program for the attitude control device and a computer-readable recording medium on which the attitude control program is recorded also fall within the scope of the present invention.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, a new technical feature can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment.

  The present invention can be used to enable a user to easily grasp the occurrence of a state recognition event such as out of communication range.

1,2, 3 attitude controller 11 state recognition event detecting unit (state recognition event detection means)
12 Request detection part (request detection means)
13 Executability determination unit (executability determination means)
14 Drive control unit (drive control means)
24 Drive unit 100, 200, 300 Robot

Claims (4)

A state recognition event detection means for detecting that a state recognition event that is an event that requires the user's recognition that the internal state after the change has continued after the internal state of the robot has changed;
When the state recognition event detecting means detects that the state recognition event has occurred, the posture of the robot is a state recognition event posture suitable for the user to recognize the occurrence of the state recognition event. Drive control means for controlling the drive of the drive unit provided in the movable part of the robot ;
Request detecting means for detecting a user request for the robot in a state where the posture of the robot is the state recognition event posture,
Said drive control means, when the user request is detected by said request detecting means, so as to release the state recognition event attitude, posture control device characterized that you control the drive of the drive unit. The drive control means is configured to cause the robot to return to the released state recognition event posture when a predetermined time has elapsed from the end of the processing of the robot corresponding to the user request. The attitude control device according to claim 1 , wherein the driving of the attitude control device is controlled. A state recognition event detection means for detecting that a state recognition event that is an event that requires the user's recognition that the internal state after the change has continued after the internal state of the robot has changed;
When the state recognition event detecting means detects that the state recognition event has occurred, the posture of the robot is a state recognition event posture suitable for the user to recognize the occurrence of the state recognition event. Drive control means for controlling the drive of the drive unit provided in the movable part of the robot;
In a state where the posture of the robot is the state recognition event posture, request detection means for detecting a user request for the robot;
In a state where the state recognition event is continuing, e Bei and a executability determination means for determining executability of the request content of the detected said user request by said request detection unit,
It said drive control means according to the determination result of the execution determination unit, attitude control device shall be the determining means determines the necessity of changing of the posture of the robot. The program for functioning a computer as each means in the attitude | position control apparatus of any one of Claim 1 to 3 .

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