KR20090022875A - Face robot for giving expression - Google Patents

Abstract

A face robot for giving expression is provided to accomplish the most alike expression as human by easily connecting an artificial skin and an actuator with a contact module. A face robot for giving expression comprises an eyebrow contact module(131~136) located in the center and both ends of the eyebrow of a face robot; a lip contact module(137~139) located in both ends and the center of a face robot; an eyebrow actuator driving the eyebrow contact module, connected through a wire; a lip actuator driving the lip contact module, connected through a wire; and a microprocessor controlling the eyebrow actuator and the lip actuator.

Description

FACE ROBOT FOR GIVING EXPRESSION}

The present invention relates to a facial robot capable of realizing facial expressions, and more particularly, to a facial robot capable of minimizing components and producing more flexible and diverse facial expressions, accompanied by panning and tilting movements of the eyeball and facial skeleton itself.

Unlike conventional industrial robots, the use range of robots has become very wide in recent years, and has been expanded to an environment where humans live. Due to this trend, interaction with human beings is more important than ever, and research on robots with no objection in the interaction is being actively conducted.

Recently, humanoid robots with similar appearance to real humans have been developed for smooth interaction between humans and robots, and researches on robots capable of expressing emotions according to such trends have been conducted.

According to this research, various robots are being developed, and the robots developed so far are expressed with mechanical faces that are modeled after human faces in expressing the psychological state or emotion. Representative examples of such robots include MIT kismet, which mechanically depicts the muscles of the face, and Roterta and Saya of the University of Tokyo, Japan, which use silicone to resemble human skin.

However, the mechanical face of the robot developed so far cannot produce a natural facial expression similar to a human, and there is a problem that the generated facial expression also gives people a sense of rejection. In addition, there is a problem in that it is not a human face but a face form for a fictitious creature, and thus a type of emotion similar to a human psychological state cannot be expressed as an expression. In addition, there is a problem that these technologies are not stable and reliable and expensive to apply to home personal robots.

Therefore, there is a need for the development of a robot that can express psychological state or emotion as closely as possible to humans.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, by forming artificial skin from a flexible material to enable natural emotional expression, and by using a contact module to facilitate the connection between the artificial skin and the actuator to be as similar as human An object of the present invention is to provide a facial robot capable of expressing an expression, which enables an expression.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a facial robot capable of implementing a natural expression while minimizing the number of actuators.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a facial robot having at least an eye panning part and an eye tilting part, which can realize facial expression with panning and tilting motion of the eye.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a facial robot having at least a skeletal panning part and a skeletal tilting part, which can realize a facial expression accompanied with panning and tilting motions of the face.

According to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object, a facial robot capable of implementing the expression, the eyebrow contact module located at both ends and the center of each eyebrow of the facial robot; A lip contact module positioned at both ends and the center of the lips of the face robot; An eyebrow actuator connected to the eyebrow contact module with a wire to drive the eyebrow contact module; A lip actuator connected to the lip contact module by a wire to drive the lip contact module; And at least a microprocessor for controlling the eyebrow actuator and the lip actuator.

According to another embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object, a facial skeleton having a face shape, artificial skin applied on the facial skeleton, a plurality of contact modules attached to the artificial skin, and the plurality of A facial robot capable of expressing an expression is provided, which includes a plurality of actuators connected to the contact modules, respectively, to push or pull the contact module to move upward and downward.

The facial robot capable of realizing the facial expression is an eye movement part formed in the eye part of the facial skeleton, an eye panning part for panning the eye mounted on the eye movement part, and an eye tilting motion for tilting the eye. The eye movement part may further include an eye movement part including two actuators connected to the eye panning part and the eye tilting part to operate the eye panning part and the eye tilting part, respectively.

The facial robot capable of implementing the facial expression is a skeletal movement part formed on the back of the facial skeleton, and includes a skeletal panning part for panning the facial skeleton, an eye tilting part for tilting the facial skeleton, and the skeletal panning part and the skeleton. The apparatus may further include a skeletal motion unit connected to the tilting unit and including two actuators for operating the skeletal panning unit and the skeletal tilting unit, respectively.

The facial robot capable of implementing the facial expression may further include a microprocessor for controlling the operation of the actuators.

The artificial skin is preferably made of land, which is a kind of silicon.

Preferably, the plurality of contact modules are attached to both eyebrow portions of the artificial skin, one to both cheeks, and one to the jaw portion.

Preferably, the plurality of contact modules and the plurality of actuators are connected via wires, respectively.

According to another embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object, in the face robot having an eye movement part for moving the eye up and down, left and right and a face movement part for moving the face skeleton itself up and down, left and right, Facial movement portion skeletal tilting portion made of a roller to rotate up and down; A skeletal tilting actuator for driving up and down the skeletal tilting portion whose central axis and the outside of the roller are held by a belt 553; A skeletal panning portion provided with a circular plate such that the circular plate rotates from side to side; And a skeletal panning actuator connected to the skeletal panning unit through a gear unit 551 to drive the skeletal panning unit from side to side.

The eyeball movement unit, the eyeball panning unit for panning (eye) mounted on the eyeball movement unit; An eye tilting unit configured to tilt the eyeball; And an eye panning actuator and an eye tilting actuator connected to the eye panning part and the eye tilting part to operate the eye panning part and the eye tilting part, respectively.

The eyeball mounted on the eyeball movement portion is characterized by consisting of a camera.

According to the facial robot capable of realizing the facial expression of the present invention, natural skin can be expressed by forming artificial skin with a flexible material, and by using a contact module, it is possible to facilitate the connection between the artificial skin and the actuator to realize the facial expression as similar as that of a human. It is possible.

In addition, it is possible to realize a natural expression while minimizing the number of actuators.

The facial robot of the present invention may be provided with at least an eye panning part and an eye panning part to implement facial expressions accompanied with panning and tilting movements of the eye.

In addition, the facial robot of the present invention includes at least a skeletal panning part and a skeletal tilting part, thereby realizing facial expressions accompanied by panning and tilting motions of the face.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a front view of a facial robot capable of implementing facial expressions according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2A and 2B are side cross-sectional views of the facial robot.

The facial robot of the present invention includes three parts, namely, an expression generator, an eyeball movement unit, and a face movement unit.

The facial expression generator includes artificial skin 110 formed on the face skeleton 310, first contact modules to ninth contact modules 131 to 139, which are nine contact modules formed on respective parts of the artificial skin 110, and 1st to 9th actuators 151 to 159 which are 9 actuators connected to 1 to 9th contact modules 131 to 139, respectively, 1st to 9th contacts which are 9 contact modules 9 to 9th wires 171 to 179, which are nine wires connecting the modules 131 to 139 and the nine actuators, which are the first to ninth actuators 151 to 159, respectively. In addition, the first to ninth actuators 151 to 159 are controlled by the microprocessor 400.

Artificial skin 110 is preferably made of a flexible material in order to facilitate the expression of the expression while having an appearance similar to the human skin. For this purpose, a material such as land, which is a kind of silicon material, may be selected as a material of the artificial skin 110.

The first to sixth contact modules 131 to 136 of the first to nineth contact modules 131 to 139, which are nine contact modules formed on each part of the artificial skin 110, are eyebrow contact modules. The seventh to ninth contact modules 137 to 139 are lip contact modules, as follows.

The first contact module 131 is located at the far end (eg, the rightmost side of the right eyebrow) from the middle portion of the eyebrow on one side, and is connected to the first actuator 151 by the first wire 171.

The second contact module 132 is located at the center of the eyebrow on one side (for example, the center of the right eyebrow) and is connected to the second actuator 152 by the second wire 172.

The third contact module 133 is located at the end (eg, the leftmost side of the right eyebrow) closest to the middle part of the eyebrow on one side, and is connected to the third actuator 153 by the third wire 173.

The fourth contact module 134 is located at the far end (eg, the leftmost side of the left eyebrow) from the center of the other eyebrow, and is connected to the fourth actuator 154 by the fourth wire 174.

The fifth contact module 135 is located at the center of the other side of the eyebrow (for example, the center of the left eyebrow) and is connected to the fifth actuator 155 by the fifth wire 175.

The sixth contact module 136 is located at the end (eg, the rightmost side of the left eyebrow) closest to the center of the eyebrow on the other side, and is connected to the sixth actuator 156 by the sixth wire 176.

The seventh contact module 137 is located at one end of the lip (for example, the rightmost side of the lip) and is connected to the seventh actuator 157 by the seventh wire 177.

The eighth contact module 138 is located at the other end of the lip (eg, the leftmost side of the lip) and is connected to the eighth actuator 158 by the eighth wire 178.

The ninth contact module 139 is positioned below the central portion of the lip, and is connected to the ninth actuator 159 by the ninth wire 179.

The first to ninth actuators 151 to 159, which are nine actuators connected to the first to ninth contact modules 131 to 139, respectively,

The first to sixth actuators 151 to 156 are eyebrow actuators, and the seventh to ninth actuators 157 to 159 are lip actuators.

The first actuator 151 is located behind the first contact module 131 and is connected to the first contact module 131 by the first wire 171.

The second actuator 152 is located behind the second contact module 132 and is connected to the second contact module 132 by the second wire 172.

The third actuator 153 is located behind the third contact module 133 and is connected to the third contact module 133 by the third wire 173.

The fourth actuator 154 is positioned behind the fourth contact module 134 and is connected to the fourth contact module 134 by the fourth wire 174.

The fifth actuator 155 is located behind the fifth contact module 135 and is connected to the fifth contact module 135 by the fifth wire 175.

The sixth actuator 156 is positioned behind the sixth contact module 136 and is connected to the sixth contact module 136 by the sixth wire 176.

The seventh actuator 157 is positioned behind the seventh contact module 131 and is connected to the seventh contact module 137 by the seventh wire 177.

The eighth actuator 158 is located behind the eighth contact module 138 and is connected to the eighth contact module 138 by an eighth wire 178.

The ninth actuator 158 is located behind the ninth contact module 139 and is connected to the ninth contact module 139 by a ninth wire 179.

The first to ninth actuators 151 to 159 are driven in accordance with respective actuator control signals from the microprocessor 400.

The wires 171 to 179 connect the actuators 151 to 159 and the contact modules 131 to 139, and the contact modules 131 to 139 attached to the artificial skin 110 according to the operation of the actuators 151 to 159. Pull or push to express various expressions. Such wires 171 to 179 are suitable to be implemented as a piano wire or the like capable of fine tensile movement within a range that does not damage the artificial skin (110).

The eyeball movement part is an eye panning part 210 in charge of panning motion of the eyeball mounted on the eyeball portion of the facial skeleton 310, an eyeball tilting part 230 in charge of a tilting motion of the eyeball, and the eyeball. Two actuators, which are connected to the panning unit 210 and the eye tilting unit 230, respectively, are an eye panning actuator (not shown) and an eye tilting actuator (not shown).

The facial motion part is a skeletal panning part (not shown) that is responsible for the panning movement of the facial skeleton 310 itself, a skeletal tilting part (not shown) that is responsible for the tilting motion of the facial skeleton 310 itself, the skeletal panning part and the skeletal tilting. Two actuators, each of which is connected to the unit, include a skeletal panning actuator (not shown) and a skeletal tilting actuator (not shown).

The microprocessor 400 may include a first actuator 151 to a ninth actuator 159, an ocular panning actuator (not shown) and an eye tilting actuator (not shown), a skeletal panning actuator (not shown), and a skeletal tilting actuator (not shown). ) Are all connected to the microprocessor 400, these actuators, that is, the first actuator (151) to the ninth actuator (159), eye panning actuator (not shown) and eye tilting actuator (not shown), skeleton panning actuator ( And a skeletal tilting actuator (not shown) to enable various facial expressions of the facial robot and the operation of the eye or face. The microprocessor 400 may be implemented using a conventional computer, or the like, and may freely control various facial expression implementations, eyeballs, and facial operations described below using a program written in the C language or the like.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation will be described in detail by dividing into an expression generating unit, an eye movement unit, and a facial exercise unit.

3A and 3B illustrate a principle in which a natural expression is generated by the facial expression generator in the facial robot of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, first to ninth contact modules 131 to 139 are attached to respective portions of the artificial skin 110 to be applied on the facial skeleton 310. The first to ninth contact modules 131 to 139 may be attached to a place where the change of facial expression is well exposed even to a minute change of facial muscles, thereby realizing a more natural expression. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, three contact modules, ie, the first to sixth contact modules 131 to 136, may be mounted on both eyebrows so as to express an expression well. One contact module, that is, the seventh to eighth contact modules 137 and 138 may be mounted, and one contact module, that is, the ninth contact module 139, may be attached to the jaw portion under the center of the lips.

Each of the first to ninth contact modules 131 to 139 is connected to the actuators 151 to 159 through wires 171 to 179. When the control of the microprocessor 400 is started by an input from a user through a computer key input unit (not shown) or the like, the first to ninth actuators 151 to 159 push or push the respective contact modules 131 to 139. Pull.

For example, when the user commands the display of joy, the two actuators, ie, the seventh and eighth actuators 157 and 158, are controlled by the microprocessor 400 so that the seventh and eighth contact modules 137 are controlled. , 138), the facial robot is used to express a happy expression.

On the other hand, when the surprise is to be displayed, the operation of pulling the first to sixth contact modules 131 to 136 by the six actuators 151 to 156 which are six actuators under the control of the microprocessor 400 is performed. Mainly performed.

Other facial expressions, that is, sadness, anger, fear, and the like, may also operate the first to ninth actuators 151 to 159 to attach the first to ninth contact modules attached to each part of the artificial skin 110 ( 131 to 139) can be expressed by moving up and down.

In the above example, the contact module which should be operated when expressing joy and surprise is specified, but is not limited thereto, and the contact module may be operated in various ways to produce more natural facial expressions.

Since the material of the artificial skin 110 is a soft and flexible material such as land, which is a kind of silicon, it is very difficult to manufacture a contact part for realizing an expression by pulling or pushing a specific part, but it is possible to push and pull up and down as described above. The above problem can be solved by using the first to ninth contact modules 131 to 139.

Figure 4a is a front view of the eyeball movement portion in the face robot of the present invention, Figure 4b is a side view of the eyeball movement portion.

As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the eyeball movement part includes an ocular panning part 210 and an eyeball tilting part 230.

Eyeball panning unit 210 is a part that is responsible for the horizontal movement of the eyeball. That is, the spherical eyeball mounted on the eyeball moving part is rotated in the left and right directions. The eye panning unit 210 is connected to an eye panning actuator, which is a separate actuator controlled by the microprocessor 400. That is, the eye panning actuator is driven by the control of the microprocessor 400 to rotate the eye panning unit 210 in the left and right directions, thereby horizontally rotating the eye.

Eyeball tilting unit 230 is a part that is responsible for the vertical movement of the eyeball. That is, the spherical eyeball mounted on the eyeball moving part is rotated in the up and down direction. The eye tilting unit 230 is connected to the eye tilting actuator, which is a separate actuator controlled by the microprocessor 400. That is, by operating the eye tilting actuator under the control of the microprocessor 400, the eye tilting unit 230 is rotated in the up and down direction, thereby making the eye rotate vertically.

On the other hand, the eyeball movement unit may be equipped with a camera 250 instead of the eyeball, by using the camera 250 may photograph an object in front of, or to track a moving object.

In some cases, the eye panning unit 210 and the eye tilting unit 230 may form mains for eye panning and eye tilting, and the eye may be operated along the main paths by the eye panning and eye tilting actuators.

5 is a perspective view of a mechanism that enables panning and tilting movements of the facial skeleton 310.

As shown in FIG. 5, a mechanism that enables panning and tilting of the facial skeleton 310 includes a skeletal panning portion 511, a skeletal tilting portion 513, the skeletal panning portion 511, and a skeletal tilting portion ( Skeleton panning actuators 531 and skeletal panning actuators 533, which are connected to the 513, respectively; And a belt 553 that transmits rotation by the tilting actuator 533 to the skeletal tilting portion 513.

Such an instrument is formed on the back of the facial skeleton 310, and is connected to the facial skeleton 310 by any component so that the facial skeleton 310 can be panned / tilted by the panning / tilting operation of the instrument. do.

Meanwhile, the skeletal panning actuator 531 and the skeletal tilting actuator 533 are connected to the microprocessor 400 and controlled by the microprocessor 400.

When the skeleton panning actuator 531 is driven by the control of the microprocessor 400, the rotation of the skeleton panning actuator 531 is transmitted to the skeleton panning unit 511 through the gear unit 551, and the skeleton panning unit 511 may be rotated. By rotation, the facial skeleton 310 is connected to the panning movement, that is, the movement to rotate left and right. That is, the skeletal panning unit 511 is a circular plate mounted to the lower side of the facial skeleton and rotates to the left and right, and the rotation of the skeletal panning actuator 531 is transmitted through the gear unit 551 so that the skeletal panning unit ( 511 is driven to the left and right, and consequently, the facial skeleton moves to the left and right.

When the skeletal tilting actuator 533 is driven, the rotation of the skeletal tilting actuator 533 is transmitted to the skeletal tilting unit 513 through the belt 553, and the skeletal tilting unit 513 rotates through the face, thereby connecting the face. The skeleton 310 has a tilting motion, that is, a motion of rotating up and down. The skeletal tilting unit 513 may be configured as a roller configured to rotate along a central axis, and the belt 553 is bitten between the outer side of the roller and the central axis of the skeletal tilting actuator 533, thereby skeletal tilting actuator 533. According to the roller may be made to be driven.

The gear unit 551 and the belt 553 transmit the rotation of the actuators 531 and 533 to the skeletal panning unit 511 and the skeletal tilting unit 513, respectively, in an initial state in which no force is applied. It also serves to fix the skeletal panning portion 511 and the skeletal tilting portion 513 that can be freely moved freely.

In FIG. 5, the skeleton panning unit 511, the skeleton tilting unit 513, the skeleton panning actuator 531 and the skeleton tilting actuator 533, the skeleton panning actuator 531, the gear unit 551, the belt 553, etc. Some exaggerated descriptions are provided for the sake of understanding, and their actual form or size may vary.

The facial robot of the present invention is capable of expressing natural emotions by constructing artificial skin from a flexible material called land, and solving the difficulty of connecting the artificial skin of the flexible material with the actuator through a contact module, thereby bringing a closer feeling to human expression. Enable positive expression.

In addition, the nine actuators alone allow for the horizontal and vertical movement of the eye and face, along with the natural expression.

The present invention has been described above in connection with specific embodiments of the present invention, but this is only an example and the present invention is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art can change or modify the described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention, and such changes or modifications are within the scope of the present invention. In addition, each component described in the present specification can be easily selected and replaced from various known components by those skilled in the art. Those skilled in the art can also omit some of the components described herein without adding performance degradation or add components to improve performance. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be determined not by the embodiments described, but by the claims and their equivalents.

1 is a front view of a face robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2A and 2B are side cross-sectional views of a facial robot according to one embodiment of the present invention.

3A and 3B illustrate a principle in which a facial robot according to one embodiment of the present invention implements an expression.

4A is a front view of an eyeball movement part in the face robot according to the embodiment of the present invention.

4B is a side view of an eyeball movement part in the facial robot according to one embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a perspective view of a mechanism that enables panning and tilting motions of the facial skeleton in the facial robot according to one embodiment of the present invention.

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

110: artificial skin 131-139: contact module

151 ~ 159, 531, 533: Actuator 171 ~ 179: Wire

210: eye panning unit 230: eye tilting unit

310: face skeleton 511: skeleton panning part

513: skeletal tilting portion 551: gear portion

553: belt

Claims (17)

In the face robot that can realize the expression An eyebrow contact module positioned at both ends and a center of each eyebrow of the facial robot; A lip contact module positioned at both ends and the center of the lips of the face robot; An eyebrow actuator connected to the eyebrow contact module with a wire to drive the eyebrow contact module; A lip actuator connected to the lip contact module by a wire to drive the lip contact module; A microprocessor for controlling the eyebrow actuator and the lip actuator; A facial robot comprising at least. The method of claim 1, The facial robot further includes an eyeball movement unit, The eyeball movement part An eye panning unit which is responsible for a panning motion of the eye of the facial robot; An eye tilting unit which is responsible for a tilting motion of the eye of the facial robot; An eye panning actuator connected to the eye panning to drive the eye panning; An eyeball tilting actuator connected to the eyeball tilting part to drive the eyeball tilting part; Face robot, characterized in that consisting of. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The facial robot further includes a face movement unit, The facial exercise unit A skeletal panning unit responsible for a panning motion of the facial skeleton itself of the facial robot; A skeletal tilting unit that is responsible for a tilting motion of the facial skeleton itself of the facial robot; A skeletal panning actuator coupled to the skeletal panning unit to drive the eyeball panning unit; A skeletal tilting actuator connected to the skeletal tilting unit to drive the eyeball tilting unit; Face robot, characterized in that consisting of. The method of claim 2, And said eye panning actuator and said eye tilting actuator are controlled by said microprocessor. The method of claim 3, And said skeletal panning actuator and said skeletal tilting actuator are controlled by a microprocessor. The method of claim 1, When the facial robot shows a happy expression, The lip actuator (157, 158) is driven to pull the lip contact module (137, 138) connected to the lip actuator (157, 158). The method of claim 1, When the facial robot expresses an expression of surprise, Facial robot, characterized in that for driving the eyebrow actuator (151 to 156) to pull the eyebrow contact module (131 to 136) connected to the eyebrow actuator (151 to 156). In the facial robot that can realize the expression, A facial skeleton configured such that the facial robot has a facial shape; Artificial skin mounted on the facial skeleton; A plurality of contact modules attached to the artificial skin; And A facial robot capable of realizing facial expressions comprising a plurality of actuators connected to the plurality of contact modules, respectively, to push or pull the contact module. The method of claim 8, Eyeball movement is formed in the eyeball portion of the facial skeleton, The eye movement unit An eye panning unit which pans an eye mounted on the eye movement unit; An eye tilting unit configured to tilt the eyeball; Two actuators connected to the eye panning part and the eye tilting part to operate the eye panning part and the eye tilting part, respectively; Facial robot capable of implementing the expression, characterized in that it comprises a. The method of claim 8, Skeletal movement is formed on the back of the facial skeleton, The skeletal movement part A skeletal panning unit for panning the facial skeleton; Eye tilting unit for tilting the facial skeleton; And Two actuators connected to the skeletal panning unit and the skeletal tilting unit, respectively, to operate the skeletal panning unit and the skeletal tilting unit; Facial robot capable of implementing the expression, characterized in that it comprises a. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, The facial robot capable of realizing facial expressions further comprising a microprocessor for controlling the operation of the actuators. The method of claim 8, The artificial skin is a facial robot capable of realizing facial expressions, characterized in that the land is a kind of silicon. The method of claim 8, The plurality of contact modules are attached to each of the two eyebrow portion of the artificial skin, one by one attached to both cheeks, characterized in that one attached to the jaw, facial robot capable of realizing the expression. The method of claim 8, The plurality of contact modules and the plurality of actuators are facial robot capable of realizing facial expressions, characterized in that each connected via a wire. In the face robot having an eye movement part for moving the eye up and down and left and right and a face movement part for moving the face skeleton up and down and left and right, The facial exercise unit Skeletal tilting portion made of a roller to rotate up and down; A skeletal tilting actuator for driving up and down the skeletal tilting portion whose central axis and the outside of the roller are held by a belt 553; A skeletal panning portion provided with a circular plate such that the circular plate rotates from side to side; A skeleton panning actuator connected to the skeleton panning unit through a gear unit 551 to drive the skeleton panning unit left and right; Face robot, characterized in that provided with. The method of claim 15, The eye movement unit An eye panning unit which pans an eye mounted on the eye movement unit; An eye tilting unit configured to tilt the eyeball; An eye panning actuator and an eye tilting actuator connected to the eye panning part and the eye tilting part to operate the eye panning part and the eye tilting part, respectively; Face robot, characterized in that provided with. The method according to any one of claims 2, 9 and 16, The eyeball mounted on the eyeball movement unit is a facial robot, comprising a camera.

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