KR20150070588A - Change in expression is possible robot - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a robot capable of changing an expression, capable of displaying a variety of natural expressions by changing a shape of a cheek corresponding to the movement of lips. The robot includes: a head frame having an eye member corresponding to the eyes, and forming a frame of a head; a mask combined to surround the head frame, formed into a face shape, having an opening part formed on a side to expose the eye member to the outside, and in which a lip area, corresponding to lips, and a cheek area, corresponding to a cheek, are formed; an operating module installed in the head frame to move the lip area according to a control signal of a control part in order to show different expressions on the mask; and the control part controlling the operation of the operating module. The mask is formed of a soft material, and when the lip area is moved by the operating module to make a smile expression shown on the mask, the cheek area also convexly protrudes. According to the present invention, with the robot, when the robot makes a smile, both ends of the mouth go up while at the same time cheeks of the robot naturally protrude so that a natural smile can be made.

Description

The robot that can change the expression is possible.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a robot capable of changing a facial expression, and more particularly, to a robot capable of changing facial expressions by changing the shape of a ball in correspondence with the movement of the lips.

Generally, robots are divided into industrial robots used in the industrial field and humanoid robots that are similar in shape to human beings. Industrial robots are robots that perform operations by remote control in environments where it is difficult for humans to work directly or perform tasks with degrees of freedom 3 or more by using simple repetition of degrees of freedom 1 or 2 or electronic control, It is used as a worker to realize the production system.

A humanoid robot is a humanoid robot, which is the ultimate goal of robot technology, largely divided into humanoids and Android. A humanoid is a robot that looks like a human, and has two arms, two legs, and a head, and means any robot that can travel a certain distance. These include ASIMO developed by Honda Japan and HUBO developed by KAIST.

On the other hand, Android is a robot that resembles a human, and it means a robot that is almost indistinguishable from human beings. Although these androids can not be produced yet, research on robots that can express emotions is continuing. Accordingly, various robots are being developed, and the robots developed to date express their psychological state and emotion with a mechanical face based on a human face.

Since Android means a robot that looks like a person, it is important to realize the expression of a natural person on the face of Android. Generally, human face has a lot of muscles, so it can make various facial expressions very naturally. However, in the case of Android, a motor for controlling the human muscle and its control is installed in the face space so that the expression is implemented have.

However, since the face space of Android is limited, it is impossible to install an implant and a motor corresponding to all the muscles of the human face, and the expression that can be created thereby is also limited.

When a person makes a smiling face, many muscles are used. Typically, the left and right sides of the lips are opened and the chin is opened, so that the other person feels that they are laughing when they see it. At this time, the upper lip should be lifted up to the point where the upper teeth are exposed, so that the natural feeling is obtained.

In general, when the face robot for Android is manufactured, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the skin corresponding to the skin and the skin forming the skeleton of the face are separately prepared . Here, in order to manufacture the endothelium, the endothelial cells are fabricated with a certain thickness from the surface of the facial surface, and the outer shell is fabricated using a soft material such as silicon to exhibit a natural facial expression change.

However, it is not easy to realize a smiley expression even if a skin member such as a contact module is attached to the endothelium fabricated through the above process and the skin is attached. This is because there is no driving means for lifting the upper lip used in the smiling face. Even if the upper lip can be moved by installing the upper lip driving means, the nose restricts the movement of the upper lip, resulting in an unnatural expression. This is also true of the above-mentioned cited documents. In the case of the cited document, the contact modules for moving the lips are all located outside the edges of the lips, so that it is difficult to move the upper lip.

In other words, the conventional face robot for Android has many problems that the upper lip does not move when laughing bigger, and the movement of the upper lip is restricted by the nose even when the upper lip is moved. Therefore, have.

KR 10-2012-0041928 A KR 10-2012-0075646 A

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a robot capable of expressing a smile naturally by allowing a robot's face to protrude, And the like.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a robot including a head frame having an eye member corresponding to an eye and forming a skeleton of the head; A mask formed to have a face shape and having an opening formed at one side thereof to expose the eye member to the outside, a lip region corresponding to the lip and a ball region corresponding to the ball; A driving module provided in the head frame for moving the lip region according to a control signal of the control unit so as to display different facial expressions on the mask; Wherein the mask is formed of a soft material and, when the lip region is moved by the drive module such that a smile appears on the mask, the ball region also protrudes convexly together .

The ball region is formed of a soft material and a plurality of inlet grooves having a predetermined width are formed on the inner circumferential surface of the ball region so as to be spaced apart from each other in a direction corresponding to a direction in which the mouth tails of both sides of the lip region respectively move .

And the lead-in grooves are formed such that the width of each lead-in groove gradually increases or decreases along the direction in which the mouth tail of the mask moves.

The lead-in grooves are formed concentrically with respect to the center of the ball area, and the width of each lead-in groove gradually decreases as the ball area extends from the center of the ball area to the outside of the ball area.

The ball region is formed of a soft material, and the ball region is drawn from the inner circumferential surface of the mask toward the outer circumferential surface of the mask, and is formed to be thinner than the remaining region of the mask except for the ball region.

The driving module includes a lip driving unit for pulling up the lip tails on both sides of the lip region in a diagonal direction opposite to each other, and a driving unit for driving the lip driving unit to couple the ball region to the mask in a direction corresponding to the operation of the lip driving unit And a ball drive unit.

According to the robot capable of changing the facial expression according to the present invention, it is possible to project the ball of the robot face together with the action of raising the lip tail in the laughing operation of the robot, so that the smiling face can be naturally produced.

1 is a perspective view of a robot capable of changing a facial expression according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a mask of a robot capable of changing the facial expression shown in FIG. 1. FIG.
3 is a sectional view showing a structure of a ball region of the mask shown in FIG.
4 is a cross-sectional view showing another structure of a ball region of the mask shown in Fig. 2;
5 is a sectional view showing still another structure of a ball region of the mask shown in FIG. 3;
6 is a cross-sectional view showing another structure of a ball region of the mask shown in FIG. 3;
7 is a block diagram showing a control unit and a driving module.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a robot capable of changing a facial expression according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 to 7 show a robot capable of changing the facial expression according to the present invention. Referring to Figs. 1 to 7, a robot capable of changing a facial expression includes a head frame 10; A mask 20; A driving module (30); Wherein the mask 20 is formed of a soft material and when the lip region 21 is moved by the drive module 30 such that a smile appears on the mask 20, The ball area 25 is also formed so as to protrude convexly.

The lip region 21 described below includes a mouth and a lip portion formed at the edge of the mouth. The ball region 25 includes a cheek portion and a cheek bone portion protruding from the cheek when laughing do.

The head frame 10 is provided with an eye member 11 corresponding to the eye, and is formed in a head shape to form a skeleton of the robot head. The head frame 10 is provided with an eye driving unit 31 which can move the eye member 11 up, down, left and right according to the control signal of the control unit 40, The eyebrow driving unit 32, the lips driving unit 33, and the ball driving unit 34, which are capable of changing the shape of the eyebrow area, can be moved to raise or lower the eyebrow end. The driving units are included in the driving module 30 described later.

The mask 20 is coupled to the head frame 10 so as to surround the head frame 10 and is formed as a face of a person, an animal, or a character. The eye member 11 provided on the head frame 10 is exposed to the outside, An opening is formed. The mask 20 has a lip region 21 corresponding to a mouth or a lip and a ball region 25 corresponding to a ball. In some cases, the eyebrow region corresponding to the eyebrow may also be formed.

The driving module 30 includes a lip driving part 33 provided in the head frame 10 and moving the lip area 21 according to a control signal of the controller 40 so that the mask 20 can display different facial expressions, And a ball driving unit 34 for moving the ball area 25 in correspondence with the operations of the eye driving unit 31, the eyebrow driving unit 32 and the lip driving unit 33 described above.

The lip driving unit 33 is configured to be able to move the lip region 21 provided on the mask 20 and is capable of pulling the mouth tails of both sides of the lip region 21 in diagonal directions opposite to each other, Third and fourth lip actuating actuators which are capable of pulling the mouth tails of both sides away from each other horizontally in the lips region 21, And a fifth lip drive actuator adapted to pull down or push up the central portion downwardly. By using the first through fifth lip drive actuators, various lip shapes can be expressed.

The first and second lip drive actuators are connected at one end to a pin or a fixed piece fixed to the mouth tail portion so that they can be pulled or pushed out. One end is connected so that the pin or the fixing member can be pulled or pushed out after fixing the pin or the fixing member.

For example, both sides of the lip region 21 are pulled horizontally through the third and fourth lip drive actuators to lengthen the lip region 21 and the lip region 21 To form a shape in which the mouth of the mouth is raised so that a smiling expression can be displayed on the mask 20. [ On the other hand, an angry expression may appear on the mask 20 by moving down the mouth tail of the lip region 21 through the first and second lip drive actuators.

The lip driving unit 33 is fixed to the head frame 10 and the other end is fixed to each part of the inner circumferential surface lip area 21 of the mask 20 so that the lip area 21 can be moved The cylinder may be applied.

Alternatively, the lip driving unit 33 may include a moving means including a moving member that is rotatably installed on the motor and has a screw thread on the outer circumferential surface thereof and a moving member screwed to the screw so as to be movable along the longitudinal direction of the screw when the screw rotates It can also be used. In this case, the moving body is attached or fixed to a certain region of the mask 20 to be moved.

The ball driving unit 34 is for causing a ball area 25 protruding from the actual face surface to protrude convexly when the lips area 21 moves in a smiling state, And push up a part of the ball region 25 in a direction corresponding to the direction of the arrow.

The ball driving unit 34 may be omitted. In this case, it is preferable that the ball driving unit 33 is used to move the ball area 25 together.

When the lip region 21 is moved so that a smile appears on the mask 20 through the lip driving section 33 on the inner circumferential surface of the mask 20 corresponding to the ball region 25 in the mask 20, Are formed so as to be spaced apart from each other with a predetermined width along a direction corresponding to the direction in which the mouth tails of both sides are moved. The lead-in grooves 26 are equally spaced, and the lead-in grooves 26 have the same length. The lead-in groove 26 may be formed in a square or triangular shape, or may be formed in an isosceles trapezoid or semi-spherical shape.

3, the mouth tails of the lip region 21 are moved toward the ball region 25 as shown in FIG. 3, as shown in FIG. 3, The length of the inner circumferential surface of the ball region 25 is shortened as the width of the lead grooves 26 formed in the inner circumferential surface of the ball region 25 is compressed in a direction in which an external force acts on the ball region 25, The outer circumferential surface side of the ball area 25 protrudes more convex than in the normal state before the external force acts.

When the lip tail 25 is raised upward as shown above, that is, when the lip tail 25 is raised, the ball area 25 protrudes convexly in conjunction with the movement of the lip tail. Therefore, It is possible to express a smile naturally.

4, the inlet grooves 126 formed in the inner circumferential surface of the ball area 125 provided in the mask 20 are inserted into the inlet grooves 126 along the direction in which the lip area 21 of the mask 20 is moved, The widths of the protrusions 126 may be gradually increased or decreased.

Referring to FIG. 4, the width of each lead-in groove 126 is gradually increased along the direction in which the lip region 21 of the mask 20 moves. When the width of the lead-in groove 126 gradually increases as described above, when an external force acts on the ball region 125 while the mouth of the mouth region 21 moves toward the ball region 125, The length of the inner circumferential surface is shortened so as to protrude so as to protrude toward the outer circumferential surface side. At this time, the portion of the circumferential surface of the lip region 21 The width of each of the lead-in grooves 126 is formed to be longer than the width of each of the lead-in grooves 126 in the close-range area, so that the lead-

Unlike the illustrated example, the lead-in grooves 126 may be formed in a structure that progressively reduces the width of each lead-in groove 126 along the direction in which the mouth tail of the lip region 21 of the mask 20 moves In this case, unlike the above-described example, it is more protruded in the near region than in the far region.

5, the recessed grooves 226 formed in the inner circumferential surface of the ball area 225 provided in the mask 20 are formed concentrically with respect to the center of the ball area 225, The width of each lead-in groove 226 gradually decreases from the center of the ball region 225 toward the outside of the ball region 225.

5, the width of the lead-in groove 226 gradually increases from the vicinity of the lip region 21 to the center of the ball region 225 from the near region to the center of the ball region 225 The width of the lead-in groove 226 gradually decreases toward the direction away from the center of the ball region 225 and the distance between the lead-in groove 226 formed at the center of the ball region 225 and the lead- The incoming grooves 226 are connected to each other.

The mask 20 having such a structure can make the center of the ball area 225 more protruded than other areas by moving the lips area 21 in a widening manner or raising the mouth tail.

6, the ball area 325 provided in the mask 20 is drawn from the inner circumferential surface of the mask 20 toward the outer circumferential surface of the mask 20, and the mask 20, except for the ball area 325, It may be formed to have a thickness thinner than the remaining area. This structure is advantageous in that even if the lip region 21 is slightly moved, that is, even if a small external force is applied to the ball region 325, it can be easily protruded outward.

Further, a fine cut groove may be further formed on the outer circumferential surface of the ball area 325, which facilitates the ball area 325 to project outwardly convexly.

The robot capable of changing the facial expression according to the present invention may be a robot type having an arm and a leg composed of a body and a polyhedron. Alternatively, the robot may have a body and an arm and the leg may be moved by applying a track of a wheel or an excavator A robot may be applied.

While the present invention has been shown and described with reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. It will be appreciated that other embodiments are possible. Accordingly, the scope of the true technical protection of the present invention should be determined by the technical idea of the appended claims.

10: Head frame
20: Mask
21: Lip area
25: Ball area
30: drive module
31:
32: eyebrow drive part
33:
34:
40:

Claims (6)

A head frame having an eye member corresponding to an eye and forming a skeleton of the head;
A mask formed to have a face shape and having an opening formed at one side thereof to expose the eye member to the outside, a lip region corresponding to the lip and a ball region corresponding to the ball;
A driving module provided in the head frame for moving the lip region according to a control signal of the control unit so as to display different facial expressions on the mask;
And a control unit for controlling the operation of the driving module,
Wherein the mask is formed of a soft material, and if the lip region is moved by the driving module so that a smile appears on the mask, the ball region also protrudes together. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the ball region is formed of a soft material and a plurality of inlet grooves having a predetermined width are formed on the inner circumferential surface of the ball region along a direction corresponding to a direction in which the mouth tails of both sides of the lip region respectively move, robot. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the lead-in grooves are formed such that the width of each lead-in groove gradually increases or decreases along the direction in which the mouth tail of the mask moves. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the lead-in grooves are formed concentrically with respect to the center of the ball area, and the width of each lead-in groove is gradually decreased as the ball area is moved outward from the center of the ball area. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the ball region is formed of a soft material and the ball region is drawn from the inner circumferential surface of the mask toward the outer circumferential surface of the mask and formed to have a thickness thinner than the remaining region of the mask except for the ball region. 6. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5,
The driving module includes a lip driving unit for pulling up the lip tails on both sides of the lip region in a diagonal direction opposite to each other, and a driving unit for driving the lip driving unit to couple the ball region to the mask in a direction corresponding to the operation of the lip driving unit And a ball drive unit for driving the robot.

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