Robot, robot system, and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11200787-B2
Application number	US-201716312874-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 13, 2017
Priority date	Jul 4, 2016
Publication date	Dec 14, 2021
Grant date	Dec 14, 2021

Abstract

A robot in a robot system including a plurality of robots each having a function of identifying a monitoring target and transmitting information related to the monitoring target to a remote site. The robot includes an acquiring unit that acquires sensing data related to the monitoring target, a communication unit that communicates with another nearby robot, and a control unit that controls the communication unit such that an alert mode transition request signal is transmitted to the other nearby robot if it is determined that a first monitoring target is in an abnormal state on a basis of the sensing data. The robot transitions to an alert mode in which a process according to the received alert mode transition request signal is performed if the alert mode transition request signal related to a second monitoring target is received.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A first robot, comprising:
a processor configured to:
acquire sensing data related to a first monitoring target;
determine the first monitoring target is in a first abnormal state based on the sensing data, and
a distance between the first robot and the first monitoring target that is greater than a specific value, wherein
in the first abnormal state, the first monitoring target is absent within a monitorable range of the first robot;

control, based on the determination that the first monitoring target is in the first abnormal state, transmission of a first alert mode transition request signal to a second robot;
control reception of a second alert mode transition request signal related to a second monitoring target;
transition to an alert mode based on the received second alert mode transition request signal;
execute a specific process in the alert mode;
identify a specific monitoring target associated with the first monitoring target based on the sensing data;
transition to a group monitoring mode based on the identification of the specific monitoring target;
monitor, in the group monitoring mode, the specific monitoring target and the first monitoring target; and
execute a charging operation in a case in which a third robot monitors the specific monitoring target and transitions to the group monitoring mode.

2. The first robot according to claim 1 , wherein
the received second alert mode transition request signal includes identification information that indicates the second monitoring target,
the second monitoring target is absent within a monitorable range of the second robot, and
the processor, in the alert mode, is further configured to search for the second monitoring target indicated by the identification information.

3. The first robot according to claim 2 , wherein
the processor is further configured to control transmission of information to the second robot,
the information indicates that the search for the second monitoring target is successful, and
the second robot is a transmission source of the second alert mode transition request signal.

4. The first robot according to claim 2 , wherein in a case in which the second monitoring target is absent after being present within the monitorable range of the first robot, the processor is further configured to control transmission of the received second alert mode transition request signal to a third robot.

5. The first robot according to claim 1 , wherein
the processor is further configured to end the alert mode based a successful search of the second monitoring target by the second robot, and
the second robot is a transmission source of the second alert mode transition request signal.

6. The first robot according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine a second abnormal state of the first monitoring target present within the monitorable range of the first robot.

7. The first robot according to claim 6 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
determine the second abnormal state of the first monitoring target based on the sensing data;
transition to the alert mode based on the second abnormal state of the first monitoring target; and
control output of a first notification indicating the second abnormal state of the first monitoring target.

8. The first robot according to claim 7 , wherein
the received second alert mode transition request signal includes specific information,
the processor is further configured to control output of a second notification to the first monitoring target, and
the second notification indicates the specific information.

9. The first robot according to claim 8 , wherein the processor, in the alert mode, is further configured to search for the second robot that is a transmission source of the second alert mode transition request signal.

10. The first robot according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
recognize a specific state of the first monitoring target based on the sensing data; and
transition to the alert mode based on the recognized specific state of the first monitoring target.

11. The first robot according to claim 10 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
recognize an emotion of the first monitoring target; and
transition to the alert mode based on the recognized emotion of the first monitoring target.

12. The first robot according to claim 10 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
recognize the specific state of the first monitoring target as a sleep state; and
transition to the alert mode based on the sleep state of the first monitoring target.

13. The first robot according to claim 1 , wherein
the second alert mode transition request signal includes position information of the second robot and information indicating an abnormal state of the second monitoring target, and
the second robot is a transmission source of the second alert mode transition request signal.

14. The first robot according to claim 1 , further comprising a drive unit configured to move in a real space,
wherein the processor is further configured to control the drive unit based on a condition that the first monitoring target is included within the monitorable range of the first robot.

15. The first robot according to claim 14 , wherein
the processor is further configured to release the condition based on the transition of the third robot to the group monitoring mode.

16. An information processing apparatus, comprising:
a memory; and
a processor configured to:
control reception of position information of a first robot and first sensing data acquired by the first robot, wherein
the first sensing data is related to a first monitoring target monitored by the first robot, and
the memory is configured to store the position information of the first robot;

determine the first monitoring target is in a first abnormal state based on the first sensing data, and
a distance between the first robot and the first monitoring target that is greater than a specific value,
wherein in the first abnormal state, the first monitoring target is absent within a monitorable range of the first robot;

specify a second robot located at a specific position from the first robot, based on the stored position information and the determination that the first monitoring target is in the first abnormal state;
control transmission of a first alert mode transition request signal to the second robot;
determine a second monitoring target of the second robot is in a second abnormal state based on second sensing data of the second robot;
specify the first robot with reference to the memory based on the determination that the second monitoring target of the second robot is in the second abnormal state; and
control transmission of a second alert mode transition request signal to the first robot, wherein
the first robot identifies a specific monitoring target associated with the first monitoring target based on the first sensing data;
the first robot transitions to a group monitoring mode based on the identification of the specific monitoring target;
the first robot monitors, in the group monitoring mode, the specific monitoring target and the first monitoring target; and
the first robot executes a charging operation in a case in which a third robot monitors the specific monitoring target and transitions to the group monitoring mode.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions which, when executed b

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Shionozaki Atsushi

Classifications

• G08B25/009

  Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range · CPC title

• G08B21/18

  Status alarms (G08B21/02 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G08B21/0469

  Presence detectors to detect unsafe condition, e.g. infrared sensor, microphone (G08B21/0476 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G08B21/0461 Primary

  integrated or attached to an item closely associated with the person but not worn by the person, e.g. chair, walking stick, bed sensor · CPC title

• G08B21/0277

  Communication between units on a local network, e.g. Bluetooth®, piconet, Zigbee®, Wireless Personal Area Networks [WPAN] · CPC title