Robot for expressing emotional state of pet and control method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12358154-B2
Application number	US-202318110216-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 15, 2023
Priority date	Sep 10, 2020
Publication date	Jul 15, 2025
Grant date	Jul 15, 2025

Abstract

A robot includes: a camera; a driver configured to control a motion of the robot; a memory configured to store information on a plurality of motions of the robot and a plurality of emotional states of a pet corresponding to the plurality of motions of the robot; and a processor connected to the driver, the camera, and the memory, wherein the processor is configured to: obtain at least one image of the pet through the camera, identify, based on the obtained at least one image the pet and the information stored in the memory, an emotional state of the pet from among the plurality of emotional states of the pet, identify, based on the information stored in the memory, a motion of the robot corresponding to the identified emotional state, from among the plurality of motions, and control the driver to cause the robot to perform the identified motion of the robot.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A robot comprising:
a camera;
a driver configured to control a motion of the robot;
a microphone;
memory configured to store one or more instructions, and information on a plurality of motions of the robot and a plurality of emotional states of a pet corresponding to the plurality of motions of the robot; and
at least one processor connected to the driver, the camera, and the memory,
wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the one or more instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the robot to:
obtain a plurality of images of the pet through the camera,
identify at least one of the plurality of images taken within a predetermined time range of a point in time corresponding to receipt of a user inquiry regarding a state of the pet by the robot, wherein the predetermined time range comprises a point in time preceding the point in time corresponding to the receipt of the user inquiry to a point in time following the point in time corresponding to the receipt of the user inquiry,

identify, based on the identified at least one image of the pet and the information stored in the memory, an emotional state of the pet from among the plurality of emotional states of the pet,
identify, based on the information stored in the memory, a motion of the robot corresponding to the identified emotional state, from among the plurality of motions, and
control the driver to cause the robot to perform the identified motion of the robot.

2. The robot of claim 1 , further comprising a body and a plurality of wheels attached to the body, wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the robot to control a movement of at least one of the body and at least one wheel of the plurality of wheels through the driver to cause the robot to perform the identified motion.

3. The robot as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the user inquiry comprises a verbal user inquiry received through the microphone.

4. The robot as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a touch sensor,
wherein the user inquiry comprises a user gesture received through the touch sensor.

5. The robot of claim 1 , further comprising a communicator,
wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the robot to:
receive first user location information through the communicator,
based on the first user location information, identify a first point in time corresponding to a user departing from a location where the pet is located,
receive second user location information through the communicator,
based on the second user location information, identify a second point in time corresponding to the user returning to the location where the pet is located, wherein a period of time including the first point in time through the second point in time comprises a departure period,
obtain at least one image of the pet through the camera during the departure period,
based on the at least one image of the pet obtained during the departure period, identify a departure period emotional state of the pet from among the plurality of emotional states of the pet, and
control the driver to cause the robot to perform a motion of the robot from among the plurality of motions of the robot corresponding to the departure period emotional state.

6. The robot of claim 1 , further comprising:
a speaker; and
a light emitter,
wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the robot to control the speaker to output a sound corresponding to the identified emotional state and to control the light emitter to output light of a color corresponding to the identified emotional state.

7. The robot of claim 1 , wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the robot to:
obtain a plurality of sequential images of the pet through the camera during a time period,
for each respective sequential image of the plurality of sequential images, identify an emotional state of the pet from among the plurality of emotional states of the pet corresponding to the respective sequential image of the plurality of sequential images,
based on the identified respective emotional states of the pet corresponding to each respective sequential image of the plurality of sequential images, determine whether the pet had a change of emotional state during the time period,
based on determining that the pet had the change of emotional state during the time period, identify at least one image from among the plurality of sequential images corresponding to the change of emotional state of the pet and identify an emotional state of the pet from among the plurality of emotional states of the pet corresponding to the identified at least one image from among the plurality of sequential images, and
generate a video based on the identified at least one image from among the plurality of sequential images.

8. The robot of claim 7 , further comprising a communicator,
wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the robot to;
transmit the video to a display device through the communicator, and
control the driver to cause the robot to perform a motion of the robot from among the plurality of motions of the robot corresponding to the identified emotional state of the pet from among the plurality of emotional states of the pet corresponding to the identified at least one image from among the plurality of sequential images.

9. The robot of claim 1 , further comprising a communicator,
wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the robot to:
transmit the identified at least one image to a server through the communicator, and
based on the identified at least one image, receive information on an emotional state of the pet through the communicator from the server.

10. The robot of claim 9 , wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the robot to:
identify a motion of the pet based on the identified at least one image, and based on the identified motion of the pet corresponding to a predetermined motion, transmit the at least one obtained image to the server.

11. A method for controlling a robot, the method comprising:
obtaining a plurality of images of a pet through a camera of the robot;
receiving a user input regarding a state of the pet;
identifying at least one of the plurality of images taken within a predetermined time range of a point in time corresponding to receipt of a user inquiry regarding a state of the pet by the robot, wherein the predetermined time range comprises a point in time preceding the point in time corresponding to the receipt of the user inquiry to a point in time following the point in time corresponding to the receipt of the user inquiry,
identifying an emotional state of the pet based on the obtained at least one image;
identifying a motion corresponding to the identified emotional state, from among a plurality of pre-stored motions; and
driving the robot to perform the identified motion from among the plurality of pre-stored motions.

12. The method of claim 11 ,
wherein the robot comprises a body and a plurality of wheels attached to the body, and
wherein the driving the robot comprises controlling a movement of at least one of the body and at least one wheel of the plurality of wheels to perform the identified motion.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the robot further comprises a microphone, and the user input comprises an audio input received through the microph

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Park Jisun
• Kim Sunkyoung
• Lee Yohan

Classifications

• B25J9/1697

  Vision controlled systems · CPC title

• G08B7/06

  using electric transmission {, e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources} · CPC title

• G06F3/0488

  using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures · CPC title

• G06Q50/22

  Social work or social welfare, e.g. community support activities or counselling services · CPC title

• B25J9/0003

  Home robots, i.e. small robots for domestic use · CPC title