Apparatus and methods for removal of learned behaviors in robots

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9579790-B2
Application number	US-201414489373-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 17, 2014
Priority date	Sep 17, 2014
Publication date	Feb 28, 2017
Grant date	Feb 28, 2017

Abstract

Computerized appliances may be operated by users remotely. In one implementation, a learning controller apparatus may be operated to determine association between a user indication and an action by the appliance. The user indications, e.g., gestures, posture changes, audio signals may trigger an event associated with the controller. The event may be linked to a plurality of instructions configured to communicate a command to the appliance. The learning apparatus may receive sensory input conveying information about robot's state and environment (context). The sensory input may be used to determine the user indications. During operation, upon determine the indication using sensory input, the controller may cause execution of the respective instructions in order to trigger action by the appliance. Device animation methodology may enable users to operate computerized appliances using gestures, voice commands, posture changes, and/or other customized control elements.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method of operating a learning process for a computerized apparatus, the method comprising:
operating the learning process to determine a plurality of respective associations between a plurality of commands and a plurality of contexts;
storing the plurality of associations, one or more of the plurality of associations being configured to enable provision of one or more of the plurality of commands based on an occurrence of one or more of the plurality of contexts;
determining the one or more of the plurality of contexts via one or more sensory inputs;
determining a first user indication corresponding to the one or more sensory inputs;
when a given association between the one or more of the plurality of commands and the one or more of the plurality of contexts occurs, executing one or more tasks corresponding to the one or more of the plurality of commands;
responsive to a second user indication, updating the one or more of the plurality of associations, the updating the one or more of the plurality of associations being configured to reduce a probability of the provision of at least one of the plurality of commands based on another occurrence of the one or more of the plurality of contexts subsequent to the updating the one or more of the plurality of associations, the second user indication comprising an unlearn indication; and
when the unlearn indication is present, inhibiting execution of at least one of the one or more tasks.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the determining the one or more of the plurality of contexts is based on an action by the user; and further comprising:
receiving the plurality of commands on a wave transmission caused by the user; and
the determining the plurality of associations are based on a plurality of substantially simultaneous occurrences of the action and detection of the wave transmission.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein:
the operating the learning process is configured based on a look up table comprising a plurality of entries;
the operating the learning process to determine the plurality of respective associations comprises identifying an entry of the plurality of entries, the entry characterizing a number of the plurality of substantially simultaneous occurrences of the action and detection of the transmission; and
the updating the the one or more of the plurality of associations comprises reducing the number.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein:
the operating the learning process further comprises selecting an output;
wherein the output selection is configured based on a comparison of a given entry to another entry of the plurality of entries; and
the provision of at least one of the plurality of commands is based on the given entry being selected as the output.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein:
the operating the learning process comprises executing a winner takes all process; and
the selecting of the given entry as the output is configured based on an entry value of the given entry exceeding one or more individual values of the plurality of entries.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein:
the operating the learning process is configured based on a network of artificial neurons;
the one or more of the plurality of commands are based on an activity of an output neuron of the plurality of artificial neurons;
the association comprises an efficacy associated with the output neuron; and
the updating the the one or more of the plurality of associations comprises reducing the efficacy.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein:
the operating the learning process comprises executing a winner takes all process; and
when activated, the output neuron is configured based on the efficacy exceeding one or more efficacies of other output neurons of the plurality of neurons.

8. The method of claim 3 , wherein: the one or more of the plurality of commands are configured to cause execution of a task by the computerized apparatus.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein:
the operating the learning process comprises selecting one of a first or a second output;
the command is associated with the first output selected;
a null command is associated with the second output selected; and
the null command is characterized by an absence of task execution by the computerized apparatus.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein:
the updating the the one or more of the plurality of associations is configured to increase a probability of the second output being selected relative the first output.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the computerized apparatus comprises a computerized appliance apparatus; and
the command is configured to cause the appliance to execute an action.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
the plurality of contexts are determined based on an analysis of sensory information, where the analysis comprises comparing a reference instance of the sensory information and a current instance of the sensory information, the reference instance preceding the current instance; and
the plurality of commands are characterized by a transmission comprising a plurality of pulses.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein:
the sensory information comprises a sequence of images provided by a camera;
the current instance of the sensory information comprises a current frame of the sequence of frames;
the context is characterized by a plurality of pixels of the current frame, the plurality of pixels representing a user gesture; and
the association is determined based on a plurality of simultaneous occurrences of the user gesture and detection of the transmission.

14. A home automation apparatus, comprising:
a camera component configured to provide a sequence of frames to a learning process;
a user interface device configured to receive an event indication and an undo indication from a user;
a communications apparatus configured to provide a command to a remote device; and
a processing component configured to operate the learning process and to detect an action of a user based on an analysis of the sequence of frames;
wherein the processing component is configured to:
based on the detection of the action of the user and the event indication and in an absence of a contemporaneous undo indication, update a configuration of the learning process to increase a probability of the command being communicated to the remote device based on a subsequent detection of the action of the user; and
based on the detection of the action of the user and the event indication and the contemporaneous undo indication, update the configuration of the learning process to decrease the probability of the command being communicated to the remote device based on the subsequent detection of the action of the user.

15. A home automation apparatus, comprising:
a sensor component configured to provide a sensory input to a learning process;
a user interface configured to receive a plurality of action indications and an undo indication from a user;
a communications apparatus configured to provide a command of a plurality of commands to a remote device; and
a processing component configured to operate the learning process and to determine one or more context instances in the sensory input;
wherein:
the learning process is operable to determine an association between a given context and a given action of the plurality of actions, the given action having a respective command of the plurality of commands associated therewith; and
the processing component is configured to, based on detection of the undo indication, update a configuration of the learning process to

Assignees

• Brain Corp

Inventors

• Laurent Patryk
• Petre Csaba
• Izhikevich Eugene M
• Polonichko Vadim

Classifications

• G05B2219/2642

  Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house · CPC title

• B25J9/163 Primary

  learning, adaptive, model based, rule based expert control · CPC title

• G05B2219/40116

  Learn by operator observation, symbiosis, show, watch · CPC title

• Y10S901/05

  Machine driven lead through · CPC title