Mobile apparatus, method of controlling the same, and recording medium

{
  "publication_number": "US10419924B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Mobile apparatus, method of controlling the same, and recording medium",
  "abstract": "A mobile apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a voice input unit configured to detect a signal from a user. In a case where the voice input unit detects a signal from the user and as a detection result of the signal from the user, it is determined that there is a signal from the user, the mobile apparatus performs sound source localization and specifies a location or direction in which the detected signal from the user is given. In a case where it is determined that the mobile apparatus is not able to move to the location where the signal from the user is given, a voice output unit configured to output a voice signal, a driving unit configured to move the mobile apparatus, and a light emitting unit configured to emit light performs predetermined control.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A mobile apparatus comprising: a signal detector configured to detect a signal from a user; a specifier configured to specify a location or direction in which the signal detected by the signal detector is given as a location or direction in which the user exists; a movement controller configured to move the mobile apparatus to the location or direction in which the user exists specified by the specifier; an imager; a face detector configured to detect a face of the user from a captured image captured by the imager; a first determiner configured to determine whether the mobile apparatus is able to move to the location or direction in which the user exists by the movement controller; a second determiner configured to determine whether the face of the user is detected by the face detector; and a controller configured to perform predetermined control for enabling the mobile apparatus and the user to move closer to each other in a case where the second determiner determines that the face of the user is detected and the first determiner determines that the mobile apparatus is not able to move to the location or direction in which the user exists.",
    "2. The mobile apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a notifier, wherein, in a case where the second determiner determines that the face of the user is detected and the first determiner determines that the mobile apparatus is not able to move to the location or direction in which the user exists, the controller performs a predetermined notification by controlling the notifier by the predetermined control.",
    "3. The mobile apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, in a case where the second determiner determines that the face of the user is not detected, a notification by which the mobile apparatus prompts the user to call is performed by controlling the notifier to enable the mobile apparatus to move closer to the user.",
    "4. The mobile apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the notifier comprises a voice outputter capable of outputting a voice, and wherein the predetermined notification comprises a voice output to the user by control of the voice outputter by the predetermined control.",
    "5. The mobile apparatus according to claim 2, wherein each part of the mobile apparatus is operable as the notifier, and wherein the predetermined notification comprises an operation performed for the user by control of each part of the mobile apparatus by the predetermined control.",
    "6. The mobile apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the notifier comprises a light emitter capable of emitting light, and wherein the predetermined notification comprises light emission by the light emitter performed for the user by control of the light emitter by the predetermined control.",
    "7. The mobile apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined notification comprises a notification performed for the user by performing the predetermined control, the notification being a notification to prompt the user to take a predetermined action.",
    "8. The mobile apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the notifier comprises a voice outputter capable of outputting a voice, and wherein the predetermined notification comprises a call performed for the user by control of the voice output from the voice outputter by the predetermined control in the case where the second determiner determines that the face of the user is detected and the first determiner determines that the mobile apparatus is not able to move to the location or direction in which the user exists, the call being one of (i) a call to prompt the user to move near the mobile apparatus from the location or direction in which the user exists, and (ii) a call to prompt the user to move from the location or direction in which the user exists to a location where there is no obstacle between the user and the mobile apparatus.",
    "9. The mobile apparatus according to claim 2, wherein each part of the mobile apparatus is operable as the notifier, and wherein the predetermined notification comprises an operation performed for the user by control of each part of the mobile apparatus by the predetermined control in the case where the second determiner determines that the face of the user is detected and the first determiner determines that the mobile apparatus is not able to move to the location or direction in which the user exists, the operation being one of (i) an operation to prompt the user to move near the mobile apparatus from the location or direction in which the user exists, and (ii) an operation to prompt the user to move from the location or direction in which the user exists to a location where there is no obstacle between the user and the mobile apparatus.",
    "10. The mobile apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the notifier comprises a light emitter, and wherein, in the case where the second determiner determines that the face of the user is detected and the first determiner determines that the mobile apparatus is not able to move to the location or direction in which the user exists, the predetermined notification comprises one of (i) light emission outputted to the user by control of the light emitter by the predetermined control to prompt the user to move near the mobile apparatus from the location or direction in which the user exists, and (ii) light emission outputted to the user by control of the light emitter by the predetermined control to prompt the user to move from the location or direction in which the user exists to a location where there is no obstacle between the user and the mobile apparatus.",
    "11. The mobile apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a notification count determiner configured to determine a number of times of notifications by the notifier, wherein the controller controls the mobile apparatus based on a determination result by the notification count determiner.",
    "12. The mobile apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a searcher configured to search for a movement route to the location or direction in which the user exists specified by the specifier, wherein the first determiner determines that the mobile apparatus is not able to move to the location or direction in which the user exists by the movement controller in a case where the searcher is not able to find a movement route to the location or direction in which the user exists specified by the specifier.",
    "13. The mobile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first determiner determines that the mobile apparatus is not able to move to the location or direction in which the user exists by the movement controller in a case where the specifier is unable to specify the location or direction in which the user exists.",
    "14. The mobile apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a searcher configured to search for a movement route to the location or direction in which the user exists specified by the specifier, wherein, in the case where the second determiner determines that the face of the user is detected and the first determiner determines that the mobile apparatus is not able to move to the location or direction where the user exists, the controller moves the mobile apparatus to a position at which the mobile apparatus can more easily view the location or direction where the user exists by performing the predetermined control.",
    "15. The mobile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first determiner determines whether a movement route, on which the mobile apparatus is able to move a certain distance or longer to the location or direction in which the user exists, is found.",
    "16. A method of controlling a mobile apparatus, the method comprising: detecting a signal from a user; specifying a location or direction in which the signal detected by the detecting is given as a location or direction in which the user exists; controlling a movement to move the mobile apparatus to the location or direction in which the user exists specified by the specifying; performing imaging; detecting a face of the user from a captured image captured by the imaging; determining whether the mobile apparatus is able to move, by the controlling, to the location or direction in which the user exists; determining whether the face of the user is detected by the detecting; and performing predetermined control for enabling the mobile apparatus and the user to move closer to each other in a case where it is determined that the face of the user is detected by the detecting and that the mobile apparatus is not able to move to the location or direction in which the user exists.",
    "17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a program executable by a computer of a mobile apparatus, the program controlling the computer to perform functions comprising: detecting a signal from a user; specifying a location or direction in which the detected signal is given as a location or direction in which the user exists; controlling a movement to move the mobile apparatus to the specified location or direction in which the user exists; performing imaging; detecting a face of the user from a captured image captured by performing the imaging; determining whether it is possible for the mobile apparatus to move to the location or direction in which the user exists; determining whether the face of the user is detected by the detecting; and performing predetermined control for enabling the mobile apparatus and the user to move closer to each other in a case where it is determined that the face of the user is detected by the detecting and that it is not possible for the mobile apparatus to move to the location or direction in which the user exists.",
    "18. The mobile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second determiner determines that the face of the user is detected in a case where a specified value or more of feature data of the face of the user is detected by the face detector.",
    "19. The mobile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller performs the predetermined control in the case where the second determiner determines that the face of the user is detected and the first determiner determines that the mobile apparatus is not able to move to the location or direction in which the user exists, and in a case where the second determiner determines that the face of the user is not detected."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present invention relates to a mobile apparatus, a method of controlling the mobile apparatus, and a recording medium.\n\nAn apparatus that performs operations similar to human motions using electrical or magnetic action and move autonomously is called a mobile robot (mobile apparatus). The mobile robot performs self-localization and generates an environmental map through simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) using a sensor provided therein, search for a route for moving to a destination with reference to the generated environment map. JP H7-225612 A describes that a mobile robot periodically creates a new environmental map for a moving space of the mobile robot itself to update the environmental map. It is generally known that as a type of a mobile robot, there is a mobile robot having a function of moving to a direction in which a user exists (voice source direction) in a case where the mobile robot recognizes a call by a voice from the user.\n\nA mobile apparatus comprising:\n\na signal detector configured to detect a signal;\n\na specifier configured to specify a location or direction in which the signal detected by the signal detector is given;\n\na movement controller configured to move the mobile apparatus to the location or direction specified by the specifier;\n\na determiner configured to determine whether the mobile apparatus is able to move to the location where the signal is given by the movement controller; and\n\na controller configured to perform predetermined control in a case where the determiner determines that the mobile apparatus is not able to move.",
  "cpc": [
    "H04W 8/22",
    "B25J 19/00",
    "B25J 9/16",
    "B25J 9/1664",
    "H04W 4/02",
    "H04W 64/006",
    "H04W 68/00"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "H04W 4/02",
    "H04W 68/00",
    "H04W 8/22"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Casio Computer Co Ltd"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Takashi Yamaya",
    "Kouichi Nakagome",
    "Keisuke Shimada"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2018-02-21",
  "publication_date": "2019-09-17",
  "grant_date": "2019-09-17",
  "priority_date": "2017-03-31",
  "application_number": "US-201815901198-A",
  "family_id": "63671857",
  "cited_by_count": 2,
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  ]
}