Information processing method, program and information processing system

Abstract

To shorten time from an instruction by voice to operation of a robot.SOLUTION: An information processing method performed by an information processor includes: an acquisition step for acquiring voice of natural language; a conversion step for converting the natural language into a text; a retrieval step for retrieving an operation command from a learning model stored in the information processor on the basis of the converted text; and an instruction step for instructing a robot to perform an operation based on the operation command retrieved in the search step.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing method, a program, and an information processing system.

Background Art

[0002] Citation Document 1 discloses a machine tool that recognizes an operator's voice and displays a screen selected based on the voice.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the case of the above prior art, a certain amount of time is required to operate a machine such as a robot based on a voice instruction.

[0005] In consideration of the above fact, an object of the present invention is to obtain an information processing method, a program, and an information processing system capable of shortening the time from a voice instruction to operating a robot.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to an information processing method according to an embodiment, it is an information processing method executed by an information processing apparatus, including an acquisition step of acquiring a voice of a natural language, a conversion step of converting the natural language into text, a search step of searching for an operation command from a learning model stored in the information processing apparatus based on the converted text, and an instruction step of instructing a robot to perform an operation based on the operation command searched in the search step.

[0007] According to the program according to one embodiment, the information processing apparatus is caused to execute an information processing method including: an acquisition step of acquiring natural language voice; a conversion step of converting the natural language into text; a search step of searching for an operation command from a learning model stored in the information processing apparatus based on the converted text; and an instruction step of instructing a robot to perform an operation based on the operation command searched in the search step.

[0008] According to an information processing system according to one embodiment, it is an information processing system executed by an information processing apparatus, and includes: an acquisition step of acquiring natural language voice; a conversion step of converting the natural language into text; a search step of searching for an operation command from a learning model stored in the information processing apparatus based on the converted text; and an instruction step of instructing a robot to perform an operation based on the operation command searched in the search step.

Advantages of the Invention

[0009] According to one embodiment, it is possible to shorten the time from an instruction by voice to operating the robot.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the information processing system according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. In each figure, the same or equivalent components and parts are given the same reference numerals. Also, the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for the convenience of explanation and may be different from the actual ratios.

[0012] (System Overview) First, the overview of the information processing system 10 according to the present embodiment will be described. The information processing system 10 according to the present embodiment is a system that can shorten the time from a voice instruction to operating the robot 2. In the present embodiment, the information processing system 10 is a system that searches for an operation command from a learning model based on a natural language voice instruction from a user without going through a network, and the robot 2 operates based on the instruction of the operation command.

[0013] (System Configuration) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing system 10 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system 10 according to the present embodiment is a system for controlling a robot 2 including an information processing apparatus 1 and a robot 2 connected to the information processing apparatus 1. In the present embodiment, the information processing apparatus 1 is only connected to the robot 2, but is not limited thereto, and may be connected to other information processing apparatuses, servers, etc. that are communicably connected to each other via a network, for example. The network is, for example, a wired LAN (Local Area Network), a wireless LAN, the Internet, a public line network, a mobile data communication network, or a combination thereof.

[0014] The information processing apparatus 1 is an example of an information processing apparatus that searches for an operation command from a learning model based on a natural language voice instruction from a user and gives an instruction to the robot 2 based on the operation command. The information processing apparatus 1 may be a PC (Personal Computer), a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a server apparatus, a microcomputer, or a combination thereof. The specific configuration and operation of the information processing apparatus 1 will be described later.

[0015] The robot 2 performs processing operations according to instructions from the information processing device 1. The robot 2 is a device that is equipped with a camera, various sensors, etc., and performs processing operations on an object according to instructions from the information processing device 1 by moving an actuator. The processing operations related to the object are, for example, gripping of an article, painting, polishing, cutting, drilling, or assembly, but may also be other operations.

[0016] (Hardware Configuration) FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the information processing device 1. The information processing device 1 includes a processor 101, a memory 102, a storage 103, a communication I / F 104, and an input / output I / F 105, which are communicably connected to each other via a bus B.

[0017] The processor 101 controls each component of the information processing device 1 and realizes the functions of the information processing device 1 by expanding and executing various programs stored in the storage 103 in the memory 102. The programs executed by the processor 101 include, but are not limited to, an OS (Operating System) and various programs described later. By the processor 101 executing these programs, a part of the state visualization method according to the present embodiment is realized. The processor 101 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), or a combination thereof.

[0018] The memory 102 is, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), or a combination thereof. The ROM is, for example, a PROM (Programmable ROM), an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), or a combination thereof. The RAM is, for example, a DRAM (Dynamic RAM), an SRAM (Static RAM), an MRAM (Magnetoresistive RAM), or a combination thereof.

[0019] The storage 103 stores the OS, various programs described later, and various data. The storage 103 is, for example, a flash memory, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), an SCM (Storage Class Memories), or a combination thereof.

[0020] The communication I / F 104 is an interface for connecting the information processing apparatus 1 to an external apparatus via a network and controlling communication. The communication I / F 104 is, for example, an adapter compliant with Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), Ethernet (registered trademark), or optical communication (e.g., Fibre Channel), but is not limited thereto.

[0021] The input / output I / F 105 is an interface for connecting an input device and an output device to the information processing apparatus 1. The input device is, for example, a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel, a microphone, a scanner, a camera, various sensors, operation buttons, or a combination thereof. In the present embodiment, the input device will be described as a microphone for acquiring natural language from the user. The output device as a user interface is, for example, a display, a projector, a printer, a speaker, a vibrator, or a combination thereof. In the present embodiment, the input device will be described as a microphone.

[0022] (Functional Configuration) Next, the functional configuration of the information processing apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the information processing apparatus 1. When executing various programs, the information processing apparatus 1 uses the above hardware resources to realize various functions. The information processing apparatus 1 includes a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13 as functional configurations realized by the information processing apparatus 1. Each functional configuration is realized by the processor 101 reading and executing the program 123 stored in the memory 102 or the storage 103.

[0023] The control unit 13 includes an acquisition unit 131 that acquires the user's voice from a microphone connected to the information processing apparatus 1, and a conversion unit 132 that converts the voice acquired by the acquisition unit 131 into text. Further, the control unit 13 includes a search unit 133 that searches for an operation command of the robot 2 from a pre-learned model 121 based on the text converted by the conversion unit 132, and an instruction unit 134 that instructs the robot 2 based on the operation command searched by the search unit 133. Details of these will be described later.

[0024] Next, the processing flow of the information processing system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a diagram related to the processing executed by the information processing system 10 according to the present embodiment.

[0025] First, in step S101, the acquisition unit 131 acquires the user's voice from a microphone connected to the information processing apparatus 1 (acquisition step). At this time, the microphone receives an instruction for operating the robot 2 issued by the user in natural language, and the acquisition unit 131 acquires the user's natural language voice. Next, in step S102, the conversion unit 132 converts the voice acquired by the acquisition unit 131 in step S101 into text (conversion step). At this time, the conversion from voice to text may be performed, for example, by using an existing learning model such as a speech recognition model. The method is not limited as long as the text can be converted from the user's natural language. By converting the text from the natural language, the user can operate the robot 2 in his or her own words other than specific phrases.

[0026] Next, in step S103, the search unit 133 searches for an operation command for the robot 2 from the text converted in step S102 (search step). At this time, the search unit 133 extracts keywords from the text converted in step S102, and searches for an operation command for the robot 2 from the learning model 121 based on the extracted keywords. By previously storing the learning model 121 for searching in step S103 in the information processing apparatus 1, the operation command can be searched without going through the network. As a result, it is possible to search at a higher speed compared to the case of searching for an operation command via the network. Further, since the learning model 121 is stored in the information processing apparatus 1, pre-learning is not required, and the user can operate with voice immediately after installation. Next, in step S104, the instruction unit 134 gives an instruction to the robot 2 based on the operation command searched in step S103 (instruction step).

[0027] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to operate the robot with the user's voice. In addition, by storing a learning model corresponding to the operation command for learning in the information processing apparatus, it is possible to install it without requiring pre-learning. Furthermore, by searching for the instruction command in the information processing apparatus without searching for it via the network, the delay related to the network is eliminated, and the robot can be operated at high speed. If the robot can be operated at high speed, for example, in an emergency, it is not necessary to perform button operations or the like, and it is possible to stop the operation of the robot in the user's natural language. That is, when there is a distance from the user to the emergency stop button, the operation can be stopped faster by the user uttering words than by pressing the emergency stop button.

[0028] As described above, one embodiment of the present invention has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications, improvements, etc. within the range capable of achieving the object of the present invention are included in the present invention.

[0029] Also, for example, the above-described series of processes can be executed by hardware or by software. In other words, the functional configuration is merely an example and is not particularly limited. That is, it is sufficient that the information processing system is provided with a function capable of executing the above-described series of processes as a whole, and there is no particular limitation on what functional blocks are used to realize this function. Also, the location of the functional blocks is not particularly limited and may be arbitrary. For example, the functional blocks of the server may be transferred to the user terminal or the like. Conversely, the functional blocks of the user terminal may be transferred to the server or the like. Also, one functional block may be configured by hardware alone, by software alone, or by a combination thereof.

[0030] For example, when a series of processes are to be executed by software, the program that constitutes the software is installed on a computer or the like from a network or a recording medium. The computer may be a computer incorporated in dedicated hardware. Also, the computer may be a computer capable of executing various functions by installing various programs, such as a general-purpose smartphone or personal computer in addition to a server.

[0031] For example, a recording medium containing such a program is not only constituted by a removable medium (not shown) distributed separately from the apparatus main body to provide the program to the user, but also constituted by a recording medium or the like provided to the user in a state pre-installed in the apparatus main body.

[0032] Note that in this specification, the step of describing the program recorded on the recording medium includes not only the processes performed in time series along the order, but also the processes that may not necessarily be processed in time series and are executed in parallel or individually. Also, in this specification, the term "system" shall mean the overall apparatus constituted by a plurality of devices, a plurality of means, and the like.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0033] 10 Information Processing System 1 Information Processing Apparatus 2 Robot 131 Acquisition Unit 132 Conversion Unit 133 Search Unit 134 Instruction Unit

Claims

1. An information processing method executed by an information processing apparatus, comprising: an acquisition step of acquiring natural language voice; a conversion step of converting the natural language into text; a search step of searching for an operation command from a learning model stored in the information processing apparatus based on the converted text; an instruction step of instructing a robot to perform an operation based on the operation command searched in the search step. The information processing method including the above steps.

2. In the search step, an operation is searched from the learning model stored in the information processing apparatus without going through a network. The information processing method according to Claim 1.

3. In the search step, keywords are extracted from the text converted in the conversion step to search for the operation command. The information processing method according to Claim 1.

4. A program for causing an information processing apparatus to execute an information processing method including: an acquisition step of acquiring natural language voice; a conversion step of converting the natural language into text; a search step of searching for an operation command from a learning model stored in the information processing apparatus based on the converted text; an instruction step of instructing a robot to perform an operation based on the operation command searched in the search step.

5. An information processing system executed by an information processing apparatus, comprising: an acquisition step of acquiring natural language voice; a conversion step of converting the natural language into text; a search step of searching for an operation command from a learning model stored in the information processing apparatus based on the converted text; an instruction step of instructing a robot to perform an operation based on the operation command searched in the search step. The information processing system performing the above steps.

Images