Information processing device, information processing method, and information processing program

Abstract

An information processing device (10) according to the present disclosure comprises an action control unit (175) that controls a movement action of an autonomous moving body (10), which travels while maintaining an inverted state, and that controls an orientation action of the autonomous moving body, the orientation of which changes over time from a reference orientation in the inverted state. Additionally, the information processing device (10) according to the present disclosure furthermore comprises an acquisition unit (174) that acquires motion data corresponding to the orientation action of the autonomous moving body (10). The action control unit (175) controls the orientation action of the autonomous moving body (10) on the basis of the motion data acquired by the acquisition unit (174).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, there has been active development of autonomous mobile objects equipped with artificial intelligence, such as robot vacuum cleaners and pet robots for the home, and transport robots for factories and logistics warehouses.

[0003] The above-mentioned autonomous mobile body includes an autonomous mobile body that performs flexible autonomous actions including movement according to the user, surrounding conditions, or its own conditions. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an autonomous mobile body that performs movement actions such as forward and backward movement, turning movement, and rotation movement in a standing position while maintaining a forward leaning posture. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2019 / 163312 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the above-mentioned conventional technology does not necessarily enrich the movement expression of the autonomous moving body. For example, the above-mentioned conventional technology is limited to the autonomous moving body performing movement such as forward and backward movement, turning movement, and rotation movement in a standing position in which the autonomous moving body maintains a forward leaning posture, and does not necessarily enrich the movement expression of the autonomous moving body.

[0006] Therefore, the present disclosure proposes an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program that can enrich the motion expression of an autonomous moving body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, an information processing device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes an operation control unit that controls the movement operation of an autonomous moving body that runs while maintaining an inverted state, and controls the postural operation of the autonomous moving body that changes over time from a reference posture in the inverted state. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are front and rear views of an autonomous moving body according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an autonomous moving body according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a side view of the autonomous moving body according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a top view of the autonomous moving body according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the autonomous moving body according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining an internal structure of an autonomous moving body according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] 2A and 2B are diagrams showing a configuration of a substrate according to the embodiment; [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a substrate according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] 3 is a diagram showing a peripheral structure of a wheel according to the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 10] 3 is a diagram showing a peripheral structure of a wheel according to the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 11] 11A and 11B are diagrams for explaining forward leaning running of the autonomous moving body according to the embodiment. [Figure 12] 11A and 11B are diagrams for explaining forward leaning running of the autonomous moving body according to the embodiment. [Figure 13A] 10A to 10C are diagrams for explaining the effect achieved by the forward tilting motion of the autonomous moving body 10 according to the embodiment. [Figure 13B] 10A to 10C are diagrams for explaining the effect achieved by the forward tilting motion of the autonomous moving body 10 according to the embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an autonomous moving body according to the embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a behavior storage unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 16] 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a motion data storage unit according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 17] 11 is a diagram for explaining posture control based on motion data according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 18] 11 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a change over time in angular velocity of a wheel based on motion data according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 19] 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of an operation control unit according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 20] 11A to 11C are diagrams for explaining posture control during stationary and moving operations according to the embodiment. [Figure 21] 11A to 11C are diagrams for explaining posture control during stationary and moving operations according to the embodiment. [Figure 22] 13A and 13B are diagrams for explaining wheel control during transition to an upright state according to the embodiment. [Figure 23] 13A and 13B are diagrams for explaining wheel control during transition to an upright state according to the embodiment. [Figure 24] 10 is a flowchart showing an information processing procedure according to the embodiment. [Diagram 25] FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram illustrating an example of a computer that realizes the functions of the information processing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

[0010] The present disclosure will be described in the following order.

[0011] The explanation will be given in the following order. 1. Embodiment 1.1. Overview 1.2. Configuration Example of Autonomous Mobile Body 10 1.3. Example of Functional Configuration of Autonomous Mobile Body 10 1.3.1. Details of Attitude Control According to the Embodiment 1.3.1.1.Motion data expressing joy 1.3.1.2.Motion data that expresses enjoyment 1.3.1.3.Motion data expressing anger 1.3.1.4.Motion data expressing sadness 1.3.1.5.Changes in wheel angular velocity over time in motion data 1.3.1.6. Example of functional configuration of the operation control unit 1.4. Other attitude control details 1.5. Information Processing Procedure According to the Embodiment 1.6. Modifications of the embodiment 1.6.1. Compatibility of attitude angle and wheel rotation angle 1.6.2. Motion data when touched lightly 1.6.3. Motion data expressing panic (panic) 1.6.4.Motion data expressing weakness 2. Effects of this disclosure 3. Hardware Configuration

[0012] <1. Embodiment> <<1.1. Overview>> First, an outline of an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. As described above, various robot devices that perform autonomous operations have been developed. For example, the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 discloses an entertainment-type robot device having an inverted pendulum structure.

[0013] Conventionally, for robots with an inverted pendulum structure (hereafter also referred to as inverted pendulum robots), a control system has been constructed to keep the angle of the robot's posture at a constant inclination in order to maintain the inverted pendulum state (hereafter also referred to as the inverted state). On the other hand, for entertainment-type robots, it is necessary not only to keep the robot's posture constant, but also to present changes in posture to the user as expressive power. Previous inverted pendulum robots were able to express changes in movement, for example by changing the moving speed, but it was difficult to express changes in movement by changing the posture.

[0014] Therefore, the autonomous moving body 10 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure controls the movement operation of the autonomous moving body running while maintaining an inverted state, and also controls the attitude operation of the autonomous moving body 10 that changes over time from a reference attitude in the inverted state. As a result, the autonomous moving body 10 can simultaneously perform control to maintain the inverted state and control to change the attitude over time. In other words, the autonomous moving body 10 can arbitrarily change the attitude while maintaining the inverted state, and therefore can express more expressions. For example, the autonomous moving body 10 can express attitude actions that express the emotions of the autonomous moving body 10. Therefore, the autonomous moving body 10 can enrich the movement expression of the autonomous moving body.

[0015] <<1.2. Configuration Example of Autonomous Moving Body 10>> Next, a configuration example of the autonomous mobile body 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. The autonomous mobile body 10 according to this embodiment can be various devices that perform autonomous operation based on environmental recognition. In the following, a case where the autonomous mobile body 10 according to this embodiment is an agent-type robot device with an oblong shape that runs autonomously on wheels will be described as an example. The autonomous mobile body 10 according to this embodiment realizes various communications including information presentation by performing autonomous operations according to, for example, the user, the surroundings, and its own situation. The autonomous mobile body 10 according to this embodiment may be a small robot having a size and weight that can be easily lifted by a user with one hand.

[0016] First, an example of the exterior of the autonomous moving body 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5. Fig. 1 is a front view and a rear view of the autonomous moving body 10 according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the autonomous moving body 10 according to this embodiment. Fig. 3 is a side view of the autonomous moving body 10 according to this embodiment. Figs. 4 and 5 are a top view and a bottom view, respectively, of the autonomous moving body 10 according to this embodiment.

[0017] 1 to 4, the autonomous moving body 10 according to this embodiment includes two eyes 510 corresponding to a right eye and a left eye on the upper part of the main body. The eyes 510 are realized by, for example, an LED, and can express gaze, blinking, and the like. Note that the eyes 510 are not limited to the above example, and may be realized by, for example, two single or independent OLEDs (Organic Light Emitting Diodes).

[0018] Moreover, the autonomous moving body 10 according to this embodiment includes two cameras 515 above the eye unit 510. The cameras 515 have a function of capturing images of the user and the surrounding environment. Furthermore, the autonomous moving body 10 can realize simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) based on images captured by the cameras 515.

[0019] The eye 510 and the camera 515 according to this embodiment are disposed on a substrate 505 disposed inside the exterior surface. In this embodiment, the exterior surface of the autonomous moving body 10 is basically formed using an opaque material, but a head cover 550 using a transparent or semi-transparent material is provided for a portion corresponding to the substrate 505 on which the eye 510 and the camera 515 are disposed. This allows the user to recognize the eye 510 of the autonomous moving body 10, and allows the autonomous moving body 10 to capture an image of the outside world.

[0020] 1, 2, and 5, the autonomous moving body 10 according to this embodiment includes a ToF sensor 520 at the lower front surface. The ToF sensor 520 has a function of detecting the distance to an object present in front. The ToF sensor 520 can detect the distance to various objects with high accuracy, and can also detect steps and the like to prevent the autonomous moving body 10 from falling or tipping over.

[0021] 1, 3, etc., the autonomous moving body 10 according to this embodiment may be provided on the rear surface with a connection terminal 555 for an external device and a power switch 560. The autonomous moving body 10 can connect to an external device via the connection terminal 555 and communicate information.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 5, the autonomous moving body 10 according to this embodiment has two wheels 570 on the bottom surface. The wheels 570 according to this embodiment are driven by different motors 565. This allows the autonomous moving body 10 to realize moving operations such as forward, backward, turning, and rotation. The wheels 570 according to this embodiment are provided so as to be able to be stored inside the main body and protrude to the outside. The autonomous moving body 10 according to this embodiment can also perform a jumping operation by, for example, forcefully protruding the two wheels 570 to the outside. Note that FIG. 5 shows a state in which the wheels 570 are stored inside the main body.

[0023] The exterior of the autonomous moving body 10 according to this embodiment has been described above. Next, the internal structure of the autonomous moving body 10 according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining the internal structure of the autonomous moving body 10 according to this embodiment.

[0024] 6, the autonomous moving body 10 according to this embodiment includes an inertial sensor 525 and a communication device 530 arranged on an electronic board. The inertial sensor 525 detects the acceleration and angular velocity of the autonomous moving body 10. The communication device 530 is configured to realize wireless communication with the outside, and includes, for example, a Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark) antenna.

[0025] The autonomous moving body 10 also includes a speaker 535, for example, inside the side surface of the main body. The autonomous moving body 10 can output various types of sound information, including voice, through the speaker 535.

[0026] 6, the autonomous moving body 10 according to this embodiment includes a plurality of microphones 540 on the inside of the upper part of the main body. The microphones 540 collect the user's speech and surrounding environmental sounds. By including the plurality of microphones 540, the autonomous moving body 10 can collect surrounding sounds with high sensitivity and realize the localization of the sound source.

[0027] 6, the autonomous moving body 10 includes a plurality of motors 565. The autonomous moving body 10 may include, for example, two motors 565 for vertically and horizontally driving a substrate on which the eye 510 and the camera 515 are arranged, two motors 565 for driving left and right wheels 570, and one motor 565 for realizing a forward tilting posture of the autonomous moving body 10. The autonomous moving body 10 according to this embodiment can express a variety of movements by using the plurality of motors 565.

[0028] Next, the configuration of the substrate 505 on which the eye 510 and the camera 515 according to the present embodiment are arranged, and the configuration of the eye 510 will be described in detail. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of the substrate 505 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the substrate 505 according to the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 7, the substrate 505 according to the present embodiment is connected to two motors 565. As described above, the two motors 565 can drive the substrate 505 on which the eye 510 and the camera 515 are arranged in the vertical and horizontal directions. This allows the eye 510 of the autonomous moving body 10 to be flexibly moved in the vertical and horizontal directions, making it possible to express a rich range of eye movements according to the situation and the operation.

[0029] 7 and 8, eye unit 510 is composed of central portion 512 corresponding to the iris and peripheral portion 514 corresponding to the so-called white of the eye. Central portion 512 expresses any color including blue, red, green, etc., and peripheral portion 514 expresses white. In this way, by separating the configuration of eye unit 510 into two, autonomous moving body 10 according to this embodiment can express natural eye expressions closer to those of an actual living creature.

[0030] Next, the structure of the wheel 570 according to this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 9 and Fig. 10. Fig. 9 and Fig. 10 are diagrams showing the peripheral structure of the wheel 570 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 9, the two wheels 570 according to this embodiment are each driven by an independent motor 565. With this configuration, in addition to simple forward and backward movement, it is possible to express movement movements such as turning and rotating on the spot in detail.

[0031] As described above, the wheel 570 according to this embodiment is provided so as to be capable of being stored inside the main body and protruding to the outside. Also, the damper 575 is provided coaxially with the wheel 570 according to this embodiment, so that it is possible to effectively reduce the transmission of impact and vibration to the axle and the main body.

[0032] 10, the wheel 570 according to this embodiment may be provided with an auxiliary spring 580. Driving the wheel according to this embodiment requires the most torque among the driving units of the autonomous moving body 10, but providing the auxiliary spring 580 makes it possible to standardize all the motors 565 without using different motors 565 for each driving unit.

[0033] Next, the characteristics of the autonomous moving body 10 according to this embodiment during running will be described. Fig. 11 is a diagram for explaining the forward leaning running of the autonomous moving body 10 according to this embodiment. One of the characteristics of the autonomous moving body 10 according to this embodiment is that it performs moving operations such as forward and backward movement, turning movement, and rotational movement while maintaining a forward leaning posture. Fig. 11 shows the autonomous moving body 10 when running as viewed from the side.

[0034] As shown in Fig. 11, one of the features of the autonomous moving body 10 according to this embodiment is that it moves while tilting forward at an angle θ in the vertical direction. The angle θ may be, for example, 10°. Hereinafter, the attitude of the autonomous moving body 10 shown in Fig. 11 will be referred to as the reference attitude of the autonomous moving body 10. In addition, the angle θ shown in Fig. 11 will be referred to as the reference attitude angle corresponding to the reference attitude of the autonomous moving body 10.

[0035] At this time, the operation control unit 173 described later controls the movement operation of the autonomous moving body 10 so that the center of gravity CoG of the autonomous moving body 10 is located vertically above the rotation axis CoW of the wheel 570, as shown in FIG. 12. In addition, a heavy part hp is arranged on the back side of the autonomous moving body 10 according to this embodiment in order to maintain balance when in a forward leaning posture. The heavy part hp according to this embodiment may be a heavier part compared to other components of the autonomous moving body 10, and may be, for example, a motor 565 or a battery. According to the above-mentioned part arrangement, gyro control is facilitated while maintaining balance even if the head is tilted forward, and it is possible to prevent the autonomous moving body 10 from falling unintentionally and realize stable forward leaning running.

[0036] Next, a moving operation in which the autonomous moving body 10 according to this embodiment maintains a forward leaning posture will be described in more detail. Figures 13A and 13B are diagrams for explaining the effect of the forward leaning operation of the autonomous moving body 10 according to this embodiment.

[0037] Here, Fig. 13A shows an example of a rotational motion when the autonomous mobile body does not take a forward-leaning posture. As shown in Fig. 13A, when the autonomous mobile body 10 does not take a forward-leaning posture and performs a moving motion such as rotation or back-and-forth movement while keeping the ellipsoid upright, the ellipsoid body does not have a sense of directionality, and it is difficult to erase the impression that the autonomous mobile body is an artificial object.

[0038] On the other hand, one of the features of the autonomous moving body 10 according to this embodiment is that it performs a moving action such as rotation while maintaining a forward leaning posture, as shown in Fig. 13B. According to this feature, the front upper part of the autonomous moving body 10 is reminiscent of the head, and the rear lower part is reminiscent of the waist, so that a simple oblong body is given directionality.

[0039] In this way, the forward leaning motion of the autonomous mobile body 10 according to this embodiment makes it possible to express structures equivalent to human body parts with a relatively simple exterior, and by anthropomorphizing the simple form, it is possible to give the user the impression that the robot is a living organism that goes beyond being a mere artificial object. As described above, the forward leaning motion according to this embodiment can be said to be a very effective means for enabling a robot having a relatively simple exterior such as an oblong body to express a rich range of facial expressions, and for evoking the complex movements of a real organism.

[0040] A detailed description has been given above of a configuration example of the autonomous moving body 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Note that the above configuration described with reference to Figures 1 to 13B is merely an example, and the configuration of the autonomous moving body 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited to this example. The shape and internal structure of the autonomous moving body 10 according to this embodiment can be designed arbitrarily.

[0041] <<1.3. Example of Functional Configuration of Autonomous Mobile Body 10>> Next, a functional configuration example of the autonomous moving body 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Fig. 14 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration example of the autonomous moving body 10 according to the present embodiment. Referring to Fig. 14, the autonomous moving body 10 according to the present embodiment includes a sensor unit 110, an input unit 120, a light source 130, an audio output unit 140, a drive unit 150, a storage unit 160, a control unit 170, and a communication unit 180.

[0042] (Sensor unit 110) The sensor unit 110 according to this embodiment has a function of collecting various sensor information related to the user and the surroundings. For this purpose, the sensor unit 110 according to this embodiment includes, for example, the above-mentioned camera 515, ToF sensor 520, microphone 540, inertial sensor 525, etc. In addition to the above, the sensor unit 110 may include various sensors such as a geomagnetic sensor, a touch sensor, various optical sensors including an infrared sensor, a temperature sensor (e.g., a thermistor), a humidity sensor, and a battery level gauge IC. For example, the touch sensor detects contact by the user by a detection method such as a capacitance method, a resistive film method, a surface acoustic wave method, an infrared method, or an electromagnetic induction method.

[0043] (Input unit 120) The input unit 120 according to this embodiment has a function of detecting a physical input operation by a user. The input unit 120 according to this embodiment includes a button such as a power switch 560, for example.

[0044] (Light source 130) The light source 130 according to this embodiment expresses the eye movement of the autonomous moving body 10. For this purpose, the light source 130 according to this embodiment includes two eyes 510.

[0045] (Audio output unit 140) The audio output unit 140 according to the present embodiment has a function of outputting various sounds including voice. For this purpose, the audio output unit 140 according to the present embodiment includes a speaker 535, an amplifier, and the like.

[0046] (Drive unit 150) The driving unit 150 according to this embodiment expresses the body movement of the autonomous moving body 10. To this end, the driving unit 150 according to this embodiment includes two wheels 570 and a plurality of motors 565. For example, the driving unit 150 moves the autonomous moving body 10 according to the control of the operation control unit 175. In addition, the driving unit 150 changes the attitude of the autonomous moving body 10 according to the control of the operation control unit 175.

[0047] (Storage unit 160) The storage unit 160 according to the present embodiment is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a random access memory (RAM) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk. For example, the storage unit 160 stores an information processing program according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 14, the storage unit 160 has a behavior storage unit 161 and a motion data storage unit 162.

[0048] (Behavior memory unit 161) The behavior memory unit 161 stores various information related to the behavior of the autonomous moving body 10. The behavior memory unit according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 15. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of the behavior memory unit according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. In the example illustrated in FIG. 15, the behavior memory unit 161 has items such as "environmental information," "behavior instruction," and "motion ID."

[0049] "Environment information" indicates environmental information related to the surrounding environment of the autonomous moving body 10. "Action instruction" indicates an instruction related to the action of the autonomous moving body 10 corresponding to the environmental information. "Operation ID" indicates an instruction related to the attitude and operation of the autonomous moving body 10 corresponding to the environmental information.

[0050] 15, when the detection unit 171 detects the environmental information that "the user's face is detected by the camera", the acquisition unit 174 acquires the action instruction of "moving straight toward the user". Next, the acquisition unit 174 refers to the motion data storage unit 162 and acquires motion data related to the posture and motion identified by the motion ID "M1".

[0051] (Motion data storage unit 162) The motion data storage unit 162 stores various information related to the motion data representing the posture and motion of the autonomous moving body 10. The motion data storage unit according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 16. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of the motion data storage unit according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. In the example shown in FIG. 16, the motion data storage unit 162 has items such as "motion ID", "meaning", "emotion", and "motion data". Furthermore, the "motion data" further has sub-items such as "motion data ID", "posture angle", "frequency / time", "set data ID", "playtime (ms)", and "angle (°)".

[0052] The "motion ID" indicates identification information for identifying the posture and motion of the autonomous moving body 10. The "meaning" indicates the meaning of the posture and motion. Specifically, the posture and motion identified by the motion ID "M1" (motion M1) indicates a posture and motion corresponding to the expression when the autonomous moving body 10 moves straight ahead. Furthermore, the posture and motion identified by the motion ID "M2" (motion M2) indicates a posture and motion corresponding to the expression when the autonomous moving body 10 moves in a turning motion. Furthermore, the posture and motion identified by the motion ID "M3" (motion M3) indicates a posture and motion corresponding to the expression when the autonomous moving body 10 rotates on the spot. In this way, there are posture and motions corresponding to the types of movement motions of the autonomous moving body 10, such as forward and backward motion, turning motion, and rotational motion.

[0053] Moreover, "emotion" indicates the emotion of the autonomous moving body 10. "Motion data" indicates data representing the posture and motion of the autonomous moving body 10. "Motion data ID" indicates identification information for identifying the motion data. Specifically, the emotion "joy" indicates that the emotion of the autonomous moving body 10 is "joy". Moreover, the motion data (motion data M11) identified by the motion data ID "M11" indicates a data group selected to express the posture and motion of the autonomous moving body 10 when the posture and motion of the autonomous moving body 10 is motion M1 and the emotion of the autonomous moving body 10 is "joy". Moreover, the motion data (motion data M12) identified by the motion data ID "M12" indicates a data group selected to express the posture and motion of the autonomous moving body 10 when the posture and motion of the autonomous moving body 10 is motion M1 and the emotion of the autonomous moving body 10 is "fun". In addition, in the posture movement (movement M1) corresponding to the expression of the autonomous moving body 10 during linear movement, various motion data according to the types of emotions of the autonomous moving body 10 may exist in addition to "joy" and "pleasure."

[0054] Moreover, the emotion "anger" indicates the emotion of the autonomous moving body 10. Moreover, the motion data (motion data M21) identified by the motion data ID "M21" indicates a data group selected to express the attitude movement of the autonomous moving body 10 when the attitude movement of the autonomous moving body 10 is the movement M2 and the emotion of the autonomous moving body 10 is "anger". Moreover, the motion data (motion data M22) identified by the motion data ID "M22" indicates a data group selected to express the attitude movement of the autonomous moving body 10 when the attitude movement of the autonomous moving body 10 is the movement M2 and the emotion of the autonomous moving body 10 is "sadness". Moreover, the attitude movement (movement M2) corresponding to the expression during the turning movement of the autonomous moving body 10 may include various motion data according to the type of emotion of the autonomous moving body 10 in addition to "anger" and "sadness".

[0055] Furthermore, "attitude angle" indicates information related to the attitude angle of the autonomous moving body 10. "Frequency / time" indicates information related to the frequency or time for changing the attitude angle of the autonomous moving body 10. Furthermore, "set data ID" indicates identification information for identifying a set of data including an attitude angle to be reached and the time it should take to reach the attitude angle to be reached. Specifically, "set data ID" indicates identification information for identifying instruction information consisting of set data of "playtime (ms)" and "angle (°)". "playtime (ms)" indicates the time it should take to reach the attitude angle to be reached. "Angle (°)" indicates the attitude angle to be reached.

[0056] Specifically, the attitude angle "sine wave ±3°" and frequency / time "1-3 Hz" indicate that the motion data M11 corresponds to an attitude movement in which the motion data M11 oscillates around the reference attitude angle θ by an amplitude angle of ±3° at a frequency of 1-3 Hz. More specifically, the autonomous mobile body 10 executes a plurality of set data in which points corresponding to the motion data M11 are plotted every 10 ms. For example, the playtime "0-10" (ms) and angle "θ" identified by the set data ID "SD11" correspond to an attitude movement in which the motion data M11 oscillates around the reference attitude angle θ by an amplitude angle of ±3° at a frequency of 1-3 Hz. 11 The set data of " " (°) is used to change the attitude angle of the autonomous moving body 10 from the reference attitude angle θ (°) to the attitude angle θ over a period of 10 ms between 0 and 10 ms. 11 (°). Also, the playtime "10~20" (ms) and angle "θ 12 The set data of "" (°) is used to change the attitude angle of the autonomous moving body 10 to "θ + θ" over a period of 10 ms between 10 ms and 20 ms. 11 " (°) to the attitude angle θ 12 (°). Also, the playtime "20~30" (ms) and angle "θ 13 The set data of "θ" (°) is calculated by taking 10 ms between 20 ms and 30 ms to change the attitude angle of the autonomous moving body 10 to "θ + θ 11 +θ 12 " (°) to the attitude angle θ 13This indicates that the angle should be changed by (°).

[0057] (Control unit 170) The control unit 170 according to this embodiment is realized by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or the like, executing various programs (corresponding to an example of an information processing program) stored in a storage device inside the autonomous moving body 10 using a RAM as a working area. The control unit 170 is also realized by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0058] Returning to the description of Fig. 14, the control unit 170 has a function of controlling each component included in the autonomous moving body 10. As shown in Fig. 14, the control unit 170 has a detection unit 171, a recognition unit 172, a behavior planning unit 173, an acquisition unit 174, and an operation control unit 175, and realizes or executes the functions and actions of information processing described below. Note that the internal configuration of the control unit 170 is not limited to the configuration shown in Fig. 14, and may be other configurations as long as they perform information processing described below.

[0059] (Detection unit 171) The detection unit 171 detects environmental information related to the surrounding environment of the autonomous moving body 10. Specifically, the detection unit 171 acquires sensor information collected by the sensor unit 110 from the sensor unit 110. Next, upon acquiring the sensor information, the detection unit 171 detects environmental information based on the acquired sensor information. For example, the detection unit 171 detects user information related to a user of the autonomous moving body located in the vicinity of the autonomous moving body as the environmental information.

[0060] The detection unit 171 detects, as the user information, image information showing the face of the user, dialogue information showing the content of a dialogue with the user, or contact information showing how the user contacts the autonomous moving body. Specifically, the detection unit 171 acquires image information captured by the camera 515 from the camera 515. Next, the detection unit 171 detects the face of the user based on the acquired image information.

[0061] Furthermore, detection unit 171 acquires voice information collected by microphone 540 from microphone 540. Then, upon acquiring the voice information, detection unit 171 identifies the user's voice based on the acquired voice information. Then, upon identifying the user's voice, detection unit 171 converts the user's voice into a character string. Then, detection unit 171 analyzes the meaning of the converted character string. In this manner, detection unit 171 detects dialogue information indicating the content of the dialogue with the user.

[0062] Furthermore, the detection unit 171 detects the angular velocity and angular acceleration when the user touches the autonomous moving body 10 using a gyro sensor, and learns in advance the pattern of the angular velocity and angular acceleration when the user touches the autonomous moving body 10. For example, the detection unit 171 learns in advance the pattern of the angular velocity and angular acceleration when the user lightly touches the head of the autonomous moving body 10 with a finger (poking it) several times. When the detection unit 171 detects the angular velocity and angular acceleration of the previously learned pattern, it detects that the user has swung toward the autonomous moving body 10.

[0063] Furthermore, the detection unit 171 detects state information indicating the internal state of the autonomous moving body as the environmental information. The detection unit 171 detects, as the state information, temperature information indicating the temperature inside the autonomous moving body or information indicating the remaining battery level of the autonomous moving body. Specifically, the detection unit 171 acquires, from the thermistor, temperature information indicating the temperature inside the autonomous moving body detected by the thermistor. Next, upon acquiring the temperature information, the detection unit 171 determines whether or not the temperature inside the autonomous moving body exceeds a predetermined threshold. When the detection unit 171 determines that the temperature inside the autonomous moving body exceeds the predetermined threshold, the detection unit 171 detects that the temperature inside the autonomous moving body has exceeded the predetermined threshold. Note that, upon detecting that the temperature inside the autonomous moving body has exceeded the predetermined threshold, the detection unit 171 may detect that it is necessary to reduce the CPU load of the autonomous moving body.

[0064] Furthermore, the detection unit 171 acquires information indicating the remaining battery charge of the autonomous moving body detected by the battery charge meter IC from the battery charge meter IC. Next, when the detection unit 171 acquires the information indicating the remaining battery charge, the detection unit 171 determines whether or not the remaining battery charge of the autonomous moving body is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold. When the detection unit 171 determines that the remaining battery charge of the autonomous moving body is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold, the detection unit 171 detects that the remaining battery charge of the autonomous moving body is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold. Note that, when the detection unit 171 detects that the remaining battery charge of the autonomous moving body is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold, the detection unit 171 may detect that the battery of the autonomous moving body needs to be charged.

[0065] (Recognition unit 172) The recognition unit 172 has a function of performing various recognition operations related to the user, the surrounding environment, and the state of the autonomous moving body 10, based on the sensor information acquired by the detection unit 171. As an example, the recognition unit 172 may perform user identification, facial expression and gaze recognition, object recognition, color recognition, shape recognition, marker recognition, obstacle recognition, step recognition, brightness recognition, and the like.

[0066] Furthermore, the recognition unit 172 performs emotion recognition related to the user's voice, word understanding, sound source localization, etc. Furthermore, the recognition unit 172 can recognize the surrounding temperature, the presence of an animal, the attitude of the autonomous moving body 10, and the like.

[0067] Furthermore, the recognition unit 172 has a function of estimating and understanding the surrounding environment and situation in which the autonomous moving body 10 is placed, based on the above recognized information. At this time, the recognition unit 172 may perform comprehensive situation estimation using environmental knowledge stored in advance.

[0068] Furthermore, the recognition unit 172 estimates the emotion of the autonomous mobile body 10 based on the sensor information acquired by the detection unit 171. Specifically, the recognition unit 172 estimates emotions such as joy, anger, sadness, and enjoyment as the emotion of the autonomous mobile body 10. For example, when the recognition unit 172 detects that the number of times the autonomous mobile body 10 has been called by a user exceeds a predetermined number within a predetermined time, the recognition unit 172 estimates that the emotion of the autonomous mobile body 10 is joy. Furthermore, when the recognition unit 172 detects that the autonomous mobile body 10 has been praised by a user, the recognition unit 172 may estimate that the emotion of the autonomous mobile body 10 is joy. Furthermore, when the recognition unit 172 detects that the autonomous mobile body 10 has been scolded by a user, the recognition unit 172 may estimate that the emotion of the autonomous mobile body 10 is sadness.

[0069] The emotion of the autonomous moving body 10 is not limited to a general emotion, and may be a broader concept. For example, the recognition unit 172 estimates emotions such as panic (panic) and debilitation (weakness) as the emotion of the autonomous moving body 10. For example, the recognition unit 172 may estimate the emotion of the autonomous moving body 10 to be debilitation (weakness) when it detects that the remaining battery level of the autonomous moving body is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold value, using the charging state of the autonomous moving body 10 as an indicator of hunger (or fullness).

[0070] Furthermore, the recognition unit 172 estimates the emotion of the user based on the facial expression of the user detected by the detection unit 171. Subsequently, upon estimating the emotion of the user, the recognition unit 172 may estimate the estimated emotion of the user as the emotion of the autonomous moving body 10.

[0071] Furthermore, the recognition unit 172 may estimate the emotion of the autonomous mobile body 10 based on a learning model. For example, when the sensor information acquired by the detection unit 171 is input, the recognition unit 172 estimates the emotion of the autonomous mobile body 10 using a learning model that has been trained to output the emotion of the autonomous mobile body 10.

[0072] Here, it is assumed that the model data MDT1 of the learning model is realized by a regression model indicated by "y=a1*x1+a2*x2+···+ai*xi". In this case, the first element included in the model data MDT1 corresponds to input data (xi) such as x1 and x2. The weight of the first element corresponds to the coefficient ai corresponding to xi. Here, the regression model can be regarded as a simple perceptron having an input layer and an output layer. When each model is regarded as a simple perceptron, the first element corresponds to any node in the input layer, and the second element can be regarded as a node in the output layer.

[0073] For example, when the number of times the autonomous moving body 10 has been called by a user is denoted as x1, the recognition unit 172 estimates the emotion of the autonomous moving body 10 using a learning model that has been trained to estimate that the greater the number of times the autonomous moving body 10 has been called by a user, the higher the probability that the emotion of the autonomous moving body 10 is joy. Also, when the number of times the autonomous moving body 10 has been praised by a user is denoted as x2, the recognition unit 172 estimates the emotion of the autonomous moving body 10 using a learning model that has been trained to estimate that the greater the probability that the emotion of the autonomous moving body 10 is joy when the autonomous moving body 10 is praised by a user.

[0074] The recognition unit 172 estimates the emotion of the autonomous mobile body 10 using a model having an arbitrary structure, such as the above-mentioned regression model or neural network. Specifically, in the model data MDT1, coefficients are set so as to output the emotion of the autonomous mobile body 10 when sensor information is input. The recognition unit 172 estimates the emotion of the autonomous mobile body 10 using such model data MDT1.

[0075] (Action Planning Section 173) In addition, the behavior planning unit 173 has a function of planning an action to be taken by the autonomous moving body 10 based on the situation and learning knowledge estimated by the recognition unit 210. The behavior planning unit 173 executes the behavior plan using, for example, a machine learning algorithm such as deep learning.

[0076] Furthermore, the behavior planning unit 173 plans an action to be taken by the autonomous moving body 10, based on the environmental information detected by the detection unit 171. Specifically, the behavior planning unit 173 makes a movement plan for performing a movement operation including at least one of forward / backward movement, turning movement, and rotational movement, based on the environmental information detected by the detection unit 171.

[0077] (Acquisition part 174) The acquisition unit 174 acquires motion data corresponding to the posture and motion of the autonomous moving body. Specifically, when the detection unit 171 detects environmental information, the acquisition unit 174 refers to the behavior memory unit 161 and acquires a behavior instruction corresponding to the detected environmental information. For example, when the detection unit 171 detects a user's face with a camera, the acquisition unit 174 refers to the behavior memory unit 161 and acquires a behavior instruction to go straight toward the user. Next, when the acquisition unit 174 acquires the behavior instruction, the acquisition unit 174 refers to the behavior memory unit 161 and acquires a motion ID. For example, when the acquisition unit 174 acquires a behavior instruction to go straight toward the user, the acquisition unit 174 acquires a motion ID "M1".

[0078] Furthermore, when the acquisition unit 174 acquires the motion ID, the recognition unit 172 estimates the emotion of the autonomous moving body. For example, when the acquisition unit 174 acquires the motion ID "M1", the recognition unit 172 estimates that the emotion of the autonomous moving body is "joy". Furthermore, when the recognition unit 172 estimates the emotion of the autonomous moving body, the acquisition unit 174 refers to the motion data storage unit 162 and acquires motion data corresponding to the emotion of the autonomous moving body. For example, when the recognition unit 172 estimates that the emotion of the autonomous moving body is "joy", the acquisition unit 174 acquires motion data M11 corresponding to the emotion of the autonomous moving body, "joy".

[0079] More specifically, the acquisition unit 174 sequentially acquires each set data of "playtime" and "angle" corresponding to the motion data M11 over time. First, the acquisition unit 174 acquires the set data SD11 corresponding to the motion data M11. Next, 10 ms after acquiring the set data SD11, the acquisition unit 174 acquires the set data SD12 corresponding to the motion data M11. Next, 10 ms after acquiring the set data SD12, the acquisition unit 174 acquires the set data SD13 corresponding to the motion data M11. In this manner, the acquisition unit 174 sequentially acquires each set data corresponding to the motion data M11 over time. Note that the acquisition unit 174 may acquire multiple set data corresponding to the motion data M11 at once.

[0080] Also, for example, when the acquisition unit 174 acquires the motion ID "M1", the recognition unit 172 estimates that the emotion of the autonomous moving body is "enjoyment". When the recognition unit 172 estimates that the emotion of the autonomous moving body is "enjoyment", the acquisition unit 174 acquires motion data M12 corresponding to the emotion of the autonomous moving body, "enjoyment".

[0081] (Operation control unit 175) The motion control unit 175 controls the motion of the autonomous moving body 10 based on the action plan by the action planning unit 220. Specifically, the motion control unit 175 moves the autonomous moving body 10 while maintaining a forward leaning posture based on the action plan by the action planning unit 220. For example, the motion control unit 175 controls the movement motion of the autonomous moving body including at least one of forward / backward motion, turning motion, and rotational motion.

[0082] The operation control unit 175 controls the movement operation of the autonomous moving body that runs while maintaining an inverted state, and also controls the posture operation of the autonomous moving body that changes over time from a reference posture in the inverted state. The operation control unit 175 controls the posture operation of the autonomous moving body so that the reference posture in the inverted state becomes a forward leaning posture. Specifically, the operation control unit 175 controls the posture operation of the autonomous moving body based on motion data corresponding to the emotion acquired by the acquisition unit 174. For example, when the acquisition unit 174 acquires motion data M11 corresponding to "joy", the operation control unit 175 controls the posture operation of the autonomous moving body based on the motion data M11 corresponding to "joy". Also, for example, when the acquisition unit 174 acquires motion data M12 corresponding to "fun", the operation control unit 175 controls the posture operation of the autonomous moving body based on the motion data M12 corresponding to "fun". The acquisition unit 174 may acquire multiple set data corresponding to the motion data M11 at once. Also, the operation control unit 175 may execute multiple set data acquired at once in sequence over time.

[0083] The operation control unit 175 also controls the attitude and movement of the autonomous moving body based on state information indicating the internal state of the autonomous moving body. The operation control unit 175 controls the attitude and movement of the autonomous moving body based on state information such as temperature information indicating the temperature inside the autonomous moving body or information indicating the remaining battery level of the autonomous moving body.

[0084] Furthermore, the operation control unit 173 performs an action plan based on, for example, sensor information collected by the sensor unit 110, and controls eye expression by the light source 130 and audio output by the audio output unit 140. Furthermore, the operation control unit 173 may control the operation of the drive unit 150 based on the above action plan.

[0085] <<<1.3.1. Details of attitude control according to the embodiment>>> The autonomous moving body has wheels on the left and right sides with respect to the traveling direction, and the operation control unit 175 controls the attitude operation of the autonomous moving body based on the motion data corresponding to the attitude operation of vibrating around the reference attitude angle corresponding to the reference attitude with the axles of the left and right wheels of the autonomous moving body as the rotation axis. The operation control unit 175 also controls the moving operation of the autonomous moving body including at least one of forward and backward movement, turning movement, and turning movement, and controls the attitude operation of the autonomous moving body so that the autonomous moving body vibrates around the reference attitude angle corresponding to the reference attitude by a predetermined amplitude angle at a predetermined vibration frequency with the axles of the left and right wheels of the autonomous moving body as the rotation axis. This point will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 17. FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining the attitude control based on the motion data according to the embodiment. FIG. 17 shows the autonomous moving body 10 that performs the moving operation while tilting forward by an angle θ in the vertical direction as seen from the side. Also, in FIG. 17, the direction in which the autonomous moving body 10 performs the moving operation such as forward movement and turning movement is indicated by the traveling direction D1. Also, the direction in which the autonomous moving body 10 performs the attitude operation corresponding to the motion data is indicated by the vibration direction D2.

[0086] <<<<1.3.1.1. Motion data expressing joy>>>> In the example shown in FIG. 17, when the emotion of the autonomous moving body 10 is joy, the operation control unit 175 controls the forward motion of the autonomous moving body 10 and also controls the attitude operation of the autonomous moving body 10 so that the autonomous moving body 10 vibrates around a reference attitude angle θ corresponding to the reference attitude with the axles of the left and right wheels of the autonomous moving body 10 as the rotation axis COW by a first amplitude angle θ1 (for example, θ1=θ0=3°) at a first frequency f1 (for example, f1=1 to 3 Hz).

[0087] Specifically, when the acquisition unit 174 acquires motion data M11 corresponding to "joy", the operation control unit 175 controls the attitude operation of the autonomous moving body based on the motion data M11 corresponding to "joy". More specifically, the operation control unit 175 executes a plurality of set data in which angles indicated by a sine wave corresponding to the motion data M11 are plotted every 10 ms, thereby controlling the attitude operation of the autonomous moving body 10 so that the autonomous moving body 10 vibrates around the reference attitude angle θ by a first amplitude angle θ1 (for example, θ1=θ0=3°) at a first frequency f1 (for example, f1=1 to 3 Hz). The operation control unit 175 controls the attitude angle of the autonomous moving body based on each set data of "playtime" and "angle" corresponding to the motion data M11.

[0088] For example, the acquisition unit 174 acquires the set data SD11 corresponding to the motion data M11. When the acquisition unit 174 acquires the set data SD11, the operation control unit 175 calculates the attitude angle of the autonomous moving body 10 from the reference attitude angle θ(°) to the attitude angle θ (°) over a period of 10 ms between 0 and 10 ms based on the set data SD11. 11 (°). In addition, when 10 ms has passed since the acquisition unit 174 acquired the set data SD11, the acquisition unit 174 acquires the set data SD12. When the acquisition unit 174 acquires the set data SD12, the operation control unit 175 controls the attitude movement of the autonomous moving body 10 to change the attitude angle of the autonomous moving body 10 by "θ+θ 11 " (°) to the attitude angle θ 12 (°). In addition, when 10 ms has passed since the acquisition unit 174 acquired the set data SD12, the acquisition unit 174 acquires the set data SD13. When the acquisition unit 174 acquires the set data SD13, the operation control unit 175 controls the attitude movement of the autonomous moving body 10 to change the attitude angle of the autonomous moving body 10 by "θ+θ 11 +θ 12 " (°) to the attitude angle θ 13(°). In this manner, the acquisition unit 174 sequentially acquires each set of data corresponding to the motion data M11 over time. The operation control unit 175 controls the attitude operation of the autonomous moving body 10 so as to change the attitude angle of the autonomous moving body 10 according to the set of motion data M11 that the acquisition unit 174 sequentially acquires over time.

[0089] <<<<1.3.1.2. Motion data that expresses enjoyment>>>> Furthermore, in the example shown in FIG. 17, when the emotion of the autonomous moving body 10 is enjoyment, the operation control unit 175 controls the forward motion of the autonomous moving body 10 and also controls the attitude operation of the autonomous moving body 10 so that the autonomous moving body 10 oscillates around a reference attitude angle θ corresponding to the reference attitude, with the axles of the left and right wheels of the autonomous moving body 10 as the rotation axis COW, by an amplitude angle θ4 (for example, θ4=θ0=5°) larger than the first amplitude angle θ1, at a frequency f4 (for example, f4=1 / 2 to 1 Hz) smaller than the first frequency f1.

[0090] Specifically, when the acquisition unit 174 acquires motion data M12 corresponding to "fun", the operation control unit 175 controls the attitude and operation of the autonomous moving body based on the motion data M12 corresponding to "fun". More specifically, the operation control unit 175 executes a plurality of set data in which angles indicated by a sine wave corresponding to the motion data M12 are plotted every 10 ms, thereby controlling the attitude and operation of the autonomous moving body 10 so that the autonomous moving body 10 vibrates around the reference attitude angle θ at an amplitude angle θ4 (e.g., θ4=θ0=5°) larger than the first amplitude angle θ1 at a frequency f4 (e.g., f4=1 / 2 to 1 Hz) smaller than the first frequency f1. The operation control unit 175 controls the attitude angle of the autonomous moving body based on each set data of "playtime" and "angle" corresponding to the motion data M12.

[0091] For example, the acquisition unit 174 acquires the set data SD41 corresponding to the motion data M12. When the acquisition unit 174 acquires the set data SD41, the operation control unit 175 calculates the attitude angle of the autonomous moving body 10 from the reference attitude angle θ(°) to the attitude angle θ (°) over a period of 10 ms between 0 and 10 ms based on the set data SD41. 41 (°). In this manner, the acquisition unit 174 sequentially acquires each set of data corresponding to the motion data M12 over time. The operation control unit 175 controls the attitude operation of the autonomous moving body 10 so as to change the attitude angle of the autonomous moving body 10 according to the set of motion data M12 that the acquisition unit 174 sequentially acquires over time.

[0092] <<<<1.3.1.3. Motion data for expressing anger>>>> Furthermore, in the example shown in FIG. 17, when the emotion of the autonomous moving body 10 is anger, the operation control unit 175 controls the turning motion of the autonomous moving body 10 and also controls the attitude operation of the autonomous moving body so that the axles of the left and right wheels of the autonomous moving body 10 serve as the rotation axes COW and vibrate around the reference attitude angle θ corresponding to the reference attitude by a second amplitude angle θ2 (for example, θ2=θ0=10°) at a second frequency f2 (for example, f2=1 to 2 Hz).

[0093] Specifically, when the acquisition unit 174 acquires motion data M21 corresponding to "anger", the operation control unit 175 controls the attitude and operation of the autonomous moving body based on the motion data M21 corresponding to "anger". More specifically, the operation control unit 175 executes a plurality of set data in which angles indicated by a sine wave corresponding to the motion data M21 are plotted every 10 ms, thereby controlling the attitude and operation of the autonomous moving body 10 so that the autonomous moving body 10 vibrates around the reference attitude angle θ by a second amplitude angle θ2 (for example, θ2=θ0=10°) at a second frequency f2 (for example, f2=1 to 2 Hz). The operation control unit 175 controls the attitude angle of the autonomous moving body based on each set data of "playtime" and "angle" corresponding to the motion data M21.

[0094] For example, the acquisition unit 174 acquires set data SD21 corresponding to the motion data M21. When the acquisition unit 174 acquires the set data SD21, the operation control unit 175 calculates the attitude angle of the autonomous moving body 10 from the reference attitude angle θ(°) to the attitude angle θ (°) over a period of 10 ms between 0 and 10 ms based on the set data SD21. 21 (°). In addition, when 10 ms has passed since the acquisition unit 174 acquired the set data SD21, the acquisition unit 174 acquires the set data SD22. When the acquisition unit 174 acquires the set data SD22, the operation control unit 175 controls the attitude movement of the autonomous moving body 10 to change the attitude angle of the autonomous moving body 10 by "θ+θ 21 " (°) to the attitude angle θ 22 (°). In addition, when 10 ms has passed since the acquisition unit 174 acquired the set data SD22, the acquisition unit 174 acquires the set data SD23. When the acquisition unit 174 acquires the set data SD23, the operation control unit 175 controls the attitude movement of the autonomous moving body 10 to change the attitude angle of the autonomous moving body 10 by "θ + θ 21 +θ 22 " (°) to the attitude angle θ 23 (°). In this manner, the acquisition unit 174 sequentially acquires each set of data corresponding to the motion data M21 over time. The operation control unit 175 controls the attitude operation of the autonomous moving body 10 so as to change the attitude angle of the autonomous moving body 10 according to the set of motion data M21 that the acquisition unit 174 sequentially acquires over time.

[0095] <<<<1.3.1.4. Motion data expressing sadness>>>> In the example shown in FIG. 17, when the emotion of the autonomous moving body 10 is sadness, the operation control unit 175 controls the turning motion of the autonomous moving body 10 and rotates the autonomous moving body 10 around the reference attitude angle θ corresponding to the reference attitude with the axles of the left and right wheels of the autonomous moving body 10 as the rotation axis COW at an amplitude angle θ smaller than the second amplitude angle θ2. 3(For example, the attitude movement of the autonomous moving body 10 is controlled so that the autonomous moving body 10 vibrates at a frequency f3 (for example, f3=5 Hz) that is higher than the second frequency f2 by θ3=θ0=3°.

[0096] Specifically, when the acquisition unit 174 acquires motion data M22 corresponding to "sorrow", the operation control unit 175 controls the posture and operation of the autonomous moving body based on the motion data M22 corresponding to "sorrow". More specifically, the operation control unit 175 executes a plurality of set data in which angles represented by a sine wave corresponding to the motion data M22 are plotted every 10 ms, thereby controlling the amplitude angle θ smaller than the second amplitude angle θ2 around the reference posture angle θ. 3( For example, the attitude movement of the autonomous moving body 10 is controlled so that the autonomous moving body 10 vibrates at a frequency f3 (for example, f3 = 5 Hz) that is higher than the second frequency f2 by θ3 = θ0 = 3°). The movement control unit 175 controls the attitude angle of the autonomous moving body based on each set data of "playtime" and "angle" corresponding to the motion data M22.

[0097] For example, the acquisition unit 174 acquires the set data SD31 corresponding to the motion data M22. When the acquisition unit 174 acquires the set data SD31, the operation control unit 175 calculates the attitude angle of the autonomous moving body 10 from the reference attitude angle θ(°) to the attitude angle θ (°) over a period of 10 ms between 0 and 10 ms based on the set data SD31. 31 (°). In this manner, the acquisition unit 174 sequentially acquires each set of data corresponding to the motion data M22 over time. The operation control unit 175 controls the attitude operation of the autonomous moving body 10 so as to change the attitude angle of the autonomous moving body 10 according to the set of motion data M22 that the acquisition unit 174 sequentially acquires over time.

[0098] <<<<1.3.1.5. Change in wheel angular velocity over time in motion data>>>> Next, a conceptual description will be given of a change in angular velocity of the wheels over time in the motion data with reference to Fig. 18. Fig. 18 is a conceptual diagram for describing a change in angular velocity of the wheels over time based on the motion data according to the embodiment. In the example shown in Fig. 18, the target value of the angular velocity of the left wheel of the autonomous moving body 10 is indicated by VL, and the target value of the angular velocity of the right wheel is indicated by VR. Specifically, Fig. 18 describes a case where the motion data is a posture movement (motion data M11) that expresses the joy of the autonomous moving body 10.

[0099] The diagram shown in the upper left of Fig. 18 is a graph conceptually showing the change over time in the angular velocities of the left and right wheels required for the forward motion of the autonomous moving body 10. As shown in the upper left of Fig. 18, the angular velocities of the left and right wheels required for the forward motion of the autonomous moving body 10 indicate constant values ​​that do not change over time.

[0100] The diagram shown in the lower left of Fig. 18 is a graph conceptually showing the change over time in angular velocities of the left and right wheels required for the motion data M11 of the autonomous moving body 10. As shown in the lower left of Fig. 18, the angular velocities of the left and right wheels required to realize the motion data M11 of the autonomous moving body 10 are shown as sine waves with a constant period.

[0101] The diagram on the right of Fig. 18 is a graph conceptually showing the time change in the angular velocities of the left and right wheels, obtained by superimposing the angular velocities of the wheels shown in the upper left of Fig. 18 and the angular velocities of the wheels shown in the lower left of Fig. 18. The operation control unit 175 controls the angular velocities of the left and right wheels so that the angular velocities become the angular velocities shown on the right of Fig. 18, obtained by superimposing the angular velocities of the left and right wheels required for forward motion and the angular velocities of the left and right wheels required to realize the motion data M11. As a result, the attitude operation of the autonomous moving body 10 is controlled so that the autonomous moving body 10 moves forward while swinging back and forth from the reference attitude angle.

[0102] <<<<1.3.1.6. Example of functional configuration of the operation control unit>>>> Next, a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the operation control unit will be described with reference to Fig. 19. Fig. 19 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the operation control unit according to the embodiment. In the example shown in Fig. 19, the operation control unit 175 includes a target calculation unit, a posture control unit, and an inverted pendulum model unit.

[0103] The target calculation unit calculates a target moving distance and a target speed of the translational or turning motion based on a translational motion instruction or a turning motion instruction for the autonomous moving body 10, and converts them into target values ​​of the angular velocities of the left and right wheels (hereinafter also referred to as target wheel angular velocities). For example, the angular velocity of the wheel shown in the upper left of FIG. 18 corresponds to the target wheel angular velocity converted from the target moving distance and the target speed of the translational motion. In addition, the target calculation unit calculates an attitude angle and an attitude angular velocity required to realize the motion data of the autonomous moving body 10, and converts them into target values ​​of the angular velocities of the left and right wheels (hereinafter also referred to as target wheel angular velocities). For example, the angular velocity of the wheel shown in the lower left of FIG. 18 corresponds to the target wheel angular velocity converted from the attitude angle and attitude angular velocity required to realize the motion data M11. Next, the target calculation unit sequentially transmits the converted target wheel angular velocities to the attitude control unit. For example, the angular velocity of the wheel shown on the right of FIG. 18 corresponds to the target wheel angular velocity sequentially transmitted to the attitude control unit.

[0104] The attitude control unit and the inverted pendulum model unit control the attitude movement of the autonomous mobile body 10 so that the autonomous mobile body 10 follows the specified target wheel angular velocity while maintaining an inverted state.

[0105] The inverted pendulum model expresses the system's equation of motion (differential equation) using a matrix or vector, and is called a state space expression. In this case, x(t) is called the state variable vector, A is the system's coefficient matrix, B is the input vector, and C is the output vector. Here, x(t) is an internal parameter that expresses the internal state of the system that changes from moment to moment. Specifically, x(t) represents the inverted pendulum's attitude angle and its differential, the inverted pendulum's translational component and its differential, and the rotational component and its differential. Also, u(t) is the input to the inverted pendulum, specifically the voltage value applied to the motors that are the left and right wheels of the inverted pendulum. Also, u(t) is called the manipulated variable. Also, y(t) is the system's output, specifically the translational component and rotational component of the wheels.

[0106] Here, if φR is the rotation angle of the right wheel, φL is the rotation angle of the left wheel, φC is the rotation angle of the virtual center wheel, Ψ is the rotation angle of the inverted pendulum body, r is the wheel radius, and d is the distance from the center of the autonomous mobile body 10 to the wheel, the translational component and the rotational component can be uniquely calculated from the wheel angles of the left and right wheels using the following formulas.

[0107]

number

[0108]

number

[0109] State feedback is configured to multiply the state variable vector x(t) by vector f and feed it back. When the manipulated variable u(t) is applied to the inverted pendulum that is the control target, or when the internal state of the system changes (when the autonomous mobile body 10 is poked by a user and the attitude angle changes, for example), it serves to feed back the manipulated variable to the next time so that the system quickly transitions to a stable state. Here, a stable state means that the inverted pendulum does not fall.

[0110] The target calculation unit periodically transmits the target value r(t) of the angular velocity of the left and right wheels to the inverted pendulum system every hour. As mentioned above, the translational and rotational components are uniquely calculated from the angles of the left and right wheels using the above formula. Inside the attitude control unit, control is performed with these translational and rotational components as targets. Here, the target tracking feedback plays the role of making the state of the system track the target value. Specifically, the deviation "e(t) = r(t) - y(t)" between the target value r(t) and the output y(t) of the control target is integrated to obtain z(t), and the result multiplied by the gain g is called the target tracking feedback. In this way, the integration ensures that the control target will reliably approach the final target value if enough time is taken.

[0111] However, feedback systems generally have the problem of slow response from when the target changes until it is tracked. Therefore, to compensate for this, a target tracking feedforward term is added. The target tracking feedforward term is configured to multiply the target value r(t) by a gain H and add it to the manipulated variable. This allows for a quick response when the target changes, improving responsiveness.

[0112] (Communication unit 180) The communication unit 180 according to this embodiment is realized by, for example, a NIC etc. The communication unit 180 is connected to the network N by wire or wirelessly, and transmits and receives information to and from, for example, an external information processing server.

[0113] An example of the functional configuration of the autonomous mobile body 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above. Note that the above configuration described using FIG. 14 is merely an example, and the functional configuration of the autonomous mobile body 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited to the example. For example, the operation of the autonomous mobile body 10 according to the present embodiment may be controlled by an information processing server that communicates with the autonomous mobile body 10. In this case, the autonomous mobile body 10 may transmit sensor information to the information processing server via the above-mentioned communication unit 180 and receive a control signal from the information processing server. The functional configuration of the autonomous mobile body 10 according to the present embodiment can be flexibly modified according to the shape of the autonomous mobile body 10, etc.

[0114] <<1.4. Other attitude control details>> Next, details of other attitude control of the autonomous moving body 10 by the operation control unit 173 according to this embodiment will be described in detail. As described above, one of the features of the operation control unit 173 according to this embodiment is that it controls the autonomous moving body 10 to move while maintaining a forward leaning attitude. According to the above-mentioned function of the operation control unit 173 according to this embodiment, it is possible to realize richer movement expression closer to that of a real living organism by generating directionality in the autonomous moving body 10.

[0115] Furthermore, the operation control unit 173 according to this embodiment may perform different posture control when stationary and when moving. FIG. 20 is a diagram for explaining posture control when stationary and when moving according to this embodiment. The left side of FIG. 20 shows a case where the autonomous moving body 10 stops on the spot without moving. At this time, the operation control unit 175 according to this embodiment may store the wheels 570 inside the main body of the autonomous moving body 10 and stop the autonomous moving body 10 in a sitting position.

[0116] According to the above-mentioned control by the operation control unit 175 of this embodiment, when a moving operation is not required, the wheels 570 are stored inside the main body and the bottom is brought into contact with the installation surface, so that the autonomous moving body 10 can be firmly stopped and wobbling during stopping, as occurs with a general robot device, can be prevented. Furthermore, according to this control, the autonomous moving body 10 can be stabilized even without gyro control, and it is possible to effectively reduce the power consumption required for gyro control.

[0117] On the other hand, the right side of Fig. 20 shows a case where the autonomous moving body performs a moving operation. At this time, the operation control unit 175 according to this embodiment protrudes the wheels 570 outside the main body of the autonomous moving body 10 to maintain an upright state, and performs drive control and gyro control of the wheels 570.

[0118] As described above, the operation control unit 175 controls the autonomous moving body 10 so that the center of gravity CoG of the autonomous moving body 10 is positioned vertically above the wheels 570, thereby causing the autonomous moving body 10 to maintain a forward leaning posture. At this time, the operation control unit 175 may adjust the position of the wheels 570 to match the position of the center of gravity CoG.

[0119] According to the above-described control by the operation control unit 175 of this embodiment, the autonomous moving body 10 can be caused to move while maintaining a forward leaning posture, and even if the autonomous moving body 10 has a relatively simple external shape, it is possible to realize a rich expression of movement that is closer to that of a real living organism.

[0120] In the example shown in FIG. 20, the autonomous moving body 10 maintains a forward-leaning posture even in a seated state, but the posture of the seated state according to this embodiment is not limited to this example. FIG. 21 shows an example of a case where the autonomous moving body 10 according to this embodiment takes an upright posture in a seated state. In the example shown in FIG. 21, it can be seen that the angle of the bottom part is formed so as to be perpendicular to the body axis of the main body. In this way, the posture of the autonomous moving body 10 in a seated state can be appropriately adjusted by changing the angle of the bottom part.

[0121] In addition, when the angle of the bottom part is inclined with respect to the body axis so that the front is open, it is possible to further reduce the possibility that the front lower part will contact the traveling surface during the moving motion, as shown in Fig. 20. On the other hand, when the angle of the bottom part is formed perpendicular to the body axis, as shown in Fig. 21, it is expected to have the effect of making the autonomous moving body 10 more stable and stationary in the seated state.

[0122] 21, in the sitting state, the center of gravity CoG of the autonomous moving body 10 is shifted from the rotation axis of the wheel 570. If no control is performed, the center of gravity CoG will cause the main body of the autonomous moving body 10 to move backward at the moment of transition to the standing state.

[0123] In order to prevent the above-mentioned situation, the operation control unit 175 of this embodiment may rotate the wheels 570 based on the amount of deviation between the center of gravity CoG of the autonomous moving body 10 in the vertical direction and the rotation axis of the wheels 570 when transitioning from a sitting position to a standing position.

[0124] FIG. 22 is a diagram for explaining wheel control during transition to a standing state according to this embodiment. FIG. 22 shows a situation in which the wheel 570 of the autonomous moving body 10 comes into contact with the running surface due to protrusion. At this time, the operation control unit 175 according to this embodiment may perform gyro control after rotating the wheel 570 by the above-mentioned deviation amount +α and positioning the center of gravity CoG vertically above the rotation axis of the wheel 570. According to the above control by the operation control unit 175, even if there is a deviation between the center of gravity and the rotation axis of the wheel 570 in the sitting state, the deviation can be offset, and the autonomous moving body 10 can be stably transitioned to a standing state without moving backward.

[0125] In the above, a case where the center of gravity and the axis of rotation are misaligned by forming the bottom surface perpendicular to the body axis has been described as an example, but such a misalignment can also occur when the running surface is inclined, as shown in Fig. 23. In the example shown in Fig. 23, the angle of the bottom surface is the same as the example shown in Fig. 20, but because the running surface is inclined, the center of gravity CoG in the seated position is misaligned from the axis of rotation of the wheels 570.

[0126] However, even in this case, as explained using Figure 22, the operation control unit 175 can rotate the wheels 570 based on the amount of deviation between the center of gravity CoG and the rotation axis of the wheels 570 in the vertical direction, thereby making it possible to stably transition the autonomous moving body 10 to an upright state without moving backwards.

[0127] <<1.5. Information Processing Procedure According to the Embodiment>> Next, a procedure of information processing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 24. Fig. 24 is a flowchart showing a procedure of information processing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0128] 24, the autonomous moving body 10 acquires a behavior instruction. For example, the autonomous moving body 10 acquires a behavior instruction to move forward (move straight ahead) toward the user (step S101).

[0129] Next, when the autonomous moving body 10 acquires the action instruction, it acquires motion data corresponding to the emotion of the autonomous moving body (step S102). Next, when the autonomous moving body 10 acquires the motion data, it starts moving forward toward the user (step S103).

[0130] Next, when the autonomous mobile body 10 starts moving forward, it acquires the wheel speed required for the forward movement (step S104). Next, when the autonomous mobile body 10 acquires the wheel speed, it performs posture control so as to follow the wheel speed while maintaining the inverted state (step S105). Next, the autonomous mobile body 10 acquires motion data in accordance with the passage of time (step S106).

[0131] Next, the autonomous moving body 10 determines whether or not to end the forward movement (step S107). When the autonomous moving body 10 determines to end the forward movement (Yes in step S107), it ends the forward movement. On the other hand, when the autonomous moving body 10 determines not to end the forward movement (No in step S107), it again acquires the wheel speed required for forward movement (step S104).

[0132] <<1.6. Modifications of the embodiment>> <<<1.6.1. Compatibility of attitude angle and wheel rotation angle>>> In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the motion data is specified by the time change in the attitude angle of the autonomous moving body 10. However, for a certain autonomous moving body 10, a one-to-one relationship is established between the attitude angle (or attitude angular velocity) of the autonomous moving body 10 and the rotation angle (or angular velocity) of the left and right wheels of the autonomous moving body 10. Therefore, instead of the attitude angle, the rotation angle (or angular velocity) of the left and right wheels may be used as the "angle (°)" item of the attitude operation of the motion data storage unit 162 shown in FIG. 15. Furthermore, the operation control unit 175 may control the attitude of the autonomous moving body 10 based on the time change in the rotation angle (or angular velocity) of the left and right wheels instead of the attitude angle.

[0133] <<<1.6.2. Motion data when touched lightly>>> Furthermore, the operation control unit 175 may control the attitude and operation of the autonomous moving body based on user information related to the user of the autonomous moving body located in the vicinity of the autonomous moving body. Specifically, the operation control unit 175 controls the attitude and operation of the autonomous moving body based on the user information, such as image information showing the face of the user, dialogue information showing the content of the dialogue with the user, or contact information showing the manner in which the user touches the autonomous moving body. For example, the detection unit 171 learns in advance the pattern of angular velocity and angular acceleration when the user lightly touches the head of the autonomous moving body 10 with a finger several times (poking it). When the detection unit 171 detects the angular velocity and angular acceleration of the previously learned pattern, it detects that the user has swung to the autonomous moving body 10.

[0134] When the detection unit 171 detects that the autonomous mobile body 10 is being poked by a user, the operation control unit 175 controls the attitude movement of the autonomous mobile body 10 so that the autonomous mobile body 10 moves in the opposite direction to the poked direction, while fusing components in the turning direction in small increments, and expresses a ticklish expression. In addition, the operation control unit 175 controls the attitude movement of the autonomous mobile body 10 so that the autonomous mobile body 10 expresses a panicked gesture when the autonomous mobile body 10 returns to a stable attitude from a state in which the autonomous mobile body 10 is being poked. For example, the operation control unit 175 controls the attitude movement of the autonomous mobile body 10 so that the autonomous mobile body 10 vibrates at a predetermined amplitude angle (e.g., 3°) and at a predetermined frequency (e.g., 3 Hz) around a reference attitude angle θ corresponding to a reference attitude, with the axles of the left and right wheels of the autonomous mobile body 10 as the rotation axis COW, when the autonomous mobile body 10 returns to a stable attitude from a state in which the autonomous mobile body 10 is being poked.

[0135] <<<1.6.3. Motion data expressing panic (panic)>>> When the autonomous moving body 10 is feeling panicked (in a hurry), the operation control unit 175 controls the attitude movement of the autonomous moving body 10 so that the autonomous moving body 10 expresses a gesture of purposely falling over before the autonomous moving body 10 reaches the target position. Specifically, when the autonomous moving body 10 is feeling panicked (in a hurry), the operation control unit 175 controls the forward motion of the autonomous moving body 10 and controls the attitude movement of the autonomous moving body 10 so that the autonomous moving body 10 rotates in the traveling direction around the reference attitude angle θ corresponding to the reference attitude with the axles of the left and right wheels of the autonomous moving body 10 as the rotation axis COW by a third amplitude angle (for example, 5°) before the autonomous moving body 10 reaches the target position, and then after a predetermined time (for example, 500 ms), the autonomous moving body 10 rotates in the opposite direction to the traveling direction around the reference attitude angle θ corresponding to the reference attitude with the axles of the left and right wheels of the autonomous moving body 10 as the rotation axis COW by an angle greater than the third amplitude angle (for example, 20°).

[0136] <<<1.6.4. Motion data expressing weakness>>> When the autonomous moving body 10 is feeling debilitated (weakened), the operation control unit 175 controls the attitude movement of the autonomous moving body 10 so as to express a staggering gait. Specifically, when the autonomous moving body 10 is feeling debilitated (weakened), the operation control unit 175 controls the forward motion of the autonomous moving body 10 and controls the attitude movement of the autonomous moving body 10 so as to alternate between control to advance one side of the autonomous moving body 10 more than the other side in the left-right direction and control to advance one side of the autonomous moving body 10 more than the other side in the left-right direction. More specifically, the operation control unit 175 controls the attitude movement of the autonomous moving body 10 by alternately and periodically changing the rotation angle or rotation angular velocity of the left and right wheels of the autonomous moving body 10 over time.

[0137] Furthermore, the operation control unit 175 may control the attitude and operation of the autonomous moving body 10 based on state information indicating the internal state of the autonomous moving body 10. Specifically, the operation control unit 175 controls the attitude and operation of the autonomous moving body 10 based on temperature information indicating the temperature inside the autonomous moving body 10 or information indicating the remaining battery level of the autonomous moving body 10 as state information.

[0138] For example, the detection unit 171 detects that the temperature inside the autonomous moving body 10 exceeds a predetermined threshold. When the detection unit 171 detects that the temperature inside the autonomous moving body 10 exceeds a predetermined threshold, the recognition unit 172 estimates that the emotion of the autonomous moving body 10 is debilitated (weakened). When the recognition unit 172 estimates that the emotion of the autonomous moving body is debilitated (weakened), the acquisition unit 174 refers to the motion data storage unit 162 and acquires motion data (not shown) corresponding to debilitated (weakened), which is the emotion of the autonomous moving body. When the acquisition unit 174 acquires motion data corresponding to debilitated (weakened), the operation control unit 175 controls the posture and operation of the autonomous moving body based on the motion data corresponding to debilitated (weakened). Note that the operation control unit 175 may express a staggering gait in a state in which the audio output unit 140 outputs audio such as "I have a slight fever" or "I'm tired".

[0139] Furthermore, the detection unit 171 detects that the remaining battery charge of the autonomous mobile body 10 is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold. When the detection unit 171 detects that the remaining battery charge of the autonomous mobile body 10 is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold, the recognition unit 172 estimates that the emotion of the autonomous mobile body 10 is debilitated (weakened). When the recognition unit 172 estimates that the emotion of the autonomous mobile body is debilitated (weakened), the acquisition unit 174 refers to the motion data storage unit 162 and acquires motion data (not shown) corresponding to debilitated (weakened), which is the emotion of the autonomous mobile body. When the acquisition unit 174 acquires motion data corresponding to debilitated (weakened), the operation control unit 175 controls the posture and operation of the autonomous mobile body based on the motion data corresponding to debilitated (weakened). Note that the operation control unit 175 may express staggering in a state in which the audio output unit 140 outputs audio such as "I'm hungry" or "I feel dizzy".

[0140] 2. Effects of the present disclosure As described above, the information processing device according to the present disclosure (the autonomous moving body 10 in the embodiment) includes an operation control unit (the operation control unit 175 in the embodiment). The operation control unit 175 controls the movement operation of the autonomous moving body that runs while maintaining an inverted state, and controls the attitude operation of the autonomous moving body that changes over time from a reference attitude in the inverted state.

[0141] This allows the information processing device to simultaneously perform control to maintain the autonomous moving body in an inverted state and control to change the attitude of the autonomous moving body over time. That is, the information processing device can arbitrarily change the attitude of the autonomous moving body while maintaining the inverted state of the autonomous moving body, making it possible to express more expressions. Therefore, the information processing device can enrich the movement expression of the autonomous moving body.

[0142] Moreover, the information processing device according to the present disclosure (the autonomous moving body 10 in the embodiment) further includes an acquisition unit (the acquisition unit 174 in the embodiment). The acquisition unit 174 acquires motion data corresponding to the posture and movement of the autonomous moving body. The operation control unit 175 controls the posture and movement of the autonomous moving body based on the motion data acquired by the acquisition unit 174.

[0143] This enables the information processing device to express various postures and movements of the autonomous moving body.

[0144] The acquisition unit 174 also acquires motion data corresponding to the emotion of the autonomous moving body. The operation control unit 175 controls the posture and operation of the autonomous moving body based on the motion data corresponding to the emotion acquired by the acquisition unit 174.

[0145] This enables the information processing device to express a variety of postures and movements according to the emotions of the autonomous moving body.

[0146] In addition, the autonomous moving body has wheels on the left and right sides in the direction of travel, and the operation control unit 175 controls the attitude movement of the autonomous moving body based on motion data corresponding to the attitude movement that oscillates around a reference attitude angle corresponding to the reference attitude with the axles of the left and right wheels of the autonomous moving body as the rotation axes.

[0147] This enables the information processing device to express a posture movement that oscillates in the traveling direction while maintaining the inverted state of the autonomous moving body having an inverted pendulum structure.

[0148] In addition, the operation control unit 175 controls the movement operation of the autonomous moving body, which includes at least one of forward and backward movement, turning movement, and rotational movement, and controls the attitude operation of the autonomous moving body so that it vibrates at a predetermined frequency by a predetermined amplitude angle around a reference attitude angle corresponding to the reference attitude, with the axles of the left and right wheels of the autonomous moving body as the rotation axes.

[0149] As a result, the information processing device can control the movement movement of the autonomous moving body, which includes at least one of forward and backward movement, turning movement, and rotational movement, as well as control the postural movement of the autonomous moving body, thereby enabling a greater variety of postural movements of the autonomous moving body to be expressed.

[0150] In addition, when the emotion of the autonomous mobile body is joy, the operation control unit 175 controls the forward motion of the autonomous mobile body and controls the attitude movement of the autonomous mobile body so that it vibrates around a reference attitude angle corresponding to the reference attitude by a first amplitude angle at a first vibration frequency, with the axles of the left and right wheels of the autonomous mobile body as rotation axes, and when the emotion of the autonomous mobile body is enjoyment, controls the attitude movement of the autonomous mobile body so that it vibrates around a reference attitude angle corresponding to the reference attitude by an amplitude angle greater than the first amplitude angle at a vibration frequency smaller than the first vibration frequency, with the axles of the left and right wheels of the autonomous mobile body as rotation axes.

[0151] In this way, the information processing device can express an emotion of joy that the autonomous moving body has by changing its posture. Also, the information processing device can express an emotion of enjoyment that the autonomous moving body has by changing its posture differently from joy.

[0152] In addition, when the emotion of the autonomous mobile body is anger, the operation control unit 175 controls the turning motion of the autonomous mobile body and controls the attitude movement of the autonomous mobile body so that it vibrates around a reference attitude angle corresponding to the reference attitude by a second amplitude angle at a second frequency, with the axles of the left and right wheels of the autonomous mobile body as rotation axes, and when the emotion of the autonomous mobile body is sadness, controls the attitude movement of the autonomous mobile body so that it vibrates around a reference attitude angle corresponding to the reference attitude by an amplitude angle smaller than the second amplitude angle at a frequency higher than the second frequency, with the axles of the left and right wheels of the autonomous mobile body as rotation axes.

[0153] In this way, the information processing device can express the emotion of anger held by the autonomous moving body through a change in posture, and can also express the emotion of sadness held by the autonomous moving body through a change in posture different from anger.

[0154] In addition, when the autonomous mobile body's emotion is panic, the operation control unit 175 controls the forward motion of the autonomous mobile body and controls the attitude operation of the autonomous mobile body so that before the autonomous mobile body reaches the target position, the autonomous mobile body rotates in the forward direction around the reference attitude angle corresponding to the reference attitude by a third amplitude angle, with the axles of the left and right wheels of the autonomous mobile body as rotation axes, and then, after a predetermined time, the autonomous mobile body rotates in the opposite direction to the forward direction around the reference attitude angle corresponding to the reference attitude by an angle greater than the third amplitude angle, with the axles of the left and right wheels of the autonomous mobile body as rotation axes.

[0155] This allows the information processing device to express the feeling of panic (panic) that the autonomous moving body has, for example, by making the autonomous moving body tumble.

[0156] In addition, when the autonomous mobile body's emotions are debilitated, the operation control unit 175 controls the forward motion of the autonomous mobile body, and also controls the posture operation of the autonomous mobile body to alternate between control to cause the autonomous mobile body to advance more on one side in the left-right direction than the other side, and control to cause the autonomous mobile body to advance more on one side in the left-right direction than the other side.

[0157] This allows the information processing device to express the feeling of weakness (weakness) that the autonomous moving body has, for example, by making the autonomous moving body walk with a staggered gait.

[0158] The operation control unit 175 also controls the attitude and operation of the autonomous moving body by periodically changing the rotation angles or rotation angular velocities of the left and right wheels of the autonomous moving body alternately over time.

[0159] This enables the information processing device to present various representations of the autonomous moving body, which is a two-wheeled inverted pendulum.

[0160] The operation control unit 175 also controls the attitude and movement of the autonomous moving body based on user information related to the user of the autonomous moving body located in the vicinity of the autonomous moving body. The operation control unit 175 also controls the attitude and movement of the autonomous moving body based on the user information, such as image information showing the face of the user, dialogue information showing the content of the dialogue with the user, or contact information showing the manner in which the user contacts the autonomous moving body.

[0161] This enables the information processing device to display a variety of expressions according to user information related to the user of the autonomous moving body.

[0162] The operation control unit 175 also controls the attitude and movement of the autonomous moving body based on state information indicating the internal state of the autonomous moving body. The operation control unit 175 controls the attitude and movement of the autonomous moving body based on state information such as temperature information indicating the temperature inside the autonomous moving body or information indicating the remaining battery level of the autonomous moving body.

[0163] This enables the information processing device to present a variety of expressions according to state information indicating the internal state of the autonomous moving body.

[0164] In addition, the movement control unit 175 controls the posture movement of the autonomous moving body so that the reference posture in the inverted state becomes a forward leaning posture.

[0165] This allows the information processing device to control the attitude and movement of the autonomous moving body while maintaining the state of the inverted pendulum.

[0166] <3. Hardware configuration> The information devices such as the autonomous mobile body 10 according to the above-described embodiments and modifications are realized by a computer 1000 having a configuration as shown in FIG. 25, for example. FIG. 25 is a hardware configuration diagram showing an example of the computer 1000 that realizes the functions of an information processing device such as the autonomous mobile body 10. The autonomous mobile body 10 according to the embodiment will be described below as an example. The computer 1000 has a CPU 1100, a RAM 1200, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 1300, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 1400, a communication interface 1500, and an input / output interface 1600. The various units of the computer 1000 are connected by a bus 1050.

[0167] The CPU 1100 operates and controls each unit based on programs stored in the ROM 1300 or the HDD 1400. For example, the CPU 1100 loads the programs stored in the ROM 1300 or the HDD 1400 into the RAM 1200 and executes processes corresponding to the various programs.

[0168] The ROM 1300 stores boot programs such as a basic input output system (BIOS) executed by the CPU 1100 when the computer 1000 is started, and programs that depend on the hardware of the computer 1000.

[0169] HDD 1400 is a computer-readable recording medium that non-temporarily records programs executed by CPU 1100 and data used by such programs. Specifically, HDD 1400 is a recording medium that records an information processing program according to the present disclosure, which is an example of program data 1450.

[0170] The communication interface 1500 is an interface for connecting the computer 1000 to an external network 1550 (e.g., the Internet). For example, the CPU 1100 receives data from other devices and transmits data generated by the CPU 1100 to other devices via the communication interface 1500.

[0171] The input / output interface 1600 is an interface for connecting the input / output device 1650 and the computer 1000. For example, the CPU 1100 receives data from an input device such as a keyboard or a mouse via the input / output interface 1600. The CPU 1100 also transmits data to an output device such as a display, a speaker, or a printer via the input / output interface 1600. The input / output interface 1600 may also function as a media interface for reading a program or the like recorded on a predetermined recording medium. The medium may be, for example, an optical recording medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) or a PD (Phase change rewritable Disk), a magneto-optical recording medium such as an MO (Magneto-Optical disk), a tape medium, a magnetic recording medium, or a semiconductor memory.

[0172] For example, when the computer 1000 functions as the autonomous moving body 10 according to the embodiment, the CPU 1100 of the computer 1000 executes an information processing program loaded onto the RAM 1200 to realize functions of the control unit 170, etc. Also, the information processing program according to the present disclosure and data in the storage unit 160 are stored in the HDD 1400. Note that the CPU 1100 reads and executes the program data 1450 from the HDD 1400, but as another example, these programs may be obtained from other devices via an external network 1550.

[0173] The present technology can also be configured as follows. (1) an operation control unit that controls a moving operation of an autonomous moving body that runs while maintaining an inverted state, and controls a posture operation of the autonomous moving body that changes over time from a reference posture in the inverted state; An information processing device comprising: (2) An acquisition unit that acquires motion data corresponding to a posture movement of the autonomous moving body, The operation control unit is The attitude and movement of the autonomous moving body are controlled based on the motion data acquired by the acquisition unit. The information processing device according to (1). (3) The acquisition unit is acquiring the motion data corresponding to the emotion of the autonomous moving body; The operation control unit is The attitude and movement of the autonomous moving body are controlled based on the motion data corresponding to the emotion acquired by the acquisition unit. The information processing device according to (2). (4) The autonomous moving body has wheels on the left and right sides with respect to a traveling direction, The operation control unit is The attitude movement of the autonomous moving body is controlled based on the motion data corresponding to the attitude movement that oscillates around a reference attitude angle corresponding to the reference attitude with the axles of the left and right wheels of the autonomous moving body as rotation axes. The information processing device according to (2) or (3). (5) The operation control unit is Controlling the movement of the autonomous moving body, including at least one of forward and backward movement, turning movement, and rotational movement, and controlling the attitude movement of the autonomous moving body so that the autonomous moving body vibrates around a reference attitude angle corresponding to the reference attitude by a predetermined amplitude angle at a predetermined frequency with the axles of the left and right wheels of the autonomous moving body as rotation axes. The information processing device according to (4). (6) The operation control unit is When the emotion of the autonomous moving body is joy, a forward motion of the autonomous moving body is controlled, and an attitude operation of the autonomous moving body is controlled so that the autonomous moving body vibrates around a reference attitude angle corresponding to the reference attitude by a first amplitude angle at a first frequency with axles of left and right wheels of the autonomous moving body as rotation axes; When the emotion of the autonomous moving body is enjoyment, the attitude movement of the autonomous moving body is controlled so that the autonomous moving body oscillates around a reference attitude angle corresponding to the reference attitude by an amplitude angle larger than the first amplitude angle at a frequency smaller than the first frequency with the axles of the left and right wheels of the autonomous moving body as rotation axes. The information processing device according to (4) or (5). (7) The operation control unit is When the emotion of the autonomous moving body is anger, a turning motion of the autonomous moving body is controlled, and an attitude movement of the autonomous moving body is controlled so that the autonomous moving body vibrates around a reference attitude angle corresponding to the reference attitude by a second amplitude angle at a second frequency with the axles of the left and right wheels of the autonomous moving body as rotation axes; When the emotion of the autonomous moving body is sadness, the attitude movement of the autonomous moving body is controlled so that the autonomous moving body oscillates around a reference attitude angle corresponding to the reference attitude by an amplitude angle smaller than the second amplitude angle at a frequency higher than the second frequency, with the axles of the left and right wheels of the autonomous moving body as rotation axes. The information processing device according to (4) or (5). (8) The operation control unit is When the autonomous moving body's emotion is panic, forward motion of the autonomous moving body is controlled, and an attitude operation of the autonomous moving body is controlled so that before the autonomous moving body reaches a target position, the autonomous moving body rotates in a traveling direction around a reference attitude angle corresponding to the reference attitude by a third amplitude angle with the axles of the left and right wheels of the autonomous moving body as rotation axes, and then, after a predetermined time, the autonomous moving body rotates in a direction opposite to the traveling direction by an angle larger than the third amplitude angle around a reference attitude angle corresponding to the reference attitude with the axles of the left and right wheels of the autonomous moving body as rotation axes. The information processing device according to (4) or (5). (9) The operation control unit is When the autonomous moving body is feeling debilitated, the forward motion of the autonomous moving body is controlled, and the attitude movement of the autonomous moving body is controlled so as to alternately perform a control to advance one side of the autonomous moving body more than the other side in the left-right direction and a control to advance one side of the autonomous moving body more than the other side in the left-right direction. The information processing device according to (4) or (5). (10) The operation control unit is The rotation angle or the rotation angular velocity of the left and right wheels of the autonomous moving body is alternately and periodically changed over time to control the attitude movement of the autonomous moving body. The information processing device according to (9). (11) The operation control unit is Controlling the attitude and movement of the autonomous moving body based on user information relating to a user of the autonomous moving body located in the vicinity of the autonomous moving body The information processing device according to any one of (1) to (10). (12) The operation control unit is The attitude and movement of the autonomous moving body is controlled based on the user information, which may be image information showing the face of the user, dialogue information showing the content of a dialogue with the user, or contact information showing the manner in which the user contacts the autonomous moving body. The information processing device according to (11). (13) The operation control unit is The attitude movement of the autonomous moving body is controlled based on state information indicating an internal state of the autonomous moving body. The information processing device according to any one of (1) to (12). (14) The operation control unit is The attitude movement of the autonomous moving body is controlled based on temperature information indicating a temperature inside the body of the autonomous moving body or information indicating a remaining battery level of the autonomous moving body as the state information. The information processing device according to (13). (15) The operation control unit is Controlling the attitude movement of the autonomous moving body so that a reference attitude in the inverted state becomes a forward leaning attitude The information processing device according to any one of (1) to (14). (16) Controlling the movement of an autonomous moving body that runs while maintaining an inverted state, and controlling the attitude movement of the autonomous moving body that changes over time from a reference attitude in the inverted state. An information processing method for performing processing. (17) On the computer, a motion control procedure for controlling a moving motion of an autonomous moving body that runs while maintaining an inverted state, and controlling a posture motion of the autonomous moving body that changes over time from a reference posture in the inverted state; An information processing program for executing the above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0174] 1. Information Processing Systems N Network 10 Autonomous Mobile Vehicles 110 Sensor section 120 Input section 130 Light source 140 Audio output section 150 Drive unit 160 Storage section 161 Behavioral Memory Department 162 Motion data storage unit 170 Control section 171 Detection unit 172 Recognition part 173 Action Planning Department 174 Acquisition Department 175 Motion control section 180 Communications Department

Claims

1. an operation control unit that controls the movement operation of the autonomous moving body that runs while maintaining an inverted state, and controls the attitude operation of the autonomous moving body that changes over time from a reference attitude in the inverted state; The autonomous moving body has wheels on the left and right sides with respect to a traveling direction, The operation control unit is controlling the angular velocity of the wheels based on a third target wheel angular velocity obtained by superimposing a first target wheel angular velocity, which is a target value of the angular velocity of the wheels calculated based on a target moving distance and a target speed of the moving operation, and a second target wheel angular velocity, which is a target value of the angular velocity of the wheels calculated based on a target attitude angle and a target attitude angular velocity of the attitude operation that periodically oscillates at a predetermined amplitude angle around a reference attitude angle corresponding to the reference attitude; Information processing device.

2. An acquisition unit that acquires motion data corresponding to a posture movement of the autonomous moving body, The operation control unit is The attitude and movement of the autonomous moving body are controlled based on the motion data acquired by the acquisition unit. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. The acquisition unit is acquiring the motion data corresponding to the emotion of the autonomous moving body; The operation control unit is The attitude and movement of the autonomous moving body are controlled based on the motion data corresponding to the emotion acquired by the acquisition unit. The information processing device according to claim 2 .

4. The operation control unit: The attitude movement of the autonomous moving body is controlled based on the motion data corresponding to the attitude movement that oscillates around a reference attitude angle corresponding to the reference attitude with the axles of the left and right wheels of the autonomous moving body as rotation axes. The information processing device according to claim 2 .

5. The operation control unit is Controlling the movement of the autonomous moving body, including at least one of forward and backward movement, turning movement, and rotational movement, and controlling the attitude movement of the autonomous moving body so that the autonomous moving body vibrates around a reference attitude angle corresponding to the reference attitude by a predetermined amplitude angle at a predetermined frequency with the axles of the left and right wheels of the autonomous moving body as rotation axes. The information processing device according to claim 4.

6. The operation control unit is When the emotion of the autonomous moving body is joy, a forward motion of the autonomous moving body is controlled, and an attitude operation of the autonomous moving body is controlled so that the autonomous moving body vibrates around a reference attitude angle corresponding to the reference attitude by a first amplitude angle at a first frequency with axles of left and right wheels of the autonomous moving body as rotation axes; When the emotion of the autonomous moving body is enjoyment, the attitude movement of the autonomous moving body is controlled so that the autonomous moving body oscillates around a reference attitude angle corresponding to the reference attitude by an amplitude angle larger than the first amplitude angle at a frequency smaller than the first frequency, with the axles of the left and right wheels of the autonomous moving body as rotation axes. The information processing device according to claim 4.

7. The operation control unit is When the emotion of the autonomous moving body is anger, a turning motion of the autonomous moving body is controlled, and an attitude movement of the autonomous moving body is controlled so as to vibrate around a reference attitude angle corresponding to the reference attitude by a second amplitude angle at a second frequency with the axles of the left and right wheels of the autonomous moving body as rotation axes; When the emotion of the autonomous moving body is sadness, the attitude movement of the autonomous moving body is controlled so that the autonomous moving body oscillates around a reference attitude angle corresponding to the reference attitude by an amplitude angle smaller than the second amplitude angle at a frequency higher than the second frequency with the axles of the left and right wheels of the autonomous moving body as rotation axes. The information processing device according to claim 4.

8. The operation control unit is When the autonomous moving body is in a state of panic, forward motion of the autonomous moving body is controlled, and an attitude operation of the autonomous moving body is controlled so that the autonomous moving body rotates in a traveling direction around a reference attitude angle corresponding to the reference attitude by a third amplitude angle with the axles of the left and right wheels of the autonomous moving body as rotation axes before the autonomous moving body reaches a target position, and then, after a predetermined time, rotates in a direction opposite to the traveling direction by an angle larger than the third amplitude angle around a reference attitude angle corresponding to the reference attitude with the axles of the left and right wheels of the autonomous moving body as rotation axes. The information processing device according to claim 4.

9. The operation control unit is When the autonomous moving body is feeling debilitated, the forward motion of the autonomous moving body is controlled, and the attitude movement of the autonomous moving body is controlled so as to alternately perform a control to advance one side of the autonomous moving body more than the other side in the left-right direction and a control to advance one side of the autonomous moving body more than the other side in the left-right direction. The information processing device according to claim 4.

10. The operation control unit is The rotation angle or the rotation angular velocity of the left and right wheels of the autonomous moving body is alternately and periodically changed over time to control the attitude movement of the autonomous moving body. The information processing device according to claim 9.

11. The operation control unit is Controlling the attitude and movement of the autonomous moving body based on user information relating to a user of the autonomous moving body located in the vicinity of the autonomous moving body The information processing device according to claim 1 .

12. The operation control unit is The attitude and movement of the autonomous moving body is controlled based on the user information, which may be image information showing the face of the user, dialogue information showing the content of a dialogue with the user, or contact information showing the manner in which the user contacts the autonomous moving body. The information processing device according to claim 11.

13. The operation control unit is The attitude movement of the autonomous moving body is controlled based on state information indicating an internal state of the autonomous moving body. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

14. The operation control unit is The attitude movement of the autonomous moving body is controlled based on temperature information indicating a temperature inside the body of the autonomous moving body or information indicating a remaining battery level of the autonomous moving body as the state information. The information processing device according to claim 13.

15. The operation control unit is Controlling the attitude movement of the autonomous moving body so that a reference attitude in the inverted state becomes a forward leaning attitude The information processing device according to claim 1 .

16. Executing a process of controlling a movement operation of an autonomous moving body that runs while maintaining an inverted state, and controlling a posture operation of the autonomous moving body that changes over time from a reference posture in the inverted state; The autonomous moving body has wheels on the left and right sides with respect to a traveling direction, controlling the angular velocity of the wheels based on a third target wheel angular velocity obtained by superimposing a first target wheel angular velocity, which is a target value of the angular velocity of the wheels calculated based on a target moving distance and a target speed of the moving operation, and a second target wheel angular velocity, which is a target value of the angular velocity of the wheels calculated based on a target attitude angle and a target attitude angular velocity of the attitude operation that periodically oscillates at a predetermined amplitude angle around a reference attitude angle corresponding to the reference attitude; Information processing methods.

17. On the computer, a motion control procedure for controlling the movement of the autonomous moving body that runs while maintaining an inverted state, and controlling the posture movement of the autonomous moving body that changes over time from a reference posture in the inverted state; The autonomous moving body has wheels on the left and right sides with respect to a traveling direction, The operation control procedure includes: controlling the angular velocity of the wheels based on a third target wheel angular velocity obtained by superimposing a first target wheel angular velocity, which is a target value of the angular velocity of the wheels calculated based on a target moving distance and a target speed of the moving operation, and a second target wheel angular velocity, which is a target value of the angular velocity of the wheels calculated based on a target attitude angle and a target attitude angular velocity of the attitude operation that periodically oscillates at a predetermined amplitude angle around a reference attitude angle corresponding to the reference attitude; Information processing program.

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