Control device, control method, and program

Abstract

To suitably perform charging by suppressing deterioration of a secondary battery.SOLUTION: A control device has: a charging control part controlling a power supply to an operation part, and charging and discharging of a secondary battery; a power estimation part estimating power supplied to the charging control part; a charging state acquisition part acquiring a charging state when the charging control part charges the secondary battery; and an operation control part controlling to limit a predetermined operation when it is determined that the power estimated by the power estimation part is smaller than power required for a predetermined operation executed by the operation part, and that the charging state acquired by the charging state acquisition part is a predetermined charging state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device, a control method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Small electronic devices driven by rechargeable secondary batteries are frequently used. As small electronic devices, for example, robots that can express a sense of living things by having an appearance and movements like living things have been developed. For example, by using a motor, a pet-type robot that can express a sense of living things by driving its legs to walk and wagging its tail has been disclosed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that a secondary battery and a power receiving induction coil are built into a pet-type robot having a charging function by electromagnetic induction, and a power transmission induction coil is provided in an external charger, and even while charging the secondary battery, it wags its tail or moves its head up and down as if eating food to express emotions such as actions and feelings as a virtual pet.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, there is a problem that operations such as discharging while charging or continuously discharging after full charge occur, and depending on the movement, it may never be fully charged, or in the case of discharging after full charge, charging is immediately required, resulting in a "repeated charging" state where charging and discharging are repeated, causing demerits such as accelerating the deterioration of the secondary battery.

[0005] The present invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a control device, control method, and program that can suppress the degradation of secondary batteries and perform charging appropriately. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the present invention One aspect The control device relating to this is A power receiving unit that receives power from the power transmission unit of the charging device in a non-contact manner, An operating unit that performs a predetermined operation, A secondary battery that supplies power to the operating unit, A first control unit that controls the supply of power received by the power receiving unit for the operation of the operating unit and for charging the secondary battery, A second control unit that identifies the power required for the operation of the operating unit and the charging of the secondary battery, and controls the charging device to notify it of the identified power requirement, Equipped with, The power receiving unit receives power from the power transmission unit in accordance with the required power notified by the second control unit. death, The second control unit, when it reduces the required power notified to the charging device and the power received by the power receiving unit, restricts the operation of the operating unit that involves large load fluctuations. . [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the degradation of secondary batteries can be suppressed and charging can be performed effectively. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This figure shows the external appearance of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view taken from the side of a charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention, with a robot mounted on it. [Figure 3] This block diagram shows the functional configuration of a robot and a charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This figure shows the charging current and charging voltage during charging of the secondary battery of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the main body of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This is a flowchart of the wireless power supply control process according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This is a flowchart of the operation control process according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0010] (Embodiment) An embodiment in which the control device of the present invention is applied to the robot 200 shown in Figure 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. The robot 200 according to this embodiment is a small, pet-type robot that mimics an animal and is powered by a rechargeable secondary battery. As shown in Figure 1, the robot 200 is covered by an exterior 201 equipped with decorative parts 202 that mimic eyes and fluffy fur 203. The housing 207 of the robot 200 is housed inside the exterior 201.

[0011] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the robot 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention, placed on a charging device 300, viewed from the side. Specifically, Figure 2 shows the robot 200 placed in a suitable position on the charging device 300. The robot 200 and the charging device 300 together are also referred to as the robot 200 charging system.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 207 of the robot 200 is composed of a head 204, a connecting portion 205, and a body portion 206, and the head 204 and the body portion 206 are connected by the connecting portion 205. The body portion 206 extends in the front-rear direction and contacts a placement surface such as a floor or a table on which the robot 200 is placed via an exterior 201. Further, a twisting motor 2151 is provided at the front end portion of the body portion 206, and the head 204 is connected to the front end portion of the body portion 206 via the connecting portion 205. And, an up-down motor 2152 is provided in the connecting portion 205. Note that the twisting motor 2151 may be provided in the connecting portion 205 or may be provided in the head 204.

[0013] The connecting portion 205 connects the body portion 206 and the head 204 so as to be rotatable (by the twisting motor 2151) about a first rotation axis that extends in the front-rear direction of the body portion 206 through the connecting portion 205. The twisting motor 2151 rotates (forward rotation) the head 204 clockwise (rightward) within a forward rotation angle range or rotates (reverse rotation) counterclockwise (leftward) within a reverse rotation angle range with respect to the body portion 206 about the first rotation axis.

[0014] Further, the connecting portion 205 connects the body portion 206 and the head 204 so as to be rotatable (by the up-down motor 2152) about a second rotation axis that extends in the width direction of the body portion 206 through the connecting portion 205. The up-down motor 2152 rotates (forward rotation) the head 204 upward within a forward rotation angle range or rotates (reverse rotation) downward within a reverse rotation angle range about the second rotation axis.

[0015] Further, the robot 200 includes a touch sensor 2141 in the head 204 and can detect when a user strokes or taps the robot 200. Also, the touch sensor 2141 is provided at the front and rear of the left side surface and the front and rear of the right side surface of the body portion 206 (not shown) and can detect when a user strokes or taps the body portion 206.

[0016] In addition, the robot 200 includes an acceleration sensor 2142 in the body part 206, and can detect the posture (orientation) of the robot 200, as well as detect when it is lifted, its orientation is changed, or it is thrown by the user. Also, the robot 200 includes a gyro sensor 2143 in the body part 206, and can detect when the robot 200 is vibrating or rotating. When the robot 200 detects an external stimulus through a touch sensor 2141 or the like, it operates the motor to perform movements corresponding to the external stimulus and expresses its behavior as a virtual pet.

[0017] Furthermore, the robot 200 includes a microphone 2144 in the body part 206 and can detect external sounds. Additionally, the robot 200 includes a speaker 2161 in the body part 206, and can use the speaker 2161 to make chirping sounds or sing songs.

[0018] Moreover, a power receiving coil 101 is provided in the body part 206. The power receiving coil 101 is, for example, a planar coil wound in a spiral shape, and the coil surface is arranged parallel to the floor surface 302 of the charging device 300. The power receiving coil 101 receives power through magnetic field coupling such as electromagnetic induction with a power transmitting coil 102 provided in the charging device 300. Thereby, power can be supplied non - contact from the charging device 300 to the secondary battery of the robot 200. Note that the power charged in the secondary battery becomes the driving power for the twisting motor 2151 and the up - down motor 2152.

[0019] The charging device 300 has a cage - like appearance imitating the nest of the robot 200, and includes an outer frame 301 and an elliptical floor surface 302.

[0020] The outer frame 301 is composed of an insulating member such as plastic, for example. The floor surface 302 is the surface on which the body part 206 of the robot 200 is placed, and is configured to be parallel to the power receiving coil 101 provided in the body part 206 when the robot 200 is placed.

[0021] Below the floor surface 302, inside the charging device 300, a power transmission coil 102 is provided. The power transmission coil 102 is, for example, a spirally wound planar coil, with its coil surface positioned parallel to the floor surface 302. That is, the power transmission coil 102 is positioned parallel to and opposite the power receiving coil 101. In this way, the charging device 300 is equipped with a configuration for non-contact power transmission, including the power transmission coil 102. In this embodiment, a DC voltage supplied from an AC adapter, which is provided outside or inside the charging device 300 and connected to a household outlet, is converted to AC, and power is transmitted from the power transmission coil 102. Then, the power receiving coil 101 provided on the robot 200 receives power through magnetic field coupling such as electromagnetic induction and charges the secondary battery. In this way, power is supplied from the charging device 300 to the secondary battery of the robot 200 in a non-contact manner. The robot 200 periodically performs breathing movements as a spontaneous action even when no external stimuli are detected by the aforementioned touch sensors, and it continues to breathe even while the secondary battery is being charged by the charging device 300, thus conveying a sense of being alive.

[0022] Next, the functional configuration of the robot 200 and the charging device 300 will be described. As shown in Figure 3, the robot 200 comprises a main body 210, a secondary battery 220, a charging control unit 230, a power receiving unit 240, and a power receiving coil 101. The charging device 300 comprises a power transmitting coil 102 and a power transmitting unit 310.

[0023] The main unit 210 includes a control unit that controls the overall movement of the robot 200, a drive unit that drives the movable parts that represent the movements of the robot 200, and the like. Details of the main unit 210 will be described later.

[0024] The secondary battery 220 is a rechargeable battery, such as a lithium-ion battery. This secondary battery 220 is a power supply battery that provides driving power to various load parts that make up the robot 200. The secondary battery 220 is charged by receiving power from the charging device 300 via the receiving coil 101, the receiving unit 240, and the charging control unit 230.

[0025] The power receiving unit 240 controls the process for receiving power from the charging device 300. The power receiving unit 240 comprises a power receiving circuit 241 and a power receiving control unit 242, and outputs the received power to the charging control unit 230. The power receiving circuit 241 is a circuit that transmits data and power to the power transmission circuit 311 of the charging device 300 via a power receiving coil 101. The power receiving control unit 242 consists of a power receiving control microcontroller and controls the power receiving circuit 241. The power receiving control unit 242 also reads a control program from memory or the like and executes it to realize the charging process in the robot 200. Specifically, the power receiving control unit 242 measures the load current, calculates the required power, and notifies the power transmission unit 310 of the charging device 300. The power receiving control unit 242 also outputs a signal to the main unit 210 indicating whether or not power is being received. A smoothing capacitor 243 is connected to the output of the power receiving unit 240 to absorb load fluctuations. However, to absorb all anticipated load fluctuations, a large-capacity capacitor would be required, which would increase the size and make it difficult to secure enough space to integrate it into the robot. Therefore, the smoothing capacitor 243 has a capacitance that can handle load fluctuations within a certain range.

[0026] The receiving coil 101 communicates with the transmitting coil 102 of the charging device 300 to send and receive data and receive power for charging.

[0027] The charge control unit 230 controls the charging operation of the secondary battery 220. Specifically, the charge control unit 230 charges the secondary battery 220 by supplying power to the secondary battery 220 from the power receiving unit 240. The charge control unit 230 also supplies power to the main unit 210. In other words, the charge control unit 230 has at least two functions: the function of charging the secondary battery 220 and the function of supplying power to the main unit 210. Furthermore, the charge control unit 230 is contained within a single IC (Integrated Circuit).

[0028] Furthermore, the charging control unit 230 can control the power supply source to the main unit 210 to switch between an external power source and the secondary battery 220. If the robot 200 is not mounted on the charging device 300 and power is not supplied from an external power source via the power receiving unit 240, the charging control unit 230 controls the power supply source to the main unit 210 to switch to the secondary battery 220, and the robot 200 operates using the secondary battery 220. If the robot 200 is mounted on the charging device 300 and power is supplied from an external power source via the power receiving unit 240, and the secondary battery 220 is not fully charged, the charging control unit 230 controls the power supply to both the main unit 210 and the secondary battery 220 from the external power source, and the robot 200 operates while the secondary battery 220 is being charged. When the robot 200 is placed on the charging device 300 and power is supplied from an external power source via the power receiving unit 240, and the secondary battery 220 is fully charged, the charging control unit 230 controls the supply of power from the external power source to the main unit 210, and the robot 200 operates using the power from the external power source. In other words, the robot 200 operates by preferentially accepting power from the external power source.

[0029] The charging control unit 230 supplies power from the power receiving unit 240 to the secondary battery 220 and charges the secondary battery 220 using a constant current constant voltage (CCCV) charging method.

[0030] The charging control unit 230 controls charging to charge the secondary battery 220 using the CCCV charging method by changing the charging current and charging voltage (charging parameters) supplied from the power receiving unit 240. In this CCCV charging method, as shown in Figure 4, the charging control unit 230 charges the secondary battery 220 with a constant current using the CC (Constant Current) charging method until the output voltage of the secondary battery 220 reaches a predetermined switching voltage. Once the predetermined switching voltage is reached, it changes the charging parameters (charging current and charging voltage) to switch the charging method to the CV (Constant Voltage) charging method and controls charging to charge the secondary battery 220 at a constant voltage. When the charging method is switched from CC charging to CV charging, the charging control unit 230 sends a CV charging switching notification, which is a notification signal that the charging parameters have been changed, to the control unit 211 of the main unit 210. The charging control unit 230 also measures the voltage of the secondary battery 220 and sends it to the control unit 211 of the main unit 210. Furthermore, when the charging current falls below a certain value, the charging control unit 230 determines that the battery is fully charged and sends a full charge notification signal, which notifies the control unit 211 of the main unit 210 that charging of the secondary battery 220 is complete.

[0031] The power transmission unit 310 of the charging device 300 includes a power transmission circuit 311 and a power transmission control unit 312, and transmits power to the robot 200 via the power transmission coil 102, which is necessary for the operation of the robot's main body 210 and for charging the secondary battery 220. The power transmission control unit 312 consists of a power transmission control microcontroller, which receives notification of the required power from the power receiving unit 240 and controls the power transmission circuit 311 to transmit the power corresponding to that power. Qi, PMA, Rezence, etc. may be adopted as wireless power supply standards.

[0032] Next, the functional configuration of the main body 210 of the robot 200 will be described. As shown in Figure 5, the main body 210 includes a control unit 211, a storage unit 212, a communication unit 213, a sensor unit 214, a drive unit 215, an output unit 216, and an operation unit 217.

[0033] The control unit 211 is composed of, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and executes various processes described later using a program stored in the memory unit 212.

[0034] The memory unit 212 consists of ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The ROM stores the program executed by the CPU of the control unit 211 and the data necessary in advance for executing the program. The flash memory is a writable, non-volatile memory that stores data that should be saved even after the power is turned off. The RAM stores data that is created or modified during program execution. The memory unit 212 stores, for example, the voice buffer, voice history, touch history, emotion data 2121, emotion change data 2122, growth table 2123, operation content table 2124, growth days data 2125, etc., which will be described later.

[0035] The communication unit 213 is equipped with a communication module that supports wireless LAN (Local Area Network), Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc., and communicates data with external devices such as smartphones.

[0036] The sensor unit 214 includes the aforementioned touch sensor 2141, acceleration sensor 2142, gyro sensor 2143, and microphone 2144. The control unit 211 acquires the detection values ​​detected by the various sensors in the sensor unit 214 as external stimulus data representing external stimuli acting on the robot 200.

[0037] The touch sensor 2141 detects when an object makes contact with it. The touch sensor 2141 is composed of, for example, a pressure sensor or a capacitance sensor. Based on the values ​​detected from the touch sensor 2141, the control unit 211 acquires the contact strength and contact time, and based on these values, can detect external stimuli such as when the robot 200 is being stroked or tapped by a user.

[0038] The acceleration sensor 2142 detects acceleration in three axes: the front-to-back, width (left-to-right), and up-and-down directions of the robot's torso 206. When the robot 200 is stationary, the acceleration sensor 2142 detects gravitational acceleration, so the control unit 211 can detect the current posture of the robot 200 based on the gravitational acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 2142. Furthermore, if, for example, a user lifts or throws the robot 200, the acceleration sensor 2142 detects acceleration associated with the movement of the robot 200 in addition to gravitational acceleration. Therefore, the control unit 211 can detect the movement of the robot 200 by removing the component of gravitational acceleration from the detected value obtained by the acceleration sensor 2142.

[0039] The gyro sensor 2143 detects the angular velocity of the robot 200 in three axes. From the maximum value of the three-axis angular velocity, the control unit 211 can determine the vibration state of the robot 200.

[0040] In this embodiment, during the touch input processing described later, the control unit 211 determines whether the current posture of the robot 200 is horizontal, upside down, upward, downward, or sideways based on the gravitational acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 2142.

[0041] The microphone 2144 detects sounds around the robot 200. Based on the sound components detected by the microphone 2144, the control unit 211 can detect, for example, that a user is calling out to the robot 200 or clapping their hands.

[0042] The drive unit 215 is equipped with a twist motor 2151 and an up / down motor 2152 as movable action parts for expressing the movements of the robot 200 (the robot itself), and is driven by the control unit 211. By controlling the drive unit 215 with the control unit 211, the robot 200 can express actions such as lifting its head 204 (rotating it upward around the second rotation axis) or twisting it sideways (twisting and rotating it to the right or left around the first rotation axis). The robot 200 can also move by rotating its head 204 sideways while pointing it downwards. The motion control data for performing these actions is recorded in the memory unit 212, and the robot 200's movements are controlled based on detected external stimuli and growth values, which will be described later.

[0043] The output unit 216 is equipped with a speaker 2161, and when the control unit 211 inputs sound data to the output unit 216, sound is output from the speaker 2161. For example, when the control unit 211 inputs data of the robot 200's vocalizations to the output unit 216, the robot 200 emits a simulated vocalization. This vocalization data is also recorded in the memory unit 212, and a vocalization is selected based on detected external stimuli and growth values, which will be described later. The output unit 216, which is composed of the speaker 2161, is also called the sound output unit.

[0044] The control unit 217 consists of, for example, control buttons, a volume knob, etc. The control unit 217 is an interface for receiving operations from the user (owner or borrower), such as turning the power on / off, adjusting the volume of the output sound, etc. In order to further enhance the sense of life, the robot 200 may have only a power switch as the control unit 217 inside the casing 201, and may not have any other control buttons, volume knobs, etc. Even in this case, operations such as adjusting the volume of the robot 200 can be performed using an external smartphone or the like connected via the communication unit 213.

[0045] Next, we will explain, in order, the emotion data 2121, emotion change data 2122, growth table 2123, action content table 2124, and growth days data 2125, which are data stored in the memory unit 212 that are necessary for determining general actions based on growth values, etc.

[0046] Emotional data 2121 is data used to give robot 200 simulated emotions, and it represents coordinates (X,Y) on the emotion map. The emotion map is represented in a two-dimensional coordinate system with the X-axis representing the level of security (anxiety) and the Y-axis representing the level of excitement (apathy).

[0047] The emotion change data 2122 is data that sets the amount of change to increase or decrease the X and Y values ​​of the emotion data 2121, respectively. In this embodiment, the emotion change data 2122 corresponding to the X of the emotion data 2121 includes DXP, which increases the X value, and DXM, which decreases the X value, and the emotion change data 2122 corresponding to the Y value of the emotion data 2121 includes DYP, which increases the Y value, and DYM, which decreases the Y value. In other words, the emotion change data 2122 consists of the following four variables and is data that indicates the degree to which the simulated emotions of the robot 200 are changed. DXP: Ease of feeling safe (ease of positive change in the X value on the emotion map) DXM: Susceptibility to anxiety (ease of the X value in the emotion map changing in a negative direction) DYP: Excitability (ease of change in the positive direction of the Y value on the emotion map) DYM: Proneness to lethargy (ease of the Y value in the emotion map changing in the negative direction)

[0048] In this embodiment, the largest of these four personality values ​​is used as growth degree data (growth value) indicating the simulated growth rate of the robot 200. The control unit 211 then controls the robot 200 so that variations occur in its movements as it undergoes simulated growth (as the growth value increases). The data used by the control unit 211 for this purpose is the growth table 2123.

[0049] The growth table 2123 records the types of actions performed by the robot 200 in response to action triggers such as external stimuli detected by the sensor unit 214, and the probability of each action being selected according to the growth value (hereinafter referred to as "action selection probability"). An action trigger is information such as an external stimulus that causes the robot 200 to perform some action. The action selection probability is set so that when the growth value is small, a basic action set according to the action trigger is selected, regardless of the personality value, and as the growth value increases, a personality action set according to the personality value is selected. Furthermore, the action selection probability is set so that the number of types of basic actions that can be selected increases as the growth value increases.

[0050] The Action Details Table 2124 is a table that records the specific action details for each action type defined in the Growth Table 2123. However, for personality actions, the action details are defined for each personality type.

[0051] The growth days data 2125 has an initial value of 1 and increases by 1 each day that passes. The growth days data 2125 represents the pseudo growth days (pseudonym of days since birth) of robot 200.

[0052] Next, the wireless power supply control process performed by the power receiving control unit 242 of the robot 200 and the power transmission control unit 312 of the charging device 300 will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in Figure 6. The wireless power supply control process is a process that controls the power transmitted according to the various loads that make up the robot 200. If the power transmitted by wireless power supply is always constant, the unused power will turn into heat, and the inside of the robot 200 will overheat. Therefore, when the secondary battery 220 is fully charged and the robot 200 is only performing breathing operations, some of the transmitted power will not be used and will turn into heat, causing the internal temperature to rise. In particular, in this embodiment, since the housing 207 of the robot 200 is covered by the outer casing 201, heat tends to accumulate inside, and the inside of the outer casing 201 may become hot, potentially causing problems with operation. Therefore, the charging device 300 is used to transmit the minimum necessary power, and control is performed to adjust the received power.

[0053] When the power to the robot 200 is turned on, the power receiving control unit 242 of the robot 200 starts the power receiving side control process in the wireless power supply control process. Similarly, when the AC adapter is connected to a household outlet and the power is turned on, the power transmitting control unit 312 of the charging device 300 starts the power transmitting side control process in the wireless power supply control process. First, the power receiving control unit 242 performs an initialization process (step S101). In the same way, the power transmitting control unit 312 performs an initialization process (step S201).

[0054] Then, the power receiving control unit 242 performs a process to measure the power of the load (step S102). Once the power of the load is measured, it notifies the power transmission unit 310 of the value (step S103). Meanwhile, after the initialization process, the power transmission control unit 312 determines whether or not a power transmission request notification has been received from the power receiving unit 240 (step S202). If the power transmission control unit 312 determines that a power transmission request notification has been received (step S202; Yes), it transmits the requested power according to the power value of the load that was notified (step S203). On the other hand, if the power transmission control unit 312 determines that there is no power transmission request notification (step S202; No), it does not transmit power (step S204). For example, if the robot 200 is not placed on the charging device 300, the power transmission control unit 312 will not be notified of the required power value, and therefore the power transmission unit 310 will not transmit power.

[0055] In step S103, the power receiving control unit 242 performs the power transmission request processing and then stops processing for a certain period of time (step S104). After stopping processing for a certain period of time, the power receiving control unit 242 returns to step S102, performs the process of measuring the load power again, and then performs the processes of steps S103 and S104, repeating the processes of steps S102 to S104. Similarly, the power transmission control unit 312 performs the power transmission processing in step S203 or the non-transmission processing in step S204 and then stops processing for a certain period of time (step S205). After stopping processing for a certain period of time, the power transmission control unit 312 returns to step S202 and performs the processes of steps S202 and later, and thereafter repeats these processes. In this way, the decision processing for determining the amount of power to be transmitted is performed at regular intervals. However, power transmission itself is performed continuously.

[0056] As described above, in wireless power supply control processing, by changing the power transmitted according to the load, the minimum necessary power can be transmitted to suppress the amount of heat generated inside the robot and reduce power consumption. However, during charging, when the secondary battery is close to full charge, the charging current decreases, and therefore the power supplied from the power receiving unit 240 also decreases. If the power on the load side fluctuates in this state, the received power will be insufficient, and the secondary battery will discharge to compensate for the shortage. Load fluctuations can be dealt with by absorbing these fluctuations by providing a capacitor at the output of the power receiving unit 240. However, if the expected load fluctuation is large, for example, in the case of breathing operations that operate a motor, a large-capacity capacitor is required to absorb the load fluctuation. As the capacity of the capacitor increases, the size increases, and the cost also increases. Therefore, the capacity of the capacitor is limited, the load fluctuation is not sufficiently absorbed, and the secondary battery does not become fully charged. Therefore, in the motion control processing, when the secondary battery is close to full charge during charging, the breathing operation, which is a load fluctuation, is limited. This reduces load fluctuations, which can be absorbed by a normal small-capacity smoothing capacitor, thus eliminating discharge of the secondary battery and allowing it to maintain a fully charged state.

[0057] Next, the motion control process performed by the control unit 211 of the robot 200 will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in Figure 7. The motion control process is the process by which the control unit 211 controls the robot 200's movements (movements, sounds, etc.) based on detected values ​​from the sensor unit 214. When the user turns on the power to the robot 200, the thread for this motion control process starts executing in parallel with other necessary processes. The motion control process controls the drive unit 215 and the output unit 216, resulting in the robot 200's movements being expressed and sounds such as sounds being output.

[0058] First, the control unit 211 initializes various data such as emotion data 2121, emotion change data 2122, and growth day data 2125 (step S301). Then, the control unit 211 executes a process to acquire external stimuli from the various sensors provided by the sensor unit 214 (step S302). Subsequently, the control unit 211 determines whether or not there was an external stimulus detected by the sensor unit 214 (step S303).

[0059] If an external stimulus is detected (step S303; Yes), the control unit 211 acquires emotion change data 2122 to add to or subtract from emotion data 2121 according to the external stimulus obtained from various sensors (step S304). Specifically, for example, if the 3-axis acceleration sensor 2142 detects that the robot 200 has been stroked as an external stimulus, the robot 200 will gain a pseudo-sense of security, so the control unit 211 acquires DXP as emotion change data 2122 to add to the X value of emotion data 2121. Then, the control unit 211 sets emotion data 2121 according to the emotion change data 2122 acquired in step S304 (step S305). The control unit 211 executes an action in response to the external stimulus (step S306) and proceeds to step S309.

[0060] On the other hand, if there was no external stimulus in step S303 (step S303; No), the control unit 211 determines whether or not to perform a spontaneous action such as breathing (step S307). The method for determining whether or not to perform a spontaneous action is arbitrary, but in this embodiment, it is assumed that the determination in step S307 will be Yes for each respiratory cycle, and that a breathing action will be performed.

[0061] The breathing motion involves driving the twist motor 2151 and the up / down motor 2152 to periodically move the back portion of the robot's outer casing 201, creating the illusion of breathing. Furthermore, breathing sounds may be emitted from the speaker 2161. Performing such spontaneous movements in the absence of external stimuli can enhance the robot's lifelike appearance and foster a sense of attachment in the user.

[0062] If the user performs a voluntary action (step S307; Yes), the control unit 211 performs a voluntary action, which is a breathing action (step S308), and proceeds to step S309.

[0063] In step S309, the control unit 211 determines whether a predetermined time, for example, 1 minute, has elapsed since the completion of operations based on external stimuli, excluding breathing. The reason for setting the time to 1 minute is that, after the completion of external stimulus operations, the breathing cycle is shortened for 1 minute to express biological-like movements. Furthermore, if 1 minute has elapsed since the completion of external stimulus operations, with only intermittent breathing operations being performed, the amount of power required for the operation of the main unit 210 decreases, and it can be determined that the power supplied from the charging device 300 to the power receiving unit 240 is somewhat reduced. Thus, determining that 1 minute has elapsed since the completion of external stimulus operations corresponds to the power estimation unit estimating the power supplied to the charging control unit 230. In this case, since the power required by the main unit 210 is almost zero except when breathing operations are performed, the power estimation unit can determine that the power estimated is less than the power required for breathing operations.

[0064] In this embodiment, the power supplied to the charging control unit 230 was estimated over time, but the power supplied by the power receiving unit 240 to the charging control unit 230 may also be measured directly. In this case, a very small resistor can be placed in the power supply line from the power receiving unit 240 to the charging control unit 230, and the power can be estimated by observing the voltage drop. If the power receiving control microcontroller, which is the power receiving control unit 242, has a function to notify the power it supplies, this function may also be used.

[0065] If it is determined that less than one minute has passed since the end of the external stimulus operation (step S309; ​​No), the control unit 211 sets the respiratory cycle to a short 2 seconds (step S310).

[0066] On the other hand, if step S309 determines that one minute has elapsed since the end of the external stimulus operation (step S309; ​​Yes), the control unit 211 acquires the charge status of the secondary battery 220 and determines whether the robot 200 is being charged and whether the charging method has switched from CC charging to CV charging (step S311).

[0067] If the robot 200 is not placed on the charging device 300 and is not being charged, or if it is being charged and has been charged to some extent but is not yet fully charged and the charging method has not been switched from CC charging to CV charging (step S311; No), the control unit 211 sets the respiratory cycle to 4 seconds (step S312). In step S311, acquiring the charging state in order to determine the charging state corresponds to the charging state acquisition unit that acquires the charging state when the charging control unit 230 is charging the secondary battery 220.

[0068] On the other hand, if the robot 200 is placed on the charging device 300 and charging, and the charging method has been switched from CC charging to CV charging, and the secondary battery 220 is close to fully charged (step S311; Yes), the control unit 211 sets the breathing cycle to 8 seconds (step S313). When the battery is close to fully charged, the charging current is small, and the power supplied from the power receiving unit is small. The breathing cycle is set to 8 seconds instead of 4 seconds because if the breathing cycle remains at 4 seconds, the smoothing capacitor 243 will discharge due to load fluctuations associated with the breathing operation, and there will not be enough charging time for the smoothing capacitor 243 to be recharged and return to its original state after discharge. In this case, the load fluctuations cannot be absorbed by the smoothing capacitor 243, and power is supplied from the secondary battery 220 to the main unit 210. Therefore, if the breathing cycle remains at 4 seconds, the secondary battery 220 will repeatedly be fully charged and discharged. By setting the respiratory cycle to 8 seconds, time can be secured to recharge the smoothing capacitor 243 even when there are load fluctuations due to respiration. Since load fluctuations can be absorbed by a small-capacity smoothing capacitor, discharge of the secondary battery 220 is suppressed, and it can maintain a fully charged state. In this way, limiting the respiratory action by setting a long respiratory cycle corresponds to an action control unit that controls the operation to limit a predetermined action.

[0069] In step S310, step S312, or step S313, once the respiratory cycle is set, the control unit 211 uses its clock function to determine whether the date has changed (step S314). If the date has not changed (step S314; No), the control unit 211 returns to step S302.

[0070] If the date has changed (step S314; Yes), the control unit 211 determines whether or not it is the first period (step S315). If the first period is defined as, for example, 50 days from the simulated birth of the robot 200 (for example, the first time it is started by the user after purchase), the control unit 211 determines that it is the first period if the growth days data 2125 is 50 or less. If it is not the first period (step S315; No), the control unit 211 proceeds to step S317. If it is the first period (step S315; Yes), the control unit 211 learns the emotion change data 2122 and expands the emotion map (step S316). Then, the control unit 211 adds 1 to the growth days data 2125, initializes the emotion data to 0 for both X and Y values ​​(step S317), and returns to step S302.

[0071] In the above embodiment, the secondary battery 220 is kept fully charged by lengthening the breathing cycle of the robot 200's spontaneous breathing action. However, other configurations are also possible, as long as the load is changed to maintain the fully charged state. For example, the breathing action may be changed to one that does not drive motors with high power consumption and only produces breathing sounds with relatively low power consumption. In this way, load fluctuations due to the breathing action are reduced, and even if the breathing cycle remains at 4 seconds, the smoothing capacitor 243 can absorb the load fluctuations.

[0072] The robot 200 may be equipped with a light-emitting part. For example, a light-emitting means such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) can be provided on the back of the torso 206 inside the outer casing 201, and breathing can be represented by slowly blinking the LED. Since LEDs consume less power than motor drives, when the secondary battery 220 is nearly fully charged, the motor can be turned off, and breathing can be represented only by breathing sounds and LED illumination.

[0073] Spontaneous movements are not limited to breathing; other movements may also be included. For example, movements such as shaking or stretching may be considered spontaneous movements.

[0074] Furthermore, the control device is not limited to robots; it may also control other electronic devices. For example, if a clock that uses a rotating doll to indicate the time is charging, it can be controlled to not rotate the doll when it is nearly fully charged, and instead indicate the time using only sound or light. The time interval for the doll's rotation to announce the time may also be made longer than usual.

[0075] This invention allows for various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the invention. Furthermore, the above embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the scope of the invention. In other words, the scope of the invention is indicated not by the embodiments, but by the claims. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and the equivalent scope of the meaning of the invention are considered to be within the scope of this invention. The invention described in the original claims of this application is listed below.

[0076] (Note 1) A charge control unit that controls the power supply to the operating unit and the charging and discharging of the secondary battery, A power estimation unit that estimates the power supplied to the charging control unit, The charge control unit acquires the charge state when the secondary battery is being charged, An operation control unit controls the predetermined operation to be restricted when it is determined that the power estimated by the power estimation unit is less than the power required for a predetermined operation performed by the operation unit, and the charge state acquired by the charge state acquisition unit is a predetermined charge state. A control device equipped with the following features.

[0077] (Note 2) The predetermined operation is an intermittent operation performed intermittently by the operation unit. The operation control unit controls the operation to limit it by making the interval of the intermittent operation larger than the interval when the predetermined charging state is not in place. The control device described in Appendix 1.

[0078] (Note 3) The aforementioned operating unit is the operating unit of a robot, and the predetermined operation is a breathing motion. The control device described in Appendix 1 or 2.

[0079] (Note 4) The aforementioned predetermined operation includes the operation of driving the motor, The operation control unit restricts the predetermined operation by controlling it so as not to perform the operation that drives the motor. The control device described in Appendix 1.

[0080] (Note 5) The power estimation unit estimates the power based on the elapsed time since the end of operations other than the predetermined operation. A control device as described in any one of the appendices 1 to 4.

[0081] (Note 6) The charging method of the charging control unit is a CCCV method, and the predetermined charging state is a state in which charging is performed at a constant voltage. A control device as described in any one of the appendices 1 to 5.

[0082] (Note 7) The predetermined charging state is a state in which the charging current is less than or equal to a predetermined value. A control device as described in any one of the appendices 1 to 5.

[0083] (Note 8) A charge control step that controls the supply of power to the operating unit and the charging and discharging of the secondary battery, A power estimation step for estimating the power supplied to the operating unit and the secondary battery, A charge state acquisition step to acquire the charge state when charging the secondary battery, An operation control step that controls the system to restrict the predetermined operation when it is determined that the power estimated by the power estimation step is less than the power required for a predetermined operation performed by the operating unit, and the charge state acquired by the charge state acquisition step is a predetermined charge state; A control method including

[0084] (Note 9) Computers, A charge control unit that controls the power supply to the operating unit and the charging and discharging of the secondary battery. A power estimation unit that estimates the power supplied to the charging control unit, A charge state acquisition unit acquires the charge state when the charge control unit is charging the secondary battery. If the power estimated by the power estimation unit is less than the power required for a predetermined operation performed by the operation unit, and the charge state acquired by the charge state acquisition unit is determined to be a predetermined charge state, the operation control unit controls the operation to limit the predetermined operation. A program that makes it function as such. [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 101... Power receiving coil, 102... Power transmitting coil, 200... Robot, 201... Exterior, 202... Decorative parts, 203... Hair, 204... Head, 205... Connecting part, 206... Torso part, 207... Housing, 210... Main body part, 211... Control unit, 212... Memory unit, 213... Communication unit, 214... Sensor unit, 215... Drive unit, 216... Output unit, 217... Operation unit, 22 0...Secondary battery, 230...Charging control unit, 240...Power receiving unit, 241...Power receiving circuit, 242...Power receiving control unit, 243...Smoothing capacitor, 300...Charging device, 310...Power transmission unit, 311...Power transmission circuit, 312...Power transmission control unit, 2121...Emotion data, 2122...Emotion change data, 2123...Growth table, 2124...Operation content table, 2125...Growth days data

Claims

1. A power receiving unit that receives power from the power transmission unit of the charging device in a non-contact manner, An operating unit that performs a predetermined operation, A secondary battery that supplies power to the operating unit, A first control unit that controls the supply of power received by the power receiving unit for the operation of the operating unit and for charging the secondary battery, A second control unit that identifies the power required for the operation of the operating unit and the charging of the secondary battery, and performs control to notify the charging device of the identified power requirement, Equipped with, The power receiving unit receives power from the power transmission unit in accordance with the required power notified by the second control unit, The second control unit, when it reduces the required power notified to the charging device and the power received by the power receiving unit, restricts the operation of the operating unit that involves large load fluctuations. Control device.

2. A power receiving unit that receives power from the power transmission unit of the charging device in a non-contact manner, An operating unit that performs a predetermined operation, A secondary battery that supplies power to the operating unit, A first control unit that controls the supply of power received by the power receiving unit for the operation of the operating unit and for charging the secondary battery, A second control unit that identifies the power required for the operation of the operating unit and the charging of the secondary battery, and performs control to notify the charging device of the identified power requirement, Equipped with, The power receiving unit receives power from the power transmission unit in accordance with the required power notified by the second control unit, The aforementioned operating unit is the operating unit of a robot, and the predetermined operation is a breathing motion. Control device.

3. The first control unit performs control to switch the power source supplied to the operating unit between the power receiving unit and the secondary battery, depending on the charge state of the secondary battery. The second control unit determines whether the power received by the power receiving unit has decreased to the required power notified to the charging device, and if it is determined that the predetermined state is met, it restricts the operation of the operating unit. The control device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The first control unit controls the power supplied from the power receiving unit to the secondary battery to decrease when the secondary battery reaches a first state that is close to fully charged. The second control unit controls the power supplied from the power receiving unit to the secondary battery to decrease the required power, which is the power received by the power receiving unit, and notifies the charging device of this power when the power supplied from the power receiving unit decreases. The control device according to claim 2.

5. The second control unit, when it reduces the required power notified to the charging device and the power received by the power receiving unit, restricts the operation of the operating unit that involves large load fluctuations. The control device according to claim 4.

6. When there is a load fluctuation due to the operating unit, the second control unit notifies the charging device of the increase in required power, and until the power received by the power receiving unit increases, the first control unit switches the power supply source to the operating unit to the secondary battery. The control device according to claim 5.

7. The aforementioned operating unit is the operating unit of a robot, and the predetermined operation is a breathing motion. The control device according to claim 1.

8. The aforementioned predetermined operation includes the operation of driving the motor, The second control unit restricts the predetermined operation by controlling the operation to stop the motor drive operation or to reduce the frequency of the motor drive operation. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

9. A control device having a power receiving unit that receives power from the power transmission unit of a charging device in a non-contact manner, an operating unit that performs a predetermined operation, and a secondary battery that supplies power to the operating unit, A first process that controls the supply of power received by the power receiving unit for the operation of the operating unit and for charging the secondary battery, A second process involves identifying the power required for the operation of the operating unit and the charging of the secondary battery, and performing control to notify the charging device of the identified power requirement. Execute, The power receiving unit receives power from the power transmission unit corresponding to the required power notified in the second process, The second process, when the required power notified to the charging device and the power received by the power receiving unit is reduced, restricts the operation of the operating unit that involves large load fluctuations. Control method.

10. A control device having a power receiving unit that receives power from the power transmission unit of a charging device in a non-contact manner, an operating unit that performs a predetermined operation, and a secondary battery that supplies power to the operating unit, A first process that controls the supply of power received by the power receiving unit for the operation of the operating unit and for charging the secondary battery, A second process involves identifying the power required for the operation of the operating unit and the charging of the secondary battery, and performing control to notify the charging device of the identified power requirement. Execute, The power receiving unit receives power from the power transmission unit corresponding to the required power notified in the second process, The aforementioned operating unit is the operating unit of a robot, and the predetermined operation is a breathing motion. Control method.

11. A control device having a power receiving unit that receives power from the power transmission unit of a charging device in a non-contact manner, an operating unit that performs a predetermined operation, and a secondary battery that supplies power to the operating unit, has a computer. A first process that controls the supply of power received by the power receiving unit for the operation of the operating unit and for charging the secondary battery, A second process involves identifying the power required for the operation of the operating unit and the charging of the secondary battery, and performing control to notify the charging device of the identified power requirement. Make it run, The power receiving unit receives power from the power transmission unit corresponding to the required power notified in the second process, The second process, when the required power notified to the charging device and the power received by the power receiving unit is reduced, restricts the operation of the operating unit that involves large load fluctuations. program.

12. A control device having a power receiving unit that receives power from the power transmission unit of a charging device in a non-contact manner, an operating unit that performs a predetermined operation, and a secondary battery that supplies power to the operating unit, has a computer. A first process that controls the supply of power received by the power receiving unit for the operation of the operating unit and for charging the secondary battery, A second process involves identifying the power required for the operation of the operating unit and the charging of the secondary battery, and performing control to notify the charging device of the identified power requirement. Make it run, The power receiving unit receives power from the power transmission unit corresponding to the required power notified in the second process, The aforementioned operating unit is the operating unit of a robot, and the predetermined operation is a breathing motion. program.

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