Information processing device, robot, service providing system, information processing method and program

Abstract

The information processing unit (2) according to the present disclosure is an information processing device that controls a robot (1) that has a movable part (3) and provides a service to a user by operating the movable part (3), and includes an acquisition unit (21) that acquires user information including at least one of the user's state and the user's surrounding environment, a determination unit (22) that uses the user information to determine the timing of providing the service, and an operation control unit (23) that generates an instruction for the robot (1) to provide the service at the determined timing based on the determined timing.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device that controls a robot that provides a service, a robot, a service providing system, an information processing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Robots are expected to be used in various situations, such as at home and in the workplace. Patent Document 1 discloses a self-propelled robot having a multi-joint arm and a hand connected to the tip of the arm for grasping an object. In the technology described in Patent Document 1, instructions from a user are associated in advance with the robot's actions corresponding to the instructions, and when a user inputs an instruction such as "I want to drink juice," the robot performs the action associated with the instruction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5380630 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the technology described in Patent Document 1, when an instruction is given by a user, the robot performs an action corresponding to the instruction. Therefore, the user needs to explicitly give an instruction corresponding to the desired action to the robot, which causes a problem that it takes time for the user to receive a service provided by the robot.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to obtain an information processing device that enables a robot to provide a service to a user while saving the user effort. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, an information processing device according to the present disclosure is an information processing device that controls a robot that has a movable part and provides a service to a user by operating the movable part, and includes an acquisition unit that acquires user information including at least one of a state of the user and an environment around the user, a determination unit that uses the user information to determine a timing to provide the service, and a command generation unit that generates a command for the robot to provide the service at the determined timing based on the determined timing, and the movable part includes a movement mechanism that is a drive mechanism that moves the position of the robot, and a working mechanism that is a drive mechanism that executes work for providing the service. The user information includes speech information that is a result of detection of user speech, and the determination unit calculates the amount of speech using the speech information and determines the timing of providing the service based on the calculated amount of speech. do. Effect of the Invention

[0007] The information processing device according to the present disclosure has an effect of enabling a robot to provide a service to a user while saving the user effort. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a service providing system according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of service provision by a robot according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 3] 1 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the robot according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing another example of the configuration of the service providing system according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing another example of the configuration of the service providing system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a computer system that realizes an information processing device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a service provided by a service providing system according to a second embodiment; [Figure 8] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of a robot according to a second embodiment. [Figure 9]FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a service provided by a service providing system according to a third embodiment; [Figure 10] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the robot according to the third embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a service provided by a service providing system according to a fourth embodiment; [Figure 12] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of a robot according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a cleaning service for a target area according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 shows a state in which liquid has been spilled on the floor in the target area of ​​the fourth embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a specific area according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 16] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of a robot according to the fifth embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of service provided by a robot according to a fifth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] An information processing device, a robot, a service providing system, an information processing method, and a program according to embodiments will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0010] Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a service providing system according to the first embodiment. The service providing system 100 of the present embodiment includes a robot 1 capable of providing a service to a user, a detection device 4 that detects user information including at least one of a state of the user and an environment around the user, and an information providing device 5 that provides the user information. In FIG. 1, two types of detection device 4 and information providing device 5 are illustrated as sources from which the robot 1 obtains user information, but the source of the user information may include at least one of the detection device 4 and the information providing device 5, and the service providing system 100 may not include either one of the detection device 4 and the information providing device 5. In addition, in FIG. 1, two detection devices 4 are illustrated, but the number of detection devices 4 in the case where the detection device 4 is used may be one or more, and is not limited to this example.

[0011] In this embodiment, the robot 1 uses the user information to determine the timing for providing a service, and executes an operation for providing the service based on the determined timing. Therefore, the user does not need to give instructions to the robot 1 in order to receive the service from the robot 1. Therefore, in this embodiment, the robot 1 can provide the service to the user without the user having to do anything, improving the comfort of the user's life.

[0012] The user information is, for example, information including at least one of the user's state and the environment around the user. Specifically, the information indicating the user's state includes, for example, information indicating at least one of the user's vital signs, the user's schedule, the user's moving speed, the user's location, the state of the work the user is performing, the user's voice, the user's facial expression, and the like. The user's vital signs are, for example, at least one of the pulse (heart rate), respiratory rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and the like. In addition, the information indicating the environment around the user is, for example, information indicating at least one of the temperature, humidity, weather, the location of an object in an area where the robot 1 provides a service (for example, an area used or managed by the user), the time period, and the area where the user receives the service from the robot 1 (for example, the area where the user is currently located), and the like.

[0013] The user information may further include attribute information indicating the attributes of the user. Specifically, the attribute information is information indicating at least one of the following: the user's nationality, the language used by the user, the user's sex, the user's age, the user's religion, and the like. The specific content of the user information is not limited to the above-mentioned examples. The attribute information may be used to select the type of service to be provided, or may be used to set the service content, such as the mode, in the service to be provided. The attribute information may be used to determine the timing of providing the service together with at least one of the user's state and the user's surrounding environment.

[0014] The detection device 4 is a sensor that detects user information, such as a sensor that detects vital signs, a camera that captures images and videos, a microphone that detects sound, a position sensor that detects the position of an object, etc. The information provision device 5 is a computer system, and may be a mobile terminal that can be carried by the user, a server, etc., or may be built on a cloud system.

[0015] When the user information includes vital data that is information indicating the vital signs of the user, for example, a wearable terminal incorporating a sensor capable of detecting vital signs, a non-contact sensor capable of detecting vital signs, or the like is used as the detection device 4. Then, the vital sign data that indicates the vital signs detected by the detection device 4 is transmitted from the detection device 4 to the robot 1.

[0016] When the user information includes information indicating the moving speed of the user and information indicating the position of the user, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or tablet carried by the user is used as the information providing device 5. In this case, the information providing device 5 has a position detection function that detects its own position using, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, and detects its own position. The position detected by the information providing device 5 is used as user information indicating the position of the user carrying the information providing device 5. The position detection is not limited to an example performed using a GPS receiver, and may be performed using a gyro, may be performed using the reception strength of radio waves transmitted to and received from multiple other devices, or may be performed by other methods. Note that the information providing device 5 may be a wearable terminal. The moving speed of the user may be calculated by the information providing device 5 using the user's positions at multiple times, and information indicating the moving speed of the user may be transmitted from the information providing device 5 to the robot 1. Alternatively, information indicating the user's positions at multiple times may be transmitted from the information providing device 5 to the robot 1 as information indicating the moving speed of the user. Alternatively, an information providing device 5 may be provided separately from the portable terminal carried by the user, and the information providing device 5 may receive information indicating a position from the portable terminal and transmit the received information as user information of the user corresponding to the portable terminal to the robot 1. Similarly, information indicating the user's moving speed may be transmitted from the portable terminal carried by the user to the robot 1 via the information providing device 5.

[0017] Furthermore, when the user information includes information indicating the user's moving speed or the user's position, a position sensor, a camera, or the like may be used as the detection device 4. When a camera is used as the detection device 4, photographic data of the user is transmitted from the detection device 4 to the robot 1 as user information. The robot 1 can determine the user's position by performing image analysis of the photographic data using the position of the detection device 4 and the photographic data.

[0018] When the user information includes information indicating the user's schedule, for example, a terminal device used by the user is used as the information providing device 5. This terminal device may be a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or tablet carried by the user, or a terminal device installed at home or at work. The information providing device 5 may also be an information providing device 5 that manages the schedules of multiple users, and may be, for example, a device built on a cloud system. The information providing device 5 manages the schedule input by the user, and transmits schedule information indicating the schedule to the robot 1 as user information.

[0019] When the user information includes information indicating the status of the work being performed by the user, for example, a terminal device (computer system) used by the user for work, a machine other than the terminal device used by the user for work, an attendance management system that manages the user's attendance, or an entrance / exit system that manages the entrance / exit to the room area where the user works may be used as the information providing device 5. The information indicating the status of the work being performed by the user may be information indicating that the user has finished the work, information indicating that the user has suspended the work, or both of these.

[0020] When the user information includes voice data indicating the user's voice, for example, a microphone is used as the detection device 4. This microphone may be provided independently, may be built into a terminal device used by the user, or may be provided in the robot 1. When a microphone is used as the detection device 4, the voice data acquired by the detection device 4 is transmitted from the detection device 4 to the robot 1. When the user information includes voice data indicating the user's voice, a terminal device that acquires the user's voice data may be used as the information provision device 5. In this case, the information provision device 5 acquires voice data from a built-in or external microphone, and transmits the acquired voice data to the robot 1.

[0021] When the user information includes information indicating the user's facial expression, for example, a camera is used as the detection device 4. This camera may be provided independently, may be built into a terminal device used by the user, or may be provided in the robot 1. The camera photographs the user's face, and shooting data indicating the photographed image or video is transmitted from the detection device 4 to the robot 1 as information indicating the user's facial expression. When the user information includes information indicating the user's facial expression, a terminal device that acquires the user's photographed data may be used as the information providing device 5. In this case, the information providing device 5 acquires the photographed data from a built-in or external camera, and transmits the acquired photographed data to the robot 1.

[0022] When the user information includes information indicating temperature, a thermometer provided around the user is used as the detection device 4, and when the user information includes information indicating humidity, a hygrometer provided around the user is used as the detection device 4. The surroundings of the user may be, for example, the user's room, the building in which the user is present, or the area such as a city, town, or village in which the user is present. At least one of the information indicating temperature and humidity may be provided from an information providing device 5 that provides weather information. The weather information may be an actual measurement value or a forecast value, but it is preferable that the information is information about a time close to the time when the user information is acquired. When the user information includes information indicating weather, the information is provided, for example, from an information providing device 5 that provides weather information. When the user information indicates the position of an object in an area in which the robot 1 provides a service, for example, a camera that photographs the area is used as the detection device 4. When the user information includes information indicating a time period (for example, information indicating a time period corresponding to the current time, such as whether it is day or night), the robot 1 may acquire information indicating the time period from a built-in clock unit (not shown) or may acquire information indicating the time period from the information providing device 5.

[0023] When the user information includes information indicating the area where the user receives the service from the robot 1, the robot 1 may acquire its own position from a built-in position detection unit (not shown) and obtain the information by using the acquired position information and map information. The information indicating the area where the user receives the service from the robot 1 may be used when acquiring the temperature, humidity, and weather from the information providing device 5. The area may be a city, town, village, prefecture, country, or other area.

[0024] When the user information includes attribute information, the information may be input by the user to the information providing device 5 and transmitted from the information providing device 5 to the robot 1. Alternatively, the acquisition unit 21 of the information processing unit 2 described later may also function as an input receiving means and receive the information input from the user. The above-mentioned region may be treated as attribute information.

[0025] The above-described method of acquiring user information is merely an example, and the specific means of acquiring user information is not limited to the above-described example.

[0026] The user of the robot 1 may be one or more. For example, when the robot 1 is used at home, all the family members may be users, and when the robot 1 is used at a workplace, employees belonging to the workplace to which the service is provided may be users, or all people present at the workplace may be users. When there are multiple users, the attribute information may be set for each user, or only items common to all users may be set. For example, when the attribute information is set for each user and the robot 1 provides drinks to multiple users, the robot 1 may identify each user to whom the drink is to be provided using photographic data or the like, and provide drinks while speaking to the user in the language used by the user based on the attribute information corresponding to the identified user. That is, the robot 1 may determine the language to be used by the robot 1 in the service based on information indicating the language used by the user. Alternatively, when the attribute information is set as an item common to all users and the common item includes the language used by the user, when the robot 1 provides drinks to multiple users, the robot 1 may provide drinks while speaking to all users to whom the drink is to be provided in the same language based on the attribute information without identifying the user.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 1, the robot 1 includes an information processing unit 2 which is an information processing device, and a movable unit 3 which executes a service. The robot 1 provides a service to a user by operating the movable unit 3. The service provided by the robot 1 is a service of performing a task involving movement. For example, the service is at least one of housework, various tasks in an office, providing food and drink, etc., but is not limited to these. The robot 1 may be a robot which provides a specific service, or may be a general-purpose robot which can provide multiple types of services.

[0028] The information processing unit 2 is an information processing device that controls the robot 1. The information processing unit 2 includes an acquisition unit 21, a determination unit 22, and an operation control unit 23. The acquisition unit 21 acquires user information and outputs the acquired user information to the determination unit 22. The acquisition unit 21 acquires user information, for example, by receiving the user information from at least one of the detection device 4 and the information providing device 5. As described above, the acquisition unit 21 also has a function as an input receiving means, and may receive input of user information from a user.

[0029] The determination unit 22 determines the timing to provide the service using the user information received from the acquisition unit 21, and when the determined timing arrives, instructs the operation control unit 23 to start providing the service. For example, the determination unit 22 determines that the provision of the service is to be executed when the user information satisfies a predetermined condition or an index calculated using the user information satisfies a predetermined condition. In this case, the timing at which the user information satisfies the predetermined condition or the index calculated using the user information satisfies the predetermined information becomes the timing at which the provision of the service is executed (the timing at which the provision of the service is to be started).

[0030] The operation control unit 23 generates a command for providing a service based on an instruction from the determination unit 22, and outputs the generated command to the movable unit 3. That is, the operation control unit 23 generates a command for the robot 1 to provide a service at a timing determined by the determination unit 22, and outputs the generated command to the movable unit 3. The movable unit 3 performs an operation according to the command, thereby providing a service to a user. Note that "output to the movable unit 3" is not limited to a case where the command is output directly from the operation control unit 23 in the robot 1 to the movable unit 3, but also includes a case where the command is output to the movable unit 3 via a functional unit having a transmission / reception function, and a case where the command is transmitted to the movable unit 3 via at least one of another functional unit and another device, such as a case where the command is transmitted to the movable unit 3 via another device. Note that the operation control unit 23 controls the operation of the movable unit 3 even during the execution of the service.

[0031] The movable part 3 includes a moving mechanism 31, which is a drive mechanism for moving the position of the robot 1, i.e., a mechanism for the robot 1 to move on its own, and a working mechanism 32, which is a drive mechanism for performing work to provide a service. The moving mechanism 31 may be, for example, a wheeled moving mechanism including wheels and a drive unit for driving the wheels, or a crawler-type moving mechanism including crawlers and a drive unit for driving the crawlers. In addition, when the robot 1 is a humanoid robot or a multi-legged robot, the moving mechanism 31 may be a moving mechanism that includes two or more legs and a drive unit for driving the legs, thereby enabling the robot 1 to walk. The moving mechanism 31 is not limited to these and may have any configuration.

[0032] The moving mechanism 31 includes sensors such as a camera, an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, and a LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging). Using data acquired by the sensors, the operation control unit 23 generates commands for controlling the operation of the moving mechanism 31, and the moving mechanism 31 operates based on the commands. The destination of the movement is determined by the operation control unit 23 according to the content of the service. This enables the robot 1 to travel autonomously.

[0033] The working mechanism 32 is, for example, a manipulator, but is not limited thereto. The manipulator includes, for example, an arm having one or more joints, and a hand (also called an end effector) connected to the tip of the arm and capable of grasping an object. The working mechanism 32 may be composed of two or more manipulators. The working mechanism 32 may also be a combination of a manipulator and a part dedicated to a specific task. The part dedicated to a specific task may be, for example, a part dedicated to wiping, a part dedicated to sweeping, a part for sucking up dirt, a part having a function as a coffee maker, or other parts.

[0034] The working mechanism 32 includes, for example, a hand camera attached to the periphery of the hand. In the robot 1, the operation control unit 23 generates commands for controlling the operation of the working mechanism 32 using data acquired by the hand camera, and the working mechanism 32 operates based on the commands. The operation control unit 23 determines the position and posture of the hand according to the content of the work corresponding to the service, and fine-tunes the position and posture of the hand based on the data acquired by the hand camera.

[0035] Note that the control of the operations of the moving mechanism 31 and the working mechanism 32 by the operation control unit 23 may be performed by any method, and is not limited to the above-mentioned example. Also, here, an example has been described in which the operation control unit 23 also controls the moving mechanism 31 and the working mechanism 32 during operation, but the operation control unit 23 may simply instruct the start of an operation corresponding to a service, and the control of the moving mechanism 31 and the working mechanism 32 after the start of operation may be performed by a control unit (not shown) in the movable unit 3.

[0036] Next, the operation of the robot 1 of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram that shows a schematic diagram of the provision of a service by the robot 1 of this embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the detection device 4 acquires user information, and the acquired user information is transmitted to the robot 1 as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 2. The communication line between the detection device 4 and the robot 1 may be a wired line, a wireless line, or a mixture of these. Here, the robot 1 moves to the user to provide the service, and when the information processing unit 2 of the robot 1 determines to provide the service based on the user information, it instructs the moving mechanism 31 to move to the user and perform an operation corresponding to the service. As a result, the robot 1 moves to the user by the moving mechanism 31, and provides the service by the working mechanism 32. As a result, the user can receive the provision of the service from the robot 1 without instructing the robot 1 to perform an operation. Furthermore, the robot 1 may provide the service even when there is an explicit instruction from the user requesting the execution of the provision of the service.

[0037] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the robot 1 of this embodiment. The information processing unit 2 of the robot 1 acquires user information (step S1). In detail, the acquisition unit 21 acquires the user information by receiving the user information from at least one of the detection device 4 and the information providing device 5, and outputs the acquired user information to the determination unit 22. For example, at least one of the detection device 4 and the information providing device 5, which is the device from which the user information is transmitted, may voluntarily transmit the user information periodically. Alternatively, the acquisition unit 21 may periodically request the device from which the user information is transmitted to acquire the user information, and the device from which the user information is transmitted may transmit the user information in response to the request. Note that, when the user information includes attribute information, the acquisition unit 21 may accept input of the attribute information from the user. Once the attribute information is set, the same information is used until it is changed, so the attribute information may not be periodically acquired, and may be held by the determination unit 22 or stored in a storage unit (not shown).

[0038] Next, the information processing unit 2 of the robot 1 judges whether or not the service provision conditions are satisfied (step S2). In detail, the judgment unit 22 judges whether or not the predetermined service provision conditions are satisfied by using the user information received from the acquisition unit 21. The service provision conditions are conditions related to the user information or to an index calculated by using the user information. For example, a condition that a service of providing a drink is provided when the temperature exceeds a threshold value is defined as the service provision condition. Also, for example, a condition that a service of putting away (returning to the original position) a specific object in a pre-specified room is provided when the object moves from a reference position and remains at the moved position for a certain period of time or more is defined as the service provision condition. In this case, the index calculated by using the user information is the time the object remains at the moved position. Also, the reference position may be defined in advance, or the judgment unit 22 may learn the reference position by using the photographed data acquired by the detection device 4. When the robot 1 can provide a plurality of types of services, the service provision conditions are defined for each service (for each type of service).

[0039] Furthermore, multiple types of information may be used as user information, and the service provision condition may be determined as a combination of conditions related to each type of user information. For example, the service provision condition may be determined as a condition that a drink service is provided when the temperature exceeds a temperature threshold and the humidity exceeds a humidity threshold. Alternatively, the service provision condition may be determined as a condition that at least one of the conditions that the temperature exceeds a temperature threshold and the humidity exceeds a humidity threshold is satisfied. In this way, when the service provision condition is a combination of multiple conditions, the service provision condition may be determined as an AND condition of the multiple conditions, or as an OR condition. Furthermore, when the service provision condition is a combination of three or more conditions, it may be a combination of an AND condition and an OR condition.

[0040] The service provision conditions may also include conditions regarding the time when the execution of the service is prohibited or the time when the execution of the service is permitted (date, time period, etc.) For example, conditions regarding the time when the execution of the service is prohibited or permitted may be set, such as permitting the execution of the service only on weekdays, permitting the execution of the service only between 8:00 and 17:00, or prohibiting the execution of the service between 12:00 and 13:00.

[0041] Also, the time during which the execution of the service is prohibited or the time during which the execution of the service is permitted may be determined according to the user information. For example, the determination unit 22 may set an permitted time period, which is a time period during which the provision of the service is permitted, based on information indicating the area in which the user exists, and instruct the operation control unit 23 to generate a command for providing the service when the timing of the provision of the service determined by the user information other than the area is within the permitted time period. For example, the time during which eating and drinking are prohibited may be determined depending on the area, the religion believed, etc. In such an example, for example, as a service provision condition for providing food and drink, a condition is determined that both a first condition regarding temperature and a second condition that the service is provided (the provision of the service is executed) during the time when eating and drinking is not prohibited when the area in the user information is an area where a time period during which eating and drinking is prohibited is satisfied. As a result, the determination unit 22 determines that the service provision condition is not satisfied when the second condition is not satisfied even if the first condition is satisfied. Conversely, for a service that is required to be provided only during a specific time period, a condition for allowing the execution of the service may be determined as a service provision condition for the service. Although the conditions according to the region are given as an example here, the conditions are not limited to this, and may include conditions regarding the time when the execution of the service is prohibited or permitted with respect to other user information such as the user's nationality, religion, age, etc. Specific examples of the service provision conditions are not limited to the above-mentioned examples, and the indicators are not limited to the above-mentioned examples.

[0042] If the service provision conditions are not met (step S2 No), the process from step S1 is repeated. If the service provision conditions are met (step S2 Yes), the information processing unit 2 of the robot 1 generates a command to provide the service (step S3). In detail, when the determination unit 22 determines that the service provision conditions are met, it generates instruction information instructing the start of the provision of the service and outputs the generated instruction information to the operation control unit 23, and the operation control unit 23 generates an instruction to provide the service based on the instruction information and outputs the generated instruction to the movable unit 3. If the robot 1 can provide multiple types of services, the determination unit 22 also includes information specifying the type of service to be provided in the instruction information.

[0043] Furthermore, when the determination unit 22 determines that the service provision conditions are satisfied, the determination unit 22 may determine the contents of the service, such as the mode and object in the service, based on the user information. For example, for a service of providing food and drink, when the temperature is more than T1 degrees and less than T2 (T2>T1) degrees, a cold drink is delivered to the user, and when the temperature is T2 degrees or higher, ice cream is delivered to the user in addition to the drink. The determination unit 22 may then determine the object to be provided to the user in the service, using the temperature and the setting information in the user information. Furthermore, when the robot 1 is capable of speaking multiple languages ​​and the language mode (language mode) can be set, the determination unit 22 may set the language mode when the robot 1 speaks, depending on the language in the user information (the language used by the user). Furthermore, the determination unit 22 may estimate the user's feelings based on the user information, and determine the contents of the service based on the estimated feelings.

[0044] After step S3, the robot 1 provides a service (step S4), and the process from step S1 is repeated. In detail, in step S4, the movable part 3 starts to operate in response to a command received from the operation control part 23, thereby providing the service to the user. The robot 1 uses the movable part 3 to provide a service, but may also provide a service by transmitting a signal. For example, when the temperature around the user is equal to or higher than a certain value, a cold drink may be provided and the air conditioner (air conditioner) in the room where the user is present may be turned on to operate the air conditioner in cooling mode, or a cold drink may be provided and a signal for operating the air conditioner in cooling mode may be transmitted to operate the air conditioner in cooling mode. In this way, when operating some device to provide a service, the robot 1 may operate an input means or an operation screen, etc., instead of the user, using the movable part 3, or may transmit a signal to the device to instruct the start of the operation.

[0045] The user information may also be used to control the operation of the robot 1 while the robot 1 is performing the operation of providing a service. For example, the detection device 4 may include a camera, and the operation control unit 23 may determine the condition of the route to the user (e.g., the presence or absence of unevenness, sharp curves, etc.) based on the photographed data captured by the camera, and control the movable unit 3 to move via a route in good condition so that the robot 1 can approach the user quietly.

[0046] 1, the determination unit 22 that determines the timing of providing a service is provided in the robot 1, but the determination unit 22 may be provided separately from the robot 1. That is, in FIG. 1, the information processing unit 2 that is an information processing device is provided in the robot 1, but an information processing device may be provided separately from the robot 1, and the information processing device may have at least some of the functions of the information processing unit 2.

[0047] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing another example of the configuration of the service providing system in this embodiment. In the example shown in Fig. 4, the service providing system 100a includes an information processing device 6 and a robot 1a instead of the robot 1 in Fig. 1. Components having the same functions as those in Fig. 1 are given the same reference numerals as those in Fig. 1, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0048] In the configuration example shown in FIG. 4, the information processing device 6 includes the acquisition unit 21, the determination unit 22, and the operation control unit 23 in the information processing unit 2 shown in FIG. 1. The information processing device 6 further includes a transmission unit 24 that transmits a command generated by the operation control unit 23 to the robot 1a. The robot 1a includes a movable unit 3 similar to the example shown in FIG. 1, and further includes a receiving unit 33 that receives a command from the information processing device 6. The receiving unit 33 outputs the received command to the movable unit 3. As a result, the movable unit 3 performs an operation according to the command, and the movable unit 3 provides a service similar to the configuration example shown in FIG. 1. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the information processing device 6 also controls the movable unit 3 during the execution of the service after the start of the provision of the service.

[0049] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing another example of the configuration of the service providing system in this embodiment. In the example shown in Fig. 5, a service providing system 100b includes an information processing device 6a and a robot 1b instead of the robot 1 in Fig. 1. Components having the same functions as those in Fig. 1 are given the same reference numerals as those in Fig. 1, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0050] In the configuration example shown in FIG. 5, the information processing device 6a includes the acquisition unit 21 and the determination unit 22 in the information processing unit 2 shown in FIG. 1. The information processing device 6a further includes a command generation unit 25 having a function of generating a command to instruct execution of a service (to instruct start of service provision) among the functions of the operation control unit 23 shown in FIG. 1, and a transmission unit 24 that transmits the command generated by the command generation unit 25 to the robot 1b. The robot 1b includes a movable part 3 similar to the example shown in FIG. 1, and further includes a receiving unit 33 that receives a command from the information processing device 6a, and an operation control unit 23a that controls the operation of the movable part 3 during execution of the service. The receiving unit 33 outputs the received command to the operation control unit 23a. When the operation control unit 23a receives a command from the receiving unit 33, it controls the movable part 3 to perform an operation for providing the service based on the received command. This allows the movable part 3 to start an operation according to the command generated by the information processing device 6a, and the service is provided by the movable part 3 in the same manner as the configuration example shown in FIG. 1.

[0051] Thus, in the example shown in Fig. 5, a command to start providing the service is generated by the command generating unit 25, and the movable unit 3 during the execution of the service after the start of the provision of the service is controlled by the movement control unit 23a of the robot 1b. In other words, the movement control unit 23 shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 4 has both the function of the command generating unit 25 shown in Fig. 5 and the function of the movement control unit 23a shown in Fig. 5. That is, in the configuration example shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 4, the movement control unit 23 is also the command generating unit 25.

[0052] 4 and 5 are merely illustrative, and the division of functions of each device is not limited to the examples shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 as long as the robot includes the movable part 3 and the information processing device generates a command to start providing a service. For example, the operation control unit 23a in the configuration example of FIG. 5 may be provided in a device separate from the information processing device 6a and the robot 1b. Furthermore, the operation control unit 23a may be provided in the movable part 3.

[0053] Next, the hardware configuration of the information processing device (information processing unit 2 and information processing devices 6, 6a) of this embodiment will be described. In the information processing device of this embodiment, a program (computer program) describing the processing in the information processing device is executed on the computer system, so that the computer system functions as the information processing device. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a computer system that realizes the information processing device of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, this computer system includes a control unit 101, an input unit 102, a storage unit 103, a display unit 104, a communication unit 105, and an output unit 106, which are connected via a system bus 107.

[0054] In FIG. 6, the control unit 101 is, for example, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and executes a program in which the processing in the information processing device of this embodiment is described. The input unit 102 is, for example, composed of a keyboard, a mouse, and the like, and is used by a user of the computer system to input various information. The storage unit 103 includes various memories such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a storage device such as a hard disk, and stores the program to be executed by the control unit 101, necessary data obtained in the process of processing, and the like. The storage unit 103 is also used as a temporary storage area for the program. The control unit 101 and the storage unit 103, for example, constitute a processing circuit. The processing circuit may be one circuit or multiple circuits. The display unit 104 is composed of a display, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display Panel), and the like, and displays various screens to the user of the computer system. The input unit 102 and the display unit 104 may be integrated and realized by a touch panel, etc. The communication unit 105 is a receiver and a transmitter that perform communication processing. The output unit 106 is a printer, a speaker, etc. Note that Fig. 6 is an example, and the configuration of the computer system is not limited to the example of Fig. 6. For example, the computer system may not include one or more of the input unit 102, the display unit 104, and the output unit 106.

[0055] Here, an example of the operation of the computer system until the program of this embodiment is in an executable state will be described. In the computer system having the above-mentioned configuration, for example, a program is installed in the storage unit 103 from a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM set in a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM drive or DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM drive (not shown). Then, when the program is executed, the program read from the storage unit 103 is stored in the main storage area of ​​the storage unit 103. In this state, the control unit 101 executes the process as the information processing device of this embodiment according to the program stored in the storage unit 103.

[0056] In the above description, a program describing the processing in the information processing device is provided using a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM as a recording medium. However, this is not limited to this, and depending on the configuration of the computer system, the capacity of the program to be provided, etc., it is also possible to use a program provided over a transmission medium such as the Internet via the communication unit 105.

[0057] The program of this embodiment, for example, causes an information processing unit 2, which is a computer system that controls the robot 1, to execute the steps of acquiring user information, determining the timing of providing a service using the user information, and generating instructions for the robot 1 to provide the service at the determined timing based on the determined timing.

[0058] The determination unit 22 and the operation control unit 23 shown in Fig. 1 are realized by executing a program stored in the storage unit 103 shown in Fig. 6 by the control unit 101 shown in Fig. 6. The determination unit 22 and the operation control unit 23 shown in Fig. 1 are realized by the storage unit 103 shown in Fig. 6. The acquisition unit 21 shown in Fig. 1 is realized by the communication unit 105 shown in Fig. 6. The acquisition unit 21 shown in Fig. 1 may further include the input unit 102. The acquisition unit 21 shown in Fig. 1 may further include the control unit 101 and the storage unit 103.

[0059] The determination unit 22 and the operation control unit 23 shown in Fig. 4 are realized by executing a program stored in the storage unit 103 shown in Fig. 6 by the control unit 101 shown in Fig. 6. The determination unit 22 and the operation control unit 23 shown in Fig. 4 are realized by the storage unit 103 shown in Fig. 6. The acquisition unit 21 and the transmission unit 24 shown in Fig. 4 are realized by the communication unit 105 shown in Fig. 6. The acquisition unit 21 shown in Fig. 4 may further include the input unit 102. The acquisition unit 21 shown in Fig. 4 may further include the control unit 101 and the storage unit 103.

[0060] The determination unit 22 and the command generation unit 25 shown in FIG. 5 are realized by the control unit 101 shown in FIG. 6 executing a program stored in the storage unit 103 shown in FIG. 6. The determination unit 22 and the command generation unit 25 shown in FIG. 5 are realized by the storage unit 103 shown in FIG. 6. The acquisition unit 21 and the transmission unit 24 shown in FIG. 5 are realized by the communication unit 105 shown in FIG. 6. The acquisition unit 21 shown in FIG. 5 may further include the input unit 102. The acquisition unit 21 shown in FIG. 5 may further include the control unit 101 and the storage unit 103. The receiving unit 33 and the operation control unit 23a of the robot 1b shown in FIG. 5 are also realized by, for example, a computer system, and the operation control unit 23a is realized by the control unit 101 shown in FIG. 6 executing a program stored in the storage unit 103 shown in FIG. 6. The operation control unit 23a is also realized by the storage unit 103 shown in FIG. 6.

[0061] Furthermore, the information processing device 6 shown in Fig. 4 and the information processing device 6a shown in Fig. 5 may each be realized by a plurality of computer systems. For example, the information processing device 6 shown in Fig. 4 and the information processing device 6a shown in Fig. 5 may be realized by a cloud system.

[0062] As described above, in this embodiment, the information processing device (information processing unit 2, information processing device 6, 6a) uses user information to determine the timing for providing a service, and generates a command for causing the movable part 3 of the robot (robot 1, 1a, 1b) to execute an operation for providing the service based on the determined timing. Therefore, the user does not need to give instructions to the robot in order to receive the service provided by the robot. Therefore, in this embodiment, the robot can provide the service to the user without the user having to do anything. This improves the comfort of the user's life.

[0063] Embodiment 2 FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a service provided by the service providing system 100 according to the second embodiment. In this embodiment, a specific example of the service provided by the robot 1 described in the first embodiment and the service providing conditions will be described. The configuration of the service providing system 100 of this embodiment and the configuration of each device constituting the service providing system 100 are the same as those of the first embodiment. Note that, here, the service providing system 100 having the configuration shown in FIG. 1 of the first embodiment will be described as an example, but the operation of this embodiment can be similarly applied to the configuration example shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5 of the first embodiment. Also, as described in the first embodiment, the division of the functions of each device is not limited to the examples shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Components having the same functions as those of the first embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment. Hereinafter, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

[0064] As shown in Fig. 7, in this embodiment, an example will be described in which the robot 1 provides a service based on the amount of comments made by a user online or in person. Note that Fig. 7 shows an example in which a user makes a comment in an online conference, but the situation in which a user makes a comment is not limited to this example and may be, for example, a face-to-face conference, or a situation other than a conference, such as an online or face-to-face seminar, lecture, educational event, or discussion.

[0065] In this embodiment, the robot 1 can provide a drink delivery service that delivers a drink 71 to the user. The robot 1 may also deliver food such as fruit 72 to the user. In this embodiment, the determination unit 22 determines the timing of providing the drink delivery service based on the amount of comments made by the user.

[0066] 7, a specific example of the detection device 4 described in the first embodiment is a Web camera 41 with a microphone used by a user for an online conference, and audio data indicating audio detected by the Web camera 41 with a microphone is acquired by the acquisition unit 21 in the information processing unit 2 of the robot 1. The audio data is an example of utterance information that is a detection result of a user's utterance, and may be transmitted from the Web camera 41 with a microphone to the robot 1 via a computer system used by the user for an online conference, or may be transmitted from the Web camera 41 with a microphone to the robot 1 via a computer system and network used by the user for an online conference (e.g., a Wide Area Network (WAN) such as the Internet, a Local Area Network (LAN), etc.).

[0067] In addition, in FIG. 7, a Web camera 41 with a microphone is illustrated as a specific example of the detection device 4, but the detection device 4 that acquires voice data is not limited to this, and may be a microphone built into a computer system used by a user for an online conference, a headset connected to a computer system, or a microphone connected to a computer system. A microphone may be mounted on the robot 1 and used as the detection device 4. The computer system used by a user for an online conference is not limited to a notebook computer system, but may be a desktop computer system, a smartphone, a tablet, or the like. In addition, in FIG. 7, an example in which a user speaks using a computer system is shown, but if the computer system is a telephone conference system or a telephone or other call system and voice data can be acquired from the call system, the call system may be used as the detection device 4. In addition, in the case of a face-to-face conference, a microphone installed around the user, a microphone built into a computer system operated by the user, a microphone externally attached to a computer system operated by the user, a microphone mounted on the robot 1, or the like may be used as the detection device 4.

[0068] 7, a thermometer 42 that acquires the temperature around the user is further used as the detection device 4, but the temperature may be acquired from an information providing device 5 that provides weather information. Also, while FIG. 7 shows an example in which voice data and temperature are acquired as user information, the present invention is not limited to this, and the user information may be only voice data, or voice data and data other than temperature may be used, or voice data, temperature, and data other than temperature may be used.

[0069] Fig. 8 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of the robot 1 of this embodiment. The information processing unit 2 of the robot 1 acquires voice data (step S11). In detail, the acquisition unit 21 acquires user voice data from at least one of the detection device 4 and the information providing device 5, and outputs the acquired voice data to the determination unit 22. Note that, although Fig. 8 shows an example in which voice data is acquired as user information, as described using Fig. 7, temperature may also be acquired as user information, or data other than temperature may also be acquired.

[0070] The information processing unit 2 of the robot 1 judges whether the amount of speech has exceeded a threshold value (step S12). In detail, the judgment unit 22 calculates the amount of speech using the voice data, and judges whether the calculated amount of speech has exceeded a threshold value. The amount of speech may be the total time of speech, or the number of characters spoken. When the number of characters spoken is used as the amount of speech, the judgment unit 22 converts the voice into characters by voice recognition processing, and counts the number of characters. The starting point for calculating the amount of speech may be the last time a drink was delivered to the user, i.e., the last time a service was provided to the user, or the start of a conference, or may be any other time.

[0071] In a conference or the like, the detection device 4 may detect the voice of a person other than the user. The determination unit 22 may perform speaker identification processing to recognize the user's voice and calculate the user's speech volume, or may calculate the total speech volume of all the people in the conference. The threshold value set in the latter case may be a value (lower value) smaller than the threshold value set in the former case. When speaker identification is performed, for example, the user's voice data is learned in advance, and the determination unit 22 performs speaker identification using the learned result. The learning of speaker identification may be performed by the determination unit 22, or a learning device other than the robot 1 may perform learning, and the determination unit 22 may use the result learned by the learning device. In addition, when the service is provided to multiple people, the determination unit 22 may perform speaker identification and calculate the total speech volume of multiple people, or may calculate the speech volume of each of the multiple users and determine whether or not the speech volume of one or more users exceeds the threshold. The process of step S12 is a specific example of the process of determining whether or not the service provision condition of step S2 described in the first embodiment is satisfied. In this embodiment, the index calculated using user information is the message volume, and the condition for providing the service is that the message volume exceeds a threshold value.

[0072] If the amount of comments does not exceed the threshold (step S12 No), the process from step S11 is repeated. If the amount of comments exceeds the threshold (step S12 Yes), the information processing unit 2 of the robot 1 generates a command to provide a drink carrying service (step S13). In detail, when the determination unit 22 determines that the amount of comments exceeds the threshold, it generates instruction information instructing the start of the provision of the drink carrying service, outputs the generated instruction information to the operation control unit 23, and the operation control unit 23 generates an instruction to provide the service based on the instruction information, and outputs the generated instruction to the movable unit 3. Also, as shown in FIG. 7, fruit 72 may be provided in addition to the drink, or food other than fruit 72 may be provided. The position of the user to whom the drink is to be delivered may be acquired as user information or may be set in advance. Even when the user's position is set in advance, the setting of the user's position may be changeable by the user or an operator.

[0073] Furthermore, when the determination unit 22 determines that the amount of comments has exceeded the threshold, the determination unit 22 may determine the content of the service in the drink delivery service based on the user information. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the temperature is also acquired as the user information, and when the temperature is more than T1 degrees and less than T2 degrees, a cold drink is provided, and when the temperature is T2 degrees or more, ice cream is provided, and the setting content according to the temperature is defined as the setting information. In step S11, the temperature may be acquired in addition to the voice data, and the determination unit 22 may determine the drink to be provided to the user in the service using the temperature in the user information and the setting information. Furthermore, when the robot 1 is capable of speaking multiple languages ​​and the language mode can be set, the determination unit 22 may also acquire attribute information as the user information, and the language mode when the robot 1 delivers the drink to the user and speaks to the user may be set according to the language used by the user. Furthermore, when the robot 1 delivers the drink, the robot 1 may deliver multiple drinks so that the user can select one, or a drink according to the user may be delivered. For example, a drink desired to be served at a meeting may be set as one item of the attribute information, and the drink desired to be served at the meeting may be set in advance by the user. This allows the determination unit 22 to include information specifying the serving of the drink set in the attribute information in the instruction information.

[0074] After step S13, the robot 1 provides a drink carrying service (step S14), and the process from step S11 is repeated. In detail, in step S14, the movable part 3 starts to move in response to the command received from the movement control part 23, thereby providing the drink carrying service.

[0075] In FIG. 8, an example has been described in which the service provision condition is that the message volume exceeds a threshold value, but the service provision condition is not limited to this example. For example, the service provision condition may be that the message volume exceeds a threshold value, and the threshold value may be changed according to the temperature. For example, when the temperature is equal to or higher than a specified value, the threshold value may be lower than when the temperature is below the specified value. In addition, the determination unit 22 may determine the content of the service according to the temperature, such as delivering a hot drink to the user when the temperature is below the specified value, and delivering only a cold drink to the user when the temperature is equal to or higher than the specified value. The user information used to determine the content of the service may be humidity, weather, region, etc., and is not limited to temperature.

[0076] As described above, in this embodiment, a condition using the amount of speech is set as a service provision condition. This eliminates the need for the user to instruct the robot 1 to provide a drink service from the robot 1. Therefore, in this embodiment, the user can receive the drink service without having to go through the trouble of doing so. For example, if the user becomes thirsty after speaking a lot during a meeting, the user can receive the drink service without having to instruct the robot 1. This improves the comfort of the user's life.

[0077] Embodiment 3 FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a service provided by the service providing system 100 according to the third embodiment. In this embodiment, a specific example of the service provided by the robot 1 described in the first embodiment and the service providing conditions will be described. The configuration of the service providing system 100 of this embodiment and the configuration of each device constituting the service providing system 100 are the same as those of the first embodiment. Note that, here, the service providing system 100 having the configuration shown in FIG. 1 of the first embodiment will be described as an example, but the operation of this embodiment can be similarly applied to the configuration example shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5 of the first embodiment. Also, as described in the first embodiment, the division of the functions of each device is not limited to the examples shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Components having the same functions as those of the first embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment. Hereinafter, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

[0078] 9, in this embodiment, a PC (Personal Computer) 43, which is a computer system used by a user, is used as the detection device 4. The PC 43 may be considered as an information providing device 5. The information processing unit 2 of the robot 1 acquires information indicating the operating state of the PC 43, such as shutdown and transition to sleep, from the PC 43 as user information, and determines the timing of service provision by the robot 1 based on the information acquired from the PC 43.

[0079] The information indicating the operating state of the PC 43 is an example of work status information indicating the state of the user's work. The work status information includes at least one of completion information indicating whether the user's work, which is the user's work, has been completed or interruption information indicating whether the user's work has been interrupted or not. The completion information is, for example, shutdown information indicating that the PC 43 has been shut down, and the interruption information is, for example, sleep information indicating that the PC 43 has transitioned to sleep (sleep state). The work status information is not limited to this, and attendance information managed by an attendance management system, etc. may be used as described in the first embodiment.

[0080] In the example shown in Fig. 9, the user is performing a task using the PC 43, and when the robot 1 receives sleep information from the PC 43, it determines that the user has stopped the task, and provides a service of providing a drink to the user (drink delivery service), as shown in the lower left of Fig. 9. When the sleep information is not transmitted, the robot 1 can determine that the PC 43 has not transitioned to a sleep state, and when the sleep information is transmitted, it can determine that the PC 43 has transitioned to a sleep state (hereinafter also referred to as sleep).

[0081] When the condition for transitioning to sleep is satisfied, the PC 43 transitions to sleep and transmits a signal indicating the transition to sleep to the robot 1. The PC 43 may transition to sleep when the user inputs an instruction to transition to sleep, or may transition to sleep when a predetermined condition is satisfied, such as no input for a certain period of time.

[0082] Furthermore, when the robot 1 receives shutdown information from the PC 43, it determines that the user has finished the work, and provides a service of cleaning up the user's desk, as shown in the lower right of Fig. 9. For example, when the PC 43 receives an input from the user indicating that the robot 1 is to be shut down, the PC 43 starts a process for shutting down the robot 1 and transmits shutdown information indicating that the robot 1 has been shut down to the robot 1. The signal indicating that the robot 1 has been shut down is an example of shutdown information.

[0083] The PC 43 may periodically transmit information indicating whether it is in a normal state or a sleep state, and this information may be used as the sleep information. Also, the acquisition unit 21 may periodically inquire of the PC 43 about the current state (whether it is in a normal state, a sleep state, or is undergoing a shutdown process), and the response to the inquiry from the PC 43 may be used as the sleep information and the shutdown information.

[0084] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the robot 1 according to the present embodiment. The information processing unit 2 of the robot 1 acquires work status information (step S21). In detail, the acquisition unit 21 acquires the work status information from at least one of the detection device 4 and the information providing device 5, and outputs the acquired work status information to the determination unit 22.

[0085] The information processing unit 2 of the robot 1 judges whether the work has been interrupted (step S22). In detail, the judgment unit 22 judges whether the work status information is information indicating that the user's work has been interrupted. The information indicating that the user's work has been interrupted is, for example, sleep information acquired from the PC 43 as described above.

[0086] When the work is interrupted (Yes in step S22), the information processing unit 2 of the robot 1 generates a command to provide a drink carrying service (step S23). In detail, when the determination unit 22 determines that the work is interrupted, it generates instruction information instructing the start of the provision of the drink carrying service as in the second embodiment, outputs the generated instruction information to the operation control unit 23, and the operation control unit 23 generates an instruction to provide the service based on the instruction information, and outputs the generated instruction to the movable unit 3. Also, food may be provided in addition to drinks as in the second embodiment.

[0087] After step S23, the robot 1 provides a drink delivery service (step S24), and the process from step S21 is repeated. In detail, in step S24, the movable part 3 starts to operate in response to the command received from the operation control part 23, and thus the drink delivery service is provided to the user. In the example shown in FIG. 9, the destination of the drink is a user in the vicinity of the PC 43, and the robot 1 delivers the drink to the position of the PC 43 as a target, and when the distance from the PC 43 is within a certain value, the robot 1 may detect the user based on the photographed data taken by the camera mounted on the robot 1, and deliver the drink to the detected user. Alternatively, at the start of delivery or during delivery, the robot 1 may detect the user based on the photographed data taken by the camera mounted on the PC 43 or a camera mounted in the vicinity of the PC 43, and deliver the drink to the detected user. In addition, when multiple people are detected from the photographed data, a user registered in advance may be identified from among the multiple people, and the drink may be delivered to the identified user, or drinks may be provided to all of the multiple people detected without identifying the user. When identifying a user who has been registered in advance from among a plurality of people, for example, the operation control unit 23 learns images of the users in advance by machine learning or the like.

[0088] If the work is not interrupted (No in step S22), the information processing unit 2 of the robot 1 judges whether the work is completed (step S25). In detail, the judgment unit 22 judges whether the work status information is information indicating that the user's work is completed. The information indicating that the user's work is completed is, for example, the shutdown information acquired from the PC 43 as described above.

[0089] If the work is not completed (step S25 No), the process from step S21 is repeated. If the work is completed (step S25 Yes), the information processing unit 2 of the robot 1 generates a command to provide a tidying service (step S26). In detail, when the determination unit 22 determines that the user's work is completed, it generates instruction information instructing the start of the provision of a tidying service to tidy up the user's desk, and outputs the generated instruction information to the operation control unit 23. The operation control unit 23 generates an instruction to provide the service based on the instruction information, and outputs the generated instruction to the movable unit 3.

[0090] After step S26, the robot 1 provides a tidying service (step S27), and ends the process of providing a service according to the user's work state. In detail, in step S27, the movable part 3 starts to operate according to the command received from the operation control part 23, thereby providing the tidying service to the user. Note that, in the example shown in FIG. 9, the object of tidying is the desk on which the PC 43 to be tidyed is placed, but the object of tidying is not limited to this. For example, the place where the user will tidy up when the work is finished may be set in advance.

[0091] In the example shown in Fig. 10, the process is terminated after step S27, but when providing services to multiple users, the process from step S21 may be performed after step S27 with another user's PC as the monitoring target. Also, in Fig. 10, an example is shown in which both a service to be provided when work is interrupted and a service to be provided when work is completed can be provided, but the robot 1 may provide either one of the services. For example, if No in step S22, the process from step S21 may be repeated, or after step S21, the process from step S25 may be performed without performing step S22.

[0092] The processes of steps S22 and S25 are specific examples of the process of determining whether or not the service provision condition of step S2 described in the first embodiment is satisfied. The services provided when the user's work is interrupted and when the work is completed are not limited to the examples shown in Fig. 9 and Fig. 10, and may be determined in advance. For example, the robot 1 may provide a service of transporting exercise goods when the work is interrupted, or may provide a service of transporting the user's belongings from a locker or the like when the user is working at a workplace when the work is completed, or a service other than the examples shown in Fig. 9 and Fig. 10 may be provided.

[0093] As described above, in this embodiment, the determination unit 22 determines whether the user work is completed based on the completion information, and when it is determined that the user work is completed, it decides to provide a first service that is a predetermined service to be performed when the user work is completed, and instructs the operation control unit 23 to generate a command to provide the first service. Also, the determination unit 22 determines whether the user work is interrupted based on the interruption information, and when it is determined that the user work is interrupted, it decides to provide a second service that is a predetermined service to be performed when the user work is interrupted, and instructs the operation control unit 23 to generate a command to provide the second service. For example, the first service includes a service to clean up the user's desk, and the second service includes a drink delivery service.

[0094] Furthermore, the robot 1 may perform both the operation described in the second embodiment and the operation described in the third embodiment. That is, the robot 1 may provide the service described in the second embodiment when the service provision conditions are satisfied based on the message volume, and may provide the service described in this embodiment when the service provision conditions are satisfied based on the work status information.

[0095] As described above, in this embodiment, the service provision conditions include at least one of the following conditions: that the work status information indicates that the user's work has been interrupted; and that the work status information indicates that the user's work has been completed. This allows the user to receive the service when the user interrupts or completes the work without having to give instructions to the robot. This improves the comfort of the user's life.

[0096] Embodiment 4 FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a service provided by the service providing system 100 according to the fourth embodiment. In this embodiment, a specific example of the service provided by the robot 1 described in the first embodiment and the service providing conditions will be described. The configuration of the service providing system 100 of this embodiment and the configuration of each device constituting the service providing system 100 are the same as those of the first embodiment. Note that, here, the service providing system 100 having the configuration shown in FIG. 1 of the first embodiment will be described as an example, but the operation of this embodiment can be similarly applied to the configuration example shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5 of the first embodiment. Also, as described in the first embodiment, the division of the functions of each device is not limited to the examples shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Components having the same functions as those of the first embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment. Hereinafter, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

[0097] In this embodiment, when the information processing unit 2 of the robot 1 determines that the user is busy based on the user information, it provides a housekeeping service as shown in Fig. 11. Fig. 11 illustrates an example of the housekeeping service in which the robot 1 performs laundry, but the specific content of the housekeeping service is not limited to this example and may be a service that performs cleaning, cooking, tidying up, or other tasks. The housekeeping service may also be a service that performs a combination of multiple housekeeping tasks, such as cleaning and laundry.

[0098] In this embodiment, busyness information indicating the degree of busyness of the user is calculated from user status information indicating the state of the user. The user status information in this embodiment is an example of user information, and the user status information is information indicating the busyness of the user. The user status information in this embodiment is, for example, information indicating the moving speed of the user. More specifically, the user status information may be, for example, information indicating the position of the user at a plurality of times. The information indicating the moving speed of the user is acquired by, for example, one or more of a wearable terminal 44 which is a detection device 4 and worn by the user, a portable terminal 45 which is a detection device 4 and carried by the user, and transmitted to the robot 1, as shown in FIG. In addition, when the robot 1 is present in the vicinity of the user, the information indicating the moving speed of the user may be photographed data acquired by a camera 46 mounted on the robot 1, or may be photographed data acquired by another camera not shown.

[0099] The determination unit 22 in the information processing unit 2 of the robot 1 calculates the degree of busyness of the user by using the user state information. When the degree of busyness exceeds a threshold value, the determination unit 22 decides to provide a housekeeping service and instructs the operation control unit 23 to generate a command to provide the housekeeping service. An example will be described in which the degree of busyness is expressed in two stages (binary values) of busyness or not, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be expressed in three stages or more. The determination unit 22 acquires the busyness information by calculating busyness information indicating the degree of busyness based on the moving speed and the corresponding information acquired as the user information. In addition, when information indicating the user's position at multiple times is acquired as the information indicating the user's moving speed, the determination unit 22 calculates the moving speed using the information indicating the user's position at multiple times, and calculates the busyness information indicating the degree of busyness based on the calculated moving speed and the corresponding information. As the moving speed, for example, an average speed in a set time can be used, but is not limited thereto.

[0100] Also, when the moving speed exceeds a speed assumed for moving on foot, it may be assumed that the person is moving by a vehicle such as a car or an airplane, and busyness determination using the moving speed may not be performed. For example, a speed faster than a speed assumed for moving on foot may be set as an upper limit, and when the moving speed exceeds the upper limit, busyness determination using the moving speed may not be performed. Alternatively, no upper limit may be set for the moving speed, and a corresponding busyness level may be set in the correspondence information for the range of moving speeds assumed for moving by a vehicle.

[0101] The user status information may be schedule information registered in the mobile terminal 45 or a computer system (not shown) other than the mobile terminal 45. The schedule information is information indicating the user's schedule. In this case, for example, the schedule information is transmitted to the robot 1 from the mobile terminal 45, which is the information providing device 5, or a computer system (not shown) other than the mobile terminal 45. The information processing unit 2 of the robot 1 may determine, for example, based on the schedule information, that the user is busy when the number of events registered within a set unit time exceeds a threshold value, or may determine that the user is busy when the free time between events is less than a threshold value. The information processing unit 2 of the robot 1 may determine, for example, based on the schedule information, that a time period during which a specific predetermined event is scheduled is a time period during which the user is busy, or may determine whether the user is busy or not by a determination method other than these. As in the case of the moving speed, the correspondence between the degree of busyness and conditions related to the schedule information (conditions related to the number of events, etc.) may be defined as correspondence information, and the determination unit 22 may calculate busyness information indicating the degree of busyness using the correspondence information and the schedule information. Furthermore, the determination unit 22 may calculate busyness information indicating the degree of busyness using both the schedule information and the moving speed. In this case, for example, the correspondence information is defined as the correspondence information between the conditions related to the schedule information and the range of the moving speed for each degree of busyness. Thus, in this embodiment, the user information includes information indicating the user's busyness, and the information indicating the user's busyness includes at least one of information indicating the user's moving speed and information indicating the user's schedule.

[0102] Furthermore, the determination unit 22 of the information processing unit 2 of the robot 1 may estimate the user's emotion and further use the estimated emotion to determine the degree of busyness of the user. For example, at least one of the user's vital data and the photographed data taken by the camera may be included as the user state information, and the determination unit 22 may estimate the user's emotion using at least one of the user's vital data and the photographed data taken by the camera. Any method may be used to estimate the emotion from at least one of the user's vital data and the photographed data taken by the camera, but for example, a method may be used in which the relationship between at least one of the user's vital data and the photographed data taken by the camera and the emotion is learned by machine learning, and the learning result is used. For example, the determination unit 22 may determine that the user is busy when the moving speed is equal to or greater than a threshold value and the user's emotion is estimated to be in an irritated state. The method of determining busyness using emotion is not limited to this example. Here, emotion is used to determine busyness, but emotion may also be used in the second and third embodiments. For example, in the second and third embodiments, when serving a beverage, if the user is feeling angry or anxious, a beverage that alleviates the anxiety or tension may be served.

[0103] 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the robot 1 according to the present embodiment. The information processing unit 2 of the robot 1 acquires user state information (step S31). In detail, the acquisition unit 21 acquires the user state information from at least one of the detection device 4 and the information providing device 5, and outputs the acquired user state information to the determination unit 22.

[0104] The information processing unit 2 of the robot 1 acquires busyness information (step S32). In detail, the judgment unit 22 acquires the busyness information by calculating the busyness information using the user state information. Next, the judgment unit 22 judges whether or not the user is busy (step S33). In detail, the judgment unit 22 judges whether or not the user is busy using the busyness information. In this embodiment, the index calculated using the user state information is the degree of busyness of the user, and the service provision condition is a condition that the user is busy (a condition that the degree of busyness of the user exceeds a threshold value).

[0105] If the user is not busy (step S33 No), the process from step S31 is repeated. If the user is busy (step S33 Yes), the information processing unit 2 of the robot 1 generates a command to provide the housekeeping service (step S34). In detail, when the determination unit 22 determines that the user is busy, it generates instruction information to instruct the start of the provision of the housekeeping service and outputs the generated instruction information to the operation control unit 23. The operation control unit 23 generates an instruction to provide the housekeeping service based on the instruction information and outputs the generated instruction to the movable unit 3.

[0106] In addition, when the busyness information indicates the degree of busyness in three or more stages, the determination unit 22 may determine Yes in step S33 when the degree of busyness exceeds a threshold value, and may determine No in step S33 when the degree of busyness is equal to or less than the threshold value. Here, it is assumed that the degree of busyness indicates that the busier the value is, the busier the user is. In addition, the determination unit 22 may determine the content of the housekeeping service according to the degree of busyness. For example, when the degree of busyness is indicated by three numerical values ​​from 1 to 3, the determination unit 22 may determine that a housekeeping service that performs laundry is provided when the degree of busyness is 2, and may determine the content of the housekeeping service that performs laundry and cleaning when the degree of busyness is 3, depending on the degree of busyness.

[0107] After step S34, the robot 1 provides a housekeeping service (step S35), and the process from step S31 is repeated. In detail, in step S35, the movable part 3 starts to move in response to the command received from the movement control part 23, thereby providing the housekeeping service.

[0108] In the above example, the housekeeping service is provided when the user is busy, but if the housekeeping service includes at least one of tidying up and cleaning a specified target area, the determination unit 22 may use information indicating the state of the target area to determine the timing of performing the service. The target area is an area for which the service is provided, and is an example of an area managed by the user. Information indicating the state of the target area is also an example of user information.

[0109] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a cleaning service for a target area according to this embodiment. Fig. 13 shows a reference image showing a reference state of the target area at the top, and an image of the target area captured at the bottom. For example, image data showing an image of the target area captured by the camera 46 mounted on the robot 1 or another camera (not shown) capable of capturing an image of the target area is acquired as user information.

[0110] The determination unit 22 of the information processing unit 2 of the robot 1 stores an image of a reference state in the target area as a reference image in advance. The reference image may be acquired by the determination unit 22 of the robot 1 through the acquisition unit 21 when the user instructs the robot 1 to acquire the reference image when the target area is in a tidy state. That is, the reference image may be learned by providing correct answer data that the target area is in a tidy state and acquiring corresponding shooting data. Alternatively, for example, the determination unit 22 acquires shooting data in which the target area is shot over a certain period of time, such as one week or one month. Then, the determination unit 22 may classify the shooting data into groups with similar images, and may use the shooting data of the group that is estimated to have the most floor area in the target area among the classified groups as the reference image. The method of determining the reference image is not limited to the above example. In addition, the determination of the reference image is not limited to the example performed by the determination unit 22, but may be performed by a learning device separate from the robot 1, and the reference image determined by the learning device may be held by the determination unit 22 of the robot 1.

[0111] The determination unit 22 determines whether the target area has changed from a defined reference state based on the photographed data, and when it is determined that the target area has changed from the reference state, it decides to provide at least one of the services of cleaning and tidying up, and instructs the operation control unit 23 to generate a command for providing the determined service. For example, when the determination unit 22 determines that the state of the objects in the target area has changed from the reference state using the photographed data showing the current state of the target area, it determines that a tidying up service is to be performed. For example, when the determination unit 22 determines that an object has been present in a portion that is a floor but has no object in the reference image for a certain period of time or more, it determines that the state of the objects in the target area has changed from the reference state. In the example shown in FIG. 13, in the image shown at the bottom (image shown by the photographed data), objects are scattered more than in the reference state (state corresponding to the reference image). When this state continues for a certain period of time or more, the robot 1 performs a tidying up service. In addition, the judgment unit 22 may determine that a tidying up service is to be performed if it is determined that the user is busy and the state of the objects in the target area has changed from a reference state, or may determine that a tidying up service is to be performed if it is determined that the state of the objects in the target area has changed from a reference state regardless of whether the user is busy or not.

[0112] In addition, a reference position may be set in advance as a reference state for each object to be tidied up. The determination unit 22 may determine to execute the tidying up service when it determines, based on the photographed data, that the object has been away from the reference position for a certain period of time or more by a certain distance or more.

[0113] The determination unit 22 may also use the image showing the dirty state and the photographed data of the target area to determine whether or not there is dirt in the target area, and when it is determined that there is dirt, it may decide to provide a service to clean the area determined to be dirty. For example, by learning images of a dirty state, when it is determined that dirt has occurred in the target area based on the photographed data, the determination unit 22 determines that a cleaning service to remove the dirt will be executed, and instructs the operation control unit 23 to execute the cleaning service. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a state in which liquid has been spilled on the floor in the target area of ​​this embodiment. By learning images of the liquid having been spilled as images of a dirty state in advance, the determination unit 22 may determine that a cleaning service to clean the dirt will be executed when the liquid has been spilled on the floor, and instructs the operation control unit 23 to execute a cleaning service to clean the dirt. Furthermore, by learning separately a state in which liquid dirt has occurred and a state in which dirt has occurred due to solid matter such as soil or powder, the determination unit 22 may determine the content of the cleaning, such as wiping or cleaning by sucking up dirt, according to the state of the target area. The method of determining whether or not there is dirt may be, for example, a method of determining whether or not there is dirt in the target area using the detection result of a sensor that measures the dirt itself, such as a dust sensor, or a method of determining whether or not there is dirt in the target area using an image representing the dirt itself (an image of dust or dirt) and photographed data of the target area. That is, the determination unit 22 only needs to determine whether or not there is dirt in the target area using, for example, the detection result of the state of the target area, and the method of determining whether or not there is dirt is not limited to the above-mentioned example.

[0114] Furthermore, the determination unit 22 may determine whether or not the specific area set by the user among the target areas has changed from a defined reference state based on the photographed data obtained by photographing the specific area, and when it is determined that the specific area has changed from the reference state, it may decide to provide at least one of the services of cleaning and tidying up the specific area. For example, the user may set a specific area that the user wants to keep tidy up all the time. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a specific area in this embodiment. For example, assume that the target area that the robot 1 cleans is the two rooms shown in FIG. 15. Then, for example, if an infant is often in the room on the left side in FIG. 15, the user specifies the specific area 401 so that there is no object in the specific area 401 at all times in order to prevent the infant from picking up an object that has fallen and putting it in his / her mouth. Thereby, when the determination unit 22 determines that there is an object in the specific area 401 based on the photographed data obtained by photographing the specific area 401, it may determine that a tidying up service for tidying up the object is to be executed, and instruct the operation control unit 23 to execute the tidying up service for tidying up the object.

[0115] The robot 1 may perform at least one of the operations of the second embodiment and the third embodiment, and the operation described in the fourth embodiment. For example, the robot 1 may provide the service described in the second embodiment when the service provision condition is satisfied based on the message volume, provide the service described in the present embodiment when the service provision condition is satisfied based on the work status information, and provide the service described in the present embodiment when the service provision condition that the user is busy is satisfied. For example, the robot 1 may provide the service described in the second embodiment when the service provision condition is satisfied based on the message volume, and provide the service when the service provision condition based on the state of the target area or the specific area is satisfied (for example, when the state has changed from the reference state, when it is determined that there is dirt, etc.). The robot 1 may provide the service when the service provision condition based on the work status information is satisfied, and also provide the service when the service provision condition based on the state of the target area or the specific area is satisfied (for example, when the state has changed from the reference state, when it is determined that there is dirt, etc.).

[0116] As described above, in this embodiment, the condition for providing the service is that the user is busy, and the robot 1 provides the housekeeping service when the user is busy. This allows the user to receive the housekeeping service when he or she is busy without giving instructions to the robot. This improves the comfort of the user's life.

[0117] In addition, when the state of the target area has changed from the reference state, the robot 1 may provide a housekeeping service, and in this case, the user can receive the housekeeping service without giving instructions to the robot 1. This improves the comfort of the user's life.

[0118] Embodiment 5. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the robot 1 according to the fifth embodiment. In this embodiment, a specific example of the service provided by the robot 1 and the service provision conditions described in the first embodiment will be described. The configuration of the service providing system 100 of this embodiment and the configuration of each device constituting the service providing system 100 are the same as those of the first embodiment. Note that, here, the service providing system 100 having the configuration shown in FIG. 1 of the first embodiment will be described as an example, but the operation of this embodiment can be similarly applied to the configuration example shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5 of the first embodiment. Also, as described in the first embodiment, the division of the functions of each device is not limited to the examples shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Components having the same functions as those of the first embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment. Hereinafter, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

[0119] In this embodiment, the information processing unit 2 of the robot 1 determines whether the user is asleep based on at least one of the vital data of the user and the photographed data of the user, and if the user is asleep, the robot 1 provides a work service under conditions suitable for the user being asleep. The conditions suitable for the user being asleep may be to set a quiet mode that is less noisy than the normal mode, or to provide a service in a second area far from the first area in which the user is present. The work service is, for example, a housekeeping service, but is not limited to this as long as it is a service that uses the movable part 3 of the robot 1. At least one of the vital data of the user and the photographed data of the user is an example of user information.

[0120] The process shown in Fig. 16 is performed before the start of a work service, for example, when the robot 1 determines that the service provision conditions for starting a work service are satisfied based on the user information. For example, the process shown in Fig. 16 is started when the target area changes as described in the fourth embodiment. Alternatively, the process shown in Fig. 16 may be performed when the robot 1 performs a predetermined work at a fixed time every day or when it performs a work reserved by a user.

[0121] As shown in FIG. 16, the information processing unit 2 of the robot 1 acquires user state information (step S41). In detail, in step S41, the acquisition unit 21 acquires the user state information as user information from the detection device 4, and outputs the acquired user state information to the determination unit 22. The user state information in this embodiment includes, for example, at least one of vital data of the user and photographed data of the user. The vital data is acquired by the detection device 4, which is, for example, a wearable terminal 44 incorporating a sensor capable of detecting vital signs, or a non-contact sensor capable of detecting vital signs, as described in the first embodiment.

[0122] The information processing unit 2 of the robot 1 acquires the sleep information (step S42). In detail, the determination unit 22 acquires the sleep information indicating the user's sleep state by estimating the user's sleep state (whether the user is asleep or not asleep) using the user state information. Next, the determination unit 22 determines whether the user is asleep or not (step S43). In detail, the determination unit 22 determines whether the user is asleep or not using the sleep information. In this embodiment, the index calculated using the user information is the user's sleep state, and the service provision condition is that the user is asleep.

[0123] If the user is asleep (Yes in step S43), the information processing unit 2 of the robot 1 generates a command for providing a work service under conditions corresponding to when the user is asleep (step S44). In detail, when the determination unit 22 determines that the user is asleep, it generates instruction information for instructing to start providing a work service under conditions corresponding to when the user is asleep, outputs the generated instruction information to the operation control unit 23, and the operation control unit 23 generates an instruction for providing a work service under conditions corresponding to when the user is asleep based on the instruction information, and outputs the generated instruction to the movable unit 3. The condition corresponding to when the user is asleep is a condition for performing work so as not to wake up the sleeping user. For example, if the work service is a service for cleaning using a vacuum cleaner, the condition corresponding to when the user is asleep may be a condition for cleaning a room (second area) far from the room (first area) where the sleeping user is present, or a condition for cleaning in a quiet mode quieter than normal operation, or a combination of these.

[0124] After step S44, the robot 1 provides an operation service under conditions corresponding to when the robot 1 is asleep (step S45), and the process from step S41 is repeated. In detail, in step S45, the movable part 3 starts to move in response to the command received from the movement control part 23, thereby providing an operation service under conditions corresponding to when the robot 1 is asleep.

[0125] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of the provision of services by the robot 1 of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 17, it is assumed that a user wearing a wearable terminal 44 capable of acquiring vital data is sleeping in a room in the upper left of the page. In this case, the robot 1 cleans the room in the lower right of the page, which is the furthest from the upper left room. The robot 1 may also clean not only the room in the lower right, which is the furthest from the upper left room, but also the room that is the second furthest from the upper left room. For example, it may be predefined that cleaning of a number of rooms is permitted in order of furthest, or a condition may be defined by distance, such as cleaning a room that is a certain value or more away from a room where a sleeping user is present. For example, as shown in FIG. 17, the determination unit 22 of the robot 1 holds information showing a floor plan of the area to be cleaned, and determines the room to be cleaned based on the user's position and the floor plan.

[0126] Returning to the description of FIG. 16, if the user is not asleep (step S43 No), the information processing unit 2 of the robot 1 generates a command to provide a normal work service (step S46). In detail, if the determination unit 22 determines that the user is not asleep, it generates instruction information instructing the robot 1 to provide a normal work service and outputs the generated instruction information to the operation control unit 23, and the operation control unit 23 generates an instruction to provide the normal work service based on the instruction information and outputs the generated instruction to the movable unit 3. For example, if the work service is a service of cleaning using a vacuum cleaner, the normal work service may be a condition of cleaning the room including the sleeping user, or a condition of cleaning in a normal operation mode, or a combination of these.

[0127] After step S46, the robot 1 provides a normal work service (step S47), and the process from step S41 is repeated. In detail, in step S47, the movable part 3 starts to operate in response to the command received from the operation control part 23, thereby providing a normal work service.

[0128] In this embodiment, when the robot 1 executes a task satisfying the service provision conditions, it is determined whether the user is asleep, and if it is determined that the user is asleep, the task service is provided under conditions corresponding to the sleep state. This allows the user to receive the task service under conditions corresponding to the sleep state without having to give instructions to the robot while asleep. This allows the user to receive the task service without disturbing the user's sleep.

[0129] 16 when the robot 1 performs a predetermined task at a fixed time every day or a task reserved by a user, the robot 1 determines the timing to execute a task service performed under conditions corresponding to sleep based on an index calculated based on user information. In this case, the condition that the user is asleep is used as the service provision condition, and when it is determined that the user is asleep, a task service is provided under conditions corresponding to sleep. In this case, the robot 1 may perform at least one of the operations of the second embodiment, the third embodiment, and the fourth embodiment, and the operation described in the fifth embodiment.

[0130] The configurations shown in the above embodiments are merely examples, and may be combined with other known technologies, or the embodiments may be combined with each other. Also, parts of the configurations may be omitted or modified without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0131] 1, 1a, 1b robot, 2 information processing unit, 3 movable unit, 4 detection device, 5 information providing device, 6, 6a information processing device, 21 acquisition unit, 22 judgment unit, 23, 23a operation control unit, 24 transmission unit, 25 command generation unit, 31 moving mechanism, 32 working mechanism, 33 receiving unit, 41 web camera with microphone, 42 thermometer, 44 wearable terminal, 45 mobile terminal, 46 camera, 100, 100a, 100b service providing system.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus for controlling a robot that has a movable part and provides a service to a user by operating the movable part, comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires user information including at least one of the state of the user and the environment around the user; a determination unit that determines the timing for providing the service using the user information; a command generation unit that generates a command for the robot to provide the service at the determined timing based on the determined timing; and comprising: the movable part comprises a moving mechanism that is a driving mechanism for moving the position of the robot, and a working mechanism that is a driving mechanism for executing work for providing the service, characterized in that the information processing apparatus comprises the above.

2. The user information includes speech information that is a detection result of the user's speech, wherein the determination unit calculates a speech volume using the speech information and determines the timing for providing the service based on the calculated speech volume, according to the information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The service includes a drink delivery service for delivering a drink to the user, according to the information processing apparatus according to claim 2.

4. The speech volume is the total time the user has spoken or the number of characters the user has spoken, according to the information processing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The determination unit determines the drink to be delivered to the user based on the temperature, according to the information processing apparatus according to claim 3.

6. When the temperature is less than a determined value, the determination unit determines to deliver to the user's side including warm drinks, and when the temperature is greater than or equal to the determined value, determines to deliver only cold drinks to the user's side, according to the information processing apparatus according to claim 5.

7. The user information includes end information indicating whether or not the user work, which is the work of the user, has ended, wherein the determination unit determines whether or not the user work has ended based on the end information, and when it is determined that the user work has ended, determines to provide a first service that is the predetermined service to be performed when the user work has ended, and instructs the command generation unit to generate the command for providing the first service, according to the information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the first service includes a service for tidying up on the user's desk.

9. The user work is work using a computer on the desk, and the user information includes information indicating shutdown of the computer. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that.

10. The user information includes interruption information indicating whether or not a user work, which is the work of the user, has been interrupted, The determination unit determines whether or not the user work has been interrupted based on the interruption information, and when it is determined that the user work has been interrupted, it is determined to provide a second service, which is the predetermined service to be performed when the user work is interrupted. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the instruction generation unit is instructed to generate the instruction for providing the second service.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the second service includes a drink delivery service for delivering a drink to the user.

12. The user information includes information indicating the busyness of the user, The determination unit determines the degree of busyness of the user based on the information indicating the busyness, and determines the timing for providing the service based on the degree of busyness. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that.

13. The determination unit determines to provide a housework proxy service as the service when the degree of busyness exceeds a threshold value, and instructs the instruction generation unit to generate the instruction for providing the housework proxy service. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that.

14. The information indicating the busyness of the user includes at least one of information indicating the moving speed of the user and information indicating the schedule of the user. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that.

15. The determination unit determines whether or not the user is sleeping based on the user information, and when the user is sleeping, it is determined to provide the service in a second area far from a first area where the user is present. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the instruction generation unit is instructed to generate the instruction for providing the service in the second area.

16. The user information includes captured data obtained by capturing a target area that is the target of the provision of the service. The determination unit determines, based on the captured data, whether the target area has changed from a defined reference state. When it is determined that the target area has changed from the reference state, the determination unit decides to provide at least one of the services of cleaning and tidying up as the service, and instructs the command generation unit to generate the command for providing the decided service. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that.

17. The user information includes captured data obtained by capturing a specific area set for the user among the target areas that are the target of the provision of the service. The determination unit determines, based on the captured data, whether the specific area has changed from a defined reference state. When it is determined that the specific area has changed from the reference state, the determination unit decides to provide at least one of the services of cleaning and tidying up the specific area as the service, and instructs the command generation unit to generate the command for providing the decided service. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that.

18. The determination unit uses the detection result of the state of the target area to determine whether there is dirt in the target area. When it is determined that there is dirt, the determination unit decides to provide a service of cleaning the location determined to be dirty as the service, and instructs the command generation unit to generate the command for providing the decided service. The information processing apparatus according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that.

19. The user information includes information indicating the area where the user receives the service. The determination unit sets a permitted time zone, which is a time zone for permitting the provision of the service, based on the information indicating the area where the user is present. When the determined timing is within the permitted time zone, the determination unit instructs the command generation unit to generate the command for providing the service. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that.

20. The user information includes at least one of the temperature and humidity around the user. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that.

21. The service includes a drink delivery service for delivering drinks to the user. The information processing apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the determination unit determines that the timing for providing the drink is when the temperature exceeds a threshold value. **Claim 22**: An information processing apparatus for controlling a robot that includes a movable part and provides a service to a user by operating the movable part, an acquisition unit that acquires user information including information indicating the environment around the user; a determination unit that determines the timing for providing the service using the user information; and a command generation unit that generates a command for the robot to provide the service at the determined timing. The information processing apparatus is characterized by including the above components. **Claim 23**: A robot that includes a movable part and provides a service to a user by operating the movable part, an acquisition unit that acquires user information including at least one of the state of the user and the environment around the user; a determination unit that determines the timing for providing the service using the user information; and an operation control unit that generates a command for the robot to provide the service at the determined timing based on the determined timing and outputs the generated command to the movable part. The robot includes the above components. The movable part includes a movement mechanism that is a drive mechanism for moving the position of the robot; and a work mechanism that is a drive mechanism for executing work for providing the service. The robot is characterized by including the above components. **Claim 24**: A robot that includes a movable part and provides a service to a user by operating the movable part, and a detection device that detects user information including at least one of the state of the user and the environment around the user. The robot includes an acquisition unit that acquires the user information from the detection device; a determination unit that determines the timing for providing the service using the user information; and an operation control unit that generates a command for the robot to provide the service at the determined timing based on the determined timing and outputs the generated command to the movable part. The robot includes the above components. The movable part includes a movement mechanism that is a drive mechanism for moving the position of the robot; and a work mechanism that is a drive mechanism for executing work for providing the service. The service providing system is characterized by including the above components. **Claim 25**: An information processing method in an information processing apparatus that controls a robot having a movable part and provides a service to a user by operating the movable part, comprising: acquiring user information including at least one of the state of the user and the environment around the user; determining a timing for providing the service using the user information; generating a command for the robot to provide the service at the determined timing based on the determined timing; wherein the movable part comprises: a moving mechanism that is a driving mechanism for moving the position of the robot; a working mechanism that is a driving mechanism for performing work for providing the service; and is characterized by comprising the above.

26. In a computer system that controls a robot having a movable part and provides a service to a user by operating the movable part, causing the computer system to execute: acquiring user information including at least one of the state of the user and the environment around the user; determining a timing for providing the service using the user information; generating a command for the robot to provide the service at the determined timing based on the determined timing; wherein the movable part comprises: a moving mechanism that is a driving mechanism for moving the position of the robot; a working mechanism that is a driving mechanism for performing work for providing the service; and is characterized by comprising the above. ​ ​

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