CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

This application is a U.S. National Stage Application under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of PCT Application No. PCT/KR2018/003753, filed Mar. 30, 2018, which claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2017-0042084, filed Mar. 31, 2017, whose entire disclosures are hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a communication robot that provides information to a user.

BACKGROUND ART

Internet of Things (IoT) is intelligent technology and service for interconnecting things over the Internet to perform information communication between people and things and between things.

“Sensing technology” for sensing the surrounding conditions (things or environments) to acquire information, “network technology” for connecting things to the Internet, and “service interface technology” for processing and providing information have been proposed as technologies for realizing the Internet of Things.

Information communication between things means that devices interconnected over the Internet transmit and receive information to and from each other and process the information without human intervention.

Meanwhile, means enabling things to provide information to people are necessary for information communication between people and things. To this end, visual or audible means, through which people are capable of sensing information, have been utilized. In addition, a communication robot capable of performing information communication with people has been developed.

DISCLOSURE

Technical Problem

It is well known that eye contact or gestures are important in communication between people. In communication between people and things, however, a communication robot provides visual information or audible information to a user without an action or a gesture enabling the user to actively face in an information output direction, whereby concentration is lowered or attention is not efficiently attracted. It is a first object of the present invention to solve the above problem.

In the case in which complicated motions having levels corresponding to people are realized in the communication robot in order to accomplish the first object, manufacturing cost and product price are excessively increased, whereby the possibility of putting the communication robot to practical use is lowered.

It is a second object of the present invention to realize an overall operation mechanism of the communication robot having a great ratio of effect to cost, thereby solving the above problem.

It is a third object of the present invention to diversify the operation pattern and operation direction of the communication robot using a minimum number of driving units.

It is a fourth object of the present invention to associate an image output direction of a display with the operation of the communication robot such that visual information is effectively provided to a user.

It is a fifth object of the present invention to realize a clean external appearance of the communication robot even during operation and to improve durability of a product.

It is a sixth object of the present invention to provide a structure in which the operation range of the robot is efficiently changeable.

It is a seventh object of the present invention to provide a structure in which the operation range of the robot is changeable while the image output direction of the display is maintained.

It is an eighth object of the present invention to conveniently remotely control peripheral devices of the communication robot.

The objects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned object.

Technical Solution

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the above objects can be accomplished by the provision of a communication robot including a support body disposed at the lower side, a main body supported by the support body so as to be rotatable about a first spin rotation axis in the leftward-rightward direction, and a display body supported by the main body so as to be rotatable about a second spin rotation axis in the leftward-rightward direction. The main body is configured such that the upper part of the main body performs an inclining operation relative to the lower part of the main body. The display body is configured to output an image.

The display body may be coupled to the upper part, and the support body may be coupled to the lower part.

The second spin rotation axis may be configured to be inclined according to the inclining operation.

The main body may be configured such that the inclination direction of the upper part relative to the lower part is limited. The main body may be configured such that the inclination direction of the upper part relative to the support body is changed when the main body is rotated about the first spin rotation axis.

The communication robot may be configured to have a first state, in which the first spin rotation axis and the second spin rotation axis are disposed in parallel, and a second state, in which the second spin rotation axis is inclined relative to the first spin rotation axis according to the inclining operation.

The first spin rotation axis may extend in the upward-downward direction.

In the first state, the first spin rotation axis and the second spin rotation axis may be disposed on a single straight line.

The communication robot may include a controller configured to perform control such that the main body and the display body are rotated in opposite directions at identical angular velocities in the first state.

The main body may be configured such that the inclination direction of the upper part relative to the lower part is limited.

The communication robot may include a direction sensor configured to sense the direction of a user relative to the communication robot and a controller configured to perform control such that at least one of the main body or the display body is rotated in order to change the image output direction of the display body to the direction of the user sensed by the direction sensor.

The controller may perform control such that the main body performs the inclining operation in order to change the image output direction of the display body to the direction of the user sensed by the direction sensor.

The main body may include a spin assembly coupled to the support body so as to be rotatable about the first spin rotation axis, a bending assembly having a lower end coupled to the spin assembly, the bending assembly being configured such that the upper end of the bending assembly is inclined relative to the lower end, and a support frame coupled to the upper end. The support frame may support the display body such that the display body is rotatable about the second spin rotation axis.

The support body may include a main body support unit configured to support the main body. The main body may include a spin frame coupled to the support body so as to be rotatable about the first spin rotation axis. One of the main body support unit and the spin frame may form a plane perpendicular to the first spin rotation axis, and the other of the main body support unit and the spin frame may include a roller disposed so as to roll along the plane.

The main body may include a main case, which defines an external appearance thereof. The main case may be configured to rotate about the first spin rotation axis together with the main body and to be bent according to the inclining operation.

The communication robot may include a remote control module disposed at the display body, the remote control module being configured to transmit an optical signal for controlling a predetermined peripheral device.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication robot including a support body disposed at the lower side, a spin assembly supported by the support body so as to be rotatable about a first spin rotation axis in the leftward-rightward direction, a bending assembly having a lower end coupled to the spin assembly, the bending assembly being configured such that the upper end of the bending assembly is inclined relative to the lower end, a support frame coupled to the upper end of the bending assembly, and a display body supported by the support frame so as to be rotatable about a second spin rotation axis in the leftward-rightward direction, the display body being configured to output an image.

Advantageous Effects

An efficient structure in which the communication robot performs motion simultaneously with output of visual information is provided, whereby it is possible to provide a feeling as if the communication robot were alive. That is, it is possible to add an emotional factor during communication between a user and the communication robot.

A structure in which various motions can be performed is provided, whereby it is possible for the user to efficiently recognize information output as an image. Furthermore, it is possible to strongly attract user's attention and to strongly enable the user to memorize information while the communication robot provides the information.

A structure in which rotation of the main body relative to the support body, inclining operation of the main body, and rotation of the display body relative to the main body are realized in an independent manner as well as in an integrated manner, whereby it is possible to diversify the operation of the communication robot using a minimum number of driving units. In addition, the image output direction and the image output position are diversified, whereby it is possible to perform dynamic motion through a minimum number of operations.

The display body and the support body are coupled to the upper part and the lower part of the main body, respectively, whereby it is possible to also rotate the display body according to rotation of the main body relative to the support body and to also incline the display body according to the inclining operation of the main body.

The second spin rotation axis is configured to be inclined according to the inclining operation, whereby it is possible to change the second spin rotation axis at various angles, and rotation of the display body relative to the main body can be performed about various rotation axes.

It is possible to realize a communication robot capable of being inclined in all directions even using a relatively simple structure in which the inclination direction of the upper part relative to the lower part is limited.

The communication robot has a first state, in which the first spin rotation axis and the second spin rotation axis are parallel to each other, whereby it is possible to rotate the main body relative to the support body and the display body while keeping the image output direction uniform.

The first spin rotation axis extends in the upward-downward direction, whereby it is possible to change the image output direction in all directions, i.e. forwards, rearwards, leftwards, and rightwards, only through rotation of the main body relative to the support body in the first state.

In the first state, the first spin rotation axis and the second spin rotation axis are disposed on a substantially single straight line, whereby it is possible to rotate the main body relative to the support body and the display body while keeping the position of the display uniform. Furthermore, the communication robot includes a controller configured to perform control such that the main body and the display body are rotated in opposite directions at the same angular velocity in the first state, whereby it is possible to drive the communication robot such that only the inclination direction of the main body relative to the support body is changed while keeping the image output direction uniform.

The image output direction is changed to a specific direction that faces the user, whereby it is possible to improve user's concentration on the communication robot. It is possible to change the image output direction so as to face the position of the user in a horizontal plane through rotation about the first spin rotation axis and/or rotation about the second spin rotation axis. In addition, it is possible to change the image output direction to the upward-downward direction so as to face the position of the user in a vertical plane through the inclining operation of the main body.

It is possible to change the optical signal emission direction of the remote control module in response to the direction of a peripheral device according to the operation of the communication robot through the remote control module disposed at the display body.

