Intelligent pet robot

Abstract

The subject invention relates to an intelligent pet robot equipped with an electric motor which enables the pet robot to move. The pet robot, equipped further with infrared ray generators and sensors, not only can evade obstacles when it moves, but also can follow a racing track laid by a user. The pet robot, further comprising a sound sensing part, can receive sounds from a user. Since the user's sound includes clapping of the hands, the user can give instructions to the pet robot by clapping his hands as well. The pet robot comprises further a mode setting part which allows setting of a specific operation mode among various operation modes of the pet robot. In addition to the Basic mode, the operation modes may include Racing mode, Escape mode, Sing-and-run mode, Sumo-wrestling mode, and so on. Since the pet robot is endowed with a gender, either a male or a female, it is also capable of dating with other pet robot under certain conditions. Restrictions in respect to the power reserve, age, etc of the pet robots may serve as prerequisites for a particular operation mode. The pet robot may further be equipped with an interface for data communication which enables the pet robot to connect to a server on the Internet, to download data, game programs, music, etc., and to recognize the gender of a partner before it proceeds to a dating with the partner

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A pet robot comprising 
 a motor driving part for forward/backward and left/right turn movements,    infrared ray generators and sensors for sensing objects,    a sound sensing part for sensing sound,    a mode setting part for setting the operation mode;    a memory for storing programs and data,    and a control part for controlling said motor driving part, said infrared ray generators and sensors, said sound sensing part, and said mode setting part in accordance with said set operation mode    
     
     
         2 . The pet robot as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said motor driving part comprises a motor capable of rotating and reverse rotating, wheels coupled with the axes of said motor, and a means for changing the direction of the wheels.  
     
     
         3  The pet robot as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said mode setting part is consisted of a button and said control part sets the operation mode of the pet robot in accordance with the number of the pressure on the button.  
     
     
         4  The pet robot as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said sound sensing part comprises 
 a microphone capable of converting sounds into electric signals,  
 an amplifier capable of amplifying the electric signals from the microphone,  
 a high-pass filter capable of filtering only high frequency signals from the amplifier;  
 and a means for converting signals from the high-pass filter into signals compatible to the control part  
 
     
     
         5  The pet robot as set forth in  claim 1 , which further comprises a sound generating part capable of generating sounds under control of said control part.  
     
     
         6 . The pet robot as set forth in  claim 1 , which further comprises a vibration motor capable of vibrating under the control of said control part.  
     
     
         7 . The pet robot as set forth in  claim 6 , wherein said control part reduces the power value of the pet robot stored in the memory if the pet robot is not fed by the user for a predetermined period of time, and said control part controls said vibration motor to operate if the said power value falls below a predetermined level  
     
     
         8 . The pet robot as set forth in  claim 1 , which further comprises a data communication interface capable of communicating data.  
     
     
         9 . The pet robot as set forth in  claim 8 , wherein said data communication interface is an infrared communication interface.  
     
     
         10 . The pet robot as set forth in  claim 8 , wherein said memory stores the gender information of the pet robot, and, if the mode is set for the Dating mode, said control part controls the pet robot to exchange the stored gender data with the partner, and then to proceed to the dating behavior only when the partner is of the opposite sex  
     
     
         11  The pet robot as set forth in  claim 10 , wherein the female pet robot moves to directions at random while the male pet robot follows the object it perceives  
     
     
         12  The pet robot as set forth in  claim 10 , wherein said control part increases the stored power value when the pet robot is fed and further increases the age of the pet robot for one step when the power value reaches a predetermined level, and, if the mode is set for the Dating mode, allows the pet robot to proceed to the dating behavior only when the age of the pet robot is over the predetermined age.  
     
     
         13 . The pet robot as set forth in  claim 12 , wherein said digital food is downloaded from the Internet using said data communication interface  
     
     
         14 . A pet robot comprising: 
 a motor driving part for forward/backward and left/right turn movements;    an infrared rays generating and sensing part including at lest two infrared ray generators and sensors on the front part, and at least two infrared ray generators and sensors at the bottom,    a memory for storing behavior programs and data;    and a control part for controlling said motor driving part and said infrared rays generating and sensing part in accordance with mode set by said mode setting part.    
     
     
         15  The pet robot as set forth in  claim 14 , wherein said control part controls the motor driving part to turn the direction of movement when an object is perceived during it moves, by at least one of the infrared sensors of the at least two infrared ray generators and sensors installed on the front part of the pet robot.  
     
     
         16  The pet robot as set forth in  claim 14 , wherein said control part controls the motor driving part to turn the direction of the movement to a side opposite to the infrared ray sensor(s), in case one or more of said sensor(s), among the at least two infrared ray sensors installed on the front part of the pet robot, fails to perceive an object during the pet robot's follow movement after the object.  
     
     
         17 . The pet robot as set forth in  claim 14 , wherein said control part controls the motor driving part to turn the direction of the movement to a side opposite to the infrared ray sensor(s), in case one or more of said sensor(s), among the at least two infrared ray sensors installed on the bottom part of the pet robot, fails to perceive an object during the pet robot's follow movement after the object.  
     
     
         18  The pet robot as set forth in  claim 14 , wherein at least one of said infrared ray generators and sensors is equipped with an infrared communication modem which allows exchange of data.  
     
     
         19  The pet robot as set forth in  claim 14 , wherein said control part controls said motor driving part to make turn movements until an object is perceived by said infrared ray generators and sensors installed on the front part of the pet robot; upon perceiving an object, further controls said motor driving part to move toward the object; and controls said motor driving part to repeatedly turn the direction of the movement if said infrared ray generators and sensors installed at the bottom part of the pet robot perceives the black boundary while the pet robot is in movement  
     
     
         20 . A pet robot comprising 
 a motor driving part including a motor capable of rotation and reverse-rotation, and wheels coupled with the axes of the motor,    a sound sensing part including a microphone for converting sounds into electric signals, an amplifier for amplifying the electric signals from the microphone, a high-pass filter for filtering only high frequency signals from the amplifier, and a means for converting signals from the high-pass filter into signals perceivable to microprocessors;    a sound generating part including a sound generating device and a sound source device;    a memory for storing the behavior programs and data;    and a control part for control of said motor driving part, said infrared ray generators and sensors, said sound sensing part, and said mode setting part in accordance with the operation mode as set by said mode setting part;    wherein said control part controls said sound generating part to generate a tone and to increase the scale of the tone at a predetermined speed for a predetermined time period upon perceiving a sound through said sound sensing part, further controls said sound generating part to stop generating the tone while virtually increasing the scale at a predetermined speed, and further controls, upon perceiving a sound during said virtual increase of the scale through said sound sensing part, said motor driving part to move a distance corresponding to the scale of the tone at the time of perceiving the sound