Interactive motion apparatus
An interactive apparatus has a base and a motion unit. The base has a first curved surface with a concave facing. The motion unit is located on the first curved surface and has a second curved surface with a convex facing contacting the first curved surface. In addition, the second curved surface has a curvature greater than that of the first curved surface. As the motion unit is steady on the first curved surface, a gravity center of the motion unit is located below a curvature center of the second curved surface.
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(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an interactive motion apparatus, and more particularly relates to the interactive apparatus applying the pendulum theory.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
To attract users' attention, consumer electronics and computer peripherals are equipped with intellectual interactive apparatus. Emotional expressing ability especially becomes an important feature for robot or robot pet's. The interactive emotional expressing devices, such as eyes, ears, and mouth, traditionally are composed of motors, gear sets, bar linkages, cams, etc. Such mechanism not only increases the cost as well as the size and weight, but also restricts the applicability of the interactive apparatus design. An interactive apparatus is thus provided in the present invention without the usage of the actuating mechanism composed of motors, gear sets, bar linkages, etc.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is a main object of the present invention to provide an interactive apparatus, which is operated by using the pendulum theory instead of the mechanically actuating mechanism composed of motors, bar linkages, gear sets, etc, so as to reduce the cost and the complication of the apparatus.
The interactive apparatus provided in the present invention has a base and a motion unit. The base has a first curved surface with a concave facing. The motion unit is located on the first curved surface and has a second curved surface with a convex facing contacting the first curved surface. In addition, the second curved surface has a curvature greater than that of the first curved surface. As the motion unit is steady on the first curved surface, a gravity center of the motion unit is located below a curvature center of the second curved surface.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the interactive apparatus has at least one actuating device and a control unit. The non-mechanical actuating device is located on the base for rolling the motion unit. The control unit is electrically connected to the actuating device to control the rolling of the motion unit according to a preset environmental signal.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the interactive apparatus has a conductive plate, a sensing device, and a reacting unit. The conductive plate is located on the second curved surface. The sensing device is located on the first curved surface. As the motion unit rolls to a preset location, the sensing device senses the rolling of the motion unit with the help of the conductive plate and notifies the reacting unit to present a preset action.
With the interactive apparatus provided above, a movable structure for ears or tails of robot pets is also provided in the present invention. The movable structure has a base, a motion unit, a frame, and a covering layer. Wherein, the base has a first curved surface with a concave facing. The motion unit is located on the first curved surface and has a second curved surface with a convex facing contacting the first curved surface. The second curved surface has a curvature greater than that of the first curved surface. As the motion unit is steady on the first curved surface, a gravity center of the motion unit is located below a curvature center of the second curved surface. The frame is fixed on the motion unit and shakes as the motion unit rolls. The covering layer covers the frame to show a appearance of the ear or the tail.
The present invention will now be specified with reference to its preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings, in which:
As the motion unit 140 is steady on the first curved surface 122, a gravity center G of the motion unit 140 is located below a curvature center C of the second curved surface 142. When the motion unit 140 is rolled on the base 120, the gravity center G′ of the motion unit 140 applies a torque with respect to the contacting point of the first curved surface 122 and the second curved surface 142 to show a pendulum motion. By introducing the motion unit 140, the interactive apparatus 100 can then waive a complicate driving device. In addition, with an appropriate design, the interactive apparatus 100 may feed back some responses while sensing specific signals. Basically, the motion unit 140 may be made of a metal, a glass, a polymer, a wood, etc., and the base 120 may be made of the same material.
The cover 200 is composed of a frame 220 and a covering layer 240. The frame 220 is fixed on the motion unit 140 and is waved as the motion unit 140 rolls. The covering layer 240 extends from the edge of the first curved surface 122 to the top of the frame 220 so as to show the looking of the ears and to provide sufficient space for the frame 220 to shake. It is noted that the gravity center of the moving portion, which includes the motion unit 140 and the cover 200, may be shifted to above the curvature center of the second curved surface 142 due to the existence of the cover 200 to hinder the back-and-forth movement of the motion unit 140. Thus, the weight of the motion unit 140 should be much greater than that of the cover 200.
Basically, the cover 200 may be made of a metal, a polymer, a glass, a fiber, a wood, etc. As shown, the cover 200 is composed of the inside elastic frame 220 and the outside covering layer 240 to show the looking of the ears of robot pet. The two elements 220 and 240 may be made of different materials.
As a preferred embodiment, when the robot pet senses some environmental signals, such as noises, lights, physical shaking, temperature or moisture variation, the above mentioned motion unit 140 may generate some respective movement. For example, when the interactive apparatus 100 is applied to the ear structure of robot pets, when the robot pet is shook by the user, the motion unit 140 may roll back and forth to mimic an action of waved ears.
In addition, as the two electrodes 160 are conducted to form a loop, the reacting unit 170 may present different actions according to different conducting events, such as different potentials between the two electrodes. For example, as the rolling of the motion unit 140 is smaller than a preset range, the reacting unit 170 presents a first emotional action, such as crying, eye rolling, etc., and as the rolling exceeds the preset range, the reacting unit 170 presents a second emotional action, such as waving tail, ear upwards or downwards, etc.
As mentioned, the interactive apparatus provided in the present invention may interact with environmental stimulation without the need of the motor, the bar linkage, the gear set, etc. In addition, as the sensing device, the reacting unit, and the actuating device are used, the interactive apparatus in the present invention may provide abundant interacting reactions. In addition, with proper appearance design, the interactive apparatus in the present invention may be applied to ears, tails of robot pet or other mechanical design with interaction demand.
While the embodiments of the present invention have been set forth for the purpose of disclosure, modifications of the disclosed embodiments of the present invention as well as other embodiments thereof may occur to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to cover all embodiments which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. An interactive apparatus comprising:
- a base, having a first curved surface with a concave facing; and
- a motion unit, located on the first curved surface, having a second curved surface with a convex facing contacting the first curved surface, the second curved surface having a curvature greater than that of the first curved surface, and, as the motion unit becoming steady on the first curved surface, a gravity center of the motion unit located below a curvature center of the second curved surface.
2. The interactive apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least an actuating device on the base for rolling the motion unit when sensing a preset signal.
3. The interactive apparatus of claim 2, wherein the actuating device is a coil.
4. The interactive apparatus of claim 2, wherein the number of the actuating device is four and the actuating devices are located around the motion unit with identical intervals.
5. The interactive apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a liquid injected in the first curved surface
6. The interactive apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first curved surface is a spherical surface.
7. The interactive apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second curved surface is a spherical surface.
8. The interactive apparatus of claim 2, wherein a preset distance between the actuating device and a lowest point of the first curved surface defines a rolling range of the motion unit.
9. The interactive apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
- a conductive plate on the second curved surface;
- two electrodes on the first curved surface, when the motion unit rolling to a preset location, the conductive plate electrically connecting the two electrodes; and
- a reacting unit, connected to the two electrodes, when the two electrodes electrically connected by the conductive plate, the reacting unit presenting a preset action.
10. The interactive apparatus of claim 9, wherein the two electrodes are two circular electrodes.
11. The interactive apparatus of claim 10, wherein the two circular electrodes are centered at a lowest point of the first curved surface.
12. A motion structure of robot pets, comprising:
- a base, having a first curved surface with a concave facing; and
- a motion unit, located on the first curved surface, having a second curved surface with a convex facing contacting the first curved surface, the second curved surface having a curvature greater than that of the first curved surface, when the motion unit becoming steady on the first curved surface, a gravity center of the motion unit located below a curvature center of the second curved surface;
- a frame, fixed on the motion unit and waved with the rolling of the motion unit; and
- a covering layer, covering the frame to show an exterior of the motion structure.
13. The motion structure of claim 12, further comprising at least an actuating device, formed on the base for rolling the motion unit when sensing a preset signal.
14. The motion structure of claim 13, wherein the actuating device is a coil.
15. The motion structure of claim 13, wherein a number of said at least an actuating device is four and the actuating devices are located by the motion unit with identical intervals.
16. The motion structure of claim 12, further comprising a liquid injected in the first curved surface.
17. The motion structure of claim 12, wherein the first curved surface is a spherical surface.
18. The motion structure of claim 12, wherein the second curved surface is a spherical surface.
19. The motion structure of claim 12, wherein a preset distance between the actuating device and a lowest point of the first curved surface defines a rolling range of the ears or the tails.
20. The motion structure of claim 12, further comprising:
- a conductive plate, located on the first curved surface;
- two electrodes, formed on the second curved surface, and, as the motion unit rolling to a preset location, the conductive plate electrically connecting the two electrodes; and
- a reacting unit, connected to the two electrodes, and as the two electrodes electrically connected by the conductive plate, the reacting unit presenting a preset action.
21. The motion structure of claim 20, wherein the two electrodes are two circular electrodes.
22. The motion structure of claim 21, wherein the two circular electrodes are centered at a lowest point of the first curved surface.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 1, 2008
Publication Date: Aug 7, 2008
Applicant:
Inventors: Chung-Cheng Chou (Taoyuan County), Wai Wang (Taoyuan City)
Application Number: 12/068,069
International Classification: A63H 3/36 (20060101);