# US 10,245,732 B2 · Reception system and reception method

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- Number: US 10,245,732 B2
- Document ID: US10245732B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/470,088
- Filed: 2017-03-27
- Published: 2017-10-05
- Granted: 2019-04-02
- Earliest claimed: 2016-03-29
- Assignees: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Hiroshi Kondo; Naoaki Sumida; Asuka Shiina; Shunichi Yamamoto; Kazuhiro Nakadai; Keisuke Nakamura
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10245732B2

## CPC

- B25J 11/0005: {Manipulators having means for high-level communication with users, e.g. speech generator, face recognition means}
- B25J 9/1697: {Vision controlled systems}
- B25J 11/008: {Manipulators for service tasks}
- G06V 20/52: Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects (recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69)
- G06V 40/173: {face re-identification, e.g. recognising unknown faces across different face tracks}
- G10L 15/22: Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
- G05B 2219/45095: Office messenger
- G06V 40/172: {Classification, e.g. identification}
- G10L 2015/223: {Execution procedure of a spoken command}
- B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50})
- G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING
- G10L: SPEECH ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES OR SPEECH SYNTHESIS; SPEECH RECOGNITION; SPEECH OR VOICE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES; SPEECH OR AUDIO CODING OR DECODING
- G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G)

## Abstract

A reception system includes: an imaging unit that captures an image; a reception information storage unit that stores an image of a visitor who visited in the past and information of a receiving person whom the visitor visited in the past in an associated manner; and an action performing unit that generates a question to the visitor based on a scenario regarding a response to the visitor and acquires information via a response to the question from the visitor, wherein the action performing unit changes a response presented to the visitor based on the scenario depending on whether or not the reception information storage unit stores an image that corresponds to the image captured by the imaging unit.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A reception system, comprising:
an imaging unit that captures an image;
a reception information storage unit that stores an image of a visitor who visited in the past and information of a receiving person whom the visitor visited in the past in an associated manner; and
an action performing unit that generates a question to the visitor based on a scenario regarding a response to the visitor and acquires information via a response to the question from the visitor, wherein
the action performing unit changes a response presented to the visitor based on the scenario depending on whether or not the reception information storage unit stores an image that corresponds to the image captured by the imaging unit.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The reception system according to claim 1, comprising:
a notification unit that notifies a receiving person whom the visitor wants to meet of a visit of the visitor, wherein
the action performing unit selects a receiving person that corresponds to the visitor based on information of a receiving person stored by the reception information storage unit whom the visitor visited without making a question for acquiring information regarding the visitor to the visitor when the reception information storage unit stores an image that corresponds to the image captured by the imaging unit, and wherein
the notification unit notifies the receiving person selected by the action performing unit of a visit of the visitor.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The reception system according to claim 2, wherein
the action performing unit makes a question for acquiring information of the visitor and information of the receiving person to the visitor using a speech signal in accordance with the scenario when the reception information storage unit does not store an image that corresponds to the image captured by the imaging unit and selects a receiving person that corresponds to the visitor based on a result of performing speech recognition with respect to a speech signal of a response to the question.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The reception system according to claim 1, wherein
the action performing unit stores a history of visit of the visitor in the past in the reception information storage unit with respect to the visitor, selects a candidate of the receiving person based on the history stored by the reception information storage unit when the reception information storage unit stores an image that corresponds to the image captured by the imaging unit, presents, when the number of the selected candidate of the receiving person is two or more, the plurality of the receiving persons as a candidate to the visitor by using a speech signal, and selects a receiving person that corresponds to the visitor based on a result of performing speech recognition with respect to a speech signal of a response to the question.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The reception system according to claim 1, wherein
the action performing unit stores a history of visit of the visitor in the past in the reception information storage unit with respect to the visitor, selects a candidate of the receiving person based on the history stored by the reception information storage unit when the reception information storage unit stores an image that corresponds to the image captured by the imaging unit, and presents, when the number of the selected receiving person is two or more, the plurality of the receiving persons as a candidate to the visitor by using an image.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The reception system according to claim 4, wherein
the action performing unit presents a candidate of the receiving person in the order of most to least of the number of times of visit when the number of the selected candidate of the receiving persons is two or more.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The reception system according to claim 4, wherein
the action performing unit presents a candidate of the receiving person in the order of latest to earliest of visit when the number of the selected candidate of the receiving persons is two or more.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The reception system according to claim 1, comprising:
a detection unit that detects a travel direction of the receiving person, wherein
the action performing unit changes a response presented to the visitor based on at least one of a travel direction of the visitor detected by the detection unit and a travel direction obtained by detecting a travel direction of the receiving person from the image captured by the imaging unit.

### Claim 9

A reception method, comprising:
(a) by way of an imaging unit, capturing an image;
(b) by way of an action performing unit, storing an image of a visitor who visited in the past and information of a receiving person whom the visitor visited in the past in an associated manner in a reception information storage unit; and
(c) by way of the action performing unit, changing a response presented to the visitor based on a scenario regarding a response to the visitor depending on whether or not the reception information storage unit stores an image that corresponds to the image captured in (a).