Communication device
AssigneeToyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsWataru Kaku, Shintaro Yoshizawa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A communication device includes a structure, a controller, and sensors that detect the relative position of an object around the structure. The structure has a face unit that is one of the units of the structure. The controller controls the movement of each unit of the structure, thereby causing the structure to perform a gesture expressing a communication behavior. The controller controls the movement of the units so that the structure performs different gestures depending on the angle between the direction of the face unit and the direction of the user's face as viewed from the face unit.
Claims9
A communication device that performs a communication behavior for a user, comprising:
- a structure that includes a plurality of units and has a face unit having at least one unit that includes a face;
- at least one sensor configured to detect a position of an object around the structure, the position being relative to the structure, wherein the at least one sensor is configured to detect a position of a user's face;
- and
- a controller configured to:
- cause the structure to perform a gesture by controlling a movement of the units, the gesture expressing the communication behavior;
- calculate an angle between a direction in which the face unit faces and a direction of the user's face as viewed from the face unit,
- control the movement of the units such that the structure performs different gestures according to the angle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.