# US 12,001,226 B2 · Information processing apparatus, control method, and program

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- Number: US 12,001,226 B2
- Document ID: US12001226B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/635,935
- Filed: 2020-07-17
- Published: 2022-10-20
- Granted: 2024-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2019-08-27
- Assignees: Sony Group Corporation
- Applicants: Sony Group Corporation
- Inventors: Nobuo Nishi; Kazutaka Takaki; Tatsuo Sekimoto; Junichiro Misawa
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12001226B2

## CPC

- G05D 1/0891: {specially adapted for land vehicles}
- B25J 5/007: {mounted on wheels}
- B25J 9/0003: {Home robots, i.e. small robots for domestic use}
- B25J 9/0009: {Constructional details, e.g. manipulator supports, bases}
- B25J 11/0005: {Manipulators having means for high-level communication with users, e.g. speech generator, face recognition means}
- B25J 11/001: {with emotions simulating means}
- G05D 1/43: Control of position or course in two dimensions [2D]
- G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
- 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})

## Abstract

Communication with a user is more naturally and effectively realized. An information processing apparatus includes an autonomous mobile body (10) that travels while maintaining an inverted state, and an operation control unit (230) that controls an operation of the autonomous mobile body. The autonomous mobile body includes a main body (10), two wheels (570) mounted on the main body, and a drive mechanism (565) that drives the two wheels. The operation control unit controls the drive mechanism to maintain the inverted state of the autonomous mobile body by the two wheels in a first state, and make the autonomous mobile body come to rest by the two wheels and a bottom of the main body when the autonomous mobile body transfers from the first state to a second state.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An information processing apparatus comprising:
an autonomous mobile body that travels while maintaining an inverted state; and
an operation control unit that controls an operation of the autonomous mobile body, wherein
the autonomous mobile body includes:
a main body,
two wheels mounted on the main body, and
a drive mechanism that drives the two wheels, and
the operation control unit controls the drive mechanism to:
maintain the inverted state of the autonomous mobile body by the two wheels in a first state, and
make the autonomous mobile body come to rest by the two wheels and a bottom of the main body when the autonomous mobile body transfers from the first state to a second state.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bottom of the main body includes a protrusion provided at a position that comes into contact with a floor surface in the second state.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a center of gravity of the autonomous mobile body in the second state is located between a perpendicular line passing through a center of an axle of the two wheels and a perpendicular line passing through a contact portion between the protrusion and the floor surface.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the protrusion is provided on a back side of the autonomous mobile body with respect to an axle of the two wheels.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the operation control unit causes the two wheels to rotate to move the autonomous mobile body backward by controlling the drive mechanism when the autonomous mobile body transfers from the second state to the first state.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the protrusion is made of metal, plastic, or ceramics.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the bottom of the main body is provided with an opening to house the two wheels, and
the two wheels are housed in the main body and protruding from the opening.

### Claim 8

A method for controlling an autonomous mobile body that travels while maintaining an inverted state, wherein
the autonomous mobile body includes a main body, two wheels mounted on the main body, and a drive mechanism that drives the two wheels, and
the drive mechanism is controlled to:
maintain the inverted state of the autonomous mobile body by the two wheels in a first state, and
make the autonomous mobile body come to rest by the two wheels and a bottom of the main body when the autonomous mobile body transfers from the first state to a second state.

### Claim 9

A program causing a processor to control an autonomous mobile body that travels while maintaining an inverted state, wherein
the autonomous mobile body includes a main body, two wheels mounted on the main body, and a drive mechanism that drives the two wheels, and
the processor controls the drive mechanism to:
maintain the inverted state of the autonomous mobile body by the two wheels in a first state, and
make the autonomous mobile body come to rest by the two wheels and a bottom of the main body when the autonomous mobile body transfers from the first state to a second state.