Interactive animated characters

Abstract

A very compact interactive animated character is provided that provides highly life-like and intelligent seeming interaction with the user thereof. The animated character can take the form of a small animal-like creature having a variety of moving body parts including a smile/emotion assembly which are coordinated to exhibit life-like emotional states by precisely controlling and synchronizing their movements in response to external sensed conditions. The animated character also includes sound generating circuitry to generate speech sounds as well as sounds associated with various emotional states, which are coordinated with a lip sync assembly simulating speech mouth movement. The drive system utilizes first and second reversible motors which are able to power and precisely coordinate the lip sync assembly producing speech mouth movement, with the movable parts and the smile/emotion assembly to produce life-like interactions and emotional expressions.

1 . An electrically controlled animating apparatus for simulating life-like movements, the apparatus comprising: 
 a front facial area, a body and a plurality of movable body parts thereof;    sound generating circuitry for generating speech including multisyllabic words;    a plurality of sensors for detecting external inputs;    a controller responsive to the plurality of sensors;    said controller being operable to control the sound generating circuitry;    a mouth assembly on the front facial area comprising flexible molded material having upper and lower mouth portions and having first and second opposing corners thereof;    a first mouth mechanism operable with the mouth assembly for controlling the first and second-corners of the mouth assembly to define smile/emotion states of the mouth assembly responsive to external input from sensed conditions of the plurality of sensors;    a second mouth mechanism operable with the mouth assembly for controlling the upper and lower mouth portions to provide lip synchronism response to the multisyllabic words generated with the sound generating circuitry;    a drive system that powers movement of the first and second mouth mechanisms independently to simulate life-like responses to sensed conditions;    a first control shaft for the first mouth mechanism driven for rotation by the drive system;    a second control shaft for the second mouth mechanism driven by the drive system;    at least one of the first or second control shafts having a predetermined range of rotation for causing movement of at least one of the plurality of movable body parts in addition to the first or second mechanisms.    
   
   
       2 . The animating apparatus as recited in  claim 1  wherein said first control shaft causes movement of at least one of the plurality of movable body parts in addition to the first and second corners of the mouth assembly.  
   
   
       3 . The animating apparatus as recited in  claim 2  wherein said drive system further comprises a first reversible motor which powers the rotation of said first control shaft for movement of the corners of the mouth assembly, and a second reversible motor which powers the rotation of said second control shaft for movement of the upper and lower mouth portions of the mouth assembly.  
   
   
       4 . The animating apparatus as recited in  claim 3  further comprising a mechanical coupling between said second motor and said second control shaft for transmitting rotary output power from the second motor to the second shaft for rotation thereof.  
   
   
       5 . The animating apparatus as recited in  claim 4  wherein said at least one of the plurality of movable body parts includes a foot portion, and rotation of said second control shaft in a direction causes movement of said foot portion and rotation of said second control shaft in an opposite direction causes movement of said second mouth mechanism for controlling upper and lower mouth portions of said mouth assembly.  
   
   
       6 . The animating apparatus as recited in  claim 5  wherein said mechanical coupling comprises one or more of a shuttle gear or a clutch mechanism between said second motor and said second control shaft for transmitting rotary output power from the second motor to the second shaft for rotation of said second control shaft in the direction causing movement of said foot portion and rotation of said second control shaft in the opposite direction causing movement of said second mouth mechanism.  
   
   
       7 . The animating apparatus as recited in  claim 1  wherein said controller provides the animating apparatus with a plurality of states comprising animating apparatus modes that include excited, sleeping, and waking modes.  
   
   
       8 . The animating apparatus as recited in  claim 2  wherein said at least one of a plurality of body parts includes one or more of the following: an ear assembly; an eye assembly; an eye lid assembly; a plume assembly; a brow assembly; and a chest assembly.  
   
   
       9 . The animating apparatus as recited in  claim 2  wherein said first and second corners of the mouth assembly pivot to a neutral state an up/smile state and a down/frown state.  
   
   
       10 . The animating apparatus as recited in  claim 9  wherein said first control shaft has a neutral position in the predetermined range of shaft rotation with the corners of the mouth assembly in a neutral state.  
   
   
       11 . An animating system comprising: 
 means for generating speech including multisyllabic words;    means for detecting external sensor inputs;    means for controlling the means for generating speech responsive to the means for detecting external sensor inputs;    said means for controlling being operable to control a mouth assembly comprising flexible molded material having upper and lower mouth portions and having first and second opposing corners thereof;    said means for controlling being operable to control a first mouth mechanism operable with the mouth assembly for controlling the first and second corners of the mouth assembly to define smile/emotion states of the mouth assembly responsive to external input from sensed conditions;    said means for controlling being operable to control a second mouth mechanism operable with the mouth assembly for controlling the upper and lower mouth portions to provide lip synchronism response to the multisyllabic words generated with the sound generating; and    means for driving movement of the first and second mouth mechanisms independently to simulate life-like responses to sensed conditions including a first control shaft for the first mouth mechanism driven for rotation by the drive system, and a second control shaft for the second mouth mechanism driven by the drive system with at least one of the first or second control shafts having a predetermined range of rotation for causing movement of at least one of the plurality of movable body parts in addition to the first or second mechanisms.    
   
   
       12 . The animating system as recited in  claim 11  wherein said first control shaft causes movement of at least one of the plurality of movable body parts in addition to the first and second corners of the mouth assembly.  
   
   
       13 . The animating system as recited in  claim 12  wherein said drive system further comprises a first reversible motor which powers the rotation of said first control shaft for movement of the corners of the mouth assembly, and a second reversible motor which powers the rotation of said second control shaft for movement of the upper and lower mouth portions of the mouth assembly.  
   
   
       14 . The animating system as recited in  claim 13  further comprising means for coupling between said second motor and said second control shaft for transmitting rotary output power from the second motor to the second shaft for rotation thereof.  
   
   
       15 . The animating system as recited in  claim 14  wherein said at least one of the plurality of movable body parts includes a foot portion, and rotation of said second control shaft in a direction causes movement of said foot portion and rotation of said second control shaft in an opposite direction causes movement of said second mouth mechanism for controlling upper and lower mouth portions of said mouth assembly.  
   
   
       16 . An animating method comprising: 
 generating speech including multisyllabic words;    detecting external sensor inputs;    controlling a mouth assembly comprising flexible molded material having upper and lower mouth portions and having first and second opposing corners thereof for generating speech responsive thereto and detecting external sensor inputs;    controlling a first mouth mechanism operable with the mouth assembly for controlling the first and second corners of the mouth assembly to define smile/emotion states of the mouth assembly responsive to external input from sensed conditions;    controlling a second mouth mechanism operable with the mouth assembly for controlling the upper and lower mouth portions to provide lip synchronism response to the multisyllabic words generated with the sound generating; and    driving movement of the first and second mouth mechanisms independently to simulate life-like responses to sensed conditions including a first control shaft for the first mouth mechanism driven for rotation by the drive system, and a second control shaft for the second mouth mechanism driven by the drive system with at least one of the first or second control shafts having a predetermined range of rotation for causing movement of at least one of the plurality of movable body parts in addition to the first or second mechanisms.    
   
   
       17 . The animating method as recited in  claim 16  wherein said first control shaft causes movement of at least one of the plurality of movable body parts in addition to the first and second corners of the mouth assembly.  
   
   
       18 . The animating method as recited in  claim 16  wherein said controlling provides a plurality of states comprising modes that include excited, sleeping, and waking modes.  
   
   
       19 . The animating method as recited in  claim 18  wherein at least one of a plurality of body parts includes one or more of the following: an ear assembly; an eye assembly; an eye lid assembly; a plume assembly; a brow assembly; and a chest assembly.  
   
   
       20 . The animating method as recited in  claim 17  wherein said first and second corners of the mouth assembly pivot to a neutral state an up/smile state and a down/frown state, and said first control shaft has a neutral position in the predetermined range of shaft rotation with the corners of the mouth assembly in a neutral state.  
   
   
       21 . An electrically controlled animating apparatus for simulating life-like movements, the apparatus comprising: 
 a front facial area of a character head and a plurality of movable parts thereof;    a mouth assembly on the front facial area comprising flexible molded material having upper and lower lips and having first and second opposing corners where the lips meet;    a first mouth mechanism operable with the mouth assembly for animating the first and second corners of the mouth assembly;    a second mouth mechanism operable with the mouth assembly for animating the upper and lower mouth portions for animating the lips between opened and closed positions independent of the first mouth mechanism;    a drive system that powers movement of the first and second mouth mechanisms independently to simulate life-like responses and for causing movement of at least one of the plurality of movable parts in addition to the first or second mouth mechanisms.    
   
   
       22 . The animating apparatus as recited in  claim 21  wherein said first and second corners of the first mouth mechanism are moveable between neutral, up/smile state and down/frown states.  
   
   
       23 . The animating apparatus as recited in  claim 21  wherein said drive system further comprises a first reversible motor which powers the movement of the corners of the mouth assembly, and a second reversible motor which powers the movement of the upper and lower mouth portions of the mouth assembly independently.  
   
   
       24 . The animating apparatus as recited in  claim 21  wherein the drive system facilitates the animating apparatus with a plurality of states comprising animating apparatus modes that include excited, sleeping, and waking modes.  
   
   
       25 . The animating apparatus as recited in  claim 24  wherein the plurality of modes includes movement of one or more of the following moveable parts: an ear assembly; an eye assembly; an eye lid assembly; a plume assembly; a brow assembly; and a chest assembly.  
   
   
       26 . An electrically controlled animating apparatus for simulating life-like movements in a front facial area of a character head, the apparatus comprising: 
 a molded flexible elastomeric mouth including upper and lower lips having center portions and opposite side corners where the lips meet, the mouth including attachment points at the center portions and corners;    a first animation mechanism for animating the mouth for simulated talking movement by moving the attachment points at the center portions; and    a second animating mechanism independent from the first animating mechanism for moving the attachment points at the corners to simulate mouth movement corresponding to facial expression;    wherein the first and second animating mechanisms act to distort the elastomeric mouth to achieve simulated talking movement and facial expression as the animating mechanisms are operated.    
   
   
       27 . The animating apparatus as recited in  claim 26  comprising a drive system that powers movement of the first animation mechanism independent of the movement of the second animation mechanism for providing simulated talking movement or facial expression, or a combination thereof as the animating mechanisms are operated.  
   
   
       28 . The animating apparatus as recited in  claim 26 , said elastomeric mouth comprising a neutral undeformed position, wherein the second animating mechanism moves the attachment points at the corners to deform the elastomeric mouth from the neutral undeformed position.  
   
   
       29 . The animating apparatus as recited in  claim 28  wherein said opposite side corners where the lips meet are moveable between neutral, up/smile state and down/frown states with the second animating mechanism.