The application relates in general to an interactive device for animals and method therefor, and in particular, to an interactive device for animals and method therefor used for throwing an object.
Lots of people keep pets at home, but it is difficult to monitor the pet's behavior and the pet's physical condition when the pet owner leaves the pet home alone. Thus, some pet owners dispose a photography apparatus at home to observe the pet's behavior.
However, there can be no interaction with the pet when using a conventional photography apparatus, making it hard to attract the pet to approach the photography apparatus. Furthermore, the pet's physical condition may deteriorate from lack of exercise. Therefore, how to interact with the pet when the pet owner cannot stay with the pet has become an important issue.
The following summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. That is, the following summary is provided to introduce concepts, highlights, benefits, and advantages of the novel and non-obvious techniques described herein. Select, not all, implementations are described further in the detailed description below. Thus, the following summary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended for use in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
To address the deficiencies of conventional electronic products, an embodiment of the invention provides an interactive device for animals, comprising a main body, a circuit module, a video/audio transceiver, a driving module, a first pusher, and a first communicating member, wherein the circuit module, the video/audio transceiver, and the driving module are disposed on the main body, and the video/audio transceiver and the driving module are electrically connected to the circuit module. The main body has a recess and an opening. The first pusher is movably disposed in the recess and connected to the driving module. The first communicating member communicates the recess with the opening. When the driving module drives the first pusher to move along a first direction and protrude from an inner wall of the recess, the first pusher pushes an object in the recess into the first communicating member, and the object leaves the main body through the opening.
In some embodiments, the interactive device for animals further comprises a second communicating member, a second pusher, and an elastic member. The second communicating member communicates the first communicating member and the opening. The second pusher for pushing the object out of the main body through the opening is movably disposed in the second communicating member and connected to the driving module. The elastic member is connected to the main body and the second pusher.
In some embodiments, the interactive device for animals further comprises a first communicating port, formed between the first communicating member and the second communication member, wherein the first communicating port is not covered by the second pusher.
In some embodiments, the interactive device for animals further comprises a motor, a gear assembly connected to the motor, and an intermittent gear connected to the gear assembly. The first pusher and the second pusher respectively comprise a gear rack. When the motor drives the gear assembly and the intermittent gear to rotate, the intermittent gear intermittently and repeatedly engages with the first pusher and the second pusher.
In some embodiments, the circuit module comprises a detecting unit for detecting the loading of the driving module. When the detecting unit detects that the driving module is in a low-loading state, the driving module stops driving the gear assembly.
In some embodiments, the circuit module comprises a detecting unit for detecting the loading of the driving module. When the detecting unit detects that the driving module is in a high-loading state, the driving module drives the first pusher to move along a second direction, wherein the second direction is opposite to the first direction.
In some embodiments, the interactive device for animals further comprises a stirring plate, disposed in the recess and connected to the driving module, wherein the stirring plate is rotatable relative to the main body.
In some embodiments, a longitudinal slot is formed on an inner surface of the recess, and the driving module drives the first pusher to move along the longitudinal slot and protrude from the inner wall of the recess.
In some embodiments, the interactive device for animals further comprises a sealer, and a second communicating port is formed between the recess and the first communicating member, wherein the sealer is pivotally connected to the driving module for sealing the second communicating port.
In some embodiments, the video/audio transceiver comprises camera, microphone, LED or speaker.
In one aspect of the invention, an interactive device for animals comprising an ejecting device, a network communication device and a controller is provided. The ejecting device comprises a recess for storing an object. The network communication device is configured to provide a network connection to a user device. The controller is coupled to the ejecting device and the network communication device and is configured to receive a control signal from the user device via the network communication device, and control an elastic member of the ejecting device to provide an elastic force to eject the object from an opening of the ejecting device according to the control signal.
In another aspect of the invention, an interactive method is provided, which is executed by an interactive device comprising an ejecting device storing an object and a network communication device providing a network connection to a user device. The interactive method comprises the steps of: receiving a control signal from the user device via the network communication device; and controlling an elastic member of the ejecting device to provide an elastic force to eject the object from an opening of the ejecting device according to the control signal.
Other aspects and features of the application will become apparent to those with ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following descriptions of specific embodiments of the interactive devices for animals and methods thereof.
The application can be more fully understood by reading the subsequent detailed description and examples with references made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The making and using of the embodiments of the interactive device for animals and the method thereof are discussed in detail below. It should be appreciated, however, that the embodiments provide many applicable inventive concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the embodiments, and do not limit the scope of the disclosure.
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It should be appreciated that each term, which is defined in a commonly used dictionary, should be interpreted as having a meaning conforming to the relative skills and the background or the context of the present disclosure, and should not be interpreted by an idealized or overly formal manner unless defined otherwise.
The following description is made for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention and should not be taken in a limiting sense. It should be understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes” and/or “including,” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
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The operation of the interactive device for animals is described below. Referring to the
As shown in
After the first pusher 700 slides down, the stirring plate 900 can be driven by the gear assembly 420 and rotate relative to the main body 100, such that the objects I in the recess 110 can be stirred. Therefore, the objects I can move to the position above the first pusher 700, and interference between the objects I can be prevented.
As shown in
Specifically, the circuit module 300 comprises a detecting unit (not shown). When the detecting unit detects that the motor 410 is in a low-loading state, the circuit module 300 transmits a signal to the motor 410 and the motor 410 stops operating. That is, as shown in
Moreover, in the process of pushing the object I along the first direction A1 by the first pusher 700, the interference between the first pusher 700 and the object I in the recess 110 may occur and the first pusher 700 cannot keep moving. At this time, the motor 410 cannot drive the first pusher 700 to move, and it is in a high-loading state. Therefore, when the detecting unit of the circuit module 300 detects that the motor 410 is in a high-loading state, the circuit module 300 transmits a signal to the motor 410 and the motor 410 drives the first pusher 700 to move along a second direction (opposite to the first direction A1) to the position shown in
In the process of moving the object I, the user can continually interact with the animals by the video/audio transceiver 200. For example, the user can make noise from the speaker to attract the animals, or observe the animals chasing the thrown object I by the camera.
It should be noted that, an angle between the guiding slot 111 and the inner wall of the first communicating member 500 is about 20°-80° (30° for example), and the first communicating port P1 between the first and second communicating members 500 and 600 is not covered by the second pusher 800 when the second pusher 800 moves between the first position and the second position (
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Furthermore, in some embodiments, the second pusher 800 and the elastic member S can be replaced by an elastic sheet (not shown), the driving module 400 can directly provide a deformation force to deform the elastic sheet. When the deformation force is released and the shape of the elastic sheet is resumed, the object I can be thrown out of the main body 100 through the opening 120 by the elastic sheet.
The interactive device 1110, the pet 1120, and the AP 1130 are disposed in the same indoor space, such as the home of a pet owner, wherein the interactive device 1110 is connected to the AP 1130 for obtaining access to the Internet 1140. That is, the interactive device 1110 may connect to the Internet 1140 via the AP 1130, and then further connect to the cloud server 1150 and/or the user device 1170 via the Internet 1140.
The interactive device 1110 may be utilized for realizing the interactive device in
The pet 1120 may be a dog, a cat, or another animal.
The AP 1130 may be a network hardware device which provides wireless accesses using Short Range Wireless (SRW) technology, such as Wireless-Fidelity (Wi-Fi) technology. Specifically, the AP 1130 may connect to a local area network through an Ethernet cable, and then connect to the Internet 1140 via the local area network. The AP 1130 typically receives, buffers, and transmits data for the interactive device 1110.
The cloud server 1150 may be an electronic apparatus disposed on the Internet 1140, which is responsible for communicating with the interactive device 1110 and the user device 1170, including receiving image data and/or audio data from the interactive device 1110, sending notifications to the user device 1170, receiving interactive commands from the user device 1170, and forwarding the interactive commands to the interactive device 1110. In one embodiment, the cloud server 1150 is also capable of processing the image data and/or audio data from the interactive device 1110.
The telecommunication network 1160 may be a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) network, a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) network, an Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution (EDGE) network, a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) network, a Code Division Multiple Access 2000 (CDMA-2000) network, a Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) network, a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) network, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, a Time-Division LTE (TD-LTE) network, or a LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network, depending on the telecommunication technology in use.
Specifically, the telecommunication network 1160 includes an access network 1161 and a core network 1162, wherein the access network 1161 is responsible for processing radio signals, terminating radio protocols, and connecting the user device 1170 with the core network 1162, while the core network 1162 is responsible for performing mobility management, network-side authentication, and interfaces with public/external networks (e.g., the Internet 1140).
For example, if the telecommunication network 1160 is a GSM/GPRS/EDGE network, the access network 1161 may be a Base Station Subsystem (BSS) which includes at least a Base Transceiver Station (BTS) and a Base Station Controller (BSC), and the core network 1162 may be a GPRS core which includes at least a Home Location Register (HLR), a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN), and a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN). If the service network 1120 is a WCDMA network, the access network 1161 may be a Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) which includes at least a Node-B (NB), and the core network 1162 may be a GPRS core which at least includes an HLR, a SGSN, and a GGSN. Alternatively, if the telecommunication network 1160 is an LTE/LTE-A/TD-LTE network, the access network 1161 may be an Evolved-UTRAN (E-UTRAN) which includes at least an evolved NB (eNB), and the core network 1162 may be an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) which includes a Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Serving Gateway (S-GW), Packet Data Network Gateway (PDN-GW or P-GW).
The user device 1170 may be a smartphone, Personal Computer (PC), laptop computer, panel PC, or any computing device for the pet owner, which supports the telecommunication technology utilized by the telecommunication network 1160 and/or the SRW technology utilized by the AP 1130. In addition, the pet owner can download and install a dedicated pet-related interactive application (for convenience of understanding, the dedicated pet-related interactive application is also referred to as pet-related interactive APP) developed by a device manufacturer developing the interactive device 1110 in the user device 1170. The user device 1170 may receive notifications from or send interactive commands to the interactive device 1110 or the cloud server 1150 via the Internet 1140 and the telecommunication network 1160.
The network communication device 1210 is responsible for providing the function of wireless communications with the AP 1130 using SRW technology, such as Wi-Fi technology. Through the AP 1130, the network communication device 1210 may obtain network connections to the other devices on the Internet 1140, such as the cloud server 1150 and the user device 1170.
The image acquisition device 1220 has a Field of View (FOV) and is responsible for capturing images of a scene in the FOV. For example, the FOV may be greater than 180 degrees, so that the captured images may cover a wider portion of the scene. Alternatively, the FOV may be between 60 and 75 degrees, and the captured images may cover a narrower portion of the scene. Specifically, the image acquisition device 1220 may include one or more optics, such as a see-through lens, and/or image sensors.
In another embodiment, considering that the pet 1120 may be running around, the direction in which the image acquisition device 1220 is facing may be dynamically adjustable.
The audio I/O device 1230 may include a microphone for receiving audio (such as dog barking sounds) from the pet 1120, and a speaker for outputting audio from the pet owner. In one embodiment, the audio I/O device 1230 may further include a light emitting diode (LED) for emitting light of different colors to attract the pet 1120. For example, the LED can be controlled to emit blue light, white light or black light to attract dogs. In another embodiment, the audio I/O device 1230 can be configured to output light of any spectrum, including infrared light. For example, the audio I/O device 1230 can be controlled to output infrared light to attract cats.
The ejecting device 1240 is responsible for ejecting a treat or a toy to the pet 1120.
The controller 1250 may be a general-purpose processor, Micro-Control Unit (MCU), Digital Signal Processor (DSP), application processor, Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), Holographic Processing Unit (HPU), or Neural Processing Unit (NPU), or any combination thereof, which includes various circuits for providing the function of data (e.g., image data and/or audio data) processing/computing, controlling the network communication device 1210 for obtaining network connections, sending control signals to the image acquisition device 1220, receiving image data from the image acquisition device 1220, sending/receiving audio data from the audio I/O device 1230, controlling the ejecting device 1240 for ejecting a treat or toy, and storing and retrieving data to and from the storage device 1260.
In particular, the controller 1250 may coordinate the network communication device 1210, the image acquisition device 1220, the audio I/O device 1230, and the storage device 1260 for performing the interactive method of the present invention.
As will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art, the circuits in the controller 1250 will typically comprise transistors that are configured in such a way as to control the operation of the circuitry in accordance with the functions and operations described herein. As will be further appreciated, the specific structure or interconnections of the transistors will typically be determined by a compiler, such as a Register Transfer Language (RTL) compiler. RTL compilers may be operated by a processor upon scripts that closely resemble assembly language code, to compile the script into a form that is used for the layout or fabrication of the ultimate circuitry. Indeed, RTL is well known for its role and use in the facilitation of the design process of electronic and digital systems.
The storage device 1260 is a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, including a memory, such as a FLASH memory or a Non-volatile Random Access Memory (NVRAM), or a magnetic storage device, such as a hard disk or a magnetic tape, or an optical disc, or any combination thereof for storing frame/image data and instructions or program code of communication protocols, applications, and/or the interactive method of the present invention.
It should be understood that the components described in the embodiment of
The network communication device 1370 is responsible for providing the function of wired communications to connect to the Internet 1140 through an Ethernet, cable network, optical network, or Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) network, and then connect to the other devices, such as the interactive device 1110 and the user device 1170, via the Internet 1140.
The controller 1380 may be a general-purpose processor, MCU, DSP, application processor, GPU, HPU, or NPU, or any combination thereof, which includes various circuits for providing the function of data (e.g., image data and/or audio data) processing/computing, controlling the network communication device 1370 for obtaining network connections, and storing and retrieving data to and from the storage device 1390.
In particular, the controller 1380 may coordinate the network communication device 1370 and the storage device 1390 for performing the interactive method of the present invention.
As will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art, the circuits in the controller 1380 will typically comprise transistors that are configured in such a way as to control the operation of the circuitry in accordance with the functions and operations described herein. As will be further appreciated, the specific structure or interconnections of the transistors will typically be determined by a compiler, such as an RTL compiler. RTL compilers may be operated by a processor upon scripts that closely resemble assembly language code, to compile the script into a form that is used for the layout or fabrication of the ultimate circuitry. Indeed, RTL is well known for its role and use in the facilitation of the design process of electronic and digital systems.
The storage device 1390 is a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, including a memory, such as a FLASH memory or a NVRAM, or a magnetic storage device, such as a hard disk or a magnetic tape, or an optical disc, or any combination thereof for storing frame/image data and instructions or program code of communication protocols, applications, and/or the interactive method of the present invention.
It should be understood that the components described in the embodiment of
In step S1405, the controller 1250 of the interactive device 1110 receives a control signal from the user device 1170 via the network communication device 1210. In step S1410, the controller 1250 of the interactive device 1110 controls the elastic member of the ejecting device 1240 to provide an elastic force to eject the object from an opening of the ejecting device 1240 according to the control signal.
In another embodiment, the controller 1250 may further control the audio I/O device 1230 to emit light of different colors or output audio to attract a pet when the controller 1250 receives a second control signal from the user device 1170 via the network communication device 1210, wherein the audio may include sound recordings, such as the sound of a dog barking, the voice of the pet owner, and other sounds which can attract a pet.
In another embodiment, the controller 1250 may transmit a notification to the user device 1170 via the network communication device 1210 when the audio I/O device 1230 receives audio from a pet. Specifically, the interactive device 1110 may collect audio data via the audio I/O device 1230, and process the audio data to determine whether the audio data meets a specific sound pattern (such as dog barking pattern). In response to determining that the audio data meets the specific sound pattern, the interactive device 1110 transmits the notification to the user device 1170 for notifying the pet owner that the pet is making a sound. The user device 1170 displays the notification to the pet owner when receiving the notification.
In an alternative embodiment, the interactive device 1110 may collect audio data via the audio I/O device 1230, and transmit the audio data to the cloud server 1150. The cloud server 1150 processes the audio data to determine whether the audio data meets a specific sound pattern (such as a dog barking pattern). In response to determining that the audio data meets the specific sound pattern, the cloud server 1150 transmits the notification to the user device 1170 for notifying the pet owner that the pet is making a sound. The user device 1170 displays the notification to the pet owner when receiving the notification.
In another embodiment, the controller 1250 of the interactive device 1110 may further adjust the ejecting direction of the ejecting device 1240 according to a third control signal transmitted by the user device 1170. Specifically, the controller 1250 may adjust an elevation angle of the second communicating member 600 according to the third control signal to change the ejection direction of the object.
In another embodiment, the controller 1250 of the interactive device 1110 may further control the ejecting device to eject the objects at different frequencies according to a fourth control signal transmitted by the user device 1170. Specifically, the controller 1250 may control the motor 410 to rotate the gear assembly 420 at a predefined speed of rotation, so that the ejecting device ejects the objects at a specific frequency corresponding to the predefined speed of rotation according to the fourth control signal. Furthermore, the user device 1170 and the cloud server 1150 may also transmit a fifth control signal to control the interactive device 1110 to eject the objects periodically.
In summary, an interactive device for animals and method therefor are provided. The interaction can be created by the video/audio transceiver or the method of throwing or ejecting the object. Furthermore, because the first pusher pushes the object along the first direction, the number of objects pushed out from the recess can be precisely controlled.
Although some embodiments of the present disclosure and their advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. For example, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that many of the features, functions, processes, and materials described herein may be varied while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure. Moreover, the scope of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure of the present disclosure, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed, that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized according to the present disclosure. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps. Moreover, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.
Use of ordinal terms such as “first”, “second”, “third”, etc., in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed, but are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name from another element having the same name (but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements.
While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements (as would be apparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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104202129 | Feb 2015 | TW | national |
The present application is a continuation-in-part of and claims priority from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/997,007, filed Jan. 15, 2016, which claims priority from, Taiwan Patent Application No. 104202129, filed on Feb. 10, 2015, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 14997007 | Jan 2016 | US |
Child | 16018527 | US |