JP2000317866A - Robot device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve entertainingness and the safety of a user by selecting a first material the same as that of the surface of the head for the respective ear parts of the head, and selecting a second material softer than the first material for the back of each ear part. SOLUTION: In an ear part 21, a reinforcement material 25 made of a plastic material of a designated shape is thermo-compression bonded to cover the substantial whole of the surface of a latchlike thin plate 24. At this time, as the reinforcement material 25 stuck to the surface of the ear part 21 in a designated pattern, a plastic material which is the same material as that of a face- like frame 4F is selected. Therefore, even if the ear parts are painted in the same color as the head unit 4, the body unit and the leg units, paints can be prevented from being separated by bendincy. Further, as raw material of the back (thin plate 24) of the ear part 21, such material quality as to be comparatively soft and good for abrasion is selected. Therefore, even if the back of the ear part 21 is brought into sliding contact with the body unit in action, the ear part can be prevented from being broken or spoiled. Thus, the entertainingness can be improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a robot apparatus, and is suitably applied to, for example, a pet robot.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a pet robot of a four-legged walking type that performs a predetermined operation in accordance with a command from a user or a surrounding environment has been proposed and developed by the present applicant. Such a pet robot has a shape similar to a dog or cat bred in a general household, and operates according to a command from a user, the surrounding environment, and the like.

In a pet robot of this type, eyes, ears, a mouth, a nose, and the like are usually attached to predetermined positions of a head as pseudo parts.

[0004] Particularly in a pet robot that resembles a dog,
If the ears are relatively large and have ears hanging from both ends of the head, it is desirable to make a supple movement like a real dog. As such an ear portion, a multi-joint type in which a plurality of rigid parts (for example, plastic or the like) are movably engaged with each other, or a softening type including an elastic member such as rubber has been proposed.

Further, in a pet robot that resembles a dog, when a lower jaw is used so as to be openable and closable vertically with respect to the upper jaw, the lower jaw can be electrically closed and opened so as to be controlled. It is desirable that the user be able to simulate the action of holding an object or talking. As such a mouth, a mandible in which a lower jaw is engaged with an output shaft of an actuator built in the head, and the lower jaw can be opened and closed in a vertical direction according to drive control of the actuator is considered. ing.

[0006]

However, in this kind of pet robot, when an articulated ear is attached,
There is a problem that the number of parts is increased and the assembling method is complicated and time-consuming. Also, during various operations, when the ear touches the body, a sliding sound or a contact sound is generated, which may hinder speech recognition.

On the other hand, when the softening type ear is attached, since the texture is different from the body part, the robot as a whole gives an uncomfortable appearance, and when the robot slides on the body part during various operations, it may be worn. there were. In addition, when painted so as to have the same color as the body part, there is a possibility that it will come off when bent.

Further, in this pet robot, when a mouth having a lower jaw which opens and closes in accordance with the drive control of the actuator is provided, when the object is held in the mouth, the object is slightly bitten between the upper jaw and the lower jaw. If the user does not adjust the torque of the actuator, safety may not be ensured when the user inserts his / her finger.

As a method of adjusting the torque of the actuator, a method is conceivable in which a pressure sensor is provided on the upper jaw or lower jaw of the head, and the driving state of the actuator is feedback-controlled based on the detection result of the pressure sensor.

However, this method has a practically insufficient problem that the number of components is increased by the provision of the pressure sensor and the control is complicated by the feedback control.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is an object of the present invention to propose a robot apparatus that can significantly improve amusement and ensure user safety.

[0012]

In order to solve this problem, the present invention has a head having a surface resembling an animal shape made of a first material, and a pair of ears at predetermined positions of the head. In the robot apparatus provided with the above, the surface of each ear is selected to be the same as the first material as the surface of the head, and the back of each ear is selected to be the second material which is softer than the first material. I made it.

As a result, in this robot device, the back surface of the ear portion is made of a relatively soft material, so that it can be supposedly moved in the same manner as a real animal, and since the surface is hard, it is prevented from peeling off even when painting. To maintain the same texture as the head surface.

According to the present invention, there is provided a robot having a head resembling an animal shape, and a lower jaw forming a mouth at a predetermined position of the head being mounted so as to open and close in response to driving of an actuator. In the device, when the output shaft of the actuator is engaged and inserted between the output shaft of the actuator and the base of the lower jaw, and the torque applied to the output shaft exceeds a predetermined value,
A torque limiter is provided to release the engagement between the output shaft of the actuator and the base of the lower jaw.

As a result, in this robot apparatus, the configuration of the head can be simplified, and the biting force at the time of opening and closing the lower jaw can be easily controlled.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

(1) Configuration of Robot According to the Present Embodiment In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a pet robot according to the present embodiment as a whole, and leg units 3A to 3D are connected to the front, rear, left and right of a body unit 2, respectively. The head unit 4 and the tail unit 5 are connected to the front end and the rear end of the body unit 2, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 2, the body unit 2 includes a controller 10 for controlling the operation of the pet robot 1 as a whole, a battery 11 as a power source of the pet robot 1, a battery sensor 12 and An internal sensor unit 14 including the thermal sensor 13 and the like are housed.

The head unit 4 has a microphone 15 corresponding to "ears" and a CCD (Char) corresponding to "eyes".
ge Coupled Device) Camera 16 and touch sensor 17
And a speaker 18 corresponding to the “mouth” are arranged at predetermined positions.

Further, the joints of the leg units 3A to 3D, the leg units 3A to 3D and the trunk unit 2
Each coupling portion of the head unit 4 and the connecting portion of the body unit 2, and the tail unit 5 and the body unit, respectively, etc. The coupling portion actuator 3AA ₁ of 2
３3AA _K , 3BA ₁ ３3BA _K , 3CA ₁ Ｃ3C
_{A K, 3DA 1 ~3DA K,} 4A 1 ~4A L, 5A 1 ~
5A _M is disposed.

The microphone 15 of the head unit 4
Collects command sounds such as “walk”, “down” or “chase the ball” given by the user as a musical scale by a sound commander (a commander that generates a different musical scale according to the operation content), not shown, Obtained audio signal S
1 is sent to the controller 10. CCD camera 1
6 captures an image of the surroundings and sends the obtained image signal S2 to the controller 10.

Further, the touch sensor 17 is provided on the upper part of the head unit 4 as apparent from FIG. 1, and detects the pressure received by a physical action such as "stroke" or "slap" from the user. , And sends the detection result to the controller 10 as a pressure detection signal S3.

Further, the battery sensor 12 of the body unit 2 detects the remaining amount of the battery 11 and sends the detection result to the controller 10 as a battery remaining amount detection signal S4. Is detected as a heat detection signal S5.
To send to.

The controller 10 includes a microphone 15,
Surrounding conditions are determined based on the audio signal S1, image signal S2, pressure detection signal S3, remaining battery detection signal S4, heat detection signal S5, and the like provided from the CCD camera 16, the touch sensor 17, the battery sensor 12, and the heat sensor 13. And whether there is a command from the user, an action from the user, or the like.

The controller 10 determines a subsequent action based on the determination result and a control program input in advance, and determines a necessary actuator 3 based on the determination result.
_{AA 1 ~3AA K, 3BA 1 ~3BA} K, 3CA 1 ~3
_{CA K, 3DA 1 ~3DA K,} 4A 1 ~4A L, 5A 1
By driving the to 5 A _M, or to shake the head unit 4 up and down and right and left, or to move the tail unit 5,
Each leg unit 3A to 3D is driven to perform an action such as walking.

At this time, the controller 10 outputs a voice based on the voice signal S6 to the outside by giving a predetermined voice signal S6 to the speaker 18 as necessary, and thereby the "eye" of the pet robot 1 is detected. A not-shown LED (Light Emitting Diode) provided at the position is turned on, off, or blinks.

As described above, the pet robot 1 can autonomously act on the basis of the surrounding situation and the control program.

(2) Appearance configuration of the head unit of the pet robot The head unit 4 has an appearance shape similar to a real dog head as shown in FIG. The touch sensor 17 is provided so as to form the top 4FT of the face-like frame 4F of
L disposed at a position corresponding to the “eye” from
A protective cover 4C made of a translucent plastic colored in a dark tone is attached so as to cover the ED (not shown).

At predetermined positions on both sides of the face-like frame 4F, a cylindrical fixed shaft 20 having a built-in microphone 15 is provided.
Are provided, and an ear portion 21 having a predetermined shape is rotatably attached around the fixed shaft 20.

Further, a CCD camera 16 is built in a portion 4FN corresponding to the "nose" at the tip of the face-like frame 4F, and the upper jaw 4 below the face-like frame 4F.
The FU has a built-in speaker 18. A fixed shaft 22 is provided at a predetermined position of the upper jaw 4FU of the face-like frame 4F, and a lower jaw 23 is rotatably mounted in a predetermined angle range around the fixed shaft 22 (base portion).

(2-1) Configuration of Ear Part Specifically, the ear part 21 is formed on the surface of a substantially shoehorn-shaped thin plate 24 made of, for example, trade name “Hytrel” manufactured by Toray Dupont Co., Ltd. A reinforcing material 25 made of a plastic material having a predetermined shape is thermocompression-bonded so as to cover the whole.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, which are cross-sectional views taken along lines AA 'and BB' in FIG.
1, a hole 24H having a predetermined diameter is formed at one end of the thin plate 24.
Are formed, and a slit 24S having a predetermined width is formed for each predetermined length based on the perforation hole 24H.
A part of the reinforcing material 25 surrounds the perforated hole 24H of the thin plate, and forms a stepped cylindrical portion 25P having a different diameter on the back side through the thin plate 24H.

The cylindrical portion 25P is detachably fitted to a substantially annular frictional portion (that is, a fixed shaft) 20 made of a plastic material and protruding from the side surface of the face-like frame 4F. At the time of fitting, the tapered flange portion 20F formed at the tip of the rubbing portion 20 engages with the step portion 25PD of the cylindrical body portion 25P, thereby being fixed in the axial direction and rotatable about the shaft. Is held.

Further, a disk-shaped microphone cover 26 having a through groove 26H of a predetermined shape is detachably attached so as to cover the perforated hole 24H of the thin plate 24.

[0035] (2-2) Configuration The lower jaw 23 of lower jaw, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the upper jaw 4FU output shaft of the actuator 4A ₁ provided (FIG. 3) (i.e., the fixed shaft) 22 and a pair of annular portions 23RA and 23RB indirectly abutting on
A receiving portion 23M having a concave space 23MS whose width gradually becomes narrower from 23RB to the tip.

The lower jaw 23 has a pair of annular portions 23R.
A, 23RB is mounted to the actuator 4A ₁ so as to sandwich from both ends, and the output shaft 22 of the actuator 4A ₁ protrudes through one of the annular portion 23Ra.

One annular portion 23RA of the lower jaw 23
Includes a metal ring 31 fixed to the output shaft 22 of the actuator 4A ₁ via an annular stopper 30 made of rubber material are abutting held, together with the output shaft 22 of the actuator 4A ₁ ring The stopper 31, the stopper 30, and the annular portion 23RA can rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow a or in the opposite direction.

At this time, one annular portion 23R of the lower jaw 23
A is adapted to constitute a torque limiter to the output shaft 22 of the actuator 4A ₁ with the stopper 30 and the ring 31, as a result, the output of the actuator 4A ₁ only to the extent that the frictional force is exerted between the stopper 30 Axis 2
It is designed to be able to rotate integrally with 2.

[0039] If a relatively heavy object is placed on the socket portion 23M of this for the lower jaw 23, when the frictional force between one of the annular portions 23RA and the stopper 30 becomes 0, the output shaft of the actuator 4A ₁ While rotating 22, the annular portion 23RA is kept as it is without rotating.

Further, a pair of tooth-shaped projections 23MTA and 23MTB are formed at the distal end of the receiving portion 23M of the lower jaw portion 23. When an object is placed on the receiving portion 23M, the object is placed on the pair of projections 23MTA and 23MTB. Can be prevented from falling by being hooked.

(3) Operation and Effect of the Present Embodiment In the above configuration, in the head unit 4 of the pet robot 1, the ear portions 21 having the configuration as shown in FIG. To be mounted on.

At this time, the back of the ear 21 (ie, the thin plate 2)
By selecting a material that is relatively soft and resistant to abrasion as the material 4), it is possible to prevent the back surface of the ear portion 21 from being damaged or scratched even when the back surface of the ear portion 21 is in sliding contact with the body portion unit 2 during operation. Even when the user touches the unit 2, it is possible to prevent the sliding contact sound and the contact sound from being generated.

Further, the plastic material of the same material as that of the face frame 4F is selected as the reinforcing material 25 stuck to the surface of the ear portion 21 in a predetermined pattern, so that not only the head unit 4 but also the body unit 2 and each Leg unit 3
Even when painted so as to have the same color as A to 3D, it is possible to avoid peeling when bent.

The head unit 4 has a lower jaw 2 having a structure including a torque limiter as shown in FIG.
3 the mounting, so as to open and close operation according to the drive control of the actuator 4A ₁ incorporated in the upper jaw 4FU.

[0045] Even when relatively heavy objects are placed on the socket portion 23M of the lower jaw 23, when the frictional force between the stopper 30 and the annular portion 23RA made of a rubber material becomes 0, the output shaft of the actuator 4A ₁ Since the wheel 22 idles, even if the user's finger is inserted instead of an object, there is a limit to the biting force, so that the safety of the user can be ensured.

[0046] The further such torque limiter, by attaching a stopper 30 made of rubber material between one of the annular portion 23RA of the ring 31 fixed to the output shaft 22 of the actuator 4A ₁ and the lower jaw portion 23 so as to be coaxial center With this configuration, the configuration of the head unit 4 can be remarkably simplified because there is no need to provide a pressure sensor unlike the related art, and control of the entire robot is simplified because feedback control is not performed on the actuator. be able to.

According to the above configuration, in the head unit 4 of the pet robot 1, reinforcement made of a predetermined pattern of plastic material is provided on the surface of the thin plate 24 made of a relatively soft and wear-resistant material as a whole at predetermined positions on both sides. Lumber 25
The rotatable ears 21 are attached, so that they can be made to move supplely in the same way as real dogs because they are relatively soft, and the hard surface prevents them from peeling off even when painted. Thus, the same texture as the surface of other units can be maintained.

In the head unit 4 of the pet robot 1, the lower jaw 23 is attached to the upper jaw 4FU so as to be openable and closable.
The output shaft 22 of the actuator 4A ₁ for connecting a 3RA by providing the torque limiter using friction of the stopper 30 made of rubber material, with can the configuration of the head unit 4 in a simple opening and closing operation of the lower jaw portion 23 In this case, the biting force can be easily controlled.

(4) Other Embodiments In the above-described embodiment, as the second material forming the thin plate 24 as the back surface of the ear portion 21, "Hytrel" manufactured by Toray Dupont Co., Ltd. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the slits 24S are not formed in the ears 21, the product name “Kuramilon U” manufactured by Kuraray Co., Ltd. A urethane-based resin referred to as "A" may be used. In short, as the second material, any other resin can be widely used as long as it is relatively soft and has abrasion resistance.

In the above embodiment, the ear 2
Although the case where plastic is applied as the second material constituting the reinforcing material 25 covering the surface of the head unit 4 of the head unit 4 in the pet robot 1 has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. In addition, as long as the first material is a relatively hard material, various hard materials such as a metal such as aluminum may be widely used in addition to the resin.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, a reinforcing material 25 processed in a predetermined pattern so as to correspond to the front surface of the ear portion 21 is bonded to the thin plate 24 corresponding to the back surface of the ear portion 21 by thermocompression bonding. However, the present invention is not limited to this. If the second material of the thin plate 24 and the first material of the reinforcing plate 25 are firmly fixed, they may be bonded by various other methods. You may do it.

[0052] In the above embodiment, previously attached to the lower jaw 23 opens and closes in response to the drive of the actuator 4A ₁ for the head unit 4 of the pet robot 1 with respect to the upper jaw 4FU, the mandibular Part 23
Actuator 4A connected to one of the annular portions 23RA
_Although the case where the stopper 30 made of a rubber material is interposed as a torque limiter on the output shaft 22 of the _first embodiment has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. If the engagement between the output shaft of the actuator and the base of the lower jaw can be released when the torque applied to the output shaft is equal to or more than a predetermined value when the torque applied to the output shaft is greater than a predetermined value, various other torque limiters are used. May be applied. In this case, even if the material of the stopper 30 is not a rubber material, various elastic materials other than the rubber material may be applied as long as a predetermined frictional force can be generated between the annular portion 23RA and the output shaft 22. .

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the head unit 4 of the pet robot 1 configured as shown in FIG. 1 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other The present invention can be widely applied to a robot head resembling an animal having various configurations.

[0054]

As described above, according to the present invention, a robot having a head having a surface resembling an animal shape made of the first material and having a pair of ears at predetermined positions of the head. In the device, the surface of each ear is selected to be the same as the first material as the surface of the head, and the back of each ear is selected to be the second material that is softer than the first material. Since the back of the ear is made of a relatively soft material, it can move supplely in the same way as a real animal, but the hard surface of the ear prevents it from peeling off even when painted, and it has the same texture as the head surface Thus, it is possible to realize a robot device which can maintain the amusement property remarkably.

According to the present invention, there is provided a robot having a head resembling an animal shape, and a lower jaw constituting a mouth at a predetermined position of the head being mounted so as to open and close in response to driving of an actuator. In the device, when the output shaft of the actuator is engaged and inserted between the output shaft of the actuator and the base of the lower jaw, and the torque applied to the output shaft exceeds a predetermined value,
By providing a torque limiter for releasing the engagement between the output shaft of the actuator and the base of the lower jaw, the biting force at the time of opening and closing the lower jaw can be easily controlled, and thus the safety of the user can be improved. It is possible to realize a robot device that can ensure the performance.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a pet robot according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the pet robot of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating a configuration of a head unit in the pet robot.

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view showing a configuration of an ear in the head unit of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a configuration of an ear in the head unit of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a lower jaw in the head unit of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a top view showing a configuration of a lower jaw in the head unit of FIG. 3;

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... pet robot, 2 ... body unit, 3A ~
3D leg unit, 4 head unit, 4FU
... upper jaw, 5 ...... tail unit, 3AA ₁ ~5A _M ...
... actuator, 15 microphone, 21 ear, 22 output shaft, 23 lower jaw, 23M receptacle, 23MTA, 23MTB ... projection, 23RA, 2
3RB: annular portion, 24: thin plate, 25: reinforcing material, 2
6 ... microphone cover, 30 ... stopper, 31 ... ring.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A robot apparatus having a head having a surface resembling an animal shape made of a first material, wherein a pair of ears are provided at predetermined positions of the head. A robot device, wherein the first material is selected to be the same as the front surface of the head, and the back surface of each ear portion is selected to be a second material softer than the first material. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second material is processed into an outer shape of each of the ears, and the first material processed into a predetermined pattern is attached to the processed second material. The robot device according to claim 1, wherein the ear portion is formed. 3. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second material is made of a urethane resin. 4. A robot device having a head resembling an animal shape, wherein a lower jaw forming a mouth at a predetermined position of the head is mounted to open and close in response to driving of an actuator. When the output shaft of the actuator is engaged and interposed between the output shaft of the actuator and the base portion of the lower jaw, and the torque applied to the output shaft becomes a predetermined value or more, the output shaft of the actuator and the base portion of the lower jaw portion A torque limiter for releasing engagement with the robot. 5. The robot apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said torque limiter comprises an annular elastic material having a center coaxial with an output shaft of said actuator.