JP2002219673A - Bipedal walking type robot - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize smooth bipedal walking similar to a walking mode of a human body by simple and inexpensive constitution. SOLUTION: Foot parts 40, 50 attached to a lower end of a crank mechanism of a substantially parallelogram is rotation-moved to draw elliptic loci respectively and to bring left and right sides into just opposite phases each other, by the crank mechanism of the substantially parallelogram in both leg parts 20, 30 of a robot main body 1. Forks 421, 521 are provided in both foot parts 40, 50 to be stored inside a case 43 and freely extended inwards by motors 48, 58. The fork of the foot part grounded in just before is extended inwards in the period when the both foot parts 40, 50 are grounded on a floor 4 during walking, by controlling current-carrying to the motors 48, 58 in response to rotation of a crankshaft 18a, and the fork of the other foot part brought up next is stored inside the foot part. Single foot support for a barrel part 10 is attained by the extended fork, and frontward or rearward driving force is obtained by rotational motion of the leg parts 20, 30.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a biped walking robot suitable for toys and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a bipedal walking robot in a toy, for example, JP-A-7-31749 and JP-A-7-2
The thing described in 27482 gazette etc. is known. This conventional bipedal walking robot is accommodated inside when the foot bottom surface provided at the lower end of the leg lands on the walking surface, and protrudes downward when the foot is separated from the walking surface. Wheels that contact the surface are provided inside the left and right legs. The wheels are rotationally driven by a motor, and the rotational power of the wheels causes the robot to move forward and backward.

[0003]

However, in the above-described conventional bipedal walking robot, the wheel is in contact with the walking surface even in the foot lifted upward, and the wheel is hidden behind the foot. Even if it is difficult to see, it cannot be said that complete bipedalism has been achieved.

In addition to the above-mentioned prior art, there is also known a bipedal walking robot which secures the support of the body by only one leg and walks by rotating the left and right legs. However, such conventional robots need to have a very large foot contact area in order to secure a stable balance with one foot, and the balance with the size of the torso must be unnatural. I can't. In other words, there is an inconvenience that the dimensional balance of the human body is greatly deviated.

[0005] On the other hand, in fields other than toys and playground equipment, research and development of bipedal walking robots imitating human walking forms have been progressed at various research institutions. However, such a bipedal walking robot has a very complicated structure and control, and cannot be applied to the field of toys and playground equipment requiring low cost.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and a main object of the present invention is to maintain a form close to a human in appearance (for example, it is necessary to unnaturally enlarge a foot part). To provide a bipedal walking robot that can perform bipedal walking by raising both the left and right legs one by one alternately, and that can be realized at low cost with a simple configuration and control. is there.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects A first invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is to provide a body, a pair of right and left legs provided on the body, and a lower end of the legs. A bipedal walking robot having a foot provided on the floor and alternately stepping forward or backward on the left and right to walk on the floor, a) the leg is substantially elliptical when viewed from the side Leg driving means for driving the legs such that the left foot and the right foot rotate in substantially opposite phases to each other, and b) at the bottoms of the left and right feet, respectively. An auxiliary support movably provided between a state stored in each foot and a state extending inward from the foot, and moving the auxiliary support between the two states. Erecting auxiliary means including auxiliary support moving means; and c) interlocking with driving of the leg by the leg driving means. Then, when both the left and right feet are in a state of landing on the floor, the auxiliary support for the next foot separated from the floor is stored in the foot and the auxiliary support for the other foot is stored. Interlocking control means for operating the auxiliary support moving means so as to extend inward from the inside of the foot.

In the bipedal walking robot according to the first aspect of the present invention, the left and right legs perform circular or elliptical motions in substantially reversed phases, so that one leg is below the rotation locus and the bottom surface is the floor. When in contact with the surface, the other foot is above the locus of rotation and its bottom surface is spaced from the floor surface. In other words, the robot stands up with one foot, but on the side of the foot landing on the floor, the auxiliary support extends inward and the robot's center of gravity is located above the landing surface, so the robot lifts The standing state of one foot can be maintained without leaning to the foot side. On the other hand, on the side of the foot separated from the floor, the auxiliary support is accommodated in the foot. That is, since the auxiliary support necessary for standing on one leg is extended only during the landing period, standing on one leg can be achieved without making the foot itself unusually larger than the size of the body. Further, since the auxiliary support is accommodated in the foot, interference with the other foot does not occur, the auxiliary support can be enlarged accordingly, and it is not necessary to widen the interval between the two legs. Furthermore, since the auxiliary support extends only when it lands, if it is formed in a thin shape, it is less noticeable in appearance and a natural walking posture can be obtained.

As described above, according to the bipedal walking robot according to the first aspect of the present invention, bipedal walking close to a human walking state can be performed with a simple configuration, and the shape of the robot is also inadequate. It can approach human form without becoming natural form.

In the bipedal walking robot according to the first aspect of the present invention, in order to surely maintain the standing state when the robot stands up on one leg, the auxiliary support on the foot side where the robot lands is on the opposite side (ie, It must extend significantly in the direction of the feet (away from the floor). Therefore, in this bipedal walking robot, the auxiliary support reaches a position overlapping with the other foot when extending inward, and the foot and the auxiliary support have the right and left legs during walking. It is preferable that the extended auxiliary support is formed so as to slide under the other foot without interfering with the other foot in a state where they both land on the floor surface. As a specific mode, for example, the auxiliary support is a fork-shaped body that is directed inward, and when the left and right feet both land on the floor during walking, the extended auxiliary support has a protrusion. The piece can be configured to slide into the recess of the other auxiliary support. According to this, it is not necessary to provide the space between the two leg portions so as to protrude from the body portion to the right and left, and it is possible to obtain a robot having a form similar to a human in appearance.

Since the auxiliary support is accommodated in the foot when the foot is separated from the floor, the auxiliary support is not so noticeable when walking. Preferably, the auxiliary support is made of a transparent member. It is good to consist of. According to this, even if the auxiliary support extends from the foot landing on the floor,
When viewed from above, the color of the floor surface can be seen through the auxiliary support, so that there is an advantage that it looks as if there is no auxiliary support.

In the bipedal walking robot as described above, the left and right legs can be moved up and down by a drive mechanism utilizing a parallel link mechanism or the like. The walking motion is awkward and easy to see because it moves up and down in a stretched state. If the knee moves up and down when the leg moves up and down, the walking motion looks smoother, but it is difficult to reduce the cost and provide a mechanism corresponding to the knee joint. On the other hand, in the bipedal walking robot according to the second aspect of the present invention, the exterior member forming the outer shape by covering the rod-shaped body corresponding to the bone of the leg while leaving the leg driving means intact. By doing
It is possible to make it appear as if the knee is flexing and stretching during the walking motion.

That is, a bipedal walking robot according to a second aspect of the present invention comprises a body, a pair of left and right legs provided on the body,
A bipedal walking robot having a foot provided at a lower end of the leg, and walking on the floor by alternately stepping the foot forward or backward left and right, wherein the torso and the foot are used as the leg. And one or more rod-like bodies connecting the legs, wherein the foot portion draws a substantially elliptical or substantially circular trajectory when viewed from the side, and the left foot portion and the right foot portion rotate in substantially opposite phases to each other. Legs driving means for driving the rod-shaped body so as to form a leg exterior member that covers the rod-shaped body from an upper cover corresponding to the upper leg and a lower cover corresponding to the lower leg, The upper cover has its front upper portion rotatably fixed to the body portion,
The lower cover is characterized in that the lower front portion is rotatably fixed to the foot, and the lower front portion of the upper cover and the upper front portion of the lower cover are pivotally connected to each other.

In the bipedal walking robot according to the second aspect of the present invention, when the foot is below the rotation trajectory, the distance between the foot and the torso is maximized, and the upper cover and the lower cover are separated from each other. The cover is pulled from the up and down direction, and the two covers are substantially straight with the pivot portion interposed therebetween. On the other hand, when the foot is above the rotation locus, the distance between the foot and the body is minimized, and the upper cover and the lower cover are pushed from the upper and lower directions, respectively. Rotate closer to the center to each other. That is, the former looks as if the knee is extended, and the latter looks as if the knee is bent backward. This makes it possible for the knee to bend and stretch in conjunction with the vertical movement of the foot during walking, so that the walking motion looks very smooth and more closely resembles a human walking form.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A bipedal walking robot according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a biped walking robot according to the present embodiment, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are a left half body side view and a front view of a robot body 1 of the biped walking robot. As shown in FIG. 1, the bipedal walking robot includes a robot body 1 that walks on a floor 4 and a control box 3 connected to the robot body 1 via a cable 2. The robot body 1 has, for example, various types of exteriors imitating so-called characters, which are known in animation programs of television, etc., but these exterior members are removed in FIGS. Only the portions related to are described in a simplified manner.

The robot body 1 has a left leg 20 and a right leg 30 on the left and right sides of a rectangular parallelepiped box body 10, respectively.
Left and right legs 20 inside the body 10
A drive mechanism 11 is provided for driving the motor 30 in synchronization.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the drive mechanism 11.
(A) is a left side view, and (b) is a partial top view. The rotational power of the small main motor 12 is transmitted to the worm 14 attached to the motor shaft 13, the first gear 15 meshed with the worm 14, the second gear 16 meshed with the first gear 15, and the front and rear of the second gear 16. Are transmitted to two horizontally extending crankshafts (a front crankshaft 18a and a rear crankshaft 18b) via a front gear 17a and a rear gear 17b, respectively meshing with each other, and the crankshafts 18a and 18b are moved in the same direction. Rotate at the same speed. When the main motor 12 rotates in the opposite direction, the two crankshafts 18a and 18b also rotate in the opposite direction in conjunction with each other. Worm 14, first gear 15, second gear 1
6. The number of teeth of the front gear 17a (and the rear gear 17b) is appropriately determined in consideration of the ratio between the rotation speed of the main motor 12 and the rotation speed of the front crankshaft 18a (and the rear crankshaft 18b).

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, both ends of the front crankshaft 18a and the rear crankshaft 18b, which are substantially in the same horizontal plane and are parallel to each other, project through the side plate of the body 10 to the left and right sides. The two crankpins 21a and 21b on the left side and the two crankpins 31 on the right side so that the operation on the left side and the right side are exactly reversed.
a, 31b are one around the crankshafts 18a, 18b.
It is mounted at a rotation position facing 80 °. The left leg 20 is attached to the crank pins 21a and 21b, and the right leg 30 is attached to the crank pins 31a and 31b. The left and right legs 20 and 30 have the same structure except that they are symmetric. Therefore, only the left leg 20 will be described here.

As described above, the two crank pins 21
a and 21b are fixed to the ends of the crankshafts 18a and 18b, and the other ends of the crankpins 21a and 21b are rotated by the upper ends of the same two substantially rectangular parallel links 22a and 22b. It is freely pivoted. This parallel link 2
In the upper middle part of the upper and lower parts 2a and 22b, there are formed pivotally-supporting openings 23a and 23b which are long in a substantially vertical direction, and guide pins 24a and 24b projecting from the side plate of the body part 10 are used for the pivotal support. By loosely fitting into the openings 23a and 23b, the movement of the parallel links 22a and 22b is restricted. Furthermore, the lower ends of the two parallel links 22a and 22b are provided with a left foot portion 4 described later.
A front U-shaped mounting plate 41, which is a part of 0, is rotatably pivotally supported.

As described above, when the crankshafts 18a and 18b are rotated by the rotational driving force of the main motor 12, the pivotal support portions at the upper ends of the parallel links 22a and 22b are respectively indicated by A and B in FIG. Rotate circularly. However, the movement of the parallel links 22a, 22b is
a, 24b and the pivotal openings 23a, 23b are restricted by loose fit. Therefore, the pivotal supports at the lower ends of the parallel links 22a, 22b rotate in a direction opposite to the above-described circular rotational movement, as shown in FIG. It makes an elliptical rotary motion indicated by D. Since the rotations of the two crankshafts 18a, 18b are synchronized, the parallelism of the two parallel links 22a, 22b is always maintained, and the bottom surface of the left foot 40 is maintained substantially parallel to the floor surface 4. It rotates in an elliptical shape in this state. Also, the parallel link 22 on the left side
Since the a and 22b and the parallel links 32a and 32b on the right side operate in opposite phases (that is, in a state shifted by 180 °) from each other, the elliptic motions of the left foot 40 and the right foot 50 have exactly inverted phases, for example, When the left foot 40 is at the position L1 shown by the solid line in FIG. 2, the right foot 50 is at the position L2 shown by the one-dot chain line, and when the left foot 40 is at the position L4, the right foot 50 is at the position L3. .

In this manner, the left and right legs 20, 30 are alternately raised and stepped forward (or backward). At the lower end of the left leg 20 is a left foot 40,
The right foot portion 50 is attached to the lower end of the right leg portion 30. Since the left and right foot portions 40 and 50 have the same structure except that they are symmetrical, the left foot portion 40 is used here. Only the following will be described.

FIG. 5 is an exploded view showing the main constituent members of the left foot 40, and FIG. 6 is a schematic top view for explaining the operation of the left foot 40. The movable body 42 is made of a transparent synthetic resin material, and a fork 421 protrudes from a base 421 having a U-shaped cross section. The movable body 42 is housed in a lower case 43 having an open lower part on the entire lower surface and the inner side (the side facing the right foot 50). On the upper surface of the lower case 43, two gears 44, 4 meshing with each other are provided.
5 are rotatably mounted, and their gears 44,
A gear case 46 is attached so as to cover the gear 45, and a motor 48 that drives the gear 44 to rotate via a pinion gear 47 is provided. One pin 441, 451 is provided on the outer peripheral side of the gears 44, 45 so as to be directed downward, respectively. The lower case 43 has a circular orbit of the pins 441, 451 when the gears 44, 45 rotate. The semi-circular slits 431 and 432 are perforated so as to match with.
Also, pins 441 and 45 are provided on the base 422 of the movable body 42.
The linear slits 423, 42 are located within the range of movement in the front-rear direction when 1 moves within the semi-circular slits 431, 432.
4 are formed.

As shown in FIG. 6 (a), when the motor 48 is driven to rotate in a predetermined direction (hereinafter referred to as a normal rotation direction) from a state where the movable body 42 is housed in the lower case 43, the pinion gear is rotated. The two gears 44 and 45 rotate in directions opposite to each other via 47, and the pins 441 and 451 move from the outside to the inside along the semicircular slits 431 and 432. According to this movement, as shown in FIG.
The movable body 42 is drawn inward so that the fork 421 extends. As shown in FIG. 6C, the pins 441 and 45
When 1 reaches the inside ends of the semicircular arc-shaped slits 431 and 432, the fork 421 is in the most extended state. Since the lower surface of the fork 421 is substantially flush with the lower edge of the lower case 43, the extension of the fork 421 is substantially the same as the spread of the landing surface. When the motor 48 rotates in the reverse direction from this state,
By the operation reverse to the above-described withdrawal operation, the fork 4
21 is housed inside the lower case 43 so as to be completely hidden in the lower case 43. In this manner, the fork 421 can be extended or stored by the rotation of the motor 48.

The bipedal walking robot according to the present embodiment has the above-described operation of the left and right legs 20, 30 and the left and right legs 40,
In combination with the fork moving operation of the fork 50, forward and backward walking are performed. Next, the left and right legs 20,
A configuration for interlocking the movement of the fork 421 with the extending / retracting operation of the fork 421 will be described. FIG. 7 shows the front gear 17a.
FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram showing a switch mechanism including a front gear 17a, and FIG. 9 is an electrical configuration diagram of a main part including the switch mechanism. The configuration of the switch mechanism in the rear gear 17b is the same as that shown in FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 7, the base 1 of the front gear 17a
A slit 172 penetrating left and right is formed in 71. From both sides of the base 171, the slit 1
A substantially fan-shaped conductive plate 173 or 174 provided with a protruding piece separated according to the width of 72 is inserted. Conductive plates 173 on both sides,
The projecting piece of 174 comes into stable contact inside the slit 172. Therefore, the conductive plates 17 opposed to each other with the base 171 interposed therebetween.
Between 3, 174, it is in an electrically conductive state.

As shown in FIG. 8, in a state where the front gear 17a is assembled as a part of the drive mechanism 11 as described above, two switches 60a and 60 are sandwiched between the front gear 17a.
1a is attached at a position approximately 180 ° apart. The switch 60a (similarly to the switch 61a) is composed of two conductors 601 and 603 having opposing contact pieces 602 and 604 having wear resistance.
3 is an urging member 60 such as rubber or spring having electrical insulation.
5 are urged to be close to each other. As a result, the contact pieces 602 and 604 are pressed against the both surfaces of the base 171 of the front gear 17a with appropriate strength, respectively, and are in contact therewith. Accordingly, with the rotation of the front gear 17a, the conductive plates 173, 174 are located at positions facing the contact pieces 602, 604.
, The conductors 601 and 603 on both sides conduct through the conductive plates 173 and 174. On the other hand, the contact piece 61 of the switch 61a having the same configuration as the switch 60a
When the conductive plates 173 and 174 come to the positions opposite to each other, the conductors 611 and 613 on both sides conduct through the conductive plates 173 and 174. That is, when the front gear 17a rotates continuously, the switch 60a
And the switch 61a are turned on alternately for a predetermined time, and in the other period, both switches 60a and 61a are turned off.

As shown in FIG. 9, a switch 60a provided on the front gear 17a, a switch 60b provided on the rear gear 17b, and a switch 6 provided on the front gear 17a.
The switches 61b provided on the rear gear 1a and the rear gear 17b are configured to be turned on and off at substantially the same timing, respectively. Further, the drive current i supplied from the battery 301 flows in the reverse direction to the motors 48 and 58 each time the crankshafts 18a and 18b make a half turn, that is, the rotation drive direction is reversed, and for the same period. The motor 48 and the motor 58 are configured so that one of them rotates forward and the other rotates reversely.

FIG. 10 is a time chart showing the walking operation of this bipedal walking robot. When the two feet 40 and 50 perform a rotational motion respectively by the rotation of the main motor 12,
For example, in FIG. 2, when the left foot 40 is at the position L3 and when it is at the inverted position L4,
Landed in That is, as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, both the left foot 40 and the right foot 50
A period of about 60% of one rotation cycle of a and b (hereinafter, simply referred to as “one cycle”) is on the floor surface 4. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10 (c), for a part of one cycle, both feet 40, 50 are both in a stable state, that is, both feet 40, 50 have landed.

As described above, when the two feet 40 and 50 are in a landed state, for example, in a period T1 in FIG. 10C, the motor 48 on the left foot 40 that has just landed rotates in the forward direction. Right foot 5 about to be lifted
The motor 58 on the 0 side rotates in the reverse direction (FIG. 10).
(D), (e)). As a result, the fork 421 that has been stored in the left foot portion 40 is pulled out,
On the other hand, in the right foot portion 50, the fork 521 that has been pulled out is stored (FIGS. 10F and 10G).
reference).

FIG. 11 is a view showing a landing state of both feet 40 and 50 at this time, and shows a state in which the sole of the foot is looked up from the floor surface 4 side. In this figure, the portion that lands on the floor surface 4 is the range indicated by oblique lines. FIG. 11A shows a state in which the left foot portion 40 that has been separated from the floor surface 4 has just landed. At this time, when viewed from above, the right foot 5
The fork 421 of the left foot part 40 looks like the left foot part 40 is superimposed on the fork 521 that is extended.
Are stored, and the forks 521 around the right foot 50 are
The fork 421 behind the left foot 40 is in contact with the gap between the forks 421, 521 of the two feet 40, 50.
Do not interfere with each other. Next, when the motors 48 and 58 are respectively driven to rotate as described above, the right foot 5
The fork 521 of the left foot 40 is extended instead of the fork 521 (see FIG. 11B). By the operation being performed almost simultaneously, or by the storage operation being performed slightly earlier than the extension operation,
The forks 421, 521 of the two feet 40, 50 do not interfere with each other.

Thereafter, the right foot portion 50 is lifted upward, and the sole is sent forward while leaving the floor surface 4. At this time, as shown in FIG. 11 (c), the fork 421 extended largely inward at the lower edge of the lower case 43 in the left foot portion 40.
Are in contact with the floor surface 4, thereby supporting the body 10 on one foot. The right foot portion 50 carried forward is located in front of the left foot portion 40 and the forks 421, 5
21 are lowered to positions where they do not interfere with each other and come into contact with the floor surface (see FIG. 11D). In this way, the fork extends at the foot supported by one foot, so that the robot body 1 does not fall even if the center of gravity of the robot body 1 is not suitable for being supported only by its left foot 40. The robot body 1 is supported until the right foot part 50 lifted upward lands. When the main motor 12 is driven in the predetermined rotation direction, the robot body 1 walks forward by alternately raising the left and right legs 40 and 50 by such repetition. If the rotation direction of the main motor 12 is reversed, the robot body 1 walks backward by an operation completely opposite to the above.

The mechanism for taking the fork in and out is not limited to the above-mentioned structure, and various structures can be adopted. The above structure has the following advantages. That is, the pins 441 and 451 are connected to the semi-circular slits 431 and 4
32 at the same angular velocity along the fork 42
The velocity component in the movement direction of the first is a semi-circular slit 431,
432 is small near both ends and becomes maximum at the center. Therefore, when the fork 421 is pulled out or pulled in, the operation of the fork 421 is initially started.
Moves slowly, gradually becomes faster, and then gradually slows down to stop moving. That is, when the fork 421 starts moving from the stopped state, an ideal state is obtained in which a large torque is obtained although the speed is low. Further, the configuration for controlling the motor for taking in and out the fork is not limited to the above-described configuration, and various configurations can be adopted as long as they can be linked to the movement of the legs 20, 30.

The above is the operation at the time of the straight running, but the bipedal walking robot of the present embodiment is considered so as to be able to turn left and right while moving forward and backward.
For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 9, switches 302 and 303 capable of independently interrupting the drive current to the motors 48 and 58 of the left and right feet 40 and 50 are provided in the control box 3. By operating the switches 302 and 303, a turn can be performed as follows.

Now, for example, at the time of forward walking, the right and left feet 4
It is assumed that 0 and 50 are in the state shown in FIG. Immediately before entering this state, the connection line to the motor 48 is disconnected by the switch 303, while the switch 302 is kept closed. Therefore, in the case of normal forward walking, FIG.
While the fork 421 extends as shown in (b), the fork 421 remains stored as shown in FIG. 12 (a), while the fork 521 of the right foot 50
Is stored as usual. Therefore, since the upper body is not supported by the fork 421 when the right foot portion 50 is gradually lifted next, the right edge of the sole of the left and right foot portions 40 and 50 is not moved as shown in FIG. The robot body 1 as a whole gradually tilts to the right while both are in contact with the floor surface 4. At this time, the left foot portion 40 applies a force to the floor surface 4 so as to push down the floor surface 4 downward.
Turn right around 0. On the other hand, both left and right feet 40,
Since the interval in the width direction between both feet when the feet are aligned is narrower than the step length in the front-back direction of 50, the right foot 50 rotates while being drawn toward the front left foot 40 at the start of turning. After the feet are almost aligned side by side, the left foot part 40 rotates while sliding slightly forward and outward, and the right foot part 50 starts to slide inward accordingly. Then, the robot body 1 is almost upright at the position where the right foot 50 is located forward, and the turning is completed. After that, as shown in FIG.
Since the fork 521 of 0 extends, if the switch 303 is closed and the connection line to the motor 48 is restored, the forward walking can be continued from the turned position. Note that the turning angle at this time is determined by a dimension that affects a stride or the like, for example, a turning radius of a crankpin or the like.

The same operation allows the vehicle to turn to the left, and the same principle is applied to the case where the main motor 12 is reversely rotated so as to perform backward walking instead of forward walking. The robot main body 1 can be turned left and right backward.

In the biped walking robot as described above, each operation of the robot body 1 is performed in response to an operation of a switch, a volume, or the like provided in the control box 3 in order to provide the operator with entertainment as a toy. The control box 3 may be provided with a button or the like for automatically performing operations such as turning, for example. In this case, for example, if a microcomputer is incorporated and a button for instructing turning is operated by the operator, the microcomputer may execute a series of operations related to the turning as the program control. Alternatively, by turning on a switch provided on the robot main body 1 without providing the control box 3, various operations such as forward or backward walking and turning may be automatically performed according to a predetermined sequence.

Also, by combining the bipedal walking robot of the above embodiment with the following configuration, the walking operation can be made closer to a human walking form. More specifically, the parallel links 22a, 22b, 32a on the left and right legs 20, 30 and corresponding to the skeleton.
By making the exterior member covering the 32b as follows, it is possible to make it look as if the user walks while bending and stretching the knees in conjunction with the up and down movement of the both feet 40 and 50. The configuration and operation for that are shown in FIGS. (A) of FIGS. 13 and 14 is a left half side view of the robot main body 1,
(B) is a left half back view. The same reference numerals are given to the same or corresponding parts as in the above embodiment, and the description is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 13, even in this configuration, the parallel links 122a and 122b are used for the legs, but when the pseudo knee bending operation is performed as described later, the rear parallel link 122b serves as an exterior member. To avoid hindering movement,
The shape is largely curved forward with the vicinity of the knee as the center. In order to avoid interference with the front parallel link 122a, the curved portion of the rear parallel link 122b is formed so as to protrude more inward than the front parallel link 122a. The exterior member covering the legs is composed of a thigh cover 125 and a lower leg cover 126. The upper portion of the upper thigh cover 125 is rotatably fixed coaxially with the front guide pin 24a. Is rotatably fixed coaxially with a pivot shaft 128 on the front side of the mounting plate 41. Further, the thigh cover 125 and the lower leg cover 126 are rotatably connected to each other by a knee pivot 127 which overlaps. That is, the upper front part of the thigh cover 125 is fixed to the torso part 10, the lower leg part 126 is fixed to the lower front part of the left foot part 40, and the thigh cover 125 and the lower leg are fixed. Part cover 126 is the knee pivot 12
The butterfly 7 is freely movable around the center.

When the crankshafts 21a, 21b are rotated by the rotation of the crankshafts 18a, 18b, the crankpins 21a, 21b are directed downward and the left foot 40
Is in the lowermost position, as shown in FIG.
The distance between 0 and the left foot 40 is the longest, and in this state, the thigh cover 125 and the lower leg cover 126 are substantially straight. Therefore, the exterior member looks as if the knees were extended. On the other hand, when the crankpins 21a and 21b rotate and point upward and the left foot 40 is at the highest position (at this time, the sole of the left foot 40 is separated from the floor surface 4), as shown in FIG. As described above, the distance between the body part 10 and the left foot part 40 is the shortest. In this state, the thigh cover 125 and the lower leg cover 126 rotate in directions opposite to each other about the knee pivot shaft 127, and bend in a dogleg shape. That is, the exterior member looks as if the knees were bent. At this time, since the rear parallel link 122b is formed in a curved shape as described above, the thigh cover 125 and the lower leg cover 126 and the rear parallel link 122b are connected to each other at a position corresponding to the bent back of the knee. No interference occurs.

As described above, the parallel link 122 is used when walking.
a and 122b only perform circular or elliptical movements while maintaining parallelism with each other, but the thigh cover 125
The lower leg cover 126 and the lower leg cover 126 perform a butterfly motion about the knee pivot shaft 127, so that it looks as if the knee is flexed and stretched. For this reason, it becomes closer to the human walking form,
We can show smooth walking. As described above, a sheet made of an elastic member such as rubber may be used to close each gap formed when the thigh cover 125 and the lower leg cover 126 move.

The above embodiment is an example of the present invention, and it is apparent that changes and modifications can be appropriately made within the scope of the present invention.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a bipedal walking robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a left half body side view of a robot main body of the bipedal walking robot according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the robot body of the bipedal walking robot according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of a drive mechanism in the bipedal walking robot according to the present embodiment, where (a) is a left side view and (b)
Is a partial top view.

FIG. 5 is an exploded configuration diagram showing main components of the left foot of the bipedal walking robot according to the embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a schematic top view for explaining the operation of the left foot in the bipedal walking robot according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an exploded configuration diagram of a front gear in the bipedal walking robot according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram showing a switch mechanism including a front gear in the bipedal walking robot according to the present embodiment.

9 is an electrical configuration diagram of a main part including the switch mechanism of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a time chart of a walking operation of the bipedal walking robot according to the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a landing state of the left and right feet during forward walking of the bipedal walking robot according to the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a landing state of the left and right feet when the bipedal walking robot according to the embodiment turns.

FIG. 13 is a side view and a rear view of a left half body of a bipedal walking robot according to another embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a left half body side view and a rear view of a bipedal walking robot according to another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Robot main body 10 ... Body part 11 ... Drive mechanism 12 ... Main motor 13 ... Motor shaft 14 ... Warm 15, 16, 17a, 17b ... Gear 171 ... Base 172 ... Slit 173, 174 ... Conductive plate 18a, 18b ... Crank shaft 20, 30 ... legs 21a, 21b, 31a, 31b ... crank pins 22a, 22b, 32a, 32b, 122a, 122b
... Parallel links 23a, 23b, 33a, 33b ... pivotal openings 24a, 24b, 34a, 34b ... guide pins 40, 50 ... feet 41, 51 ... mounting plates 42 ... movable bodies 421 ... forks 422 ... bases 423 ... linear shapes Slit 43 ... Lower case 431 ... Semicircular slit 44 ... Gear 441 ... Pin 46 ... Gear case 47 ... Pinion gear 48,58 ... Motor (fork drive motor) 60a, 60b, 61a, 61b ... Switch 601 ... Electric body 602 .., Contact piece 605, biasing member 125, thigh cover 126, lower leg cover 127, knee pivot 301, battery 302, 303, switch

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A body, a pair of left and right legs provided on the body, and feet provided at lower ends of the legs, respectively.
In a bipedal walking robot that walks on the floor by stepping forward or backward on the foot alternately left and right, a) the foot draws a substantially elliptical or substantially circular locus when viewed from the side, and Leg driving means for driving the legs so that the left foot and the right foot rotate in substantially opposite phases to each other; and b) the feet stored in each foot at the bottoms of the left and right feet, respectively. An auxiliary support member movably provided between a state in which the auxiliary support member extends inward from the portion, and an auxiliary support moving means for moving the auxiliary support member between the two states. And c) in conjunction with the driving of the leg by the leg driving means, when both the left and right feet are in a state of landing on the floor, the auxiliary support for the foot which is separated from the floor next. And the auxiliary support of the other foot extends inward from the inside of the foot. Biped robot, characterized in that it comprises, an interlocking control means for operating said auxiliary support moving means to cause. 2. The auxiliary support reaches a position overlapping with the other foot when extending inward, and both the foot and the auxiliary support land on the floor during walking. 2. The bipedal walking robot according to claim 1, wherein the extended auxiliary support is formed so as to slide downward without interfering with the other foot in the extended state. 3. The auxiliary support body is a fork-shaped body oriented inward, and when the left and right feet both land on the floor surface during walking, the protruding piece of the extended auxiliary support body is the other. The biped walking robot according to claim 2, wherein the robot is formed so as to slide into a concave portion of the auxiliary support. 4. The bipedal walking robot according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary support is made of a transparent member. 5. A body, a pair of left and right legs provided on the body, and feet provided at lower ends of the legs, respectively.
A biped walking robot that walks on the floor by stepping forward or backward on the foot alternately left and right, including one or a plurality of rods connecting the body and the foot as the legs, The leg portion draws a substantially elliptical or substantially circular trajectory as viewed from above, and has leg driving means for driving the rod-shaped body such that the left leg portion and the right leg portion respectively rotate in substantially opposite phases to each other. Forming an exterior member for a leg covering the rod-shaped body from an upper cover corresponding to the upper thigh and a lower cover corresponding to the lower thigh, wherein the upper cover is rotatable at its front upper portion with respect to the body; A biped walking robot, wherein the lower cover has its front lower part rotatably fixed to the foot, and the front lower part of the upper cover and the front upper part of the lower cover are pivotally connected to each other. .