JP2004338056A - Robot device and its controlling method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a robot device capable of keeping a posture while improving a durability of a mounted actuator, and a method of controlling it. <P>SOLUTION: The actuator for driving a movable part is controlled to locate the movable part at a predetermined stable position where it is difficult to displace by its own weight, and thereafter the robot device transits to a standby mode. During the standby mode, control of the actuator is stopped and the position of the movable part is monitored. When a displacement of the movable part over a predetermined threshold is recognized, the control of the actuator is resumed to have the movable part moved to the original stable position, and then the control of the actuator is stopped again. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a robot apparatus and a control method thereof, and is suitably applied to, for example, a pet robot.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a pet robot of a four-legged walking type has been developed and sold by the present applicant. Such a pet bot has a shape similar to animals such as dogs or cats and other lions bred in ordinary households, and responds to user's actions such as "hitting" or "stroking" and the surrounding environment. It is designed to be able to act autonomously (for example, Non-Patent Document 1).
[0003]
[Non-patent document 1]
Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-268117
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in such a pet robot, in order to maintain a posture at that time, not only when a motion is exhibited but also in a stationary state, the movable part is positioned at a predetermined position against gravity. Must be generated in the corresponding actuator.
[0005]
For this reason, in the conventional pet robot, the drive current is always applied to all the actuators during operation, regardless of whether or not the operation is exhibited, and the life of the actuators is shortened accordingly. There was a problem.
[0006]
As one method for solving such a problem, for example, when a pet robot is in a standby mode in which no operation is exhibited, application of a drive current to an actuator that is not necessary for maintaining a posture is stopped (hereinafter, this is referred to as control of the actuator. To stop).
[0007]
However, according to this method, the movable portion of the pet robot, which was located at a predetermined position by the torque generated by the actuator, starts moving in the direction of gravity by its own weight as soon as the control of the actuator is stopped. There was a problem that it collapsed and became an unnatural posture.
[0008]
Therefore, in such a pet robot, if both problems in a trade-off relation of always maintaining a posture while improving the durability of the mounted actuator can be solved together, without impairing the entertainment properties of the pet robot, It is considered that the durability of the pet robot can be improved.
[0009]
The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object to propose a robot device capable of always maintaining a posture while improving the durability of a mounted actuator and a control method thereof.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve such a problem, in the present invention, in the robot device, the control unit controls the actuator that drives the movable unit to position the movable unit at a predetermined stable position where it is difficult to be displaced by its own weight, and then enters the standby mode. In the standby mode, the control of the actuator is stopped and the detection result of the position detection means for detecting the position of the movable portion is monitored during the standby mode. Based on the detection result, the movable portion is controlled to a predetermined threshold or more. When it is recognized that the actuator has been displaced, the control of the actuator is restarted to move the movable portion to the original stable position, and then the control of the actuator is stopped again.
[0011]
As a result, in this robot device, it is possible to effectively prevent the posture in the standby mode from being collapsed by its own weight or the like without constantly driving the actuator.
[0012]
Further, in the present invention, in the control method of the robot apparatus, the method moves to the standby mode after controlling the actuator that drives the movable section to position the movable section at a predetermined stable position where the movable section is hardly displaced by its own weight. When the control of the actuator is stopped and the position of the movable part is monitored, and it is recognized that the movable part has been displaced by a predetermined threshold value or more, the control of the actuator is resumed and the movable part is returned to the original stable state. After moving to the position, the control for the actuator is stopped again.
[0013]
As a result, according to the control method of the robot device, it is possible to effectively prevent the posture in the standby mode from being collapsed due to its own weight or the like without constantly driving the actuator.
[0014]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0015]
(1) Configuration of the pet robot 1 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 3 </ b> A to 3 </ b> D are respectively connected to the front, rear, left and right of the body unit 2, and a front end and a rear end of the body unit 2. Are connected to a head unit 4 and a tail unit 5, respectively.
[0016]
In this case, as shown in FIG. 2, a controller 10 for controlling the operation of the entire pet robot 1, a battery 11 as a power source for the pet robot 1, a battery sensor 12 and a temperature sensor 13 are provided in the body unit 2. And an external memory 26 storing various control programs and control parameters.
[0017]
The head unit 4 also includes an external sensor unit 18 including a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera 15 functioning as a substantial “eye” of the pet robot 1, a microphone 16 functioning as an “ear”, a touch sensor 17, and the like. And an LED (Light Emitting Diode) 19 functioning as an external "eye", a speaker 20 functioning as a "mouth", and the like are arranged at predetermined positions.
[0018]
Further, a thigh block 3A of each leg unit 3A to 3D. ₁ ~ 3D ₁ And shin block 3A ₂ ~ 3D ₂ , The shoulder joint mechanisms 22A to 22D connecting the torso unit 2 and the leg units 3A to 3D, the torso unit 2 and the head unit 4 are connected. Actuators 24 corresponding to the degrees of freedom corresponding to the neck joint mechanism 23 (FIG. 6) and the base of the tail 5A (FIG. 1) of the tail unit 5 are respectively provided. ₁ ~ 24 _n And the corresponding potentiometer 25 ₁ ~ 25 _n Are arranged.
[0019]
Then, the CCD camera 15 of the head unit 4 captures an image of the surrounding situation and sends the obtained image signal S1A to the controller 10. Further, the microphone 16 collects sounds such as “walk”, “down” or “follow the ball” spoken by the user, and sends the obtained sound signal S1B to the controller 10.
[0020]
Further, the touch sensor 17 is provided on the upper part of the head unit 4 as is apparent in FIG. 1, and detects pressure received by a physical action such as “stroke” or “hit” from the user, and detects the detection result. Is sent to the controller 10 as a pressure detection signal S1C.
[0021]
On the other hand, the battery sensor 12 detects the remaining amount of the battery 11 and sends the detection result to the controller 10 as a battery remaining amount detection signal S2A. The temperature sensor 13 detects the temperature inside the pet robot 1 and detects the detection result. Is sent to the controller 10 as the temperature detection signal S2B. In addition, each potentiometer 25 ₁ ~ 25 _n Constitutes the internal sensor section 14 together with the battery sensor 12 and the heat sensor 13 and the like, and the corresponding actuator 24 ₁ ~ 24 _n The rotation angle of the output shaft is detected, and the detection result is used as the angle detection signal S2C. ₁ ~ S2C _n To the controller 10.
[0022]
The controller 10 includes an external sensor signal S1 such as an image signal S1A, a sound signal S1B, and a pressure detection signal S1C provided from each of the external sensors such as the CCD camera 15, the microphone 16 and the touch sensor 17 of the external sensor unit 18, and the internal sensor. Battery sensor 12, heat sensor 13 and each potentiometer 25 of section 14 ₁ ~ 25 _n , A temperature detection signal S2B, and an angle detection signal S2C provided from each internal sensor such as ₁ ~ S2C _n Based on the internal sensor signal S2 and the like, the surroundings and the internal state of the pet robot 1, the command from the user, the presence or absence of the physical action from the user, and the like are determined.
[0023]
Then, the controller 10 determines a subsequent action based on the determination result and various control programs and control parameters stored in the memory 10A and the external memory 26 in advance. ₁ ~ 24 _n Drive signal S3 ₁ ~ S3 _n And the driving signal S3 ₁ ~ S3 _n Actuator 24 based on ₁ ~ 24 _n , The head unit 4 is swung up and down, left and right, the tail of the tail unit 5 is moved, and the leg units 3A to 3D are driven to walk. .
[0024]
At this time, the controller 10 outputs a sound based on the sound signal S4 to the outside by giving a predetermined sound signal S4 to the speaker 20 as necessary, or outputs the LED drive signal S5 to the LED 19 to output the sound. Flash.
[0025]
In this manner, the pet robot 1 can autonomously act based on the surrounding and internal conditions, the command from the user and the presence or absence of the action.
[0026]
(2) Processing of controller 10
Here, when the processing content of the controller 10 relating to the action generation of the pet robot 1 is functionally classified, a state recognition unit 30 that recognizes an external and an internal state, and an emotion and a feeling based on the recognition result of the state recognition unit 30 are provided. An emotion / instinct model 31 for determining the state of the instinct; an action determining unit 32 for determining the next action based on the recognition result of the state recognition unit 30 and the state of the emotion / instinct determined in the emotion / instinct model 31; A posture transition control unit 33 that makes a series of operation plans of the pet robot 1 for performing the action or the motion determined by the action determination unit 32, and the LEDs 16 and 20 based on the operation plan made by the posture transition control unit 33. Actuator 24 ₁ ~ 24 _n And the like, and a device control unit 34 for controlling devices.
[0027]
In this case, the state recognizing unit 30 recognizes external and internal states based on the external sensor signal S1 provided from each external sensor unit 18 and the internal sensor signal S2 provided from each internal sensor unit 14, and determines the recognition result. It notifies the emotion / instinct model 31 and the action determining unit 32 as state recognition information D1.
[0028]
Specifically, the state recognizing unit 30 constantly monitors the image signal S1A (FIG. 2) provided from the CCD camera 15 (FIG. 2) of the external sensor unit 18, and includes, for example, a “red circular object” in the image based on the image signal S1A. ”Or“ object located in the traveling direction ”is recognized as“ there is a ball ”and“ an obstacle is present ”, and the recognition result is notified to the emotion / instinct model 31 and the action determination unit 32.
[0029]
In addition, the state recognition unit 30 constantly monitors the audio signal S1B (FIG. 2) given from the microphone 16 (FIG. 2), and performs “walking”, “down”, “ When various voices such as "chase the ball" are recognized, this is notified to the emotion / instinct model 31 and the action determination unit 32.
[0030]
Further, the state recognition unit 30 constantly monitors the pressure detection signal S1C provided from the touch sensor 17 (FIG. 2), and based on the pressure detection signal S1C, a pressure of a predetermined threshold or more and a short time (for example, less than 2 seconds). Is detected as "hit (scorred)", and when a pressure less than a predetermined threshold and for a long time (for example, 2 seconds or more) is detected, it is recognized as "stroke (praised)". Then, the recognition result is notified to the emotion / instinct model unit 31 and the action determination unit 32.
[0031]
Further, the state recognizing unit 30 recognizes the remaining amount and the internal temperature of the battery 11 based on the remaining battery level detection signal S2A and the temperature detection signal S2B given from the battery sensor 12 and the temperature sensor 13, respectively. Notify the model 31 and the action determining unit 32.
[0032]
Further, the state recognizing unit includes the potentiometer 25 ₁ ~ 25 _n Detection signal S2C given by ₁ ~ S2C _n Based on the corresponding actuator 24 ₁ ~ 24 _n , And notifies the recognition result to the emotion / instinct model 31 and the action determination unit 32.
[0033]
The emotion / instinct model unit 31 provides a parameter representing the strength of each of a plurality of emotions such as “joy”, “sadness”, “surprise”, “fear”, “disgust”, and “anger”. Holding. Then, the emotion / instinct model unit 31 calculates these parameter values of each emotion based on a specific recognition result such as “praised” or “scolded” given as the state recognition information D1 from the state recognition unit 30. To change sequentially.
[0034]
In the same manner, the emotion / instinct model unit 31 also determines a plurality of independent desires such as “love desire”, “search desire”, “exercise desire”, “charge desire”, and “sleep desire”. A parameter indicating the strength of the desire is stored for each desire. Then, the emotion / instinct model unit 31 sequentially changes the parameter values of each desire based on the recognition result from the state recognition unit 30, the elapsed time, and the like.
[0035]
On the other hand, when the state determining unit 32 receives the state recognition information D1 from the state recognizing unit 30 or when a certain period of time has passed since the current action, the behavior determining unit 32 determines whether any of the emotions or instinct in the emotion / instinct model unit 31 is present. When the parameter value exceeds the threshold value, the next action is determined based on the control program and the control parameters stored in the internal memory 10A and the external memory 26.
[0036]
Specifically, as a method of determining the next action, the action determining unit 32 changes the state to the node ND as shown in FIG. _A0 ~ ND _An And one node ND _A0 From which node ND to _A0 ~ ND _An To the own node ND _A0 ~ ND _An Completed in each node or each node ND _A0 ~ ND _An Arc AR connecting between _A0 ~ AR _An Transition probability P set for ₀ ~ P _n An algorithm called a probabilistic automaton that determines stochastically based on the
[0037]
In this case, each node ND in this stochastic automaton _A0 ~ ND _An Connection relationship between each AR _A0 ~ AR _An Transition probability P for ₁ ~ P _n And each arc AR _A0 ~ AR _An Are stored in the external memory 26 as control parameters (behavior models).
[0038]
The action determining unit 32 receives the state recognition information D1 which is a recognition result of a specific state inside or outside from the state recognition unit 30 or the current node (ND _A0 ), When the parameter value of any emotion or instinct in the emotion / instinct model unit 31 exceeds a threshold value, the next transition destination node ND in the stochastic automaton _A0 ~ ND _An The arc AR _A0 ~ AR _An Transition probability P for ₀ ~ P _n Is determined stochastically based on the node ND determined at this time. _A0 ~ ND _An And the original node ND _A0 AR connecting to _A0 ~ AR _An Is notified to the posture transition control unit 33 as the action determination information D2 as the action to be expressed next.
[0039]
In the posture transition control unit 33, when the behavior determination information D2 is given from the behavior determination unit 32, a series of operation plans of the pet robot 1 for performing an action based on the behavior determination information D2 is made, and based on the operation plan. The operation command information D3 is output to the device control unit 34.
[0040]
In this case, the posture transition control unit 33 determines the postures that the pet robot 1 can take as shown in FIG. _B0 ~ ND _B2 And the node ND to which transition is possible _B0 ~ ND _B2 Directed arc AR representing movement between _B0 ~ AR _B5 And one node ND _B0 ~ ND _B2 The operation completed by the self-operation arc AR _C0 ~ AR _C3 Is used.
[0041]
Specifically, in the case of this pet robot 1, each node ND _B0 ~ ND _B2 Are associated with postures such as “stand”, “sit”, and “down”, respectively. _B0 ~ ND _B2 Directed arc AR that connects between each _B0 ~ AR _B5 Is associated with an operation for changing the posture. In addition, each self-operation arc AR _C0 ~ AR _C3 Are associated with various actions that can be expressed in the corresponding posture, such as “walk”, “dance”, “shake your head”, “reach”, and the like.
[0042]
Then, when an action command such as “stand”, “walk”, and “dance” is given from the action determination unit 32 as the action determination information D2, the posture transition control unit 33 sets the directional arc AR. _B0 ~ AR _B2 While following the direction of the current node ND _B0 ~ ND _B2 ND associated with the posture or action specified from _B0 ~ ND _B2 Or directed arc AR _B0 ~ AR _B5 Or self-acting arc AR _C0 ~ AR _C3 Search for the shortest path leading to each of the directed arcs AR on the searched path _B0 ~ AR _B5 And self-moving arc AR _C0 ~ AR _C3 Are sequentially output to the device control unit 34 as operation command information D3 for sequentially performing the operations respectively associated with.
[0043]
For example, when the pet robot 1 is in the “down” posture, and the behavior determination unit 32 gives the action command “sit down and banzai”, the posture transition control unit 33 changes to the “down” position. Corresponding node ND _B2 And the node ND corresponding to the posture of “sit” _B1 Directed arc AR connecting between _B1 The operation command of the operation of "sitting" (hereinafter, this operation is called "sitting operation") and the self-operation arc AR _C1 The operation command of the operation “Banzai” (hereinafter, referred to as “Banzai operation”) associated with the device control unit 34 is sequentially transmitted to the device control unit 34.
[0044]
In the device control unit 34, each directed arc AR of the directed graph held by the posture transition control unit 33 _B0 ~ AR _B5 And each self-moving arc AR _C0 ~ AR _C3 In order to cause the pet robot 1 to express the operation corresponding to each operation corresponding to the ₁ ~ 24 _n Each actuator 24 for each operation such as when and how much to drive (FIG. 2) ₁ ~ 24 _n (Hereinafter referred to as an operation file) in the external memory 26.
[0045]
Then, each time the operation command information D3 is given from the attitude transition control unit 33, the device control unit 34 sequentially reproduces the corresponding operation file and reproduces the drive signal S3 based on the control parameter stored in the operation file. ₁ ~ S3 _n Is generated, and the driving signal S3 is generated. ₁ ~ S3 _n Corresponding actuator 24 based on ₁ ~ 24 _n The operation corresponding to the pet robot 1 is expressed by controlling the driving of the.
[0046]
Therefore, for example, when the pet robot 1 is in the “down” posture, and the above-mentioned “sitting operation” and “banzai operation” operation commands are sequentially given from the posture transition control unit 33, the device control unit 34 First, each of the actuators 24 corresponding to the motion file corresponding to the "sitting motion" ₁ ~ 24 _n Are sequentially controlled in chronological order to cause the pet robot 1 to exhibit a “sitting operation”, followed by the corresponding actuators 24 based on the operation file corresponding to the “Banzai operation”. ₁ ~ 24 _n Are sequentially controlled in a time series to cause the pet robot 1 to exhibit the “Banzai operation”. As a result, the pet robot 1 as a whole transits from a “down” position to a “sit” position, and then performs a series of operations of “banzai”.
[0047]
The device control unit 34 has a plurality of audio files, which are WAVE files of various sounds, and a plurality of LED drive files in which drive data of the LEDs 19 (FIG. 2) are stored in the external memory 26. By simultaneously playing back the audio file and / or the LED drive file associated with the operation file when the file is played back, the pet robot 1 can output sound from the speaker 20 (FIG. Flashing drive.
[0048]
In this manner, the controller 10 can autonomously cause the pet robot 1 to act according to external and internal situations, commands from the user and the presence or absence of an action.
[0049]
(3) Actuator control in pet robot 1
(3-1) Actuator control in pet robot 1
Next, the actuator 24 in the standby mode in the pet robot 1 ₁ ~ 24 _n Will be described.
[0050]
In this pet robot 1, control software is constructed on the assumption that the pet robot 1 operates (always operates) with the power on for about 24 hours a day. However, even though the pet robot 1 is always operating, it does not mean that the pet robot 1 is always moving, and while the pet robot 1 is being charged while being placed on a charging station 40 for charging the battery 12 (FIG. 2) as shown in FIG. Most of the time, the operation mode of the pet robot 1 is a standby mode in which no operation is exhibited.
[0051]
Therefore, in the pet robot 1, in the standby mode, the actuators 24 other than the minimum necessary actuators for maintaining the posture of the pet robot 1 at that time. ₁ ~ 24 _n Is temporarily stopped (that is, the control is temporarily stopped), whereby the actuator 24 caused by constantly applying the drive current is controlled. ₁ ~ 24 _n It has been made possible to effectively prevent the shortening of life.
[0052]
Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 6A, when the pet robot 1 is placed on the charging station 40, the pet robot 1 has a predetermined posture (hereinafter, referred to as a “down” posture) Is called a “station” posture), and the abdomen is supported by the charging station 40 so that the abdomen can be supported. Each actuator 24 in the joint mechanisms 21A to 21D ₁ ~ 24 _n Cannot be said to be the minimum necessary actuator that must generate torque to maintain the posture of the “station”.
[0053]
Therefore, at this time, in the pet robot 1 in the standby mode, the actuators 24 for the directions of the respective degrees of freedom (the pitch direction and the yaw direction) in the neck joint mechanism 23 are provided. ₁ ~ 24 _n And an actuator 24 for each degree of freedom direction (pitch direction and roll direction) in the shoulder joint mechanism units 22A to 22D of the leg units 3A to 3D. ₁ ~ 24 _n And an actuator 24 for the direction of freedom (pitch direction) in the knee joint mechanisms 21A to 21D of the leg units 3A to 3D. ₁ ~ 24 _n Is temporarily stopped (that is, these actuators 24 ₁ ~ 24 _n (The application of the driving current to is stopped).
[0054]
However, when such an actuator control is performed, the actuator 24 in the pitch direction of the neck joint mechanism 23 is moved. ₁ ~ 24 _n Immediately after stopping the control, the head unit 4 falls down forward or backward due to its own weight, as shown in FIG. The units 3A to 3D may move due to their own weight and the postures of the left and right leg units 3A to 3D may be unbalanced. In such a case, the appearance is poor and the user is given a lethargic impression.
[0055]
Therefore, in this pet robot 1, such an actuator 24 ₁ ~ 24 _n Is temporarily stopped when the head unit 4 and each of the leg units 3A to 3D are stopped. ₁ ~ 24 _n Even when the control of the actuator 24 is stopped, the actuator 24 is moved to the most stable position (hereinafter referred to as a stable position) which is hardly displaced by its own weight. ₁ ~ 24 _n Is stopped.
[0056]
In practice, for example, when the pet robot 1 is placed on the charging station 40 and transitions to the standby mode, as shown in FIG. 6C, the pet unit 1 moves the head unit 4 and the center of gravity GP thereof to the neck joint mechanism 23. Is moved vertically above the center of rotation CE in the pitch direction at.
[0057]
In addition, the pet robot 1 also controls all the actuators 24 of the shoulder joint mechanisms 22A to 22D and the knee joint mechanisms 21A to 21D of the leg units 3A to 3D. ₁ ~ 24 _n At this time, the leg units 3A to 3D are bent at predetermined angles, and the respective leg units 3A to 3D are bent at a predetermined angle, and the front ends of the leg units 3A to 3D are set to the predetermined positions of the leg placing steps 40A at the charging station 40. The posture is changed so as to contact the position.
[0058]
As a result, the pet robot 1 shifts to the standby mode, and ₁ ~ 24 _n Of the head unit 4, the static friction force between the neck joint mechanism 23 and the body unit 2 and the actuator 24 ₁ ~ 24 _n The head unit 4 can be prevented from starting to move in the pitch direction by its own weight due to the load of the reduction gear train arranged at the output stage of each of the output stages, and each of the leg units 3A to 3D has its leg unit 3A to 3D. Frictional force between the tip of the body and the leg resting step 40A of the charging station 40, the static frictional force between the shoulder joint mechanisms 22A to 22D and the torso unit 2, the shoulder joint mechanisms 22A to 22D and the knee joint Each actuator 24 in the mechanism units 21A to 21D ₁ ~ 24 _n Of the leg units 3A to 3D can be prevented from being distorted in the standby mode due to the weight of the leg units 3A to 3D due to the load of the reduction gear train arranged in the output stage.
[0059]
On the other hand, as described above, even when the head unit 4 and the leg units 3A to 3D are previously moved to the stable positions when the pet robot 1 changes the operation mode to the standby mode, in the subsequent standby mode, The head unit 4 moves due to vibration or the like, and its center of gravity GP (FIG. 6A) is displaced from the position vertically above the rotation center CE in the pitch direction in the neck joint mechanism 23, and the head unit 4 is moved as shown in FIG. As described above, there is a possibility that the posture of the leg units 3A to 3D collapses due to vibration or the like and the postures of the left and right leg units 3A to 3D become unbalanced.
[0060]
The yaw direction actuator 24 of the neck joint mechanism 23 ₁ ~ 24 _n Is stopped, even if external force is applied to the head unit 4 and the head unit 4 rotates in the yaw direction, the head unit 4 does not return to the original stable position, so that the appearance is poor, and Give the user an impression of no life.
[0061]
Therefore, in the pet robot 1, when the mode is shifted to the standby mode in a state where the pet unit 1 is placed on the charging station 40, the head unit 4 moves from its stable position to any one of the degrees of freedom (the pitch direction) of the neck joint mechanism 23. And the yaw direction) in the direction of the degree of freedom or more than a predetermined angle (hereinafter, referred to as a control start angle) or a shoulder joint mechanism of any of the leg units 3A to 3D. When the bending angle in the direction of the degree of freedom of any of the knee joint mechanisms 21A to 21D becomes larger or smaller than a predetermined control start angle set in advance in the direction of the degree of freedom (that is, the leg portion). Units 3A to 3D or shin block 3A ₂ ~ 3D ₂ Is rotated more than the control start angle corresponding to the direction of the degree of freedom), the neck joint mechanism 23 or the shoulder joint mechanism 22A-22D or the knee joint mechanism 21A-21D of the leg unit 3A-3D. Corresponding actuator 24 ₁ ~ 24 _n To return the head unit 4 or the leg units 3A to 3D to the original stable position (hereinafter, this is referred to as a return control). ₁ ~ 24 _n Is stopped.
[0062]
Thereby, even if the posture of the pet robot 1 is lost due to its own weight, external force, or the like, the pet robot 1 can immediately return to the original posture, and thus can always maintain a constant posture even in the standby mode. It has been done.
[0063]
In the case of the pet robot 1, the value of any of the above-mentioned control start angles is selected in the range of about 10 to 30 degrees, whereby the control deviation or the mechanical mechanism error as described above results. Frequent return control can be prevented beforehand and effectively.
[0064]
(3-2) Actuator control processing procedure
Here, in practice, the actuator 24 before and during the standby mode as described above is used. ₁ ~ 24 _n Is performed in accordance with the actuator control processing procedure RT1 shown in FIG. 7 under the control of the action determining unit 32 described above with reference to FIG.
[0065]
Actually, the behavior determining unit 32 changes the operation mode to the standby mode when one operation is completed and the next operation to be developed is not determined in a state where the pet robot 1 is placed on the charging station 40. When recognizing that it is a situation to be changed, this actuator control processing procedure RT1 is started in step SP0, and in the following step SP1, the action of moving the head unit 4 to a stable position is determined as the next action of the pet robot 1. The determination result is notified to the posture transition control unit 33 (FIG. 3) as the action determination information D2. As a result, based on the action determination information D3, the device control unit 34 controls the actuator 24 in the pitch direction and the roll direction of the neck joint mechanism 23. ₁ ~ 24 _n Is driven, and the head unit 4 is moved to the stable position.
[0066]
Next, the action determining unit 32 proceeds to step SP2 and controls the device control unit 34 via the posture transition control unit 33 to thereby control the pitch and yaw actuators 24 of the neck joint mechanism unit 23. ₁ ~ 24 _n Is stopped.
[0067]
Further, the action determining unit 32 then proceeds to step SP3, where the state recognition unit 30 (FIG. 3) receives the state recognition information D1 that is the recognition result of the specific state inside or outside, and receives the current node (ND _A0 ), Or whether a parameter value of any emotion or instinct in the emotion / instinct model unit 31 (FIG. 3) exceeds a threshold value (that is, the behavior of the pet robot 1 in the next action). Is determined to be in a state in which is to be expressed).
[0068]
When the action determination unit 32 obtains a negative result in step SP3, the operation determination unit 32 proceeds to step SP4, and proceeds to step SP4. ₁ ~ 24 _n And the corresponding potentiometers 25 ₁ ~ 25 _n Angle detection signal S2C from ₁ ~ S2C _n And the respective actuators 24 in the shoulder joint mechanisms 22A to 22D and the knee joint mechanisms 21A to 21D of the leg units 3A to 3D. ₁ ~ 24 _n And the corresponding potentiometers 25 ₁ ~ 25 _n Angle detection signal S2C from ₁ ~ S2C _n As the recognition result of the state recognition unit 30 based on the above, the pitch direction or the yaw direction angle of the head unit 4 deviates from the stable position by the control start angle or more, or the shoulder joint mechanism unit 22A of any of the leg units 3A to 3D. It is determined whether or not the state recognition unit 30 has notified that the angle of the knee joint mechanism units 21A to 21D deviated from the angle when the leg units 3A to 3D are in the stable position by the control start angle or more. I do.
[0069]
When the action determination unit 32 obtains a negative result in step SP4, it returns to step SP3, and thereafter, until each of the potentiometers 25 obtains a positive result in either step SP3 or step SP4. ₁ ~ 25 _n Angle detection signal S2C from ₁ ~ S2C _n Is repeated, and the loop of steps SP3-SP4-SP3 is repeated.
[0070]
When the action determining unit 32 eventually obtains a positive result in step SP3, the process proceeds to step SP6, and determines the next action of the pet robot 1 based on the state detection information D1 from the state recognition unit 30 obtained in step SP3. Then, the determination result is notified to the posture transition control unit 33 as the action determination information D2, and thereafter, the process proceeds to step SP7, and the actuator control processing procedure RT1 is ended.
[0071]
As a result, at this time, operation command information D3 based on the action determination information D2 is provided from the posture transition control unit 33 to the device control unit 34, and the neck joint mechanism unit by the device control unit 33 responds to the input of the operation command information D3. 23 pitch direction and yaw method actuator 24 ₁ ~ 24 _n Is restarted. Also, based on the operation command information D3, the corresponding actuator 24 ₁ ~ 24 _n The behavior determined by the behavior determining unit 32 is expressed by the pet robot 1.
[0072]
On the other hand, if a positive result is obtained in step SP4, the action determining unit 32 proceeds to step SP5, controls the device control unit 34 via the posture transition control unit 32, and thereby controls the pitch direction and yaw of the neck joint mechanism unit 23. Method actuator 24 ₁ ~ 24 _n After returning to step SP1, the process returns to step SP1, and the same processing is repeated for steps SP1 to SP7.
[0073]
In this manner, the action determining unit 32 determines whether the actuator 24 of the neck joint mechanism unit 23 and the shoulder joint mechanism units 22A to 22D and the knee joint mechanism units 21A to 21D of the leg units 3A to 3D before and during the standby mode. ₁ ~ 24 _n Has been made to control.
[0074]
(4) Operation and effect of this embodiment
In the above configuration, the controller 10 of the pet robot 1 includes the actuator 24 ₁ ~ 24 _n To shift to the standby mode after the head unit 4 and the leg units 3A to 3D are positioned at predetermined stable positions where they are hard to be displaced by their own weights. ₁ ~ 24 _n Is stopped and the corresponding potentiometers 25 ₁ ~ 25 _n Angle detection signal S2C from ₁ ~ S2C _n And the angle detection signal S2C ₁ ~ S2C _n When it is recognized that the head unit 4 and each of the leg units 3A to 3D have been displaced by a predetermined threshold value or more based on the ₁ ~ 24 _n Is resumed to move the head unit 4 and the leg units 3A to 3D to the original stable positions, and then the actuator 24 ₁ ~ 24 _n Is stopped again.
[0075]
Therefore, in this pet robot 1, the actuator 24 ₁ ~ 24 _n Without being constantly driven, it is possible to effectively prevent the posture in the standby mode from being collapsed due to its own weight or the like.
[0076]
According to the above configuration, the actuator 24 ₁ ~ 24 _n To shift to the standby mode after the head unit 4 and the leg units 3A to 3D are positioned at predetermined stable positions where they are hard to be displaced by their own weights. ₁ ~ 24 _n Is stopped and the corresponding potentiometers 25 ₁ ~ 25 _n Angle detection signal S2C from ₁ ~ S2C _n And the angle detection signal S2C ₁ ~ S2C _n When it is recognized that the head unit 4 and each of the leg units 3A to 3D are displaced by a predetermined threshold value or more based on the ₁ ~ 24 _n Is resumed to move the head unit 4 and the leg units 3A to 3D to the original stable positions, and then the actuator 24 ₁ ~ 24 _n Is stopped again, the actuator 24 ₁ ~ 24 _n Without being constantly driven, it is possible to effectively prevent the posture in the standby mode from being collapsed due to its own weight or the like. ₁ ~ 24 _n A pet robot that can always maintain a posture while improving the durability of the pet can be realized.
[0077]
(5) Other embodiments
In the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which the present invention is applied to the pet robot 1 configured as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various other types are applicable. The present invention can be widely applied to various types of robot devices.
[0078]
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the actuator control processing according to the present invention is applied in the standby mode in a state where the pet robot 1 is placed on the charging station 40 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the actuator control can be applied to a case where the mode is shifted to the standby mode when the apparatus is not placed on the charging station 40. In this case, the actuators 24 other than the minimum necessary for maintaining the posture of the pet robot 1 at that time are ₁ ~ 24 _n The actuator control process may be applied to the above.
[0079]
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the corresponding actuator 24 is used as position detecting means for detecting the positions of the head unit 4 and the leg units 3A to 3D in the standby mode. ₁ ~ 24 _n Potentiometer 25 for detecting the rotation angle of the output shaft ₁ ~ 25 _n Has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various other sensors and the like can be widely applied as position detecting means.
[0080]
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the potentiometer 25 ₁ ~ 25 _n Angle detection signal S2C from ₁ ~ S2C _n Corresponding actuator 24 based on ₁ ~ 24 _n The controller 10 has a function as described above with reference to FIG. 3 as a control means for controlling the actuator 24 in the standby mode as described above with reference to FIG. ₁ ~ 24 _n Has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this. In short, the controller 10 ₁ ~ 24 _n To shift to the standby mode after the head unit 4 and the leg units 3A to 3D are positioned at predetermined stable positions where they are hard to be displaced by their own weights. ₁ ~ 24 _n Is stopped and the corresponding potentiometers 25 ₁ ~ 25 _n Angle detection signal S2C from ₁ ~ S2C _n And the angle detection signal S2C ₁ ~ S2C _n When it is recognized that the head unit 4 and each of the leg units 3A to 3D have been displaced by a predetermined threshold value or more based on the ₁ ~ 24 _n Is resumed to move the head unit 4 and the leg units 3A to 3D to the original stable positions, and then the actuator 24 ₁ ~ 24 _n In order to stop the control of the robot device again, the specific processing content corresponding to the function of the controller of the robot device may be applied as the specific processing content.
[0081]
Further, in the above-described embodiment, in the standby mode, the control start angle for starting the return process for returning the displaced head unit 4 and the like to the original stable position is selected in the range of 10 to 30 degrees. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be selected in other ranges.
[0082]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, in the robot apparatus, the control unit controls the actuator that drives the movable unit to shift the movable unit to a predetermined stable position where the movable unit is not easily displaced by its own weight, and then transitions to the standby mode. Then, during the standby mode, the control of the actuator is stopped and the detection result of the position detecting means for detecting the position of the movable part is monitored, and based on the detection result, the movable part is set to a predetermined threshold or more. When it is recognized that the actuator has been displaced, control of the actuator is resumed to move the movable part to the original stable position, and then control of the actuator is stopped again. It is possible to effectively prevent the posture in the mode from collapsing due to its own weight, etc., and thus the actuator mounted The robot apparatus can be realized which can constantly maintain the posture while improving durability.
[0083]
Further, according to the present invention, in the control method of the robot apparatus, the method switches the standby mode after controlling the actuator that drives the movable section to position the movable section at a predetermined stable position where the movable section is hardly displaced by its own weight. Stops the control of the actuator and monitors the position of the movable part, and when recognizing that the movable part has been displaced by a predetermined threshold or more, restarts the control of the actuator and returns the movable part to the original position. After the actuator is moved to the stable position, the control for the actuator is stopped again, so that the posture in the standby mode can be effectively prevented from being collapsed due to its own weight or the like without constantly driving the actuator. A method of controlling a robot device that can always maintain a posture while improving the durability of the mounted actuator It can be current.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an external configuration of a pet robot according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the pet robot.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining processing contents of a controller relating to action generation;
FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram serving to explain a stochastic automaton.
FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a directed graph.
FIG. 6 is a schematic side view for explaining the control processing content of the actuator before the standby state and during the standby information applied to the pet robot.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an actuator processing procedure.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Pet robot, 3A-3D ... Leg unit, 10 ... Controller, 21 ₁ ~ 21 _n ... Knee joint mechanism, 23 ... Neck joint mechanism, 24 ₁ ~ 24 _n ... Actuator, 25 ₁ ~ 25 _n ... Potentiometer, 32... Action determination unit, 34... Device control unit, 40... Charging station, CE... Rotation center, GP... Center of gravity, RT1.

Claims (6)

In a robot device having a movable part,
An actuator for driving the movable portion,
Position detecting means for detecting the position of the movable portion,
Control means for controlling the actuator based on the detection result of the position detection means,
The control means includes:
After the actuator is controlled to position the movable portion at a predetermined stable position where the movable portion is not easily displaced by its own weight, the mode shifts to a standby mode. When the result is monitored and it is recognized that the movable portion has been displaced by a predetermined threshold value or more based on the detection result, the control for the actuator is restarted to move the movable portion to the original stable position. And stopping the control of the actuator again after moving the robot. The movable part is rotationally displaced by its own weight,
The robot device according to claim 1, wherein the threshold value is selected in a range where the angle of the rotational displacement is in a range of 10 to 30 degrees. The control means includes:
The robot device according to claim 1, wherein the robot device transitions to the standby mode when charging. In a control method of a robot device having a movable portion,
Transition to the standby mode after controlling the actuator that drives the movable section and positioning the movable section at a predetermined stable position that is difficult to be displaced by its own weight,
During the standby mode, the control of the actuator is stopped and the position of the movable unit is monitored, and when it is recognized that the movable unit has been displaced to a predetermined threshold or more, the control of the actuator is performed. A method for controlling a robot apparatus, comprising: restarting and moving the movable portion to the original stable position, and then stopping the control of the actuator again. The movable part is rotationally displaced by its own weight,
The method according to claim 4, wherein the threshold value is selected in a range where the angle of the rotational displacement is in a range of 10 to 30 degrees. 5. The control method according to claim 4, wherein a transition is made to the standby mode when the robot device is charged.

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