JP2005014144A - Robot apparatus and method for controlling movement of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a robot apparatus which can safely perform a shut-down process without giving serious damage to itself and the outside even when the robot apparatus is a biped type, and further to provide a method for controlling the movement of the same. <P>SOLUTION: The robot apparatus searches the safe posture among the group of the same posture as the current posture when the shut-down process is carried out by any reason, and searches the safe posture among the group of other posture only when the safe posture doe not exist in the group of the same posture as the current posture. Weighted distances are calculated for all paths leading to the safe posture. The safe posture giving the path of the shortest weighted distance is regarded as the target safe posture, and is shifted to the target safe posture. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a robot apparatus that operates autonomously while transitioning between a plurality of postures, and an operation control method thereof.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A mechanical device that performs an action similar to that of a human (living body) using an electrical or magnetic action is called a “robot”. Robots began to spread in Japan from the end of the 1960s, but many of them are industrial robots (industrial robots) such as manipulators and transfer robots for the purpose of automating and unmanned production work in factories. Met.
[0003]
Recently, practical robots that support life as a human partner, that is, support human activities in various situations in daily life such as the living environment, have been developed. Unlike industrial robots, such practical robots have the ability to learn how to adapt themselves to humans with different personalities or to various environments in various aspects of the human living environment. For example, it was designed based on the body mechanism and motion of a “pet-type” robot that imitates the body mechanism and movement of a quadruped animal such as a dog or cat, or a human who walks upright on two legs. Robotic devices such as “humanoid” or “humanoid” robots are already in practical use.
[0004]
Since these robot devices can perform various operations with an emphasis on entertainment performance as compared with industrial robots, they may be referred to as entertainment robots. In addition, there is a robot apparatus that operates autonomously according to information from the outside or an internal state.
[0005]
As an example of the autonomous robot apparatus that performs this autonomous operation, Patent Document 1 below describes a robot apparatus that performs a target operation while changing a known posture in accordance with supplied input information. Yes. The robot apparatus described in Patent Document 1 has an emotion / instinct model, determines the next action (behavior) based on the feeling / instinct, and creates a transition plan up to a posture in which the action (behavior) can be executed. Stand up. Then, after changing the posture based on the transition plan, the action (behavior) determined based on such feelings and instinct is actually executed.
[0006]
[Patent Document 1]
International Publication No. 00/43167 Pamphlet [0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, such an autonomous robot apparatus is generally characterized in that it is configured by a multi-link system including redundant degrees of freedom as compared with industrial robots such as manipulators and transfer robots. The robot apparatus can perform complex tasks such as complex operations such as movement, balance maintenance, and arm work at the same time by utilizing such characteristics. On the other hand, there is a possibility that an emergency stop is forced due to an event such as a user's finger or other foreign object being pinched during operation or the remaining battery level is low, and a shutdown process may be performed.
[0008]
Here, in the case of a quadruped walking robot device, there is no risk of serious harm to the robot device itself or the outside world regardless of the posture of the shutdown process. Shutdown processing can be performed immediately. However, in the case of a biped robot device, if shutdown processing is performed while walking, the robot device may fall over and cause serious harm to the robot device itself or the outside world. There was a problem that I could not.
[0009]
The present invention has been proposed in view of such a conventional situation, and even if it is a biped walking type, it can perform a shutdown process safely without causing serious harm to itself or the outside world. An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and an operation control method thereof.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above-described object, a robot apparatus according to the present invention is a robot apparatus that operates by moving between a plurality of postures according to action command information, and is a posture or a target that is targeted from a current posture. A control for searching for a route to the action to be taken based on the action command information and causing the action to be performed based on the search result to transition from the current attitude to the target attitude or the target action. When the transition to any of a plurality of safety postures set in advance as the action command information is instructed, the control means searches for the closest safety posture from the current posture and sets it as the target safety posture, Transition to the target safety posture.
[0011]
In order to achieve the above-described object, an operation control method for a robot apparatus according to the present invention is an operation control method for a robot apparatus that moves between a plurality of postures according to action command information. The path from the posture to the target posture or the target motion is searched based on the action command information and operated based on the search result, and the target posture from the current posture or When a transition to a target motion is made and a transition to any of a plurality of safety postures set in advance as the action command information is instructed, the safety posture closest to the current posture is set as the target safety posture, and the target safety posture Transition to posture.
[0012]
In such a robot apparatus and its operation control method, the robot apparatus is forced to stop urgently due to an event such as a user's finger or other foreign object being caught or the remaining battery level being low while the robot apparatus is operating. When performing, the safety posture closest to the current posture among the plurality of preset safety postures is searched for as a target safety posture, and a transition is made to the target safety posture.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, specific embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0014]
The biped walking robot apparatus shown as an example of the present invention is a practical robot that supports human activities in various situations in the living environment and other daily life, and expresses basic actions performed by humans. It is an entertainment robot that can do it.
[0015]
As shown in FIG. 1, the robot apparatus 1 includes a head unit 3 connected to a predetermined position of the trunk unit 2, and two left and right arm units 4R / L and two right and left leg units 5R /. L is connected to each other (provided that R and L are suffixes indicating right and left, respectively, and the same applies hereinafter).
[0016]
The joint degree-of-freedom configuration of the robot apparatus 1 is schematically shown in FIG. The neck joint that supports the head unit 3 has three degrees of freedom: a neck joint yaw axis 101, a neck joint pitch axis 102, and a neck joint roll axis 103.
[0017]
Each arm unit 4R / L constituting the upper limb includes a shoulder joint pitch axis 107, a shoulder joint roll axis 108, an upper arm yaw axis 109, an elbow joint pitch axis 110, a forearm yaw axis 111, and a wrist. A joint pitch axis 112, a wrist joint roll axis 113, and a hand part 114 are included. The hand portion 114 is actually a multi-joint / multi-degree-of-freedom structure including a plurality of fingers. However, since the operation of the hand 114 has little contribution or influence on the posture control or walking control of the robot apparatus 1, it is assumed in this specification that the degree of freedom is zero. Therefore, it is assumed that each arm portion has seven degrees of freedom.
[0018]
The trunk unit 2 has three degrees of freedom: a trunk pitch axis 104, a trunk roll axis 105, and a trunk yaw axis 106.
[0019]
Each leg unit 5R / L constituting the lower limb includes a hip joint yaw axis 115, a hip joint pitch axis 116, a hip joint roll axis 117, a knee joint pitch axis 118, an ankle joint pitch axis 119, and an ankle joint. A roll shaft 120 and a foot 121 are included. In the present specification, the intersection of the hip joint pitch axis 116 and the hip joint roll axis 117 defines the hip joint position of the robot apparatus 1. The foot 121 of the human body is actually a structure including a multi-joint / multi-degree-of-freedom sole, but the foot of the robot apparatus 1 has zero degrees of freedom. Accordingly, each leg is configured with 6 degrees of freedom.
[0020]
In summary, the robot apparatus 1 as a whole has a total of 3 + 7 × 2 + 3 + 6 × 2 = 32 degrees of freedom. However, the robot device 1 for entertainment is not necessarily limited to 32 degrees of freedom. Needless to say, the degree of freedom, that is, the number of joints, can be increased or decreased as appropriate in accordance with design / production constraints or required specifications.
[0021]
Each degree of freedom of the robot apparatus 1 as described above is actually implemented using an actuator. It is preferable that the actuator be small and light in light of demands such as eliminating the appearance of extra bulges on the appearance and approximating the shape of a human body, and performing posture control on an unstable structure such as biped walking. .
[0022]
FIG. 3 schematically shows a control system configuration of the robot apparatus 1. As shown in the figure, the robot apparatus 1 includes a trunk unit 2, a head unit 3, an arm unit 4R / L, and a leg unit 5R / L representing human limbs, and coordinated operations between the units. It is comprised with the control unit 10 which performs the adaptive control for implement | achieving.
[0023]
The operation of the entire robot apparatus 1 is controlled in an integrated manner by the control unit 10. The control unit 10 includes a main control unit 11 including a main circuit component (not shown) such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), and a flash ROM (Read Only Memory), and a power supply circuit. And a peripheral circuit 12 including an interface (not shown) for exchanging data and commands with each component of the robot apparatus 1.
[0024]
In realizing the present invention, the installation location of the control unit 10 is not particularly limited. Although it is mounted on the trunk unit 2 in FIG. 3, it may be mounted on the head unit 3. Further, the control unit 10 may be provided outside the robot apparatus 1 so as to communicate with the body of the robot apparatus 1 by wire or wirelessly.
[0025]
Each joint freedom degree in the robot apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 2 is implement | achieved by the actuator corresponding to each. That is, the head unit 3 includes a neck joint yaw axis actuator A ₂ , neck joint pitch axis actuator A ₃ , neck joint roll representing the neck joint yaw axis 101, neck joint pitch axis 102, and neck joint roll axis 103. axis actuator A ₄ is deployed.
[0026]
The head unit 3 is provided with a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera for imaging an external situation, a distance sensor for measuring the distance to an object located in front, and an external sound. A microphone for collecting sound, a speaker for outputting sound, a touch sensor for detecting pressure received by a physical action such as “stroking” or “striking” from a user, and the like are provided.
[0027]
The trunk unit 2 includes a trunk pitch axis actuator A ₅ , a trunk roll axis actuator A ₆ , a trunk yaw representing the trunk pitch axis 104, trunk roll axis 105, and trunk yaw axis 106. axis actuator A ₇ is disposed. In addition, the trunk unit 2 includes a battery serving as a starting power source for the robot apparatus 1. This battery is constituted by a chargeable / dischargeable battery.
[0028]
The arm unit 4R / L is subdivided into an upper arm unit 4 ₁ R / L, an elbow joint unit 4 ₂ R / L, and a forearm unit 4 ₃ R / L. Shoulder joint pitch axis actuator A ₈ , shoulder joint roll axis actuator A ₈ representing the joint roll axis 108, upper arm yaw axis 109, elbow joint pitch axis 110, forearm yaw axis 111, wrist joint pitch axis 112, and wrist joint roll axis 113. _9. Upper arm yaw axis actuator A ₁₀ , elbow joint pitch axis actuator A ₁₁ , elbow joint roll axis actuator A ₁₂ , wrist joint pitch axis actuator A ₁₃ , and wrist joint roll axis actuator A ₁₄ are provided.
[0029]
The leg unit 5R / L is subdivided into a thigh unit 5 ₁ R / L, a knee unit 5 ₂ R / L, and a shin unit 5 ₃ R / L. The hip joint yaw axis actuator A ₁₆ , the hip joint pitch axis actuator A ₁₇ , and the hip joint roll axis actuator representing the hip joint pitch axis 116, the hip joint roll axis 117, the knee joint pitch axis 118, the ankle joint pitch axis 119, and the ankle joint roll axis 120. A ₁₈ , knee joint pitch axis actuator A ₁₉ , ankle joint pitch axis actuator A ₂₀ , and ankle joint roll axis actuator A ₂₁ are provided. More preferably, the actuators A ₂ , A ₃ ,... Used for each joint are small AC servo actuators of the type that are directly connected to the gears and the servo control system is integrated into a single chip and mounted in the motor unit. Can be configured.
[0030]
For each mechanism unit such as the trunk unit 2, the head unit 3, each arm unit 4R / L, each leg unit 5R / L, the sub-control units 20, 21, 22R / L, 23R of the actuator drive control unit / L is deployed. Furthermore, a grounding confirmation sensor 30R / L for detecting whether or not the sole of each leg unit 5R / L is grounded is mounted, and a posture sensor 31 for measuring the posture is provided in the trunk unit 2. ing.
[0031]
The grounding confirmation sensor 30R / L is configured by, for example, a proximity sensor or a micro switch installed on the sole of the foot. In addition, the posture sensor 31 is configured by a combination of an acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor, for example.
[0032]
Based on the output of the ground contact confirmation sensor 30R / L, it is possible to determine whether the left and right legs are currently standing or swinging during an operation period such as walking or running. Further, the inclination and posture of the trunk can be detected by the output of the posture sensor 31.
[0033]
The main control unit 11 can dynamically correct the control target in response to the outputs of the sensors 30R / L and 31. More specifically, the whole body that performs adaptive control on each of the sub-control units 20, 21, 22R / L, and 23R / L and that the upper limbs, the trunk, and the lower limbs of the robot apparatus 1 are cooperatively driven. A movement pattern can be realized.
[0034]
The whole body movement on the body of the robot apparatus 1 sets foot movement, ZMP (Zero Moment Point) trajectory, trunk movement, upper limb movement, waist height, etc., and instructs the movement according to these setting contents The command to be transferred is transferred to each of the sub-control units 20, 21, 22R / L, 23R / L. Each sub-control unit 20, 21,... Interprets a received command from the main control unit 11 and outputs a drive control signal to each actuator A ₂ , A ₃ ,. To do. Here, “ZMP” is a point on the floor where the moment due to floor reaction force during walking is zero, and “ZMP trajectory” is, for example, during the walking operation period of the robot apparatus 1. It means the trajectory that ZMP moves. Regarding the concept of ZMP and the application of ZMP to the stability criterion for walking robots, Migir Vukobratovic “LEGGED LOCATION ROBOTS” (Ichiro Kato's “Walking Robots and Artificial Feet” (Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun)) It is described in.
[0035]
As described above, in the robot apparatus 1, each of the sub-control units 20, 21,... Interprets the received command from the main control unit 11, and assigns each actuator A ₂ , A ₃ ,. A drive control signal is output to control the drive of each unit. Thereby, the robot apparatus 1 can stably transition to the target posture and can walk in a stable posture.
[0036]
In addition to the attitude control as described above, the control unit 10 in the robot apparatus 1 receives various sensors such as an acceleration sensor, a touch sensor, and a grounding confirmation sensor, image information from a CCD camera, audio information from a microphone, and the like. It is integrated and processed. In the control unit 10, although not shown, various sensors such as an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, a touch sensor, a distance sensor, a microphone and a speaker, each actuator, a CCD camera, and a battery are connected to the main control unit 11 via corresponding hubs. Has been.
[0037]
The main control unit 11 sequentially takes in sensor data, image data, and audio data supplied from the above-described sensors, and sequentially stores them in a predetermined position in the DRAM via the internal interface. Further, the main control unit 11 sequentially takes in battery remaining amount data representing the remaining amount of battery supplied from the battery and stores it in a predetermined position in the DRAM. Each sensor data, image data, audio data, and battery remaining amount data stored in the DRAM is used when the main control unit 11 controls the operation of the robot apparatus 1.
[0038]
The main control unit 11 reads the control program and stores it in the DRAM at the initial stage when the power of the robot apparatus 1 is turned on. In addition, the main control unit 11 determines whether the main control unit 11 itself or the surrounding situation or the user based on each sensor data, image data, audio data, and battery remaining amount data sequentially stored in the DRAM from the main control unit 11 as described above. Judgment of whether or not there is an instruction and action.
[0039]
Furthermore, the main control unit 11 determines an action according to its own situation based on the determination result and a control program stored in the DRAM, and drives a necessary actuator based on the determination result, thereby driving the robot apparatus 1. To take actions such as “gesture” and “hand gesture”.
[0040]
In this way, the robot apparatus 1 can determine its own and surrounding conditions based on the control program and act autonomously.
[0041]
FIG. 4 is a diagram functionally classifying the contents of the data processing of the main control unit 11 described above. As shown in FIG. 4, the main control unit 11 is divided into an action determination mechanism unit 40, a posture transition mechanism unit 41, and a control mechanism unit 42.
[0042]
The behavior determination mechanism unit 40 determines the next operation (behavior) based on the input information D1 such as the sensor data and the image / audio data described above, and the content of the determined operation (behavior) is set as the behavior command information D2. This is supplied to the posture transition mechanism unit 41.
[0043]
The posture transition mechanism unit 41 holds in advance, for example, a graph (a directed graph described later) that can be transitioned by the robot device 1 and a motion at the time of transition, and the behavior command information D2 supplied from the behavior determination mechanism unit 40 It is supplied to the control mechanism unit 42 as posture transition information D3.
[0044]
Based on the posture transition information D3, the control mechanism unit 42 generates a control signal D4 for driving the necessary actuators A ₂ , A ₃ ,..., And generates the control signals D 4 for the actuators A ₂ , A ₃ ,. , And the actuators A ₂ , A ₃ ,... Are driven to cause the robot apparatus 1 to perform a desired operation.
[0045]
Hereinafter, processing performed by the posture transition mechanism unit 41 will be described in detail.
The robot apparatus 1 transitions to a posture according to the content of the command (behavior command information D2) and performs an operation according to the transitioned posture, but may not be able to directly transition to the posture according to the content of the command. That is, the posture of the robot apparatus 1 is classified into a posture that can be directly changed from the current posture and a posture that cannot be changed directly and can be made via a certain motion or posture. For example, the robot device 1 can directly change from a lying posture to a sitting posture, but cannot directly change to a standing posture, and once rises to a sitting posture and then stands up. The two-stage operation is required.
[0046]
Therefore, when the behavior command information D2 supplied from the behavior determination mechanism unit 40 indicates a posture that can be directly transitioned, the posture transition mechanism unit 41 directly uses the behavior command information D2 as the posture transition information D3. On the other hand, when a posture that cannot be directly transitioned is indicated, a transition is made to the target posture (the posture instructed by the behavior command information D2) via another posture or motion that can be transitioned. Posture transition information D <b> 3 is generated and supplied to the control mechanism unit 42.
[0047]
In practice, the posture transition mechanism unit 41 is registered with postures and actions that the robot apparatus 1 can take, holds a graph formed by connecting the posture and the motion that changes the posture, Transition to a desired posture or a desired action. That is, the posture transition mechanism unit 41 registers in advance the postures that the robot apparatus 1 can take, and records between two postures that can be transitioned. Based on the supplied action command information D2, a transition is made to a target posture or action.
[0048]
Specifically, the posture transition mechanism unit 41 uses an algorithm called a directed graph as shown in FIG. In the directed graph, a node indicating a posture that the robot apparatus 1 can take, a directed arc (operation arc) connecting two transitionable nodes, and an arc of operation returning from one node to the one node in some cases, That is, a self-operation arc indicating an operation completed within one node is combined. That is, the posture transition mechanism unit 41 includes a node that is information indicating the posture (stationary posture) of the robot device 1, and a directed arc and a self-motion arc that are information indicating the operation of the robot device 1. It holds a directed graph, and grasps posture as point information and movement information as directed line information.
[0049]
Note that there may be a plurality of directed arcs and self-operating arcs. That is, a plurality of directed arcs may be coupled between transitionable nodes (attitudes), and a plurality of self-motion arcs may be coupled at one node.
[0050]
When the behavior command information D2 is supplied from the behavior determination mechanism 40, the posture transition mechanism unit 41 connects the node corresponding to the current posture and the node corresponding to the posture to be taken next indicated by the behavior command information D2. As described above, the route from the current node to the next node is sequentially searched according to the direction of the directed arc, thereby searching for the route from the current posture to the target node or the target arc. Here, the target arc may be a directed arc or a self-operating arc. For example, the case where the self-motion arc becomes the target arc is a case where the self-motion starting from the posture to be taken is targeted (instructed) and a dance is instructed.
[0051]
As described above, the robot apparatus 1 performs an autonomous operation while transitioning from the node corresponding to the current posture to the node corresponding to the next posture indicated by the action command information D2, but during the operation, There may be a case where an emergency stop is forced due to an event such as a finger or other foreign object being pinched or the remaining battery level is low, and the shutdown process is performed.
[0052]
Here, in the biped robot device 1, the robot device 1 may fall down depending on the posture at the time of the shutdown process, which may cause serious harm to the robot device 1 itself or the outside world. Therefore, the behavior determination mechanism unit 40 supplies a special command indicating a transition to any of a plurality of preset safety postures to the posture transition mechanism unit 41 as the behavior command information D2. In response to the action command information D2, the posture transition mechanism unit 41 searches for a target safe posture while referring to the directed graph described above, and sends posture transition information D3 that causes a transition to the target safe posture to the control mechanism unit 42. Supply.
[0053]
At this time, it can be said that it is desirable from the viewpoint of performing a prompt shutdown process to select a safety posture having a short distance from the current posture as the target safety posture. Specifically, similar postures are registered in advance as the same posture group, a target safety posture is searched from the same posture group as the current posture as much as possible, and only when there is no safe posture in the same posture group It is desirable to retrieve the target safety posture from another posture group.
[0054]
An example of transition to the target safety posture will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 6, each directed arc is weighted based on the operation time, the difficulty level of the operation, and the like, and the posture transition mechanism unit 41 transitions to the target safety posture via the path having the shortest weighting distance. Shall be allowed to.
[0055]
Specifically, for example, when an abnormal state is detected when the current posture is the posture of the node ND1, and behavior command information D2 indicating a transition to a safe posture is given from the behavior determination mechanism unit 40, the posture transition mechanism unit 41 Retrieves the nodes ND1 and ND2 from the posture group indicating “sleeping posture”, but since there is no directed arc from the node ND1 to the node ND2, the posture of the node ND1, that is, the current posture is set as the target safety posture. .
[0056]
When the current posture is the posture of the node ND3, the posture transition mechanism unit 41 searches for a safe posture from the posture group indicating “sitting posture”, but there is no safe posture in this posture group. The node ND1 and the node ND2 are searched from the posture group, specifically, the posture group indicating “sleeping posture”. Here, as paths from the node ND3 to the node ND1, (a) ND3 → ND1 (weighting distance = 5), (b) ND3 → ND4 → ND1 (weighting distance = 8), (c) ND3 → ND5 → ND4 → ND1 (weighted distance = 9) can be considered, but the posture transition mechanism unit 41 makes a transition to the node ND1 indicating the target safety posture via the path (a) having the shortest weighted distance. As described above, since there is no directed arc from the node ND1 to the node ND2, the node ND2 does not assume the target safety posture.
[0057]
In addition, when the behavior command information D2 indicating the transition to the safe posture is given from the behavior determination mechanism unit 40 during the execution of the self-operation arc a1, the posture transition mechanism unit 41 stops the operation of the self-operation arc a1. After transitioning to the posture of the node ND4, a safe posture is retrieved from a posture group indicating “standing posture”. Since there is no safe posture in this posture group, the posture transition mechanism unit 41 searches for a node ND1 and a node ND2 from another posture group, specifically, a posture group indicating “sleeping posture”. Here, as paths from the node ND4 to the node ND1, (d) ND4 → ND1 (weighted distance = 5), (e) ND4 → ND3 → ND1 (weighted distance = 8), (f) ND4 → ND5 → ND3 → ND1 (weighted distance = 9) can be considered, but the posture transition mechanism unit 41 makes a transition to the node ND1 indicating the target safe posture via the path (d) having the shortest weighted distance. As described above, since there is no directed arc from the node ND1 to the node ND2, the node ND2 does not assume the target safety posture.
[0058]
When the current posture is the “lifting posture”, that is, when the behavior command information D2 indicating the transition to the safe posture is given from the behavior determination mechanism unit 40 when the robot apparatus 1 is being held by the user or the like, Since it is already in an abnormal state and only a lifting posture exists, the posture transition mechanism unit 41 sets the current posture as the target safety posture.
[0059]
The method for retrieving the target safety posture by the posture transition mechanism unit 41 described above is shown in the flowchart of FIG. First, in step S1, it is determined whether or not there is a safe posture in the same posture group. If there is a safe posture in the same posture group (Yes), the process proceeds to step S3, and there is no safe posture in the same posture group. In the case (No), a safe posture is retrieved from another posture group in step S2.
[0060]
Subsequently, in step S3, the weighted distance of the path from the current posture to the safe posture is calculated, and in step S4, it is determined whether the weighted distance has been calculated for all the paths. When the weighted distance is not calculated for all paths (No), the process returns to step S3 to calculate the weighted distance for the remaining paths, and when the weighted distance is calculated for all the paths (Yes). In step S5, the process moves to the target safety posture by the path giving the shortest weighting distance, and ends.
[0061]
In the above example, the target safety posture is searched based on the weighted distance to the safety posture. However, the target safety posture is searched based on the simple distance, that is, the number of arcs up to the safety posture. It doesn't matter.
[0062]
Here, by searching for the target safety posture as described above and making a transition to the target safety posture, the shutdown process can be performed safely, but in order to start up the next time, charge on the charging station. It is desirable to perform the shutdown process in the state where Therefore, when the robot apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment detects an abnormal state, the robot apparatus 1 searches for the charging station in consideration of the operable time, and if it can move to the charging station within the operable time, After moving, the station posture is changed to a safe posture. On the other hand, when it is not possible to move to the charging station within the operable time, or when the charging station is not found, a safe place where the mobile station can move within the operable time is searched for and moved to the safe position.
[0063]
The charging station search method described above is shown in the flowchart of FIG. First, in step S10, an operation possible time until the transition to the safe posture is calculated, and in step S11, a charging station or a safe place is searched. As described above, the robot apparatus 1 first starts searching from the charging station.
[0064]
Next, in step S12, the time required to move to the searched charging station or safe place is calculated, and it is determined whether or not the mobile station can move within the operable time. Here, when it is possible to move within the operable time (Yes), it moves to the place in step S13, transitions to a safe posture in step S15, and ends. In addition, when it moves to a charging station, it changes to the station attitude | position mentioned above, and when it moves to other places, it changes to a sleeping position, for example. On the other hand, if it is not possible to move within the operable time (No), in step S14, it is determined whether or not the current position can be changed to a safe posture. When the transition to the safe posture can be made at the current location (Yes), the transition is made to the safe posture in step S15 and the process is terminated. On the other hand, when that is not right (No), it returns to step S11 and further searches for a safe place.
[0065]
Here, an example of transition to a station posture will be described with reference to FIG.
Specifically, when behavior command information D2 indicating a transition to a safe posture is given from the behavior determination mechanism unit 40 during execution of the self-operation arc a1, the posture transition mechanism unit 41 stops the operation of the self-operation arc a1. To change to the attitude of the node ND4. Thereafter, the robot apparatus 1 searches for a charging station based on the input surrounding image data, and moves to a position where it can be reliably connected to the charging station. The posture transition mechanism unit 41 makes a transition to the station preparation posture, and jumps to the station posture which is a safe posture when connection to the charging station is detected.
[0066]
As described above, according to the robot apparatus 1 and the operation control method thereof in the present embodiment, when the shutdown process is performed for some reason, the target safety posture is searched from the same posture group as the current posture, and the same Only when there is no safety posture in the posture group, the target safety posture is searched from another posture group, and transition to the target safety posture makes it serious for the robot apparatus 1 itself and the outside world even in the biped walking type. The shutdown process can be performed safely without causing harm. In particular, if the operating time is calculated before the shutdown process and can be moved to the charging station within that time, it is charged at the next startup by moving to the charging station and then transitioning to a safe posture. A state can be created, and autonomous operation can be performed without difficulty.
[0067]
It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
[0068]
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the biped walking robot apparatus 1 that imitates a human being is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a quadruped walking robot apparatus that imitates an animal, For example, the present invention can be applied to various other robot devices such as a robot device used in the entertainment field such as games and exhibitions.
[0069]
【The invention's effect】
As described above in detail, the robot device according to the present invention is a robot device that operates by moving between a plurality of postures according to action command information, and a posture or target that is targeted from the current posture. A control means for searching for a route to an action to be performed based on the action command information and causing an action based on the search result to transition from the current attitude to the target attitude or the target action. When the transition to any of a plurality of safety postures set in advance as the action command information is instructed, the control means searches for the safe posture closest to the current posture and sets it as the target safety posture, Transition to the target safety posture.
[0070]
Further, the motion control method of the robot apparatus according to the present invention is a motion control method of the robot apparatus that moves between a plurality of postures according to the action command information, and is a target posture from the current posture or The route to the target action is searched based on the action command information, and the action is performed based on the search result, and the current attitude is changed to the target attitude or the target action. When a transition to any of a plurality of safety postures set in advance as the action command information is instructed, the safety posture closest to the current posture is set as the target safety posture and the target safety posture is changed.
[0071]
According to such a robot apparatus and its operation control method, the robot apparatus is forced to stop urgently due to an event such as a user's finger or other foreign object being pinched or the remaining battery level being low while the robot apparatus is operating. When processing, a biped walking robot device is searched by searching for a safety posture closest to the current posture among a plurality of preset safety postures and setting it as the target safety posture. Even so, the shutdown process can be performed without causing serious harm to itself or the outside world.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of a robot apparatus according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a freedom degree configuration model of the robot apparatus.
FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a control system configuration of the robot apparatus.
FIG. 4 is a diagram functionally classifying the contents of data processing of the main control unit.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a posture transition graph in a posture transition mechanism unit of the main control unit;
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of transition to a target safety posture.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for searching for a target safety posture by the posture transition mechanism unit.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a charging station search process.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of transition to a station posture.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Robot apparatus, 2 trunk unit, 3 head unit, 4R / L arm unit, 5R / L leg unit, 10 control unit, 11 main control part, 40 action determination mechanism part, 41 posture transition mechanism part, 42 Control mechanism

Claims (7)

A robot device that moves between a plurality of postures according to action command information and operates.
A route from the current posture to the target posture or the target motion is searched based on the action command information, and the route is operated based on the search result, and the target is determined from the current posture. Comprising a control means for transitioning to a posture or a target movement;
When the transition to any of a plurality of safety postures set in advance as the action command information is instructed, the control means searches for the safety posture closest to the current posture and sets it as the target safety posture, and the target safety posture The robot apparatus characterized by making a transition to. A weight is attached to each motion that makes transition between the above postures,
The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit sets a safety posture that provides a path that minimizes the sum of the weights as the target safety posture. 2. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when an operation is being executed when the transition to the safety posture is instructed, the operation being performed is stopped and the robot device transitions to the target safety posture. . When the transition to the safety posture is instructed, the control means searches for a safe place where the transition to any of the plurality of safety postures can be made, moves to the safe location, and moves the plurality of safety postures. The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the robot apparatus transitions to any one. 5. The robot apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control means moves to the safe place when the control means can move to the safe place within an operable time. The said safe place is a place with the charging device which can charge this robot apparatus, and if it detects having been fixed to this charging device, it will change to a predetermined | prescribed safe attitude | position. Robotic device. An operation control method for a robot apparatus that moves between a plurality of postures according to action command information,
A route from the current posture to the target posture or the target motion is searched based on the action command information,
Operate based on the search result, transition from the current posture to the target posture or the target motion,
When a transition to any of a plurality of safety postures set in advance as the action command information is instructed, a safety posture closest to the current posture is set as a target safety posture, and a transition to the target safety posture is performed. An operation control method for a robot apparatus.

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