JP2005144612A - Robot system, remote controller, and robot device and its control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To propose a robot system capable of improving safety, a remote controller, and a robot device and its control method. <P>SOLUTION: The remote controller transmits an operation designation command corresponding to the operation set as the operation after cutting a network to the robot device. The robot device sets the operation corresponding to a prescribed operation designation command transmitted from the remote controller as the operation after cutting a network. The robot device is controlled so as to express the operation set as the operation after cutting a network when a network connection is cut. The operation of the robot device is controlled so that the robot device expresses the operation corresponding to a control command on the basis of the control command transmitted from the remote controller. While, the control commands other than a prescribed control command corresponding to a state and/or a situation transmitted from the remote controller are rejected corresponding to the state and/or the situation of the robot device at that time. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a robot system, a remote operation device, a robot device, and a control method therefor, and is suitable for application to a robot system that can wirelessly operate an autonomous behavior type robot, for example.

In recent years, many robot systems that can remotely control a mobile robot by wireless or the like have come to be seen. As such a robot system, a personal computer on which application software for remote operation is installed is used as a remote operation device, and a control panel formed by a GUI (Graphical User Interface) displayed on the monitor of the personal computer is used. There are also devices that can operate a robot (see Non-Patent Document 1, for example).
Japanese Patent Application 2001-341394

  By the way, in general, in the robot system as described above, the robot is configured to execute an operation according to the control command based on the control command sequentially transmitted from the remote operation device according to the user operation. Yes.

Therefore, in such a robot system, for example, when the network connection between the remote control device and the robot is unexpectedly disconnected for some reason during the remote control of the robot via the remote control device, the robot receives the last The operation corresponding to the control command is continued, or the operation is stopped simultaneously with the disconnection of the network connection.

  However, in such a robot system, if the remote control device and the network connection between the robot are disconnected and the robot continues to execute the operation according to the control command received last, the robot 1 operates away from the user operation. If the robot 1 is damaged due to a drop from a step or a collision with an external object, the robot 1 may be damaged, and the robot stops operating simultaneously with the disconnection of the network connection between the remote control device and the robot. Depending on the posture of the robot at that time, the robot may be damaged due to a fall or the like.

  On the other hand, in the above-described conventional robot system, when the remote operation device and the robot are connected via a network, control transmitted from the remote operation device in response to a user operation regardless of the state or situation of the robot at that time. Based on the command, the robot is constructed so as to always express a specified motion.

  However, if the robot can be operated in the same manner as during normal remote operation, for example, when the robot is being held by the user or when the internal temperature of the robot is abnormally rising, May damage the robot itself or cause damage to the robot itself.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and intends to propose a robot system, a remote operation device, a robot device, and a control method thereof that can improve the safety of the user and the robot device itself.

  In order to solve this problem, in the present invention, in the robot system, the remote operation device, and the robot device, a transmission unit that transmits an operation designation command to the robot device according to an operation set as an operation after network disconnection to the remote operation device. The operation setting means for setting the operation according to the operation designation command transmitted from the remote operation device as the operation after network disconnection to the robot device, and the operation after the network disconnection when the network connection is disconnected Control means for controlling the robot apparatus so as to express the movement is provided.

  As a result, according to the robot system, the remote operation device, and the robot device, even when the network connection between the remote operation device and the robot device is unexpectedly disconnected, the robot device operates away from the user operation. As a result, it is possible to effectively prevent the robot apparatus from being damaged due to damage to the robot apparatus, or the robot apparatus stopping operation and falling down simultaneously with the disconnection of the network connection.

  Also, in the present invention, in a method for controlling a robot apparatus that can be remotely operated using a remote operation device by connecting to the remote operation device via a predetermined communication line, a predetermined transmission transmitted from the remote operation device is provided. A first step of setting an operation according to the operation designation command as an operation after network disconnection, and a second step of controlling the robot apparatus so as to exhibit the operation set as the operation after network disconnection when the network connection is disconnected Steps.

  As a result, according to the control method of the robot apparatus, even when the network connection between the remote operation apparatus and the robot apparatus is unexpectedly disconnected, the robot apparatus operates by moving away from the user operation. It is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of damage to the robot apparatus due to the apparatus being damaged or the robot apparatus stopping operation and falling down simultaneously with the disconnection of the network connection.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, in the robot system and the robot apparatus, the robot apparatus receives a control unit that receives a control command transmitted from the remote control device, and develops an operation according to the control command based on the received control command. Control means for controlling the operation of the robot apparatus, and the control means responds to the state and / or situation transmitted from the remote control device according to the state and / or situation of the robot apparatus at that time. The control command other than the predetermined control command is rejected.

  As a result, according to the robot system and the robot apparatus, the robot system and the robot apparatus are based on the control command transmitted from the remote operation apparatus in a state that causes damage or malfunction to the robot apparatus or a situation that causes injury to the user. By stopping the operation of the robot apparatus, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a situation in which the robot apparatus is damaged or malfunctioned or the user is injured.

  Further, according to the present invention, in the control method of the robot apparatus, the first step of receiving the control command transmitted from the remote control device and the action according to the control command are expressed based on the received control command. And a second step for controlling the operation of the robot apparatus. In the second step, the state and / or the situation transmitted from the remote control device according to the state and / or situation of the robot apparatus at that time The control command other than the predetermined control command according to is rejected.

  As a result, according to the control method of the robot apparatus, it is based on the control command transmitted from the remote operation apparatus in a state where the robot apparatus is damaged or malfunctioned or in a situation where the user is injured. By stopping the operation of the robot apparatus, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a situation in which the robot apparatus is damaged or malfunctioned or the user is injured.

  As described above, according to the present invention, in the robot system, the remote operation device, and the robot device, the transmission means for transmitting to the robot device an operation designation command corresponding to the operation set as the operation after disconnecting the network to the remote operation device. Provided, an operation setting means for setting an operation corresponding to an operation designation command transmitted from a remote operation device as an operation after network disconnection to the robot device, and an operation set as an operation after network disconnection when the network connection is disconnected By providing a control means for controlling the robot device so as to express the robot device, even when the network connection between the remote control device and the robot device is unexpectedly disconnected, the robot device leaves the user operation. The robot device may be damaged due to operation or connected to the network. Realizes a robot system, remote control device, and robot device that can prevent and effectively prevent the robot device from being damaged due to the robot device stopping operation and falling over at the same time as cutting. it can.

  Further, according to the present invention, in the method for controlling a robot apparatus that can be remotely operated using the remote operation device by connecting to the remote operation device through a predetermined communication line, the predetermined method transmitted from the remote operation device. A first step of setting an operation according to the operation designation command as an operation after disconnection of the network, and a second step of controlling the robot apparatus so as to exhibit the operation set as the operation after disconnection of the network when the network connection is disconnected Thus, even when the network connection between the remote control device and the robot device is unexpectedly disconnected, the robot device operates away from the user operation. Or the robotic device stops operating as soon as the network connection is lost. The occurrence of damage to the robot apparatus according to overturn it is possible to effectively prevent, thus robot system capable of improving safety, it is possible to realize a remote operation apparatus and the robot apparatus.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, in the robot system and the robot apparatus, the robot apparatus receives a control command transmitted from the remote control device to the robot apparatus, and performs an operation according to the control command based on the received control command. Control means for controlling the operation of the robot apparatus so as to express, and the control means responds to the state and / or situation transmitted from the remote control device according to the state and / or situation of the robot apparatus at that time. From the remote control device in a situation that causes a damage or malfunction to the robot device or a situation in which the user is injured by rejecting a control command other than a predetermined control command in response. If the robot device is stopped based on the transmitted control command, the robot device may be damaged or malfunctioned. The occurrence of a situation that inflict injury to the user can be prevented, thus the robot system capable of improving safety, a remote control device and a robot device can be realized.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, in the control method of the robot apparatus, the first step of receiving the control command transmitted from the remote operation device and the operation according to the control command are expressed based on the received control command. A second step for controlling the operation of the robot device, and in the second step, the state transmitted from the remote control device and / or the state according to the state and / or situation of the robot device at that time Remote control in situations where the robot device is damaged or malfunctioned due to the rejection of control commands other than the predetermined control command according to the situation, or where the user is injured Stop the robot device operation based on the control command sent from the device, causing damage or malfunction to the robot device, The occurrence of a situation that inflict injury can be prevented, thus the robot system capable of improving safety, it is possible to realize a remote operation apparatus and the robot apparatus.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

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

In this case, as shown in FIG. 2, the body unit 2 includes a controller 10 for controlling the operation of the entire robot 1, a battery 11 as a power source for the robot 1, a battery sensor 12, an acceleration sensor 13, and a plurality of sensors. Various sensors such as a touch sensor 14 (14 _{1 to} 14 _n ) and a temperature sensor 16 for detecting pinching, a dedicated external memory 15 and slots (not shown) for PC (Personal Computer) cards, etc. The body unit 2 is provided at a predetermined position.

  The head unit 4 includes a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera 17 corresponding to the substantial “eye” of the robot 1, a microphone 18 corresponding to the substantial “ear”, a touch sensor 19, a distance sensor 20, and the like. These sensors, a speaker 21 corresponding to the “mouth”, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) 22 corresponding to the “eye” in appearance, and the like are arranged at predetermined positions.

Furthermore, for the knee joints of the leg units 3A to 3D, the shoulder joints connecting the leg units 3A to 3D and the torso unit 2, respectively, the neck joints connecting the head unit 4 and the torso unit 2, etc. , potentiometer ₂₄ 1 to 24 _n constituting the number of degrees of freedom min and actuators ₂₃ 1 of the required number ~ 23 _n and actuators ₂₃ 1 ~ 23 _n respectively pairs respectively are disposed.

  The CCD camera 17 of the head unit 4 images the surroundings and sends the obtained image signal S1 to the controller 10. Further, the microphone 18 collects a voice input such as “walk”, “down” or “follow the ball” given by the user, and other various ambient sounds, and sends the obtained voice signal S2 to the controller 10. .

Further, as clearly shown in FIG. 1, the touch sensor 19 of the head unit 4 is provided at the upper part of the head unit 4 and is subjected to pressure received by a physical action such as “blow” or “slap” from the user. And the detection result is sent to the controller 10 as a pressure detection signal S3. Further, the distance sensor 20 measures the distance to the object ahead and sends the measurement result to the controller 10 as a distance measurement signal S4.

  On the other hand, the battery sensor 12 of the body unit 2 detects the remaining energy of the battery 11 and sends the detection result to the controller 10 as a remaining battery detection signal S5. Further, the acceleration sensor 13 detects accelerations in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction indicated by arrows x, y, and z in FIG. 1, respectively, and sends the detection result to the controller 10 as an acceleration detection signal S6. To do.

Furthermore, each pinching detection touch sensor 14 (14 _{1 to} 14 _n ) is disposed at a predetermined position where it can detect the pinching of a foreign object such as a user's finger between the body unit 2 and the leg units 3A to 3D. The pressure received as a reaction when an object is sandwiched between the body unit 2 and the leg units 3A to 3D is detected, and the detection result is transmitted to the controller 10 as a sandwich detection signal S7 (S7 _{1 to} S7 _n ). Send it out.

Further, the temperature sensor 16 detects the temperature inside the body unit 2 and sends the detection result to the controller 10 as a temperature detection signal S10. The potentiometers 24 _{1 to} 24 _n are respectively corresponding actuators 23 ₁ to 23 _n. Are detected, and the detection results are sent to the controller 10 as angle detection signals S8 _{1 to} S8 _n .

  The controller 10 has a microcomputer configuration including a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), and a random access memory (RAM), and is stored in an external memory 15 (15A, 15B) loaded in advance. The operation of the robot 1 is controlled in accordance with a program and various control data such as various motion files, audio files, and LED files described later.

In practice, for example, when the external memory 15A storing a control program dedicated to the autonomous operation mode is loaded, the controller 10 receives the image signal S1 from the CCD camera 17, the audio signal S2 from the microphone 18, and the touch sensor 19. Operation detection signal S3, distance measurement signal S4 from distance sensor 20, and pinching detection signal S7 from each pinching detection touch sensor 14, battery remaining amount signal S5 from battery sensor 12, acceleration from acceleration sensor 13 detection signal S6, on the basis of the angle detection signal _S8 1 _{~S8 n} from the temperature detection signal S10 and the potentiometers ₂₄ 1 to 24 _n from the temperature sensor 16, external and internal states and, command and intervention from the user Determine the presence or absence.

Then, the controller 10 determines the action to be continued based on the determination result and the control program stored in the external memory 15A, and various operation patterns stored in the external memory 15A as necessary based on the determination result. The corresponding motion file is reproduced from the motion file composed of the control data for each, and the drive signals S9 _{1 to} S9 _n are sent to the corresponding actuators 23 ₁ to 23 _n based on the control data thus obtained. By driving, various operations such as swinging the head unit 4 up and down, left and right, driving the leg units 3A to 3D to walk, and various actions including a series of operations are performed.

  Further, at this time, the controller 10 reproduces a corresponding audio file from various audio files stored in the external memory 15A as necessary, and gives the audio signal S10 thus obtained to the speaker 21, thereby providing the audio signal. The sound based on S10 is output to the outside. Similarly, at this time, the controller 10 reproduces the corresponding LED file from among the LED files for the various blinking patterns of the LED 22 stored in the external memory 15A as necessary, and based on the control data thus obtained. The LED 22 is driven to blink in a corresponding pattern.

  In this manner, the robot 1 can perform operations and actions according to the control program and control data stored in the loaded external memory 15 under the control of the controller 10.

(2) Configuration of Robot System 30 According to the Present Embodiment FIG. 3 shows a robot system 30 according to the present embodiment configured by the robot 1 described above and a personal computer 31 owned by the user of the robot 1. It is shown. In the robot system 30, the robot 1 can be wirelessly operated remotely using a personal computer 31.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, the personal computer 31 includes a CPU 32, a ROM 33, a RAM 34, a PC card slot 35, a hard disk device 36, an image display processing unit 37, a display 38, an audio output processing unit 39, a speaker 40, and the like. A general purpose one is used.

  In the personal computer 31, for example, application software (hereinafter referred to as remote control) that is provided on a CD (Compact Disc) -ROM 41 (FIG. 3) and that provides the robot system 30 with such functions. Application software) is installed, and a wireless LAN card (hereinafter referred to as a PC-side wireless LAN card) 42 compliant with a predetermined wireless communication standard is installed.

  In addition, the robot 1 has an autonomous operation mode control program (hereinafter referred to as an autonomous operation mode program) for performing autonomous operation as described above, and the robot 1 can be wirelessly operated remotely. A remote control mode control program (hereinafter referred to as a remote control mode program), and an external memory 15B in which various control data such as motion files are stored, a PC-side wireless LAN card 42 of the personal computer 31, and A pair of wireless LAN cards (hereinafter referred to as robot-side wireless LAN cards) 43 is attached.

  When the controller 10 of the robot 1 is turned on after the external memory 15B is loaded, the autonomous operation mode program is read from the external memory 15B and expanded in the internal memory 10A (FIG. 2). The robot 1 is activated in the autonomous operation mode, and thereafter, the robot 1 is controlled to act autonomously as described above according to the autonomous operation mode program.

  On the other hand, when the installed remote operation application software is activated, the CPU 32 (FIG. 4) of the personal computer 31 gives predetermined image data to the image display processing unit 37 based on the remote operation application software. Then, a control panel having a predetermined GUI based on the image data is displayed on the display 38.

  Thus, as shown in FIG. 5, the user can operate the control panel to connect the personal computer 31 and the robot 1 to the network via the wireless LAN. In addition, the user connects the personal computer 31 and the robot 1 to the network in this way, so that the moving image captured by the CCD camera 17 (FIG. 2) of the robot 1 or the microphone 18 (FIG. 2) of the robot 1 at that time. The current status of the robot 1 recognized based on the sound collected by the sound and the sensor outputs of various sensors mounted on the robot 1 is monitored on the personal computer side, or the operation mode of the robot 1 is changed from the autonomous operation mode. The robot 1 can be switched to the remote operation mode or from the remote operation mode to the autonomous operation mode, and when the operation mode of the robot 1 is switched to the remote operation mode, the robot 1 can be remotely operated using this control panel.

  In practice, when the CPU 32 of the personal computer 31 is operated to operate the control panel and an instruction to connect the personal computer 31 and the robot 1 to the network is input, a control command corresponding to the command (hereinafter, this is connected to the network). Request command) is transmitted to the robot 1 via the PC-side wireless LAN card 42.

When the controller 10 (FIG. 2) of the robot 1 receives this network connection request command via the robot-side wireless LAN card 43 in the autonomous operation mode, the controller 10 sets the personal computer 31 as a network connection partner. Image information based on the image signal S2 from the CCD camera 17 (FIG. 2) and sound information (PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) data) based on the sound signal S1 from the microphone 16 (FIG. 2), and the distance sensor 20 (FIG. 2) Various sensor information such as distance information based on the distance measurement signal S4 from the sensor, angle detection information based on the angle detection signals S8 _{1 to} S8 _n from the potentiometers 24 _{1 to} 24 _n (FIG. 2), and then the controller 10 recognizes The various recognition information and the like are sequentially pared via the robot side wireless LAN card 43. It transmits to the sonal computer 31. In the following, these image information, audio information, various sensor information, and various recognition information are collectively referred to as robot information.

  Thus, when the CPU 32 of the personal computer 31 receives the robot information transmitted from the robot 1 via the PC-side wireless LAN card 42, the image information, various sensor information, and various recognition information included in the robot information are displayed as images. By giving it to the processing unit 37, the moving image based on the image information, the current state of the robot 1 recognized based on the various sensor information, and the like are displayed on the control panel, respectively, while the audio information ( (PCM data) is supplied to the audio output processing unit 39 as necessary, thereby outputting audio based on the audio information from the speaker 40.

  On the other hand, when the CPU 32 of the personal computer 31 is operated thereafter to input a command for switching the operation mode of the robot 1 to the remote operation mode, a control command (hereinafter referred to as a first command) corresponding thereto is inputted. The operation mode switching command is transmitted to the robot 1 via the PC-side wireless LAN card 42.

  When the controller 10 of the robot 1 receives the first operation mode switching command via the robot-side wireless LAN card 43, the controller 10 reads out the remote operation mode program from the external memory 15B and stores it in the internal memory 10A (FIG. 2). The operation mode of the robot 1 is switched to the remote operation mode by executing a predetermined process for switching the operation mode (hereinafter referred to as a first operation mode switching process).

  The controller 10 of the robot 1 transmits the above-described various robot information to the personal computer 31 via the robot-side wireless LAN card 43 even in the remote operation mode. At this time, the CPU 32 of the personal computer 31 transmits from the robot 1. The moving image based on the robot information and the current state of the robot 1 are continuously displayed on the control panel displayed on the display 38 in the same manner as described above.

  Thus, the user operates the control panel while visually confirming the moving image displayed on the control panel, the current state of the robot 1, and the like, and inputs a command to the robot 1 to express a desired action. Then, it is possible to input a command to select desired audio content from among several audio contents registered in advance and output the audio from the speaker 21 (FIG. 2) of the robot 1.

  At this time, the CPU 32 of the personal computer 31 transmits a corresponding control command, PCM data of the corresponding audio content, and the like to the robot 1 via the PC-side wireless LAN card 42 in response to the user operation. When the controller 10 of the robot 1 receives this control command or the like via the robot-side wireless LAN card 43, the robot 10 causes the robot to express the specified motion by playing the corresponding motion file, audio file and / or LED file. Or the transmitted PCM data is reproduced and sound based on the PCM data is output from the speaker 21.

  On the other hand, when the CPU 32 of the personal computer 31 is operated thereafter to input a command for switching the operation mode of the robot 1 to the autonomous operation mode, a control command corresponding to this command (hereinafter referred to as a second command). The operation mode switching command is transmitted to the robot 1 via the PC-side wireless LAN card 42.

  When the controller 10 of the robot 1 receives the second operation mode switching command via the robot-side wireless LAN card 43, the controller 10 reads the autonomous operation mode program from the external memory 15B, and reads it from the internal memory 10A (FIG. 2). The operation mode of the robot 1 is switched to the autonomous operation mode by executing a predetermined process (hereinafter referred to as a second operation mode switching process) for switching the operation mode such as The behavior of the robot 1 is controlled so as to act autonomously according to the autonomous operation mode program.

  In this way, in the robot system 30, the robot 1 can be freely remotely controlled using the personal computer 31.

  The software configuration of the personal computer 31 relating to such a remote operation function is shown in FIG. As apparent from FIG. 5, the software of the personal computer 31 relating to such a remote operation function includes a remote operation application software 50, a communication library 51 including a plurality of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), and a communication control program 42. The

  In this case, the remote operation application software 50 controls the image display processing unit 37 (FIG. 4) to display the control panel on the display 38, while operating the control panel to operate the network according to various commands input by the user. Various control commands such as a connection request command, first or second operation mode switching command, PCM data, and the like are given to the communication control program 52 via the communication library 51.

  The communication control program 52 transmits various control commands, PCM data, and the like given from the remote operation application software 50 to the robot 1 via the PC-side wireless LAN card 42 (FIG. 3), while the PC-side wireless LAN card. Various robot information such as image information, voice information (PCM data), various sensor information and various recognition information received from the robot 1 via the communication interface 42 and control commands are transmitted to the remote operation application software 50 via the communication library 51. give.

  Thus, the remote operation application software 50 controls the image display processing unit 37 to display information on the current state of the robot 1 recognized based on the image information included in the robot information, various sensor information, and various recognition information. By giving to the image display processing unit 37, the moving image based on the image information and the current state of the robot 1 are displayed on the control panel displayed on the display 38 (FIG. 4) of the personal computer 31, respectively. The voice information (PCM data) included in the voice information is supplied to the voice output processing unit 39 as necessary, so that the voice based on the voice information is output from the speaker 40 of the personal computer 31.

  In this way, the personal computer 31 can remotely operate the robot 1 based on the remote operation application software 50.

(3) Remote operation of the robot 1 using the control panel 45 Actually, the CPU 32 of the personal computer 31 uses, for example, a control panel 60 as shown in FIG. Display.

  The control panel 60 includes a navigator panel 61 and a player panel 62. A camera situation area 70 is provided at the center of the navigator panel 61, and robot information transmitted from the robot 1 is added to the camera situation area 70. A moving image based on the included image information is displayed.

  A distance display area 71 is provided below the camera status area 70, and a moving image displayed in the distance display area 71 is recognized in the camera status area 70 recognized based on the distance information included in the robot information. The distance to the object at the center position is displayed using a level meter method.

  On the other hand, a camera angle display area 73 is provided on the right side of the camera status area 70 in the navigator panel 61, and the camera of the CCD camera 17 (FIG. 2) obtained based on the robot information in the camera angle display area 73. An angle is displayed as a yellow point 74 (hereinafter referred to as a camera angle display point) 74.

  Then, the user drags and drops the camera angle display point 74 displayed in the camera angle display area 73 to a desired position in the camera angle display area 73 by operating the mouse, whereby the head of the robot 1 is displayed. By rotating the direction of the unit 4 in the corresponding direction, the direction of the CCD camera 17 of the robot 1 can be moved in that direction.

  Also, below the camera angle display area 73, there are provided three posture designation buttons 75A to 75C corresponding to the respective basic postures of “down”, “sit”, and “stand”, and these posture designation buttons 75A. By clicking desired posture designation buttons 75A to 75C from -75C, the posture of the robot 1 can be changed to a corresponding posture.

  Further, a cross-shaped movement direction area 76 is provided below each of the posture designation buttons 75A to 75C, and the top, bottom, right, or left end portion of the cross mark 77 in the movement direction area 76 is clicked. Thus, the robot 1 can be moved forward, backward, right turn, or left turn, and the movement of the robot 1 can be stopped by clicking the center 77A of the cross mark 77. Yes.

  On the other hand, a 3D robot display area 78 is provided on the left side of the camera status area 70. In this 3D robot display area 78, 3 of the robot 1 having the same posture as the current posture of the robot 1 recognized based on the robot information. A three-dimensional computer graphic image (hereinafter referred to as a 3D robot image) 79 is displayed while being sequentially updated.

  Further, in the 3D robot display area 78, for example, “Warning ()” which is obtained based on the robot information and recognized by the controller 10 (FIG. 2) of the robot 1 based on the image signal S1 from the CCD camera 17 (FIG. 2). A character 80 representing various recognition results such as “Warning” ”is also displayed.

  A plurality of 3D robot display switching buttons 81 are provided below the 3D robot display area 78. The 3D robot display switching button 81 (81A to 81D) is for switching the display state of the 3D robot image 79 displayed in the 3D robot display area 78. For example, by clicking the view home position button 81A. The orientation, display position, etc. of the 3D robot image 79 can be returned to the home position.

  Further, by clicking the view movement button 81B among the 3D robot display switching buttons 81, the 3D robot image 79 can be moved to a desired position in the 3D robot display area 78 by a drag operation, and the view rotation button 81C is clicked. Thus, the 3D robot image 79 can be rotated by a drag operation, and the 3D robot image 79 can be enlarged and displayed by clicking the view zoom button 81D.

  Further, a connect button 82, an autonomous operation mode button 83, and a remote operation mode button 84 are arranged in parallel on the lower left side of the navigator panel 61. By clicking the connect button 82, the personal computer 31, the robot 1, Can be connected to the network, and by clicking the autonomous operation mode button 83, the operation mode of the robot 1 can be shifted from the remote operation mode to the autonomous operation mode, and by clicking the remote operation mode button 84, The operation mode of the robot 1 can be shifted from the autonomous operation mode to the remote operation mode.

  Further, a plurality of control buttons 85 (85A to 85G) are further provided on the right side of the remote operation mode button 84, and when the still capture button 85A is clicked among them, it is displayed in the camera status area 70 at that moment. The image data of the still image of one frame of the moving image can be stored in the personal computer 51, and the image data of the still image is stored in the external memory 15B of the robot 1 by clicking the album button 85B. It is made to be able to let you.

  Also, by clicking the rotation button 85C of the control buttons 85, the direction of the body unit 2 of the robot 1 can be rotated to match the direction of the camera angle of the CCD camera 17 (FIG. 2) at that time. Further, by clicking the tracking button 85D to turn on the tracking mode, the operation mode of the robot 1 can be shifted to a tracking mode in which a ball is found and automatically tracked.

  Further, by clicking the listen button 85E among the control buttons 85, the ambient sound of the robot 1 collected by the microphone 18 (FIG. 2) of the robot 1 is output from the speaker 40 (FIG. 4) of the personal computer 31. When the talk button 85F is clicked, voice data (PCM data) is transmitted from the personal computer 31, and voice or the like based on the voice data is output from the speaker 21 (FIG. 2) of the robot 1. In addition, by clicking the fall return button 85G, the robot 1 in a fall state can be raised to its “standing” posture by its own power (return to fall).

  On the other hand, a content selection tab display area 90 is provided on the left side of the player panel 62. In this content selection tab display area 90, a net radio channel selection tab 91A, a music playback selection tab 91B, and a motion selection tab 91C are provided. The desired content selection tab 91 can be selected and displayed from the five content selection tabs 91 (91A to 91E) of the synthesized voice reproduction selection tab 91D and the scheduler tab 91E.

  Among these, for example, the net radio channel selection tab 91A is used when a desired radio station is selected from pre-registered Internet radio broadcast stations, and the music reproduction selection tab 91B is a music or the like registered in a personal computer in advance. This is used when selecting desired audio content from among the audio content. The motion selection tab 91C is used to select a desired action from the actions that can be expressed by the robot, and the synthesized voice reproduction selection tab 91D is a synthesized voice to be output from the speaker 21 (FIG. 2) of the robot 1. Used to describe the contents (sentences and characters). Furthermore, the scheduler tab 91E is used when setting what kind of content (Internet radio station, audio content, operation, synthesized audio, etc.) is to be reproduced when (year / month / day and time).

  Then, the user selects one content selection tab 91 from among the plurality of content selection tabs 91 and then clicks the all registration button 92A, or uses the selected one content selection tab 91 to select one or more desired ones. By clicking the registration button 93A after selecting the content, all the content registered in the selected content selection tab 91 or the desired one or more selected content is displayed in the center portion of the player panel 62. It can be registered in the list 94.

  Note that the content registered in the playlist 94 can be loaded through a CD or the Internet by clicking the load button 95 displayed on the upper side of the playlist 94, and the save button 96 is further displayed. The loaded content can be saved in the hard disk device 36 (FIG. 4) of the personal computer 31 by clicking.

  In addition, for the contents registered in the playlist 94, all of the contents registered in the playlist 94 are clicked by clicking the delete all button 92B, or by selecting one or a plurality of desired contents and then clicking the delete button 93B. One or a plurality of contents selected from the contents or the contents registered in the playlist 94 can be deleted from the playlist 94.

  When the content is registered in the playlist 94, one desired content is selected from the registered contents by operating the mouse, and then the playback button 97A displayed on the lower side of the player panel 62 is clicked. The selected content can be executed by the robot 1. Actually, for example, when the selected content is an Internet radio station, audio content, or synthesized audio, the audio is output from the speaker 21 (FIG. 2) of the robot 1, and when the selected content is an operation, the robot 1 expresses the operation.

  The content execution by the robot 1 can be fast forwarded, rewound, stopped or repeated by clicking the fast forward button 97B, the rewind button 97C, the stop button 97D or the auto reverse button 97E on the player panel 62. The elapsed time up to the present with respect to the material length of the content is displayed on the position bar 98.

  Further, when the audio content is executed by the robot 1, the audio content is output from the speaker 21 of the robot 1 by clicking the auto motion on button 99 </ b> A displayed on the right side of the playlist 94, so that the robot 2 The dance according to the audio content can be expressed, and the dance can be stopped by clicking the auto motion off button 99B.

  In the player panel 62, various settings can be made using a dialog or the like displayed by clicking the option button 100, and various information related to the player panel 62 is acquired by clicking the help button 101. It has been made so that it can.

(4) Various Functions Mounted on Robot System 30 Next, various characteristic functions mounted on the robot system 30 will be described.

(4-1) Function for switching operation mode of robot 1 As described above, in this robot system 30, there are an autonomous operation mode and a remote operation mode as the operation mode of the robot 1, and in accordance with the program for the autonomous operation mode in the autonomous operation mode. The operation of the robot 1 is controlled under the control of the controller 10 in the robot 1, and is given from the remote operation application software 50 (FIG. 5) installed in the personal computer 31 according to the remote operation mode program in the remote operation mode. The operation of the robot 1 is controlled based on a control command to be executed. That is, when the robot 1 is in the autonomous operation mode, the controller 10 of the robot 1 has the control right of the robot 1, and when the robot 1 is in the remote operation mode, the remote operation application software 50 of the personal computer 31 is 1 control right.

  In such a robot 1, the control right is switched between the controller 10 of the robot 1 and the remote operation application software 50 of the personal computer 31, that is, between the autonomous operation mode and the remote operation mode of the operation mode of the robot 1. Switching between the two is performed in response to a user operation using the control panel 60 (FIG. 6) as described above. In the case of this robot system 30, the robot 1 can be switched as necessary in other cases. The operation mode is switched from the autonomous operation mode to the remote operation mode or from the remote operation mode to the autonomous operation mode.

  In practice, the operation mode switching of the robot 1 is performed as shown in FIG. 7A, in the first case performed by an instruction on the personal computer 31 side and in FIG. 7B. As described above, there are a second case performed by a direct instruction from the user to the robot 1 and a third case performed based on the determination on the robot 1 side, as shown in FIG. 7C. .

  Of these, in the first case, the operation mode of the robot 1 is the remote operation mode and the user operation is performed for a certain period of time in addition to the case where there is an operation input by the user 110 using the control panel 60 (FIG. 6) as described above. This corresponds to the case where there is no event, or when the operation mode of the robot 1 is the autonomous operation mode and the execution time of the reserved event is reached.

  In this case, on the personal computer 31 side, based on the remote operation application software 50, the first operation mode switching command indicating that the CPU 32 should switch the operation mode from the autonomous operation mode to the remote operation mode for the robot 1. Alternatively, a second operation mode switching command indicating that the operation mode should be switched from the remote operation mode to the autonomous operation mode is transmitted to the robot 1.

  Thus, upon receiving the first or second operation mode switching command, the controller 10 of the robot 1 reads out the corresponding remote operation mode program or autonomous operation mode program from the external memory 15B (FIG. 3). Then, the above-described first or second operation mode switching process such as deployment to the internal memory 10A (FIG. 2) is executed, and thereafter, as described above according to the remote operation mode program or the autonomous operation mode program. The robot 1 is controlled in accordance with a control command given from the personal computer 31 or autonomously.

  In the second case, the operation mode is changed from the autonomous operation mode to the remote operation mode or from the remote operation mode by voice input to the robot 1, pressing operation of the touch sensor 17 (FIG. 2), or presentation of a card with a predetermined pattern. The instruction to switch to the autonomous operation mode is recognized on the personal computer 31 side using the recognition function of the personal computer 31 based on the robot information transmitted from the robot 1 to the personal computer 31. This is the case.

  Also in this case, the first or second operation mode switching command is transmitted from the personal computer 31 to the robot 1 in the same manner as in the first case, and thus based on the first or second operation mode switching command. By executing the first or second operation mode switching process on the robot 1 side, the operation mode of the robot 1 is switched from the autonomous operation mode to the remote operation mode or from the remote operation mode to the autonomous operation mode.

  Further, in the third case, the controller 10 of the robot 1 changes the operation mode of the robot 1 to the autonomous operation mode based on autonomous determination of the robot 1 and various recognition functions such as image recognition or voice recognition mounted on the robot 1. Corresponds to the case where it is determined that the operation mode should be switched from the remote operation mode to the autonomous operation mode.

  In this case, first, the controller 10 of the robot 1 transmits a mode switching request command to the personal computer 31 via the robot-side wireless LAN card 43, while the CPU 32 of the personal computer 31 receives the mode switching request command. Then, in response to this, a first or second operation mode switching command is transmitted to the robot 1.

  Thus, when the controller 10 of the robot 1 receives the first or second operation mode switching command, the controller 10 executes the first or second operation mode switching process. Thereafter, the remote operation mode program or the autonomous operation mode is executed. The robot 1 is controlled to operate autonomously in accordance with a control command given from the personal computer 31 as described above in accordance with a program for use.

  As described above, the robot system 30 can freely switch the operation mode of the robot 1 from the autonomous operation mode to the remote operation mode or from the remote operation mode to the autonomous operation mode according to the purpose during the activity of the robot 1. Thus, the operation mode of the robot 1 can be freely switched in a natural flow without making the user aware of whether the control of the robot 1 is performed on the robot 1 side or the personal computer 31 side. Yes.

  A specific flow of the operation mode switching processing of the robot 1 as described above in the robot system 30 is shown in FIG.

  First, at the initial stage, the controller 10 of the robot 1 starts up in the autonomous operation mode based on the autonomous operation mode program stored in the external memory 15B, and controls the robot 1 to behave autonomously (step SP1).

  On the other hand, the CPU 32 of the personal computer 31 receives or reserves a command for operating the control panel 60 (FIG. 6) to connect to the robot 1 via the network based on the remote operation application software 50 (FIG. 5). When it is recognized that the event is several minutes before the event execution time, a network connection request command is transmitted to the robot 1 (step SP2).

  As a result, when the personal computer 31 and the robot 1 are connected to the network, various types of robot information are transmitted from the robot 1 to the personal computer 31, whereby the personal computer 31 side can monitor the current status of the robot 1 and the like. It becomes possible (step SP3).

  On the other hand, the CPU 32 of the personal computer 31 recognizes that the control panel 60 is subsequently operated to input an instruction to set the operation mode of the robot 1 to the remote operation mode or the execution time of the reserved event has been reached. Then, a first operation mode switching command is transmitted to the robot 1 (step SP4).

Thus, when receiving the first operation mode switching command, the controller 10 of the robot 1 controls the corresponding actuators 23 ₁ to 23 _n (FIG. 2) to stop the autonomous operation of the robot 1 and to change the posture of the robot 1. The operation mode is shifted to the remote operation mode by making a transition to the basic posture of either “lie down” or “sit” and further executing the first operation mode switching process (step SP5).

  Further, when the first operation mode switching process is completed, the controller 10 of the robot 1 transmits a switching completion notification to the personal computer 31 (step SP6), and thereafter receives various control commands from the personal computer 31 in the remote operation mode. Wait (step SP7).

  On the other hand, the CPU 32 of the personal computer 31 transmits various commands input by operating the control panel 60 (FIG. 6) thereafter, control commands according to the contents of reserved events, and the like to the robot 1 as appropriate. (Step SP8).

  Thus, when the controller 10 of the robot 1 receives this control command or the like, it reproduces the corresponding motion file or the like, and causes the robot 1 to sequentially express the corresponding operation, while when the operation is successful, the control is successful. A notification is transmitted to the personal computer 31 (step SP9).

  On the other hand, the CPU 32 of the personal computer 31 thereafter operates the control panel 60 to input a command to change the operation mode of the robot 1 to the autonomous operation mode, or when the execution of the reserved event ends, for example. Is transmitted to the robot 1 (step SP10).

Thus, when the controller 10 of the robot 1 receives this second operation mode switching command, the controller 10 controls the corresponding actuators 23 ₁ to 23 _n (FIG. 2) to “pose”, “sit” or “sit” the robot 1. The operation mode is shifted to the autonomous operation mode by changing to one of the basic postures of “standing” and further executing the second operation mode switching process (step SP11). Further, when the second operation mode switching process is completed, the controller 10 of the robot 1 transmits a switching completion notification to the personal computer 31 (step SP12), and then acts autonomously (step SP3).

  In this way, in the robot system 30, the operation mode of the robot 1 can be freely switched from the autonomous operation mode to the remote operation mode or from the remote operation mode to the autonomous operation mode by an instruction from the personal computer 31 or the like. It is made like that.

(4-2) Operation setting function after network disconnection On the other hand, in the robot system 30, in addition to the operation mode switching function as described above, the network connection between the personal computer 31 and the robot 1 is disconnected due to some other factor. In this case, an operation setting function after disconnecting the network is provided that can set the operation of the robot 1 after disconnecting the network connection (hereinafter referred to as an operation after disconnecting the network) in the robot 1 in advance.

In practice, the settable network disconnection operation includes an autonomous return operation for returning the operation mode of the robot 1 to the autonomous operation mode, and the posture of the robot 1 without driving the actuators 23 ₁ to 23 _n (FIG. 2). Even if the robot 1 is switched to a predetermined first stable posture (eg, a “lie down” posture) without fear of falling, the robot 1 is turned off, and the posture of the robot 1 is changed to the first stable posture. The first connection standby operation in which the control gains of all the actuators 23 ₁ to 23 _n are set to “0” and the network connection is resumed after the transition to, and the posture of the robot 1 is reduced by the load of the actuators 23 ₁ to 23 _n. After making a transition to a predetermined second stable posture (eg, “sitting down” or “sitting” posture) with a low risk of falling, etc. There are four second connection waiting operations that wait for the restart of the network connection.

  The operation to be set as the operation after the network disconnection is predetermined in the remote operation application software 50 (FIG. 5) installed in the personal computer 31, and the network connection between the personal computer 31 and the robot 1 is established. After that, the operation is set as the operation after network disconnection on the robot 1 side based on the operation command after network disconnection given from the personal computer 31 to the robot 1 at a predetermined timing.

  In this embodiment, an autonomous return operation is predetermined in the remote operation application software 50 as the operation after the network disconnection. In the remote operation application software 50, the operation after the network disconnection is performed by the user operation. Can be changed to another desired operation, and when the operation after the network disconnection is changed, the setting is also made on the robot 1 side based on the operation specifying command after the network disconnection given from the personal computer 31 to the robot 1 accordingly. Changed behavior after network disconnection.

  The controller 10 of the robot 1 disconnects the network connection with the personal computer 31 based on the received signal obtained from the robot-side wireless LAN card 43 when, for example, an autonomous return operation is set as the operation after disconnecting the network. If it is confirmed, the operation mode of the robot 1 is changed from the remote operation mode to the autonomous operation mode by reproducing the corresponding motion file stored in the external memory 15B in advance and executing the second operation mode switching process described above. Thereafter, the behavior of the robot 1 is controlled in the autonomous operation mode in accordance with the autonomous operation mode program.

Further, when the shutdown operation is set as the operation after disconnecting the network, the controller 10 of the robot 1 confirms that the network connection with the personal computer 31 is disconnected and is stored in the external memory 15B in advance. The corresponding motion file is reproduced to control the corresponding actuators 23 ₁ to 23 _n to change the posture of the robot 1 to the first stable posture, and then turn off the power of the robot 1. The power supply circuit of the robot 1 is controlled.

Further, when the first connection standby operation is set as the operation after disconnecting the network, the controller 10 of the robot 1 confirms that the network connection with the personal computer 31 has been disconnected, and then stores the external memory 15B in advance. Is reproduced, the corresponding actuators 23 ₁ to 23 _n are controlled to change the posture of the robot 1 to the first stable posture, and then all the actuators 23 ₁ to 23 are controlled. _After the supply of the drive current to _n is stopped (control gain is turned off), it waits in that state until the network connection with the personal computer 31 is resumed.

  At this time, the controller 10 of the robot 1 constantly monitors the remaining amount of battery energy based on the remaining energy detection signal S5 (FIG. 2) from the battery sensor 12 (FIG. 2), and the network connection with the personal computer is not resumed. If the remaining amount of energy remains below a predetermined amount set in advance, the operation after the network disconnection is switched to the shutdown operation, and the power supply circuit is controlled to turn off the power of the robot 1.

In contrast, when the second connection standby operation is set as the operation after disconnecting the network, the controller 10 of the robot 1 confirms that the network connection with the personal computer 31 has been disconnected. By reproducing the corresponding motion file stored in the external memory 15B, the corresponding actuators 23 ₁ to 23 _n are controlled to change the posture of the robot 1 to the second stable posture, and then the network connection is resumed. Wait as it is.

If the network connection with the personal computer 31 is not resumed after a predetermined time has elapsed after that, the controller 10 of the robot 1 performs the first connection standby operation after the network disconnection. After switching the robot posture to the first stable posture by controlling the corresponding actuator as necessary, the control gains of all the actuators 23 ₁ to 23 _n are turned off, and then the personal computer In this state, it waits for the network connection with 31 to be resumed.

  In the case of this robot system 30, the controller 10 of the robot 1 is configured to set the operation after network disconnection according to the last received operation designation command among the operation designation commands transmitted from the personal computer 31.

  This is because, for example, even when different post-network disconnection operations are specified from a plurality of types of remote operation application software installed in the personal computer 31, the remote operation last used for remote operation of the robot 1 is used. This is because the application software prioritizes the operation after the network disconnection.

  As a result, in the robot system 30, the remote operation application software that controls the robot 1 immediately before the network connection between the personal computer 31 and the robot 1 is disconnected is optimal in the case of the remote operation application software. It is possible to cause the robot 1 to execute the operation after the network disconnection considered by the software producer after the network connection is disconnected.

  Here, FIG. 9 shows a flow of the operation setting process after network disconnection as described above in the robot system 30. In FIG. 9, the processing from step SP20 to step SP26 is the same as that from step SP1 to step SP7 in FIG. 8, and therefore, the flow of processing after step SP27 will be described here.

  When the CPU 32 of the personal computer 31 receives the switching completion notification from the robot 1 after transmitting the first operation mode switching command to the robot 1 as described above (step SP25), the remote operation application is operated as the operation after the network disconnection. An operation designation command after network disconnection corresponding to an operation predetermined in the software 50 or newly set by the user is transmitted to the robot 1, thereby setting the operation after the network disconnection of the robot 1 to that operation (step SP 27). .

  Thereafter, the CPU 32 of the personal computer 31 appropriately transmits various commands input by operating the control panel 60 (FIG. 6), control commands according to the contents of reserved events, and the like to the robot 1 as appropriate. (Step SP28). Thus, when the controller 10 of the robot 1 receives this control command or the like, it reproduces the corresponding motion file or the like, and causes the robot 1 to sequentially express the corresponding operation, while when the operation is successful, the control is successful. A notification is transmitted to the personal computer 31 (step SP29).

  Thereafter, when the network connection between the personal computer 31 and the robot 1 is disconnected (step SP30), the controller 10 of the robot 1 performs an autonomous return operation, a shut-off operation, and a first connection standby as the network connection disconnection operation. It is determined which one of the operation and the second connection standby operation is set (step SP31).

The controller 10 of the robot 1 returns the operation mode to the autonomous operation mode when the autonomous return operation is set as the network connection disconnection operation according to the determination result (step SP22), and the shutoff operation is set. If the robot 1 is in the first stable posture, the robot 1 is turned off (step SP32). If the first connection standby operation is set, the posture of the robot 1 is changed. When the control gain of all the actuators 23 ₁ to 23 _n is turned off after the transition to the first stable posture and the network connection is resumed (step SP33), and the second connection standby operation is set. Changes the posture of the robot 1 to the second stable posture and waits for resumption of network connection in that state (step SP34). .

Further, when the second connection standby operation is set as the operation after the network disconnection, the controller 10 of the robot 1 performs the operation after the network disconnection after the predetermined time has elapsed after waiting for the network connection to resume. After changing to the standby operation and changing the posture of the robot 1 to the first stable posture as necessary, the control gains of all the actuators 23 ₁ to 23 _n are turned off and the network connection is resumed (step SP33). ).

  Furthermore, the controller 10 of the robot 1 changes the operation after network disconnection from the second connection standby operation to the first connection standby operation when the first connection standby operation is set as the operation after network disconnection or as described above. When the change is made, after waiting for the network connection to be resumed, when the remaining amount of energy of the battery 11 falls below a certain value, the operation after network disconnection is changed to a gain-off operation, and the robot 1 is turned off (step SP32).

  On the other hand, the controller 10 of the robot 1 can resume the network connection with the personal computer 31 after a predetermined time has elapsed after waiting for the network connection to be resumed by the second connection waiting operation as the operation after the network disconnection. When the network connection with the personal computer 31 can be resumed before the remaining amount of energy of the battery 11 falls below the predetermined value after waiting for the network connection to be resumed by the first connection standby operation. (Step SP35), it returns to the normal remote operation mode (step SP26).

  In this manner, the robot system 30 is configured to execute a network disconnection operation for the robot 1 and execute this operation when the network connection between the personal computer 31 and the robot 1 is disconnected.

(4-3) Safety Holding Mechanism of Robot 1 in Remote Operation Mode Next, the safety holding function in the remote operation mode installed in the robot 1 of the robot system 30 will be described.

  The robot system 30 is equipped with a safety holding function in which the robot 1 rejects a control command from the personal computer 31 according to the state and situation of the robot 1 at the time of the remote operation mode.

  Specifically, as a first safety maintenance function, the controller 10 of the robot 1 described above that the operation mode should be switched to the remote operation mode among the control commands transmitted from the personal computer 31 in the autonomous operation mode. Only the first operation mode switching command is accepted, and other control commands are not accepted.

  Thereby, in the robot system 30, a plurality of control commands from different control subjects (autonomous operation mode program stored in the external memory 15B of the robot 1 and remote operation application software 50 installed in the personal computer 31) are received. It is possible to prevent problems caused by the execution of the robot 1 in advance.

  As a second safety maintenance function, the controller 10 of the robot 1 is configured so that the robot 1 is in a personal computer when the robot 1 falls into an uncontrollable or uncontrollable state or an abnormality occurs in the robot 1 in the remote operation mode. The control command from 31 is not accepted.

  In this case, the uncontrollable state includes, for example, a falling state, and the uncontrollable state includes, for example, a state in which some object such as a user's finger is sandwiched between the body unit 2 and the leg units 3A to 3D of the robot 1. The abnormal state includes a state in which the internal temperature of the body unit 2 of the robot 1 has abnormally increased.

When the controller 10 of the robot 1 recognizes that the robot 1 has fallen based on the acceleration detection signal S6 (FIG. 2) supplied from the acceleration sensor 13 (FIG. 2), for example, in the remote operation mode, the operation mode is returned to the fall. After transitioning to a safety mode that does not accept any control command other than the control command (falling return command) to be performed, the fall for controlling the predetermined actuators 23 ₁ to 23 _n (FIG. 2) to return from the falling state The return motion is expressed in the robot 1.

  Further, when the controller 10 recognizes that the robot 1 has returned from the fall state by this fall return operation or has returned from the fall state by being caused by the user based on the acceleration detection signal S6 from the acceleration sensor 13 or the like. Then, a return process for canceling the safety mode is executed to return the operation mode to the normal remote operation mode.

  On the other hand, the controller 10 takes the sum of the sensor values for the three axes in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction obtained based on the acceleration detection signal S6 supplied from the acceleration sensor 13 in the remote operation mode. Are sequentially calculated as representative variance values in the acceleration sensor 13, and it is always determined whether or not the robot 1 has been lifted based on the calculation result.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 10, the variance value has a characteristic that it is the largest when the robot 1 is acting on the ground, and becomes smaller when the robot 1 is lifted and then lifted. Therefore, the controller 10 determines whether or not the robot 1 is lifted based on the calculated representative variance value (that is, the representative variance value is larger than a predetermined first threshold value represented by δ1 in FIG. 10), it is always determined whether or not the range is smaller than a predetermined second threshold value represented by δ2.

If the controller 10 recognizes that the robot 1 has been lifted by such determination processing, the controller 10 shifts the operation mode to a safety mode that does not accept all control commands, and then performs the corresponding operation on the corresponding actuators 23 ₁ to 23 _n . Predetermined control processing is performed when the control gain is turned off, such as stopping the movement of each leg unit 3A to 3D of the robot 1.

  Further, the controller 10 thereafter determines whether or not the robot 1 is lowered on the ground based on the value of the representative variance value (that is, after the representative variance value becomes smaller than the second threshold value δ2 in FIG. 10) 1) is constantly monitored, and when it is recognized that it has been lowered on the ground, a return process for canceling the safety mode is executed to change the operation mode to normal remote operation. Return to mode.

On the other hand, in the remote operation mode, the controller 10 constantly monitors the pinching detection signal S7 (FIG. 2) supplied from the pinching detection touch sensor 14 (FIG. 2), and the robot 1 based on the pinching detection signal S7. Recognizing that an object is caught between the body unit 2 and any of the leg units 3A to 3D, the operation mode is changed to a safety mode that does not accept all control commands, and then the object is detected. By turning off the control gain for the actuators 23 ₁ to 23 _n corresponding to the pinching detection touch sensor 14, an object such as stopping the movement of the leg units 3 A to 3 D or the like sandwiching the object in the robot 1 is stopped. Predetermined control processing in the case of being sandwiched is executed.

  Further, when the controller 10 recognizes that the object pinching state has been resolved based on the pinching detection signal S7 supplied from the pinching detection touch sensor 14, the controller 10 executes a return process for canceling the safety mode. Return the operation mode to the normal remote operation mode.

Furthermore, in the remote operation mode, the controller 10 recognizes that the internal temperature of the robot 1 has become higher than a preset temperature based on the temperature detection signal S10 (FIG. 2) supplied from the temperature sensor 16 (FIG. 2). Then, after the operation mode is changed to the safety mode that does not accept all control commands, the corresponding actuators 23 ₁ to 23 _n are controlled to change the posture of the robot 1 to the first stable posture described above. The control gains of all the actuators 23 ₁ to 23 _n are turned off.

  After that, when the touch sensor 17 (FIG. 2) is pressed, the controller 10 executes a return process for canceling the safety mode and returns the operation mode to the normal remote operation mode.

  As described above, in the robot system 30, the robot 1 is controlled by the personal computer 31 when the robot 1 falls into an uncontrollable or uncontrollable state in the remote operation mode or an abnormal state occurs in the robot 1. A command is not accepted, so that it is possible to prevent a user from being injured or to prevent the robot 1 from being damaged.

  Further, as a third safety maintaining function, the controller 10 of the robot 1 determines its own priority over the remote operation command when the robot 1 recognizes an image of a step that may be dropped even in the remote operation mode. It is designed to stop walking movements.

  In practice, the controller 10 of the robot 1 always performs image recognition processing on the image signal S1 (FIG. 2) supplied from the CCD camera 17 (FIG. 2) in the remote operation mode, and drops forward in the traveling direction of the robot 1. Always monitor for dangerous steps.

When the controller 10 detects a step during the walking operation by the image recognition process, the controller 10 controls the corresponding actuators 23 ₁ to 23 _n to stop the walking operation of the robot 1 and then advances the operation mode. Transition to the safety mode that does not accept the control command.

  Further, when the controller 10 thereafter changes the direction or the robot cannot change the direction in accordance with the control command from the personal computer and cannot detect a step forward, the controller 10 performs a return process for canceling the safety mode. Execute and return the operation mode to the normal remote operation mode.

  In this way, in this robot system 30, it is possible to prevent damage due to the robot 1 falling from a step by giving priority to the recognition result of the robot 1 even in the remote operation mode. ing.

  Here, FIG. 11 shows a specific processing flow of the robot 1 and the personal computer 31 related to the above-described safety holding function in the robot system 30.

  In FIG. 11, the processing from step SP40 to step SP42 is the same as that in step SP1 to step SP3 in FIG. 8, and the processing from step SP45 to step SP50 is the same as that in step SP4 to step SP8 in FIG. .

  Therefore, after starting in the autonomous operation mode (step SP40), the controller 10 of the robot 1 performs a process other than the first operation mode switching command from the personal computer 31 until the first operation mode switching process (step SP46) is executed. Even when a control command is transmitted, it is not accepted (step SP43), and a control failure notification is transmitted to the personal computer 31 (step SP44).

  On the other hand, the controller 10 of the robot 1 shifts the operation mode to the remote operation mode by executing the first operation mode switching process (step SP48), or falls into the control disabled state or the control disabled state, or the robot 1 If a step is detected by image recognition processing during a walking motion according to a control command from the personal computer 31, the operation mode is shifted to the safety mode and the predetermined control as described above is performed. The process is executed (step SP52), and an uncontrollable state notification to notify this is transmitted to the personal computer 31 (step SP53).

  Then, even if a control command is transmitted from the personal computer 31 thereafter, the controller 10 does not accept it (step SP54), and transmits a control failure notification to the personal computer 31 (step SP55).

  On the other hand, the controller 10 thereafter detects the acceleration detection signal S6 (FIG. 2) from the acceleration sensor 13 (FIG. 2), the pinching detection signal S7 from the pinching detection touch sensor 14, and the temperature detection signal from the temperature sensor 16. S10, based on the pressure detection signal S3 from the touch sensor 19, etc., the robot 1 returns from the falling state, and the robot 1 is lowered from the state of being held, and the pinching is eliminated, or the touch sensor 19 is When it is recognized that the pressing operation has been performed, or when the level difference cannot be detected forward by the image recognition process based on the image signal S1 from the CCD camera 17, the safety mode is canceled (step SP56), and the operation mode is changed to the normal remote mode. The operation mode is restored (step SP48).

  In this way, the robot system 30 can ensure the safety of the user and the robot 1.

(5) Operation and effect of the present embodiment In the above configuration, the personal computer 31 specifies the operation after network disconnection according to the operation after network disconnection that is predetermined in the remote operation application software 50 or set by the user operation. The command is transmitted to the robot 1 at a predetermined timing, and the robot 1 sets the operation corresponding to the operation specifying command after network disconnection as the operation after network disconnection.

Then, when the network connection with the personal computer 31 is disconnected, the robot 1 returns the operation mode to the autonomous operation mode when the autonomous return operation is set as the network connection disconnection operation, and the shutoff operation is set. If the robot 1 is in the first stable posture, the power of the robot 1 is turned off. If the first connection standby operation is set, the posture of the robot 1 is changed to the first posture. After the transition to the stable posture, the control gains of all the actuators 23 ₁ to 23 _n are turned off, the network connection is resumed, and when the second connection standby operation is set, the posture of the robot 1 is changed to the second posture. After transitioning to the stable posture, wait for the network connection to resume in that state.

  Therefore, in this robot system 30, even when the network connection between the personal computer 31 and the robot 1 is unexpectedly disconnected, the robot 1 is damaged due to the robot 1 moving away from the user operation. It is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of damage to the robot 1 due to the occurrence or the network 1 disconnection and the robot 1 stopping its operation and falling down.

  In the robot system 30, the robot 1 has a predetermined control command corresponding to the state and situation of the robot 1 transmitted from the personal computer 31 according to the state and situation of the robot 1 in the remote operation mode. Reject control commands other than.

  Therefore, in this robot system 30, for example, when the robot 1 is being held by the user, the user is injured due to the operation of the robot 1 according to an erroneous operation or the like of another user. Further, it is possible to reliably prevent the robot 1 from being damaged or malfunctioned due to the further operation of the robot 1 when the internal temperature of the robot 1 is abnormally rising.

  According to the above configuration, the network connection between the personal computer 31 and the robot 1 can be set in the robot 1 in advance, so that the network connection between the personal computer 31 and the robot 1 is unexpectedly disconnected. Even in this case, it is possible to prevent the robot 1 from being damaged due to the movement of the robot 1 away from the user's operation, and to effectively prevent the damage, thus realizing a robot system capable of improving safety. .

  Further, according to the above configuration, when the robot 1 is in the remote operation mode, a control command other than the control command corresponding to the state or situation of the robot 1 transmitted from the personal computer 31 is sent according to the state or situation of the robot 1 at that time. By rejecting the control command, it is possible to surely prevent the user from being injured or causing damage to the robot, and thus a robot system capable of improving safety can be realized.

(6) Other Embodiments In the above-described embodiment, the present invention is applied to the robot system 1 in which the personal computer 31 can remotely control the robot 1 through a wireless communication line. Although the present invention is not limited to this, the personal computer 31 and the robot 1 are connected by a wired communication line, and the personal computer 31 can remotely control the robot 1 through the wired communication line. It can also be applied to robot systems.

  In this case, in the above-described embodiment, the transmission means for transmitting the operation designation command after the network disconnection from the personal computer 31 is constituted by the CPU 32 and the PC-side wireless LAN card 42 compliant with a predetermined wireless communication standard. Although the above case has been described, transmission means other than the wireless LAN card may be applied according to the standard of the communication line to be applied.

  Similarly, in the above-described embodiment, in the robot 1, the receiving means for receiving the control command transmitted from the personal computer 31 serves as a microcomputer-side controller 10 and the robot side wireless that conforms to a predetermined wireless communication standard. Although the case of configuring with the LAN card 43 has been described, transmission means other than the wireless LAN card may be applied according to the standard of the communication line to be applied.

  In the above-described embodiment, on the robot 1 side, a function as operation setting means for setting an operation according to the operation command after network disconnection transmitted from the personal computer 31 as an operation after network disconnection, and the personal computer 31 The case where the same controller 10 is given the function as the control means for controlling the robot 1 so that the operation set as the operation after the network disconnection is expressed when the network connection with the controller is disconnected has been described. The present invention is not limited to this, and a control block having a function as an operation setting means may be provided separately from the controller 10.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the controller 10 of the robot 1 serving as a control unit that controls the robot 1 so as to develop an operation according to the control command based on the control command transmitted from the personal computer 31 includes: According to the state or situation transmitted from the personal computer 31 when the operation mode of the robot 1 is the autonomous operation mode, or when the robot 1 is in a lifted state, a pinched state, a falling state, a temperature abnormal state, or a step is detected Although the case where the control command other than the predetermined control command is rejected has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and a state or a situation where the safety of the user or the robot 1 itself other than these states and situations should be ensured. Sometimes, the controller 10 may reject a predetermined control command.

  The present invention can be applied to a robot system that can wirelessly remotely operate an autonomous behavior type robot.

It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance structure of the robot by this Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the robot shown in FIG. It is a basic diagram which shows the structure of the robot system by this Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of a personal computer. It is a basic diagram with which it uses for description of the remote operation of the robot by a personal computer. It is a basic diagram which shows the structural example of a control panel. It is a conceptual diagram with which it uses for description of the switching method of the operation mode of a robot. It is a flowchart with which it uses for description of the process in the robot system regarding the switching function of an operation mode. It is a flowchart with which it uses for description of the process in the robot system regarding the operation setting function after a network disconnection. It is a characteristic curve figure which shows the mode of the dispersion | distribution value at the time of the lift of a robot, a lifting, etc. It is a flowchart with which it uses for description of the process in the robot system regarding a safety maintenance function.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Robot, 10 ... Controller, 10A ... Internal memory, 12 ... Battery sensor, 13 ... Acceleration sensor, 14 ... Touch sensor for pinching detection, 15, 15A, 15B ... External memory, 16 ... ... Temperature sensor, 17 ... CCD camera, 18 ... Microphone, 19 ... Touch sensor, 20 ... Distance sensor, 21, 40 ... Speaker, 24 _{1 to} 24 _n ... Step tensometer, 30 ... Robot system , 31 ... Personal computer, 32 ... CPU, 38 ... Display, 42 ... PC side wireless LAN card, 43 ... Robot side wireless LAN card, 50 ... Remote operation application software, 60 ... Control panel, S1 ... Image signal, S2 ... Audio signal, S3 ... Pressure detection signal, S4 ... Distance measurement signal, S 5: Remaining energy detection signal, S6: Acceleration detection signal, S7: Pinch detection signal, S10: Temperature detection signal.

Claims (20)

A robot comprising a remote operation device and a robot device, and connecting the network between the remote operation device and the robot device via a predetermined communication line so that the robot device can be remotely operated using the remote operation device In the system,
The remote control device is
Comprising a transmission means for transmitting an operation designation command corresponding to an operation set as an operation after network disconnection, which is an operation of the robot device after disconnection of the network connection, to the robot device;
The robot apparatus is
An operation setting means for setting the operation according to the operation designation command transmitted from the remote operation device as an operation after the network disconnection;
And a control means for controlling the robot apparatus so that the action set as the action after the network disconnection is performed by the action setting means when the network connection is cut off. The operation after network disconnection is as follows:
2. The robot system according to claim 1, wherein the robot system is preliminarily defined in application software for remotely operating the robot apparatus mounted on the remote operation apparatus. The operation after network disconnection can be changed to another operation by user operation.
The transmission means of the remote control device is
The robot system according to claim 2, wherein when the operation after the network disconnection is changed, the operation designation command corresponding to the operation after the change is transmitted to the robot apparatus. The operation setting means of the robot apparatus includes:
The operation according to the last given operation designation command is set as the operation after network disconnection when a plurality of the operation designation commands are given from the remote control device. Robot system. In the remote operation device configured to be able to remotely operate the robot device by connecting to the robot device via a predetermined communication line,
A remote control device, comprising: a transmission unit configured to transmit an operation designation command corresponding to an operation set as an operation after network disconnection, which is an operation of the robot device after disconnection of the network connection, to the robot device. The operation after network disconnection is as follows:
6. The remote operation device according to claim 5, wherein the remote operation device is defined in advance in application software for remotely operating the robot device mounted on the remote operation device. The operation after network disconnection can be changed to another operation by user operation.
The transmission means of the remote control device is
The remote control device according to claim 6, wherein when the operation after the network disconnection is changed, the operation designation command corresponding to the operation after the change is transmitted to the robot device. In a robot apparatus that can be remotely operated using the remote operation device by connecting to the remote operation device via a predetermined communication line,
Operation setting means for setting the operation according to a predetermined operation designation command transmitted from the remote operation device as an operation after network disconnection;
And a control unit that executes a predetermined control process for expressing the operation set as the post-network disconnection operation by the operation setting unit when the network connection is disconnected. . The operation setting means is
The operation according to the last given operation designation command is set as the operation after network disconnection when a plurality of the operation designation commands are given from the remote control device. Robotic device. In a control method of a robot apparatus configured to be remotely operated using the remote operation device by connecting to the remote operation device via a predetermined communication line,
A first step of setting the operation according to a predetermined operation designation command transmitted from the remote control device as an operation after network disconnection;
And a second step of controlling the robot device so as to exhibit the operation set as the operation after the network disconnection when the network connection is disconnected. In the first step,
The operation according to the last given operation designation command is set as the operation after network disconnection when a plurality of the operation designation commands are given from the remote control device. Method for controlling a robotic device. In a robot system adapted to remotely control a robot device using a remote control device,
The robot apparatus is
Receiving means for receiving a control command transmitted from the remote control device;
Control means for controlling the operation of the robot apparatus so as to develop an operation according to the control command based on the received control command,
The control means includes
A robot system that rejects a control command other than the predetermined control command according to the state or the situation transmitted from the remote operation device according to the state or the situation of the robot device at that time. The control means includes
When the operation mode is the autonomous operation mode, the operation of the robot apparatus is controlled to operate autonomously according to a predetermined first control program. When the operation mode is the remote operation mode, the operation is transmitted from the remote operation device. The operation of the robot apparatus is controlled so as to exhibit the operation according to the control command, and the operation mode of the robot apparatus should be switched to the remote operation mode when the operation mode is the autonomous operation mode. The robot system according to claim 12, wherein the control command other than the control command is rejected. The robot apparatus is
Having one or a plurality of sensor means for detecting the state or the state of the robot apparatus;
The control means includes
The robot system according to claim 12, wherein the state or the state of the robot apparatus at that time is determined based on an output of the sensor means. In a robot device that can be remotely controlled using a remote control device,
Receiving means for receiving a control command transmitted from the remote control device;
Control means for controlling the operation of the robot apparatus so as to develop an operation according to the control command based on the received control command,
The control means includes
According to the state and / or situation of the robot device at that time, a control command other than the predetermined control command according to the state and / or the situation transmitted from the remote control device is rejected. apparatus. The control means includes
When the operation mode is the autonomous operation mode, the operation of the robot apparatus is controlled to operate autonomously according to a predetermined first control program. When the operation mode is the remote operation mode, the predetermined second control program The operation of the robot apparatus is controlled so as to express the operation according to the control command transmitted from the remote operation device, while the operation mode of the robot apparatus is when the operation mode is the autonomous operation mode. The robot apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the control command other than the control command for switching to the remote operation mode is rejected. Having one or a plurality of sensor means for detecting the state of the robot apparatus and / or the state;
The control means includes
The robot apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the state and / or the situation of the robot apparatus at that time are determined based on an output of the sensor means. In a control method of a robot device that can be remotely operated using a remote control device,
A first step of receiving a control command transmitted from the remote control device;
Based on the received control command, the second step of controlling the operation of the robot device so as to develop an operation according to the control command,
In the second step,
According to the state and / or situation of the robot device at that time, a control command other than the predetermined control command according to the state and / or the situation transmitted from the remote control device is rejected. Device control method. In the second step,
When the operation mode of the robot apparatus is the autonomous operation mode, the operation of the robot apparatus is controlled to operate autonomously according to a predetermined first control program. When the operation mode is the remote operation mode, the predetermined operation The operation of the robot apparatus is controlled so as to develop the operation according to the control command transmitted from the remote operation device according to the control program of 2, while the operation mode of the robot apparatus is the autonomous operation mode. The control method for a robot apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the control command other than the control command for switching the operation mode of the robot apparatus to the remote operation mode is rejected. In the second step,
The control of the robot apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the state and / or the situation of the robot apparatus at that time are determined based on outputs of one or more sensor means mounted on the robot apparatus. Method.

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