JP2006312209A - Leg type mobile robot and wheel moving type humanoid robot - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce risks such as falling-down by separating a communication path of a robot into two or more parts to improve transmission reliability of signals. <P>SOLUTION: This leg type mobile robot 60 comprises servomotors provided on a right leg 10, a left leg 20, a right arm 40 and a left arm 50, and a CPU 36, and a control unit for controlling actuators provided on the right leg 10, the left leg 20, the right arm 40 and the left arm 50. The actuator provided on the right leg 10, the actuator provided on the left leg 20, and a gyrosensor 39 used for controlling walking are connected with the control unit by a most important communication path 80. The actuator provided on the right arm 40, and the actuator provided on the left arm are connected with the control unit by a most important communication path 81. The most important communication path 80 and the most important communication path 81 use communication means with different specifications. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for improving a signal transmission reliability by dividing a robot communication path into two or more.

A robot is generally a mechanical device composed of a plurality of actuators for expressing joint degrees of freedom. Unlike the arm-type industrial robots that have been used in the factory in recent years, the mobile type has two-legged walking, four-legged walking, or two-wheel or crawler type moving means, and moves on a non-path. Robots have also been developed.
In the future, robots will become more and more familiar, and it is expected that there will be more opportunities to appear in demonstrations at various events. In the future, it may be introduced to provide nursing care and human support to the home.
Wheel-type and crawler-type moving means are excellent in mobility in flat places with few steps, but there are many steps in facilities and homes, so if you move in a narrow space, walk with your feet up 2 The walking robot or the quadruped robot is superior in mobility.
In the future, there is a possibility that robots that move according to such places will be introduced in various situations.

Such a robot having many joint degrees of freedom such as a humanoid robot has many joints including two or more degrees of freedom such as roll, pitch, and yaw. Therefore, if the actuator provided for each joint is large, each joint portion will be enlarged, and the wiring around the joint will increase, making it difficult to wire.
In order to solve such a problem, Patent Document 1 discloses a legged mobile robot and an information transmission device for the legged mobile robot.

In the legged mobile robot R according to Patent Document 1, a control signal transmitted from the motion control module 300 that comprehensively controls the whole body motion of the airframe to the drive unit is superimposed and transmitted to the power line via the transceiver unit. . On the drive unit side that receives the control signal, the control signal is extracted from the power line in the receiver unit and used. That is, since the signal line for transmitting the control signal and the power supply line are shared, the number of wires in the machine body can be reduced.
The drive unit referred to here includes, for example, a joint actuator / motor for realizing a joint operation of the legged mobile robot R, and an external output device such as an LED or a speaker.
FIG. 6 schematically illustrates the basic structure of the information transmission path that connects the motion control module 300 and the drive unit.
As shown in the figure, the control signal transmitted from the motion control module 300 to the drive unit is transmitted by being superimposed on the power line 370 via the transceiver unit 371. On the drive unit side that receives the control signal, the receiver unit 372 extracts the control signal from the power supply line 370 and uses it. In addition, a driving unit such as a joint actuator can extract a driving voltage from the power supply line 370 and thereby perform an operation that can be defined by the control signal.

In addition, in the actuator drive control system and the control device for the actuator according to Patent Document 2, signal lines are reduced by devising a connection system using a serial cable.
FIG. 7 schematically shows the connection configuration of the synchronous serial transfer method applied to Patent Document 2. In the illustrated connection configuration, a communication controller 110 that is a source of control instruction values and servo parameters, and a plurality of drive systems 120-1, 120-2,... Connected to the communication controller 110 in a daisy chain formation. Consists of In the example shown in the figure, the number of drive systems is four, but the number is not particularly limited. Hereinafter, each part will be described.
Each drive system 120-1 ... is composed of a set of drive controllers 121-1 ..., actuators 122-1 ... and encoders 123-1 .... The drive control units 121-1... Process the instruction data issued from the central controller 110 and supply drive signals to the actuators 122-1. Further, the encoders 123-1 ... detect the drive amount of the actuators 122-1 ... and feed it back to the drive control units 121-1, ..., and the drive control units 121-1 ... detect this. Adaptive control for the actuators 122-1,... Can be realized based on the signal.

  Each of the drive control units 121-1, 121-2,... Has one instruction data input serial port and one instruction data output serial port. As shown in the drawing, adjacent drive control units have one output serial port connected to the other input serial port via a serial cable, and the entire drive system has a single daisy chain connection configuration.

  The first serial port in the daisy chain connected by the serial cable, that is, the input serial port of the drive control unit 121-1 is connected to the instruction data output serial port of the communication controller 110. The last serial port in the daisy chain, that is, the output serial port of the drive control unit 121-4 is connected to the input serial port of the communication controller 110. In such a daisy chain connection configuration, instruction data for each of the drive systems 120-1, 120-2,... Can be transferred by a so-called bucket relay system.

Patent Document 3 discloses a legged mobile robot control device, which describes control of the robot when the battery of the robot is low.
By adopting the configuration shown in FIG. 8, the robot R in Patent Document 3 operates so as to lower its center of gravity, and the potential energy of the robot R is reduced. Therefore, generally, the leg actuator 205 of each movable leg is configured. Some of the electric motors 218 that rotate rotate according to the weight of the robot R and enter a regenerative power generation state. The regenerative power is supplied to the battery 215 side via the amplifier 220, so that the battery 215 is charged or stored in the capacitor 222. For this reason, this regenerative power can be used as operating power for the electric motor 218 that consumes the power of the movable leg 203, the robot leg control device 211, the abnormality processing device 213, etc., and the remaining capacity of the battery 215 is low Even so, as described above, the operation of lowering the center of gravity of the robot R in order to mitigate the impact when the robot R falls, or the operation state data of the robot R is stored in the storage unit 229 (not shown) by the operation state output unit 228 (not shown). The operation of storing and holding can be performed as much as possible.

Then, the operation state data of the robot R is stored in the non-volatile storage unit 229, and then the operation stored in the storage unit 229 when the battery 215 is recharged and the operation of the robot R is resumed. Using the state data, the operation of the robot R can be restarted from the state before the robot R is about to fall down. In addition, it is possible to analyze the cause of the abnormality or failure that has occurred in the robot R using the operation state data stored and held in the storage unit 229.
JP 2002-301684 A JP 2001-287181 A JP-A-11-48170

However, although researches such as Patent Document 1 to Patent Document 3 have been conducted, it is necessary to assume various troubles that may occur in the future as opportunities for activities near humans increase. In the methods of Patent Documents 1 to 3, it cannot be said that sufficient countermeasures can be taken against such problems.
For example, the method of Patent Document 1 can achieve wiring saving, but under the situation where a plurality of robots are operating, a method of changing the frequency band so as not to interfere with each other's radio waves can be considered. If the number increases, there is a limit to the number of frequency bands that can be used at the same time because the usable frequency band is limited. Furthermore, in modern times, mobile phones and portable game machines equipped with communication functions do not generate many radio waves, and considering the effects of noise generated by other factors, especially the actuators of the leg Using radio waves for control is not a good idea. If you lose control, you can't even walk or stand, and you might fall.

When a legged mobile robot walks with two legs, it basically walks by imitating a human movement, but it cannot move if it performs the same movement as a human. This is because when the legged mobile robot walks with two legs, it is necessary to bend with the knee portion in the current technology.
When a human walks, he walks with his knees stretched momentarily, but with a legged mobile robot, he decides how to move his toes first and then calculates the angles of his ankles, knees and hip joints. The calculation method is based on kinematics. For this reason, if the joint is extended, the calculation cannot be performed by inverse kinematics, and as a result, the operation cannot be performed.

This is true not only during operation but also at rest. That is, the legged mobile robot must always bend its joints. This means that force is always applied to the actuator, that is, when the power is turned off, the legged mobile robot cannot stand. In that case, the legged mobile robot falls over without being able to support its own weight, but the majority of legged mobile robots are made of metal or resin, so there is a certain amount of weight, and by falling over In addition to damaging the legged mobile bot itself, there is a risk of being caught if a person is nearby.
The same can be said for a two-wheeled mobile humanoid robot that uses an inverted pendulum model. If it becomes impossible to perform an inverted control, it may not be able to maintain a standing posture and fall over. is there.

In the method of Patent Document 2, a serial port is used in a daisy chain connection configuration. Therefore, although there is a merit in data superimposition, when a part of the actuator in the middle of the chain fails and data is not transferred, it operates even though other actuators after that are normal It may be impossible to do this. In such a case, if the actuator of the main part is connected to the rear side, it is still impossible to stand and there is a risk of falling.
As described above, in the methods of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, there is a risk of falling due to an internal factor and an external factor, and various troubles may occur in a situation where opportunities for activities near humans increase. There is sex.

  Also in the method of Patent Document 3, although the risk of falling from a high center of gravity due to a decrease in the voltage level of the battery 215 can be prevented, a part of the operation of lowering the center of gravity of the robot R to alleviate the impact at the time of falling is partially It is not considered that the signal cannot be transmitted due to the damage of. Therefore, if a part is damaged or a communication error occurs for some reason, the function does not work sufficiently and the operation of lowering the center of gravity cannot be performed, and there is a risk of falling over. .

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems. The leg type reduces the risk of falls by dividing the communication path of the robot into two or more and improving the signal transmission reliability. An object is to provide a mobile robot and a wheeled humanoid robot.

In order to achieve the above object, the legged mobile robot and the wheel mobile humanoid robot according to the present invention have the following characteristics.
(1) A plurality of right leg actuators provided in the right leg part, a plurality of left leg actuators provided in the left leg part, a plurality of right arm actuators provided in the right arm part, and a plurality provided in the left arm part In the legged mobile robot comprising a left arm actuator, a right leg actuator, the left leg actuator, the right arm actuator, and a control unit for controlling the left arm actuator, the right leg actuator and the left leg actuator A leg actuator is connected to the control unit via a first communication path, and the right arm actuator and the left arm actuator are connected to the control unit via a second communication path, and the first communication path and the second communication path A communication means of a standard different from the communication path is used.

  As used herein, the actuator provided in each part refers to an actuator such as a servo motor for driving the right leg so that the right leg can be walked in the case of a plurality of right leg actuators provided in the right leg part. The servo motor is provided for driving each axis such as 6 axes when 6 degrees of freedom are required and 5 axes when 5 degrees of freedom are required. An actuator such as a servomotor may be provided in each joint itself, or may be provided with an actuator in a robot body or the like and driven by a wire.

(2) In the legged mobile robot described in (1), an IEEE standard connection method is used for the first communication path, and a USB standard connection method is used for the second communication path. .
Here, the IEEE standard is an interface having a real-time transmission function such as IEEE1394. It is often used mainly for connection between personal computers and image-related peripheral devices, but it is possible to connect devices without using a host. Generally, it is said that there is communication reliability. The IEEE 1394 standard is a standard determined by the IEEE 802 Committee, which is a committee established by the IEEE (American Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers).
The USB standard here is an interface for connecting a peripheral device to a personal computer having a type such as USB 1.0 or USB 2.0. If there is a HUB, it can be connected in a star shape via the HUB, and up to 127 theoretically can be connected to one personal computer with USB 1.0.

(3) The legged mobile robot described in (1) or (2) has a monitoring unit capable of monitoring a connection state of the first communication path and the second communication path.
The monitoring unit that can monitor the connection state here is, for example, an interface for connecting to IEEE 1394, USB 1.0, or the like. These standard interfaces can be connected as hot plugs where the host can be connected in an active state, and the connection state is constantly monitored. Therefore, if the connection state is canceled in some state, the connection state is released. The system can immediately know that this has been done.

(4) In the legged mobile robot described in any one of (1) to (3), an acceleration sensor used for controlling walking is connected to the control unit by the first communication path. Features.
The acceleration sensor used for walking control here is a sensor provided to detect the tilt of the robot such as a gyro sensor, for example. In general, a technique is adopted in which control is performed to correct the posture of the robot while walking based on this inclination.

(5) In the legged mobile robot described in any one of (1) to (4), the control unit includes a central processing unit, and the first communication path and the second communication path are the center It is connected to an arithmetic unit.
The central processing unit referred to here is a computing device equipped with a CPU and the like, and refers to a device that can perform calculations and the like necessary for walking control.

(6) A plurality of wheel actuators provided in the wheel part, a plurality of right arm actuators provided in the right arm part, a plurality of left arm actuators provided in the left arm part, the wheel actuator, and the right arm actuator, A wheel movement type humanoid robot comprising a control unit for controlling the left arm actuator, wherein the wheel actuator is connected to the control unit by a first communication path, and the right arm actuator and the left arm actuator are The second communication path is connected to the control unit, and communication means having a standard different from the first communication path and the second communication path is used.

(7) In the wheeled humanoid robot described in (6), an IEEE standard connection method is used for the first communication path, and a USB standard connection method is used for the second communication path. And
(8) The wheel mobile humanoid robot described in (6) or (7) has a monitoring unit capable of monitoring a connection state of the first communication path and the second communication path. .
(9) In the wheeled mobile humanoid robot described in any one of (6) to (8), an acceleration sensor used for walking control is connected to the control unit through the first communication path. It is characterized by that.
(10) In the wheeled mobile humanoid robot described in any one of (6) to (9), the control unit includes a central processing unit, and the first communication path and the second communication path are: It is connected to the central processing unit.

According to the present invention having such characteristics, the following actions and effects can be obtained.
(1) A plurality of right leg actuators provided in the right leg part, a plurality of left leg actuators provided in the left leg part, a plurality of right arm actuators provided in the right arm part, and a plurality provided in the left arm part In the legged mobile robot comprising a left arm actuator, a right leg actuator, the left leg actuator, the right arm actuator, and a control unit for controlling the left arm actuator, the right leg actuator and the left leg actuator A leg actuator is connected to the control unit via a first communication path, and the right arm actuator and the left arm actuator are connected to the control unit via a second communication path, and the first communication path and the second communication path It is characterized by the use of communication means with a different standard from the communication path. Interfere with each other worry it is possible to separate also completely disappears.

  For this reason, even if the second communication path is disconnected for some reason or a communication error occurs, the first communication path necessary for posture maintenance and walking is alive, so the state of walking or standing Even if communication fails, it is possible to prevent the robot itself from being damaged or the surrounding objects from being damaged by falling down. In this case, if the first communication path is disconnected or a communication error occurs, the risk of falling is high, but the communication paths are dispersed and the communication paths do not interfere with each other, so that posture maintenance and walking It is possible to reduce the probability of communication abnormality or disconnection of the first communication path that is necessary at the minimum, and thus, it is possible to reduce the risk of falling. It is also possible to increase the certainty of communication by making the standard of the first communication path necessary for walking high-grade standard and only the minimum necessary part. By using a shielded wire for the communication line, or adopting a communication line of a standard or the like that strengthens protection against noise by duplicating communication, etc., the reliability of data transfer can be improved or used for the drive unit Increasing the bending resistance of the cable and reducing the probability of disconnection due to repeated bending are effective means.

(2) In the legged mobile robot described in (1), an IEEE standard connection method is used for the first communication path, and a USB standard connection method is used for the second communication path. Therefore, it is possible to easily construct a system by utilizing the existing communication standards IEEE standard and USB standard, and the IEEE standard and USB standard can be completely separated from each other, so that they interfere with each other. There is no worry to do.
(3) Since the legged mobile robot described in (1) or (2) has a monitoring unit capable of monitoring the connection state of the first communication path and the second communication path, Even if the robot is broken due to damage, etc., the monitoring unit monitors it, so the connection status of the first communication path and the second communication path can be immediately grasped, and the robot falls over. It has an excellent effect that the operation logic of the robot for minimizing the damage that causes damage to the surroundings by being broken or falling can be determined at the stage when communication is stopped.

(4) In the legged mobile robot described in any one of (1) to (3), an acceleration sensor used for controlling walking is connected to the control unit by the first communication path. Because it is a feature, even if the second communication path is disconnected or a communication error occurs for some reason. The first communication path necessary for posture maintenance and walking is alive and an acceleration sensor is connected to the first communication path, so even if communication failure occurs while walking or standing, Since the robot does not fall down and the acceleration sensor is connected, the disturbance suppressing effect for continuing to stand and the possibility of falling down when shifting from the walking state to the stopped state are reduced.

(5) In the legged mobile robot described in any one of (1) to (4), the control unit includes a central processing unit, and the first communication path and the second communication path are the center Since it is connected to the arithmetic unit, the devices connected to the first communication path and the second communication path can be controlled by a control unit including a central arithmetic unit. This makes it possible to realize complicated control and to perform walking control similar to human walking.

(6) A plurality of wheel actuators provided in the wheel part, a plurality of right arm actuators provided in the right arm part, a plurality of left arm actuators provided in the left arm part, the wheel actuator, and the right arm actuator, A wheel movement type humanoid robot comprising a control unit for controlling the left arm actuator, wherein the wheel actuator is connected to the control unit by a first communication path, and the right arm actuator and the left arm actuator are The communication path is connected to the control unit by a second communication path, and a communication unit having a standard different from the first communication path and the second communication path is used. In this way, the system can be completely separated and there is no worry of mutual interference.

  For this reason, even if the second communication path is disconnected or a communication error occurs for some reason, the first communication path necessary for posture maintenance and traveling is alive, so the state of running or standing posture Even if a communication failure occurs, it is possible to prevent the robot itself from being damaged or the surrounding objects from being damaged by falling down. In this case, if the first communication path is disconnected or a communication error occurs, the risk of falling is high, but the communication paths are dispersed and the communication paths do not interfere with each other, so that posture maintenance and walking It is possible to reduce the probability of communication abnormality or disconnection of the first communication path that is necessary at the minimum, and thus, it is possible to reduce the risk of falling. It is also possible to increase the certainty of communication by making the standard of the first communication path necessary for walking high-grade standard and only the minimum necessary part. By using a shielded wire for the communication line, or adopting a communication line of a standard or the like that strengthens protection against noise by duplicating communication, etc., the reliability of data transfer can be improved or used for the drive unit Increasing the bending resistance of the cable and reducing the probability of disconnection due to repeated bending are effective means.

(7) In the wheeled humanoid robot described in (6), an IEEE standard connection method is used for the first communication path, and a USB standard connection method is used for the second communication path. Therefore, the same result as the effect (2) can be obtained.
(8) The wheel mobile humanoid robot described in (6) or (7) has a monitoring unit capable of monitoring a connection state of the first communication path and the second communication path. Therefore, the same result as the effect (3) can be obtained.
(9) In the wheeled mobile humanoid robot described in any one of (6) to (8), an acceleration sensor used for walking control is connected to the control unit through the first communication path. Therefore, even if the second communication path is disconnected or a communication error occurs for some reason, it is necessary for posture maintenance and walking. Since the first communication path is alive and the acceleration sensor is connected to the first communication path, the robot will not fall down even if a communication failure occurs while running or standing. Since the acceleration sensor is connected, the disturbance suppressing effect for maintaining the standing state and the possibility of falling are reduced even when the traveling state is shifted to the stop state.

(10) In the wheeled mobile humanoid robot described in any one of (6) to (9), the control unit includes a central processing unit, and the first communication path and the second communication path are: Since it is connected to the central processing unit, devices connected to the first communication path and the second communication path can be controlled by a control unit including the central processing unit. As a result, complicated control can be realized, and it is possible to perform inversion control and perform stable traveling control.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, the configuration of the embodiment will be described.
FIG. 1 shows a system configuration diagram of a legged walking robot 60.
The robot shown in FIG. 1 is a humanoid legged walking robot 60 that supports the head 70 on the upper end of the body 30 and connects the body 30 with the right leg 10, the left leg 20, the right arm 40, and the left arm. 50 is provided with an actuator and can be moved by bipedal walking.
First, the actuators arranged in the respective parts include a right hip joint yaw axis servo motor 11, a right hip joint roll axis servo motor 12, a right hip joint pitch axis servo motor 13, and a right knee joint pitch axis. The servo motor 14 for the right ankle roll shaft servo motor 15 and the servo motor 16 for the right ankle pitch axis are provided in total, and has six degrees of freedom and has a shape close to human motion. Walking is possible.
Among them, a right leg 4 amplifier 14A used for the right knee joint pitch axis servo motor 14, a right leg 5 amplifier 15A used for the right ankle roll axis servo motor 15, and a right leg 6 amplifier used for the right ankle pitch axis servo motor 16. The three amplifiers 16A are provided in the right leg 10.

A left hip joint yaw axis servomotor 21, a left hip joint roll axis servomotor 22, a left hip joint pitch axis servomotor 23, a left knee joint pitch axis servomotor 24, and a left leg neck are located at the same positions on the left leg 20. A total of six servo motors, ie, a roll axis servo motor 25 and a left leg neck pitch axis servo motor 26, are provided and have six degrees of freedom, enabling walking in a form close to human movement. . The left leg 20 is also provided with three amplifiers: a left leg 4 amplifier 24A, a left leg 5 amplifier 25A, and a left leg 6 amplifier 26A.
Further, one waist yaw axis servomotor 35 is provided on the waist, and a neck roll axis servomotor 31, a neck pitch axis servomotor 32, and a neck yaw axis are connected to the neck portion connecting the head 70 and the body 30. The servo motor 33 is provided with three degrees of freedom.

The right arm 40 includes a right shoulder joint pitch axis servo motor 41, a right shoulder joint roll axis servo motor 42, a right elbow joint pitch axis servo motor 43, a right forearm yaw axis servo motor 44, and a right wrist joint. A total of six servo motors, that is, a pitch axis servo motor 45 and a right wrist joint roll axis servo motor 46, are provided and have six degrees of freedom, and can be operated in a form close to human action. .
Similarly, the left arm 50 has a left shoulder joint pitch axis servomotor 51, a left shoulder joint roll axis servomotor 52, a left elbow joint pitch axis servomotor 53, a left forearm yaw axis servomotor 54, and a left wrist joint pitch. A total of six servomotors, that is, a shaft servomotor 55 and a left wrist joint roll shaft servomotor 56, are provided, have six degrees of freedom, and can operate in a form close to human motion.
In addition, the right arm 40 includes a right finger 1 servo motor 47, a right finger 2 servo motor 48, and a right finger 3 servo motor 49, which are three servo motors for moving the right fingertip.

These are the neck 1 amp 31A, neck 2 amp 32A, neck 3 amp 33A, waist amp 35A, right leg 1 amp 11A, right leg 2 amp 12A, right leg 3 amp 13A, left leg 1 amp 21A, left Leg 2 amp 22A, left leg 3 amp 23A, right arm 1 amp 41A, right arm 2 amp 42A, right arm 3 amp 43A, right arm 4 amp 44A, right arm 5 amp 45A, right arm 6 amp 46A, left arm 1 amp 51A, left arm 2 amp 52A The left arm 3 amplifier 53A, left arm 4 amplifier 54A, left arm 5 amplifier 55A, left arm 6 amplifier 56A, right finger 1 amplifier 47A, right finger 2 amplifier 48A, and right finger 3 amplifier 49A are all housed in the body 30. In addition, the body 30 includes a control device including a CPU 36, a USB-I / O 37 for managing USB input / output, and a battery as a power source. The gyro sensor 39 is an acceleration sensor for use in re-38, control of walking, other storage device is housed (not shown).
In addition to these, the head 70 is provided with LEDs 72 and 73 for emitting light to each part of the body of the robot, an artificial lip 71 provided for blowing the trumpet, and the like. 20 also includes LEDs 74 and 75. Further, an LED 76 and an emergency stop switch 77 are provided on the shoulder portion.

  These connections are separated into three systems, and one system is connected to both legs, that is, a total of 12 servos of the right leg 10 and the left leg 20 and 12 amplifiers as the most important communication path 80 corresponding to the first communication path. In this embodiment, the hot plug connection is based on the IEEE 1394 standard. Therefore, it is possible to always monitor the connection state at the hardware level or the software level. Since the connection state can be monitored in this way, there is no need to separately receive a detection system such as a communication abnormality or disconnection.

Specifically, the servo motor provided in the right leg 10 is connected to the most important communication path 80. The servo motor 11 for the right hip joint yaw axis, the servo motor 12 for the right hip joint roll axis, and the right hip joint pitch axis. The servo motor 13, the right knee joint pitch axis servo motor 14, the right ankle roll axis servo motor 15, and the right ankle pitch axis servo motor 16 are included in the right leg 10. , Right leg 4 amplifier 14A, right leg 5 amplifier 15A, and right leg 6 amplifier 16A. Also, the left hip joint yaw axis servo motor 21, left hip joint roll axis servo motor 22, left hip joint pitch axis servo motor 23, left knee joint pitch axis servo motor 24, which are servo motors provided in the left leg 20, Six servo motors, a left leg neck roll axis servo motor 25 and a left leg neck pitch axis servo motor 26, and an amplifier provided in the left leg 20, a left leg 4 amplifier 24A, a left leg 5 amplifier 25A, And three amplifiers of left leg 6 amplifier 26A. Further, the amplifiers provided in the body 30 are the right leg 1 amplifier 11A, the right leg 2 amplifier 12A, the right leg 3 amplifier 13A, the left leg 1 amplifier 21A, the left leg 2 amplifier 22A, and the left leg 3 amplifier 23A. Two leg amplifiers, a waist yaw axis servomotor 35, a waist amplifier 35A, and a gyro sensor 39 are connected.
If the device connected to the most important communication path 80 is not controlled, the legged walking robot 60 will fall over and the communication disconnection of the most important communication path 80 will occur. This can lead to fatal errors that can be damaged.

  The other one system is connected to the upper body portion, that is, the servo motors of the right arm 40 and the left arm 50, and the amplifier as the important communication channel 81 corresponding to the second communication channel. It is connected to individual servo motors and amplifiers, and is connected with a hot plug according to the IEEE 1394 standard.

Specifically, what is connected to the important communication path 81 is a servo motor 41 for the right shoulder joint pitch axis, a servo motor 42 for the right shoulder joint roll axis, and a right elbow. Servo motors provided in the joint arm for the joint pitch axis, the right forearm yaw axis servo motor 44, the right wrist joint pitch axis servo motor 45, the right wrist joint roll axis servo motor 46, and the left arm 50. A left shoulder joint pitch axis servomotor 51, a left shoulder joint roll axis servomotor 52, a left elbow joint pitch axis servomotor 53, a left forearm yaw axis servomotor 54, a left wrist joint pitch axis servomotor 55, The left wrist joint roll axis servo motor 56 and the right finger servo motor 47, right finger 1 servo motor 47, right finger 2 servo motor 48, right 3 a servo motor 49, a servo motor for the neck, the neck roll axis servo motor 31, the neck pitch-axis servo motor 32 and, a total of 19 pieces of servo motors neck yaw axis servomotor 33. In addition, these servomotor amplifiers provided in the body 30 are a right arm 1 amplifier 41A, a right arm 2 amplifier 42A, a right arm 3 amplifier 43A, a right arm 4 amplifier 44A, a right arm 5 amplifier 45A, a right arm 6 amplifier 46A, and a left arm 1 amplifier 51A. Left arm 2 amplifier 52A, left arm 3 amplifier 53A, left arm 4 amplifier 54A, left arm 5 amplifier 55A, left arm 6 amplifier 56A, right finger 1 amplifier 47A, right finger 2 amplifier 48A, right finger 3 amplifier 49A, neck 1 amplifier 31A A total of 19 amplifiers, that is, a neck 2 amplifier 32A and a neck 3 amplifier 33A, are connected.
The disconnection of the important communication path 81 is only a partial loss of function, and if the most important communication path 80 is highly robust, the error does not cause the legged walking robot 60 to fall.

  Furthermore, the other system is equipped with the LEDs 72 and 73 of the head 70, the artificial lips 71, the LEDs 74 and 75 attached to the right leg 10 and the left leg 20, and the shoulder portion as the normal communication path 82 which is the third communication path. LED 76, emergency stop switch 77, USB-I / O 37, battery 38, etc. are connected, and these are connected in accordance with the USB standard. The artificial lip 71 is an important function from the viewpoint of entertainment such as performance, but even if the normal communication path 82 is disconnected, the walking of the legged walking robot 60 is not affected. The legged walking robot 60 will not fall over and be damaged due to the communication abnormality or disconnection.

Next, the two-wheel mobile humanoid robot 61 of FIG. 2 will be described.
FIG. 2 shows a system configuration diagram of the two-wheel mobile humanoid robot 61.
The two-wheeled mobile humanoid robot 61 is a robot with wheels attached to the lower body of a structure that travels on wheels rather than walking on two legs, but the configuration is substantially the same as the legged walking robot 60 of FIG.
A different part is that a motor is provided for the wheel instead of the servo motor for the right leg 10 and the left leg 20 and the servo motor 35 for the waist yaw axis because the leg is a wheel. There are two wheel servomotors, a right wheel servomotor 17 and a left wheel servomotor 27. Further, a right wheel amplifier 17A and a left wheel amplifier 27A, which are amplifiers for the servo motor, are also provided. In addition, one auxiliary wheel actuator 18 which is a drive mechanism for raising and lowering the auxiliary wheel is also provided. Note that the gyro sensor 39 provided in the two-wheel mobile humanoid robot 61 is provided to detect the tilt angular velocity of the two-wheel mobile humanoid robot 61.

Next, the walking operation of the legged walking robot 60 will be described. Note that the control of the legged walking robot 60 has been described in detail in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-202652, etc., and will be briefly described here.
The legged walking robot 60 moves by walking on two legs. Briefly, when the legged walking robot 60 starts walking, for example, if the right leg 10 is a free leg (a leg is in the air) and the left leg 20 is a standing leg (a leg is on the ground), The right leg 10 on the free leg side moves while drawing an arc in the air, and moves by a certain distance to land. At this time, the left arm 50 is swung forward so as to be balanced, the right arm 40 is swung back, and the spin force generated by the right leg 10 being a free leg moving in the air is reduced.
After the right leg 10 that was a free leg has landed, the left leg 20 that was a standing leg is used as a free leg, the left leg 20 that is the free leg side is moved while drawing an arc in the air, and is moved by a certain distance to land. To do. At this time, the right arm 40 is swung forward to balance, the left arm 50 is swung back, and the spin force generated by the left leg 20 as a free leg moving in the air is reduced. Biped walking can be realized by this repetition.
However, in practice, the gyro sensor 39 or the like is used to perform complex control in which data is corrected by gait data based on inverted pendulum control, floor reaction force control, ZMP compensation control, landing position control, and the like. Although it is necessary, the present embodiment is not directly related, so the description is omitted.

In the sense of walking on two legs, even if the upper body is not used, the result is a little lacking in stability and the like, but if the lower body control unit is highly robust, it is possible to move only the lower body. For example, if the right leg 10 is a free leg and the left leg 20 is a standing leg, the right leg 10 on the free leg side moves while drawing an arc in the air, and moves a certain distance to land, then the free leg is moved to the left leg 20. With the standing leg as the right leg 10, the left leg 20 on the free leg side moves while drawing an arc in the air, and moves by a certain distance to land. Biped walking can be realized by this repetition.
Such biped walking similar to a human can be realized, but as described above, the legged walking robot 60 does not load the motors of the right leg 10 and the left leg 20 even in a standing posture. It must be in a hung state. The same can be said for walking. This is because it is necessary to always bend the knee joints of the right leg 10 and the left leg 20 in order not to create a singular point. In addition to the knee joint, other joints must be loaded. For this reason, there is a possibility that the legged walking robot 60 cannot maintain a standing posture rather than walking only by blocking the communication path to any one of the servomotors.

Next, the traveling operation of the two-wheel mobile humanoid robot 61 will be described.
The two-wheel mobile humanoid robot 61 moves using a pair of left and right wheels. Since the control of the two-wheel mobile humanoid robot 61 is described in detail in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-345030, it will be briefly described here.
A robot that moves by controlling two wheels, such as the two-wheel mobile humanoid robot 61, includes a carriage unit including a right wheel servomotor 17 and a left wheel servomotor 27, a body 30, a head 70, and a right arm 40. , And the left arm 50, etc., and the wheels provided in the carriage are driven by the right wheel servomotor 17 and the left wheel servomotor 27, and this driving means is controlled by a control device (not shown) including the CPU 36. Is done. The control device is designed based on an inverted pendulum control model that models the two-wheel mobile humanoid robot 61.

  By controlling the right wheel servomotor 17 and the left wheel servomotor 27 by this control device, it is possible to maintain a standing posture. The auxiliary wheel (not shown) is provided so as to be moved up and down by the auxiliary wheel actuator 18 and is not grounded when the auxiliary wheel is at the upper end, so that it can travel with two wheels, and when it is at the lower end, the auxiliary wheel. Since it is grounded, it is possible to maintain a standing posture when the inversion control is stopped.

Next, the actions taken by the legged walking robot 60 and the two-wheeled mobile humanoid robot 61 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 3 is a table showing the operation logic at the time of disconnection / failure. In the column “Amplifier corresponding to the failure part”, the amplifier to which the communication path where the disconnection / failure occurred is connected is described. The correspondence is divided according to the part where the servo motor controlled by the amplifier is incorporated.
Further, in the column of “Explanation: Setting at the time of communication abnormality”, the state of the amplifier and the state of the amplifier at the time of abnormality are described.
In the “robot state” column, the state of the legged walking robot 60 or the two-wheeled mobile humanoid robot 61 is indicated by “◯”, “△”, and “×”, and “◯” indicates the legged walking robot 60. Alternatively, the two-wheel mobile humanoid robot 61 is standing, and “Δ” can be uniquely determined whether the legged walking robot 60 or the two-wheel mobile humanoid robot 61 is standing or not standing. “×” indicates a state where the legged walking robot 60 or the two-wheeled mobile humanoid robot 61 falls over without being able to maintain a standing posture.

In the column of “normal communication path, music part, LED part”, among the devices connected by the normal communication path 82, the artificial lip 71 as a music part, the LED 72 provided on the head 70 as the LED part, 73, and the operations of the LEDs 74 and 75 provided in the right leg 10 and the left leg 20 and the LED 76 provided in the shoulder are described.
In the column of “most important communication path, both leg parts, wheel part”, among the devices connected by the most important communication path 80, the right leg 10 and the left leg 20 of the legged walking robot 60 for both leg parts. As for a plurality of servo motors and wheel parts provided in the above, the operations of the right wheel servo motor 17, the left wheel servo motor 27, and the auxiliary wheel actuator 18 are described.
Further, in the column of “important communication path, both arms, neck part, finger part”, among the devices connected by the important communication path 81, for both arms, the servo motors provided in the right arm 40 and the left arm 50, As for the neck and other parts, the servo motor provided in the neck and the servo motor provided in the lower back, and the finger part, the operation of the servo motor provided in the right finger, other than the finger, both arms, the neck, etc. Are divided into finger movements.

Hereinafter, the contents of FIG. 3 will be described.
Used in the servo motor for the right arm 40 and the left arm 50 connected to the important communication path 81, the servo motor 35 for the waist and yaw axis, and the servo motor used for the neck described in line a-1. When “amplifier abnormality” occurs in any amplifier, the music part and LED part connected to the normal communication path 82 are “stopped”, and both leg parts or wheel parts connected to the most important communication path 80 are “ “Safely stop”, and both arms, necks, and finger parts connected to the important communication path 81 are in a “servo lock” state except for the fingers, and the fingers are in a “servo OFF” state. Thereby, the legged walking robot 60 can be stopped in a standing posture.
Even when a “communication abnormality” occurs or an “overload” occurs in the amplifier connected to the important communication path 81 described in the a-2 line and the a-3 line, each part is in the same state. It becomes.
In the state described in lines a-1, a-2, and a-3, since the most important communication path 80 is not affected, the legged walking robot 60 and the two-wheeled mobile humanoid robot 61 maintain a standing posture. Does not affect. Therefore, even during operation, it can be safely stopped and there is no risk of falling.

Note that “safe stop” here means calculating and controlling a mechanically stable foot trajectory to move to a state where both legs can stand safely, and theoretically stands stable. This means that there is a legged walking robot 60 and a two-wheeled mobile humanoid robot 61 in a state where the robot can perform such a task.
In addition, “servo lock” here means that each joint maintains the current angle. For example, when the servo motor attached to the right arm 40 of the legged walking robot 60 is in the servo lock state with the arm raised, the right arm 40 is stationary at the raised position.
In addition, “servo OFF” here means that the drive power of the servo motor is turned off. When the power is not supplied, the part connected to the servo motor is left to friction or the like. It means that it becomes an appropriate angle. For example, when the servo motor attached to the finger is in a servo-off state, the finger joint changes from the position at the time of the servo-off state to an appropriate angle by its own weight.

  Next, the right finger amplifier described in the b-1, b-2, and b-3 lines is abnormal, and the finger servo motor amplifier connected to the important communication path 81 When an “amplifier abnormality”, “communication abnormality”, or “overload” occurs, the music part and LED part connected to the normal communication path 82 “stop” only the music part and are connected to the most important communication path 80. Since both leg parts and wheel parts do "do nothing", control is continued, and both arms, neck parts, and finger parts connected to the important communication channel 81 do "do nothing" except for fingers. The finger stops with “Servo OFF”. In this case, the legged walking robot 60 can continue other actions only by stopping the music.

In the state described in lines b-1, b-2, and b-3, since the most important communication path 80 is not affected, the legged walking robot 60 and the two-wheeled mobile humanoid robot 61 maintain a standing posture. Does not affect. Therefore, similarly to the case described in line a, even during operation, it can be safely stopped and there is no risk of falling.
In these a row and b row, the case where the equipment connected to the important communication path 81 becomes “amplifier abnormality”, “communication abnormality”, “overload”, etc., is in these states. Even in such a case, since the equipment necessary for controlling the standing posture is not connected, it is possible to maintain the standing posture of the legged walking robot 60 and the two-wheel mobile humanoid robot 61.

  On the other hand, the servo motor provided in the right leg 10 or the left leg 20 connected to the most important communication path 80 described in the c-1 line is necessary for bipedal walking and controls the posture. Servo motor required for Therefore, the amplifier of the servo motor on the free leg side is abnormal, and an “amplifier abnormality” occurs in any of the servo motors of the right leg 10 and the left leg 20 connected to the most important communication path 80. In this case, the music part and the LED part connected to the normal communication path 82 are “stopped”, and both leg parts connected to the most important communication path 80 are in an “emergency stop” state and are connected to the important communication path 81. The parts such as both arms, necks, and finger parts are in the “servo lock” state except for the fingers, and the fingers are stopped by “servo OFF”. Accordingly, there is a possibility that the legged walking robot 60 can be stopped in a standing posture.

Further, among the servo motors of the right leg 10 or the left leg 20 connected to the most important communication path 80 described in the c-2 line, the “communication abnormality” is connected to the amplifier of the free leg side servo motor. Occurs, the music part and the LED part connected to the normal communication path 82 are “stopped”, and both leg parts connected to the most important communication path 80 are in a “specific position movement” state. Both arms, neck and other parts connected to 81 and finger parts are in a “servo lock” state except for the fingers, and the fingers are stopped by “servo OFF”. Thereby, the legged walking robot 60 may be able to stop in a standing posture.
In addition, among the servo motors of the right leg 10 or the left leg 20 connected to the most important communication path 80 described in the c-3 line, an “overload” is applied to the amplifier of the free leg side servo motor. In the case of the occurrence of the problem, the music part and the LED part connected to the normal communication path 82 are “stopped”, and both leg parts connected to the most important communication path 80 are in the “safe stop” state. Both arms, neck and other parts connected to, and finger parts are in a “servo lock” state except for the fingers, and the fingers are stopped by “servo OFF”. As a result, the legged walking robot 60 may be able to stop while maintaining a standing posture.
“Emergency stop” as used here refers to selecting and operating the shortest distance trajectory to be set up with both feet. However, it may not be possible to stand depending on which amplifier on the free leg side has caused the abnormality of the amplifier.
Further, the “specific position movement” here means that each amplifier independently moves at an angle of each joint standing on both feet, which has been transmitted to the amplifier in advance.

In addition, among the servo motors of the right leg 10 or the left leg 20 connected to the most important communication path 80 described in the line d-1, “amplifier abnormality” is present in the servo motor amplifier on the standing leg side. When this occurs, the music part and the LED part connected to the normal communication path 82 are “stopped”, and both leg parts or wheel parts connected to the most important communication path 80 are in the “servo OFF” state. Both of the arms, the neck and other parts connected to the finger, and the finger part are in the “servo OFF” state. In this case, the legged walking robot 60 cannot continue standing because the servo on the standing leg side is turned off, and falls down.
At this time, both the servo motors of the most important communication path 80 and the important communication path 81 are instructed to be in the “servo OFF” state, but are connected to the important communication path 81 when the robot falls. If the servo motor of the upper arm or neck is in the “servo locked” state or in a movable state, the falling shock may be applied to the part and breakage. To. By doing so, there is a possibility that the joint bends in the direction of light load according to the external force, and as a result, an effect of reducing physical damage of the robot can be expected.

Also, when “communication abnormality” occurs in the stand-side amplifier among the servo motors of the right leg 10 or the left leg 20 connected to the most important communication path 80 described in the line d-2. The music part and the LED part connected to the normal communication path 82 are “stopped”, the part connected to the most important communication path 80 is in the state of “specific position movement” for both leg parts or wheel parts, and the important communication path Both arms, neck and other parts connected to 81 and finger parts are in a “servo lock” state except for the fingers, and the fingers are stopped by “servo OFF”. In this case, the legged walking robot 60 may be able to stop in a standing posture.
In addition, when “overload” occurs in the amplifier on the stance side among the servo motors of the right leg 10 or the left leg 20 connected to the most important communication path 80 described in the line d-3. The music part and the LED part connected to the normal communication path 82 are “stopped”, the parts connected to the most important communication path 80 are in the “safe stop” state for both leg parts or wheel parts, and the important communication path 81 Both arms, neck and other parts connected to, and finger parts are in a “servo lock” state except for the fingers, and the fingers are stopped by “servo OFF”.
In this case, the legged walking robot 60 may be able to stop while maintaining a standing posture. However, depending on the control part of the amplifier that is in the “overload” state, there is a risk of falling.

Next, the contents of FIG. 4 will be described. FIG. 4 is a continuation of FIG.
When “amplifier abnormality” occurs in the amplifier used for the servo motor of the right wheel servo motor 17 or the left wheel servo motor 27 connected to the most important communication path 80 described in the e-1 line. The music part and the LED part connected to the normal communication path 82 are “stopped”, the wheel part connected to the most important communication path 80 is in an “emergency stop” state, and both arms connected to the important communication path 81 The parts such as the neck and the finger part are in a “servo lock” state except for the finger, and the finger is stopped by “servo OFF”. In this case, the two-wheeled mobile humanoid robot 61 can maintain a standing posture and stop.

  In addition, "communication abnormality" occurs in the amplifier used for the servo motor of the right wheel servo motor 17 or the left wheel servo motor 27 connected to the most important communication path 80 described in the e-2 line. In this case, the music part and the LED part connected to the normal communication path 82 are “stopped”, and the wheel part connected to the most important communication path 80 is in an “emergency stop” state and connected to the important communication path 81. Both arms, neck and other parts, and finger parts are in a “servo lock” state except for the fingers, and the fingers are stopped by “servo OFF”. In this case, the two-wheeled mobile humanoid robot 61 can maintain a standing posture and stop.

  Moreover, "overload" occurs in the amplifier used for the servo motor of the right wheel servo motor 17 or the left wheel servo motor 27 connected to the most important communication path 80 described in the e-3 line. In this case, the music part and the LED part connected to the normal communication path 82 are “stopped”, and the wheel part connected to the most important communication path 80 is in a “safe stop” state and is connected to the important communication path 81. Both arms, neck and other parts, and finger parts are in a “servo lock” state except for the fingers, and the fingers are stopped by “servo OFF”. In this case, the two-wheeled mobile humanoid robot 61 can maintain a standing posture and stop.

Next, when the amplifier used for the actuator of the legged walking robot 60 or the two-wheeled mobile humanoid robot 61 described in line f-1 is in a bus reset state, it is connected to the normal communication path 82. The music part and the LED part to be played are “stopped”, both leg parts connected to the most important communication path 80 are in the “moving specific position” state, the wheel part is in the “safe stop” state, and the important communication path 81 Both of the arms, the neck and other parts connected to the finger, and the finger part are in the “servo OFF” state. In this case, there is a possibility that the two-wheeled mobile humanoid robot 61 can stop in a standing posture.
Here, the emergency stop in the two-wheel mobile humanoid robot 61 means that “when the inclination angle obtained from the gyro sensor 39 (here, the inclination angular velocity sensor) is not inclined,“ the actuator for the front wheel is lowered at the same time as the auxiliary wheel is lowered. By keeping the “servo OFF” state, it means to keep standing.

In this way, the operation logic of the legged walking robot 60 or the two-wheeled mobile humanoid robot 61 when the communication path is cut or broken is determined, and the correspondence can be changed depending on the cut or broken communication path. Therefore, it is possible to minimize the risk of breakage due to the legged walking robot 60 and the two-wheeled mobile humanoid robot 61 falling down without being able to maintain a standing posture.
The bus reset here means that the communication is interrupted and the amplifier is reset due to electrical or mechanical disconnection of the communication path, instantaneous stop or failure of the CPU, amplifier, or acceleration sensor, or large electrical noise. To tell. In the case of such a trouble, the monitoring unit can detect the trouble through an interface connected to the control device including the CPU 36.

Next, FIG. 5 will be described.
FIG. 5 describes the processing at the time of failure of the hardware system.
The description of each column is almost the same as in FIGS. 3 and 4, and the description of the column of “Description” is different in the part indicating the state of the hardware system.
When the battery 38 connected to the normal communication path 82 described in line g-1 is in an “abnormal” state, the music part and the LED part connected to the normal communication path 82 “stop”, and most importantly. Both leg parts and wheel parts connected to the communication path 80 are "safely stopped", and both arms, neck parts, and finger parts connected to the important communication path 81 are in a "servo lock" state except for the fingers. The finger is in a “servo OFF” state. However, since no electric power is supplied from the battery 38, the legged walking robot 60 cannot be stopped while standing and falls. In addition, the two-wheel mobile humanoid robot 61 cannot stop in a standing posture.

When the emergency stop switch 77 connected to the normal communication path 82 described in the h-1 line is operated, each servo is in a “servo OFF” state, and the music part connected to the normal communication path 82 and The LED part is “stopped”, both leg parts or wheel parts connected to the most important communication path 80 are in a “servo OFF” state, and both arms, neck parts, and finger parts connected to the important communication path 81 are All become "Servo OFF" state. Therefore, the legged walking robot 60 and the two-wheel mobile humanoid robot 61 fall over.
In addition, when the emergency stop switch 77 connected to the normal communication path 82 described in the h-2 line is in an “abnormal” state, the music part and the LED part connected to the normal communication path 82 are “ "Stop", both leg parts and wheel parts connected to the most important communication path 80 are "safely stopped", and both arms, neck parts and finger parts connected to the important communication path 81 are "servo" The state is “locked” and the finger is in the “servo OFF” state. In this case, depending on the state of the emergency stop switch 77, the legged walking robot 60 and the two-wheeled mobile humanoid robot 61 may fall over.

  Next, in the legged walking robot 60 described in line i-1, when the gyro sensor 39 connected to the most important communication path 80 is in an "abnormal" state, it is connected to the normal communication path 82. The music part and the LED part are "stopped", and both leg parts connected to the most important communication path 80 are in the "specific position movement" state, and both arms, neck parts, and fingers connected to the important communication path 81 The parts other than the finger are in a “servo lock” state, and the finger is stopped by “servo OFF”. In this case, the legged walking robot 60 can be stopped while maintaining a standing posture.

Next, in the two-wheeled mobile humanoid robot 61 described in line i-2, when the gyro sensor 39 connected to the most important communication path 80 is in an “abnormal” state, it is connected to the normal communication path 82. The music part and LED part to be played are “stopped”, and the wheel part connected to the most important communication path 80 is in an “emergency stop” state, and both arms, necks, etc. connected to the important communication path 81, and The finger parts other than the finger are in a “servo lock” state, and the finger is stopped by “servo OFF”. In this case, there is a possibility that the two-wheel mobile humanoid robot 61 can be stopped in a standing posture by lowering the auxiliary wheel.
When an abnormality occurs in the devices connected to the most important communication path 80 described in the lines c to e and i, the legged walking robot 60 and the two-wheeled mobile humanoid robot 61 stood up. There is a high possibility that the posture cannot be maintained. Therefore, it is important to minimize the risk of falling by connecting the minimum necessary devices to the most important communication path 80.
By taking the above-mentioned countermeasures against these conditions, the leg-type walking robot 60 and the two-wheel mobile humanoid robot 61 can be prevented from falling.

  Next, when an abnormality occurs in the auxiliary wheel actuator of the two-wheel mobile humanoid robot 61 described in the j-1 line, the music part and the LED part connected to the normal communication path 82 are “stopped”. Then, the wheel part connected to the most important communication path 80 is in a “safe stop” state, and both arms, necks, and finger parts connected to the important communication path 81 are “servo locked” except for the fingers. Then, the finger stops at “Servo OFF”. In this case, the two-wheeled mobile humanoid robot 61 can maintain a standing posture and stop.

As mentioned above, although embodiment of the robot control apparatus of this invention was illustrated, it does not prevent that it deform | transforms in the range which is not restricted to this embodiment and does not deviate from the meaning of invention.
For example, the most important communication path 80 as the first communication path and the important communication path 81 as the second communication path adopt the IEEE 1394 standard connection method, the third communication path as the normal communication path 82, and the USB standard connection. Although the system is adopted, IEEE1394 may be adopted for the first communication path, the USB standard connection system may be adopted for the second communication path and the third communication path, and the IEEE standard and USB can be used for any communication path. A standard connection method may be adopted. This is because even if all the same standards are adopted, a certain level of stability can be ensured by dividing the communication path. Note that there is no problem as long as the connection method is a wired connection method that can always monitor the connection state without using the IEEE standard and USB standard connection methods.

  Furthermore, although the devices connected to the most important communication path 80, the important communication path 81, and the normal communication path 82 are listed, the most important communication path 80 has the minimum equipment necessary for control to stand still without falling down. The gyro sensor 39 is most important if it is sufficient if it is connected, and the legged walking robot 60 and the two-wheeled mobile humanoid robot 61 can be stopped without falling during operation even if the gyro sensor 39 is not controllable. There is no need to be connected to the communication path 80. The combination of these communication paths and devices is a design matter, and the most important communication path 80 is connected with the minimum equipment necessary for control to stop without falling, and the important communication path 81 has walking control. Necessary devices are connected, and other devices may be connected to the normal communication path 82.

As described above, the legged mobile robot and the wheeled mobile humanoid robot according to the present invention have the following effects.
(1) Servo motor 11 for right hip joint yaw axis, servo motor 12 for right hip joint roll axis, servo motor 13 for right hip joint pitch axis, right knee joint pitch axis servo motor 14, right ankle roll Axis servomotor 15, right ankle pitch axis servomotor 16, left hip joint yaw axis servomotor 21 provided on left leg 20, left hip roll axis servomotor 22, left hip joint pitch axis servomotor 23, Left knee joint pitch axis servo motor 24, left leg neck roll axis servo motor 25, left leg neck pitch axis servo motor 26, right shoulder joint pitch axis servo motor 41 provided in the right arm 40, right shoulder joint Roll axis servo motor 42, right elbow joint pitch axis servo motor 43, right forearm yaw axis servo motor 44, right wrist joint pitch axis servo motor 45, right wrist joint roll axis servo motor 46, left shoulder joint pitch axis servo motor 51 provided on the left arm 50, left shoulder joint roll axis servo motor 52, left elbow joint pitch axis servo motor 53, left The forearm yaw axis servo motor 54, the left wrist joint pitch axis servo motor 55, and the left wrist joint roll axis servo motor 56 are provided. The actuator included in the right leg 10 and the actuator included in the left leg 20 In the legged walking robot 60 having a control unit for controlling the actuator provided in the right arm 40 and the actuator provided in the left arm 50, the actuator provided in the right leg 10 and the actuator provided in the left leg 20 Is connected to the control unit by the most important communication path 80 and the actuator provided in the right arm 40 The actuator provided in the left arm is connected to the control unit by the important communication path 81, and the most important communication path 80 and the important communication path 81 use communication means of different standards. By changing the standard, the system can be completely separated and there is no worry of mutual interference.

  For this reason, even if the important communication path 81 is cut off for some reason or a communication error occurs, the most important communication path 80 necessary for posture maintenance and walking is alive, so the walking or standing posture Even if a communication failure occurs in the state, it is possible to prevent the robot itself from being damaged or the surrounding objects from being damaged by falling down. In this case, when the most important communication path 80 is disconnected or a communication abnormality occurs, there is a high risk of falling, but the communication paths are distributed and the communication paths do not interfere with each other, so There is an excellent effect that it is possible to reduce the probability of communication abnormality and disconnection of the most important communication path 80 necessary for walking at the minimum, and thus to reduce the risk of falling. In addition, it is possible to increase the certainty of communication by the minimum necessary part by making the standard of the most important communication path 80 necessary for walking high-grade standard. By using a shielded wire for the communication line, or adopting a communication line of a standard or the like that strengthens protection against noise by duplicating communication, etc., the reliability of data transfer can be improved or used for the drive unit Increasing the bending resistance of the cable and reducing the probability of disconnection due to repeated bending are effective means.

(2) The legged walking robot 60 described in (1) is characterized in that an IEEE standard connection method is used for the most important communication path 80 and a USB standard connection method is used for the important communication path 81. Therefore, it is possible to easily construct a system by utilizing the existing communication standards IEEE standard and USB standard, and the IEEE standard and USB standard can be completely separated from each other, so that they interfere with each other. There is no worry to do.
(3) Since the legged walking robot 60 described in (1) has a monitoring unit capable of monitoring the connection state of the most important communication path 80 and the important communication path 81, the legged walking robot Even if the 60 or the two-wheeled mobile humanoid robot 61 is broken due to damage or the like, it is monitored by the monitoring unit, so the connection state of the first communication path and the second communication path can be immediately grasped. Therefore, the operation logic of the legged walking robot 60 and the two-wheeled mobile humanoid robot 61 for minimizing the damage that the robot falls over and breaks down, or that causes damage to the surroundings when it falls over. Can be determined when communication is stopped.

(4) In the legged walking robot 60 described in any one of (1) to (3), the gyro sensor 39 used for controlling walking is connected to the control unit by the most important communication path 80. Therefore, even if the important communication channel 81 is disconnected or a communication error occurs for some reason, the most important communication channel 80 necessary for maintaining posture and walking is alive, and the most important communication channel 80 Since the gyro sensor 39 is connected, the legged walking robot 60 does not fall down and the gyro sensor 39 is connected even if a communication failure occurs while walking or standing. Thus, the disturbance suppression effect for continuing to stand and the risk of falling are also reduced when shifting from a walking state to a stopped state.

(5) In the legged walking robot 60 described in any one of (1) to (4), the control unit includes a central processing unit, and the most important communication path 80 and the important communication path 81 are connected to the CPU 36. Since it is connected, the devices connected to the most important communication path 80 and the important communication path 81 can be controlled by a control unit including the CPU 36. This makes it possible to realize complicated control and to perform walking control similar to human walking.

(6) Right wheel servo motor 17 and left wheel servo motor 27 provided in the wheel part, right shoulder joint pitch axis servo motor 41 provided in the right arm part, right shoulder joint roll axis servo motor 42, Right elbow joint pitch axis servo motor 43, right forearm yaw axis servo motor 44, right wrist joint pitch axis servo motor 45, right wrist joint roll axis servo motor 46, and left shoulder 50 left shoulder joint Pitch axis servo motor 51, left shoulder joint roll axis servo motor 52, left elbow joint pitch axis servo motor 53, left forearm yaw axis servo motor 54, left wrist joint pitch axis servo motor 55, left wrist joint A roll axis servomotor 56, the wheel actuator, the right arm 40 actuator, and the left arm 50 actuator. In the two-wheel mobile humanoid robot 61 including a control unit for controlling the tutor, the actuator for wheels is connected to the control unit by the most important communication path 80, and the actuator provided in the right arm 40 and the left arm 50 The actuator provided in is connected to the control unit by an important communication path 81, and the most important communication path 80 and the important communication path 81 use communication means of different standards. By changing the standard, the system can be completely separated and there is no worry of mutual interference.

  For this reason, even if the second communication path is disconnected for some reason or a communication error occurs, the first communication path necessary for posture maintenance and walking is still alive, so the state of running or standing posture Even if a communication failure occurs, it is possible to prevent the robot itself from being damaged or the surrounding objects from being damaged by falling down. In this case, when the most important communication path 80 is disconnected or a communication abnormality occurs, there is a high risk of falling, but the communication paths are distributed and the communication paths do not interfere with each other, so There is an excellent effect that it is possible to reduce the probability of communication abnormality and disconnection of the most important communication path 80 necessary for walking at the minimum, and thus to reduce the risk of falling. In addition, it is possible to increase the certainty of communication by the minimum necessary part by making the standard of the most important communication path 80 necessary for walking high-grade standard. By using a shielded wire for the communication line, or adopting a communication line of a standard or the like that strengthens protection against noise by duplicating communication, etc., the reliability of data transfer can be improved or used for the drive unit Increasing the bending resistance of the cable and reducing the probability of disconnection due to repeated bending are effective means.

(7) In the two-wheel mobile humanoid robot 61 described in (6), an IEEE standard connection method is used for the most important communication path 80, and a USB standard connection method is used for the important communication path 81. Therefore, the same result as the effect (2) can be obtained.
(8) The two-wheel mobile humanoid robot 61 described in (6) or (7) has a monitoring unit capable of monitoring the connection state of the most important communication path 80 and the important communication path 81. Therefore, the same result as the effect (3) can be obtained.
(9) In the two-wheel mobile humanoid robot 61 described in any one of (6) to (8), the gyro sensor 39 used for walking control is connected to the control unit by the most important communication path 80. Therefore, even if the important communication path 81 is cut off or a communication error occurs for some reason, it is the minimum for posture maintenance and walking. The necessary most important communication path 80 is alive, and the gyro sensor 39 is connected to the most important communication path 80, so even if a communication failure occurs while driving or standing, a two-wheeled mobile person Since the type robot 61 does not fall down and the gyro sensor 39 is connected, the disturbance suppression effect for maintaining the standing state and the possibility of falling down even when shifting from the running state to the stopped state are possible. Kunar.

(10) In the two-wheel mobile humanoid robot 61 described in any one of (6) to (9), the control unit includes the CPU 36, and the most important communication path 80 and the important communication path 81 include the CPU 36. Since it is connected to the control unit, the devices connected to the most important communication path 80 and the important communication path 81 can be controlled by the control unit including the CPU 36. As a result, it is possible to realize complex control for the two-wheel mobile humanoid robot 61, and it is possible to perform stable control by performing inversion control.

The system block diagram of the leg type walking robot of an Example is shown. The system configuration | structure figure of the two-wheel mobile humanoid robot of an Example is shown. In the embodiment, the response taken by the legged walking robot and the two-wheeled mobile humanoid robot when a failure occurs in each amplifier of the robot is shown. In the embodiment, the response taken by the legged walking robot and the two-wheeled mobile humanoid robot when a failure occurs in each amplifier of the robot is shown. The processing at the time of failure of the hardware system of the legged walking robot and the two-wheel mobile humanoid robot of the embodiment is shown. The basic structure of the information transmission path | route which connects a motion control module and a drive part of patent document 1 is typically illustrated. The connection structure of the synchronous serial transfer system of patent document 2 is shown typically. It is a figure which shows the connection structure of the battery with which the robot provided to patent document 3 and the electric motor etc. were equipped.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Right leg 11-16 Each axis servomotor 11A-16A for right legs Each axis amplifier 17 for right legs 17 Servomotor for right wheels 17A Right wheel amplifier 18 Actuator for auxiliary wheels 20 Left leg 21-26 Various servomotors for left legs 21A-26A Left leg amplifier 27 Left wheel servo motor 27A Left wheel amplifier 30 Body 31-33 Neck axis servo motor 31A-33A Neck axis amplifier 35 Lumbar yaw axis servomotor 35A Lumbar amplifier 36 CPU
37 I / O
38 Battery 39 Gyro Sensor 40 Right Arm 41-46 Various Servo Motors 41A-46A for Right Arm Various Amplifiers 47-49 for Right Arm Servo Motors 47A-49A for Finger Arm 50 Left Arm 51-56 Each Axis Servo Motor 51A-56A Left Arm Each axis amplifier 60 Legged walking robot 61 Wheel moving robot 70 Head 71 Artificial lip 80 Most important communication channel 81 Important communication channel 82 Normal communication channel

Claims (6)

A plurality of right leg actuators provided in the right leg part, a plurality of left leg actuators provided in the left leg part, a plurality of right arm actuators provided in the right arm part, and a plurality of left arm actuators provided in the left arm part When,
In a legged mobile robot comprising a control unit for controlling the right leg actuator, the left leg actuator, the right arm actuator, and the left arm actuator,
The right leg actuator and the left leg actuator are connected to the control unit by a first communication path,
The right arm actuator and the left arm actuator are connected to the control unit by a second communication path,
A legged mobile robot characterized in that communication means having a standard different from that of the first communication path and the second communication path is used. The legged mobile robot according to claim 1,
Use an IEEE standard connection method for the first communication path,
A legged mobile robot characterized in that a USB standard connection method is used for the second communication path. In the legged mobile robot according to claim 1 or 2,
A legged mobile robot comprising a monitoring unit capable of monitoring a connection state of the first communication path and the second communication path. In the legged mobile robot according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The legged mobile robot, wherein an acceleration sensor used for walking control is connected to the control unit through the first communication path. In the legged mobile robot according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The control unit includes a central processing unit, and the first communication path and the second communication path are connected to the central processing unit. A plurality of wheel actuators provided in the wheel part; a plurality of right arm actuators provided in the right arm part; a plurality of left arm actuators provided in the left arm part;
In the wheel-moving humanoid robot comprising a control unit for controlling the wheel actuator, the right arm actuator, and the left arm actuator,
The wheel actuator is connected to the control unit by a first communication path;
The right arm actuator and the left arm actuator are connected to the control unit by a second communication path,
A wheel-moving humanoid robot characterized in that communication means having a standard different from that of the first communication path and the second communication path is used.

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