JP2007061965A - Starting mode setting method in robot device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a starting mode setting method in a robot device, saving the trouble of operation using a switch or the like, and easily deciding and setting an operation mode and a character. <P>SOLUTION: This starting mode setting method in robot device includes steps of: detecting the state of the robot device by sensors 202, 204; deciding one mode from the plurality of two or more operation modes and two or more characters of the robot device based upon the output value of a detected sensor; and setting one decided operation mode and one characteristic mode on the robot device. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an activation mode setting method in a robot apparatus that sets an operation mode of the robot apparatus and a character during operation.

In recent years, robotic devices have been used in various fields, and development of robotic devices has been progressing rapidly. However, even if such a robot apparatus is moved, it generally does not move freely when the power is turned on. Someone has to decide how to use the robotic device. If it is a robot device with only a single purpose, it is not necessary and the operation mode and personality are uniquely determined. However, in the case of a robot device having diversity, some method is required to determine the operation mode and personality. . As an example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a method for determining an operation mode and personality. In the method described in Patent Document 1 below, an operation mode, personality, and the like are determined using a push button (switch) of a mobile phone.
JP 2004-174642 A (paragraphs 0049 and 0050)

  However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to determine an operation mode and personality using a switch or the like, which is troublesome to operate and is troublesome for an unskilled person who operates an apparatus such as a mobile phone. There was a problem.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems, and to provide an activation mode setting method in a robot apparatus that can easily determine and set an operation mode and personality by omitting the operation of a switch and the like. Objective.

  To achieve the above object, according to the present invention, one operation mode selected from a plurality of operation modes when operating the robot apparatus, and a plurality of character modes indicating the character of the robot apparatus in the operation modes. An activation mode setting method in the robot apparatus in an activation mode configured from one personality mode selected from: a step of detecting a state of the robot apparatus by a sensor, and an output value from the detected sensor And determining one mode from each of the plurality of operation modes and the plurality of character modes of the robot apparatus, and determining the determined one operation mode and one character mode of the robot apparatus. A start mode setting method in a robot apparatus having a step of setting as a start mode It is subjected.

  Further, in the robot apparatus activation mode setting method according to the present invention, the output value from the sensor is an output value from an inclination sensor that detects the inclination of the robot apparatus, and a contact that detects contact with the outside of the robot apparatus. It is a preferable aspect of the present invention that the output value is at least one of the output value from the sensor and the output value from the joint sensor that detects the bending of the joint of the robot apparatus. Here, the contact sensor corresponds to a ground sensor described later.

  The activation mode setting method in the robot apparatus of the present invention has the above-described configuration, and can easily determine and set the operation mode and personality without the trouble of operation using a switch or the like.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a part of a configuration of a robot apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a robot apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining an example of an activation mode setting flow in the robot apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an execution mode execution program stored in the ROM of the robot apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  First, a robot apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, a small biped humanoid robot apparatus (hereinafter simply referred to as a robot apparatus) as shown in FIG. 2 will be described as an example of the robot apparatus, but the robot apparatus is not limited to this. The robot apparatus shown in FIG. 2 is an orthogonal actuator having two axes for the ankle, one axis for the knee, three axes for the hip joint, one axis for the hip, three axes for the shoulder, one axis for the elbow, one axis for the finger, and three axes for the neck. And has 26 joint degrees of freedom throughout the body. The number of degrees of freedom of the joint is not limited to this. Each joint is composed of a combination of a DC motor and a joint sensor (potentiometer) indicating the output shaft of the motor, and is servoed (moved) by a motor driver 208 of a CPU board 201 described later.

  Here, the internal configuration of the robot apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. On a small board vertically attached to the CPU board 201 on which the CPU 200 is mounted, an orthogonal two-axis (front-rear direction and left-right direction) inclination sensor 202 is attached, and the inclination sensor 202 is 10-bit A / D conversion. Connected to the CPU 200 via a device 203 (hereinafter also simply referred to as an A / D converter). In addition, when the grounding sensor 204 (for example, the grounding sensor 204a on the right foot and the grounding sensor 204b on the left foot) is attached to the sole of the robot apparatus, The logic is low, and when not grounded, the logic is high, and the ground sensor 204 is directly connected to a general purpose input / output interface (GPIO) port (not shown) of the CPU 200. In addition to the inclination sensor 202 and the grounding sensor 204, a joint sensor that detects bending of the joint and the like is connected to the CPU 200 via the A / D converter 203.

  In addition, a LAN interface, a Bluetooth (registered trademark) interface, a UART, and the like are connected to the interface 205 on the CPU substrate 201 as a CPU peripheral device, so that the robot apparatus can be controlled by wire or wireless. ing. A memory (ROM 206, RAM 207) exists on the bus of the CPU 200, and parameters, joint servo data, audio data, image data, and the like necessary for the operation of the robot apparatus are stored.

  Next, the operation mode and personality mode of the robot apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. The operation mode refers to a mode for operating the robot apparatus, for example, a self-running demonstration mode and a remote control mode. Note that the operation mode is not limited to these two modes, and there may be other modes. The self-running demonstration mode is a mode in which predetermined operations are repeatedly reproduced in time order, and the remote control mode is a mode that operates only in accordance with an instruction from a remote (remote).

  The personality mode refers to a personality mode attached to the robot apparatus, such as a male personality, a feminine personality, or a neutral personality. The personality mode is not limited to these three modes, and there may be other modes. The masculine personality is a mode that shows a characteristic peculiar to men, such as low voice and rough movement. The feminine personality is a mode that shows a characteristic peculiar to women, such as high voice and supple movement. The neutral personality is a mode that cannot be expressed by a male personality or a female personality, for example, a characteristic peculiar to an infant. The activation mode is a set of one operation mode and one character mode selected from each of a plurality of operation modes and personality modes, and this activation mode is set by power ON (on) or reset.

  Next, an example of a startup mode setting flow of the robot apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. First, the power of the robot apparatus is turned on or reset (step S301). Next, the CPU 200 of the robot apparatus resets the register (step S302). In this state, the CPU 200 determines whether or not the ground sensor 204a on the right foot sole of the robot apparatus is grounded (Low) (step S303). When the ground sensor 204a on the right foot sole is grounded, the CPU 200 records “01H” in the register (records 1 in the 0-bit portion (Bit0) in a predetermined bit area of the register) (step S304). On the other hand, if the ground sensor 204a on the right sole is not grounded, the CPU 200 determines whether or not the ground sensor 204b on the left sole is grounded (Low) (step S305).

  When the ground sensor 204b on the left foot is grounded, the CPU 200 records “02H” in the register (records 1 in the 1-bit portion (Bit1) in a predetermined bit area of the register) (step S306). On the other hand, when the ground sensor 204b on the left foot sole is not grounded, the CPU 200 determines whether or not the value of the tilt sensor 202 is smaller than 200 (step S307). The value of the tilt sensor 202 will be described later. When the value of the tilt sensor 202 is smaller than 200, “04H” is recorded in the register (1 is recorded in the 2-bit portion (Bit2) in a predetermined bit area of the register) (step S308). When the value of the tilt sensor 202 is 200 or more, the CPU 200 records the register value at a predetermined RAM address (step S309).

  The activation mode is determined (estimated) according to the value recorded in the register according to the flowchart described above. Here, for example, in the combination of (left sole, right sole) = (Bit1, Bit0), (0, 1), that is, when the left sole is not grounded and the right sole is grounded, (1, 0), that is, when the left sole is grounded and the right sole is not grounded, feminine personality is shown, and other things are determined in advance to show neutral personality. . When Bit 2 of the register is 1, the self-running demonstration mode is determined. When Bit 2 of the register is 0, the remote control mode is determined in advance.

  By determining in this way, the activation mode can be determined (estimated) based on the values of Bit1, Bit0, and Bit2. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the ROM 206 stores a mode program (execution program for executing each mode) corresponding to the operation mode and the personality mode in a predetermined storage area. For example, when Bit 2 is 1, the mode program stored at the memory address 100 corresponding to Bit 2 = 1 is read, and when Bit 2 is 0, the mode program is stored at the memory address 101 corresponding to Bit 2 = 0. The mode program being read is read out. When (Bit1, Bit0) = (0, 1), the mode program stored in the memory address 102 corresponding to (Bit1, Bit0) = (0, 1) is read, and (Bit1, In the case of (Bit 0) = (1, 0), the mode program stored in the memory address 103 corresponding to (Bit 1, Bit 0) = (1, 0) is read, and (Bit 1, Bit 0) = (1 In the case of 1) or (0, 0), the mode program stored in the memory address 104 corresponding to (Bit1, Bit0) = (1, 1) or (0, 0) is read. These pieces of information are not limited to being stored in the ROM 206, and may be stored in a storage device (not shown).

  Here, the value of the inclination sensor 202 will be described. For example, when the robot apparatus is in an upright stationary state, the sensor value detected by the tilt sensor 202 is converted by the A / D converter 203 to indicate 256, + 90 ° (in a prone state) indicates 160, and −90 ° (backward) In this state, the circuit is designed so as to indicate 352. Therefore, the value after conversion is not limited to the above-described value, and varies depending on the circuit design and specifications. When it is desired to make the value of the tilt sensor 202 smaller than 200, it can be realized by lying down the robot apparatus.

  Therefore, if a neutral character is to be given to the robot device in the remote control mode, the robot device is lifted in the air with the back facing up (the ground sensor 204 on the sole is not grounded) and the power supply is turned on. . Also, if you want to give a masculine personality in the self-running demonstration mode, place the robot device on its side and place it on the table, and press the ground sensor 204a on the right foot with your finger or bend the joint on the right foot and ground the right foot In such a state, the power may be turned on. Here, the activation mode is set using three bits of the register, but the value is not limited to the value of three bits.

  In addition to the above-described embodiment, when starting in the remote control mode, it is possible to rewrite the contents of Bit 2 and shift to the self-running demonstration mode. Similarly, after starting in the self-running demonstration mode and ending a series of operations, or after a predetermined time has elapsed, the contents of Bit 2 can be rewritten to shift to the remote control mode. Furthermore, Bit 1 and Bit 0 may be permitted to be rewritten by remote control during the self-running demonstration mode.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the example using the inclination sensor 202 and the ground contact sensor 204 has been described. However, when the robot apparatus has many joints, one or more joint sensors are used. The activation mode may be set using the value of (potentiometer). For example, instead of the tilt sensor 202, when the power is turned on with the right arm extended, or reset, Bit 2 can be set and Bit 2 cleared with the elbow bent strongly. Thus, it is conceivable to switch the operation mode.

  As described above, the activation mode of the robot apparatus can be set without performing communication with the robot apparatus. Moreover, many activation modes can be set by applying a combination of a plurality of joints.

  The start-up mode setting method in the robot apparatus according to the present invention can easily determine and set the operation mode and personality by omitting the operation of the switch and the like, so that the operation mode and personality of the robot apparatus can be set. This is useful for a startup mode setting method or the like in a robot apparatus.

It is a block diagram which shows a part of structure of the robot apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the robot apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating an example of the starting mode setting flow in the robot apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the execution program of the starting mode stored in ROM of the robot apparatus in embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

100, 101, 102, 103, 104 Memory address 200 CPU
201 CPU board 202 Tilt sensor 203 10-bit A / D converter 204, 204a, 204b Ground sensor (contact sensor)
205 Interface 206 ROM
207 RAM
208 Motor driver

Claims (2)

One operation mode selected from a plurality of operation modes when operating the robot apparatus, and an activation mode composed of one character mode selected from a plurality of character modes indicating the character of the robot apparatus in the operation mode A start mode setting method in the robot apparatus,
Detecting a state of the robotic device with a sensor;
Determining one mode from each of the plurality of operation modes and the plurality of personality modes of the robot apparatus based on the detected output value from the sensor;
Setting the determined one operation mode and the one character mode as an activation mode of the robot apparatus;
A start mode setting method in a robot apparatus having the above. The output value from the sensor includes an output value from an inclination sensor that detects the inclination of the robot apparatus, an output value from a contact sensor that detects contact with the outside of the robot apparatus, and a bending of a joint of the robot apparatus. 2. The activation mode setting method in the robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of output values from the joint sensor that detects the movement is an output value.

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