JP2007151882A - Foot part structure of legged mobile robot - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To secure sufficient stability in a single-leg supporting state by retaining a favorable grounding state between the sole of the foot part and a ground plane in a walking operation and smoothly perform the walking operation of this type of legged robot. <P>SOLUTION: This foot part structure is so constituted that a movable body capable of grasping the ground plane is provided in the sole of the foot part, when the foot sole grounds the ground plane in the walking operation, the movable body grasps the ground plane to retain the favorable grounding state between the foot sole and the ground plane. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a structure of a foot portion such as a biped robot that can walk on a ground surface by stepping a plurality of legs forward or backward in a predetermined order.

Various legged walking robots such as biped walking robots have been developed against the background of recent robot booms. In general, this type of walking robot is required to be stable when the single leg touches down, and a conventional foot structure developed to achieve such stability is shown in FIG. 20, for example. There exists such a thing (refer patent document 1).
JP2003-23679A (2nd page, FIG. 7).

  In this conventional device, a plate-like member 40 having a rubber plate on the lower surface is provided on the back surface 42 of the foot portion 41 so as to be freely retractable. When the back surface 42 of the foot portion 41 is in contact with the ground surface, The plate-like member 40 protrudes from the back surface 42 to increase the frictional resistance with the grounding surface to prevent slipping and to ensure stability during single-leg grounding, thereby enabling smooth walking motion. It is.

  However, the means for increasing the frictional resistance by simply bringing the rubber plate of the plate-like member 40 into contact with the grounding surface as in the conventional foot structure described above is a means for ensuring the stability in the single leg support state. Insufficient, depending on the type of ground contact surface and the situation, there is a problem that the robot cannot easily run and the robot easily falls.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and ensures sufficient stability in a single leg support state by maintaining a good ground contact state between the back surface of the foot and the ground contact surface during walking. Therefore, an object is to make the walking motion of this type of legged robot more smoothly.

  The foot structure of the legged walking robot according to claim 1 is characterized in that a movable body capable of gripping the ground contact surface is provided on the back surface of the foot.

  In the foot part structure of the legged walking robot according to the first aspect, when the back surface of the foot part contacts the grounding surface during the walking motion, the grounding surface is held by the movable body. On the other hand, when the back surface of the foot part separates from the grounding surface, the gripping state of the grounding surface by the movable body is released.

  The foot structure of the legged walking robot according to claim 2 is the foot structure of the legged walking robot according to claim 1, wherein the movable body includes a plurality of rollers provided with a predetermined interval. The roller is configured to be rotationally driven.

  In the foot part structure of the legged walking robot according to claim 2, when the roller is rotationally driven in the opposite direction when the back surface of the foot part contacts the grounding surface during walking motion, The grounding surface will be gripped. Further, when the back surface of the foot part moves away from the ground contact surface, the rotation operation of the roller is stopped and the gripping state of the ground contact surface by the roller is released.

  The leg structure of the legged walking robot according to claim 3 is the leg structure of the legged walking robot according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the movable bodies are provided with a predetermined interval and can be freely contacted and separated. It is configured so that it can be driven.

  In the foot part structure of the legged walking robot according to claim 3, when the back surface of the foot part comes in contact with the grounding surface during a walking motion, the movable body approaches and the grounding surface is moved by the movable body. Will be grabbed. Further, when the back surface of the foot part separates from the grounding surface, the movable bodies are separated from each other, and the gripping state of the grounding surface by the movable body is released.

  The foot structure of the legged walking robot according to claim 4 is the foot structure of the legged walking robot according to claim 1, wherein the movable body is provided with a predetermined interval in the width direction of the foot. Further, it is characterized by comprising a pair of first movable bodies that can be driven to rotate in the horizontal direction, and a second movable body that can be driven to and away from the first movable body.

  In the foot structure of the legged walking robot according to claim 4, when the back surface of the foot is in contact with the grounding surface during the walking motion, the first movable body is rotationally driven in an opposite direction. At the same time, the second movable body is driven so as to approach the first movable body, and the grounding surface is gripped by both movable bodies. On the other hand, when the back side of the foot part separates from the grounding surface, the rotation of the first movable body stops, and the second movable body is separated from the first movable body and the grounding surface is gripped by both movable bodies. The state is released.

  The foot structure of the legged walking robot according to claim 5 is the foot structure of the legged walking robot according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the movable bodies are provided with a predetermined interval and one end of the movable body. It is characterized in that the portion is pivotally supported and the other end portions are configured to be able to contact and separate from each other.

  In the foot part structure of the legged walking robot according to claim 5, when the back surface of the foot part comes in contact with the grounding surface during the walking operation, the other end parts of the movable bodies approach each other to move both of them. The grounding surface is gripped by the body. Further, when the back side of the foot part separates from the grounding surface, the movable body is separated and the state of gripping the grounding surface by both movable bodies is released.

  According to the foot structure of the legged walking robot according to claim 1, since the movable body capable of gripping the ground contact surface is provided on the back surface of the foot portion, the back surface of the foot portion during the walking motion is provided. When touching the grounding surface, the grounding surface is gripped by the movable body, and the grounding state of both of them becomes strong and reliable. As a result, stability in a single leg support state is ensured, and a series of walking The operation can be performed stably and smoothly.

  According to the foot structure of the legged walking robot according to claim 2, the movable body is composed of a plurality of rollers provided with a predetermined interval, and the rollers are configured to be rotationally driven. When the back of the foot is in contact with the grounding surface during walking, the grounding surface is gripped by the roller if the roller is driven to rotate in the opposite direction, and the grounding state of both of them is strong and reliable. It will be something. Therefore, stability in a single leg support state can be ensured, and a series of walking motions can be performed stably and smoothly.

  According to the foot structure of the legged walking robot according to claim 3, the plurality of movable bodies are provided with a predetermined interval and are configured to be able to be driven in and out of contact with each other. When the back surface of the foot is in contact with the grounding surface, the grounding surface is gripped by the movable body that is driven to approach, and the grounding state of both of them becomes strong and reliable, thereby supporting the single leg. It is possible to ensure stability in a state, and a series of walking motions can be performed stably and smoothly.

  According to the foot structure of the legged walking robot according to claim 4, the pair of first movable bodies are provided with a predetermined interval in the width direction of the foot section and can be rotationally driven in the horizontal direction. And a second movable body that can be driven to and away from the first movable body, so that during the walking operation, the first movable body is rotated and the second movable body is moved toward the first movable body. The grounding surface is gripped by each movable body, and the grounding state of both is strong and reliable. Therefore, stability in a single leg support state can be ensured, and a series of walking motions can be performed stably and smoothly.

  According to the foot structure of the legged walking robot according to claim 5, one end of the movable body is pivotally supported, and the other end is configured to be driven as much as possible so as to be able to contact and separate from each other. For this reason, at the time of walking motion, the other end of each movable body approaches and the grounding surface is gripped by both movable bodies, and the grounding state of both of them becomes strong and reliable. It is possible to ensure stability in a single leg support state, and a series of walking motions can be performed stably and smoothly.

  In addition, the leg structure of the legged walking robot according to the present invention can be manufactured inexpensively and easily because the entire structure is very simple.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a robot main body having a head 2, and arm bodies 3 are provided on both sides on the upper side. Reference numeral 4 denotes a pair of legs provided on both sides on the lower side of the robot body 1, and each leg 4 is configured to be able to walk on two legs by alternately stepping forward or backward, and its lower end. Has a foot 5.

  Next, an embodiment according to the structure of the foot 5 will be specifically described. 2 to 5, reference numeral 6 denotes a foot main body formed in a substantially box shape, and the upper surface thereof is rotatably provided at the lower end of the leg 4. Reference numeral 7 denotes a movable body composed of a pair of rollers provided at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction of the foot back surface 8 and is rotatably mounted in a recess 9 formed in the foot back surface 8. The lower end of the movable body 7 is disposed so as to slightly protrude downward from the foot back surface 8, and a rubber material, urethane resin, or the like (not shown) is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the movable body 7.

  Reference numeral 10 denotes an electric motor for rotationally driving the movable body 7. The electric motor 10 is disposed above the recesses 9 and rotationally drives the movable body 7 via a gear 12 and a gear group 13 provided on the drive shaft 11. It is configured to obtain.

  Reference numeral 14 denotes a switch rod inserted into the attachment member 15, and a spring 17 is interposed between the ring 16 fixed to the lower end side of the switch rod and the attachment member 15. When the foot main body 6 contacts the grounding surface 18, the switch rod 14 is pushed upward by the grounding surface 18 and rises. Note that the protrusion amount of the switch rod 14 from the bottom surface 8 is set larger than the protrusion amount of the lower end portion of the movable body 7.

  Reference numeral 19 denotes a switch fixed to the mounting member 15. The tip of the lever 20 is engaged with the upper end of the switch rod 14. When the switch rod 14 is raised above a certain level, the switch 19 is connected via the lever 20. Is turned on and turned off when it is lowered. A control unit 21 supplies power to the electric motor 10 and controls the movement of the electric motor 10 according to the state of the switch 19. In the present embodiment, when the switch 19 is turned on, the motor 10 is driven by the control unit 21 so that the movable bodies 7 rotate in opposite directions (arrow A direction) as shown in FIGS. Is set.

  Although the present embodiment is configured as described above, since the robot according to the present embodiment is a biped walking, the walking motion is in a state where the foot bottom surface 8 of one foot 5 is grounded to the ground surface 18. This is performed by stepping on the leg 4 so that the foot back surface 8 of the other foot portion 5 is separated from the ground contact surface 18.

  At the time of this walking operation, when one foot 5 contacts the grounding surface 18 as shown in FIG. 4, the switch rod 14 is pressed upward against the biasing force of the spring 17 by the grounding surface 18, and the switch rod 14, the lever 20 of the switch 19 is turned to the ON state, and each movable body 7 starts to rotate in the arrow A direction via the control unit 21. During this time, the leg 4 having the other foot 5 starts to step out.

  In this case, when the movable body 7 comes into contact with the ground surface 18 and is in a single leg support state, the rotation stops. However, since this rotational force continues to act on the ground surface 18, the ground surface 18 is moved by each movable body 7. Will be grabbed. As a result, a good ground contact state between the foot 5 and the ground contact surface 18 is maintained. As a result, the single leg support state is stabilized, and smooth walking is possible, and there is no possibility of inadvertent falling.

  On the other hand, when the foot 5 is separated from the ground surface 18 as shown in FIG. 5, the switch rod 14 protrudes from the foot back surface 8 by the action of the spring 17, the switch 19 is turned off, and the rotation of the movable body 7 is stopped. The stepping action of the leg 4 is performed stably.

  In the above embodiment, the pair of rollers as the movable body 7 is rotated in the relative direction so as to grip the grounding surface 18. However, the gripping means for the grounding surface 18 according to the present invention is limited to this. Next, other embodiments will be described. In this case, parts having the same configuration as in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, long holes 22 are formed in the inner surfaces of the recesses 9 provided on the foot bottom surface 8 and facing each other in the width direction, and the rotation shafts of the movable body 7 made of rollers are formed in the long holes 22, respectively. 23 is slidably inserted. In addition, a pair of solenoids 24 is arranged at substantially the center of the foot main body 6, and a substantially U-shaped support rod 26 is fixed to the movable rod 25, and the opposing side pieces of the support rod 26 are opposed to each other. 27 rotatably holds the rotating shaft 23 of the movable body 7.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, when one of the foot portions 5 comes into contact with the grounding surface 18 during the walking motion, the switch 19 is turned on in the same manner as in the above embodiment, and is movable by the movable rod 25 of each solenoid 24. The body 7 moves and approaches in the opposite direction (arrow B direction), and the grounding surface 18 is gripped by the movable body 7. As a result, a good ground contact state between the foot 5 and the ground contact surface 18 is maintained, so that the single leg support state can be stabilized and a smooth walk can be performed, and an accidental fall does not occur.

  On the other hand, when the foot 5 is separated from the grounding surface 18 as shown in FIG. 9, the switch rod 14 protrudes from the back surface 8 by the action of the spring 17, and the switch 19 is turned off to separate the movable bodies 7 from each other. Thus, the foot 4 is stepped on stably.

In this case, the movable body 7 does not need to be configured by a roller, and the movable body 7 may be configured by a rectangular parallelepiped plate-like body as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, for example. Each movable body 7 is fixed to a movable rod 25 of a solenoid 24, and can be driven by the solenoid 25 so as to be able to contact and separate.
Then, the ground contact surface is gripped by the close movement of both movable bodies 7, and a stable single leg support state can be maintained as in the case of the above embodiment. In addition, the recessed part 9 in each said embodiment is omissible.

  Another embodiment to be described next is a first movable body 7a in which the movable body 7 is disposed on the foot bottom surface 8 of the foot portion 5 with a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction, as shown in FIGS. The first movable body 7a is composed of a pair of disks provided at regular intervals in the width direction, and each first movable body 7a is opposed to each other by a motor 28 via a gear group 29. It is configured to rotate horizontally in the direction (arrow C direction). Further, the second movable body 7 b formed in a disc shape protrudes from a long hole 30 formed in the longitudinal direction on the foot back surface 8, and is formed on the lower surface of the plate-shaped slide member 33 provided on the movable rod 32 of the solenoid 31. It is fixed. The lower surfaces of the first movable body 7a and the second movable body 7b are set to be substantially flush with each other.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, when one foot 5 contacts the ground surface 18 during the walking motion, the switch 19 is turned on in the same manner as in the above embodiments, and the motor 28 drives the gear group. 29, the first movable body 7a rotates horizontally in the opposite direction (arrow C direction), and the second movable body 7b is moved relative to the first movable body 7a by the movable rod 32 of the solenoid 31 via the slide member 33. Then, they move and approach each other in the opposite direction (arrow D direction), and the ground contact surface 18 is gripped by both movable bodies 7a and 7b. As a result, a good ground contact state between the foot 5 and the ground contact surface 18 is maintained, and the single leg support state is stabilized and smooth walking is possible. It will disappear.

  On the other hand, when the foot 5 is separated from the grounding surface 18 as shown in FIG. 15, the switch rod 14 protrudes from the foot back surface 8 by the action of the spring 17 and the switch 19 is turned off to stop the rotation of the first movable body 7a. At the same time, the second movable body 7b moves away from the first movable body 7a, and the stepping operation of the leg 4 is stably performed.

  Further, another embodiment will be described. In FIGS. 16 to 19, a pair of plate-like movable bodies 7 are provided with a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction, and one end portion located diagonally is pivoted on the foot bottom surface 8. It is supported. In addition, a pin 35 is provided on the upper surface of the other end of the movable body 7 so as to be inserted into a long hole 34 formed in an arc shape on the sole 8, and the pin 35 is fixed to a movable rod 37 of a solenoid 36 and is diagonal. The other end portion of the movable body 7 positioned at the position can be driven so as to be able to contact and separate from each other.

  In addition, one movable body 7 is configured to move freely in a direction opposite to the other movable body 7 like the second movable body 7b in the above-described embodiment without rotating. It doesn't matter. In this case, it is preferable from the standpoint of stability that the other end of the other movable body 7 to be rotated is set to be located inside the foot 5.

  When one of the foot portions 5 contacts the grounding surface 18 as shown in FIG. 18 during the walking motion, the switch 19 is turned on in the same manner as in each of the above embodiments, and is positioned diagonally by the movable rod 37 of each solenoid 36. The other end of the movable body 7 is moved in the opposite direction (arrow E direction) and approaches, and the grounding surface 18 is gripped by the movable body 7. As a result, a good ground contact state between the foot 5 and the ground contact surface 18 is maintained, so that the single leg support state can be stabilized and a smooth walk can be performed, and there is no possibility of inadvertent falling.

  On the other hand, when the foot 5 is separated from the grounding surface 18 as shown in FIG. 19, the switch rod 14 protrudes from the back surface 8 by the action of the spring 17 and the switch 19 is turned off so that the movable bodies 7 are separated. It turns and stops, and the stepping-on operation of the leg 4 is performed stably.

  In the present embodiment, the other end portion of each movable body 7 positioned diagonally is configured to rotate. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and one end portion side of the opposite movable body 7 is arranged. It may be rotated.

  In the above embodiments, a robot that walks with two legs has been described. However, the foot structure according to the present invention can also be applied to a robot having a plurality of leg legs.

  Furthermore, the means for rotationally driving the movable body 7 or driving it so as to be able to contact and separate is not limited to the above embodiments.

  Further, the means for detecting the ground contact state between the foot 5 and the ground contact surface 18 is not limited to the above embodiment.

  In addition, the specific shapes and the like of the foot 5 and the movable body 7 can be arbitrarily changed within the intended scope of the present invention.

1 is a side view showing an embodiment of a legged walking robot according to the present invention. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a foot structure of a legged walking robot according to the present invention. It is the same perspective view. FIG. FIG. It is a perspective view which shows one Embodiment of the leg part structure of the leg type walking robot of other embodiment. It is the same perspective view. FIG. FIG. It is a perspective view which shows one Embodiment of the leg part structure of the leg type walking robot of other embodiment. It is the same perspective view. It is a perspective view which shows one Embodiment of the leg part structure of the leg type walking robot of other embodiment. It is the same perspective view. FIG. FIG. It is a perspective view which shows one Embodiment of the leg part structure of the leg type walking robot of other embodiment. It is the same perspective view. FIG. FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the foot | leg part structure of the leg type walking robot of patent document 1.

Explanation of symbols

5 feet 7 movable body

Claims (5)

A foot structure of a legged walking robot, wherein a movable body capable of gripping the ground contact surface is provided on the back surface of the foot portion. The leg structure of a legged walking robot according to claim 1, wherein the movable body includes a plurality of rollers provided at a predetermined interval, and the rollers are configured to be rotationally driven. The leg structure of the legged walking robot according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the movable bodies are provided with a predetermined interval, and are configured to be able to be driven and separated. The movable body is provided with a predetermined interval in the width direction of the foot, and can be driven so as to be movable toward and away from the first movable body and a pair of first movable bodies that can be rotationally driven in the horizontal direction. The leg structure of a legged walking robot according to claim 1, comprising a second movable body. A plurality of the movable bodies are provided with a predetermined interval, and one end portion of the movable body is pivotally supported, and the other end portions can be driven as much as possible so as to be able to contact and separate from each other. Foot structure of the described legged walking robot.

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