JP2009279728A - Robot arm, robot and control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a robot arm capable of not only playing a percussion instrument but also performing other work. <P>SOLUTION: The robot arm includes: a motion part; a support part to which the motion part is rotatably connected; a converting mechanism for converting the rotation motion of the motion part into the linear motion to transmit the motion to a moving member; a distance sensor for detecting the moving distance of the moving member; and a control part for controlling the operation of the motion part based on the moving distance of the moving member detected by the distance sensor. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a robot arm, a robot, and a control method for playing musical instruments and performing other operations.

  Traditionally, robots that play percussion instruments have been active at the theme park attractions. This robot has a hand with a stick, and the hand is moved according to the music to be played, so that the tip of the stick is moved down to the percussion surface of the percussion instrument. As techniques for causing a robot to play such an actual percussion instrument, there are Patent Documents 1 to 5, for example.

In conventional robots, a stick is processed and fixed to a hand in order to perform a percussion instrument. For example, in the percussion instrument playing robot described in Patent Document 4, in order to perform a drum performance, a stick is rotatably connected to a palm portion with a rotation axis as a fulcrum. In addition, a spring is inserted between the stick and the palm in a compressed state, and a performance is performed by moving the stick using the restoring force of the spring.
JP 2004-177686 A JP 2002-258836 A JP 2007-411168 A JP 2006-159295 A JP 2004-354613 A

  A conventional percussion instrument playing robot hand is dedicated to the performance of percussion instruments, and is not versatile. In recent years, there has been a growing need for robot arms that allow home assistants and dexterous operations. Among these, a robot arm used for playing a percussion instrument is not dedicated to playing a percussion instrument but is required to be versatile so that it can play other instruments or be used for other tasks.

  The present invention has been made against the background of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a versatile robot arm, robot, and control method that enable not only percussion instrument performance but also other work. The purpose is to do.

  A robot arm according to a first aspect of the present invention includes an operation unit, a support unit to which the operation unit is rotatably connected, and a rotational movement of the operation unit converted into a linear motion to form a moving member. A conversion mechanism for transmitting; a distance sensor for detecting a moving distance of the moving member; and a control unit for controlling the operation of the operating unit based on the moving distance of the moving member detected by the distance sensor. It is. As a result, a versatile robot arm can be realized.

  In the robot arm according to a second aspect of the present invention, in the robot arm described above, the distance sensor detects a moving distance of the moving member based on a change in capacitance with the moving member. . Thereby, it is possible to realize a low-cost and versatile robot arm.

  A robot arm according to a third aspect of the present invention is the robot arm described above, wherein the operation unit is a hand unit, a palm unit, a plurality of finger units coupled to the palm unit, and the finger unit is bent. A joint to be gripped, and a gripping target is gripped by bending the finger. Thereby, versatility can be improved further.

  A robot arm according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the robot arm described above, wherein the finger portion includes a first finger portion and a second finger portion, and the space between the first finger portion and the second finger portion. The object to be grasped is grasped so as to be sandwiched between the two. In such a case, a percussion instrument can be played suitably.

  A robot arm according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the robot arm described above, wherein the robot arm includes a grip detection sensor that detects a grip state of the grip target in at least one place of the plurality of finger portions. Thereby, a grasping state can be confirmed and it can coexist safely with a person.

  A robot arm according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the above robot arm, wherein the finger portion includes a third finger portion, and is provided on the palm portion, and includes a contact detection sensor that detects a contact of the gripping target. In addition, the distance between the palm and the third finger is controlled based on the detection result of the contact detection sensor. As a result, a desired performance operation can be performed.

  A robot according to a seventh aspect of the present invention includes any one of the robot arms described above.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a robot control method comprising: converting a rotational motion of an operation unit to transmit to a moving member; detecting a moving distance of the moving member; And controlling the operation of the operating unit based on the moving distance. Thereby, the versatility of the robot can be improved.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a versatile robot arm, robot, and control method that can perform not only percussion instrument performance but also other work.

  Hereinafter, specific embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted as necessary for the sake of clarity.

  The robot according to the present invention can perform not only percussion instruments but also other instruments and other operations. In the present invention, in percussion instrument performance, the striking force of a hand having a plurality of fingers is controlled without using a dedicated mechanism (spring, stick fixing component, etc.) for controlling the striking force as in the prior art. The system which enables is improved and versatility is improved. In the following description, the performance operation of the percussion instrument with the stick held is described, but the present invention is not limited to this.

  In addition, the versatility improvement by this invention refers to the holding | grip of the thing hung up below, and the application to control of each operation | movement, for example. Examples of actions that can be performed by the robot according to the present invention include (1) percussion control such as playing a percussion instrument such as a tambourine or hitting a person's shoulder, and (2) a violin bow or percussion instrument. Control of gripping of stick-like objects such as general sticks and operation control such as striking force control on musical instruments using them, (3) Grasping of objects with patterns such as the action of cutting food using a knife and its control Etc. In addition, as long as the object is only gripped, a palm-sized object can be handled.

  A robot arm and a robot including the same according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a robot 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of the hand portion 20 of the robot shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the robot 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the A part of FIG. When performing the percussion instrument, the robot 100 according to the present embodiment performs a single percussion performance in which the percussion surface of the percussion instrument is hit with a single stroke, and a percussion surface of the percussion instrument in a single stroke. A plurality of performance methods including a roll performance of hitting can be performed.

  First, the configuration of the robot 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The robot 100 is a humanoid robot created to imitate humans. Here, the case where the robot 100 plays the drum 40 which is an example of a percussion instrument will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the robot 100 includes an arm unit 10, a head 30, a body unit 31, a control unit 32, wheels 33, and the like.

  The body part 31 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The body unit 31 houses a control unit 32 that comprehensively controls the operation of the robot 100. Two arm portions 10 are connected to the body portion 31 as a right arm portion and a left arm portion. The right arm portion and the left arm portion have substantially the same configuration. The arm portion 10 includes a shoulder joint 11, an upper arm portion 12, an elbow joint 13, a forearm portion 14, a wrist joint 15, and a hand portion 20. One end of the upper arm 12 is attached to the body 31 via the shoulder joint 11 so as to be swingable.

  One end of the forearm portion 14 is connected to the other end of the upper arm portion 12 via an elbow joint 13. The forearm portion 14 can swing with the elbow joint 13 as a fulcrum. An actuator 16 a that swings the forearm portion 14 is provided inside the upper arm portion 12. For example, a solenoid or a motor can be used as the actuator 16a. The actuator 16 a is driven by a control signal output from the control unit 32.

  A hand 20 is connected to the other end of the forearm 14 via a wrist joint 15. The hand portion 20 can swing around the wrist joint 15 as a fulcrum. An actuator 16 b that swings the hand portion 20 is provided inside the forearm portion 14. As the actuator 16b, a solenoid, a motor, or the like can be used. The actuator 16b is also driven by a control signal output from the control unit 32. The hand portion 20 holds a stick 41 for playing (striking) the drum 40. The hand unit 20 is an operation unit for playing a percussion instrument using the stick 41. Moreover, in this Embodiment, the forearm part 14 becomes a support part. The manner in which the hand 20 holds the stick will be described in detail later.

  A wheel 33 is connected to the lower side of the body portion 31. The robot 100 moves forward / backward by rotating the wheel 33. The robot 100 according to the present embodiment performs the performance of the drum 40 while rotating and moving the wheel 33 so that a human marches while hitting the drum 40.

  Here, the configuration of the hand portion 20 will be described with reference to FIG. The hand part 20 has a plurality of finger parts. As shown in FIG. 2, the hand portion 20 includes five fingers, that is, a thumb portion 21, an index finger portion 22, a middle finger portion 23, a ring finger portion 24, and a little finger portion 25, similar to a human hand. These finger parts are connected to the palm part 26. Of course, the number of fingers may be 4 or less, or 6 or more.

  The thumb part 21 includes a first joint 21a, a second joint 21b, and a third joint 21c. The first joint 21a turns the thumb portion 21 inward and outward to adjust the interval between the finger portions. The second joint 21b and the third joint 21c bend the thumb 21. The second joint 21b is provided closer to the fingertip than the first joint 21a. The third joint 21c is provided closer to the fingertip than the second joint 21c.

  The index finger part 22, the middle finger part 23, the ring finger part 24, and the little finger part 25 have substantially the same configuration. Therefore, the configuration of the little finger part 25 will be described as a representative. The little finger part 25 has a first joint 25a, a second joint 25b, a third joint 25c, and a fourth joint 25d. The first joint 25a turns the little finger part 25 inward and outward to adjust the interval between the finger parts. The second joint 25b, the third joint 25c, and the fourth joint 25d bend the little finger part 25. The second joint 25b is provided closer to the fingertip than the first joint 25a. The third joint 25c is provided closer to the fingertip than the second joint 25b. The fourth joint 25d is provided closer to the fingertip than the third joint 25c.

  The palm portion 26 is provided with a contact detection sensor 27. The contact detection sensor 27 is a sensor that detects the contact state of the stick 41 when the stick 41 is gripped and the drum 40 is played. For example, a pressure sensor or the like can be used as the contact detection sensor 27. When the hitting surface 40 a is hit, force is applied from the stick 41 to the contact detection sensor 27. Therefore, the contact detection sensor 27 can recognize that the hitting surface 40a has been hit.

  In addition, a grip detection sensor 28 a is provided between the third joint and the fourth joint of the index finger part 22. In addition, a grip detection sensor 28b is also provided on the fingertip portion of the thumb portion 21 relative to the third joint 21c. A pressure sensor or the like can be used as the grip detection sensors 28a and 28b. In the present embodiment, the stick 41 is held between the fingertip portion of the thumb 21 and the third joint and the fourth joint of the index finger 22. The grip detection sensors 28a and 28b detect whether or not the stick 41 is gripped. Note that the grip detection sensor only needs to be provided in at least one of the portions where the grip targets of the plurality of finger portions contact when the grip target is gripped. Thereby, it can be detected that the object to be grasped is grasped, and symbiosis with a human can be safely performed.

  Here, with reference to FIG. 3, how the hand 41 holds the stick 41 will be described. In the present embodiment, the robot 100 grips the stick 41 by driving each joint provided on the hand 20 and bending a plurality of fingers. The stick 41 is held between the thumb part 21 and the palm part 26 and the index finger part 22, the middle finger part 23, the ring finger part 24, and the little finger part 25. Specifically, the stick 41 is gripped so as to be sandwiched between the thumb part 21 and the phalanx between the third joint and the fourth joint of the index finger part 22, and the remaining middle finger part 23, ring finger part 24, and little finger part 25 are held. Attach to stick 41. The middle finger 23, ring finger 24, and little finger 25 serve as a stopper for the stick 41. In this state, the drum 41 can be played by swinging up the stick 41 and swinging it down toward the striking surface 40a of the drum 40. A reduction gear may be provided in the motor that drives each finger so that the stick 41 does not fall due to an impact when the drum 40 is struck. Thereby, the gripping force is increased by obtaining a torque proportional to the reduction ratio, and the stick 41 can be prevented from dropping.

  With reference to FIG. 4, the structure of the A section of FIG. 3 is shown. As shown in FIG. 4, the wrist joint 15 is provided with a distance sensor 17, a reference member 18, and a conversion mechanism 19. As the conversion mechanism 19, for example, a rack and pinion gear including a pinion 19a and a rack 19b can be used. The pinion 19a is a circular gear. The rack 19b is a flat plate cut in accordance with the teeth of the pinion 19a. The rotation shaft of the pinion 19a is fixed to the movable shaft of the palm portion 26. By rotating the palm portion 26 by a motor or the like, the pinion 19a rotates in conjunction with the rotation angle of the palm portion 26. When the palm portion 26 is rotated, the pinion 19a rotates and the rack 19b moves in the horizontal direction. That is, the conversion mechanism 19 converts the rotational motion of the palm portion 26 into a linear motion and transmits it to the rack 19b which is a moving member.

  The distance sensor 17 detects the moving distance of the rack 19b. As the distance sensor 17, for example, a floating capacitance sensor can be used. By using the floating capacitance sensor as the distance sensor 17, the number of components is small, the configuration can be simplified, and the cost can be reduced. At the end of the rack 19b on the distance sensor 17 side, a reference member 18 made of a conductor is provided in parallel with the detection surface of the distance sensor 17. The distance sensor 17 detects the movement distance of the rack 19b based on a change in capacitance with the reference member 18. As the distance sensor 17, an ultrasonic sensor, a laser sensor, or the like can be used. In this case, the reference member 18 is not limited to a conductor. In addition, when a laser sensor is used, measurement accuracy can be further improved as compared with other distance sensors.

  The change in the angle of the palm portion 26 is a change in the floating capacitance detected by the distance sensor 17, that is, a change in the distance between the detection surface of the distance sensor 17 and the reference member 18 (referred to as a distance between sensors). For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the distance between the sensors is d1, it is swung up to the stick position 1 in FIG. When the distance between the sensors is d2 shorter than d1, the stick position 2 is closer to the hitting surface 40a than the stick position 1. Note that the stick position 2 at the distance d2 between the sensors is a position where the hitting surface 40a abuts.

  FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the distance (inter-sensor distance) between the detection surface of the distance sensor 17 and the reference member 18 used in the robot 100 according to the present embodiment and the floating capacitance. When the palm part 26 is rotated in a direction away from the hitting surface 40a, the distance between the sensors increases, and the floating capacitance detected by the distance sensor 17 decreases. On the other hand, when the palm portion 26 is rotated in the direction approaching the hitting surface 40a, the distance between the sensors is shortened, and the floating capacitance detected by the distance sensor 17 is increased. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the value of the floating capacitance is C1 when the distance between the sensors is d1. When the distance between the sensors is d2 shorter than d1, the value of the floating electrostatic capacitance is C2 which is larger than C1.

  The control unit 32 controls the operation of the hand unit 20 based on the movement distance of the rack 19 b detected by the distance sensor 17. Here, the control unit 32 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the control unit 32 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 32 includes a performance data storage unit 34, a data processing operation control unit 35, a map storage unit 36, and a detection value storage unit 37. The performance data storage unit 34 stores performance data including pitch, time, and volume data that are input from the outside and created according to the performance music.

  The map storage unit 36 stores a striking volume map 36a, a sound echo map 36b, a tempo map 36c, and a roll performance tempo map 36d. The batting volume map 36a stores the batting volume corresponding to the amount by which the stick 41 is swung up, the speed at which the stick 41 is swung down on the batting surface 40a, and the like. In the sound reverberation map 36b, after the stick 41 is swung down on the striking surface 40a and after striking the striking surface 40a, the sound reverberation length corresponding to the position where the stick 41 is to be waited, the waiting time, etc., The size is stored. The tempo map 36c stores a tempo corresponding to the amount by which the stick 41 is swung up and the speed at which the stick 41 is swung down on the hitting surface 40a. The roll performance tempo map 36d stores a tempo corresponding to an operation necessary for the robot when performing the roll performance. The roll performance tempo map 36d will be described in detail later.

  The detection value storage unit 37 stores detection values from the distance sensor 17, the contact detection sensor 27, and the grip detection sensors 28 a and 28 b provided on the hand unit 20. The data processing operation control unit 35 refers to the detection value of each sensor stored in the detection value storage unit 37, and stores various maps stored in the map storage unit 36 and the performance data storage unit 34. The operation of the robot 100 is commanded using the performance data. In other words, the detected value storage unit 37 is configured to move the stick 41 after the hitting surface 40a is struck with the stick 41, the swinging amount of the stick 41, the speed of swinging down, and the stick 41 in order to realize a desired striking volume, tempo, and sound. A performance operation such as a standby position is determined and output to an actuator that drives each unit.

  Here, a control method of the robot 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. Here, first, a case where a single performance is performed will be described. The robot 100 according to the present embodiment is capable of controlling the striking volume based on the swing-up amount and the striking volume based on the standby position after hitting the striking surface 40a. The hitting volume is related to the swing-down start position of the stick 41 and the swing-down speed. The reverberation of sound is related to the standby position after hitting the hitting surface 40a of the stick 41 and the standby time (the time during which the stick 41 is held at a position in contact with the hitting surface 40a). The tempo is related to the swing-down start position and the operation speed of the stick 41.

  First, the control of the hitting sound and the like by the swing amount will be described. First, as described above, while holding the stick 41, the stick 41 is swung up once by a predetermined operation, and the striking surface 40a of the drum 40 is hit. And the force by the impact which hit the hitting surface 40a at this time is detected by the contact detection sensor 27 provided in the palm part 26. FIG. Furthermore, the floating capacitance C1 with the rack 19b is measured by the distance sensor 17, and this is stored in the detection value storage unit 37 as a reference value. The inter-sensor distance d1 may be stored in the detection value storage unit 37.

  Then, using the detection value stored in the detection value storage unit 37, the sound volume map 36a, the sound sound map 36b, and the tempo map 36c so that the desired sound volume, sound sound, and tempo are obtained, data is obtained. The processing operation control unit 35 determines the swinging position of the stick 41 and the operation speed of the hand unit 20 and controls each actuator to realize percussion instrument performance.

  Next, the control of the sound volume by the standby position after hitting the hitting surface 40a will be described. First, in the same manner as described above, while holding the stick 41, the stick 41 is swung up once by a predetermined operation, and the striking surface 40a of the drum 40 is hit. And the force by the impact which hit the hitting surface 40a at this time is detected by the contact detection sensor 27 provided in the palm part 26. FIG. Then, the floating capacitance C2 or the inter-sensor distance d2 at the position in contact with the hitting surface 40a is stored as a reference value.

  Then, the stick 41 after hitting the hitting surface 40a using each map in the map storage unit 36 as a target value with a target value as a target value so as to obtain a desired sound volume, sound reverberation, and tempo. The standby position and the standby time are determined. Specifically, when the target value is set on the + side from the reference value, that is, when the position below the hitting surface 40a is set as the standby position, after hitting the hitting surface 40a with the stick 41, The contact time with the striking surface 40a increases. Thereby, the vibration of the hitting surface 40a is suppressed, the hitting sound volume is reduced, and no sound is heard. On the other hand, when the target value is set on the negative side from the reference value, that is, when the position above the striking surface 40a is set as the standby position, the stick 41 is moved from the striking surface 40a after hitting the striking surface 40a with the stick 41. Immediately away and contact time is reduced. As a result, the hitting volume increases and the reverberation increases.

  As described above, according to the present invention, using the detection value stored in the detection value storage unit 37 and the map stored in the map storage unit 36, a desired sound volume, sound reverberation, and tempo can be obtained. In addition, the swing-up position of the stick, the operation speed of the hand portion 20, the standby position, the standby time, etc. can be controlled.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration in which the distance sensor 17 and the conversion mechanism 19 are provided in the wrist joint 15 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the same configuration may be provided in the elbow joint 13 and the shoulder joint 11. FIG. 7 shows an example of the operation of the robot arm when playing a percussion instrument when the distance sensor 17 and the conversion mechanism 19 are provided in the shoulder joint 11, elbow joint 13, and wrist joint 15. As shown in FIG. 7, as compared with the case where it is provided at the wrist joint 15, when it is provided at the elbow joint 13, the swing-up position can be further away from the striking surface 40 a of the drum 40. In addition, when the shoulder joint 11 is provided, the swing-up position can be further increased. As described above, by providing a similar mechanism at each joint of the arm unit 10, it is possible to widen the range of change in the hitting volume.

  Next, a case where a roll performance is performed will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the robot arm when performing a roll performance in the robot 100 according to the present embodiment. As described above, even when performing a roll performance, the stick 41 is gripped so as to be sandwiched between the thumb part 21 and the phalanx between the third joint and the fourth joint of the index finger part 22, and the remaining middle finger part 23, The ring finger part 24 and the little finger part 25 are attached to the stick 41. The middle finger 23, ring finger 24, and little finger 25 serve as a stopper for the stick 41. A gap of a predetermined distance d3 is provided between the palm part 26, the middle finger part 23, the ring finger part 24, and the little finger part 25. The stick 41 has a palm part 26, a middle finger part 23, a ring finger part 24, a little finger part 25, and a point gripped by the thumb part 21 and a phalanx between the third joint and the fourth joint of the index finger part 22. It is supported so that it can rotate freely.

  When performing a roll performance, if the stick 41 is swung up and swung down toward the striking surface 40a of the drum 40, the tip of the stick 41 is flipped up due to a collision with the striking surface 40a. Then, the tip of the stick 41 rotates around the fulcrum in the direction away from the hitting surface 40a. A gap of a predetermined distance d3 is provided between the palm part 26, the middle finger part 23, the ring finger part 24, and the little finger part 25, and the rotation range of the stick 41 is limited. For this reason, the back side of the stick 41 bounced up by the striking surface 40a collides with the middle finger portion 23, the ring finger portion 24, and the little finger portion 25, and the tip of the stick 41 is again swung down toward the striking surface 40a.

  As a result, the tip of the stick 41 collides with the hitting surface 40a of the drum 40 again, and a second hitting sound is generated. In this way, by providing a gap between the palm part 26 and the middle finger part 23, the ring finger part 24, and the little finger part 25, by defining the movable range of the stick 41, a plurality of hitting sounds can be made in one stroke. The generated roll performance can be realized. In the present embodiment, the stopper includes the three finger portions of the middle finger portion 23, the ring finger portion 24, and the little finger portion 25, but at least one finger may be provided.

  By changing the distance d3 between the palm part 26 and the middle finger part 23, the ring finger part 24, and the little finger part 25, the rotation range of the stick 41 can be controlled. That is, if the distance d3 is shortened, the rotation range of the stick 41 is narrowed, and it becomes possible to perform a roll performance at a fast tempo. On the other hand, if the distance d3 is made longer, the rotation range of the stick becomes wider and the tempo can be made slower. The distance d3 can be changed by bending the middle finger part 23, the ring finger part 24, and the little finger part 25 toward the palm part 26 side.

  The contact detection sensor 27 detects a contact on the back side of the stick 41. That is, the contact detection sensor 27 can detect the hit interval of the roll performance, that is, the tempo. The roll performance tempo map 36d stores a tempo corresponding to an operation necessary for the robot when performing the roll performance. Specifically, a tempo corresponding to the distance d3 between the palm part 26 and the middle finger part 23, the ring finger part 24, and the little finger part 25 is stored.

  When performing a roll performance, the range of rotation of the stick 41 is controlled by controlling the distance d3 between the palm 26 and each finger so that the desired tempo is achieved using the roll performance tempo map 36d. It is possible to change and perform using the reaction force from the hitting surface 40a of the stick 41. Further, the distance d3 can be changed with reference to the hit interval of the roll performance detected by the contact detection sensor 27.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the drum 40 is used as an example of a percussion instrument has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Other than this, for example, a percussion instrument such as a bass drum, a melodic tom, a floor tom, a timpani, a Japanese drum, or a somatic percussion instrument such as a cymbal, a triangle, a gong, a bell, or a wooden fish. Furthermore, keyboard percussion instruments such as xylophone including xylophone and marimba, and iron koto including glackenspiel and vibraphone may be used. Furthermore, an electronic drum that detects vibration of the film surface with a sensor, transmits the vibration of the film surface as a signal, and generates sound with another sound source may be used.

  When playing a plurality of percussion instruments, the striking surface 40a of the drum 40 is struck by a predetermined operation for each instrument, the floating capacitance C1 with the rack 19b is measured by the distance sensor 17, and this is used as a reference. The value is stored in the detected value storage unit 37 as a value. The percussion instrument performance can be realized by determining the stick swinging position and the operating speed of the hand 20 so that the desired percussion volume, sound reverberation, and tempo are achieved. As for the recognition of the position of the hitting surface of the percussion instrument, the position of the hitting surface may be set in advance and stored in the robot, or the shape may be recognized by providing a camera or the like.

  The present invention is not limited to a robot that plays percussion instruments. For example, by changing the angle of the palm portion 26 in a state where the bow of the violin is in contact with the string, it can be applied to the performance of the violin. Of course, the present invention is not limited to the violin, and can be applied to other stringed instruments, for example, a bowed instrument such as a viola, cello, contrabass, and wood bass. In addition, the swinging position and swinging speed of the arm 10 are controlled by the performance of percussion instruments such as tambourine, the striking force control without gripping an object such as a person's shoulder, the operation of cutting food using a knife, etc. Can be applied.

  As described above, according to the present invention, a dedicated mechanism (spring, stick fixing parts, etc.) for controlling the striking force can be eliminated, and a percussion instrument performance by a musical instrument performance robot can be realized, and the versatility of the robot arm can be improved. Can be realized.

It is a figure explaining the structure of the robot which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the hand part of the robot which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the robot arm at the time of playing a percussion instrument. It is a figure which shows the structure of the A section shown in FIG. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the distance with the reference | standard member of the distance sensor used for the robot which concerns on embodiment, and a floating electrostatic capacitance. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control part of the robot which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure explaining other examples of operation of a robot arm at the time of playing a percussion instrument. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the robot arm at the time of performing a percussion instrument roll.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Arm part 11 Shoulder joint 12 Upper arm part 13 Elbow joint 14 Forearm part 15 Wrist joint 16a, 16b Actuator 17 Distance sensor 18 Reference member 19 Conversion mechanism 19a Pinion 19b Rack 20 Hand part 21 Thumb part 22 Index finger part 23 Middle finger part 24 Ring finger part 25 Little finger part 26 Palm part 27 Contact detection sensor 28a, 28b Grasping detection sensor 30 Head part 31 Body part 32 Control part 33 Wheel 34 Performance data storage part 35 Data processing operation control part 36 Map storage part 36a Sound volume map 36b Sound sound Map 36c tempo map 36d roll performance tempo map 37 detected value storage unit 40 drum 40a hitting surface 41 stick 100 robot

Claims (8)

A moving part;
A support part to which the operating part is rotatably connected;
A conversion mechanism that converts the rotational motion of the operating unit into a linear motion and transmits the linear motion to the moving member;
A distance sensor for detecting a moving distance of the moving member;
A control unit that controls the operation of the operation unit based on a moving distance of the moving member detected by the distance sensor;
Robot arm equipped with.   The robot arm according to claim 1, wherein the distance sensor detects a moving distance of the moving member based on a change in capacitance with the moving member. The operating part is a hand part;
The palm,
A plurality of fingers connected to the palm;
A joint for bending the finger,
The robot arm according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a gripping target is gripped by bending the finger portion. The finger part includes a first finger part and a second finger part,
The robot arm according to claim 3, wherein a robot holds a gripping target so as to be sandwiched between the first finger part and the second finger part.   The robot arm according to claim 3 or 4, further comprising a grip detection sensor that detects a grip state of the grip target in at least one place of the plurality of finger portions. The finger includes a third finger,
A contact detection sensor provided on the palm portion for detecting the contact of the gripping object;
The robot arm according to claim 4 or 5, wherein a distance between the palm portion and the third finger portion is controlled based on a detection result of the contact detection sensor.   A robot comprising the robot arm according to claim 1. Converting the rotational movement of the moving part and transmitting it to the moving member;
Detecting a moving distance of the moving member;
Controlling the operation of the operating unit based on the moving distance of the moving member;
A method of controlling a robot having

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