JP2011140096A - Bipedal walking robot including center of gravity movement device, and center of gravity movement method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a structure for attaining a more natural walking attitude like bipedal motion of a human being and a center of gravity movement method, in a bipedal walking robot. <P>SOLUTION: The bipedal walking robot includes: a lower limb constituted of a waist part 4 and both legs; and an upper body constituted of an abdomen part 3 inclinable making the waist part as an axis and a chest part 2 connected with a head part 6 and both movable arms and having a structure rotatable making the abdomen part as an axis. A driving battery so-called as a balancer 42 and an auxiliary weight for moving the center of gravity so-called as a stabilizer 43 independently vertically movable in right/left direction, are mounted in a chest part box body. In the bipedal walking robot, the respective movable parts are made movable by an actuator 8, and the waist part is absolutely horizontally retained by a three-axis acceleration sensor 22 placed on the head part. Movement of the center of gravity in the front and rear sides is performed by forwardly inclined action or rearwardly inclined action of the upper body or position movement of the stabilizer in the box body of the chest part 2 or leg joint part action of both legs. Further, movement of the center of gravity in the right and left sides is performed by rotation action of the chest part making the abdomen part as an axis and composite action of the balancer and the stabilizer. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a biped walking robot, and more particularly to a structure for moving a center of gravity of a biped walking robot and a method of moving the center of gravity.

  With regard to biped robots, various researches have already been conducted from the structure to the control method, and they are used at a practical level.

  The progress of the self-standing biped robot has been remarkable and has been completed to a level that gives a presence as a self-supporting and independent human (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

  In biped walking, one of the most important control technologies along with the above-described image recognition technology and various sensor technologies is a center-of-gravity movement control technology of the robot itself during walking.

  Although humans unconsciously think that it is extremely rare to change the balance between the standing state and the walking state one by one, when considering a biped robot, the standing state and one leg float off the ground. In this state, the center of gravity of the robot itself moves.

  The method of controlling the balance of the robot itself when walking on two legs has a structure in which the contact part of the leg with the ground is extended as much as possible symmetrically in the body width direction so as to absorb the change in the center of gravity when walking on two legs. It is often taken (for example, refer to Patent Document 3).

  As a result, even when one leg is floating from the ground, the weight of the robot will be applied to the whole body width direction as much as possible in the standing state, especially considering the balance distribution by raising one leg. This is because it can be solved by making the structure difficult to fall over.

  However, since the shape of the legs is characteristic, it may be difficult to describe as a human who walks on two legs.

  On the other hand, a robot whose leg shape is as close as possible to a human leg shape has been studied.

  In this case, when one leg floats from the ground, the balance by the weight of the robot cannot be maintained with only the landing leg, and the leg falls over to the floating leg side.

  In order to avoid this, center-of-gravity movement control using mainly the upper body of the robot is necessary.

  For example, it is a robot that takes a walking form by moving the center of gravity by positive inclination to one side of the upper body (see, for example, Patent Document 4).

  In this case, when walking on two legs, the weight distribution to the leg floating from the ground is twisted to the opposite side with the upper body facing the front, so that the center of gravity is moved to the installation leg side to maintain the balance. This is an example.

  When a human is walking on two legs, the posture is not necessarily as described above unless a heavy object is provided on one side, and this embodiment may be difficult to describe as a natural human biped walking.

  Moreover, it is an example in which the balance is maintained in the same manner as the previous example by tilting the heavy body part toward the grounding leg (see, for example, Patent Document 5).

  According to this embodiment, since the leg floating from the ground is inevitably distorted, this embodiment is also difficult to describe as a natural human bipedal walk. There is.

  In addition, there is an example in which the entire leg on the grounding side from the head of the robot is regarded as a straight inverted pendulum to maintain the balance during biped walking (see, for example, Patent Document 6 and Patent Document 7). .)

  In this case, from the head of the robot to the leg tip, the robot moves forward while swinging left and right in a straight pendulum shape, and this embodiment may also be difficult to describe as a natural human bipedal walk.

International Publication Number WO2002 / 040229 International Publication Number WO2002 / 028602 JP-A-2003-38861 (P2003-38861A) Publication (FIGS. 1 and 5) JP 2008-114361 A (FIG. 3) JP 2003-19363 A (P2003-19363A) (FIG. 2) JP 2001-129775 A (P2001-129775A) JP 2006-142465 A JP 2007-061954 A

  The present invention pays particular attention to the posture of the robot during biped walking, and realizes a more natural human biped walking action than the conventional biped walking robot described above. What is to be done is to provide a robot having a center-of-gravity moving device that can move the center of gravity close to that of a human when the robot is biped. A second object of the present invention is to provide a method of moving the center of gravity when the robot having the center of gravity moving device is walking on two legs.

  The biped walking robot of the invention made to solve the above-mentioned problems has a lower limb consisting of a lumbar part and both legs, and a structure which is located above the lumbar part and can be tilted back and forth around the lumbar part with respect to the traveling direction. Both arms are connected to the abdomen and the head and chest with a structure that can be rotated to the left and right, and can be rotated to the left and right via a torque controller. Consists of an upper body consisting of a chest, a driving battery called a balancer can be mounted inside the chest housing, and a structure that can be moved independently from side to side within the chest housing, and an auxiliary weight for moving the center of gravity called a stabilizer. And has a structure that can be moved vertically and horizontally independently within the chest housing, and each of the movable portions can be arbitrarily moved by an actuator via a torque controller, By having a 3-axis acceleration sensor in the body, the waist is kept in an absolutely horizontal position by the amount of head movement, and the center of gravity movement in the front-rear direction is the forward or backward movement of the upper body or the position of the stabilizer in the chest housing. Movement or active movement of the leg joints of both legs, and left and right center-of-gravity movements are performed by rotating the chest in the horizontal direction about the abdomen or rotating the chest in the horizontal direction about the abdomen. And biped walking by a center of gravity movement method characterized by performing biped walking movement by standing or by combined movement of each part and lower limb by independent position movement of balancer and stabilizer in chest housing Yes.

  The lower limb has a movable portion by an actuator in a portion corresponding to a human hip joint, a knee joint, and a leg joint, like a human joint, and a triaxial acceleration sensor is installed in the waist.

  In particular, actuators used for the hip joints and leg joints have a function of detecting torque and feeding back to the motor, which is essential for realizing a quick and natural human leg movement.

  Above the lower limb is a head where a three-axis acceleration sensor is installed, and a chest which is connected to both arms which can move forward and backward and externally with respect to the chest by an actuator installed at a portion corresponding to a human shoulder joint. And the upper body comprised by the abdominal part installed in the lower part of the chest is installed.

  In particular, an actuator used between the abdomen and the chest has a function of detecting torque and feeding it back to the motor, which is essential for realizing a quick and natural human leg movement.

  When standing, the straight lines that pass through the center of gravity of the waist, abdomen and chest and are parallel to both leg axes and perpendicular to the absolute horizontal plane are called the waist axis, the abdominal axis and the chest axis, respectively.

  When the centers of gravity of the waist, abdomen, and chest are different, the waist axis, the abdomen axis, and the chest axis do not match.

  The abdomen has a movable structure that can be tilted back and forth with respect to the connection part with the waist by an actuator, and the chest part is moved to the left and right with respect to the abdominal horizontal component advancing direction with the actuator at the connection part. It has a rotatable structure.

  On the chest, a driving battery called a balancer, which has a large proportion of the total weight of the robot, and a weight called a stabilizer, which has a relatively large proportion of the total weight of the robot, are mounted on an actuator installed in the chest housing.

  In addition, the balancer is a movable part of an actuator installed at an arbitrary position on the center line in the chest housing that passes through the chest axis, centering on the movable part of the actuator installed on the chest axis in the chest housing. It is movable in the left-right direction around the center.

  In addition, the stabilizer is a movable part of an actuator installed at an arbitrary position on the center line in the chest housing that passes through the chest axis, centered on the movable part of the actuator installed on the chest axis in the chest housing. Is movable in the vertical and horizontal directions.

  The weight of the stabilizer is set to a weight suitable for standing and bipedal walking from the specification, configuration of the robot, bipedal walking movement mode, and weight of the balancer.

  Unless necessary, the weight of the entire robot can be minimized by setting the weight of the stabilizer to be equal to or less than that of the balancer.

  By using the above-described balancer and stabilizer so as to move the center of gravity of the robot without changing the appearance, a biped robot close to a more natural human biped walking can be realized.

  When walking with two legs, if the one leg is simply lifted from the ground, the robot immediately loses balance due to the change in the position of the center of gravity and tends to fall.

  Therefore, the center-of-gravity movement during bipedal walking is structured so that the joints of both legs can be moved by an actuator partially equipped with a torque controller, and the abdomen is moved back and forth by the actuator with respect to the waist axis. A structure that can be tilted to move the position, a structure in which the chest can be rotated left and right by an actuator having a torque controller arbitrarily around the connection part with the abdomen, and a chest axis or chest in the chest housing The position of the balancer and the stabilizer can be moved by an actuator with respect to the center line in the chest housing that passes through the axis of the robot, and the position of a heavy object occupying a high proportion of the total weight of the robot is actively moved by the actuator. Then, the center of gravity of the robot is moved.

  Biped walking is performed so that the axis of the lumbar part of the robot is held perpendicular to the absolute horizontal plane of the ground by a three-axis acceleration sensor installed on the lumbar part.

  For example, it is clear when climbing up and down stairs and hills, walking on uneven parts, and crouching, but by keeping the hips absolutely horizontal, it is possible to realize a bipedal locomotion pattern that more closely resembles human bipedal walking .

  The center-of-gravity movement control for standing up the robot and walking on two legs is performed by the amount of position shift detected by a triaxial acceleration sensor installed on the head.

  This is because, among the head, chest, abdomen, and hips that include the center of gravity axis of the robot, when the head is standing and biped walking, the head is the most displaced relative to the intersection of the extension line of the waist axis and the ground. This is because, in particular, when detecting and controlling a position movement amount that constantly changes during biped walking, there is an advantage that the maximum amount of position shift detection can be obtained at the same time by the acceleration sensor.

  That is, when walking on two legs by the movement of both legs, it has a structure that performs posture control so that the axis of the lumbar portion is always kept perpendicular to the absolute horizontal plane of the ground, and the chest and abdomen where the head and both arms are connected, By using a robot structure that can arbitrarily rotate and move back and forth with respect to the waist, a more natural human bipedal walking motion can be realized.

  As described above, it will be described below that a walking motion closer to a human bipedal walking motion can be realized by controlling the robot having the structure of the present invention and the center of gravity moving structure by the center of gravity moving method of the present invention.

  Obviously, when standing, both legs need strength to support the weight of the waist and upper body.

  Standing up at this time is a state in which both legs of the robot and the above-mentioned waist axis, abdominal axis and leg axis are all parallel or coincide with the above-mentioned waist axis, that is, each joint of the leg extends. It means that the position of the actuator for moving the balancer and stabilizer in the waist, abdomen, chest, and chest housing is in the reference state in which the position of the actuator for moving the balancer and stabilizer is on the center line including the chest axis or the chest axis.

  This is a state in which the moment of force in each of the front and rear directions and the left and right directions with respect to the direction of movement of the robot is in agreement with the center of gravity of the robot, and the balance is maintained.

  The center of gravity of the robot varies depending on the shape of the bottom of the robot, the structure and configuration of each part in the robot, and the weight distribution.

  The stabilizer in the present invention has two functions for assisting the movement of the center of gravity by a balancer, which is a driving battery that accounts for a large proportion of the total weight of the robot, which will be described below.

  The first function is to secure the center of gravity of the entire robot with respect to the forward and backward directions in the above-described standing and bipedal walking.

  A large part of the bipedal movement is during forward walking.

  In the robot structure of the present invention, in order to make it closer to a human bipedal movement, an operation is performed in which the axis of the waist is always kept perpendicular to the absolute horizontal plane of the ground.

  However, in order to start the forward walking movement, the upper body that bears the center of gravity of the robot with the balancer is left behind at the moment when the other leg is raised forward and the waist is advanced, so it falls backward in the direction of travel. A possibility arises.

  For example, this is similar to the case where a person carrying a baggage about half the weight of his / her own weight has only a leg on the dolly that can not get over stably when jumping on the dolly, and falls with the baggage backward. Yes.

  For this reason, it is necessary to advance the center of gravity position of the upper body with respect to the lumbar part, which is the front-rear reference during biped walking, and this tilts the abdomen that the chest is attached to and follows the connection part with the lumbar part. .

  In particular, in a biped robot that frequently performs high-speed bipedal walking, it is necessary to move the center of gravity more quickly. Therefore, it is preferable to install the balancer as far as possible in the chest housing.

  In the present invention, a driving battery is mounted as a balancer in the front of the traveling direction in the chest housing. However, as described above, it is appropriate as a configuration of a biped walking robot mainly for rapid bipedal walking motion forward in the traveling direction. You can say that.

  This is because it is intended to realize a more natural human bipedal movement, and there are few cases where a bipedal movement that is always rapid backward in the traveling direction occurs.

  At this time, it is possible to move the center of gravity of the robot in the front-rear direction more effectively by moving the stabilizer up and down within the chest housing.

  The stabilizer adjusts the center of gravity of the robot when walking on two legs.

  At the time of standing up, the center of gravity of the entire robot moves forward due to the weight of the balancer. Therefore, the presence of the stabilizer contributes to securing a stable center of gravity at the time of standing up of the robot.

  The above-described explanation is the first function of the stabilizer.

  Next, the second function of the stabilizer will be described.

  The second function is a role of securing the center of gravity with respect to the left and right in the traveling direction during the above-described standing and bipedal walking.

  In a state where one leg floats when walking on two legs, it is installed in the chest housing in order to make it more like a human biped walking state without tilting the whole robot or upper body in one direction as in the prior art. Rotate the chest including the balancer with respect to the waist and abdomen, or move the balancer within the chest housing. Yes.

  The above-described explanation is the second function of the stabilizer.

  It should be noted that there is no problem if the balancer and the stabilizer are substantially reversed in relation to the biped walking motion backward in the traveling direction.

  In this way, the position movement amount detected by the three-dimensional acceleration sensor installed on the head is divided into the front and rear and left and right components, and the center of gravity is corrected by controlling the specific movable part for each direction component. Is the center of gravity movement method according to the present invention.

  In the center-of-gravity movement method according to the present invention, the front-rear center-of-gravity movement with respect to the moving direction of the robot is performed by the abdomen forward or backward tilt with respect to the waist or by the actuator of the movable part corresponding to the leg joint of the ground leg.

  The center of gravity movement to the left and right with respect to the direction of movement of the robot can be rotated by an actuator to the left and right of the chest centering on the connection part with the abdomen, or to the left and right by the actuator of the chest centering on the connection part with the abdomen. This is done by rotating in the left and right directions by the balancer and stabilizer actuators in the chest housing.

  The actuator used between the hip and leg joints, and the abdomen and chest, which has the function of detecting torque and feeding back to the motor, described at the beginning of this section, is based on the inertial force during rotation of the balancer and stabilizer. It is important to suppress the erroneous operation of the robot housing itself and to move the center of gravity more stably.

  Two legs closer to a natural human walking motion without tilting the whole robot or upper body in one direction as in the prior art when one leg floats when walking on two legs by the above-mentioned center of gravity movement method. Can perform walking exercise.

  According to the biped walking robot according to the present invention, by the absolute horizontal maintenance control of the waist, the movable structure of the abdomen and the chest, the balancer and stabilizer movable in the chest housing, and the movable structure of the foot joint part on the ground side, A bipedal walking motion that performs quick and effective gravity center movement and stable posture control in a more natural form can be realized. At this time, the position movement amount component detected by the three-axis acceleration sensor grounded on the head is decomposed in the forward and backward direction and the left and right direction while holding the waist horizontally, and the center of gravity movement in the front and rear direction is The position of the center of gravity in the horizontal direction is moved by the rotation of the chest in the horizontal direction around the abdomen and the movement of the balancer and stabilizer in the chest housing. By doing so, it is possible to realize a walking motion that is closer to a human biped walking motion.

The figure showing an example of the structure seen from the front of the biped walking robot concerning this invention. The figure showing an example of the structure seen from the left side surface of the biped walking robot concerning this invention. The figure showing an example of the structure which performs the external rotation and internal rotation of a leg part in the connection movable part of the waist | hip | lumbar part and thigh part of the biped walking robot concerning this invention. FIG. 4 is an external view of a biped walking robot configured as shown in FIG. 3. The figure showing an example of the composition in which abduction and adduction are possible in the base of the thigh of the leg of the biped walking robot concerning the present invention. FIG. 6 is an external view of a biped walking robot configured as shown in FIG. 5. The figure showing the position shift amount of each center part of a head, a chest, and an abdomen at the time of inclination of a biped robot. The figure showing the state of the structure and operation | movement seen from the side of the balancer and stabilizer in the housing | casing part of the upper body of a robot, and the chest case in this example at the time of the biped walking robot leaning forward. The figure showing the state of the structure and operation | movement seen from the side of the balancer and stabilizer in the housing | casing part of the upper body of a robot at this time, the chest case in this example, at the time of the bilateral walking robot tilting backward. The figure showing the standing state of the biped walking robot concerning this invention which has a balancer and a stabilizer. The figure showing the bipedal walking state of the bipedal walking robot which has a structure in which the upper body rotates left and right with respect to the axis of the waist of the robot to move the center of gravity. Biped walking of biped robot that has a structure in which the upper body rotates left and right with respect to the robot's waist axis, and the balancer and stabilizer move within the body of the robot's upper body to move the center of gravity. The figure showing a state. The figure showing the biped walking state of the biped walking robot which has a structure where a balancer and a stabilizer move within the upper body of the robot to move the center of gravity. The block diagram which looked at the pendulum type balancer in the housing | casing part of the upper body of the robot from the robot front. The block diagram which looked at FIG. 14 from the robot side. The figure showing an example of the structure of the pendulum type balancer installed in the servomotor. The figure of an example which fixed the battery case of FIG. 16 to the servo horn in the both ends of the drive shaft of a servomotor. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a pendulum type balancer in which the driving battery and the servo motor of FIG. 16 are upside down. The figure showing an example which utilized the structure of the pendulum type balancer for the stabilizer. The block diagram which looked at the sweep type balancer in the housing | casing part of the upper body of the robot from the robot front. The block diagram which looked at FIG. 20 from the robot side. Configuration diagram of the sweep type balancer as seen from the top of the robot. The figure showing an example which utilized the structure of the sweep type balancer for the stabilizer. The figure showing an example of the structure of the sweep type balancer installed in the servomotor. The block diagram which looked at FIG. 24 from the robot upper side. The figure showing an example of the structure of the slide type balancer installed in the servomotor. The figure which looked at the structure of the slide type balancer of FIG. 26 from the robot side. The figure which looked at the structure of the slide type balancer of FIG. 26 from the robot upper side. The figure showing an example which utilized the structure of the slide type balancer for the stabilizer. The figure showing the system required in order to add the camera and speaker which were mentioned above to the biped walking robot concerning this invention, and to make it remote control type. The figure showing an example which mounted the camera on the head of the remote control type bipedal walking robot. The figure showing an example which mounted the speaker in the arbitrary locations of the remote control type bipedal walking robot. The figure put together about the center-of-gravity movement method by the biped walking robot which has a center-of-gravity movement device concerning the present invention. The figure for demonstrating the axis | shaft of a leg part, the axis | shaft of a waist | hip | lumbar part, the axis | shaft of an abdominal part, and the axis | shaft of a chest part of the biped walking robot concerning this invention. The front view of the biped walking robot which has the gravity center moving apparatus concerning this invention. The figure which showed simply the structure and weight of each part of the biped walking robot of FIG. The figure showing the coupling | bonding of the balancer and stabilizer of FIG. The figure which showed the mass point seen from the front of the balancer and the stabilizer, the mass point seen from the front of the housing | casing part of an upper body, and the mass point seen from the front of the leg in the standing state of the biped walking robot of FIG. The figure for demonstrating simply the imbalance of the center of gravity of the right and left at the time of the one leg grounding of the biped walking robot at the time of biped walking. The figure which showed that the gravity seen from the hip joint part of the floating leg side is the gravity by the mass of a balancer and a stabilizer, the gravity by the housing | casing part of an upper body, and the gravity by a leg part. The figure which showed that the gravity concerning the floating leg side hip joint part acts as an upward force on the ground leg side hip joint part. The figure which showed that the moment which acts in the median direction of a robot generate | occur | produces in the hip joint part by the side of a grounding leg by gravity by the leg part concerning the floating hip joint part by the leg side. Gravity that occurs during bipedal walking that cancels the gravity caused by the leg on the hip joint on the floating leg side is further generated downward on the hip joint part on the grounded leg side, or on the floating leg side The figure which showed that the external force equivalent to the gravity by the leg concerning a hip joint part should just generate | occur | produce in the left-right outer direction of a robot centering on the hip joint part by the side of a grounding leg. The figure showing the movement of a balancer and a stabilizer to the grounding leg side in the chest 2 housing | casing. The figure showing the change of the mass point of each part of a robot by carrying out dW movement of a balancer and a stabilizer to the grounding leg side like FIG. The intersection between the axis of the leg on the floating leg and the horizontal line of the balancer and stabilizer is the upper part of the hip joint on the leg, and the axis of the leg on the ground leg and the horizontal line of the balancer and stabilizer The intersection of the above is the hip joint on the grounded leg side. The figure showing that the centrifugal force by the movement in the chest 2 housing | casing of a balancer and a stabilizer generate | occur | produces. The figure which shows the state which moved the mass point 47 seen from the front of a balancer and a stabilizer to the robot outer side rather than the axis | shaft 37 of the leg part by the side of the grounding leg. The figure which showed that a balancer and a stabilizer can be divided | segmented into the part which protruded right and left symmetrically on the hip joint upper part by the side of a grounding leg, and the part which protruded excessively outside the robot. The figure for demonstrating the balance of a moment from the principle of a lever on the axis | shaft of the leg part by the side of a grounding leg. FIG. 53 is a diagram illustrating a biped robot having a drive battery and a stabilizer whose lateral width as viewed from the front of the robot is narrower than that illustrated in FIG. 52. The figure showing the biped walking robot which has the thing of the width | variety seen from the robot front of a drive battery and a stabilizer wider than FIG. The figure showing the servomotor for radio control. The figure which looked at the drive shaft of the servomotor for radio control shown in FIG. 53 perpendicularly. The figure which connected the servo horn to the other end part of a drive shaft. The figure showing the notation in the Example by this invention of the servomotor shown in FIG. 54 and FIG. The figure which showed an example of the movable part of a biped walking robot. The figure which represented the movable part by the actuator of the biped walking robot shown in FIG. 57 with the simplified servo motor, housing | casing XA, housing | casing XB, and housing | casing Y. FIG. The figure which looked at the housing | casing XA side in the drive shaft direction for an example of the movable part of the biped walking robot shown in FIG. The figure which represented the movable part by the actuator of the biped walking robot shown in FIG. 59 with the simplified servo motor, housing | casing XA, housing | casing XB, and housing | casing Y. FIG.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same function parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  The form of one Example (Example 1) of this invention is demonstrated referring FIGS. 34-47. In the first embodiment, the left and right center-of-gravity movement when the biped walking robot 1 is continuously biped walking will be mainly described. In particular, the present invention relates to a center-of-gravity moving device and a center-of-gravity moving method for a robot that performs a bipedal walking motion in which both feet always touch and stop at the end of a walking motion.

  FIG. 34 is a view for explaining the leg axis 37, the waist axis 38, the abdominal axis 39, and the chest axis 40 of the biped robot 1 according to the present invention. FIG. 34 shows a front view of the biped walking robot 1 from the left and a side view of the biped walking robot 1. In FIG. 34, the leg axis 37 is perpendicular to the absolute horizontal plane and passes through the center of gravity of both legs. Specifically, the roots of both legs correspond to the vicinity of an actuator that is fixed at the waist 4 and is connected to the thighs of both legs to operate.

  34, the waist axis 38, the abdomen axis 39, and the chest axis 40 parallel to the leg axis 37 of the biped robot 1 standing on the ground 36 are respectively shown in the left front view of FIG. Although it overlaps with the median line, it does not overlap in the side view on the right side of FIG. Although the biped walking robot 1 according to the present invention may have a case where the centers of gravity of the respective parts do not coincide with each other depending on the configuration, the bipedal walking robot 1 provides a more natural bipedal walking by a center of gravity moving device and a center of gravity moving method described later. .

  FIGS. 35 to 46 are views for explaining the biped walking robot 1 having the center of gravity moving device and the center of gravity moving method according to the present invention. Hereinafter, description will be made sequentially with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 35 is a front view of the biped robot 1 having the center-of-gravity moving device according to the present invention. The biped walking robot 1 includes a chest 2, an abdomen 3, a waist 4, and a leg 5 to which a head 6 and an arm 7 are connected.

  The biped walking robot 1 has a balancer and a stabilizer 41 that are movable around the movable part of the actuator in the housing of the chest 2. Hereinafter, the movement of the center of gravity using the balancer and the stabilizer 41 of the biped walking robot 1 during bipedal walking will be described using a simple model.

  FIG. 36 simply shows the configuration and weight of each part of the biped walking robot 1 described in FIG. The center-of-gravity movement model during biped walking according to the present invention will be described with reference to the hip joint 45 of the robot that drives the leg 5 in FIG.

  In FIG. 36, the biped walking robot 1 includes a balancer 42, a stabilizer 43, an upper housing portion 44, a robot hip joint portion 45, and a leg portion 5. The upper housing portion 44 of the robot is the robot body from the head housing 6, the arm portion 7, and the chest 2 except for the balancer 42 and the stabilizer 43, the abdomen 3, and the waist 4 of the biped walking robot 1. It consists of a housing part excluding the hip joint part 45. The housing part excluding the hip part 45 of the robot from the waist 4 is classified as a lower limb, but is included in the weight applied to the hip part 45 of the robot, so that the center of gravity according to the present invention is shown in FIGS. When describing the bipedal walking robot having the moving device and the method of moving the center of gravity, it is included in the casing 44 of the upper body of the robot.

  The hip portion 45 of the robot is configured by an actuator fixed to the housing of the waist portion 4. However, since the proportion of the total weight of the bipedal walking robot 1 is small, the robot as a whole is shown in FIG. The approximate weight ratio is negligible.

  FIG. 37 is a combination of the balancer 42 and the stabilizer 43 in FIG. This is because the balancer and the stabilizer 41 have a function of giving the same effect when viewed from the whole biped robot 1 when the left and right center of gravity moves during biped walking according to the present invention.

  Hereinafter, the weight of each part is regarded as a mass point at the center of gravity of each part, so that the description will be given by the moment including the gravity due to the mass point and the distance from the reference point.

  FIG. 38 shows a mass point 47 as seen from the front of the balancer and stabilizer 41 and a mass point 48 as seen from the front of the upper casing portion 44 in the standing state of the biped robot 1 defined and explained in FIG. And the mass point 49 seen from the front of the leg is shown, and it is considered that the mass of each part is simply gathered at the center of each part. The mass points of each part shown in FIG. 38 are assumed to be on the axis 37 of both legs or the midline of the robot, and are symmetrical about the waist axis 38, the abdominal axis 39, and the chest axis 40, and the balance is balanced. The standing up motion is continued.

  In addition, the leg height 51 and the height between the hip portion 45 of the robot and the intermediate portion of the balancer and stabilizer 41, which are necessary for the following description, to the mass point 47 as viewed from the front of the balancer and stabilizer in this model. Let the height of the balancer and stabilizer be 50. As described above, since the balancer 42 and the stabilizer 43 have the function of giving the same effect to the movement of the center of gravity of the biped walking robot 1, when explaining the function of the movement of the center of gravity, from the hip joint part to each intermediate part. There is no problem even if the distances are assumed to be equal.

  FIG. 39 is a diagram for simply explaining the unbalance between the center of gravity of the left and right when the one-legged ground of the biped robot 1 during biped walking. The mass points viewed from the front of each part described in FIG. The robot's waist axis 38, abdominal axis 39 and chest axis 40 as viewed from the front are divided into left and right. 39, the mass point 47 viewed from the front of the balancer and stabilizer 41 is the mass point 52 of the balancer and stabilizer on the floating leg side, and the mass point 53 of the balancer and stabilizer on the grounding leg side. The mass point 48 viewed from the front is the mass point 54 of the upper casing part of the floating leg side and the mass point 55 of the upper casing part of the ground leg, and the mass point 49 viewed from the front of the left and right leg parts is The material is divided into a mass point 56 of the floating leg and a mass point 49 viewed from the front of the leg. Further, in FIG. 39, in each part, the force applied to the mass point part by mass is assumed to be gravity 57 due to the mass point of the balancer and stabilizer, gravity 58 due to the upper casing part, and gravity 59 due to the leg part.

  In addition, in the following description, as shown in FIG. 40, the hip joint portion 45 of the robot is regarded as a line segment that is horizontal to the ground, and the intersection with the axis 37 of the floating leg is defined as the floating leg side. The hip joint portion 60 is the intersection of the leg 37 on the ground contact side and the hip joint 61 on the ground leg, and the distance from both hip joints to the waist shaft 38 as seen from the front of the robot is w62.

  In the description of the first embodiment according to the present invention, the distance w62 from both hip joint portions to the waist shaft 38 as viewed from the front of the robot is considered to be a value as close to zero as possible.

  As shown in FIG. 40, the gravity viewed from the floating leg 60 on the leg side is, as described above, the gravity 57 due to the mass of the balancer and the stabilizer, the gravity 58 due to the upper casing portion, and the gravity 59 due to the leg. It is for each one side. Here, in the hip joint 61 on the grounding leg side, the gravity 59 by the grounding leg is grounded, so that it is canceled by the reaction from the ground. Then, as shown in FIG. 40, the gravity 59 due to the legs as viewed from the hip joint 45 becomes the gravity applied only to the floating hip 60 on the leg side, and at this time the gravity is applied to the left and right hip joints of the robot. Becomes asymmetrical. Here, if the hip joint portion 45 approximates that the weight of the hip joint portion 45 can be ignored as described above and has sufficient rigidity, as shown in FIG. 41, the gravity applied to the hip joint portion 60 on the floating leg side remains as it is on the ground leg side. It acts as an upward force on the hip joint 61 of the head. As shown in FIG. 42, this can also be considered as a third type with the hip joint 61 on the grounding leg side as a fulcrum. Of the upward force 63 acting on the hip joint 61 on the ground leg shown in FIG. 41, gravity 57 due to the mass of the balancer and stabilizer 41, which is the downward force on the hip joint 61 on the ground leg, and the upper housing portion It is considered that the gravity 59 due to the leg portion due to the mass point 56 of the leg on the floating side remains without being canceled out.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 42, a moment 64 acting in the median direction of the robot is generated in the hip joint 61 on the ground leg due to the gravity 59 by the leg applied to the floating hip joint 60 on the leg.

  Hereinafter, a method for improving the natural fall of the grounding leg 46 due to the moment 64 acting in the median direction of the robot on the hip joint part on the grounding leg side will be described.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 43, gravity 65 that occurs during walking on two legs and which cancels gravity 59 due to the legs applied to the floating leg 60 on the leg is further applied to the hip 61 on the ground leg. An external force equivalent to the gravity 59 generated by the legs applied to the floating leg-side hip joint 60 may be generated from the ground-joint leg-side hip joint 61 toward the outside of the robot. As a result, it is possible to improve so as not to fall naturally due to the balance with the grounding leg 46 as a fulcrum by the moment 64 acting in the median direction of the robot on the hip joint part on the grounding leg side and the moment 77 generated outward of the robot. The bicentric walking robot 1 according to the first embodiment has a gravity center moving device that has a gravity 65 that counteracts the gravity 59 due to the legs applied to the floating leg 60 on the leg side that is floating, and a hip 61 that is on the ground leg side. This is intended to be generated downward.

  FIG. 44 is a diagram illustrating movement of the balancer and stabilizer 41 toward the grounding leg 46 in the chest 2 housing. The width of the balancer and stabilizer 41 is set to W66. As shown in FIG. 44, when the balancer and stabilizer 41 are moved dW67 toward the grounding leg 46, the mass points of each part of the robot change as shown in FIG.

  The chest 2 housing of the biped walking robot 1 according to the present invention does not greatly deviate from the left-right symmetric state with respect to the waist axis 38, the abdominal axis 39, and the chest axis 40 as viewed from the front of the robot by its abduction. Therefore, it is considered that the gravity applied to both hip joints is almost equally divided. As shown in FIG. 45, the balancer and stabilizer 41 move alone to the grounding leg 46 side within the chest 2 casing, so that only the mass point of the balancer and stabilizer 41 moves from the hip joint 61 on the grounding leg side. It will be. At this time, if the mass of the balancer and stabilizer 41 as a whole is Mbs, the mass of the floating leg is reduced by the amount expressed by the following equation.

  Further, the mass on the ground leg 46 side increases by the amount expressed by the following equation.

  FIG. 46 shows the gravity applied to each part converted on the axis 37 of both leg parts based on the lever principle. In FIG. 46, the intersection of the shaft 37 of the leg portion on the floating leg side and the horizontal line passing through the mass point of the balancer and stabilizer 41 is the hip joint upper portion 68 of the floating leg side, and the shaft of the leg portion on the grounding leg 46 side. The intersection of 37 and the horizontal line passing through the mass points of the balancer and stabilizer 41 is the hip joint upper part 69 on the grounding leg side. Due to the movement of the balancer and stabilizer 41 toward the grounding leg 46 side, the downward gravity 70 applied to the hip joint upper portion 69 on the grounding leg side increases more than the gravity 57 due to the balancer and stabilizer shown in FIG. On the other hand, the downward gravity applied to the floating hip upper part 68 on the leg side is smaller than the gravity 57 due to the mass of the balancer and stabilizer shown in FIG. When the end of the balancer and stabilizer 41 is moved away from the axis 37 of the leg portion on the floating leg side in the robot midline direction due to the movement, the gravity 72 applied downward to the upper hip joint 68 on the leg side is 46, as shown in FIG. 46, gravity 71 (Mbs × (1-2 dW / W) shown in the above [Equation 1]) due to the mass point on the floating leg side after the balancer and the stabilizer are moved by the lever principle as shown in FIG. Further decrease.

  This is expressed by the following equation as a mass difference applied downward due to the mass of the upper part of both hip joints due to the movement of the balancer and the stabilizer 41 to the grounding leg 46 side of the center of gravity moving device of the biped robot 1 according to the present invention. It is more than a certain amount.

  In addition to the above-described content, during continuous bipedal walking, as shown in FIG. 47, centrifugal force 73 is generated by movement of the balancer and stabilizer 41 within the chest 2 housing. This is because the inertial force by the balancer and stabilizer 41 propagates to the entire robot when the balancer and stabilizer 41 are connected to the chest 2 housing via the actuator. The resultant force 74 of the gravity 57 due to the mass of the balancer and the stabilizer and the centrifugal force 73 generated by the movement of the balancer and the stabilizer is generated outwardly from the mass point 47 of the balancer and stabilizer. . As a result, the same force is applied from the robot midline to the grounding leg 46 as in the case of the inverted pendulum motion walking described in the prior art (see Patent Document 6 and Patent Document 7).

  The downward force of the robot applied to the grounding leg 46 due to the gravity and centrifugal force due to the mass points causes the above-mentioned problem, and the leg applied to the hip joint part on the floating leg side that faces upward on the hip joint part 61 on the grounding leg side. It is sufficient if it is equivalent to the gravity 59 by the part.

  Note that the left-right asymmetry of the actuator itself for moving the balancer and stabilizer 41 with respect to the midline of the robot is excluded from consideration, but the ratio of the mass to the whole is small, and the arrangement and shape of the actuator It is assumed that there is no problem because there is a high possibility of improvement.

  The form of one Example (Example 2) of this invention is demonstrated referring FIGS. 48-52. In the second embodiment, the left and right gravity center movements of the biped walking robot 1 will be mainly described during low-speed walking where the inertia force to the outside of the robot described above cannot be used or in an unstable state where one leg is lifted and stopped. In the latter improvement measure for improving the natural fall of the grounding leg 46 due to the moment 64 acting in the median direction of the robot at the hip joint part on the grounding leg side described in the first embodiment, the robot can be used at low speed walking or one leg. This is a method for realizing a perfect balance of the left and right mass points on the leg shaft 37 in an unstable state where the robot floats and is stationary. That is, as shown in FIG. 43, as an external force equivalent to the gravity 65 that cancels the gravity 59 due to the mass of the leg portion 5 applied to the hip joint 60 on the floating leg side generated during bipedal walking, What is necessary is just to generate the moment 77 generated outside the robot around the hip joint 61 on the side.

  In this embodiment, the new moment 77 generated by the movement of the balancer and stabilizer 41 does not leave the moment 64 acting in the median direction of the robot on the hip joint portion on the ground leg side. The center-of-gravity movement and center-of-gravity alignment need to be considered including the distance w62 from each hip joint portion to the waist axis 38 as seen from the front of the robot. In particular, the second embodiment of the present invention assumes a state where one leg is floated and is stationary.

  FIG. 48 is a diagram illustrating a state where the mass point 47 viewed from the front of the balancer and the stabilizer is moved to the outside of the robot with respect to the shaft 37 of the leg portion on the grounding leg 46 side. FIG. 48 is a diagram for explaining the unbalance of the center of gravity of the biped walking robot 1 with a simple model in a state where one leg is floated and is stationary.

  Hereinafter, in the description, in addition to the above-described width W66 of the balancer and stabilizer 41 and the distance w62 from each hip joint portion to the waist shaft 38, the mass point 48 viewed from the front of the upper housing portion is mu75. The mass point 56 of the leg is mf76, the height 50 from the hip joint part on the grounding leg side to the balancer and stabilizer middle part is H78, and the leg height 51 is L79. As shown in FIG. 48, in a state where one leg is floated and stopped, a mass point mu75 is formed at the center of the robot's hip joint, which is the intersection of the robot's hip joint portion 45 and the waist shaft 38, and the floating leg side hip joint. It is considered that gravity is applied to the part 60 by the mass point mf76.

  At this time, when the hip joint 61 on the grounding leg side is considered as a fulcrum, downward gravity by mf76 is applied to a position separated by a distance 2w62, and downward gravity by mu75 is applied to a position separated by a distance w62. Therefore, with respect to the hip joint 61 on the grounding leg side, the moment due to the mass point 56 of the floating leg represented by the following [Equation 4] and the front of the upper housing part represented by the following [Equation 5] A moment due to the mass point 48 as seen from FIG.

  It is assumed that the mass point 47 viewed from the front of the balancer and the stabilizer has moved the distance Wo84 from the upper hip joint 69 to the state where the moment is balanced to the outside of the robot. Since the weight of the symmetrical part 80 of the balancer / stabilizer 41 on the hip joint upper part 69 on the ground leg side cancels out, the balancer / stabilizer 41 is excessive on the laterally symmetrical part 80 and the outside of the robot as shown in FIG. It can be considered by dividing into protruding portions 81. When the hip joint 61 on the ground leg side is used as a fulcrum, a portion that contributes to a substantial moment is a portion 81 that protrudes excessively to the outside of the robot. Here, the center of the balancer / stabilizer 41 seen from the front of the portion 81 that protrudes excessively to the outside of the robot is the mass point 82, and the width that protrudes excessively to the outside of the robot is Wm83.

  Hereinafter, a moment 77 generated outside the robot to be newly generated is considered based on the leg shaft 37 on the ground leg 46 side and the hip joint 61 on the ground leg side, and then the leg shaft 37 on the ground leg 46 side. The balance of moments is considered with reference to the intersection of.

  When the balancer and stabilizer 41 is moved Wo to the outside of the robot with respect to the shaft 37 of the leg on the grounding leg 46 side, the balancer and stabilizer 41 is generated as an excessive weight on the outside of the robot from the shaft 37 of the leg on the grounding leg 46 side. The width Wm is expressed by the following [Equation 6].

  FIG. 50 is a view for explaining the balance of moments based on the lever principle on the axis of the leg portion on the grounding leg side. From FIG. 50, the balance of moments of the biped walking robot 1 in a state where one leg is lifted and stopped will be described with a simple model.

  The moment 77 due to the mass point outside the robot due to the mass point 82 of the portion of the balancer and stabilizer that protrudes excessively outside the robot at the height H on the hip joint 61 on the grounding leg side is expressed by the following [Equation 7]. Is done.

When considered as a second type lever based on the intersection of the shafts 37 and 36 of the leg portion on the grounding leg 46 side, the moment represented by the above [Formula 7] in the hip joint portion 61 on the grounding leg side is as follows. This corresponds to the amount represented by [Equation 8].

In the hip joint portion 61 on the grounding leg side, the sum of the above [Equation 4] and [Equation 5] is balanced with the above [Equation 8], so that the mass point 47 viewed from the front of the balancer and stabilizer becomes the leg portion on the grounding leg side. The distance Wo84 that has moved from the axis to the outside of the robot until the moment is balanced is expressed by the following [Equation 9].

  At this time, the maximum amount Wmax85 that the balancer and the stabilizer 41 protrude from the leg shaft 37 toward the outside of the robot is expressed by the following [Equation 10].

  This is a balancer and stabilizer for realizing a perfect balance between the left and right in the unstable state where the robot is walking at low speed or in an unstable state with one leg floating on the leg shaft 37 described in the first embodiment. This is the maximum amount of movement of the mass point 47 on one side in the left-right direction of the robot as viewed from the front.

  Wmax 85, which is the maximum amount of the balancer and stabilizer protruding from the leg axis 37 toward the outside of the robot, is the upper body, particularly the chest 2 or the chest 2 and the abdomen 3 with respect to the width of the hip joint portion 45 of the robot. It is obvious that the minimum required gap width in the housing is such that the value of Wmax85 has a great influence on the appearance of the robot according to the present invention.

  In an approximate example, the overall weight is about 3.6 kg (case weight is about 1.2 kg) and the height is about 35 to 45 cm (this can be set within a certain range depending on the body shape of the robot and the case and members constituting the robot. It is a biped walking robot that assumes a hip joint width of 16 cm and a lateral width of the balancer and stabilizer of about 10 cm. Wmax85 is less than 6 cm. This is considered to be a realistic value for realizing the human body shape by the outer structure of the robot housing, the design of the center of gravity of the leg 2 and the weight density and shape of the driving battery and the stabilizer 41. Each of the above-described elements is one of the important elements in designing the biped robot 1 according to the present invention.

  It should be noted that the shape of the driving battery and stabilizer of the biped walking robot 1 having the center-of-gravity moving device according to the present invention as viewed from the front of the robot has a lateral structure width as shown in FIG. 51 rather than that shown in FIG. It is supplemented that the narrower shape of W66 can constitute the rod-shaped biped robot 1 having a small value of Wmax85.

  The form of one Example (Example 3) of this invention is demonstrated referring FIGS. 53-60, FIGS. 1-13, and FIG. 53 to 60, the actuator used in the movable part of the biped walking robot 1 will be described. 1 to 13 describe a configuration example of the biped walking robot 1 using the actuator for each movable part and biped walking by moving the center of gravity of the robot. FIG. 33 summarizes the center-of-gravity moving method according to the present invention by the biped walking robot 1 having the center-of-gravity moving apparatus according to the present invention.

  First, the actuator used in the movable part of the biped walking robot 1 will be described. In the third embodiment, a servo motor for radio control, which is an axial rotation type actuator, is used as an actuator used in the movable part of the biped walking robot 1 according to the present invention. The servo motor for radio control is an analog servo motor or a digital servo motor.

  FIG. 53 is a diagram of a servo motor for radio control. In FIG. 53, the servo motor 8 includes a servo case 9, a drive shaft 11 that is controlled by a motor and gears inside the servo case 9, and rotates. A servo horn 10 is attached to the drive shaft 11, and the movable part of the biped walking robot 1 to which the servo horn 10 is connected moves.

  FIG. 54 is a view of the drive shaft 11 of the radio control servomotor shown in FIG. 53 as viewed vertically. As shown in FIG. 55, the servo horn 10 may be connected to the other end of the drive shaft 11. FIG. 56 shows the notation of the servo motor 8 shown in FIGS. 54 and 55 in the embodiment according to the present invention. In the servo motor 8 shown in FIG. 56, the notation of the servo horn 10 is omitted.

  FIG. 57 is a diagram illustrating an example of a movable part of the biped walking robot 1. In FIG. 57, the casings XA13, XB14 and the casing Y15 which are movable parts of the biped walking robot 1 are connected via the servo motor 8 and are movable. The housing XA13 and the housing XB14 are connected to the servo horn 10 of the servo motor 8 by screws 12. The housing Y15 is connected to the servo case 9 by screws 12. In the figure, the housing XA13 and the housing XB14 are movable in the same direction with respect to the housing Y15 around the rotation axis of the drive shaft 11 of the servo motor 8.

  Hereinafter, the movable part by the actuator of the biped robot 1 shown in FIG. 57 will be indicated by the servo motor 8, the case XA13, the case XB14 and the case Y15 which are simplified as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 59 is a diagram of an example of the movable part of the biped walking robot 1 shown in FIG. 57 as viewed from the side of the housing XA13 in the direction of the drive shaft 11.

  Hereinafter, the movable part by the actuator of the biped robot 1 shown in FIG. 59 will be indicated by the servo motor 8, the case XA13, the case XB14, and the case Y15 which are simplified as shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, a configuration example of the biped walking robot 1 using the actuator described above for each movable part and biped walking by moving the center of gravity of the robot will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration viewed from the front of a biped robot 1 according to the present invention, using the notations of FIGS. 58 and 60. In FIG. 1, the biped walking robot 1 includes an upper arm 16 connected by a movable part corresponding to a human shoulder joint part of the chest 2 in addition to the head 6, the chest 2, the abdomen 3, and the waist 4. A forearm portion 17 connected to the upper arm portion 16, a hand portion 18 connected to the forearm portion 17, and a thigh portion connected to the waist portion 4 by a hip joint portion 45 of a robot corresponding to a human hip joint portion. 19, a crus 20 connected to the thigh 19, a foot 21 connected to the crus 20, a servo motor 8 that is an actuator movable at each connection, and driving of the actuator A balancer 42 that is a battery for driving, a stabilizer 43 that is a driving battery or an auxiliary weight, a servo motor 8 that is an actuator for moving the position of the balancer 42 and the stabilizer 43, and Installed in section 6 and the waist 4 consists of three-axis acceleration sensor 22.

  In particular, the ankle joint, hip joint, or both the joint portions, and the servo motor 8 between the chest portion 2 and the abdominal portion 3 preferably have a torque sensing control function.

  In many cases, a board that performs control related to a series of operations of the biped walking robot 1 is installed on the chest 2 having the largest space in the housing. In the biped walking robot 1 according to the present invention, Can be mounted at any position. For a single control board, it is a simple method to install it on the chest 2, abdomen 3 or waist 4 of the robot in order to maintain the left-right symmetry of the weight distribution of the robot. If the control board is divided into a plurality of even numbers, it can be mounted on the arm 7 or the leg part 5. If it is divided into three or more odd control boards, it is possible to install them in combination. It is.

  In the biped walking robot 1 shown in FIG. 1, the abdomen 3 is movable about the waist 4, and the chest 2 is movable about the abdomen 3. The balancer 42 and the stabilizer 43 in the chest 2 housing are moved.

  A triaxial acceleration sensor 22 is installed on the central axis viewed from the front and side of the biped robot 1 in the housing of the head 6 and the waist 4. The significance and usage of the installation locations of the three-axis acceleration sensor 22 at the two locations will be described later.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration seen from the left side of the biped walking robot 1 according to the present invention shown in FIG. 1 by the notation of FIG. 58 and FIG.

  A configuration of the biped walking robot 1 in which the actuator between the chest 2 and the abdomen 3 is omitted can be cited as an example. In this case, the chest 2 and the abdomen 3 are integrally moved back and forth around the waist 4, and the lateral movement of the center of gravity is performed by the balancer and the stabilizer 41 in the housing in which the chest 2 and the abdomen 3 are integrated. It is done by moving. Alternatively, at the connecting portion between the waist 4 and the abdomen 3, the chest 2 and the abdomen 3 are tilted forward, backward, and externally rotated around the waist 4 by two servo motors 8 connected in series. .

  The above-described leg portion 5 of FIGS. 1 and 2 has a structure that performs bending and extension operations in the front-rear direction, but as shown in FIG. 3, in the movable connecting portion between the waist portion 4 and the thigh portion 19 of the robot, The structure which performs the external rotation and internal rotation of the leg part 5 is also mentioned as an example.

  FIG. 4 is an external view of FIG. 3, but shows a state where the leg 5 on one side of the biped walking robot 1 rotates outward. The biped walking robot 1 may change its traveling direction during walking. The biped walking robot 1 shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 of the present embodiment is configured such that the left and right thighs are moved with respect to the waist 4 by a servo motor 8 configured between the waist 4 and the uppermost position of the thigh 19. It is possible to change the advancing direction in the case of bipedal walking, especially the leg part 5 below 19 rotates independently or internally.

  FIG. 5 is an example of a configuration capable of abduction and adduction at the base of the thigh 19 of the leg 5 of the biped walking robot 1. In FIG. 5, the robot foot 21 also has a structure capable of abduction and adduction at a movable portion corresponding to a human foot joint. FIG. 6 is an external view of the structure of FIG. 5, but the thigh 19 on one side of the leg 5 of the biped walking robot 1 is abducted and the ankle joint on the leg is inverted. It shows how to do.

  The significance and usage of the three-axis acceleration sensor 22 installed in the above-described head 6 and waist 4 casing will be described. FIG. 7 shows positional shift amounts of the central portions of the head 6, the chest 2, and the abdomen 3 when the biped walking robot 1 is tilted. In FIG. 7, it is obvious that the positional shift amount of the head 6 is maximized with respect to the inclination angle 26 of the midline of the robot. This means that the head 6 having the maximum position shift amount at the same time can be said to be the position shift amount observation point for performing the most sensitive and quick center-of-gravity movement control. This is why the triaxial acceleration sensor 22 for controlling the movement of the center of gravity is installed on the head 6.

  When the head 6 is structured to be movable about the chest 2 by an axis rotation type actuator, the center-of-gravity movement control based on the position movement amount of the triaxial acceleration sensor 22 installed on the head 6 is performed on the waist 4. However, it is necessary to correct the rotation amount or the movement amount of the head 6. The head 6 may be simply fixed to the chest 2.

  Next, the structure and operation of the balancer and stabilizer 41 in the upper housing portion 44 of the robot will be described.

  FIG. 8 shows the structure and operation of the upper housing part 44 of the robot, in this example, the balancer and stabilizer 41 in the housing of the chest 2 when viewed from the side when the biped robot 1 is tilted forward. It is a thing. In FIG. 8, the balancer 42 has a structure that pivots left and right around the axis 40 of the chest, but the stabilizer 43 has a structure that can move up and down and right and left about the movable part of the actuator. This is a function of further assisting the center of gravity movement by the forward inclination of the abdominal part 3 and the chest part 2 as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 9 shows the structure and operation of the upper housing portion 44 of the robot, that is, the balancer and the stabilizer 41 in the chest 2 in this example as seen from the side, when the biped robot 1 is tilted backward. It is a thing. In FIG. 9, as in the case of FIG. 8, the stabilizer 43 is movable vertically and horizontally with the movable part of the actuator as an axis. This is a function of further assisting the movement of the center of gravity due to the rearward inclination of the abdominal part 3 and the chest part 2 as shown in FIG.

  An actual walking motion and state of the biped walking robot 1 having the above-described function and structure will be described with reference to examples shown in FIGS.

  10 to 13 show the standing and walking state of the biped robot 1 for each structure. In each figure, the left is a view as seen from the left side of the biped robot 1, the upper right and the lower right are the common median lines of the robot, and the upper right is the robot housing and balancer 42 as seen from the upper face of the robot. The position of the stabilizer 43, the lower right is a figure showing the right and left weight distribution of the balancer and the stabilizer 41 in the robot housing.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a standing state of the biped robot 1 having the balancer and the stabilizer 41 according to the present invention.

  FIG. 11 shows that when the bipedal walking robot 1 according to the present invention having the balancer 42 is bipedal, when the right leg is lifted and stepped forward, the upper body moves to the right with respect to the axis of the waist 4 of the robot. It is a figure showing the state which performs external rotation and performs a gravity center movement.

  FIG. 12 shows the biped walking robot 1 according to the present invention having the balancer and the stabilizer 41 when the right leg is grounded during the bipedal walking and the left leg left behind is pulled toward the axis of the waist 4 of the robot. On the other hand, the upper body rotates outward in the direction of travel, and the balancer and the stabilizer 41 move within the housing portion 44 of the upper body of the robot to move the center of gravity.

  FIG. 13 is a plan view of the biped walking robot 1 having the balancer and the stabilizer 41 when the right leg is grounded during the bipedal walking and the left leg left behind is pulled toward the axis of the waist 4 of the robot. On the other hand, the upper body does not rotate outwardly, and the balancer and the stabilizer 41 move within the housing portion 44 of the upper body of the robot to move the center of gravity.

  In the standing robot of FIG. 10, as shown in the lower right part of FIG. 10, both legs 5 are grounded, and the balancer and stabilizer 41 have a symmetrical weight distribution with respect to the midline of the robot.

  In addition, in the biped walking state of the biped walking robot 1 according to the present invention having the balancer 42 on the back side of the housing portion 44 of the upper body of the robot shown in FIG. 11, the upper body is placed on the right leg side that floats and steps forward. I'm turning around. At this time, if the upper housing portion 44 of the robot has a left-right symmetrical structure and is sufficiently small with respect to the weight distribution of the balancer 42 in the entire robot weight, the robot's midline can be rotated either left or right. Assuming that the left-right symmetry of the upper housing portion 44 of the robot does not change substantially, only the weight distribution of the balancer 42 moves to the grounding leg 46 side as shown in the lower right part of the figure. This is an example of the center of gravity movement by the center of gravity moving device of the biped walking robot 1 of the present invention.

  When the biped walking robot 1 according to the present invention having the balancer and the stabilizer 41 shown in FIG. 12 is biped, when the right leg is grounded and the left leg remaining behind is pulled, the axis of the waist 4 of the robot FIG. 11 illustrates a state in which the upper body rotates outward to the right in the direction of travel, and the balancer 42 and the stabilizer 43 move to the right in the direction of travel within the housing portion 44 of the upper body of the robot. Since the balancer and the stabilizer 41 move further in the external rotation direction in the chest 2 case than the structure in which the upper body rotates left and right with respect to the axis of the waist part 4 and moves in the center of gravity, the weight distribution is more Move to 46 side. This is an example of the center of gravity movement by the center of gravity moving device of the biped walking robot 1 of the present invention.

  In the bipedal walking state in which only the balancer 42 and the stabilizer 43 move and move in the center of gravity in the upper housing portion 44 of the robot shown in FIG. 13, the balancer and stabilizer 41 move to the ground leg 46 side, and 2 The center of gravity in the left-right direction of the leg walking robot 1 moves to the ground leg 46 side. This is an example of the center of gravity movement by the center of gravity moving device of the biped walking robot 1 of the present invention.

  FIG. 33 shows a summary of the center-of-gravity moving method according to the present invention by the biped walking robot 1 having the center-of-gravity moving apparatus according to the present invention. As described above, the center-of-gravity movement method according to the present invention is more suitable for the standing and bipedal walking movements than the position shift amount of the three-axis acceleration sensor mounted on the head 6 while keeping the waist part 4 in an absolute level. The feature is that the center of gravity movement of the biped robot 1 is divided and performed separately.

  The center-of-gravity movement of the biped robot 1 before and after is performed by the back-and-forth motion of the abdomen 3 around the waist 4 or the up-and-down motion of the stabilizer 43 or the motion of the movable part corresponding to the human foot joint.

  The left and right center-of-gravity movement of the biped walking robot 1 is performed by the external rotation movement of the chest part 2 around the waist part 4 or the abdominal part 3 or the left-right movement movement of the balancer and the stabilizer 41.

  The form of one Example (Example 4) of this invention is demonstrated referring FIGS. 14-29.

  The structure and operation examples of the pendulum type balancer 42 and the stabilizer 43 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 14 is a configuration diagram of the pendulum type balancer 42 in the upper housing portion 44 of the robot as viewed from the front of the robot. In FIG. 14, a balancer 42 attached to the rotation shaft of the drive shaft 11 of the servo motor 8 rotates around the rotation shaft left and right like a pendulum in the left and right direction of the robot movement.

  FIG. 15 is a configuration diagram of FIG. 14 viewed from the side of the robot.

  FIG. 16 is an example of the structure of the pendulum type balancer 42 installed in the servo motor 8. The left side of FIG. 16 is a view seen from the front of the robot, and the right side is a side view. In FIG. 16, the pendulum type balancer 42 includes a drive battery 27, a battery case 28, and a servo motor 8. A battery case 28 carrying the driving battery 27 is fixed to the servo horn 10 of the servo motor 8.

  The battery case 28 may be fixed to the servo horn 10 at both ends of the drive shaft 11 of the servo motor 8 as shown in FIG.

  The pendulum type balancer 42 shown in FIG. 16 may have a structure in which the drive battery 27 and the servo motor 8 are upside down as shown in FIG.

  Further, the structure of the above-described pendulum type balancer 42 may be used for a stabilizer 43 as shown in FIG.

  The characteristics of the above-described pendulum type balancer 42 and stabilizer 43 will be briefly described. As described in one embodiment (embodiment 2) of the present invention, regarding the center of gravity movement of the biped robot 1 according to the present invention, the center position or the center of gravity position of the balancer 42 and the stabilizer 43 is from the hip joint of the robot. It is more advantageous that they are separated from each other, and it is more advantageous that they can move in the horizontal direction in a shorter time.

  The pendulum type balancer 42 or the stabilizer 43 shown in FIG. 14 or FIG. 15 is reduced in height with respect to the rotation angle of the drive shaft 11 of the servo motor 8 when the amount of movement increases due to the structure. It is mentioned that the horizontal movement time to the center of gravity increases, leading to an increase in the housing width required for a biped robot.

  The structure and operation example of the sweep type balancer 42 and the stabilizer 43 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 20 is a configuration diagram of the sweep type balancer 42 in the upper housing portion 44 of the robot as viewed from the front of the robot. In FIG. 20, the balancer 42 is attached so that its operation trajectory is parallel to the rotational axis of the drive shaft 11 of the servo motor 8, and externally pivots left and right so as to draw a semicircle around the movable axis of the servo motor 8. To do. FIG. 21 is a configuration diagram of FIG. 20 viewed from the side of the robot. FIG. 22 is a configuration diagram of the above-described sweep type balancer 42 as seen from the upper side of the robot.

  FIG. 24 is an example of the structure of the sweep type balancer 42 installed in the servo motor 8. In FIG. 24, the sweep type balancer 42 includes a drive battery 27, a battery case 28, and a servo motor 8. A battery case 28 carrying the driving battery 27 is fixed to the servo horn 10 of the servo motor 8. FIG. 25 is a configuration diagram of FIG. 24 viewed from the upper side of the robot.

  The battery case 28 may be fixed to the servo horn 10 at both ends of the drive shaft 11 of the servo motor 8 in order to improve the strength.

  Further, the structure of the aforementioned sweep type balancer 42 may be used for a stabilizer 43 as shown in FIG.

  The features of the above-described sweep type balancer 42 and stabilizer 43 will be briefly described. As described in one embodiment (embodiment 2) of the present invention, with respect to the movement of the center of gravity of the biped robot 1 according to the present invention, the center position or the center of gravity of the balancer 42 and the stabilizer 43 can be moved in the horizontal direction in a shorter time. It is advantageous that it can be moved.

  When the amount of movement of the sweep type balancer 42 or the stabilizer 43 shown in FIG. 20 increases in structure, the horizontal movement time to the desired center of gravity increases with respect to the rotation angle of the drive shaft 11 of the servo motor 8. And the point that it leads to the increase in the housing | casing width | variety requested | required of a bipedal walking robot is mentioned.

  The structure and operation examples of the slide type balancer 42 and the stabilizer 43 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  26 to 28 are examples of the structure of the slide type balancer 42 installed in the servo motor 8. In FIG. 26, the slide type balancer 42 includes a drive battery 27, a battery case 28, a battery holder 29 having a steer pin 31, a steer bar 30, a guide rail 33, and a servo motor 8. The battery holder 29 carrying the driving battery 27 moves left and right in the battery case 28, which will be described below.

  With respect to FIG. 26, the left part of the figure is an example view seen from the front of the robot, and the right part is a view seen from the back of the robot. FIG. 27 is a view of the structure of FIG. 26 as viewed from the side of the robot. FIG. 28 is a view of the structure of FIG. 26 viewed from the upper side of the robot.

  The battery holder 29 is provided with a protruding pin called a steer pin 31. One end of a steer bar 30 having an inner width gap 32 through which the steer pin 31 can move smoothly is connected to the drive shaft 11 of the servo motor 8 directly or via the servo horn 10.

  The guide rail 33 having an inner width gap 32 through which the steer pin 31 can move smoothly is fixed to the battery case 28 at both ends.

  With the steer pin 31 inserted between the gap 32 and the guide rail 33 of the steer bar, the steer bar 30 performs outer rotation and inner rotation around the movable shaft of the servo motor 8.

  At this time, the steer pin 31 can move freely in the gap 32 of the steer bar with respect to the steer bar 30 that rotates outward and inward about the movable shaft of the servo motor 8 and is along the gap of the guide rail 33. The movement locus of the battery holder 29 carrying the driving battery 27 is in the direction of the guide rail 33 of the battery case 28. The abduction and inward movements of the drive shaft 11 of the servo motor 8 are converted into left and right movements along the guide rails 33 of the battery case 28 on which the drive battery 27 is mounted.

  The steer bar 30 may be fixed to the servo horn 10 at both ends of the drive shaft 11 of the servo motor 8 in order to improve the strength.

  Further, the structure of the slide type balancer 42 described above may be used for a stabilizer 43 as shown in FIG.

  It should be noted that the center of gravity movement by all the balancers 42 and the stabilizers 43 described above may be sufficient for both the front, back, left and right center of gravity movements of the robot. It is not always necessary to be parallel or perpendicular to each axis of the robot 1.

  In addition, the balancer 42 and the stabilizer 43 can be arbitrarily combined with each other for all the types described above.

  The weight of each type of stabilizer 43 described above may use a driving power source if necessary.

  The power source for driving used for the balancer and stabilizer 41 is preferably designed and installed so that the balance between the center of gravity on the left and right is symmetrical with respect to the front of the robot when mounted on the actuator in the chest housing.

  An embodiment of the present invention (Embodiment 5) will be described with reference to FIGS. 59 and 60. FIG.

  59 and 60, the servo motor 8 according to the present invention can be arbitrarily set between the waist 4 and the uppermost position of the thigh 19, or between the chest 2 and the abdomen 3, or the balancer 42 and the stabilizer 43. The torque controller installed in is explained.

  As shown in FIGS. 59 and 60, the casing XA 13 and the casing XB 14 are connected by the servo motor 8 in all movable parts of the biped walking robot 1.

  As described above, the biped walking robot 1 according to the present invention is characterized in that the weight of the balancer 42 and the stabilizer 43 having a sufficiently large mass as compared with the weight of the robot housing is used. The servo motor 8 that moves the waist 4 and the uppermost position of the thigh 19, or between the chest 2 and the abdomen 3, or the balancer 42 and the stabilizer 43 is connected to at least both ends of the servo motor 8. The weight difference between the parts is large, or a heavy load is applied during operation on one side.

  For example, in FIGS. 59 and 60, when the housing XA13 has a relatively large weight and the housing XB14 is lightweight or the load is extremely small, the servomotor 8 in FIG. When moving to X, the XB 14 may move upward due to its own weight of the housing XA13, but the torque controller arbitrarily mounted on the servo motor 8 plays a role to prevent this.

  Specifically, for the biped walking robot 1 in the standing state, when the chest 2 equipped with the balancer 42 and the stabilizer 43 is turned with respect to the abdomen 3, the friction coefficient between the foot 21 and the ground is extremely low, This is a phenomenon in which a part above the abdomen 3 of the robot is left and the part below the abdomen 3 rotates in the reverse direction. By setting an arbitrary cancel torque value in a torque controller arbitrarily mounted on the servo motor 8, the above-mentioned idling phenomenon can be prevented.

  The form of one Example (Example 6) of this invention is demonstrated referring FIGS. 30-32.

  In the sixth embodiment, an example in which the biped robot 1 described above is applied as a remote control type will be described.

  In order to make the biped robot 1 remote control type, an operation device, a signal processing board, and a transmitter are required on the operation side. Further, on the biped walking robot 1 side that is the operated side, in addition to the components of the biped walking robot 1 described above, a signal processing board including a receiver and a servo controller is required. At this time, it is obvious that the receiver and the substrate need to be arranged in consideration of the center of gravity of the entire biped walking robot 1.

  An example of the remotely operated biped robot 1 for the purpose of further improving the practicality and entertainment is given below.

  FIG. 31 shows an example in which a camera 34 is mounted on the head 6 of the remotely operated biped robot 1. With this configuration, an image from the viewpoint of the biped walking robot 1 can be confirmed on the operation side.

  FIG. 32 shows an example in which a speaker 35 is mounted at an arbitrary position of the remote-operated biped robot 1. Thereby, when a specific operation is performed by the signal processing board described above, it is possible to produce an arbitrary sound effect that enhances the sense of reality.

  FIG. 30 shows a system necessary for making the biped walking robot 1 according to the present invention remote control type by adding the camera 34 and the speaker 35 described above.

  In FIG. 30, a receiver and a monitor are required on the operation side. The receiver is necessary for receiving the state of the biped robot 1 and the image data received by the camera 34. The monitor is used to display the reception information.

  In FIG. 30, a transmitter is required on the biped walking robot 1 side. The transmitter is necessary for transmitting the state information of the biped robot 1 and the image reception data of the camera 34 to the operation side. As a result, it is possible to confirm the image from the viewpoint of the robot and the state of the robot from the operation side.

  Finally, in the biped walking robot 1 according to the present invention, in the above-described remote operation, for example, the servo motor 8 configured in each joint portion newly installed with a sensor or the like for detecting vibration is set to a certain condition, for example, Expressing a pseudo-injury state by stopping the operation of the servo motor 8 of an arbitrary movable part such as a part touched by a robot when it comes into contact with an obstacle or when fighting with a plurality of biped robots 1 You can also.

  In addition, when high-speed biped walking is performed continuously, when the biped walking time counted in advance exceeds a certain time, the operation of the servomotor 8 of the leg is particularly set dull. By dulling the movement of the center of gravity of the balancer and stabilizer 41, it is possible to simulate a human who walks tiredly.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Biped walking robot 2 Chest 3 Abdomen 4 Lumbar 5 Leg 6 Head 7 Arm 8 Servo motor 9 Servo case 10 Servo horn 11 Drive shaft 12 Screw 13 Housing XA
14 Housing XB
15 Housing Y
16 Upper arm portion 17 Forearm portion 18 Hand portion 19 Thigh portion 20 Lower thigh portion 21 Foot portion 22 Three-axis acceleration sensor 23 Head position shift amount 24 Chest position shift amount 25 Abdominal position shift amount 26 Robot midline Inclination angle 27 Battery for driving 28 Battery case 29 Battery holder 30 Steer bar 31 Steer pin 32 Stair bar gap 33 Guide rail 34 Camera 35 Speaker 36 Ground 37 Leg shaft 38 Lumbar shaft 39 Abdominal shaft 40 Chest shaft 41 Balancer and stabilizer 42 Balancer 43 Stabilizer 44 Robot upper body part 45 Robot hip joint part 46 Ground leg 47 Mass point seen from the front of the balancer and stabilizer 48 Mass point seen from the front of the upper body part 49 From the front of the leg part Observed mass point 50 Ground leg Height from the hip joint part to the balancer and stabilizer middle part 51 Height of the leg part 52 Weight point of the balancer and stabilizer on the floating leg side 53 Point of mass of the balancer and stabilizer on the grounded leg side 54 Body on the floating leg side The mass point of the body part of the body 55 The mass point of the body part of the upper body on the grounding leg side 56 The mass point of the leg of the floating side 57 The gravity due to the mass point of the balancer and the stabilizer 60 Floating leg side hip joint 61 Ground leg side hip joint part 62 w (distance from each hip joint part to waist axis)
63 Upward force acting on the hip joint on the ground leg 64 64 Moment acting on the hip joint on the ground leg in the median direction of the robot 65 Gravity newly generated 66 W (balancer and stabilizer width)
67 dW (balancer and stabilizer travel)
68 Upper hip joint on the floating leg 69 Upper hip joint on the ground leg 70 Downward gravity applied to the upper hip joint on the ground leg 71 Gravity due to the mass of the floating leg after movement of the balancer and stabilizer 72 Balance of the balancer and stabilizer Gravity applied to the upper hip joint on the floating leg side due to movement 73 Centrifugal force due to movement of balancer and stabilizer 74 Combined force of gravity due to mass of balancer and stabilizer and centrifugal force due to movement 75 mu (from the front of the upper body casing) The mass point I saw)
76 mf (mass point of the floating leg)
77 Moment generated outside the robot 78 H (height from the hip joint part on the grounding leg side to the balancer and stabilizer middle part)
79 L (Leg height)
80 The balancer and the symmetrical part of the upper part of the hip joint on the grounding leg side of the stabilizer 81 The part of the balancer and the upper part of the hip joint on the side of the grounding leg that protrudes excessively to the outside of the robot 82 The part of the balancer and stabilizer that protrudes excessively to the outside of the robot Mass point of 83 Wm (width overhanging outside the robot around the axis of the grounding leg of the balancer and stabilizer)
84 Wo (The distance the mass point viewed from the front of the balancer and stabilizer has moved from the axis of the leg on the grounding leg side to the moment balance state outside the robot)
85 Wmax (maximum amount of balancer and stabilizer protruding from the leg axis 37 toward the outside of the robot)

Claims (1)

Lower leg consisting of waist and both legs, abdomen located on the upper side of the waist and tilting back and forth around the waist with respect to the direction of travel, front and back with respect to the head and chest with a structure that can rotate left and right It consists of an upper body consisting of a chest that is connected to both arms that can move and rotate, and that can be rotated to the left and right optionally via a torque controller around the abdomen, and is called a balancer in the chest housing. It has a structure that can be equipped with a drive battery and can be moved left and right independently within the chest housing, and a structure that can be equipped with an auxiliary weight for moving the center of gravity called a stabilizer and can be moved vertically and horizontally independently within the chest housing. Each of the movable parts can be arbitrarily moved by an actuator via a torque controller, and the position of the head can be moved by having a three-axis acceleration sensor on the head and the waist. Keeping the waist more absolutely horizontal, and moving the center of gravity in the front and back direction by moving the upper body forward or backward, or moving the stabilizer in the chest housing or actively moving the leg joints of both legs, The left and right center-of-gravity movements can be established by rotating the chest around the abdomen in the left-right direction or moving the chest around the abdomen in the left-right direction and moving the balancer and stabilizer independently within the chest housing. A bipedal walking robot that performs bipedal walking by a center-of-gravity movement method characterized by performing bipedal walking movement by a combined motion of each part and lower limb.

Images