JP5755108B2 - Legged mobile robot - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a legged mobile robot having a configuration in which a thigh and a crus are connected by a knee joint and a foot is connected to the lower part of the crus through an ankle joint.

  In general, many legged mobile robots that can walk on two legs have been proposed. In this legged mobile robot, the thigh and lower leg are connected via a knee joint, and the foot is connected to the lower part of the lower leg via an ankle joint. The two-legged walking is performed by moving while rotating at a predetermined angle by rotating or swinging and the back surface of the foot part comes into contact with and separates from the ground.

  In addition, the legged mobile robot is configured such that when performing biped walking, a drive source for driving the foot is disposed on the thigh above the leg in order to achieve low inertia. . For example, in a conventional legged mobile robot, a drive motor of a swing mechanism is installed on the thigh, and the pulley is rotated by the rotation of the drive motor. The legged mobile robot operates the ankle joint by moving the rod connected to the pulley up and down, or operates the ankle joint via the link from the rod by configuring the link in the lower leg. The foot is at an optimal angle when walking (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2007-245346 A

However, the conventional legged mobile robot has been desired to be further improved as described below.
In a conventional legged mobile robot, a drive motor that is a drive source of a swing mechanism for controlling the angle of the foot is arranged on the thigh side in order to reduce inertia, so that the thigh As a result, the amount of interference with the lower torso and the amount of interference between the left and right thighs increases and the range of the hip joint angle is narrowed. In addition, when the legged mobile robot is configured to widen the range of movement of the ankle joint by installing a drive source of the swing mechanism in the thigh and increasing the movement width of the rod, the inside of the lower leg It is conceivable to install a link mechanism or the like to achieve low inertia. However, if a link mechanism is provided on the crus, the link mechanism will be wide, and the link mechanism is heavy, so when considering the limitations of installing in the limited storage space of the crus Further improvement was desired.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and a legged mobile robot and a protective cover that can maintain a low inertia, reduce a thigh, and widen a movable range of an ankle joint. It is an object to provide a driving method.

In order to solve the above-described problem, a legged mobile robot according to claim 1, wherein a leg part connected to a lower end of a thigh through a knee joint, and an ankle joint at a lower end of the lower leg part. The foot part is rocked with respect to the crus part via the ankle joint by advancing and retreating a foot part connected via the ankle joint and a rod having a lower end connected to the ankle joint and extending toward the crus side. In a legged mobile robot comprising a leg having a swing mechanism,
The swing mechanism includes a drive motor provided on a support frame installed in a lower crus exterior, a drive pulley driven by the drive motor, a driven pulley driven by the drive pulley, and a rocker provided on the driven pulley. An arm, and the rod provided on the rocker arm,
A driven pulley is disposed above the drive pulley, and an upper end of the rod is rotatably connected to a rocker arm of the driven pulley, and a lower end of the rod is at a swing fulcrum position that swings the ankle joint. Are pivotally connected ,
A guide cover provided on the support frame and having a guide groove; a protective cover having a groove connecting portion that is rotatably connected to the guide groove of the guide means; and a mounting portion that is rotatably connected to the ankle joint; Further comprising
The guide means has a position of the retracting end of the rod when the groove connecting portion is located at one moving end, and the guide means is located when the groove connecting portion is located at the other moving end. Formed to be the position of the advancing end of the rod,
The protective cover is disposed in the crus exterior with the groove connecting portion positioned at one moving end of the guide groove at the retreating end of the rod, and at the position of the advancing end of the rod. The groove connecting portion is located at the other moving end of the guide groove and operates to cover the upper side of the ankle joint exposed from the crus exterior,
The guide means includes a first groove portion that is formed in an S-shape and is convex on an inner surface of the outer crus portion that is located on a heel side of the foot portion, and an unevenness that is continuous with the first groove portion. The second groove part that is concave with respect to the inner surface of the crus exterior beyond the position at which the inflection occurs is formed in order in the direction from the upper part of the lower leg part to the lower part of the lower leg part . .

According to such a configuration, when the legged mobile robot walks or rotates the ankle joint, the drive motor provided in the crus exterior is driven and the driven pulley is predetermined via the drive pulley. When the angle is rotated, the rod provided on the rocker arm of the driven pulley moves forward and backward. At this time, since the driven pulley is located above the drive pulley in the lower leg exterior, the range in which the ankle joint rotates can be increased by increasing the distance by which the rod advances and retreats. In addition, even if the swing mechanism is installed on the crus side, the legged mobile robot does not have much difference in weight compared to the link mechanism, and can secure low inertia. .
Further, according to this configuration, the legged mobile robot has the protective cover housed inside the crus exterior when the maximum rotation angle of one of the ankle joints is reached, and the other maximum of the ankle joint. When the rotation angle is reached, it operates so as to cover the upper side of the ankle joint. The legged mobile robot rotates the ankle joint by a predetermined angle by moving the rod from the retreating end to the advancing end, and the groove is connected along the guide groove of the guide means by the rotation of the ankle joint. It is possible to guide the movement of the protective cover by moving the part and interlock the cover so as to cover the upper structure portion of the ankle joint that has reached the other maximum rotation angle from the inside of the lower leg exterior.
Furthermore, according to such a configuration, the legged mobile robot can move from the position where the protective cover comes closest to the inner surface of the lower leg exterior together with the groove connecting portion that moves along the guide groove formed in the S shape. Since the movement of the protective cover moves along the S-shape, the space inside the lower leg exterior can be used effectively.

Further, in the legged mobile robot, it is convenient that the rod is configured to be linearly formed and linearly move.
According to such a configuration, the legged mobile robot performs the operation of moving forward and backward by moving the length of the rocker arm by the rotation of the driven pulley and linearly moving by the rotation of the driven pulley. The movement of the rod that moves linearly by rotation at a predetermined angle can be directly linked to the movement of rotating the ankle joint.

In the legged mobile robot, the protective cover is installed so that the protective cover is closest to the inner surface of the crus exterior when the groove connecting portion is at the position of the first groove. It was set as the structure.
According to such a configuration, the legged mobile robot is positioned closest to the inner surface of the crus exterior by positioning the groove coupling portion in the first groove portion that is the convex of the S-shaped guide groove, and the protective cover is placed on the ankle. The protective cover can be moved to the ankle joint side even if the groove connecting portion moves to the position where the S-shaped bend is moved, and then the second is a concave portion of the S-shaped guide groove. The protective cover can be protruded and moved from the crus exterior to the ankle joint side until the groove connecting part is positioned in the groove part.

Furthermore, in the legged mobile robot, the mounting portion of the protective cover may be a mounting frame that fixes one end to the protective cover and rotatably connects the other end to the ankle joint. .
According to such a configuration, the legged mobile robot can fix the position where the protective cover and the foot are connected to one end of the mounting frame as an arbitrary position by interposing the mounting frame. The relationship can be easily adjusted.

In the legged mobile robot, the foot portion includes an exterior cover that protrudes from the heel side toward the ankle joint side, and the attachment frame is curved toward the toe side between one end and the other end thereof. A curved projecting length that allows the distal end of the exterior cover to move when the exterior cover moves as the ankle joint is rotated at the retracted end of the rod. It was decided that it was formed.
According to such a configuration, the legged mobile robot does not contact the tip of the exterior cover even if the tip of the exterior cover formed on the foot moves into the retraction end of the rod and enters the exterior of the lower leg. Since the curved portion is formed on the mounting frame as described above, it is possible to ensure both a wide movement range of the protective cover and a wide range of movement of the ankle joint.

Further, in the legged mobile robot, the rod is provided with a first rod and a second rod on the rocker arms respectively provided on the left and right sides of the driven pulley, and the guide means and the mounting frame are provided with the first rod. It is good also as a structure arrange | positioned between 1 rod and 2nd rod.
According to such a configuration, the legged mobile robot rotates the ankle joint along the pitch axis and the roll axis by moving the first rod and the second rod back and forth, and uses the guide means and the mounting frame. In addition, it is possible to secure a space in which the protective cover can be stored inside the lower leg exterior. In addition, it is good also as a structure which provides two drive motors, further provides two driven pulleys, installs a rocker arm in each driven pulley, and provides the 1st rod and the 2nd rod so that rotation is possible.

Further, the legged mobile robot according to claim 2 includes a crus connected to the lower end of the thigh via a knee joint, and a foot connected to the lower end of the crus via an ankle joint. And a swinging mechanism that swings the foot part relative to the crus part via the ankle joint by moving a rod whose lower end is connected to the ankle joint and extends toward the crus part. In a legged mobile robot with a body,
The swing mechanism includes a drive motor provided on a support frame installed in a lower crus exterior, a drive pulley driven by the drive motor, a driven pulley driven by the drive pulley, and a rocker provided on the driven pulley. An arm, and the rod provided on the rocker arm,
A driven pulley is disposed above the drive pulley, and an upper end of the rod is rotatably connected to a rocker arm of the driven pulley, and a lower end of the rod is at a swing fulcrum position that swings the ankle joint. Are pivotally connected,
A guide cover provided on the support frame and having a guide groove; a protective cover having a groove connecting portion that is rotatably connected to the guide groove of the guide means; and a mounting portion that is rotatably connected to the ankle joint; Further comprising
The guide means has a position of the retracting end of the rod when the groove connecting portion is located at one moving end, and the guide means is located when the groove connecting portion is located at the other moving end. Formed to be the position of the advancing end of the rod,
The protective cover is disposed in the crus exterior with the groove connecting portion positioned at one moving end of the guide groove at the retreating end of the rod, and at the position of the advancing end of the rod. The groove connecting portion is located at the other moving end of the guide groove and operates to cover the upper side of the ankle joint exposed from the crus exterior,
The support frame is installed to be inclined inside the crus exterior from above the space formed inside the crus exterior toward the inner surface of the crus exterior that is the toe side of the foot. And a storage space is formed between the support frame and the lower crus exterior inner wall surface on the heel side of the foot by tilting the support frame, and the protective cover is stored in the storage space. It has a structure which is provided so as to move along the guide means.

  According to such a configuration, the legged mobile robot is configured such that the support frame is disposed inside the crus exterior so as to form a storage space inside the slant support frame and the crus exterior. The protective cover is stored in the storage space, and the groove connecting part moves by the movement of the rod along the guide groove of the guide means, so that the protective cover is removed from the position of the storage space inside the crus exterior. The size of the protective cover can be secured and moved to the outside.

The legged mobile robot according to the present invention has the following excellent effects.
The legged mobile robot is provided with a swing mechanism that swings the foot in the exterior of the crus, a driven pulley is arranged above the drive pulley, and a rod provided on the rocker arm of the driven pulley is inserted through the ankle joint. Since the foot part is swung, the inertia can be secured and the thigh can be slimmed, and the restriction of the movable range of the thigh is reduced. In addition, since the legged mobile robot can widen the range of motion of the ankle joint, it is easy to balance even if there are irregularities during walking.

  The legged mobile robot can be operated so that the protective cover moves along the guide groove of the guide means as the rod moves forward and backward, and covers the upper part of the ankle joint without exposing it. In particular, the legged mobile robot can widen the range of ankle movement angles by making the guide groove S-shaped, and at the same time, can secure an internal space in the crus exterior. .

  The legged mobile robot is easy to arrange the protective cover and the guide means, especially by attaching the protective cover to the ankle joint with the attachment frame interposed, and adjusts the range to move the protective cover within the lower leg exterior It becomes easy.

  Since the legged mobile robot has a curved part on the protective cover mounting frame, it does not come into contact even if the outer cover of the foot moves so as to enter the exterior of the lower leg part. It is possible to secure both the movement range and widen the movable range of the ankle joint, and even when the ankle joint moves within a wide movable range, the state in which the internal structure is protected by the protective cover or the external cover can be maintained.

  The legged mobile robot is configured such that a support frame is inclined and installed inside the crus exterior, and a protective cover is installed in the storage space formed inside the inclined support frame and crus exterior. Therefore, it is possible to ensure the size of the protective cover that can be covered by the protective cover even if the movable range of the ankle joint is expanded.

(A), (b) is the side view and front view which show the whole leg type mobile robot which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which abbreviate | omits a leg part of the leg type mobile robot which concerns on this invention, and shows it as a cross section typically. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows typically the structure inside the leg part of the leg type mobile robot which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the protective cover and attachment frame which are provided in the leg part of the leg type mobile robot according to the present invention. (A)-(d) is sectional drawing which shows typically the relationship between the structure of the leg part and the movable range of an ankle joint in a legged mobile robot. (A)-(e) is sectional drawing which shows typically the state of the leg | foot part at the time of the walk in a legged mobile robot. Schematic for schematically comparing outlines of outer dimensions of thighs and crus of a legged mobile robot according to the present invention and outer dimensions of thighs and crus of a conventional legged mobile robot It is a figure, (a) is a side view, (b) is a front view.

Hereinafter, a legged mobile robot according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
Note that the expressions relating to the position, direction, etc. of the legged mobile robot will be described by specifying the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction with reference to the front of the legged mobile robot as shown in FIG. First, after briefly explaining the overall configuration of the legged mobile robot, the configuration of the lower leg connected to the thigh via the knee joint and the foot connected to the lower leg via the ankle joint will be described.

The robot As includes a camera, a speaker, a microphone, an image processing unit, a sound processing unit, a storage unit, a main control unit, an autonomous movement control unit, a wireless communication unit, a battery, a target detection unit, and a surrounding state detection unit (not shown). And a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver for acquiring the position coordinates where the robot As exists on a preset map. Is not shown.
[Configuration of legged mobile robot]
As shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b), a legged mobile robot (hereinafter referred to as a robot) As stands up by two legs RF and LF like a human and moves autonomously (walks). The body Bd, the two arms Ra and La provided at the shoulder position of the body Bd, and the head Hd provided at the upper center of the body Bd. . The robot As is provided through each joint so that the legs RF and LF, the torso Bd, the arms Ra and La, and the head Hd operate in substantially the same manner as a human, and control for controlling the operation thereof is performed. The device mounting portion Bc is provided on the back (back of the body Bd) in a form of carrying the back. Details of biped walking are disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-62760.

[Leg joint structure]
The joint structure of the legs RF and LF of the robot As includes six joints in each of the left and right legs RF, and a hip joint around the leg rotation (Z axis) provided in the crotch, Hip joint around the roll axis (X axis), hip joint around the pitch axis (Y axis) of the crotch, knee joints 110, 110 around the pitch axis (Y axis) of the knee, and pitch axis of the ankle (Y axis) ) And ankle joints 20 and 20 around the roll axis (X axis). And the leg parts 30 and 30 are attached to the position below leg body RF and LF.

[Structure of lower leg]
The robot As has legs Ft connected via a hip joint on the lower side of the body Bd. In the robot As, the thigh 100 is connected via the hip joint, the thigh 100 and the lower leg 10 are connected via the knee joint 110, and the lower part of the lower leg 10 is connected via the ankle joint 20. And leg portions RF and LF to which the foot portion 30 is connected. The robot As includes a swing mechanism 1 that swings the ankle joint 20 in the lower leg exterior 11 of the lower leg 10 (see FIG. 2). In addition, the robot As causes the ankle joint 20 to swing within the movable range by the swing mechanism 1 so that the protective cover 12 housed in the crus exterior 11 moves along the guide means 13. It is configured (see FIG. 5).

[Oscillation mechanism]
As shown in FIG. 2, a support frame 15 is installed on the inner surface of the crus exterior 11 in the crus exterior 11, and the swing mechanism 1 is installed in the support frame 15.
The swing mechanism 1 includes a drive motor M supported by a support frame 15, a drive pulley 2 driven by the drive motor M, an endless belt 3 which is a transmission means for transmitting the rotation of the drive pulley 2, and the endless A driven pulley 4 rotatably supported by a support frame 15 so as to be driven by the belt 3, a rocker arm 5 provided on the driven pulley 4, and a rocker arm 5 that is rotatable via a rotation pin 6. And a rod 7 connected to the ankle joint 20 via the universal joint 8 at the lower end serving as the other end.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the swing mechanism 1 includes a drive pulley 2 driven by a drive motor M (drive motors M1 and M2; see FIGS. 2 and 3) as a first drive pulley 2 </ b> A and a second drive pulley. The pulley 2B is installed to rotate, and similarly, the driven pulley 4 is also installed to rotate as the first driven pulley 4A and the second driven pulley 4B. The swing mechanism 1 also includes the first rod 7A provided on the first rocker arm 5A of the first driven pulley 4A via the first rotation pin (or spherical bearing) 6A and the second rod 7 A second rod 7B provided on the second rocker arm 5B of the driven pulley 4B via a second rotation pin (or spherical bearing) 6B is provided. Furthermore, the first rod 7A and the second rod 7B have the lower end side of the swing fulcrum position of the ankle joint 20 via the first universal joint 8A and the second universal joint 8B (position that is the universal center of the universal joint 8). It is linked to. The drive motor M is configured such that a pair of left and right electric motors and a drive pulley 2 (2A, 2B) are attached to the pair of electric motors and supported by the support frame 15, respectively. The two driven pulleys 4B may be driven. With such a configuration, each rod 7 (7A, 7B) can be moved independently.

  For the sake of explanation, the first drive pulley 2A and the second drive pulley 2B are used as the drive pulley 2, the first driven pulley 4A and the second driven pulley 4B are used as the driven pulley 4, and the first rocker arm 5A and the second rocker arm 5B. As the rocker arm 5, the first rotation pin 6A and the second rotation pin 6B as the rotation pin 6, the first rod 7A and the second rod 7B as the rod 7, and the first universal joint 8A and the second universal joint. 8B may be described as the universal joint 8, and similarly, the first and second objects may be described with one symbol.

  The first driven pulley 4A and the second driven pulley 4B are arranged to be above the first driving pulley 2A and the second driving pulley 2B. The first driven pulley 4A and the second driven pulley 4B are arranged so as to be separated from the swing fulcrum position of the ankle joint 20, so that the ankle joint 20 can be moved directly by the first rod 7A and the second rod 7B. It arrange | positions so that the range of a rotation operation | movement angle may spread. In the swing mechanism 1, the positional relationship between the driven pulley 4 and the driving pulley 2 may be such that the horizontal center of the driven pulley 4 is positioned above the horizontal center of the driving pulley 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the swing mechanism 1 is here arranged such that the positional relationship between the drive pulley 2 and the driven pulley 4 is in series in the vertical direction.

The endless belt 3 is stretched between the driving pulley 2 and the driven pulley 4. Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the endless belt 3 is configured to be pressed to one side by a pressing roller 16 supported by a support frame 15 at a position between the driving pulley 2 and the driven pulley 4.
The pressing roller 16 includes a fixed portion supported by the support frame 15 and a rotating roller rotatably supported by the fixed portion.
The endless belt 3 is always pressed in one direction by the pressing roller 16, so that the rotation from the driving pulley 2 can be transmitted to the driven pulley 4 while maintaining the tension. The endless belt 3 may be a flat belt or a toothed belt.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the first rocker arm 5A and the second rocker arm 5B, here, the arm portions protrude in parallel from the annular portions fixed to the peripheral edges of the first driven pulley 4A and the second driven pulley 4B. Each is formed to do. Then, the first rocker arm 5A and the second rocker arm 5B are respectively connected to one end of the first rod 7A and the second rod 7B via the first rotation pin 6A and the second rotation pin 6B on the parallel arm portions. It is pivotably connected.

  The first rod 7A and the second rod 7B are formed on a straight line, and move up and down with the rotation of the driven pulley 4 at a predetermined angle to rotate the ankle joint 20 at a predetermined angle. The first rod 7A and the second rod 7B are connected to the ankle joint 20 via the first universal joint 8A and the second universal joint 8B on the lower end side, and move linearly up and down to move the ankle joint 20 in the rolling direction. Alternatively, it is rotated in the pitching direction.

  The support frame 15 is arranged with the lower end side face along the front face plate 11 </ b> F which becomes the toe side in the crus exterior 11, and the upper end side of the support frame 15 becomes the heel side in the crus exterior 11. The connection protrusions 11a and 11b formed on 11B are connected. And the support frame 15 is formed in the shape which becomes concave downward along the spherical surface shape of the external front cover 24 of the ankle joint 20 which mentions the lower end bottom face side later. Therefore, the support frame 15 is inclined and supported in the crus exterior 11 and is installed so as to form a storage space S for storing the protective cover 12 between the support frame 15 and the exterior back plate 11B. Further, the support frame 15 is arranged so that the bottom surface of the lower end has a shape along the external front cover 24 so as not to come into contact with the external front cover 24 even if the ankle joint 20 is movable. Yes.

[Protective cover]
The protective cover 12 is supported by the support frame 15 and is installed on the housing space S side with the exterior rear plate 11B, and is configured to be guided and moved by the guide means 13 attached to the support frame 15. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the protective cover 12 is sized to cover the outer cover 25 of the foot 30 described later, and the front cover 12 a and the side covers 12 b and 12 c are located at a position facing the exterior back plate 11 B. The first engagement portions 12d and 12d and the second engagement portions 12e and 12e are formed inside the front cover 12a. The protective cover 12 is attached to an attachment frame 14 which will be described later by the second engagement portions 12e, 12e, the attachment frame 14 is rotatably provided at the ankle joint 20, and the first engagement portions 12d, 12d is attached to the groove connecting portions 12f and 12f connected to the guide grooves 13a and 13b of the guide means 13, and is guided by the guide means 13 to move.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the protective cover 12 has a groove connecting portion 12f positioned at one moving end of the guide groove 13a of the guide means 13 when the rod 7 is at the retracted end, 11 is housed. In addition, as shown in FIG. 5 (d), the protective cover 12 has a groove connecting portion 12f positioned at the other moving end of the guide groove 13a of the guide means 13 when the rod 7 is at the advancing end, It is sent out from the exterior 11 and moves to a position covering the upper side of the ankle joint 20.

The first engaging portions 12d and 12d of the protective cover 12 are formed on the standing body, in which a standing body raised in a rib shape is provided in the center of the back surface of the front cover 12a so as to be spaced apart in parallel in the width direction. The groove connecting portions 12f and 12f are configured to communicate and be fixed to the engaging holes, respectively.
The groove connecting portions 12 f and 12 f slide along the guide grooves 13 a and 13 b of the guide means 13. The groove connecting portions 12f and 12f move along the guide grooves 13a and 13a along with the rotation of the ankle joint 20 that is rotated by the forward and backward movement of the rod 7, thereby operating the protective cover 12.

  The second engaging portions 12e and 12e of the protective cover 12 are formed in series between the first engaging portions 12d and 12d arranged in parallel. Here, the second engaging portions 12e and 12e are arranged above the center in the height direction of the front cover 12a, and between the guide plates 13A and 13B in which guide grooves 13a and 13b described later are formed. It is formed in the position. Since the second engaging portions 12e and 12e are located above the center in the height direction, it is possible to avoid interference even if the protective cover 12 moves and other members enter the inside of the protective cover 12. .

  The attachment frame 14 is attached to the ankle joint 20 as an attachment portion of the protective cover 12. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 3, the mounting frame 14 has a screw hole formed on one end side 14 a as a mounting portion of the protective cover 12, and is fixed to the second engaging portion 12 e of the protective cover 12 with a screw or the like. An annular portion 14d formed on the other end side 14c is rotatably attached to a part of the frame of the ankle joint 20. The mounting frame 14 further has a curved portion 14b formed from the one end side 14a toward the other end side 14c.

The curved portion 14b does not come into contact when the distal end of the external cover 25 that protects the ankle joint 20 formed on the foot portion 30 described later from the heel side becomes a rotational movement end on one end side of the ankle joint 20. Is for. Here, the curved portion 14b is formed such that the support frame is curved toward the 15 side when the foot portion 30 is in a horizontal state (the state shown in FIGS. 2 and 5B). The bending portion 14 b is set so that the protruding bending length (depth) does not come into contact with the moving end at the tip of the outer cover 25.
The mounting frame 14 is pushed or pulled by moving the ankle joint 20 by the forward and backward movement of the rod 7, and moves the protective cover 12 along the guide means 13 so as to have a predetermined path. I am letting.

[Guide means]
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the guide means 13 moves the protective cover 12 along a predetermined track. Here, the guide means 13 is formed by processing a metal plate and is connected to the support frame 15, and is formed in a predetermined shape. The guide plate 13A is formed by raising the support plate 13d. , 13B and guide grooves 13a, 13b formed in the guide plates 13A, 13B, respectively. Note that the guide means 13 further includes connecting cylinder portions 13e and 13e for connecting the connecting projections 11b and 11b formed on the exterior rear plate 11B to the upper end portion of the support plate 13d.

  The guide plates 13A and 13B of the guide means 13 are formed in parallel with each other so that the mounting frame 14 is located therebetween. The guide plates 13A and 13B are formed such that the guide grooves 13a and 13b are S-shaped here. As shown in FIG. 2, the guide groove 13a is formed continuously from one end that is the S-shaped one end starting point so as to gradually become a convex groove toward the exterior back plate 11B side toward the inflection point 13a3. From the inflection point 13a3 at the end of the first groove 13a1 and the end of the first groove 13a1 to the other end at the other end of the S-shape, gradually become a concave groove with respect to the exterior back plate 11B side. A continuously formed second groove 13a2 is formed. Similarly, the guide plate 13B has a first groove 13b1, an inflection point 13b3, and a second groove 13b2.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the guide groove 13a has a height shape of the plate portion so that the groove length and the groove position are at a predetermined position from the support plate 13d based on the movement range of the protective cover 12. It is formed by adjusting. Here, the guide groove 13a has the protective cover 12 in the crus exterior 11 as shown in FIG. 5 (a) when the groove connecting portion 12f is located at the groove end portion which is one moving end. It is set to be in the storage position. And the guide groove 13a sends out the protective cover 12 from the lower leg part exterior 11 as shown in FIG.5 (d), when the groove connection part 12f is located in the groove end part used as the other moving end. The position is set so as to cover the upper part of the ankle joint 20.

  In addition, when the protective cover 12 is at one moving end, the groove connecting portion 13f connected to the guide groove 13a is positioned at the one groove end portion, and the position of the retracting end of the rod 7 is aligned. ing. Further, at the other moving end of the protective cover 12, the groove connecting portion 13f connected to the guide groove is located at the other groove end portion, and the position of the advancing end of the rod is aligned.

  Then, when the guide groove 13a reaches the apex position of the convex groove of the first groove portion 13a1, the protective cover 12 is positioned closest to the exterior back plate 11B as shown in FIG. 5B. Is set. That is, the guide groove 13a is formed in an S shape, and the position of the protective cover 12 at the apex position of the S-shaped convex groove is set so as to be closest to the exterior rear plate 11B, so that the protective cover 12 is further lowered. Even if it is moved to, it will not be brought into contact with the exterior rear plate 11B.

[Ankle joint]
As shown in FIG. 2, the ankle joint 20 is rotated by a predetermined angle in the rolling axis direction and the pitch axis direction in response to the movement of the rod 7 to advance and retreat, thereby actuating the foot portion 30. The ankle joint 20 is provided with a rotation shaft portion 22 provided on a frame 21 so that a rolling shaft and a pitch shaft can rotate. The frame 21 is installed on the foot 30. Further, an outer front cover 24 is provided at a position on the toe side of the frame 21 so that the outer peripheral side has a circular arc shape in cross section.

  In addition, the outer cover 25 of the foot 30 is formed at a position on the heel side of the frame 21 with the convex curved surface facing outward. The ankle joint 20 has the other end of the rod 7 already described with the universal joint 8 at the swing fulcrum position (the universal center of the universal joint 8) in the frame 21 which is a fulcrum for the operation of the rotating shaft portion 22. Are connected through. Further, the ankle joint 20 is connected to the projecting connection arm 23 of the block provided with the frame 21 so that the annular portion 14d serving as the other end of the mounting frame 14 described above is rotatable. Here, the annular portion 14d of the attachment frame 14 is attached at the position of the projecting connection arm 23 that is the axial extension position of the rolling shaft.

[Foot]
The foot portion 30 is provided with a six-axis force sensor, a sensor fixing frame (movable portion), a motion direction conversion mechanism, a buffer mechanism, and the like (not shown) and connected to the frame 21 of the ankle joint 20. The foot 30 is provided so as to follow and swing as the ankle joint 20 swings. The foot portion 30 is formed so that the sole 31, the toe 32, and the heel 33 have an appropriate shape.
The configuration of the lower leg portion 10, the ankle joint 20, and the foot portion 30 of the robot As has been mainly described above. However, the robot As has other configurations, for example, the leg joints RF and LF, the knee joint 110 and the foot portion 30. For the ankle joint 20 and the like, known configurations are used for other configurations necessary for walking, a mechanism for receiving a load, and the like, and the description thereof is appropriately omitted here.

Next, the relationship between the movable range of the ankle joint 20 of the robot As and the operation of the protective cover 12 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5 (a), the ankle joint 20 is configured to be one of the pitch movable range limits at the retracting end of the rod 7, and at the advancing end of the rod 7, as shown in FIG. 5 (d). It is comprised so that it may become the other of the pitch movable range limit.

  As shown in FIG. 5 (a), the swing mechanism 1 rotates the driven pulley 4 by a predetermined angle via the endless belt 3 by rotating the driving pulley 2 by a predetermined angle by the driving motor M. A rod 7 rotatably provided on the rocker arm 5 is directly moved to a retreat end. When the rod 7 is positioned at the retracted end by the operation of the swing mechanism 1, the ankle joint 20 rotates (or swings) so that the heel 33 of the foot 30 is closest to the lower end of the crus exterior 11. This is one position of the movable range limit. When the ankle joint 20 is rotated, the mounting frame 14 is pushed up, and the protective cover 12 is housed in the crus exterior 11 with the groove connecting portion 13f positioned at one moving end of the guide groove 13a. It will be in the state.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the foot 30 is in contact with the ground, the drive motor M, the drive pulley 2, the endless belt 3, the driven pulley 4, the rocker arm 5, and the rod 7 are used. Is actuated (the rocking mechanism 1 is actuated), and the ankle joint 20 is rotated by a predetermined angle by the movement (downward) of the rod 7. When the ankle joint 20 rotates by a predetermined angle, the mounting frame 14 is moved downward from the original position, the protective cover 12 is pulled downward, and the groove connecting portion 13f moves along the first groove portion 13a1 of the guide groove 13a to be protected. Guide the movement of the cover 12. At this time, in the guide groove 13a, the groove connecting part 13f is guided and moved along the first groove part 13a1, and guides the protective cover 12 to the position closest to the exterior rear plate 11B.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5C, when the groove coupling portion 13f is at the inflection point 13a3 of the S-shaped guide groove 13, the ankle joint 20 is moved to the ankle joint 20 by the rod 7 of the swing mechanism 1. The state is further rotated by a predetermined angle than the state of b). In this state, the protective cover 12 is moved downward by further pulling the attachment frame 14 by the rotation of the ankle joint 20. When the protective cover 12 moves, the movement state of the protective cover 12 is guided by the movement locus of the groove connecting portion 13f that moves along the guide groove 13a. That is, as shown in FIG. 5B and FIG. 5C, the protective cover 12 is pulled by the attachment frame 14 when the ankle joint 20 is rotated by the movement of the rod 7 of the swing mechanism 1. Thus, the guide groove 13a3 is guided and moved from the inflection point 13a3 of the guide groove 13a so as to be separated from the position of the exterior back plate 11B and to be sent downward.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5 (d), by operating to the position of the advancing end of the rod 7 of the swing mechanism 1, the position becomes the other end of the pitch movable range limit of the ankle joint 20, and the toe of the foot portion 30. The foot portion 30 can be moved until the 32 portion is substantially parallel to the exterior front plate 11F. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 5 (c) and 5 (d), the protective cover 12 is entirely fed from the lower part of the crus exterior 11, and the upper part of the ankle joint 20, that is, It moves so as to cover a portion between the outer cover 25 and the outer front cover 24. That is, the protective cover 12 is sent out downward from the crus exterior 11 when the ankle joint 20 is rotated by the movement of the swing mechanism 1 up to the advancing end of the rod 7 so that the attachment frame 14 is pulled. The second groove portion 13a2 of the guide groove 13a is guided and moved from the other moving end.

  As described above, since the movable range of the ankle joint 20 can be expanded from the state of FIG. 5A to the state of FIG. Even when the foot 30 is stepped, it is easy to balance by moving the ankle joint 20 within a wide range of motion. Therefore, the posture control in the walking control or the like of the robot As is more stable.

Next, a state when the robot As (see FIG. 1) walks will be described with reference to FIG. The state of the leg RF, LF, the torso Bd, and the arms Ra, La of the robot As is omitted, and the state of the leg 10, the ankle joint 20, and the foot 30 of the leg RF or the leg LF is omitted. Only explained. Incidentally, when the robot As autonomously walks with two legs, a base station (not shown) controls the robot As to walk through data exchange between the robot As and the management computer.
Specifically, the base station transmits an execution command output from the management computer to the robot As, and receives data (status information) related to the state of the robot As transmitted from the robot As and the robot As receives the execution command. A signal (reception report signal) indicating that it has been received is received and output to the management computer. In addition, at least one base station (not shown) is provided in the task execution area in order to ensure data exchange between the robot As and the management computer.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b), when the robot As walks on two legs to execute some task, it operates the legs RF, LF and each joint, The ankle joint 20 is rotated so that the heel 33 is lifted from the state where the sole 31 of the foot portion 30 is in contact with the ground by operating the swing mechanism 1 of the portion 10 and retreating the rod 7 ( The foot 30 is swung out as shown in FIG. Thereafter, the foot portion 30 will land on the ground. For example, when there is a step on the ground surface, the foot portion 30 is as shown in FIG. In other words, the foot 30 is in a state where the ankle joint 20 rides on a step with the toe 32 of the foot 30 raised upward.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 6 (e), the robot As swings or rotates the ankle joint 20 in the direction of the imaginary line indicated by the arrow in an attempt to control the balance due to an unexpected step. If it is possible, it becomes easy to take balance control during walking.
Therefore, the structure of the crus 10, the ankle joint 20, and the foot 30 is wide enough to operate until the toe 32 of the foot 30 is parallel to the exterior front plate 11F as shown in FIG. 5 (d). As shown in FIG. 6E, even if a step such as an unevenness exists on the landing surface of the foot portion 30, it is possible to balance each other by operating each component within the movable range of the ankle joint 20. Further, when the robot As is balanced, since the thigh 100 (see FIG. 1) is slim because the swing mechanism 1 is provided in the crus 10, the range of motion of the hip joint Has been expanded to make it easier to balance.
When there is no level difference, as shown in FIG. 6 (e), the foot 30 has its foot back surface 31 landed on the ground, and the operation from FIG. 6 (b) is repeated again every time the walking operation is performed. It is.

  As described above, in the legged moving bot As, the swing mechanism 1 is installed on the crus 10 and the driven pulley 4 is disposed above the drive pulley 2, so that the range in which the rod 7 moves linearly is increased. It is possible to extend the range of motion of the ankle joint 20 by taking a long time. Even if the movable range of the ankle joint 20 is widened, the limited space can be effectively used by guiding the movement locus of the protective cover 12 by the guide means. In particular, by making the guide groove of the guide means S-shaped, the movement that can cover the protective part appropriately over the state of the ankle joint that has become the maximum range of motion from the state housed in the lower leg exterior A trajectory can be secured.

  Here, the ankle joint 20 has mainly described the range of motion of the pitch angle. However, the first rod 7A and the second rod 7B are controlled differently from the first drive motor M1 and the second drive motor M2. By doing so, the angle in the rolling direction can be increased by moving to the retreat end (upper end) and the advance end (lower end), respectively. That is, the ankle joint 20 can easily balance by increasing the angle range of both the pitch angle and the roll angle.

  Incidentally, as shown in FIG. 7, the thigh 100 is provided with a knee joint drive motor and the crus 10 is provided with the swing mechanism 1, and the thigh is provided with a knee joint. When comparing the outline with the configuration in which the drive motor and the swing mechanism are provided and the link mechanism is provided on the lower leg, it can be seen that the thigh 100 is slim on the side.

In addition, although the protective cover 12 was demonstrated as a structure rotatably attached to the ankle joint 20 via the attachment frame 14, attachment of the protective cover 12 is carried out by deform | transforming the 2nd engaging part 12e of the protective cover 12. FIG. It is good also as a structure formed as a part and attached to the ankle joint 20 so that rotation is possible.
Further, the drive pulley 2 and the driven pulley 4 may be configured such that the two are rotated synchronously or coaxially, or one may be formed with a width. And although the rod 7 was demonstrated as a structure which uses two pieces, you may be one.
Furthermore, although the shape of the mounting frame 14 has been described as a state in which the distal end of the outer cover 25 formed on the foot 30 does not come into contact with the curved portion 14b, the mounting frame 14 is linearly formed. The outer cover 25 may be formed so that the shape of the outer cover 25 is adjusted so as not to come into contact with the mounting frame, or a concave portion to be avoided may be formed.

  The support frame 15 has been described as being configured to be inclined and mounted in the crus exterior 11, but by forming the support frame 15 in a shape that forms the storage space S, the support frame 15 is formed in the crus exterior 11. You may arrange | position in parallel. Further, the drive pulley 2 (2A, 2B) and the driven pulley 4 (4A) may be rotated by the endless belt 3 wound around each, and the pressing roller 16 may be omitted.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Swing mechanism 2 Drive pulley 2A 1st drive pulley 2B 2nd drive pulley 3 Endless belt 4 Driven pulley 4A 1st driven pulley 4B 2nd driven pulley 5 Rocker arm 5A 1st rocker arm 5B 2nd rocker arm 6 Rotating pin 6A 1st rotation pin 6B 2nd rotation pin 7 Rod 7A 1st rod 7B 2nd rod 8 Universal joint 8A 1st universal joint 8B 2nd universal joint 10 Lower leg part 11 Lower leg part exterior 11B Exterior back plate 11F Exterior Front plate 11a Connection projection 11b Connection projection 12 Protective cover 12a Front cover 12b Side cover 12d First engagement portion 12e Second engagement portion 12f Groove connection portion 13 Guide means 13a3 Inflection point 13a1 First groove portion 13a2 Second groove portion 13b1 First 1 groove 13b3 inflection point 13b2 second groove 13A guide plate 13B guide plate 1 3a guide groove 13d support plate 13e connecting cylinder part 14 mounting frame 14a one end side 14b curved part 14c other end side 14d annular part 15 support frame 16 pressing roller 20 ankle joint 21 frame 22 rotating shaft part 24 external front cover 25 external cover 30 feet 31 soles 33 heels 32 toes 100 thighs 110 knee joints
As robot Bd body Bc control device mounting part Hd head M drive motor RF leg Ra arm part S storage space

Claims (7)

A lower leg connected to the lower end of the thigh via a knee joint, a foot connected to the lower end of the lower leg via an ankle joint, and a lower end connected to the ankle joint and the lower leg In a legged mobile robot comprising a leg having a swinging mechanism that swings the foot with respect to the crus through the ankle joint by moving a rod extending sideways forward and backward,
The swing mechanism includes a drive motor provided on a support frame installed in a lower crus exterior, a drive pulley driven by the drive motor, a driven pulley driven by the drive pulley, and a rocker provided on the driven pulley. An arm, and the rod provided on the rocker arm,
A driven pulley is disposed above the drive pulley, and an upper end of the rod is rotatably connected to a rocker arm of the driven pulley, and a lower end of the rod is at a swing fulcrum position that swings the ankle joint. Are pivotally connected ,
A guide cover provided on the support frame and having a guide groove; a protective cover having a groove connecting portion that is rotatably connected to the guide groove of the guide means; and a mounting portion that is rotatably connected to the ankle joint; Further comprising
The guide means has a position of the retracting end of the rod when the groove connecting portion is located at one moving end, and the guide means is located when the groove connecting portion is located at the other moving end. Formed to be the position of the advancing end of the rod,
The protective cover is disposed in the crus exterior with the groove connecting portion positioned at one moving end of the guide groove at the retreating end of the rod, and at the position of the advancing end of the rod. The groove connecting portion is located at the other moving end of the guide groove and operates to cover the upper side of the ankle joint exposed from the crus exterior,
The guide means includes a first groove portion that is formed in an S-shape and is convex on an inner surface of the outer crus portion that is located on a heel side of the foot portion, and an unevenness that is continuous with the first groove portion. A second groove that is recessed with respect to the inner surface of the crus exterior beyond the position at which the inflection occurs is formed in order in the direction from the upper crus downward to the lower crus <br / > Legged mobile robot characterized by that.   A lower leg connected to the lower end of the thigh via a knee joint, a foot connected to the lower end of the lower leg via an ankle joint, and a lower end connected to the ankle joint and the lower leg In a legged mobile robot comprising a leg having a swinging mechanism that swings the foot with respect to the crus through the ankle joint by moving a rod extending sideways forward and backward,
  The swing mechanism includes a drive motor provided on a support frame installed in a lower crus exterior, a drive pulley driven by the drive motor, a driven pulley driven by the drive pulley, and a rocker provided on the driven pulley. An arm, and the rod provided on the rocker arm,
  A driven pulley is disposed above the drive pulley, and an upper end of the rod is rotatably connected to a rocker arm of the driven pulley, and a lower end of the rod is at a swing fulcrum position that swings the ankle joint. Are pivotally connected,
  A guide cover provided on the support frame and having a guide groove; a protective cover having a groove connecting portion that is rotatably connected to the guide groove of the guide means; and a mounting portion that is rotatably connected to the ankle joint; Further comprising
  The guide means has a position of the retracting end of the rod when the groove connecting portion is located at one moving end, and the guide means is located when the groove connecting portion is located at the other moving end. Formed to be the position of the advancing end of the rod,
  The protective cover is disposed in the crus exterior with the groove connecting portion positioned at one moving end of the guide groove at the retreating end of the rod, and at the position of the advancing end of the rod. The groove connecting portion is located at the other moving end of the guide groove and operates to cover the upper side of the ankle joint exposed from the crus exterior,
  The support frame is installed to be inclined inside the crus exterior from above the space formed inside the crus exterior toward the inner surface of the crus exterior that is the toe side of the foot. A storage space is formed between the support frame and the lower crus exterior inner wall surface which becomes the heel side of the foot by tilting the support frame;
  The legged mobile robot characterized in that the protective cover is housed in the housing space and is provided to move along the guide means. The legged mobile robot according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the rod is linearly formed and linearly moves. The said protective cover is installed so that the said protective cover may be in the position closest to the inner surface of the said crus exterior when the said groove connection part is a position of the said 1st groove part. legged mobile robot according to 1. Mounting portion of the protective cover is fixed to one end to the protective cover, one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the other end is a mounting frame that pivotally connected to the ankle joint The legged mobile robot according to claim 1. The foot portion includes an exterior cover that protrudes from the heel side to the ankle joint side,
The mounting frame is provided with a curved portion that curves toward the toe side between one end and the other end, and the curved portion rotates with the ankle joint at the retracting end of the rod. 6. The legged mobile robot according to claim 5 , wherein the legged mobile robot is formed to have a curved protruding length that allows movement of a tip of the exterior cover when the exterior cover moves. The rod is provided with a first rod and a second rod on the rocker arms respectively provided on the left and right sides of the driven pulley, and the guide means and the mounting frame are disposed between the first rod and the second rod. The legged mobile robot according to claim 5 or 6 , wherein the legged mobile robot is arranged.

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