JPH1133941A - Structure of leg for leg type moving robot - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent damage in a leg part by providing a slide body, movable in the fore and aft direction, on a flat part of a foot, and providing an energizing means, which energizes the slide body to the predetermined position, in the condition that it is supported by the slide body. SOLUTION: A leg part 1 is extended downward from a hip joint provided in a lower part of a body part of a two-leg traveling type robot, and a hip joint 3 and an ankle joint 4 are provided at an intermediate part and a lower part of the leg part 1. Slide rails 8, which are extended in the fore and aft direction of a flat part 2 of a foot, are laid at positions close to both sides of a top surface of the flat part 2 of the foot, and a slide body 9 of rectangular plate is engaged freely to be moved on the slide rails 8 in the fore and aft direction of the flat part 2 of the foot. A base 5 of the leg part 1 is supported on the slide body 9 through an elastic body 10. With this structure, transmission of impact at the time of collision is relaxed, and generation of damage of the leg part 1 is prevented. At the same time, impact force to be applied to an obstruction is relaxed, and generation of damage of the obstruction can be avoided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a leg structure of a legged mobile robot.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A legged mobile robot such as a bipedal walking robot swings the foot of a leg that has left the floor forward in the traveling direction and moves down when moving.
The maximum speed at which the foot portion swings out in the traveling direction of the robot is faster than the moving speed of the entire robot. For this reason, when trying to move the robot at a relatively high speed, if the swinging foot collides with an unexpected obstacle,
There is a possibility that a large impact is applied to the leg from the foot, and the joint mechanism of the leg may be damaged or an obstacle may be damaged.

In order to avoid such a situation, it is conceivable to attach an elastic material such as rubber to the tip of the foot portion, or to constitute the front portion of the foot portion with an elastic material such as rubber. Can be However, in the former method, if the elastic material attached to the tip of the foot is thick in the front-rear direction of the foot, the elastic material becomes an obstacle when the robot goes up and down stairs, for example. If the elastic material is thin, the impact when the foot portion collides with an obstacle cannot be sufficiently reduced.

[0004] In the latter method, when the robot leaves the foot when the robot is moving, if the foot is finally to be lifted on the toe side of the foot in the same manner as in the case of a human, the foot is lifted. Cannot receive sufficient drag (floor reaction force) from the floor at the front of the robot, making it difficult to smoothly move the robot.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the foregoing, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and when the foot of the robot hits an obstacle during the movement of the robot, the obstacle is damaged or an impact is applied to the leg from the foot. It is possible to prevent the legs from being damaged due to the movement of the legs, and at the same time, when the robots normally move, the robots can move without hindrance while receiving sufficient drag from the floor. It is an object of the present invention to provide a leg structure of a legged mobile robot capable of performing the following.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the leg structure of a legged mobile robot of the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, a legged mobile robot having a foot at the lower end of the leg is provided. In the leg structure, a slide body which is movable at least in the front-rear direction of the foot part and an urging means for urging the slide body to a predetermined position on the foot part are provided on the foot part. The leg is supported by the slide body.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the leg type mobile robot moves, if the foot of the robot collides with an obstacle and receives an impact in the front-rear direction of the foot. The slide body supporting the robot leg moves in the front-rear direction of the foot against the urging force of the urging means, thereby mitigating the transmission of an impact from the foot to the leg. At the same time, the impact of the obstacle from the foot is reduced. In a normal moving state of the robot, since the slide body supporting the leg is urged to a predetermined position on the foot by the urging means, the leg is moved forward and backward with respect to the foot. Never move. Furthermore, since the impact is reduced when the foot portion collides with the obstacle as described above, there is no problem even if the foot portion is made of a hard material such as metal.

Therefore, according to the leg structure of the legged mobile robot according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the foot portion of the legged robot hits an obstacle during the movement of the robot, the obstacle is damaged or the foot is damaged. It is possible to prevent a situation in which an impact is transmitted from the leg to the leg and the leg is damaged, and, at the time of normal movement of the robot, its foot receives sufficient drag from the floor while receiving sufficient drag from the floor. The robot can move without hindrance.

In the first aspect of the present invention, when the slide body moves to the rear side of the foot section, for example, a stopper that comes into contact with the slide body is provided on the foot section,
The urging means urges the slide body to a position where it comes into contact with the stopper.

According to this configuration, the slide body is normally stopped at a position where the slide body comes into contact with the stopper by the urging force of the urging means. When the obstacle collides with the obstacle, the slide body moves forward against the urging force of the urging means, whereby the transmission of the impact from the foot portion to the leg portion can be reduced, and at the same time, the obstacle is prevented. The impact that the object receives from the foot can also be reduced.

Alternatively, in the first aspect of the present invention, for example, it is movable in the front-rear direction of the foot part integrally with the slide body and in the direction substantially orthogonal to the front-rear direction of the foot part. When a locking member is attached to the slide body and the locking member moves together with the slide body in the front-rear direction of the foot, the locking member moves in a direction substantially orthogonal to the front-rear direction of the foot. A cam member having a cam surface that can be brought into contact with the cam surface is fixed on the foot portion, and the urging means presses the locking member so as to press the locking member against the cam surface. Energize in a direction substantially perpendicular to the front-back direction of the foot,
The cam surface of the cam member holds the locking member in a direction against the urging force of the urging means when the slide body moves from the predetermined position to either the front side or the rear side of the foot portion. It is formed in a shape to be moved.

According to this, the cam surface of the cam member, to which the locking member attached to the slide body is pressed by the urging means, is located on the front side of the foot from the predetermined position of the slide body. And when you move to any of the back side,
Since the locking member is formed in such a shape as to move the locking member in a direction against the urging force of the urging means, normally, the slide body is stably held in the predetermined position. Then, when the foot portion collides with an obstacle in front or behind the same, the locking member moves in a direction against the urging force of the urging means while being in contact with the cam surface, and together with the slide body. Move to the front or back of the foot. This will reduce the transmission of impact from the foot to the leg in both cases when the foot collides with an obstacle in front of it and when it collides with an obstacle behind it. At the same time, the impact of the obstacle from the foot can be reduced.

When the locking member is provided as described above, for example, the locking member is attached to the slide body so as to be movable substantially in the left-right direction of the foot portion, and the cam surface of the cam member has a flat surface. It is formed in a substantially V shape or a substantially U shape when viewed.

According to this, the structure relating to the slide body, the locking member, and the cam member can be easily configured while being relatively thin in the thickness direction of the foot portion.

Next, a second aspect of the leg structure of the legged mobile robot according to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, is to provide a legged mobile robot leg structure having a foot at the lower end of the leg. In at least the front portion of the foot portion, elastic deformation occurs when a load in a direction substantially parallel to the foot portion is applied, and elasticity when a substantially vertical load is applied to the foot portion It is characterized by being constituted by a cushioning member whose deformation is suppressed.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the foot of the legged mobile robot collides with an obstacle in front of the robot, the foot of the robot moves to the front of the foot. Since a load is applied in a direction substantially parallel to the flat portion, the shock-absorbing member is elastically deformed, whereby transmission of an impact from the foot portion to the leg is reduced. Further, the buffer member is
Since the elastic deformation of the foot portion is less likely to occur with respect to the load in the substantially vertical direction, the foot portion, including the front cushioning member, does not hinder drag from the floor during normal movement of the robot. Can receive.

Therefore, according to the leg structure of the legged mobile robot according to the second aspect of the present invention, when the foot portion of the robot hits an obstacle during the movement of the robot, the obstacle is damaged or the foot is damaged. It is possible to prevent a situation in which an impact is transmitted from the leg to the leg and the leg is damaged, and, at the time of normal movement of the robot, its foot receives sufficient drag from the floor while receiving sufficient drag from the floor. The robot can move without hindrance.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, more specifically, the cushioning member is configured so that the plurality of plate members formed, for example, in a substantially hexagonal column shape stand in a substantially vertical direction of the foot portion. They are joined together in a honeycomb pattern. Alternatively, the cushioning member is formed by joining a plurality of substantially columnar plate bodies to each other in an upright posture in a substantially vertical direction of the foot portion.
Alternatively, the cushioning member joins the plurality of plate bodies formed in a substantially corrugated shape in a posture in which the plate members stand in a substantially vertical direction of the foot portion and extend in a substantially front-rear direction of the foot portion. Consisting of

By adopting such a structure of the cushioning member,
A shock-absorbing member which is easily elastically deformed when a load in a direction substantially parallel to the foot is applied, and is suppressed from being elastically deformed when a substantially vertical load is applied to the foot. Can be.

In the case where the above-described structure of the cushioning member is employed, the periphery of the cushioning member is covered to seal the inside of the cushioning member, and the cushioning member is defined by the respective plates. It is preferable to provide an air chamber which communicates the space with each other through a hole formed in the plate body and communicates with the space inside the buffer member through a pipe.

In this manner, when the foot portion collides with an obstacle in front of the robot during the movement of the robot, the shock-absorbing member contracts in the front-rear direction and elastically deforms. Air in the space flows into the air chamber via the pipe. At this time, the foot portion has an effect of absorbing the impact force received from the obstacle due to the passage resistance of the air flowing through the pipe. Further, when the collision state between the foot portion and the obstacle is released, the air flowing into the air chamber returns to the inside of the cushioning member, which acts to restore the cushioning member.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to smoothly alleviate the impact at the time of collision of the foot with the obstacle, and at the same time, after the collision is released, the legged mobile robot. Can be moved.

[0023]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a side view showing a part of a lower part of a leg of a legged mobile robot (a bipedal walking robot in the present embodiment) of the present embodiment in a broken cross-section, and FIG.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a leg of a bipedal walking robot (only one of the two legs is shown in the figure), and reference numeral 2 denotes a foot.

The leg 1 extends downward from the hip joint at the lower part of the torso of the bipedal walking robot (not shown), and has a knee joint 3 and an ankle joint 4 at the middle and lower parts, respectively. The lower end of the leg 1 is formed by a rectangular plate-shaped base 5. The base 5 is attached to the ankle joint 4 below the ankle joint 4 via a six-axis force sensor 6. still,
The six-axis force sensor 6 is for detecting a force or moment that the foot 2 receives from the floor when the robot moves.

The foot portion 2 is formed in a substantially flat plate shape from a hard material such as a metal, and an elastic material 7 such as rubber is fixed to a bottom surface thereof.

A pair of slide rails 8, 8 extending in the front-rear direction of the foot portion 2 are laid at positions from both sides of the upper surface portion of the foot portion 2 (see FIG. 2). A rectangular plate-shaped slide body 9 which is movable on the front and rear of the foot portion 2 on the top of the slide rails 8 is engaged with the slide rails 8.

The base 5 of the leg 1 is supported on the slide body 9 via an elastic body 10 formed of, for example, a spring. Note that the elastic body 10 reduces the vertical impact acting on the leg 1 when the foot 2 is landed, and a rubber bush or the like may be used instead of a spring.

A guide plate 11 is provided on the slide body 9 so as to surround four sides of the base 5 and the elastic body 10 of the leg 1, and the guide plate 11 allows the vertical axis of the leg 1 to be set. The rotation operation is limited, and the shearing deformation of the leg 1 at the elastic body 10 in the front-rear and left-right directions is also limited.

Behind the slide 9, a stopper 12 fixed between the slide rails 8 on the rear side of the upper surface of the foot 2 is disposed in contact with the rear of the slide 9. Have been. Further, in front of the slide body 9, a spring receiving member 13 fixed at a position on the front side of the upper surface of the foot portion 2 between the slide rails 8, 8 faces the front part of the slide body 9. A spring 14 as urging means is interposed between the spring receiving member 13 and the front surface of the slide body 9 in a state where the spring 14 is compressed in the front-rear direction of the foot 2. With this configuration, the slide body 9 is urged by the spring 14 to a position where the rear surface portion contacts the stopper 12.

In the leg structure of the present embodiment configured as described above, when the robot moves (walks), when the foot portion 2 on the free leg side is swung forward, the foot portion 2 is moved to any position in front of it. When colliding with an obstacle (not shown), the slide body 9 supporting the leg portion 1 slides on the slide rails 8, 8 on the front side of the foot portion 2 together with the leg portion 1 against the urging force of the spring 14. Moving.

This alleviates the transmission of the impact at the time of the collision from the foot portion 2 to the ankle joint 4 of the leg 1 and the like, thereby preventing the ankle joint 4 and the like of the leg 1 from being damaged. Can be. At the same time, the above-described movement of the slide body 9 also reduces the impact force applied to the obstacle, thereby avoiding a situation where the obstacle is damaged.

During normal movement of the robot, by appropriately setting the spring constant of the spring 14, the slide body 9 is held in a state in which the rear surface thereof is in contact with the stopper 12, and thus the foot flat. 2 is held in a fixed state with respect to the leg 1. And in addition to this, foot 2
Because it is rigid, during normal movement of the robot,
The foot portion 2 can appropriately receive the drag from the floor without any trouble, and can move the robot with smooth walking.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a side view showing a part of a lower part of a leg of the legged mobile robot (bipedal walking robot) of the present embodiment in a broken section, and FIG. 4 is an IV-I of FIG.
It is a V line sectional view.

In the description of the present embodiment, the first
Components that are the same as those of the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, in this embodiment, a slide body is provided movably in the front-rear direction on foot 2 in the same manner as in the first embodiment and supports leg 1. 9
A substantially L-shaped arm piece 16 from the front of the
Is extended forward of the foot portion 2, and the arm piece 16 is swingable around the support shaft 15 in the left-right direction of the foot portion 2, and is integrated with the slide body 9. The flat part 2 is movable in the front-rear direction. A roller 17 (locking member) is rotatably pivotally attached to the tip of the arm piece 16.

As shown in FIG. 4, a plate-like cam member 18 having a V-shaped cam surface 18a in plan view is fixed to the upper surface of the foot portion 2 so as to face the roller 17. The roller 17 is in contact with the cam surface 18a. Protrusions 18b, 18b are provided on the front and rear ends of the cam surface 18a of the cam member 18 to limit the range of movement of the roller 17 in the front and rear direction of the foot 2 and therefore the range of movement of the slide body 9 in the front and rear direction.
Is formed, and the slide body 9 is movable in the front-rear direction between a position where the roller 17 contacts one protrusion 18b and a position where the roller 17 contacts the other protrusion 18b.

Further, a spring receiving member 19 is fixed to the front of the slide body 9 with a space in the left-right direction between the arm piece 16 and the foot part 2, and the spring receiving member 19 and the arm piece 16 are fixed. , A spring 20 as an urging means is interposed in a posture oriented in the left-right direction. The spring 20 urges the arm piece 16 in a direction in which the roller 17 is pressed against the cam surface 18a of the cam member 18 (to the left of the foot 2 in this embodiment).

The configuration other than that described above is the same as that described in the first embodiment. However, the stopper 12, the spring receiving member 13, and the spring 14 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are not provided in the present embodiment.

In the leg structure of this embodiment, the spring 20 urges the roller 17 in the direction of pressing the roller 17 against the V-shaped cam surface 18a of the cam member 18, as shown in FIG. When the roller 17 is moved back and forth together with the slide body 9 from a state in which the roller 17 is in contact with the most concave portion of the cam surface 18a (the center portion of the cam surface 18a in the front-back direction)
The biasing force of the spring 20 acts in the normal direction of the cam surface 18a,
Due to the longitudinal component of the force, the roller 17 attempts to return to the most concave portion of the cam surface 18a, and therefore, the moving position of the slide body 9 in the front-rear direction is basically at the time of normal movement of the robot. The roller 17 is held at a position where the roller 17 is in contact with the most concave portion of the cam surface 18a.

In this state, when the foot portion 2 collides with, for example, an obstacle (not shown) in front of the foot portion 2,
The slide body 9 supporting the leg portion 1 moves forward of the foot portion 2 together with the roller 17 against the urging force of the spring 20 (at this time, the roller 17 is moved along the cam surface 18a by the foot portion). 2 to the right).

This alleviates the transmission of the impact at the time of the collision from the foot portion 2 to the ankle joint 4 of the leg 1 and the like, thereby preventing the ankle joint 4 and the like of the leg 1 from being damaged. Can be. At the same time, the above-described movement of the slide body 9 also reduces the impact force applied to the obstacle, thereby avoiding a situation where the obstacle is damaged.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the foot portion 2 collides with an obstacle (not shown) behind the foot portion, the slide member 9 supporting the leg portion 1 reverses the above-described case. 2 so that the impact at the time of the collision is reduced and the ankle joint 4 of the leg 1 may be damaged, as in the case where the foot 2 collides with an obstacle in front of it. In addition, it is possible to prevent a situation in which an obstacle is damaged.

During normal movement of the robot, by setting the spring constant of the spring 14 appropriately, the slide body 9 is moved in a state where the roller 17 is in contact with the most concave portion of the cam surface 18a. Position, and the foot 2 is rigid, so that the foot 2 can properly receive the drag from the floor during normal movement of the robot without any trouble. The robot can be moved with smooth walking.

In this embodiment, the roller 17 serving as the locking member is moved in the left-right direction of the foot portion 2. However, the roller 17 is moved in the up-down direction of the foot portion 2. The cam member may be provided in an upright posture, and the roller 17 may be pressed against the cam surface of the cam member from above. However, by configuring the roller 17 to move in the left-right direction as in the present embodiment, the cam member 18 and the arm piece 16 in the thickness direction (vertical direction) of the foot portion 2 can be made thin. This is advantageous in terms of downsizing the configuration.

In this embodiment, the roller 17 is used as the locking member. However, any other member may be used as long as it has a small coefficient of friction with the cam surface 18a.

In this embodiment, the roller 17 is attached to the slide body 9 via the arm piece 16 as the engagement member. For example, the engagement member is slid into the cylinder hole formed in the slide body 9. The locking member is inserted freely and is projected from one side or lower surface of the slide body 9 by a spring, and the projected locking member is pressed against the cam surface of the same cam member as in the present embodiment. You may.

In the present embodiment, the cam surface 18a of the cam member 18 is formed in a V-shape, but may be formed in a U-shape.

In the first and second embodiments,
Although the slide body 9 can be moved only in the front-rear direction, it is also possible to move the slide body 9 further in the left-right direction so as to reduce the impact of the foot part 2 in the left-right direction.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a side view showing a part of a lower part of a leg of the legged mobile robot (bipedal walking robot) of the present embodiment in a broken section, and FIG. 6 is a VI-V of FIG.
7 is a partial perspective view of a main part of FIG.

In the description of the present embodiment, the first
Components that are the same as those of the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

Referring to FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, like the first embodiment, the foot portion 2 is formed in a substantially flat plate shape.
The front portion of the foot portion 21 is formed of a buffer member 22 described later, and the remaining portion 23 is formed of a hard material such as metal. Hereinafter, part 23
Is called a hard part 23.

The bottom of the foot 21 has a foot 2
The elastic member 7 such as rubber is fixed together with the first buffer member 22 and the hard portion 23. Also, the hard portion 23 of the foot portion 21
The leg 1 having the same configuration as that of the first embodiment is supported thereon via an elastic body 10 formed of a spring or the like. Further, the base 5 and the base 5 of the leg 1 are similar to the first embodiment. A guide plate 11 stands upright so as to surround four sides of the elastic body 10.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the cushioning member 22 has a honeycomb structure in which a large number of hexagonal column-shaped plates 22a are erected in the vertical direction (vertical direction) of the foot portion 21. It is formed in a honeycomb structure formed by bonding to each other with an adhesive or the like. The cushioning member 22 thus formed is fixed to the elastic member 7 on the bottom surface of the foot portion 21 and the hard portion 23 of the foot portion 21 with an adhesive or the like. The plate 22a is formed of a material such as resin, hard rubber, and paper.

In the leg structure of this embodiment, the cushioning member 22 constituting the front portion of the foot portion 21 is unlikely to be deformed by a load in the vertical direction. At the time of movement, the foot portion 21 does not bend due to the drag received from the floor, and the drag can be sufficiently received by the foot portion 21. Therefore, it is possible to smoothly move the robot by repeatedly leaving and landing on the foot portion 21.

On the other hand, if the foot 21 collides with an obstacle (not shown) in front of the robot when the robot moves, the foot 2
An external force is applied to the front cushioning member 22 from the front in a direction substantially parallel to the foot portion 21. At this time, the cushioning member 22
Is deformed by crushing in the front-rear direction.

This alleviates the transmission of the impact at the time of the collision from the foot portion 2 to the ankle joint 4 of the leg 1 and the like, thereby preventing the ankle joint 4 and the like of the leg 1 from being damaged. Can be. At the same time, due to the deformation of the cushioning member 22, the impact force applied to the obstacle is reduced, and the situation where the obstacle is damaged can be avoided.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 is a plan sectional view of a lower portion of a leg of the legged mobile robot (bipedal walking robot) of the present embodiment, and FIG. 9 is a partial perspective view of a main part of FIG.

In the leg structure of the present embodiment, only the structure of the cushioning member at the front portion of the foot portion is different from that of the third embodiment. 3
The description is omitted by using the same reference numerals as those of the embodiment.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, in the present embodiment, the cushioning member 24 constituting the front portion of the foot portion 21 is a posture in which a large number of columnar plate bodies 24a are erected in the vertical direction. Are arranged in a matrix and joined to each other by an adhesive or the like.
Is fixed to the elastic member 7 on the bottom surface of the foot portion 21 and the hard portion 23 of the foot portion 21 with an adhesive or the like. The plate 24a
Is formed of a material such as resin, hard rubber, and paper, as in the third embodiment.

In the leg structure according to the present embodiment, similarly to the third embodiment, the cushioning member 24 constituting the front portion of the foot portion 21 is not affected by the load in the vertical direction. Is hardly deformed, so that when the robot normally moves, the foot portion 21 can sufficiently receive the drag from the floor, and the robot moves smoothly by repeatedly leaving and landing on the foot portion 21. Can be done.

When the foot 21 collides with an obstacle (not shown) in front of the robot during movement of the robot, the cushioning member 24 is deformed so as to be crushed in the front-rear direction. The transmission of the impact at the time of the collision from the foot portion 2 to the ankle joint 4 and the like of the leg 1 is reduced, and the ankle joint 4 and the like of the leg 1 can be prevented from being damaged.
At the same time, the deformation of the cushioning member 24 also reduces the impact force applied to the obstacle, thereby avoiding a situation where the obstacle is damaged.

Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 10 is a plan view sectional view of the lower part of the leg of the legged mobile robot (bipedal walking robot) of the present embodiment, and FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view of the main part of FIG.

In the leg structure of the present embodiment, only the structure of the cushioning member at the front of the foot portion is different from that of the third or fourth embodiment. The description is omitted by using the same reference numerals as in the third or fourth embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the cushioning member 25 constituting the front portion of the foot portion 21 is composed of a large number of plate members 25a bent in a corrugated shape as shown in FIG. In the width direction of the foot portion 7 in parallel with the foot portion 7 in a posture extending in the front-rear direction of the foot portion 7. Further, the elastic member 7 on the bottom surface of the foot portion 21 is fixed to the elastic member 7 with an adhesive or the like, so that the rigid portion 23 and the elastic member 7 are joined to each other. Note that the plate body 25a is formed of a material such as resin, hard rubber, or paper, as in the third embodiment.

In the leg structure according to the present embodiment, as in the third or fourth embodiment,
The cushioning member 25 constituting the front portion of the foot portion 21 is unlikely to be deformed by a load in the vertical direction, so that during normal movement of the robot, the drag from the floor is sufficient. , And the robot can be smoothly moved by repeatedly leaving and landing on the foot portion 21.

When the foot portion 21 collides with an obstacle (not shown) in front of the robot during the movement of the robot, the cushioning member 25 is deformed so as to be crushed in the front-rear direction. The transmission of the impact at the time of the collision from the foot portion 2 to the ankle joint 4 and the like of the leg 1 is reduced, and the ankle joint 4 and the like of the leg 1 can be prevented from being damaged.
At the same time, the shock force applied to the obstacle is reduced by the deformation of the buffer member 25, so that the obstacle can be prevented from being damaged.

In the present embodiment, the plate 25a is bent to form a corrugated plate, but it may be curved to form a corrugated plate.

In the third to fifth embodiments,
Although the cushioning members 22, 24, and 25 are provided only at the front of the foot portion 21, the same cushioning member as at the front portion is provided at the rear of the foot 21 so that the foot 21 can obstruct the rear of the foot. It is also possible to alleviate the impact at the time of collision with an object. Further, similar cushioning members are provided on the left and right side portions of the foot portion 21 so that the foot portion 21 The impact at the time of collision may be reduced.

In the third to fifth embodiments,
A thin plate that does not easily expand and contract may be attached to the upper surface or the lower surface of the cushioning members 22, 23, 24 (the location between the cushioning members 22, 23, 24 and the elastic member 7). Rigidity can be increased. In particular, when thin plates are attached to both the upper and lower surfaces of the cushioning members 22, 23, and 24, the rigidity in the vertical direction can be effectively increased.

In the third to fifth embodiments,
The spaces inside the cushioning members 22, 23 and 24 may be filled with a foaming material. In this case, the rigidity in the vertical direction can be increased, and at the same time, the effect of absorbing a shock when colliding with an obstacle is achieved. Can be further enhanced.

Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 12 is a side view showing a part of a lower part of a leg of the legged mobile robot (bipedal walking robot) of the present embodiment in a broken section, and FIG.
FIG. 14 is a partial perspective view of a main part of FIG.

The third embodiment has the same basic configuration as that of the third embodiment. Therefore, the same components will be described using the same reference numerals as those of the third embodiment. Is omitted.

Referring to FIGS. 12 and 13, in the present embodiment, the foot portion 21 has a front portion and a rear portion each of which has a large number of hexagonal columnar plates in the same manner as the cushioning member of the third embodiment. Body 22
a, formed into a honeycomb structure from a.
These cushioning members 22 of the foot portion 21,
An intermediate portion between the portions 22 is a hard portion 23 made of metal or the like.

The leg 1 having the same structure as that of the first embodiment is supported on the hard portion 23 via an elastic body 10 composed of a spring or the like. A guide plate 11 is provided upright so as to surround the base 5 of the leg portion 1 and four sides of the elastic body 10. The elastic member 7 such as rubber is fixed to the bottom surface of the foot portion 21.

In this embodiment, the hexagonal columnar plates 22a constituting the front and rear cushioning members 22 and 22 of the foot portion 21 respectively have through holes 22 as shown in FIG.
b (except for the plate members 22a located on the left and right side surfaces of the foot portion 21), and a hexagonal columnar plate member 22 is formed.
The space inside a is communicated with each other through the through hole 22b.

The cushioning member 22 at the front of the foot portion 21
, A flexible cover 26 made of, for example, vinyl is fixed so as to cover the upper surface and the front surface thereof. Similarly, a flexible cover 26 is fixed to the cushioning member 22 at the rear portion of the foot portion 21 so as to cover the upper surface portion and the rear surface portion. Thereby, the space inside each buffer member 22 is sealed.

Further, in the present embodiment, a pipe 27 for communicating the inside of the front and rear cushioning members 22, 22 is disposed at a position near the side of the foot portion 21 so as to extend in the front-rear direction. The front end and the rear end of the pipe 27 are inserted into the front buffer member 22 and the rear buffer member 22, respectively. Thereby, the front and rear cushion members 2
The insides of the pipes 2 and 22 are communicated via a pipe 27.
The pipe 22 is fixed to the hard portion 23 of the foot portion 21 and the guide plate 11 via a bracket (not shown). Further, according to the configuration of the present invention, the space inside the buffer member 22 on the rear side constitutes the air chamber 28.

In the leg structure of the present embodiment configured as described above, similarly to the third to fifth embodiments, the cushioning members 22 forming the front and rear portions of the foot portion 21 are formed. Is not easily deformed by a load in the vertical direction, so that the foot 21 can sufficiently receive the drag from the floor when the robot normally moves, and The robot can be smoothly moved by repeating the floor.

When the foot portion 21 collides with an obstacle (not shown) in front of the robot while moving, the buffer member 22 on the front side of the foot portion 21 is crushed in the front-rear direction. Deformation is thereby caused, so that the impact at the time of the collision is transmitted from the foot portion 2 to the ankle joint 4 of the leg 1 and the like, thereby preventing the ankle joint 4 and the like of the leg 1 from being damaged. be able to. At the same time, the shock force applied to the obstacle is reduced by the deformation of the buffer member 25, so that the obstacle can be prevented from being damaged. further,
When the front cushioning member 22 is deformed as described above, the air in the cushioning member 22 flows through the pipe 27 into the inside of the rear cushioning member 22 (air chamber 28). There is an effect that the foot portion 21 absorbs the impact force received from the obstacle by the passage resistance of the air flowing through. Therefore, the impact when the foot portion 21 collides with the obstacle can be effectively reduced.

When the collision state between the foot portion 21 and the obstacle in front of the foot portion 21 is resolved, the air flowing into the inside of the rear cushioning member 22 (the air chamber 28) flows through the front portion via the pipe 27. Since it returns to the inside of the shock absorbing member 22 on the side, the shock absorbing member 22 on the front side deformed at the time of the collision is restored to its original shape to some extent. Therefore, the movement of the robot can be continued.

The above operation is performed in the same manner when the foot portion 21 collides with an obstacle behind the foot portion 21. In this case, the rear buffer member 22 is deformed so as to be crushed in the front-rear direction, and the air inside the rear buffer member 22 flows into the front buffer member 22 via the pipe 27. The impact when the foot portion 21 collides with an obstacle behind it is reduced.

In the present embodiment, the buffer members 22, 22 at the front and rear of the foot portion 21 have the same honeycomb structure as in the third embodiment, but the front and rear portions of the foot portion 21 are formed. Either or both of the buffer members may have the structure as described in the fourth or fifth embodiment.

In this embodiment, the cushioning member 22 is provided only on the front and rear portions of the foot portion 21.
A cushioning member having the structure described in the third to fifth embodiments is provided also on the left and right sides of the footrest, and the insides of the left and right cushioning members are communicated in the same manner as in the present embodiment, and The shock in the left-right direction of the actuator 21 may be reduced.

Further, in this embodiment, the air chamber 28 is formed inside the buffer member 22 on the rear side. However, for example, the buffer member 22 is provided only on the front side of the foot portion 21 (the foot portion 21).
The rear part is a hard part 2 as in the third to fifth embodiments.
At the same time, an air chamber sealed by a housing is formed at an appropriate place on the hard portion 23 of the foot portion 21 or the like,
The air chamber and the space inside the front buffer member 22 may be communicated via a pipe.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a configuration of a lower part of a leg of a legged mobile robot (bipedal walking robot) according to a first embodiment of the present invention, with a part thereof being cut away.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a configuration of a lower part of a leg of a legged mobile robot (bipedal walking robot) according to a second embodiment of the present invention, a part of which is shown by a broken surface.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a part of a lower part of a leg of a legged mobile robot (bipedal walking robot) according to a third embodiment of the present invention in a broken surface.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of a main part of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a plan sectional view of the lower part of a leg of a legged mobile robot (bipedal walking robot) according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a partial perspective view of a main part of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a sectional plan view of a lower portion of a leg of a legged mobile robot (bipedal walking robot) according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view of a main part of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a side view showing a configuration of a lower part of a leg of a legged mobile robot (bipedal walking robot) according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention, a part of which is shown by a broken surface.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along line XIII-XIII of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a partial perspective view of a main part of FIG. 13;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Leg part, 2,21 ... Foot part, 9 ... Slide body, 12 ...
Stoppers, 14, 20: spring (biasing means), 17: roller (locking member), 18: cam member, 18a: cam surface, 2
2, 24, 25 ... buffer member, 22a, 24a, 25a ...
Plate, 22b ... hole, 27 ... pipe, 28 ... air chamber.

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A leg structure of a legged mobile robot having a foot portion at a lower end portion of a leg portion, wherein a slide body movable on at least the front and rear direction of the foot portion is provided on the foot portion. A leg structure for a legged mobile robot, further comprising: urging means for urging the slide body to a predetermined position on the foot, wherein the leg is supported by the slide body. 2. A stopper for contacting the slide body when the slide body moves rearward of the foot section is provided on the foot section, and the urging means moves the slide body to the stopper. The leg structure of a legged mobile robot according to claim 1, wherein the leg structure is biased to a contact position. 3. A locking member which is movable with the slide body in the front-rear direction of the foot part and is movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the foot part is attached to the slide body. Also, when the locking member moves in the front-rear direction of the foot together with the slide body, the cam surface is capable of abutting while the locking member moves in a direction substantially perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the foot. And a biasing means for urging the locking member substantially perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the foot so as to press the locking member against the cam surface. And the cam surface of the cam member faces the biasing force of the biasing means when the slide body moves from the predetermined position to either the front side or the rear side of the foot portion. The locking member is formed in a shape to move the locking member. Leg structure of the legged mobile robot of claim 1, wherein. 4. The locking member is attached to the slide so as to be movable substantially in the left-right direction of the foot portion, and the cam surface of the cam member has a substantially V-shape or a substantially U-shape in plan view. The leg structure of a legged mobile robot according to claim 3, wherein the leg structure is formed as follows. 5. A leg structure of a legged mobile robot having a foot portion at a lower end portion of a leg portion, wherein a load is applied to at least a front portion of the foot portion in a direction substantially parallel to the foot portion. The leg structure of a legged mobile robot, characterized in that the leg structure is constituted by a cushioning member which causes elastic deformation when the foot portion is subjected to elastic deformation and suppresses elastic deformation when a substantially vertical load is applied to the foot portion. 6. The cushioning member according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of plate members formed in a substantially hexagonal column shape are joined to each other in a honeycomb shape when the foot portion stands in a substantially vertical direction. Item 6. The leg structure of the legged mobile robot according to item 5. 7. The cushioning member according to claim 5, wherein a plurality of plate members formed in a substantially columnar shape are joined to each other in a posture standing upright in a substantially vertical direction of the foot portion. Leg structure of a legged mobile robot. 8. The cushioning member includes a plurality of plate members formed in a substantially corrugated shape, standing in a substantially vertical direction of the foot portion and extending substantially in a front-rear direction of the foot portion. The leg structure of a legged mobile robot according to claim 5, wherein the leg structure is joined to the legged mobile robot. 9. The cushioning member covers the periphery of the cushioning member to seal the inside of the cushioning member, and a space defined by the respective plate members of the cushioning member is formed through holes formed in the plate member. The leg structure of a legged mobile robot according to any one of claims 6 to 8, further comprising an air chamber that is communicated with each other through a pipe and communicates with a space inside the buffer member via a pipe.