Robot device and method of controlling the same

• US 20050228540A1
• Filed: 03/23/2004
• Published: 10/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Moridaira, Tomohisa
• Application Number:
  US10/515,274
• Publication Number:
  US 20050228540A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 11/00 Self-movable toy figures
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 2200/00 Computerized interactive toys, e.g. dolls
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/085 Force or torque sensors B25J13/082, B25J13/084 take precedence

Abstract

The present invention is to realize a robot apparatus and a control method thereof that can remarkably improve the entertainment ability. In a robot apparatus with plural leg parts having multi-step of joint mechanisms respectively connected to a body part and a control method thereof, it is designed so that after the external and/or the internal state was detected, whether or not the above detected external and/or internal state is in the state lifted in the user'"'"'s arms or the lifted state is determined, and a driving system is controlled so as to stop the operation of each joint mechanism based on the above determination result.

Claims

1. A robot apparatus having a movable part, comprising:

drive means for driving said movable part;

control means for controlling said drive means;

operating point detecting means for detecting an operating point at which external force operates on said robot apparatus;

center of gravity detecting means for detecting the center of gravity of said robot apparatus; and

landing planned area calculating means for calculating a landing planned area in which a part of said robot apparatus will contact with the floor; and

said robot apparatus wherein;

said control means controls said drive means when said robot apparatus rose from the floor by external force, in order to control said movable part so that said operating point and said center of gravity are contained in the space on said landing planned area.

2. A method for controlling a robot apparatus having a movable part, comprising:

a first step of detecting an operating point at which external force operates on said robot apparatus, and the center of gravity of said robot apparatus, and also calculating a landing planned area in which a part of said robot apparatus will contact with the floor; and

a second step of controlling said movable part so that said operating point and said center of gravity are contained in the space on said landing planned area, when said robot apparatus rose from the floor by external force.

3. A robot apparatus having a movable part, comprising:

center of gravity detecting means for detecting the center of gravity of said robot apparatus;

landing part calculating means for calculating the landing part of said robot apparatus on the floor; and

distance calculating means for calculating a distance between said center of gravity of said robot apparatus and said landing part; and

said robot apparatus wherein;

lifting-in-arms detection is performed based on the distance between said center of gravity of said robot apparatus and said landing part.

4. A method for controlling a robot apparatus having a movable part, comprising:

a first step of detecting the center of gravity of said robot apparatus, and also calculating the landing part of said robot apparatus on the floor; and

a second step of calculating a distance between said center of gravity of said robot apparatus and said landing part; and

a third step of performing lifting-in-arms detection based on said calculated distance.

5. A robot apparatus with plural leg parts having a multi-step joint mechanism respectively connected to the body part, comprising:

sensor means for detecting the external and/or the internal state;

state determining means for determining whether or not said external and/or internal state detected by said sensor means is the state held in the user'"'"'s arms or the lifted state; and

control means for controlling a driving system so as to stop the operation of each of said joint mechanisms, based on the determination result by said state determining means.

6. The robot apparatus according to claim 5, comprising:

a grip part provided in said body part, to be gripped when the user lifts; and

a foot part provided in each of said leg parts, to respectively land when in standing upright; and

said robot apparatus wherein;

said sensor means is composed of a grip sensor provided on said grip part, to detect whether or not to be held by the user'"'"'s arm, and a sole force sensor provided on each of said foot parts, to detect whether or not to be in a landing state.

7. A robot apparatus with plural leg parts having a multi-step joint mechanism respectively connected to the body part, comprising;

control means for controlling a driving system to operate each of said joint mechanisms so as to make the posture of each of said leg parts accord with said arms in the state lifted in the user'"'"'s arms.

8. The robot apparatus according to claim 7, wherein;

said control means controls said driving system so that each of said joint mechanisms corresponding to each of said leg parts becomes flexible when it is in said lifted-in-arms state and said body part is sideways, on the other hand, said control means controls said driving system so that each of said joint mechanisms corresponding to each of said leg parts becomes inflexible when said body part is vertical.

9. The robot apparatus according to claim 7, wherein;

said control means previously sets the following degree of each of said joint mechanisms, and in the case where deviation occurred in the posture of each of said leg parts according to said lifted-in-arms state, said control means controls said driving system according to the control amount in that said following degree was added to the above deviation.

10. A robot apparatus with plural leg parts having a multi-step joint mechanism respectively connected to the body part, comprising;

control means for determining the posture of said body part when the state lifted in the user'"'"'s arms or the lifted state was released, and controlling a driving system to operate each of said joint mechanisms corresponding to each of said leg parts according to the above determination result.

11. A method for controlling a robot apparatus with plural leg parts having a multi-step joint mechanism respectively connected to the body part, comprising:

a first step of detecting the external and/or the internal state;

a second step of determining whether or not said detected external and/or internal state is in the state lifted in the user'"'"'s arms or the lifted state; and

a third step of controlling a driving system to stop the operation of each of said joint mechanisms, based on said determination result.

12. A method for controlling a robot apparatus with plural leg parts having a multi-step joint mechanism respectively connected to the body part, wherein;

when the robot apparatus is in the state lifted in the user'"'"'s arms, a driving system to operate each of said joint mechanisms is controlled so as to make the posture of each of said leg parts accord with said arms.

13. The method for controlling a robot apparatus according to claim 12, wherein;

when the robot apparatus is in said lifted-in-arms state and said body part is sideways, said driving system is controlled so that each of said joint mechanisms corresponding to each of said leg parts becomes flexible, on the other hand, when said body part is vertical, said driving system is controlled so that each of said joint mechanisms corresponding to each of said leg parts becomes inflexible.

14. The method for controlling a robot apparatus according to claim 12, wherein;

the following degree of each of said joint mechanisms is previously set, and if deviation occurs in the posture of each of said leg parts according to said lifted-in-arms state, said driving system is controlled according to the control amount in that said following degree was added to the above deviation.

15. A method for controlling a robot apparatus with plural leg parts having a multi-step joint mechanism respectively connected to the body part, wherein;

the posture of said body part when the state lifted in the user'"'"'s arms or the lifted state was released is determined, and a driving system to operate each of said joint mechanisms corresponding to each of said leg parts is controlled according to the above determination result.