Legged mobile robot

• US 20090060318A1
• Filed: 08/25/2008
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Yokoyama, Taro, Shimada, Takamichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,406,505 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/153
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/023 including video camera means
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 57/032 with alternately or sequentially lifted supporting base and legs; with alternately or sequentially lifted feet or skid B62D57/024 takes precedence

Abstract

In a legged mobile robot having an imaging device (such as CCD camera) for taking an image utilizing incident light from external world in which a human being to be imaged is present, brightness reduction operation is executed to reduce brightness of a high-brightness imaging region produced by high-brightness incident light, when the high-brightness imaging region is present in the image taken by the imaging device. With this, when the imaged high-brightness imaging region is present owing to high-brightness incident light from the sun or the like, the legged mobile robot can reduce the brightness to image a human being or other object with suitable brightness.

Claims

1. A legged mobile robot having an imaging device for taking an image utilizing incident light from external world in which an object to be imaged is present, comprising:

brightness reduction operation execution means for determining whether a high-brightness imaging region is present in the image taken by the imaging device and for executing brightness reduction operation to reduce brightness of the high-brightness imaging region produced by high-brightness incident light, when the high-brightness imaging region is present in the image.

2. The legged mobile robot according to claim 1, further including:

a body, arms connected to the body and hands connected to the arms;

and the brightness reduction operation execution means drives at least one of the hands to block the high-brightness incident light, thereby reducing the brightness of the high-brightness imaging region.

3. The legged mobile robot according to claim 2, the object is a human being, and the brightness reduction operation execution means drives at least one of the hands to block the high-brightness incident light while holding imaging parameters of the human being.

4. The legged mobile robot according to claim 1, further including:

a body and a head, which is connected to the body and equipped with the imaging device;

and the brightness reduction operation execution means rotates the head so as to reduce the brightness of the high-brightness imaging region.

5. The legged mobile robot according to claim 1, further including:

a body and a head, legs and arms connected to the body;

and the brightness reduction operation execution means drives the legs so as to reduce the brightness of the high-brightness imaging region.

6. The legged mobile robot according to claim 1, further including:

high-brightness incidence direction determination operation execution means for executing incidence direction determining operation for determining direction of the high-brightness incident light of the high-brightness imaging region.

7. The legged mobile robot according to claim 6, further including:

a body, arms connected to the body, and hands connected to the arms, and the high-brightness incidence direction determination operation execution means determines the direction of the high-brightness incident light by driving at least the hands.

8. A method of controlling a legged mobile robot having an imaging device for taking an image utilizing incident light from external world in which an object to be imaged is present, comprising the step of:

determining whether a high-brightness imaging region is present in the image taken by the imaging device and executing brightness reduction operation to reduce brightness of the high-brightness imaging region produced by high-brightness incident light, when the high-brightness imaging region is present in the image.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the robot includes a body, arms connected to the body and hands connected to the arms;

and the step of determining drives at least one of the hands to block the high-brightness incident light, thereby reducing the brightness of the high-brightness imaging region.

10. The method according to claim 9, the object is a human being, and the step of determining drives at least one of the hands to block the high-brightness incident light while holding imaging parameters of the human being.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the robot includes a body and a head, which is connected to the body and equipped with the imaging device;

and the step of determining rotates the head so as to reduce the brightness of the high-brightness imaging region.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the robot includes a body and a head, legs and arms connected to the body;

and the step of determining drives the legs so as to reduce the brightness of the high-brightness imaging region.

13. The method according to claim 8, further including the step of:

executing incidence direction determining operation for determining direction of the high-brightness incident light of the high-brightness imaging region.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the robot further includes a body, arms connected to the body, and hands connected to the arms;

and the step of executing determines the direction of the high-brightness incident light by driving at least the hands.