Robot and method of controlling walking thereof

• US 20090306821A1
• Filed: 03/11/2009
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kwon, Woong, Park, Jae Ho, Roh, Kyung Shik
• Granted Patent: US 9,002,512 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/245
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

Disclosed are a robot, which generates a stable walking pattern similar to that of a human, and a method of controlling walking thereof. The method includes generating a walking pattern of a leg connected to a torso of the robot; detecting whether or not a singularity pose of the leg walking according to the walking pattern is generated; and changing the walking pattern by adjusting a yaw direction angle of the torso when the singularity pose is generated.

Claims

1. A method of controlling walking of a robot comprising:

generating a walking pattern of a leg connected to a torso of the robot;

detecting whether or not a singularity pose of the leg walking according to the walking pattern is generated; and

changing the walking pattern by adjusting a yaw direction angle of the torso when detected that the singularity pose is generated.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the generating the walking pattern comprises generating trajectories of two feet of the robot and a target ZMP trajectory, the generating the trajectories of the fuel and the target ZMP trajectory comprising determining target positions and directions of the feet according to an input walking instruction, and generating a trajectory of the torso based on the generated trajectories of the feet and the target ZMP trajectory.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising changing a horizontal position value of the torso in real time to obtain the walking stability of the robot if a real ZMP of the robot differs from the target ZMP while the robot walks according to the walking pattern.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the changing the walking pattern comprises changing to another walking pattern to avoid the singularity pose comprising rotating the torso to the yaw direction angle.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the changing the walking pattern comprises using the horizontal position value of the torso and the yaw direction angle of the torso.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the horizontal position of the torso is equal to the initial walking pattern even when the walking pattern is changed.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the singularity pose is a point where a relative distance connecting an ankle joint of the leg and a hip joint located at a lower portion of the torso is equal to a length of the leg.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the robot comprises a plurality of the legs connected to the torso.

9. A robot comprising:

a leg;

a torso connected to the leg;

a walking pattern generating unit to generate a walking pattern of the leg;

a singularity pose detecting unit to detect whether or not a singularity pose of the leg walking according to the walking pattern is generated;

a torso position adjusting unit to adjust a yaw direction angle of the torso when the singularity pose is generated; and

a control unit to change the walking pattern to avoid the detected singularity pose using the yaw direction angle of the torso and to control the walking of the leg according to the changed walking pattern.

10. The robot according to claim 9, wherein the robot comprises a plurality of feet and the walking pattern generating unit determines trajectories of the feet and a target ZMP trajectory by determining target positions and directions of the feet according to an input walking instruction, and generates a trajectory of the torso based on the trajectories of the feet and the target ZMP trajectory.

11. The robot according to claim 10, further comprising a real time stabilizer to change a horizontal position value of the torso in real time to obtain a walking stability of the robot when a real ZMP of the robot differs from the target ZMP when the robot walks according to the walking pattern.

12. The robot according to claim 9, wherein the control unit controls the walking of the leg with the changed walking pattern, by rotating the torso to the yaw direction angle.

13. The robot according to claim 12, wherein the horizontal position of the torso is equal to the initial walking pattern even when the walking pattern is changed.

14. A method of controlling walking of a robot, comprising:

determining an imbalance of the robot;

detecting a singularity pose generated in response to the determined imbalance;

adjusting a yaw direction angle of a torso of the robot when detected that the singularity pose is generated; and

maintaining a height of the torso while adjusting the yaw direction angle.