LEGGED ROBOT AND CONTROL METHOD OF LEGGED ROBOT

• US 20100126785A1
• Filed: 10/22/2008
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Shimada, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,172,013 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/8.100
• 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

A legged robot includes: a body; a leg portion; a foot portion; a falling direction detection unit that detects a falling direction of the body; a control unit; and a distance detection unit that detects a distance between a sole of the foot portion and a road surface. The distance detection unit includes at least three distance sensors provided on the sole, and the control unit includes distance sensor selecting means for selecting a distance sensor and gait data correcting means for correcting gait data based on a detection signal from the distance sensor selected by the distance sensor selecting means. The distance sensor selecting means selects three distance sensors among the distance sensors based on a detection result of the falling direction detection unit.

Claims

1. A legged robot comprising:

a body;

a leg portion that is connected to the body;

a foot portion that is provided on a lower end of the leg portion;

a falling direction detection unit that detects a falling direction of the body;

a control unit that controls drive of a joint of the leg portion based on gait data; and

a distance detection unit that detects a distance between a sole of the foot portion and a road surface, wherein;

the distance detection unit includes at least three distance sensors which are provided on the sole of the foot portion;

the control unit has a distance sensor selecting section that selects a distance sensor and a gait data correcting section that corrects the gait data based on a detection signal from the distance sensor selected by the distance sensor selecting section; and

the distance sensor selecting section selects three distance sensors among the distance sensors based on a detection result of the falling direction detection unit.

2. The legged robot according to claim 1, wherein the distance sensor selecting section selects a first distance sensor and a second distance sensor among the distance sensors based on the detection result of the falling direction detection unit, and selects a third distance sensor among the unselected distance sensors based on the distance between the sole of the foot portion and the road surface.

3. The legged robot according to claim 2, wherein the third distance sensor is a distance sensor, among the unselected distance sensors, in which the distance between the sole of the foot portion and the road surface is smallest.

4. The legged robot according to claim 1, wherein the control unit calculates a deviation value between the sole and the road surface based on detection signals from all of the selected distance sensors, and calculates a foot correction amount for correcting the gait data by using the deviation value.

5. The legged robot according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines whether a walking operation pattern of the leg portion is a supporting leg walking operation pattern or a lifted leg walking operation pattern, and varies the number of distance sensors to be selected by the distance sensor selecting device based on the determination result of the walking operation pattern of the leg portion.

6. The legged robot according to claim 1, wherein, when the leg portion is a supporting leg, the control unit determines whether the sole of the leg portion is completely grounded on the road surface based on an output signal from the distance detection unit, and

the distance sensor selecting section selects three distance sensors among the distance sensors based on the detection result of the falling direction detection unit when the sole of the leg portion is completely grounded on the road surface whereas selecting all of the distance sensors when the sole of the leg portion is not completely grounded on the road surface.

7. The legged robot according to claim 1, wherein, when the leg portion is a supporting leg, the control unit determines whether the sole of the leg portion is completely grounded on the road surface based on the gait data, and

the distance sensor selecting section selects three distance sensors among the distance sensors based on the detection result of the falling direction detection unit when the sole of the leg portion is completely grounded on the road surface whereas selecting all of the distance sensors when the sole of the leg portion is not completely grounded on the road surface.

8. The legged robot according to claim 1, wherein, when the leg portion is a lifted leg, the control unit determines whether the sole of the leg portion is completely lifted off the road surface based on the output signal of the distance detection unit, and

the distance sensor selecting section selects three distance sensors among the distance sensors based on the detection result of the falling direction detection unit when the sole of the leg portion is not completely lifted off the road surface whereas selecting all of the distance sensors when the sole of the leg portion is completely lifted off the road surface.

9. The legged robot according to claim 1, wherein, when the leg portion is a lifted leg, the control unit determines whether the sole of the leg portion is completely lifted off the road surface based on the gait data, and

the distance sensor selecting section selects three distance sensors among the distance sensors based on the detection result of the falling direction detection unit when the sole of the leg portion is not completely lifted off the road surface whereas selecting all of the distance sensors when the sole of the leg portion is completely lifted off the road surface.

10. A control method of a legged robot including a body, a leg portion that is connected to the body, a foot portion that is provided on a lower end of the leg portion, a falling direction detection unit that detects a falling direction of the body, and at least three distance sensors that detect a distance between a sole of the foot portion and a road surface, the control method comprising:

selecting a first distance sensor and a second distance sensor among the distance sensors based on a detection result of the falling direction detection unit;

selecting a third distance sensor among the unselected distance sensors based on the distance between the sole of the foot portion and the road surface; and

controlling drive of a joint of the leg portion based on the gait data by correcting gait data based on detection signals from the selected distance sensors.