CONTROL DEVICE FOR MOBILE ROBOT

• US 20110160906A1
• Filed: 12/27/2010
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kanazawa, Masao, Orita, Atsuo
• Granted Patent: US 8,612,053 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/260
• 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 control device for a mobile robot, in which the desired value of a motion state amount of a mobile robot includes at least the desired value of a vertical component of a first-order differential value of the translational momentum of the entire mobile robot. The desired value is determined by a state amount desired value determiner such that the observed value of the vertical position of an overall center-of-gravity point of the mobile robot is converged to a predetermined desired value according to a feedback control law. A control input determiner carries out the processing of inverse dynamics calculation, using the desired value of the motion state amount thereby to determine the desired driving force for each joint. The operation of an actuator is controlled on the basis of the determined desired driving force.

Claims

1. A control device for a mobile robot which has a plurality of links interconnected through joints and actuators for driving the joints and in which a power transmitting system located between each joint and each actuator is provided with a spring member which converts the power generated by the actuator into an elastic force and imparts the elastic force to the joint, the control device comprising:

a motion state amount desired value determining unit which determines a motion state amount desired value, which is a desired value related to a predetermined type of motion state amount of the mobile robot which has a value dependent on the value of a generalized variable vector of the mobile robot, the vector being constituted of the displacement amount of each joint of the mobile robot and the position and the posture of a predetermined representative link of the mobile robot on a global coordinate system as the components thereof;

a desired driving force determining unit which receives the determined motion state amount desired value and determines a desired driving force to be imparted to each joint of the mobile robot by carrying out processing of inverse dynamics calculation, using at least the motion state amount desired value; and

an actuator control unit which controls the operation of the actuator on the basis of at least the determined desired driving force,

wherein the motion state amount desired value includes at least a desired value of a vertical component of a first-order differential value of a total translational momentum of the mobile robot, and the motion state amount desired value determining unit has a unit which determines the desired value of the vertical component of the first-order differential value of the translational momentum such that the observed value of the vertical position of an overall center-of-gravity point of the mobile robot is converged to a predetermined desired value according to a feedback control law.

2. The control device for a mobile robot according to claim 1,

wherein the motion state amount desired value further includes a desired value of a horizontal component of the first-order differential value of a total translational momentum of the mobile robot, and the motion state amount desired value determining unit further includes a unit which determines the desired value of the horizontal component of the first-order differential value of the translational momentum such that the observed value of the horizontal position of the overall center-of-gravity point of the mobile robot converges to a predetermined desired value according to a feedback control law.

3. The control device for a mobile robot according to claim 1,

wherein the motion state amount desired value further includes a desired value of the first-order differential value of an angular momentum about a predetermined reference point of the entire mobile robot, and the motion state amount desired value determining unit further has a unit which determines the desired value of the first-order differential value of the angular momentum such that the observed value of the horizontal position of the overall center-of-gravity point of the mobile robot converges to a predetermined desired value according to a feedback control law.

4. The control unit for a mobile robot according to claim 2,

wherein the motion state amount desired value further includes a desired value of the first-order differential value of an angular momentum about a predetermined reference point of the entire mobile robot, and the motion state amount desired value determining unit further has a unit which determines the desired value of the first-order differential value of the angular momentum such that the observed value of the horizontal position of the overall center-of-gravity point of the mobile robot converges to a predetermined desired value according to a feedback control law.

5. The control unit for a mobile robot according to claim 1, further comprising:

a basic parameter group calculating unit which calculates a basic parameter group constituted of an inertia matrix for converting a second-order differential value of the generalized variable vector into a generalized force vector and a gravity-dependent generalized force vector value, which is the value of a generalized force vector produced by a gravitational force acting on each link of the mobile robot, or a basic parameter group constituted of the inertia matrix, the gravity-dependent generalized force vector, and a centrifugal force/Coriolis force-dependent generalized force vector value, which is the value of a generalized force vector generated by a centrifugal force and a Coriolis force acting on each link of the mobile robot, on the basis of generalized variable observation information, which includes at least the observed value of an actual displacement amount of each joint of the mobile robot;

a contact portion Jacobian matrix calculating unit which receives contact state information indicating the contact state or states of one or more contact portions coming in contact with an external world while the mobile robot is traveling and the generalized variable observation information and calculates a contact portion Jacobian matrix, which is a Jacobian matrix expressing a relationship between the motion velocity of a predetermined contact portion representative element set as an element representing the motion of the one or more contact portions being in contact with the external world and the first-order differential value of the generalized variable vector on the basis of at least the received contact state information and generalized variable observation information; and

a state amount Jacobian matrix calculating unit which receives the generalized variable observation information and calculates a state amount Jacobian matrix, which is a Jacobian matrix expressing a relationship between the motion state amount and the first-order differential value of the generalized variable vector on the basis of at least the received generalized variable observation information,

wherein the desired driving force determining unit receives the basic parameter group, the contact portion Jacobian matrix and the state amount Jacobian matrix, which have been calculated, the desired value of a contact portion representative element motion acceleration, which is the desired value of the motion acceleration of the contact portion representative element, the generalized variable observation information, and the determined motion state amount desired value, uses the received data to calculate a component value corresponding to the displacement amount of each joint in a desired generalized force vector τ

cmd, which is a target of a generalized force vector that satisfies the relationship denoted by expression 01 given below, and determines the calculated component value as a desired driving force to be imparted to the joint.

S′

+(Js*M<sup>−

1</sup>*Tc−

Js′

)*q′

=(Js*M<sup>−

1</sup>*Pc)*(τ

cmd−

τ

cmpn)  

 

Expression 01

where

q;

generalized variable vector

q′

;

observed value of first-order differential value of q(=dq/dt)

S;

state amount

S′

;

desired value of first-order differential value of S(=dS/dt)

M;

inertia matrix

τ

cmpn;

vector defined by τ

cmpn≡

(N+G)−

Pc<sup>−

1</sup>*Cc or τ

cmpn=G−

Pc<sup>−

1</sup>*Cc

G;

gravity-dependent generalized force vector value

N;

centrifugal force/Coriolis force-dependent generalized force vector value

Pc;

matrix defined by Pc≡

I−

Jc^T*(Jc#)^T

I;

unit matrix

Jc;

contact portion Jacobian matrix

Jc#;

matrix defined by Jc#≡

(M<sup>−

1</sup>)^T*Jc^T*Rc^T

Rc;

matrix defined by Rc≡

((Jc*M<sup>−

1</sup>*Jc^T)<sup>−

1</sup>)^T

Cc;

vector defined by Cc≡

−

Jc^T*Rc*C

C;

desired value of contact portion representative element motion acceleration (scalar or vector)

Tc;

matrix defined by Tc≡

−

Jc^T*Rc*Jc′

Jc′

;

matrix obtained by subjecting Jc to first-order differentiation(=dJc/dt)

Js;

state amount Jacobian matrix

Js′

;

matrix obtained by subjecting Js to first-order differentiation(=dJs/dt)

6. The control device for a mobile robot according to claim 5,

wherein the mobile robot is a bipedal mobile robot that travels on a floor surface by carrying out a motion in which the distal portions of two leg links alternately come in contact with the floor surface,

the contact portion representative element is an element, the position and posture of which exhibit springy displacements based on a total floor reaction force, which is the resultant force of floor reaction forces acting on the two leg links, and also an element in which the springy displacement amounts of the position and posture of the contact portion representative element are such that the springy displacement amounts of the position and posture of the distal portion of a first leg link caused by a floor reaction force acting on the first leg link out of the two leg links and the springy displacement amounts of the position and posture of the distal portion of a second leg link caused by a floor reaction force acting on the second leg link out of the two leg links have a relationship indicated by expression 02 given below, and

the contact portion Jacobian matrix calculating unit calculates the contact portion Jacobian matrix Jc by calculating the right side of expression 03 given below.

Xcc=r at*A1*X1+(1−

r at)*A2*X2  

 

Expression 02

Jc=r at*A1*J1+(1−

r at)*A2*J2  

 

Expression 03

where

Xcc;

vector, the components of which are the springy displacement amounts of the position and posture of a contact portion representative element

r at;

coefficient set according to contact state information such that r at=0 applies in a state wherein only the first leg link is in contact with the ground, r at=1 applies in a state wherein only the second leg link is in contact with the ground, or r at continuously changes in a range defined by 0≦

r at≦

1 in a state wherein both the first leg link and the second leg link are in contact with the ground

X1;

vector, the components of which are the springy displacement amounts of the position and posture of the distal portion of the first leg link produced

X2;

vector, the components of which are the springy displacement amounts of the position and posture of the distal portion of the second leg link produced according to a floor reaction force acting on the second leg link

A1;

matrix for converting a first floor reaction force vector constituted of a translational force component and a moment component of a floor reaction force acting on the first leg link into a floor reaction force vector acting on the contact portion representative element

A2;

matrix for converting a second floor reaction force vector constituted of a translational force component and a moment component of a floor reaction force acting on the second leg link into a floor reaction force vector acting on the contact portion representative element

J1;

Jacobian matrix expressing the relationship between a first-order differential value X1′

of X1(=dX1/dt) and a first-order differential value q′

of a generalized variable vector q by X1′

=J1*q′

J2;

Jacobian matrix expressing the relationship between a first-order differential value X2′

of X2(=dX2/dt) and a first-order differential value q′

of a generalized variable vector q by X2′

=J2*q′

7. The control device for a mobile robot according to claim 5,

wherein the actuator control unit comprises a contact portion external force desired value determining unit which determines a contact portion external force desired value as an estimated value of an external force acting on the contact portion by carrying out processing of inverse dynamics calculation, using the desired driving force and the contact portion motion acceleration desired value, which have been determined, in the case where it is assumed that a driving force to be actually imparted to each joint of the mobile robot coincides with the determined desired driving force and the actual motion acceleration of the contact portion representative element coincides with the desired value of the contact portion representative element motion acceleration, and a driving force correction amount calculating unit which determines a correction amount of the desired driving force according to a feedback control law such that a difference between the contact portion external force desired value and an observed value of an external force actually acting on the contact portion is converged to zero, and the operation of the actuator is controlled on the basis of the desired driving force that has been corrected using the correction amount.

8. The control device for a mobile robot according to claim 6,

wherein the actuator control unit comprises a contact portion external force desired value determining unit which determines a contact portion external force desired value as an estimated value of an external force acting on the contact portion by carrying out processing of inverse dynamics calculation, using the desired driving force and the contact portion motion acceleration desired value, which have been determined, in the case where it is assumed that a driving force to be actually imparted to each joint of the mobile robot coincides with the determined desired driving force and the actual motion acceleration of the contact portion representative element coincides with the desired value of the contact portion representative element motion acceleration, and a driving force correction amount calculating unit which determines a correction amount of the desired driving force according to a feedback control law such that a difference between the contact portion external force desired value and an observed value of an external force actually acting on the contact portion is converged to zero, and the operation of the actuator is controlled on the basis of the desired driving force that has been corrected using the correction amount.