ROBOT DEVICE, METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME, AND PROGRAM FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20120290132A1
• Filed: 04/26/2012
• Published: 11/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: KOKUBO, Wataru, Fukushima, Tetsuharu, Nagano, Masakuni, Shimizu, Satoru
• Granted Patent: US 9,579,795 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/255
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1666 Avoiding collision or forbidden zones
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40298 Manipulator on vehicle, wheels, mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40475 In presence of moving obstacles, dynamic environment

Abstract

Provided is a robot device including a drive unit including a plurality of links and joints connecting the links, a task instruction input unit for inputting an instruction of a task, a drive control unit for controlling an operation of the drive unit on the basis of the input task and determining a restricted area including a space necessary for the operation of the drive unit, and an area display unit for displaying the restricted area.

Claims

1. A robot device comprising:

a drive unit including a plurality of links and joints connecting the links;

a task instruction input unit for inputting an instruction of a task;

a drive control unit for controlling an operation of the drive unit on the basis of the input task and determining a restricted area including a space necessary for the operation of the drive unit; and

an area display unit for displaying the restricted area.

2. The robot device according to claim 1, wherein the drive control unit predicts a space necessary for a predetermined time so as to implement the input task, and determines the restricted area based on the prediction result.

3. The robot device according to claim 2, wherein:

the drive unit further includes a moving unit for moving a position of the robot device, and

the drive control unit predicts a space necessary at a moving position at each time until the predetermined time has elapsed, and determines the restricted area based on a prediction result.

4. The robot device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a recognition unit for recognizing a human or obstacle within a work environment,

wherein the area display unit displays the restricted area when the human or obstacle recognized by the recognition unit is located within the restricted area.

5. The robot device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a recognition unit for recognizing a human or obstacle within a work environment,

wherein the drive control unit causes the drive unit to operate on the basis of the input task until after a certain time has elapsed when the human or obstacle recognized by the recognition unit is not located within the restricted area.

6. The robot device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a recognition unit for recognizing a human or animal within a work environment; and

a warning unit for issuing a warning so that the human or animal recognized by the recognition unit leaves the restricted area when the human or animal is located within the restricted area.

7. The robot device according to claim 6, wherein the warning unit issues the warning using one of a message audio output, blank shot, smell, and hot air or a combination of two or more thereof.

8. A method of controlling a robot device, comprising:

inputting an instruction of a task;

controlling an operation of a drive unit, of the robot device, including a plurality of links and joints connecting the links on the basis of the input task;

determining a restricted area including a space necessary for the operation of the drive unit; and

displaying the restricted area.

9. A robot device control program for causing a robot device to be driven as:

a task instruction input unit for inputting an instruction of a task;

a control unit for controlling an operation of a drive unit, of the robot device, including a plurality of links and joints connecting the links on the basis of the input task;

a restricted area determination unit for determining a restricted area including a space necessary for the operation of the drive unit; and

an area display unit for displaying the restricted area.