Ambulation control apparatus and ambulation control method of robot

• US 6,697,709 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2002
• Issued: 02/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jinichi Yamaguchi, Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Jinichi Yamaguchi, Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kuroki, Yoshihiro, Yamaguchi, Jinichi, Ishida, Tatsuzo
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel, Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US10/196,431
• Publication Number:
  US 20020183897A1
• Time in Patent Office: 589 Days
• Field of Search: 700/31, 700/245, 700/248, 700/258, 700/259, 318/568.1, 318/568.11, 318/568.12, 318/568.2, 318/569, 318/16, 318/565, 901/1, 901/15, 901/47, 704/207, 704/209, 704/270
• 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

Abstract

The stability of attitude of a robot can be recovered by an ambulation control apparatus and an ambulation control method if it is lost in the course of a gesture for which the upper limbs take a major role. The apparatus and the method obtain the pattern of movement of the entire body for walking by deriving the pattern of movement of the loins from an arbitrarily selected pattern of movement of the feet, the trajectory of the ZMP, the pattern of movement of the trunk and that of the upper limbs. Therefore, a robot can determine the gait of the lower limbs so as to realize a stable walk regardless if the robot is standing upright or walking. Particularly, if the robot is made to gesture, using the upper body half including the upper limbs and the trunk while standing upright, it can determine the gait of the lower limbs so as to make a stable walk in response to such a gait of the upper body half.

Claims

1. Control apparatus for controlling a robot to walk, said robot having an entire body, including at least lower limbs, upper limbs, a trunk, feet and loins and moving by bipedalism;

said apparatus being adapted to obtain a pattern of movement of the entire body for walking by deriving the pattern of movement of the loins from an arbitrarily selected pattern of movement of the feet, trajectory of zero moment point (ZMP) of the robot, the pattern of movement of the trunk and the pattern of movement of the upper limbs.

2. Control apparatus for controlling a robot to walk, said robot having at least lower limbs, upper limbs, a trunk and loins to move on two feet of the lower limbs of the robot in order to cause zero moment point (ZMP) of the robot to get to a target position, said apparatus comprising:

means for selecting motion of the feet, motion of the trunk and motion of the upper limbs and attitude and height of the loins in order to realize a requested action;

means for selecting a trajectory of the ZMP on the basis of the selected motion of the feet;

means for obtaining a solution for the motion of the loins for balancing a moment on the selected ZMP trajectory; and

means for realizing the motion of the loins on the basis of the obtained solution for the motion of the loins.

3. Control apparatus for controlling a robot to walk, said robot having at least lower limbs, upper limbs, a trunk and loins to move on two feet of the lower limbs of the robot in order to cause zero moment point (ZMP) of the robot to get to a target position, said apparatus comprising:

means for selecting motion of the feet, motion of the trunk and motion of the upper limbs and attitude and height of the loins in order to realize a requested action;

means for selecting a trajectory of the ZMP on the basis of the selected motion of the feet;

means for obtaining a first approximate solution for the motion of the loins for balancing a moment on the selected ZMP trajectory by means of a non-strict model;

means for obtaining a second approximate solution for the motion of the loins for balancing the moment on the selected ZMP trajectory by means of a strict model;

means for finalizing the solution for the motion of the loins when the difference between the first and second approximate solutions is less than a predetermined admissible value;

means for modifying the moment on the ZMP of the non-strict model and inputting the modified value to said means for obtaining a first approximate solution when the difference between the first and second approximate solutions is not less than the predetermined admissible value; and

means for realizing the motion of the loins on the basis of the finalized solution for the motion of the loins.

4. The control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said non—

strict model is a linear and/or non-interference multiple material point approximation model for robots; and

wherein

said strict model is a rigid body model or a non-linear and/or interference approximation model of a multiple material point system.

5. The control apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

means for reselecting/modifying a pattern of movement of the trunk and a pattern of movement of the upper limbs when the selected motion of the trunk and the selected motion of the upper limbs cannot be realized by the first approximate solution.

6. The control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said means for obtaining a first approximate solution for the motion of the loins comprises means for obtaining an approximate solution for the motion of the loins by solving a balancing equation of the moment on the selected ZMP generated by the motions of the feet, the trunk and the upper limbs and the moment on the ZMP generated by a horizontal plane motion of the loins.

7. The control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said means for obtaining a first approximate solution for the motion of the loins comprises means for replacing a time function with a frequency function for computation.

8. The control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said means for obtaining a first approximate solution for the motion of the loins comprises means for computationally determining Fourier coefficients of a horizontal plane trajectory of the loins by applying a Fourier series development to the moment on the selected ZMP generated by the motions of the feet, the trunk and the upper limbs and also to the horizontal plane trajectory of the loins and additionally obtaining an approximate solution of the motion of the loins by applying an inverse Fourier series development.

9. An ambulation control method for controlling a robot having an entire body including at least lower limbs, upper limbs, a trunk, feet and loins and moving by bipedalism;

said method being adapted to obtain a pattern of movement of the entire body for walking by deriving the pattern of movement of the loins from an arbitrarily selected pattern of movement of the feet, trajectory of zero moment point (ZMP) of the robot, the pattern of movement of the trunk and the pattern of movement of the upper limbs.

10. An ambulation control method for controlling a robot having at least lower limbs, upper limbs, a trunk and loins to move on two feet of the lower limbs of the robot in order to cause zero moment point (ZMP) of the robot to get to a target position, said method comprising the steps of:

selecting motion of the feet, motion of the trunk and motion of the upper limbs and attitude and height of the loins in order to realize a requested action;

selecting a trajectory of the ZMP on the basis of the selected motion of the feet;

obtaining a solution for the motion of the loins for balancing a moment on the selected ZMP; and

realizing the motion of the loins on the basis of the obtained solution for the motion of the loins.

11. An ambulation control method for controlling a robot having at least lower limbs, upper limbs, a trunk and loins to move on two feet of the lower limbs of the robot in order to cause zero moment point (ZMP) of the robot to get to a target position, said method comprising the steps of:

selecting motion of the feet, motion of the trunk and motion of the upper limbs and attitude and height of the loins in order to realize a requested action;

selecting a trajectory of the ZMP on the basis of the selected motion of the feet;

obtaining a first approximate solution for the motion of the loins for balancing a moment on the selected ZMP trajectory by means of a non-strict model;

obtaining a second approximate solution for the motion of the loins for balancing the moment on the selected ZMP trajectory by means of a strict model;

finalizing the solution for the motion of the loins when the difference between the first and second approximate solutions is less than a predetermined admissible value;

modifying the moment on the ZMP of the non-strict model and inputting the modified value for use in obtaining said first approximate solution when the difference between the first and second approximate solutions is not less than the predetermined admissible value; and

realizing the motion of the loins on the basis of the finalized solution for the motion of the loins.

12. An ambulation control method according to claim 11, wherein said non-strict model is a linear and/or non-interference multiple material point approximation model for robots;

and wherein

said strict model is a rigid body model or a non-linear and/or interference approximation model of a multiple material point system.

13. An ambulation control method according claim 11, further comprising the step of reselecting/modifying a pattern of movement of the trunk and a pattern of movement of the upper limbs when the selected motion of the trunk and the selected motion of the upper limbs cannot be realized by the first approximate solution.

14. An ambulation control method according to claim 11, wherein said step of obtaining a first approximate solution for the motion of the loins comprises obtaining an approximate solution for the motion of the loins by solving a balancing equation of the moment on the selected ZMP generated by the motions of the feet, the trunk and the upper limbs and the moment on the ZMP generated by a horizontal plane motion of the loins.

15. An ambulation control method according to claim 11, wherein said step of obtaining a first approximate solution for the motion of the loins comprises replacing the time function with a frequency function for computation.

16. An ambulation control method according to claim 11, wherein said step of obtaining a first approximate solution for the motion of the loins comprises computationally determining Fourier coefficients of a horizontal plane trajectory of the loins by applying a Fourier series development to the moment on the selected ZMP generated by the motions of the feet, the trunk and the upper limbs and also to the horizontal plane trajectory of the loins and additionally obtaining an approximate solution of the motion of the loins by applying an inverse Fourier series development.

17. Control apparatus for controlling a robot having an entire body, including at least lower limbs, feet, a trunk, upper limbs and loins, comprising:

means for generating a motion pattern of a predetermined part of said robot based on a motion pattern of the upper limbs of said robot and, optionally, one or more of a motion pattern of the feet of said robot, a trajectory of zero moment point (ZMP) of said robot, and a motion pattern of the trunk of said robot;

means for generating a motion pattern of the entire body of said robot based on the motion pattern of said predetermined part of said robot; and

means for controlling said robot according to said motion pattern of said entire body.

18. The control apparatus of claim 17 wherein said predetermined part of said robot is said loins.

19. A method for controlling a robot having an entire body, including at least lower limbs, feet, a trunk, upper limbs and loins, said method comprising the steps of:

generating a motion pattern of a predetermined part of said robot based on a motion pattern of the upper limbs of said robot and, optionally, one or more of a motion pattern of the feet of said robot, a trajectory of zero moment point (ZMP) of said robot, and a motion pattern of the trunk of said robot;

generating a motion pattern of the entire body of said robot based on the motion pattern of said predetermined part of said robot; and

controlling said robot according to said motion pattern of said entire body.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said predetermined part of said robot is said loins.

21. A bipedal robot comprising:

a body, including at least lower limbs, feet, a trunk, upper limbs and loins, and control apparatus, comprising;

means for generating a motion pattern of a predetermined part of said robot based on a motion pattern of the upper limbs of said robot and, optionally, one or more of a motion pattern of the feet of said robot, a trajectory of zero moment point (ZMP) of said robot, and a motion pattern of the trunk of said robot;

means for generating a motion pattern of the entire body of said robot based on the motion pattern of said predetermined part of said robot; and

means for controlling said robot according to said motion patter of said entire body.

22. The robot of claim 21, wherein said predetermined part of said robot is said loins.