Ambulation control apparatus and ambulation control method of robot

• US 7,113,849 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2005
• Issued: 09/26/2006
• 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): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US11/126,774
• Publication Number:
  US 20050203667A1
• Time in Patent Office: 503 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245
• 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 according to the invention 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, according to the invention, 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. A control apparatus for controlling a robot to walk, the robot having an upper body half provided with a plurality of joints for expressing an action of the upper body half and a lower body half having leg joints at least for realizing an ambulatory action, said control apparatus comprising:

a processor to compute moments generated as a result of an upper body gesture; and

means for obtaining a solution for lower body motion as a function of said computed moments such that the lower body half has a gait that is adapted to walk in a stable manner according to the gait of the upper body half.

2. An ambulation control method for controlling a robot having an upper body half provided with a plurality of joints for expressing an action of the upper body half and a lower body half having leg joints at least for realizing an ambulatory action, said method comprising the steps of:

computing moments generated as a result of an upper body gesture; and

obtaining a solution for lower body motion as a function of the computed moments for controlling at least one of said leg joints, such that the lower body half exhibits a gait that is adapted to walk in a stable fashion according to the gait of the upper body half.

3. A motion pattern generator apparatus of a robot which comprises at least upper limbs, lower limbs, a trunk and loins, comprising:

means for obtaining a solution for lower body motion as a function of a motion pattern of the upper limbs resulting from an upper body gesture, optionally one or more of a motion pattern of the feet of the robot, a trajectory of zero moment point (ZMP) of the robot, and a motion pattern of the trunk of the robot; and

means for generating a motion pattern of the body of the robot based on the obtained solution for the motion of the loins.

4. A motion pattern generator apparatus of a robot which comprises an upper body half having movable upper limbs and a lower body half connected to the upper body half having movable lower limbs, comprising:

means for setting a motion pattern, that includes an upper body gesture, of the upper body half;

means for setting a trajectory of a zero moment point (ZMP) on the basis of the set motion of the upper body half and upper body gesture;

means for obtaining a solution for a motion of the lower body half for balancing a moment on the set ZMP trajectory;

means for setting a motion pattern of the lower body half based on the obtained solution; and

control means for controlling a motion of the robot apparatus based on the motion of the upper body half and the motion of the lower body half.

5. A robot apparatus comprising:

an upper body half which has movable upper limbs;

a lower body half connected to the upper body half, which has movable lower limbs;

means for setting a motion pattern, that includes an upper body gesture, of the upper body half;

means for setting a trajectory of a zero moment point (ZMP) on the basis of the set motion of the upper body half and the upper body gesure;

means for obtaining a solution for a motion of the lower body half for balancing a moment on the set ZMP trajectory;

means for setting a motion pattern of the lower body half based on the obtained solution; and

control means for controlling a motion of the robot apparatus based on the motion of the upper body half and the motion of the lower body half.

6. A method for controlling a robot having an upper body half which has movable upper limbs and a lower body half connected to the upper body half, which has movable lower limbs, said method comprising the steps of:

step for setting a motion pattern, that includes an upper body gesture, of the upper body half;

step for setting a trajectory of a zero moment point (ZMP) on the basis of the set motion of the upper body half and the upper body gesture;

step for obtaining a solution for a motion of the lower body half for balancing a moment on the set ZMP trajectory;

step for setting a motion of the lower body half based on the obtained solution; and

step for controlling a motion of the robot apparatus based on the motion of the upper body half and the motion of the lower body half.

7. A motion pattern generator apparatus of a robot, comprising:

means for setting a motion of feet, motion of a trunk, motion of upper limbs and attitude and height of loins of the robot to generate a requested motion;

means for setting a trajectory of a zero moment point (ZMP) on the basis of the set motion of the feet, the trunk, and the upper limbs;

means for obtaining a motion of the loins for balancing a moment on the set ZMP trajectory;

means for generating a motion pattern of the entire body of the robot based on the motion of the loins.