Legged mobile robot

• US 7,492,115 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2003
• Issued: 02/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Takemura, Yoshinari, Toyoda, Hitoshi, Hamaya, Kazushi, Gomi, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Duda; Rina I
• Application Number:
  US10/525,222
• Publication Number:
  US 20080203955A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,021 Days
• Field of Search: 318/567, 318/568.11, 318/568.12, 318/568.16, 318/568.2, 318/568.21
• US Class Current: 318/568.11
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1065 with parallelograms
• 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

In a legged mobile robot (1), each leg (2) has at least a first joint (16) and a second joint (18, 20) located below the first joint in the gravitational direction, and the actuator that drives the second joint (54, 56) is located at least one of a position same as that of the first joint and a position (28) above the first joint in the gravitational direction. With this, it becomes possible to lighten the weight of the ground-contacting ends of the legs and thereby provide a legged mobile robot enabling reduction of the inertial forces occurring in the legs during moving, particularly during high-speed moving.

Claims

1. A legged mobile robot having a body, and a plurality of articulated legs each connected to the body such that it moves by driving each leg by an actuator associated therewith, comprising:

a first joint installed at each leg; and

a second joint installed at each leg at a location below the first joint in the gravitational direction;

wherein the actuator that drives the second joint is located at least one of a position same as that of the first joint and a position above the first joint in the gravitational direction, and at least one of an output shaft of the actuator that drives the second joint and an output shaft of a transmission element to which an output of the output shaft of the actuator is transmitted, is located coaxially with an axis of the first joint, and the second joint is connected to the output shaft located coaxially with the axis of the first joint to be driven through a rod.

2. The legged mobile robot according to claim 1, wherein the second joint has rotation axes that are arranged in at least two different directions.

3. The legged mobile robot according to claim 1, wherein the second joint is driven by a plurality of actuators and is connected to at least one of output shafts of the actuators and output shafts of transmission elements to which outputs of the output shafts of the actuators are transmitted, to be driven through a plurality of rods.

4. The legged mobile robot according to claim 3, wherein the rods are located to be spaced by prescribed distances from axes of the second joints.

5. The legged mobile robot according to claim 1, wherein the second joint is one among the joints that the legs have, that is located farthest toward a ground-contacting end.

6. A legged mobile robot having a body, and a plurality of articulated legs each connected to the body such that it moves by driving each leg by an actuator associated therewith, comprising:

a first joint installed at each leg;

a second joint installed at each leg at a location below the first joint in the gravitational direction; and

a speed reducer to which an output of the actuator that drives the second joint is transmitted;

wherein an input shaft of the speed reducer is located coaxially with an axis of the first joint.

7. The legged mobile robot according to claim 6, wherein an output shaft of the speed reducer is located coaxially with the axis of the first joint, and the second joint is connected to the output shaft of the speed reducer to be driven through a rod.

8. The legged mobile robot according to claim 6, wherein the second joint has rotation axes that are arranged in at least two different directions.

9. The legged mobile robot according to claim 6, wherein the second joint is driven by a plurality of actuators and is connected to output shafts of the speed reducers to which outputs of the actuators are transmitted, to be driven through a plurality of rods.

10. The legged mobile robot according to claim 9, wherein the rods are located to be spaced by prescribed distances from axes of the second joints.

11. The legged mobile robot according to claim 6, wherein the second joint is one among the joints that the legs have, that is located farthest toward a ground-contacting end.

12. A legged mobile robot having a body, and a plurality of articulated legs each connected to the body such that it moves by driving each leg by an actuator associated therewith, comprising:

a first joint installed at each leg;

a second joint installed at each leg at a location below the first joint in the gravitational direction;

a link that connects the first joint and the second joint; and

a speed reducer to which an output of the actuator that drives the second joint is transmitted;

wherein a base of the speed reducer is located at the link that connects the first joint and the second joint.