Robot

• US 8,380,348 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2009
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Neki, Norio, Okazaki, Koji, Nakayama, Takashi, Muromachi, Masaaki, Kaneko, Satoshi, Kimura, Yuta
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US12/812,189
• Publication Number:
  US 20100286823A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,498 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245, 700/189, 700/247, 700/248, 700/250, 700/521, 700/252, 700/253, 700/254, 700/258, 700/259, 700/261, 700/262, 320/107, 320/109, 320/113, 320/114, 701/26, 318/568.11, 318/568.13, 318/568.15, 318/568.16, 318/568.19, 297/12, 297/15, 297/39, 297/40, 297/43, 297/59, 298/32, 298/33, 298/34, 901/2, 901/3, 901/42, 235/462.09, 235/102, 219/125.1, 451/5
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/005 using batteries, e.g. as a back-up power source
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0891 specially adapted for land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/42 Methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance of secondary cells or secondary half-cells H01M10/60 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/247 specially adapted for portable devices, e.g. mobile phones, computers, hand tools or pacemakers
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0045 concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

Provided is a robot capable of appropriately adjusting a position and the like of a main body in view of executing a specified task involving an interaction with a target object. While the position and posture of the main body (10) are being controlled according to a second target path, the robot (1) moves from a first specified area to a second specified area and stands there. In this state, a second position deviation (=the deviation of the position of the main body from a second target path) and a second posture deviation (=the deviation of the posture of the main body from a second target posture) are determined. According to the determination result, the second target path is corrected so that the subsequent position deviation and the like may be smaller.

Claims

1. A robot which is provided with a main body, a plurality of legs connected to the main body and a controller, each of the plurality of legs comprises a joint mechanism, and is capable of moving autonomously with repeated motions involving leaving a floor and landing on the floor of the plurality of legs controlled by the controller,

wherein the controller is provided with

a first controlling element configured to determine whether or not a first position/posture condition where a position of the main body is constrained in a first target position range with a first target position as a reference and a posture of the main body is constrained in a first posture range with a first target posture as a reference has been satisfied when the robot is standing in a first specified area, and to determine a deviation of the position of the main body from a second target position as a second position deviation and a deviation of the posture of the main body from a second target posture as a second posture deviation when the robot is standing in a second specified area for executing a specified task involving an interaction with a target object, and

a second controlling element configured to correct a second target path on the basis of either one or both of a current second position deviation and a current second posture deviation determined by the first controlling element so as to make either one or both of a subsequent second position deviation and a subsequent second posture deviation smaller after the robot has been controlled to move from the first specified area to the second specified area and stand in the second specified area with the position and posture of the main body following the second target path on condition that the first controlling element determines that the first position/posture condition has been satisfied,

wherein the second controlling element, on condition that the first controlling element determines that the first position/posture condition has not been satisfied, controls the robot to vary either one or both of the position and posture of the main body by making a part of or the entire part of the plurality of legs of the robot which is standing in the first specified area leave the floor and land on the floor and stand again in the first specified area on the basis of either one or both of the position deviation of the main body from the first target position and the posture deviation of the main body from the first target posture.

2. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the second controlling element controls the robot to move from the first specified area to the second specified area and stand in the second specified area with the position and posture of the main body following the corrected second target path after the robot has been controlled to move from the second specified area to the first specified area and stand in the first specified area with the position and posture of the main body following a first target path.

3. The robot according to claim 2, wherein

the first controlling element determines whether or not a second position/posture condition where the position of the main body is constrained in a second target position range with the second target position as a reference and the posture of the main body is constrained in a second posture range with the second target posture as a reference has been satisfied, and

the second controlling element controls the robot to execute the specified task on condition that the first controlling element determines that the second position/posture condition has been satisfied, or controls the robot to move from the second specified area to the first specified area and stand in the first specified area with the position and posture of the main body following the first target path on condition that the first controlling element determines that the second position/ posture condition has not been satisfied.

4. The robot according to claim 1, further provided with a battery and a first connector, and the specified task includes a second connector serving as the target object being driven by a driving device disposed with a charging unit to have a connection with the first connector such that the battery is charged by the charging unit.

5. The robot according to claim 1, further provided with an arm connected to the main body and a hand connected to a tip end of the arm, and the specified task includes holding the target object with the hand or releasing the target object from the hand.