Control device for legged mobile body

• US 8,417,382 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2010
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Yoshiike, Takahide, Takeda, Masanori, Kuroda, Mitsuhide, Watabe, Tomoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khol
• Assistant Examiner(s): Amin, Bhavesh V
• Application Number:
  US12/913,075
• Publication Number:
  US 20110098857A1
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 700/253
• 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

A desired motion determiner of a control unit of a legged mobile robot determines a leg motion parameter specifying the motion trajectory of a distal end of a leg of the robot on the basis of the information on a floor geometry of an environment in which the robot travels and a requirement related to a travel route of the robot, thereby sequentially determining the desired motion of the robot. A floor geometry information output unit which outputs floor geometry information to the desired motion determiner outputs floor geometry information in which a rising surface of a stepped portion of a predetermined type, the contact thereof with a leg of the robot should be avoided, has been shaped into a surface having a gentler slope than an actual rising surface. The desired motion determiner determines the leg motion parameter such that the leg will not come in contact with the stepped portion having the shaped rising surface.

Claims

1. A control device for a legged mobile robot that determines a desired motion of the legged mobile robot, which travels by moving a plurality of legs extended from a base body, thereby controlling motion of the robot so as to cause an actual motion of the robot to follow the determined desired motion, the control device comprising:

a desired motion determining unit which determines a leg motion parameter specifying a motion trajectory of a distal end of a leg of the robot on the basis of at least information on a floor geometry of an environment in which the robot travels and a requirement related to a travel route of the robot, thereby sequentially determining the desired motion having the motion trajectory of the distal end of the leg specified by the leg motion parameter;

a motion control unit which controls the motion of the robot so as to cause the actual motion of the robot to follow the determined desired motion; and

a floor geometry information output unit which outputs the floor geometry information to the desired motion determining unit,

wherein, among the floor geometry information output by the floor geometry information output unit to the desired motion determining unit, at least the floor geometry information on a stepped portion, the contact with which a leg of the robot should avoid and which is a predetermined type of stepped portion existing around the travel route of the robot and having an actual rising surface between a lower step surface and an upper step surface, is floor geometry information in which a rising surface indicated by the floor geometry information between the lower step surface and the upper step surface is shaped to have a gentler slope surface than the actual rising surface.

2. A control device for a legged mobile robot according to claim 1,

wherein the stepped portion of the predetermined type is a stepped portion in which a tilt angle of at least the actual rising surface thereof on an acute angle side relative to a horizontal surface is an angle closer to 90°

than a predetermined angle.

3. The control device for a legged mobile robot according to claim 1,

wherein the desired motion determining unit comprises:

a proper leg motion determining unit which sequentially determines whether there will be contact between the distal end of a free leg and a stepped portion of the predetermined type by the time the free leg lands on the basis of the floor geometry information output from the floor geometry information output unit and a latest leg motion parameter that has been determined in a case where it is assumed that an actual motion of the distal end of the free leg of the robot were continued after a current time according to at least the motion trajectory specified by the determined latest leg motion parameter; and

a leg motion parameter updating unit which updates the leg motion parameter such that the contact will be avoided in the case where the determination result is affirmative.

5. The control device for a legged mobile robot according to claim 1, wherein the rising surface shaped to have a gentler slope surface than the actual rising surface of the stepped portion, has a greater length than the actual rising surface when measured between the lower step surface and the upper step surface.

6. The control device for a legged mobile robot according to claim 1, wherein the rising surface indicated by the floor geometry information is shaped to have the gentler slope surface than the actual rising surface by changing actual floor geometry information on the stepped portion, including actual floor geometry information on the actual rising surface, the lower step surface, and the upper step surface of the stepped portion.

7. The control device for a legged mobile robot according to claim 2, wherein a tilt angle of the rising surface indicated by the floor geometry information on the acute angle side is less than the tilt angle of the actual rising surface on the acute angle.

4. A control device for a legged mobile robot that determines a desired motion of a legged mobile robot, which travels by moving a plurality of legs extended from a base body, thereby controlling the motion of the robot so as to cause an actual motion of the robot to follow the determined desired motion, the control device comprising:

a desired motion determining unit which determines a leg motion parameter specifying a motion trajectory of a distal end of a leg of the robot on the basis of at least information on a floor geometry of an environment in which the robot travels and a requirement related to a travel route of the robot, thereby sequentially determining the desired motion having the motion of the distal end of the leg specified by the leg motion parameter;

a motion control unit which controls the motion of the robot so as to cause the actual motion of the robot to follow the determined desired motion; and

a floor geometry information output unit which outputs the floor geometry information to the desired motion determining unit,

wherein, among the floor geometry information output by the floor geometry information output unit to the desired motion determining unit, at least the floor geometry information on a stepped portion, the contact with which a leg of the robot should avoid and which is a predetermined type of stepped portion existing around the travel route of the robot is the information on a floor geometry in which the rising surface between a lower step surface and an upper step surface of the stepped portion indicated by the floor geometry information has been shaped to have a gentler slope surface than an actual rising surface,

wherein the desired motion determining unit comprises;

a proper leg motion determining unit which sequentially determines whether there will be contact between the distal end of a free leg and a stepped portion of the predetermined type by the time the free leg lands on the basis of the floor geometry information output from the floor geometry information output unit and a latest leg motion parameter that has been determined in a case where it is assumed that an actual motion of the distal end of the free leg of the robot were continued after a current time according to at least the motion trajectory specified by the determined latest leg motion parameter; and

a leg motion parameter updating unit which updates the leg motion parameter such that the contact will be avoided in the case where the determination result is affirmative, and

wherein the leg motion parameter updating unit updates the leg motion parameter such that the landing position of the distal end of the free leg in the future is closer to the landing position immediately before the distal end of the free leg leaves a floor than the landing position of the distal end of the free leg in the future specified by the leg motion parameter before updating in the case where the height of the distal end of the free leg in the motion trajectory is set to be greater than the height specified by the leg motion parameter before updating in order to avoid the contact.