Control device for legged mobile robot

• US 8,793,019 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2011
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Yoshiike, Takahide, Takeda, Masanori, Shirokura, Shinya, Kaneko, Hiroyuki, Watabe, Tomoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Edwards, Jerrah
• Application Number:
  US13/154,040
• Publication Number:
  US 20110301756A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,149 Days
• Field of Search: 700/253, 901/1, 901/46, 901/9
• US Class Current: 700/253
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/085 Force or torque sensors B25J13/082, B25J13/084 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/088 with position, velocity or acceleration sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0006 Exoskeletons, i.e. resembling a human figure
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/40931 concerning programming of geometry
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/008 based on physical entities controlled by simulated intelligence so as to replicate intelligent life forms, e.g. based on robots replicating pets or humans in their appearance or behaviour

Abstract

In a legged mobile robot 1 having legs 2, a first landing permissible region and a second landing permissible region for a desired landing position of a distal end portion (a foot 22) of a free leg are determined, and the desired landing position of the free leg foot is determined in a region where the first and second landing permissible regions overlap each other, to thereby generate a desired gait of the robot. The first landing permissible region is determined so as to satisfy a geometric leg motion requisite condition. The second landing permissible region is determined such that a motion continuity requisite condition and a floor reaction force element permissible range requisite condition that are related to a prescribed floor reaction force element as a constituent element of the floor reaction force can be satisfied.

Claims

1. A control device for a legged mobile robot having a plurality of legs extended from a base body, the control device being configured to determine, while the robot is in motion, a leg motion parameter and a floor reaction force element parameter to satisfy a plurality of kinds of requisite conditions, the leg motion parameter defining a motion trajectory of a distal end portion of each leg, the floor reaction force element parameter defining a desired trajectory of a floor reaction force element which is a prescribed constituent element of a floor reaction force to be applied to the robot, and use the leg motion parameter and the floor reaction force element parameter to generate a desired gait including at least a desired motion of the robot, to thereby control an operation of the robot so as to cause an actual gait of the robot to follow the desired gait,

the plurality of kinds of requisite conditions including at least a geometric leg motion requisite condition that the motion trajectory of the distal end portion of each leg defined by the leg motion parameter becomes a motion trajectory within a geometrical range of movement of the leg, a motion continuity requisite condition that the desired trajectory of the floor reaction force element defined by the floor reaction force element parameter becomes a desired trajectory capable of implementing a continuous motion of the robot on a dynamic model expressing the dynamics of the robot, and a floor reaction force element permissible range requisite condition that a desired value of the floor reaction force element on the desired trajectory of the floor reaction force element defined by the floor reaction force element parameter falls within a prescribed permissible range,

the control device comprising:

a first landing permissible region determining unit configured to determine a first landing permissible region, the first landing permissible region being a first permissible region for a desired landing position of a distal end portion of a free leg among the plurality of legs of the robot that is to be landed after the present time, so as to satisfy the geometric leg motion requisite condition;

a second landing permissible region determining unit configured to determine a second landing permissible region, the second landing permissible region being a second permissible region for the desired landing position that makes it possible to determine a desired trajectory of the floor reaction force element that satisfies the motion continuity requisite condition and the floor reaction force element permissible range requisite condition, on the basis of a relation and the permissible range related to the desired value of the floor reaction force element, the relation including a relationship between a change of the desired landing position of the distal end portion of the free leg and a change of the floor reaction force element satisfying the motion continuity requisite condition;

a leg motion parameter determining unit configured to determine the leg motion parameter such that the desired landing position of the distal end portion of the free leg is located within a region in which at least the first landing permissible region and the second landing permissible region overlap each other; and

a floor reaction force element parameter determining unit configured to determine the floor reaction force element parameter defining the desired trajectory of the floor reaction force element, by using the leg motion parameter.

2. The control device for a legged mobile robot according to claim 1, further comprising a third landing permissible region determining unit configured to determine a third landing permissible region, the third landing permissible region being a third permissible region for the desired landing position of the distal end portion of the free leg, on the basis of information about the environment surrounding the robot, wherein

the leg motion parameter determining unit determines the leg motion parameter such that the desired landing position of the distal end portion of the free leg is located within a region in which at least the first landing permissible region, the second landing permissible region, and the third landing permissible region overlap one another.

3. The control device for a legged mobile robot according to claim 1, wherein the motion continuity requisite condition is a condition that, in the case where the desired trajectory of the floor reaction force element defined by the floor reaction force element parameter is input into the dynamic model to generate a motion of the robot, a trajectory of the generated motion converges to a motion trajectory in a cyclic gait, the cyclic gait being a gait in which a motion of a same pattern of the robot is repeated periodically.

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

the leg motion parameter determining unit is configured to determine the leg motion parameter so as to allow a desired landing time of the free leg to be adjusted within a prescribed permissible range, and

the second landing permissible region determining unit determines the second landing permissible region on the basis of a relation among a change of the desired landing position of the distal end portion of the free leg, a change of the desired landing time of the distal end portion of the free leg, and a change of the floor reaction force element satisfying the motion continuity requisite condition, the permissible range related to the desired value of the floor reaction force element, and the permissible range related to the desired landing time of the free leg.

5. The control device for a legged mobile robot according to claim 1, wherein the floor reaction force element is a position of a ZMP as a point of application of a total floor reaction force acting on the robot, and the permissible range related to the desired value of the floor reaction force element is an existence permissible region of the ZMP set within a supporting polygon determined in accordance with a contact surface of the robot with a floor surface.

6. The control device for a legged mobile robot according to claim 1, wherein the floor reaction force element is a position of a ZMP as a point of application of a total floor reaction force acting on the robot, and the permissible range related to the desired value of the floor reaction force element is an existence permissible region of the ZMP set within a supporting polygon determined in accordance with a contact surface of the robot with a floor surface,

the control device further comprising:

a leg motion parameter provisionally determining unit configured to determine a provisional value of the leg motion parameter such that the desired landing position of the free leg is within the first landing permissible region;

a floor reaction force element parameter provisionally determining unit configured to use the determined provisional value of the leg motion parameter to determine a provisional value of the floor reaction force element parameter defining a desired trajectory of the position of the ZMP which is the floor reaction force element so as to satisfy at least the floor reaction force element permissible range requisite condition;

a ZMP correction amount determining unit configured to use a provisional ZMP trajectory which is a desired trajectory of the position of the ZMP defined by the determined provisional value of the floor reaction force element parameter and the dynamic model to determine a ZMP correction amount for correcting the provisional ZMP trajectory so as to satisfy the motion continuity requisite condition; and

a conclusion unit configured to determine whether a position of the ZMP obtained by correcting the provisional ZMP trajectory by the determined ZMP correction amount is within the existence permissible region;

wherein

in the case where the determination result of the conclusion unit is negative, the second landing permissible region conclusion unit calculates a change amount of the ZMP correction amount in the case where the desired landing position of the free leg is changed by a prescribed amount from the desired landing position defined by the determined provisional value of the leg motion parameter to thereby determine a landing position-floor reaction force element interrelation parameter defining a relation between a change of the desired landing position of the distal end portion of the free leg and a change of the floor reaction force element satisfying the motion continuity requisite condition, and converts the permissible range related to the desired value of the floor reaction force element into a permissible region for the desired landing position of the distal end portion of the free leg, in accordance with the relation defined by the landing position-floor reaction force element interrelation parameter, to thereby determine the second landing permissible region.

7. The control device for a legged mobile robot according to claim 4, wherein the floor reaction force element is a position of a ZMP as a point of application of a total floor reaction force acting on the robot, and the permissible range related to the desired value of the floor reaction force element is an existence permissible region of the ZMP set within a supporting polygon determined in accordance with a contact surface of the robot with a floor surface,

the control device further comprising:

a leg motion parameter provisionally determining unit configured to determine a provisional value of the leg motion parameter such that the desired landing position of the free leg is within the first landing permissible region;

a floor reaction force element parameter provisionally determining unit configured to use the determined provisional value of the leg motion parameter to determine a provisional value of the floor reaction force element parameter defining a desired trajectory of the position of the ZMP which is the floor reaction force element so as to satisfy at least the floor reaction force element permissible range requisite condition;

a ZMP correction amount determining unit configured to use a provisional ZMP trajectory which is a desired trajectory of the position of the ZMP defined by the determined provisional value of the floor reaction force element parameter and the dynamic model to determine a ZMP correction amount for correcting the provisional ZMP trajectory so as to satisfy the motion continuity requisite condition; and

a conclusion unit configured to determine whether a position of the ZMP obtained by correcting the provisional ZMP trajectory by the determined ZMP correction amount is within the existence permissible region;

wherein

in the case where the determination result of the conclusion unit is negative, the second landing permissible region conclusion unit calculates a change amount of the ZMP correction amount in the case where the desired landing position of the free leg is changed by a prescribed amount from the desired landing position defined by the determined provisional value of the leg motion parameter and a change amount of the ZMP correction amount in the case where the desired landing time of the free leg is changed by a prescribed amount from the desired landing time defined by the determined provisional value of the leg motion parameter to thereby determine a landing position-landing time-floor reaction force element interrelation parameter defining a relation among a change of the desired landing position of the distal end portion of the free leg, a change of the desired landing time of the distal end portion of the free leg, and a change of the floor reaction force element satisfying the motion continuity requisite condition, and converts the permissible range related to the desired value of the floor reaction force element and the permissible range related to the desired landing time of the distal end portion of the free leg into a permissible region for the desired landing position of the distal end portion of the free leg, in accordance with the relation defined by the landing position-landing time-floor reaction force element interrelation parameter, to thereby determine the second landing permissible region.