Surrogate: a body-dexterous mobile manipulation robot with a tracked base

• US 9,862,090 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2015
• Issued: 01/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Kennedy, Brett A., Hebert, Paul, Ma, Jeremy C., Borders, James W., Bergh, Charles F., Hudson, Nicolas H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bendidi, Rachid
• Application Number:
  US14/810,349
• Publication Number:
  US 20160023352A1
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 15/0009 comprising multi-articulated fingers, e.g. resembling a human hand
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/021 Optical sensing devices
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/005 mounted on endless tracks or belts
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0087 Dual arms double SCARA arms B25J9/043
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/06 characterised by multi-articulated arms
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1666 Avoiding collision or forbidden zones
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1682 Dual arm manipulator; Coordination of several manipulators
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40254 Serial to parallel, branching manipulator, one macro and several parallel arms
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/09 Closed loop, sensor feedback controls arm movement
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/28 Joint
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/30 End effector
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/47 Optical

Abstract

Robotics platforms in accordance with various embodiments of the invention can be utilized to implement highly dexterous robots capable of whole body motion. Robotics platforms in accordance with one embodiment of the invention include: a memory containing a whole body motion application; a spine, where the spine has seven degrees of freedom and comprises a spine actuator and three spine elbow joints that each include two spine joint actuators; at least one limb, where the at least one limb comprises a limb actuator and three limb elbow joints that each include two limb joint actuators; a tracked base; a connecting structure that connects the at least one limb to the spine; a second connecting structure that connects the spine to the tracked base; wherein the processor is configured by the whole body motion application to move the at least one limb and the spine to perform whole body motion.

Claims

1. A robotics platform comprising:

a processor;

a memory containing a whole body motion application;

a spine, where the spine has seven degrees of freedom and comprises a spine actuator and three spine elbow joints that each include a first spine joint actuator and a second spine joint actuator, where the axis of rotation of the first spine joint actuator is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the second spine joint actuator;

a first limb, where the first limb comprises a first limb actuator, three first limb elbow joints that each include two first limb joint actuators, and a first end-effector;

a second limb, where the second limb comprises a second limb actuator, three second limb elbow joints that each include two second limb actuators, and a second end-effector;

a tracked base;

a connecting structure that connects the first limb and the second limb to the spine;

a second connecting structure that connects the spine to the tracked base;

wherein the processor is configured by the whole body motion application to move the first limb, the second limb, and the spine to perform whole body motion by evaluating a kinematic chain for the robotics platform using the following expression;

min∥

{dot over (θ

)}∥

_{2, Pθ}

+∥

V_WE^B −

{tilde over (V)}_WE^B∥

_{2, PE}+∥

V_WC^B−

{tilde over (V)}_WC^B∥

_{2, PC}

where {dot over (θ

)} are joint angle velocities of the three first limb elbow joints, the three second limb elbow joints, and the three spine elbow joints, V_WE^B is a base body velocity of the end-effector frame (E) in a world frame W, V_WC^B is a center of mass body velocity expressed in a base frame, P_E is a weighting matrix of the end-effector, and P_θ

is a weighing matrix of a regularizer.

2. The robotics platform of claim 1, further comprising a head, where the head comprises at least one sensor;

and a third connecting structure connecting the head to the spine.

3. The robotics platform of claim 2, wherein the at least one sensor is a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system.

4. The robotics platform of claim 2, wherein the at least one sensor is a pair of stereo cameras.

5. The robotics platform of claim 1, wherein the three spine elbow joints have the same dimensions and construction.

6. The robotics platform of claim 1, wherein the three first limb elbow joints and the three second limb elbow joints have the same dimensions and construction.

7. The robotics platform of claim 1, wherein the three spine elbow joints, the three first limb elbow joints, and the three second limb elbow joints have the same dimensions and construction.

8. The robotics platform of claim 1, wherein the first end-effector is a hand assembly including a plurality of articulated fingers.

9. The robotics platform of claim 1, wherein the kinematic chain is subject to joint velocity, torque, and center of support constraints.

10. The robotics platform of claim 1, wherein performing whole body motion further comprises end-effector solving and path solving.

11. The robotics platform of claim 1, wherein the second end-effector is a hand assembly including a plurality of articulated fingers.