Robot

• US 20080228320A1
• Filed: 01/23/2008
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Amino, Azusa, Nakamura, Ryosuke, Tamamoto, Junichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,041,458 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/259
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/022 using lasers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/88 Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications

Abstract

To provide a robot whose degree of freedom of design is not limited, and which has simple structure and further reduces load of an actuator of a neck part, the present invention provides a robot at least including a head part, a body part, and a neck link which connects the head part and the body part, wherein a surrounding object distance measurement means is provided adjacently to the neck link and in an upper portion of the body part between the head part and the body part, and a distance scanning field of the surrounding object distance measurement means is provided in parallel with a horizontal plane.

Claims

1. A robot at least comprising a head part, a body part, and a neck link which connects the head part and the body part, wherein

a surrounding object distance measurement means is provided adjacently to the neck link and in an upper portion of the body part between the head part and the body part.

2. The robot according to claim 1, wherein a distance scanning field of the surrounding object distance measurement means is provided in parallel with a horizontal plane.

3. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the surrounding object distance measurement means is provided adjacently to the neck link so that the center of the scanning field of the surrounding object distance measurement means faces in a direction in which there is a design of a face provided in the head part.

4. The robot according to claim 1, wherein two surrounding object distance measurement means are provided to sandwich the neck link therebetween.

5. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the surrounding object distance measurement means is a laser scanning range sensor which determines the distance by measuring the time elapses after a plane is scanned with laser light until the irradiated laser light hits against an object to be measured and the reflected light returns.

6. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the shape of the robots is a shape in the similitude of a human.