Biped robot

• US 7,096,983 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2001
• Issued: 08/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Hirai, Kazuo, Morii, Kenji, Hirose, Masato
• Primary Examiner(s): WINNER, TONY H
• Application Number:
  US10/416,847
• Publication Number:
  US 20040030455A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,747 Days
• Field of Search: 180/8.1, 180/8.6, 700/255, 700/259
• US Class Current: 180/8.1
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 18/00 Arms
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/023 including video camera means

Abstract

The height from floor surface contact ends of leg linkages 2 to shoulder joints of a biped robot 1 when the biped robot is in an upright posture is defined to be a value falling within a range (Havg±½σ) set based on an averaged value Havg obtained by averaging the heights of a group of objects (subject to operation) from the floor surface and the standard deviation σ thereof, specifically a value in a range of from approximately 700 mm to 1000 mm. By this, the installation height of shoulder joints from the floor surface can be optimally determined in accordance with the heights of the objects, thereby improving operating efficiency in an existing operating space.

Claims

1. A biped robot having at least a body, two leg linkages each swingably connected to the body through hip joints, and two arm linkages each swingably connected to the body through shoulder joints, such that said robot walks over a floor surface in an operating space by swinging the leg linkages and performs operations on objects in the operating space by driving at least the arm linkages,

characterized in that:

a height from ends of the leg linkages, that contact the floor surface, to the shoulder joints, when the robot is in an upright posture is determined to be a value that falls within a range of averaged value Havg, of heights of the objects from the floor surface, ±

½

a standard deviation σ

of the averaged value.

2. A biped robot according to claim 1, wherein the aforesaid range is from 700 mm to 1000 mm.

3. A biped robot according to claim 1, wherein the arm linkages are composed of at least upper arms each swingably connected to the body through the shoulder joints and forearm links each swingably connected to the upper arm links through elbow joints and the length of the upper arm links is defined based on the standard deviation σ

.

4. A biped robot having at least a body, two leg linkages each swingably connected to the body through hip joints, and two arm linkages each swingably connected to the body through shoulder joints and equipped with hands at said arm linkages extremities, such that said robot walks over a floor surface in an operating space by swinging the leg linkages and performs operations on objects in the operating space by driving at least the arm linkages,

characterized in that:

a height from ends of the leg linkages, that contact the floor surface, when the robot is in an upright posture, is determined to be a value that falls outside a range of averaged value Havg, of heights of the objects from the floor surface, ±

½

a standard deviation σ

of the averaged value, when the shoulder joints assume a singularity posture.

5. A biped robot having at least a body, two leg linkages each swingably connected to the body through hip joints, two arm linkages each swingably connected to the body through shoulder joints and equipped with hands at their extremities, and a head swingably connected to the body through a neck joint and installed with a visual sensor composed of an imaging device, such that said robot walks over a floor surface in an operating space by swinging the leg linkages and performs operations on objects in the operating space by driving the arm linkages based on at least information on the operating space obtained from imagery taken by the imaging device,

characterized in that:

the imaging device is installed such that optical axes connecting the hands and the imaging device make angles within a range of from 5 degrees to 45 degrees with respect to the horizontal direction when the arm linkages are positioned in a horizontal direction parallel to the floor surface when the robot in an upright posture.

6. A biped robot according to claim 5, wherein a height from ends of the leg linkages, that contact the floor surface, to the shoulder joints is determined to be within a range of from 700 mm to 1000 mm and the imaging device is installed such that a difference between the height of the shoulder joints and a height of the imaging device from the floor surface is within a range of 150 mm to 250 mm, when the robot is in an upright posture.