Motion editing apparatus and method for robot device, and computer program

• US 7,099,747 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2004
• Issued: 08/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jinichi Yamaguchi, Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Jinichi Yamaguchi, Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yamaguchi, Jinichi, Miyamoto, Atsushi, Mikami, Tatsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US10/970,977
• Publication Number:
  US 20050125099A1
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245, 700/246, 700/250, 700/254, 700/260, 700/261, 700/262, 318/568.12, 318/568.15, 901/1, 901/2, 180/8.1, 180/8.6, 701/23
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1671 characterised by simulation, either to verify existing program or to create and verify new program, CAD/CAM oriented, graphic oriented programming systems
• 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: G05D 1/0891 specially adapted for land vehicles
• 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

To implement a dynamic, elegant motion performance of an actual robot, a motion editing system is provided which includes a motion editor to edit motions of an upper body and whole body of the robot and a foot trajectory editor to create a gait pattern and lower-body motion to stabilize the entire robot. The foot trajectory editor includes the same gait pattern generator and motion stabilized as those installed in the actual robot. Before performing the edited motions on the actual robot, the motions are created, corrected and stabilized on a 3D viewer.

Claims

1. A motion editing system for a robot device including an upper body, a lower body formed from a plurality of legs which enable walking of the robot and a plurality of articulations, the system comprising:

a motion editor for editing motions of the upper body and entire robot;

a foot trajectory editor for creating a gait pattern and a motion of the upper body and combining the created upper-body motion and motion of the upper body or entire robot, edited by the motion editor to stabilize the entire robot; and

an automatic correcting means for automatically correcting the entire gait pattern along with step correction,

wherein the automatic correcting means makes an automatic correction of all influenceable steps on the basis of the relation between a constraint group into or from which a step has been inserted or deleted and preceding and following constraint groups, if any, in response to step insertion, deletion, movement or change of setting.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the foot trajectory editor includes the same locomotion engine as that installed in an actual robot.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the locomotion engine is a combination of a gait pattern generator and motion stabilizer.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the gait pattern generator creates a series or trajectories representing foot positions and directions of both the right and left legs from the sequence of walking commands and parameters.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the motion represents a gait pattern as step trajectories of both the right and left legs during a step cycle.

6. The system according to claim 4, wherein the foot trajectory editor allows to correct walking parameters for a specific step in an edited gait pattern.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the automatic correcting means can specify, as a constraint, a parameter which should not be changed during automatic correction.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the automatic correcting means defines a group of successive steps under the same constraint condition as in a constraint group.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein in the constraint group, correctable walking parameters are prioritized.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein if there exists any step not meeting constraint or limitation condition, the automatic correcting means generates a plan meeting the constraint and limitation conditions and proposes it to the user.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein in case the user does not select the plan, the automatic correcting means proposes, to the user, a plan of to-be-opened constraint condition.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein the automatic correcting means manipulates parameters set for the steps within the constraint group in the order of their priorities so that the gait pattern can be corrected completely within the constraint group as far as possible with no influence on other steps outside the constraint group.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein in case steps outside the constraint group will be influenced, the automatic correcting means corrects the gait pattern as less as possible in the order of priorities of parameters set on the steps outside the constraint group or in the same order.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein in case both steps under no constraint condition before and after the constraint group are under the same condition, the automatic correcting means corrects a step before or after the constraint group preferentially.

15. The system according to claim 2, wherein the locomotion engine makes a real-time creation of a gait pattern by a whole-body integrated control, and stabilizes the foot motion and whole-body motion on the basis of a ZMP equation.

16. The system according to claim 3, wherein the motion stabilizer receives, at each control cycle, a gait pattern and movement of pelvis and joints of the upper body, and calculates a whole-body motion which implements a stable bipedal walking on the basis of the ZMP-based stability criterion.

17. The system according to claim 1, wherein motion creation, correction and stabilization by the motion editor and foot trajectory editor are done on a 3D viewer.

18. The system according to claim 1, wherein the foot trajectory editor outputs data on a stabilized motion in a predetermined file format.

19. The system according to claim 1, wherein the foot trajectory editor data on trajectories of articulations of the entire robot whose motion has been stabilized in a data format including information about a formula of interpolation between control points.

20. The system according to claim 1, wherein to copy edited articulations, the motion editor has a mirror copying function to copy symmetrical articulations of a selected joint and a symmetrical copying function to copy the articulations in both directions.

21. The system according to claim 1, wherein it supports a multi-robot editing environment in which there are created and edited motions of a plurality of robots at the same time.

22. A motion editing method for a robot device including an upper body, a lower body formed from a plurality of legs which enable walking of the robot and a plurality of articulations, the method comprising the steps of:

editing motions of the upper body and entire robot;

creating a gait pattern and a motion of the upper body and combining the created upper-body motion and motion of the upper body or entire robot, edited by the motion editing module to stabilize the entire robot; and

automatically correcting the entire gait pattern along with step correction, wherein the automatic correcting means makes an automatic correction of all influenceable steps on the basis of the relation between a constraint group into or from which a step has been inserted or deleted and preceding and following constraint groups, if any, in response to step insertion, deletion, movement or change of setting.

23. A computer program in a computer-readable format to execute, in a computer system, a motion edition for a robot device including an upper body, a lower body formed from a plurality of legs which enable walking of the robot and a plurality of articulations, the computer program comprising:

a motion editing module for editing motions of the upper body and entire robot;

a foot trajectory editing module for creating a gait pattern and a motion of the upper body and combining the created upper-body motion and motion of the upper body or entire robot, edited by the motion editing module to stabilize the entire robot; and

an automatic correcting module for automatically correcting the entire gait pattern along with step correction,

wherein the automatic correcting means makes an automatic correction of all influenceable steps on the basis of the relation between a constraint group into or from which a step has been inserted or deleted and preceding and following constraint groups, if any, in response to step insertion, deletion, movement or change of setting.

24. A motion editing system for a robot device including an upper body, a lower body formed from a plurality of legs which enable walking of the robot and a plurality of articulations, the system comprising:

a motion editor for editing motions of the upper body and entire robot;

a foot trajectory editor for creating a gait pattern and a motion of the upper body and combining the created upper-body motion and motion of the upper body or entire robot, edited by the motion editor to stabilize the entire robot; and

an automatic correcting means for automatically correcting the entire gait pattern along with step correction,

wherein the automatic correcting means can specify, as a constraint or limitation condition, a parameter which should not be changed during automatic correction,

wherein if there exists any step not meeting the constraint or limitation condition, the automatic correcting means generates a plan meeting the constraint and limitation conditions and proposes it to the user and if the user does not select the plan, the automatic correcting means proposes, to the user, a plan of to-be-opened constraint condition.

25. A motion editing system for a robot device including an upper body, a lower body formed from a plurality of legs which enable walking of the robot and a plurality of articulations, the system comprising:

a motion editor for editing motions of the upper body and entire robot;

a foot trajectory editor for creating a gait pattern and a motion of the upper body and combining the created upper-body motion and motion of the upper body or entire robot, edited by the motion editor to stabilize the entire robot; and

an automatic correcting means for automatically correcting the entire gait pattern along with step correction,

wherein the automatic correcting means can specify, as a constraint or limitation condition, a parameter which should not be changed during automatic correction and defines a group of successive steps under the same constraint condition as a constraint group in which the correctable walking parameters are prioritized, and

wherein the automatic correcting means manipulates parameters set for the steps within the constraint group in the order of their priorities so that the gait pattern can be corrected completely within the constraint group as far as possible with no influence on other steps outside the constraint group, and if steps outside the constraint group will be influenced, the automatic correcting means minimally corrects the gait pattern in the order of priorities of parameters set on the steps outside the constraint group or in the same order.